DIGITALIZATION:

in the oil & gas sector

Client satisfaction is embedded in BOURBON’s DNA and drives every action of our services. With this in mind, we have created an innovative service called myBOURBON which offers our clients instant access to key service performance indicators through a secured digital platform. myBOURBON, which has been operational since 2015, demonstrates the company’s constant commitment to transparency and quality of service.

In 2010, BOURBON was the first company in the industry to implement technical performance indicators. It was also the first and the only company to communicate its performance with KPIs to the market and to its clients, and to measure customer satisfaction with specific questionnaires. With this new digital application, BOURBON has taken things to the next level, explains Rodolphe Bouchet, VP, Business Management, Marine Services: “Our ongoing concern for performance transparency,  reporting and measuring customer satisfaction is at the origin of myBOURBON. We wanted to provide customers with all this information via a digital platform.”

On the myBOURBON platform, clients have access to information such as operations in near-real time, performance indicators, daily fuel consumption reports, vessels and operational documentations. Data is accessible 24/7 worldwide, enabling clients to simplify their BOURBON contract management, with added efficiency and improved risk management. The next steps will be to gradually enrich this platform with more added value services like Electronic Document Management (contract, vessels documents, reporting paper work, invoices…), collaborative and communication features (action plan, workflow, chat, customer satisfaction form, etc.). It will also evolve to meet the needs of a wide audience and to be compatible with mobile devices. 

TESTIMONY

 ROBIN SCHROH - TOTAL -  Support Vessels Category Manager
"I use myBOURBON to access information regarding contracted vessels. For example, which vessels are contracted, the duration of the contract, the contract rate, etc. Total has a lot of vessels contracted with BOURBON and I already get a lot of information from the affiliates regarding these contracts. The key usage of myBOURBON for me is to cross-reference the information I have from the affiliates with the information available through the application. BOURBON is a strategic supplier to TOTAL and we already have a close relationship, including weekly contacts. Nonetheless, this digital interface adds an extra layer of transparency and illustrates BOURBON’s willingness to improve transparency with customers. I believe that BOURBON is the only supplier to provide such an innovative service. So far, the information on the website is more technically focused and more useful for our technical teams. When the application provides more information on contracts, I will use it more often as it is a very user-friendly tool."

From early March to late May 2016, BOURBON operated in India - a first for the Subsea Services activity - on behalf of a contractor for the Indian oil and gas leader. The contract could open new doors.

BOURBON carried out for 3 months 2 missions off the coast of Kakinada in eastern India’s: testing the G-1 tract’s umbilical and installing a jumper, stored on the seabed for over a year. The tract lacks surface structures, so an umbilical carries command and control information from the mainland to the subsea facilities. Two of its communication lines displayed anomalies, which may trigger unexpected production shutdowns. The Bourbon Evolution 807 was deployed with two Work ROV HD subsea robots. After tests, the umbilical’s condition was deemed satisfactory. Two ROVs recovered and installed the jumper connection hose. The connection’s particularity was the complexity of the hose’s channel: the wellhead was 90 degrees off its normal position. Three lines - the crane cable and two ROV control cables - descended from the surface."The ROV HD is our flagship tool for underwater operations, it’s extremely compact, a key advantage in areas with strong currents. », says Jean-Charles Audouin, Commercial Area Manager and the vessel’s Project Manager.

ROVs in drift launch mode

In addition to monsoons, one of the main challenges was working in very strong currents with three lines (crane and ROV) from the surface. The ROVs dove in currents as brisk as 3.5 knots, which required major safety measures and precautions when putting the robots into the water and lifting them out again, as well as special navigation methods. The ROV entered the water in drift launch mode: the vessel dove in a controlled “drift” before moving back into position. "Bourbon Evolution vessels allow this kind of mission to be accomplished: they are powerful, enable two ROVs to be embarked at the same time and have a large deck area. Classified as SPS and DP3 vessels, they have helidecks, which are crucial for operating in this region."

This first successful mission is driving new opportunities. McDermott has just awarded BOURBON a new mission on the next Indian field development (S1-Vashishta). Bourbon Evolution 807 will steam back to India early 2017.

How can globally active multinationals implement effective compliance policies? Sylvie Rapin, TOTAL E&P Branch Compliance Officer, and Christian Laveau, BOURBON Group Compliance Officer, have the answer.

JOINT Interview

What goals does a compliance policy aim to achieve?

Sylvie Rapin: Our compliance programme allows us to secure our activity and reassure our stakeholders on the steps we’re taking to prevent non-compliance risks. It guarantees transparency and long-term success. Today, a group like TOTAL, which operates in over 130 countries, works internationally in accordance with an ethics code and a standardised global compliance policy.

Christian Laveau: A compliance programme is indispensable for operating in the oil and gas industry. Standardising BOURBON’s ethics and compliance policy allows us to have a common approach and rules with regards to compliance and anti-corruption.  It also allows us to keep up with ever tightening regulatory frameworks. 

S.R.: In the extractive industries, the global EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) has been retained because so much money is at stake and the countries we operate in are changing and restructuring.

C.L.: Just like safety, the risk of non-compliance represents a major risk in our industry. The potential impact on finances and reputation is considerable. Not managing the risk of non-compliance concerning, for example, facilitation payments, the rules regarding embargoes, or business gifts can have serious consequences and leads to a loss of confidence among employees, stakeholders and all parties involved.

How can your policy be implemented in all the countries where you operate?

S.R.: It rests above all on engaging management at the highest level to analyse the risks and draft rules that are easy for everybody to understand. Our policy, which is spelled out in our code of conduct, is distributed to new employees and all interested parties. To make sure it is correctly applied, we rely on several stages of raising awareness, communication, and training, not forgetting monitoring and, if necessary, sanctions.

C.L.: BOURBON has a similar approach to TOTAL with our deployment of the ‘six pillars’ of our compliance programme. To complement this in terms of raising awareness and training, BOURBON has put in place clear sanctions linked to the non-respect of internal procedures. The emphasis is on winning the support of everybody in the organisation to respect these rules to ‘protect’ the company and its employees and boost competitiveness. Our motto, “Compliance, no compromise”, clearly states our goal.

S.R.: Employees must understand that this approach is fundamental to how the company works. 

C.L.: I totally agree. We must continue to educate and raise awareness in order to work towards zero risk.

SYLVIE RAPINBRANCH COMPLIANCE OFFICER, TOTAL E&P

"Good compliance is a quiet success, like a good safety policy with zero incidents."

Which tools have been rolled out to raise employee awareness? 

S.R.: In addition to 80 compliance officers in each entity, we have outreach tools like e-learning, which makes it easier to understand compliance principles on a daily basis. A dedicated e-mail address lets everybody express his or her concerns as quickly as possible, receive advice and report instances of non-compliance with the rules.  A tool to register gifts, invitations, donations and conflicts of interest is available to each employee at their work station. 

C.L.: BOURBON relies on a corporate team, a network of 26 compliance officers in the locations where it operates, a code of conduct and a compliance e-learning programme. This enables employees to reduce the risks they are exposed to and become more effective. Compliance success in the long term means never letting down your guard.