PIP member companies demonstrate emergency response capabilities

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Petroleum (PIP) conducted its annual Industry Emergency Response Exercises (IERO 2012) recently at the Pandacan oil depot. Representatives from PIP member companies Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (Shell), Chevron Philippines Inc, LiquiGaz (Philippines),Petron Corp., PTT Philippines Corp. and Total (Philippines) Corp., as well as members of safety organizations participated in this year’s edition of the IERO. Members of the local fire and police departments, barangay officials and safety organizations as well as observers from the IPPCA, or the Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association, PIP member company executives, other invited public officials and media watched

Shell hosted the IERO exercises, which comprised of various skills and emergency response activities at the Shell Linear Park’s tennis court. After the competition, the Pandacan Depot Services Inc (PDSI), the joint venture company formed by Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corporation and Chevron Philippines to manage the Pandacan terminal, conducted an emergency fire drill to show how its emergency teams deal with a burning fuel tanker, how the facility is protected from a fire incident and the various equipment used in firefighting.

PIP executive director Sally C. Monteiro praised the participating oil companies in sharing their emergency response skills with each other.

IERO 2012 keynote speaker was Undersecretary Jose M. Layug Jr. of the Department of Energy (DoE). Shell president and chairman Ed Chua said emergency response capability is a common goal of all oil companies. “This is an area where we all have the same objectives, which is to ensure that our entire operations are safe, reliable and we don’t do any harm to the environment or anyone in the community,” Chua told some 200 people who attended the IERO 2012.

PIP chairman and Chevron Philippines country chairman Jim Meynink said, “Today, we put competition behind us and we work together because this is in all our interest whether it’s for the consumer, our facilities or for the whole country.”

PTT Philippines president and CEO Wisarn Chawalitanon officially accepted his company’s chairmanship of next year’s IERO exercises.