KERTIH, ‘Taking action is the key to every outstanding achievement.’ These words always ring true for Terengganu-born Mohamad Sabri Mohd Darus, who was involved in the early construction work of the Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) plants in Kertih and who still looks on with pride at the development of the oil and gas industry today.
Reflecting on this early involvement with Petronas, Mohamad Sabri, who is now 73, said he returned to Malaysia after completing his studies in civil engineering at the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom in 1979 and, a month later, he was offered a job as a Civil Engineer at Petronas.
He still remembers reporting for duty on Sept 4, 1979, when Petronas was only five years old. He was placed in the Special Projects Department which was responsible for implementing Petronas’ early projects.
After spending six months at the Petronas Headquarters in Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, he and three of his colleagues were instructed to return to their home state to start work
on building Petronas plants in the Bukit Tengah area of Kertih.
“At that time, Kertih was very different from what it is today. Being a fishing village far from the city centre, there were no hotels or homestays. Even finding a rental house was difficult. Luckily, there was a wooden village house in the Kertih town for rent,” he said.
‘Another challenge we faced was the difficulty in communication. I still remember that besides using a long-distance messaging system or telefax to send our daily work reports, we would also use public telephones in Kertih each time we wanted to contact our headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Sometimes, we had to ask for help from the Kertih police station if there was an urgent need,’ he told Bernama.
He said that he would visit the project site daily with the contractor to carry out land surveying and lot-marking works, adding that at that time, the Petronas plant site was like a jungle filled with coconut trees.
Once the surveying and lot-marking works were completed, work to b
uild the Petronas plants in Kertih began earnestly, starting with the construction of the Terengganu Petronas Refinery in 1982.
When work began to build the Gas Processing Plant (GPP) in 1983, Mohamad Sabri was assigned to supervise the construction of the first phase of the gas pipeline route (Peninsular Gas Utilisation 1) by Petronas Gas Berhad, which involved installing a 32-kilometre gas pipeline from Kertih GPP to the Tanjung Sulong Export Terminal (TSET).
The initial gas pipeline construction required Sabri and his team to go into the forest to identify the route for land surveying and mark the gas pipeline routes.
‘I can still remember, we were given machetes to clear the bushes, besides serving as weapons in case we came across venomous wild animals like snakes and wild boars. The PGU gas pipeline route involved hilly and rocky terrains. Sometimes, we had to climb steep slopes, go through swampy areas and use boats to travel. Sometimes, we had to walk and spend several nights in the jungle.
‘Only
after the route was cleared that we could use the company-owned four-wheel drive to inspect the gas pipeline construction site,’ said Mohamad Sabri, who once worked without wearing his glasses for two months after it fell in the river while he was working.
As the project engineer ‘working’ in the forest area and too far away for the company’s management to monitor their activities, he was aware that he and his team had the responsibility to always be honest and serve with dedication.
‘The biggest challenge at that time was ourselves. Our employer did not see us working. Nobody monitored us, instead we monitored ourselves. Whether to sleep or not, whether to go to work or enter the forest, the employer didn’t know. No one knew. Therefore, honesty and sincerity while working were the most important values,” he said.
After the first phase of pipe installation was completed on 15 March 1985, Mohamad Sabri was tasked with supervising the transmission of gas processed at the Kertih GPP to the TSET through 20-inc
h pipelines.
Mohamad Sabri, the gas route supervisor then, was given the honour of opening the gas valve at the GPP to channel the first gas supply to the TSET before it was exported through the Tanjung Sulong Port in Kemaman.
Speaking of his experience, Mohamad Sabri said he could not hide his pride and excitement when he heard the flow of gas through the pipeline.
He was also proud when he had the chance to witness the export of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to Japan for the first time on July 3 of the same year.
He also said that during his service with Petronas, he had the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience domestically and abroad, including at the Petronas Leadership Centre (PLC) in Bangi, Selangor; the Illinois Institute of Gas Technology in Chicago, the United States; and in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands to deepen his knowledge in various oil and gas-related matters.
‘One of the proudest things about Petronas was that it encouraged human capital development. The courses and training funded
by Petronas were very good and taught us (staff) a lot. They helped improve the skills and professional level of Petronas staff,” he said.
Throughout his career in Petronas, he also held various important positions, including as manager of the regional operations in Kuantan, Pahang and Segamat, Johor as well as the TSET manager before ending his service as a senior manager at the Kertih GPP in 2006 at the age of 55.
Although it has been 18 years since he retired, Mohamad Sabri, who still closely follows Petronas’ developments, is thankful to have been a part of the company, especially since what he did a long time ago still exists and continues to contribute to the country’s development.
‘Overall, the Petronas projects in Kertih have transformed the area. There are houses, shop lots and offices around Kertih. I have seen how Kertih has transformed from having nothing to what exists there today.
‘The presence of Petronas plants in Kertih has helped provide many job opportunities for locals, besides produci
ng many skilled workers in the oil and gas industry,’ said Mohamad Sabri, who also taught at Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas (INSTEP).
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
