Oil Search takes out global energy award

Welcome,

Oil Search has won the 2018 Platts Global Energy Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Oil Search Managing Director, Peter Botten (centre) receiving the 2018 Platts Global Energy Award in the Corporate Social Responsibility category

The award recognises our efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck the Papua New Guinea highlands in February, 2018, which affected around 544,000 people. As a first responder to the unfolding crisis, we provided facilities, people and equipment to help alleviate the critical shortage of relief supplies to stranded communities.

Foreign aid and supplies were flown to our Moro base where our helicopters and people were instrumental in distributing donated food, water, shelter, medicine, cooking utensils, bedding and other supplies across Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.

Our engineering and construction teams were sent to open important roads for supplying food, fuel and restoration equipment to earthquake-affected areas. In addition to significant efforts restoring vital infrastructure and providing much needed supplies, we:

  • Donated US$5 million in cash and in-kind support to disaster relief efforts in the Hela and Southern Highlands provinces;
  • Delivered more than 200 tonnes of food and supplies directly to villages reaching more than 200,000 people; and
  • Treated almost 2,500 medical cases and performed 70 medical evacuations.

The UN estimates that we delivered about 80 per cent of total food supplies to affected areas in the first four weeks following the earthquake.

In accepting the award, Oil Search Managing Director, Peter Botten, said the earthquake struck at the very heart of the company.

‘Not only were many of our local communities completely cut off from receiving aid, but many of our people were cut off from their families and the communities they grew up in,’ he said.

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Local communities

‘Local communities were without food, water and shelter. We were deeply concerned for their welfare and knew we could be a life line for delivering emergency relief.

‘As a proud PNG company, we are committed to PNG in good times and bad. PNG is our home so when our neighbours are in need, we lend a helping hand.

The United Nations estimates that Oil Search delivered about 80 per cent of total food supplies to affected areas in the first four weeks following the earthquake.

‘We played a critical first responder role we were able to provide rapid on-the-ground assistance – offering our facilities, people, aircraft and food to address the critical needs of our communities in the highlands.

‘Our employees and contractors stood strong together – performing tasks outside their normal roles to protect our people, environment and facilities and to deliver the earliest possible return to safe, sustainable and reliable operations.

‘This award is recognition of the many people who returned to site or chose to stay behind – working long hours to rebuild camps and deliver emergency relief despite the ongoing threat of further aftershocks.”

‘Our employees and contractors stood strong together – performing tasks outside their normal roles to protect our people, environment and facilities and to deliver the earliest possible return to safe, sustainable and reliable operations.

‘This award is recognition of the many people who returned to site or chose to stay behind – working long hours to rebuild camps and deliver emergency relief despite the ongoing threat of further aftershocks.’

Early recovery plan

Oil Search and the Oil Search Foundation continue to work closely with the PNG government and foreign aid organisations to restore basic needs like access to clean water, food and medicine whilst working with local villages to rebuild roads, housing and other infrastructure. The scope of the early recovery plan included:

  • Continuing to deliver activities with provincial health authorities to support regular health activities and joint work on earthquake recovery
  • Facilitating mobile health clinics into more than 40 communities across three provinces providing health services to more than 1,800 people;
  • Supporting a vaccination program to help prevent disease outbreaks;
  • Working with authorities to keep hospitals and medical centres open during civil unrest;
  • Working with the Emergency Controller’s Office to address safe water supplies, improved sanitation and hygiene including supply and installation of new water tanks;
  • Ongoing delivery of medical supplies and equipment;
  • Leveraging public and private sector donations to support rebuilding, reparation, equipment replacement and services development; and
  • Conducting damage assessments.

Learn more about our earthquake relief efforts here.


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Website: https://www.oilsearch.com/media-centre/earthquakerelief
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