Ankaa Consulting has successfully completed a series of technical safety workshops for an EPCC client in Malaysia, supporting the development of a downstream petroleum terminal and associated pipeline infrastructure.
The project focuses on enhancing operational capacity and reliability of the facility, in line with long-term infrastructure development objectives. As part of this engagement, Ankaa Consulting facilitated Hazard Identification (HAZID) and Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Study workshops to systematically evaluate potential risks and operability challenges associated with the proposed design as a critical part of terminal operations and product distribution.
Scope of Work
The workshops involved a multi-disciplinary review across key areas, including:
- Process Safety – Systematic identification of credible hazards and process deviations (e.g., no flow, high pressure, reverse flow), including potential loss of containment scenarios involving refined petroleum products.
- Operational Risk Assessment – Evaluation of credible operating and upset scenarios, including equipment trips, utility failures, and abnormal operations impacting safe and continuous pipeline throughput.
- Instrumentation & Control – Detailed review of control philosophies, alarm management, interlocks, and shutdown systems to ensure adequate protection against identified deviations.
- Mechanical Integrity – Assessment of critical equipment such as pumps, pipelines, valves, and associated components, focusing on failure modes (e.g., seal failure, corrosion, erosion) and their consequences.
- Interface Management – Evaluation of system interactions, including tie-ins to existing facilities, utility dependencies, and potential cross-system impacts during normal and transient operations.
- Human Factors – Consideration of operator actions, procedural adequacy, accessibility, and potential human errors (e.g., incorrect valve operation, maintenance errors) identified during HAZOP review.
Structured Approach to Technical Safety
Ankaa Consulting applied a systematic methodology aligned with industry best practices to ensure a robust and effective safety assessment:
- Hazard Identification (HAZID) – Identification of location-specific and external hazards (e.g., environmental, security, and facility siting risks), including potential impacts to personnel, environment, and surrounding communities.
- Deviation Analysis (HAZOP) – Node-by-node evaluation of process parameters using guidewords (e.g., No, More, Less, Reverse), systematically identifying causes such as equipment failure, control system malfunction, and human error.
- Cause-Consequence Evaluation – Development of detailed cause–consequence relationships for each identified scenario, including potential outcomes such as vapor cloud formation, pool fires, overpressure, and product contamination.
- Safeguard Assessment – Review of existing and proposed safeguards, including engineering controls (e.g., relief systems, ESD, detection systems), procedural controls, and passive protection measures.
- Gap Identification & Recommendations – Identification of gaps in design and operation, followed by practical and implementable recommendations to enhance process safety, asset integrity, and operational reliability.
Commitment to Safety and Operational Excellence
Through these workshops, a comprehensive safety assessment of the proposed design was achieved, with key recommendations developed to further optimise operational performance. This engagement reinforces a safety-first culture, aligned with the principles of People, Planet, and Profit, ensuring that safety remains integral to all engineering and operational decisions.
This milestone highlights Ankaa Consulting’s continued commitment to delivering high-quality technical safety services, supporting safe, reliable, and sustainable energy infrastructure development.
For further information or any enquiries, please contact us at sales@ankaaconsulting.com.