As the first offshore gas platform to be built in the Philippines, the Malampaya Phase 3 (MP3) Project, being implemented by Shell, heralds an age of breakthroughs in Philippine technology and innovation. From preparing its foundations beside an existing operating offshore platform, to inspiring new facilities for future oil and gas projects in the country, MP3’s hallmark of innovations has been revolutionizing the future of energy in the Philippines. Here are 7 of MP3’s interesting contributions to innovation:

1) MP3’s local fabrication contractor Keppel Subic Shipyard built a 1500T gantry crane, the tallest in South East Asia. This was purposely built to execute the critical heavy-lift activities required for the Depletion Compression Platform (DCP) construction. The gantry crane opens doors for future oil and gas industry projects to be constructed in the Philippines.

2) Preparing the seabed foundation. Laying the foundation for the installation of the DCP’s legs may look like a simple task, but transporting 41,000 tons of rock from the quarry site in Angono, shipping it out of Luzon via the Batangas port and installing it on the seafloor, involved overcoming numerous challenges.

"This operation has been achieved, despite numerous challenges, by maintaining morale and keeping focus. We maintained a perfect Goal Zero target over the seabed preparation phase!"

remarked Tjalling de Bruin, MP3 Offshore Execution Manager, in recognition of the Shell staff and contractors who worked hard to prepare the seabed for the new platform.

The work was achieved with zero injuries which demonstrate Shell’s commitment to safety, implementing operations without fatalities or incidents and with Health, Safety, Security and Environment as the highest priority.

3) A ‘self-installing’ technology. In 2015, the MP3 platform will be towed from its fabrication site in Subic Bay and be installed beside the existing Malampaya platform in the West Philippine Sea, near Palawan. The platform is designed to float, and the inbuilt jacking system will enable the 80m legs to be jacked down and lift the platform from the water into its final position.

This technology avoids the need for the large specialized vessels that are normally required for offshore platform installation. Both platforms are designed to withstand the typhoons and earthquakes which the Philippines experiences, and this represented a unique challenge for the designers of this type of structure.

Both platforms are designed to withstand the typhoons and earthquakes which the Philippines experiences, and this represented a unique challenge for the designers of this type of structure.

4) A worldwide effort. Shell has prioritized the use of locally available resources for the first offshore gas platform to be designed and built in the Philippines. But the project is nevertheless a worldwide effort that brings into the country equipment and technical components from over 20 countries across America, Europe and Asia. The multinational team includes specialists from close to 20 different countries –including Britain, Malaysia, Netherlands and Belgium, to name a few— who came to the Philippines to help Filipinos create a world-class legacy that will make history in the country.

5) Filipino capacity and capability to world-class standards. The Malampaya Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Training Centre was inaugurated last year, and has so far enhanced the skills of over 6,000 Filipino workers to the world-class HSE standards required by the global oil and gas industry. The mandatory training is required before being allowed to work with MP3, either in the fabrication yard or offshore. The training also increased the Filipino skilled workers’ marketability for employment opportunities abroad.

6) Creating a legacy that uplifted lives at the site where the DCP is being built. MP3, through Malampaya Foundation, Inc. (MFI) implements strategic social investment programs in surrounding communities such as in Subic, Zambales that include livelihood trainings, road safety and disaster response education. These programs enable hundreds of Filipinos to uplift and empower their lives long after the MP3 project is completed.

Visit www.malampayafoundation.org to learn more.

7) Malampaya Phase 3 is by Filipinos, for Filipinos. MP3 has provided over 1,400 direct new jobs for Filipinos, generated more business for local companies supporting the project, and in the long-term is elevating the level of expertise in the country to world-class standards. This enables the Philippines to compete for future oil and gas projects both regionally and globally. Like the rest of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project, MP3 has become a symbol of pride for the Filipino nation, made by Filipinos, for Filipinos.

Whether by introducing new technology or innovatively driving sustainability forward, Malampaya Phase 3 is ushering a new age in the Philippine energy landscape, and powering Philippine progress. Shell is primed, as a global leader in power and energy, to deliver further development and innovation in its next hundred years of doing business in the country.