Oil brotherhood

Over 70 finalists, best of the best, winners of local contests held a month before, met in the most northern location of RussNeft assets – town of Raduzhny.

Sergey Byshov, Senior Vice-president for production and geology of OAO NK RussNeft, addressed to the participants at the opening ceremony: “For the first time the Company united the “flags of its subsidiaries” at the “Best in profession” competition of OAO NK RussNeft. It is symbolic that an event in such widened format is taking place in Varioganneft. It was this asset where the history of our Company started from. It is difficult to express in words the value of a worker for RussNeft: main basis and drive, foundation of the Company’s well-being. Work of a worker always deserves respect, because it is a foundation of all industrial achievements. The professional skills contests are not only to choose the best but also to continue the tradition targeting higher prestige of the worker’s profession.”

Sergey Byshov, addressing to the participants, stressed that the Company’s progress, its dynamic development and holding the leading positions in the industry are impossible without their energy and initiative: “Today, the strongest gathered here. I am sure, that your professionalism will be a guarantee of an interesting and intense battle where there will be winners but there won’t be losers. All of you are already the best specialists, operational elite. I wish you good luck and new achievements.”

“Our company will host and hold the final of the competition for the first time. The number of its participants grows every year, it becomes more prestigious, and a victory is rightfully considered a major achievement in the professional work of the oil men. Such contests help the workers to develop the corporate honour and working traditions. The finalists will agree that such competitions allow us to realize all power of the Company where we have an honour to work”, Yury Nishkevich, Director General of OAO Varioganneft, said in his greeting speech.

Despite the fact that any competition means rivalry, the environment was very friendly. All participants supported sincerely each other.

Contests on 11 nominations were held in two phases: theory and practice.

The theoretical part was an examination on profile subjects of each profession. The participants had to fulfill a test task: in 25 minutes they were to answer a certain number of questions including on industrial safety.

The practical part included standard tasks on the workers’ disciplines. For example, welders/burners were to manufacture a metal spool, oil and gas production operators were to meter the oil production rate and read the well dynamic level, drivers demonstrated car and truck driving skills, chemical laboratory technicians determined types of solids.

Control over the contests in each nomination and summarizing results were in charge of special committees chaired by chief engineers of the subsidiaries.

Vladimir Rott, oil and gas production operator of ZAO Preobrazhenskneft, emphasized that the competition became a real discovery for him: “I participated in such activity for the first time and it was a success – I won the previous level and now I am lucky to be here, in the North. I had been dreaming to travel to the North, see its nature, and see people working. And this has come true! Besides the competition, we had a wonderful cultural program: we visited the local regional museum, saw the national town of khanty and mansi Variogan. We also got acquainted with wonderful guys – colleagues from other towns. So, we have got many impressions and all of them positive. Thanks to the management and hosts of the competition – OAO Varioganneft – all was top class!”

Vitaly Kuzmenko, Aganneftegazgeologia voltage transformer operator, has been working on this discipline for a short time and participates in such competition for the first time: “I did not win the professional skills contest of OAO MPK ANGG last year. This motivated me to start a more serious preparation and I made it: I was the best at my company. I hope to act honourably at this level as well. The most valuable here is experience exchange and communication which motivate to learn and enhance our skills”.

Many participants stated that their work is not difficult but very responsible. The most important is to love the profession.

Alexandr Tropin, chief engineer of OAO Varioganneft, said that routine maintenance and work over of wells are the most complex oil disciplines: “No doubt that wells routine maintenance and work over people are real men – strong, tough, committed. The crews are very experienced and adjusted. But their task was more difficult since most of the participants performed individually, and they were a team. Team spirit is the most important here, for the result depends on joint actions.”

It is to be noted that the task of the wells maintenance and work over crews was to land and lift three tubing pieces with submersible pump cabling. Crew 21 from OAO Varioganneft headed by Rasim Hidirov, including Roman Kuznetsov, Anatoly Martynenko and Naim Sharipov, has been working for almost 15 years. Their role is to ensure fast and qualitative repair of wells. Despite all of them have different functions, they understand each other without words. Therefore, OAO Varioganneft was recognized the best team.

Summarizing the results, the jury emphasized that the level of preparation of the workers in all regions has been increasing every year. At the award ceremony, the heads of RussNeft subsidiaries thanked the participants and winners of the “Best in profession - 2014” competition for high professionalism and awarded them with deserved prizes.

“Professional skills competitions carried out by RussNeft, are an important component of the HR policy and sort of operation pulse demonstrating the real potential of specialists and direction for their further growth.

Your results clearly showed that our system of HR preparation is effective. Thank you for your work!”, Ekaterina Trokhova, Director of OAO HK RussNeft HR Department, said to the participants.

The first place in the team format was awarded to OAO Varioganneft (10 top places), the second place was taken by OAO Saratovneftegaz (8), the third was given to OAO Ulyanovskneft (6). The winners were awarded with honourable title of the “Best in profession of OAO NK RussNeft”. They also received diplomas, certificates and badges. During one year they will be getting bonuses for professional skills and high qualification.

After the award ceremony and concert program, the winners shared their impressions.

Andrey Lototsky, 22, oil and gas production operator of OAO Varioganneft: “I joint the company about three years ago after graduation from a technical school. I immediately understood that I had chosen the right profession. This is my third competition. The first two were not successful for me, since I lacked experience. I believe now that I have mastered my profession well enough, but preparation was also important. It was clear for me that given such competitiveness there was no point to play hit-or-miss. It prepared every day after the victory in Varioganneft contest. I knew that the jury will consist of highly professional specialists. I feel happy that I managed it and did not fail my company and my department. I appreciate the help of my senior colleagues and tutors who generously shared their experience with me. I hope that the victory will help me to increase my self-confidence and move forward.”

The jury will definitely remember Elena Rogozhina, technician of OAO Saratovneftegaz chemical analysis laboratory. One may envy the persistence and will power of that apparently fragile woman – so self-confidently she answered the jury’s questions and substantiated her view point. Though, as Elena said, at certain moments, listening to answers of her competitors, she lost courage and belief in victory: “It happened that we had done other analyses in the professional skills contest at our company therefore our preparation was short. It is important to have the winning spirit, ability to boost in a difficult moment – and I managed all this. It took me a long while to achieve this goal, and this is my first time in the final phase. When I learnt that I took the first place, I felt really happy. I am really thankful to the hosts and management of our company as well as to RussNeft for the good organization.”

Damir Kurmakayev, electrician, has been working in OAO Ulyanovskneft for over one year: “This is my first time in such competition. My emotions are only positive. the leisure program was also wonderful: concert, excursions… This is my first time in the North, I liked the local nature very much. As for the organization of the work here – the level is good, proper equipment… Some of the equipment was really new for me and I had to study it on the night before the event. We did not just compete at the contest, but became friends with colleagues, exchanged phone numbers. We intend to keep in touch.”

In the age of the technical progress, when new technologies come to the industry, the need in highly professional workers is specifically acute. Therefore, the main objective of the corporate competition of the professional skills is to identify and encourage the most decent specialists, and the experience of OAO NK RussNeft in this activity is a good example to follow.