Growing up, I was very inclined and interested in doing hands-on work. To me, it was the best way to learn and develop skills as well as enjoy the sense of accomplishment upon completion. Naturally, this led me into the construction sector to work under the guidance and encouragement from my uncle. At that time, they were working on building a bunkering facility at PLIPDECO. While building the facility, the superiors would do their site visits and would often times engage the workers on site for updates and general check-ins. Over time, they saw how I always put my best foot forward and that I had ambition. I was never a person who would sit down or lay back; I was always on it. They were thoroughly impressed by my performance and then engaged me to work.
Quami Brewster, HMS Inspection and Testing Team Lead, IRP Fire and Safety Ltd.
Photo Credit: Luvo Productions Limited
Quami has been in the energy industry for approximately 23 years. His entry into the industry came via the construction sector when, after leaving secondary school, he was hired by his uncle to work on the construction of a bunkering facility at the port in Pt. Lisas.
After the completion of the bunkering facility, he was employed by the bunkering company, where he excelled very quickly, serving as foreman, then supervisor, and reached the level of Assistant Marine Terminal Superintendent: "I was quite possibly the youngest in the company, but was given more responsibility and authority than others because of my ability to support the operation from start to finish.
However, during the downturn in the industry in 2013, Quami was sent home. One of the directors at IRP Fire and Safety Limited who was familiar with him from the bunkering activity, enquired about him, requesting his availability for a project with the company. This led to him becoming a permanent and full-time team member with IRP Fire and Safety Limited.
Quami now works in the Hose Management Services (HMS) department at IRP Fire and Safety Limited, a business partner of Hydrasun based in Scotland and is one of Hydrasun’s global assets. The company is recognized for being a leader in integrity, fluid and power transfer and control solutions, operating in accordance with Hydrasun’s procedures and standards.
Quami’s department focuses on Hose Integrity Management. He deals with flexible assemblies for general purposes, hydrocarbons, and hydraulics. In addition, he also does pressure testing and onsite inspections. Onsite, Quami and his team inspect equipment packages on the facilities; they conduct inspections on the equipment packages that have flexible assemblies, and are able to supply new assemblies if needed.
When he joined the company, the certification for hose management services was not available in T&T, so IRP engaged the training managers from Hydrasun to supplement Quami’s training and conduct his assessments. His supervisor at the time taught him everything he needed to know to become competent in the job.
"We have to be assessed to be a hose technician to assemble hoses, to perform pressure testing, and conduct inspections. The assessment is to ensure that we are competent, and that we are made aware of trends in the industry and periodically assessed by the seniors in the industry to ensure accuracy, compliance with procedures and standards to support integrity checks of the asset,” he said.
"If hoses start failing whilst in operation, or we supply incorrect specifications, this could have dire consequences on facilities and cause damage to equipment and the environment, casualties, loss of life and unplanned shutdowns."
Quami also stressed, "You must have personal integrity and discipline to do this type of work. It can be physically demanding to do the inspections in different areas of the onshore or offshore locations. It doesn’t end there. Hose registers are updated on the computer software, daily reports as well as end of service reports are prepared and shared with the client. It really takes a lot of diligence with data inputs. If you type an incorrect key, it could put an entirely different fitting type on the system, or a different bore size, or the wrong pressure rating. If that takes place, everything will be negatively impacted. The unplanned downtime means that products produced do not make it to market on time. It would also mean that there could be failures resulting in leaks, fires, injuries, and even loss of life.”
Quami reflected on the mentoring he received when he started at IRP, sharing that this is now a part of what he does. "I lead a team of technicians now. I have to train, mentor and give them guidance and reassurance, while building competence and confidence" he said.
"I reinforce all the steps according to established procedures and ensure that it stays fresh in their mind. Hose Integrity Management is an ongoing learning process. Every day, you will learn something. I’m grateful for the knowledge, experience and learning I gained whilst on jobs but even I can stumble across something I’ve never seen before and learn something new in this industry. You can always meet a new hose type or a new fitting type. What we have to do is identify these fitting types and these hose types even when they are connected and in service, and that is where the technique comes in."
Quami does this type of work regionally, with the major oil and gas companies, including BP, Perenco, Shell, Atlantic LNG, as well as ExxonMobil in Guyana.
When we spoke to him, he had recently returned from working on the Prosperity and Unity FPSOs in Guyana conducting flexible hose inspections. He also did inspections on the Destiny FPSO last year.
Quami spends most of his time offshore and away from his family, which makes balancing family life quite challenging. Fortunately, his family supports his goals and understands that it’s all about sacrifice and working towards the achievement of his goals, "Of course, they will miss me. I miss them as well, but I would like to set an example for the nation’s youth and community that if you work hard and stay disciplined, rewards will follow.”