Singapore expansion insider – Daniel Tan

The ExxonMobil team continues to progress refinery expansion projects in Singapore to help improve the quality of EHC™ base stocks in the Asia Pacific region. There are numerous men and women who are giving their all to make both projects a success. Learn from Daniel KM Tan, construction manager, Singapore expanison, as he shares his perspective on the two Singapore base stocks projects and what makes them special.

Q: Tell us about your role on the expansion project and something unique about your team. What’s particularly challenging about your team’s responsibility on the project?

I am currently the construction manager overseeing the construction work right up to project completion and startup. In this position, I have to manage and have a good handle on almost anything and everything related to the expansion, from engineering and construction to cost and schedule, as well as contracts, and most importantly safety.

The most challenging aspect of this project is that it is a heavy revamp project inside a live plant, where this lubes unit is one of the most crucial units in the refinery. To date, we have carried out thousands of safe and flawless lifts in the plant, a remarkable achievement for the entire team. Every day brings a new set of challenges, but in every challenge lies a new opportunity as well! It’s incredible to see everything that we planned coming to fruition.

Q: Is this the first time you’ve been involved in a refinery expansion project?

I have worked on refinery modification and revamp projects in the past, but they do not compare to the scale of the Singapore expansion project. My site project experience has definitely honed my technical skills and knowledge, and made me a better project practitioner overall.

Q: What’s been the most exciting Singapore construction milestone for you to-date and why?

The most exciting construction milestone to date, from my perspective, was definitely the reactor transportation and actual lift operation. Years of detailed engineering, planning, months of site preparatory work and meticulous execution resulted in a safe and flawless reactor lift on the actual day of operation. The entire operation was spot on, starting from the reactor sea transportation from India to Singapore, land transportation from Jurong Port to Jurong Refinery and to the site, followed by the actual reactor lift operation.

I’m very excited that the construction of this project will ultimately provide our growing customer base in Asia Pacific a reliable supply of high-quality Group II products (EHC™ 50 and EHC™ 110).

Keep up with the latest Singapore refinery expansion updates by visiting our dedicated webpage here.