Oil Search wins global award

The National Business

OIL Search has won another award – this time the 2018 Platts Global Energy Award for corporate social responsibility.
The award recognises its efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck the Highlands in February – affecting around 544,000 people.
Last week, Oil Search was awarded the inaugural PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum Outstanding Humanitarian Initiative Award for its response and relief efforts during the earthquakes. This second award also recognises the firm’s as a first responder to the crisis when it provided facilities, people and equipment to help alleviate the critical shortage of relief supplies to stranded communities.
Foreign aid and supplies were flown to the Moro base where helicopters and people were instrumental in distributing donated food, water, shelter, medicine, cooking utensils, bedding and other supplies across Hela and Southern Highlands. The engineering and construction teams were sent to open important roads for supplying food, fuel and restoration equipment to earthquake-affected areas.
In addition to significant efforts restoring vital infrastructure and providing much needed supplies, Oil Search:

  • Donated US$5 million (K16.6mil) in cash and kind to Hela and Southern Highlands;
  • Delivered more than 200 tonnes of food and supplies directly to villages reaching more than 200,000 people; and
  • Treated almost 2500 medical cases and performed 70 medical evacuations.

The United Nations estimates that Oil Search delivered about 80 per cent of total food supplies to the affected areas in the first four weeks of the earthquake.
In accepting the award, managing-director Peter Botten said the earthquake struck at the very heart of the company.
“Not only were many of our local communities completely cut off from receiving aid, but many of our people were cut off from their families and the communities they grew up in,” he said.
“Local communities were without food, water and shelter.
“We were deeply concerned for their welfare and knew we could be a lifeline for delivering emergency relief. As a proud PNG company, we are committed to PNG in good times and bad.”