Press Releases

An Industry Tier 3 Safety Emergency Response Exercise was organised by Hengyi Industries Sdn. Bhd. (Hengyi) on 17 September 2019 at the Pulau Muara Besar Industrial Park. The exercise was prefixed ‘Exercise Naga-5’. The overall objective of this exercise was to test and evaluate the readiness and robustness of Hengyi’s emergency response capabilities in collaboration and integration with the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and various Government agencies, and overseen by the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry and the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority to address any emergency incident that may arise.  The exercise commenced at 9am and ended by 12 noon.

The exercise involved a simulation of gas release and flash explosions at the Liquefied Petroleum Gasoline (LPG) Fractionation Unit, with simulated injuries to personnel. The LPG fractionation unit is located within the oil refinery and petrochemical facility in the Eastern area of Pulau Muara Besar Industrial Park. The first line of emergency responders, Hengyi’s On Scene Commander Team (OSCT), Emergency Coordination Team (ECT) and Crisis Management Team (CMT), were activated to manage the stakeholders and connect with the NDMC.

Around 600 Hengyi employees and 100 people from various Government agencies were involved in the exercise. This exercise is one of the conditions for verifying the Hengyi’s readiness under the Workplace Safety and Health (Facilities) (Control of Major Accident Hazards) Regulations, 2013 before the plant is issued a licence to operate. Hengyi is required to demonstrate the capability to manage emergency incidents at international standards.

Hengyi had previously conducted a number of Emergency Response Exercises at Industry Tier 1 level, where emergency incidents can be managed by the company itself, and also Industry Tier 2 level exercises, where emergency incidents extend to a localised area. The day’s Industry Tier 3 emergency response exercise simulates escalation to a national-level incident, in collaboration with the NDMC and requires response and coordination with various agencies present. The exercise provided an opportunity to deepen alignment and build understanding between Hengyi, NDMC and relevant Government agencies involved in managing an Industry Tier 3 Safety Emergency Response Exercise.

Haji Azhar Haji Yahya, the Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry said, “At the end of the day, it is about safeguarding the safety of the people, reducing impact to the environment and managing the reputation of the refinery.” The exercise also tests Hengyi’s capabilities and Standard Operating Procedures for each of the agencies involved, we are hoping if there are any gaps in the contingency, this is the time where we can learn of them and improve upon them.” He further added, “This is the first time Hengyi has conducted such an exercise of this scale. Communication and speed of response are probably the biggest areas of learning for all of us; how we actually make use of current communication media to manage reputation and impact around the issue is important.”

Readiness of the oil refinery and petrochemical plant at PMB is regulated by the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry in conjunction with the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA). Control and monitoring on other aspects were also carried out together with other Government ministries and agencies. Involved in the emergency exercise were the Ministry of Health; the Royal Brunei Armed Forces; the Royal Brunei Police Force; National Security Committee; Information Department, Prime Minister’s Office; Royal Customs and Excise Department, Ministry of Finance and Economy; Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development; Department of Building Services, Public Works Department, Ministry of Development; Fire and Rescue Department, Ministry of Home Affairs; Department of Labour, Ministry of Home Affairs; Department of Immigration and National Registration, Ministry of Home Affairs; Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications; National Disaster Management Centre; Brunei-Muara District Office; The Emergency Medical Ambulance Services, RIPAS Hospital; and  Radio Television Brunei.

Present to observe the exercise were Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Md Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry; Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka Haji Matsatejo Bin Sokiaw, Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry; Yang Mulia Haji Azhar bin Haji Yahya, Permanent Secretary (Energy),Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry; Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Mohd. Hasnan bin Pengiran Haji Ali Hassan, Permanent Secretary (Industry), Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry; and Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Jamra Weira bin Haji Petra, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Energy and Power), Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry.