Alva Edwards, Staff Reporter
IT IS a little-known fact that a Jamaican engineer has participated in the design and engineering, procurement, installation and construction (EPIC) of some of the world's leading onshore and offshore oil and gas pipelines.
From the oil-rich provinces of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the icy waters of the North Sea, Keith Patterson of Darliston, Westmoreland, has spent the better part of his career designing super-pipeline structures that service the demanding oil industry.
His current assignment sees him as the senior field engineer for the prestigious Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) project which connects England to the rest of Europe.
His duties include controlling the activities of the contractors and ensuring the protection of the utility companies/landowners property and continued operation, as well as complying with the contractual requirements of the client Union Railway. He began the project on July 2000, and is expected to complete his designated phase at the end of November 2001.
His parents, Reverend J.C. and Edith Patterson, who are retired Pentecostal preachers, instilled in the family of two sons and a daughter strict Christian values and a strong sense of self-reliance. The Pattersons moved their young family to London, England, primarily for educational purposes back in 1965.
Studious
His sister Carmen, a Gleaner desk editor in Jamaica, remembers her younger brother as studious and particularly gifted with measurements and his hands. "He didn't seem like other little boys, he was always deep and appeared wise beyond his years. He would always help my mother with the interior decorating around the house so I suppose that was the first inclination to what he would later do with his life," said Miss Patterson.
Keith Patterson's early years in England were marked in his own words by 'culture shock'. The smog, billowing factory smoke, the perpetual greyness of the place left a lasting impression upon him. But at the same time the London of the 1960s was vibrant, and teeming with cultural activity and led by a generation intent on changing the world.
After completing his secondary education, he began his career as a draftsman before undertaking a training course in petro-chemical design with Fluor (UK). He then moved on to a well-paying engineering job with American company M.W. Kellogg. On the way, he picked up an honours degree in mechanical engineering from Southbank Polytechnic.
Today, he can look back on a 19-year career in engineering, from design through to construction supervision. He has also participated in plant layout design and has produced project specific specifications.
"I have done a lot of pipeline work, mainly pipework stress analysis for oil and gas installations but I also have stress analysis experience of power stations auxiliary systems. I have worked with a number of American engineering companies, following from the three years spent with Fluor, namely M.W.Kellogg Stone & Websters and currently with Bechtel.
"I joined Bechtel in July, 1990, as a stress engineer, analysing by computer and manual calculations the operational integrity of the pipework, within various plants. Due to my previous experience in design and construction, Betchel offered me an assignment as lead piping/plant layout engineer, eight months after joining the company, which meant supervising and controlling a number of designers in the office and during construction. Since the change in my engineering role, my plant layout assignments and responsibilities have been varied and diverse," said Mr. Patterson.
His assignments have taken him to the far corners of the world, but more particularly, the Middle and Far East. This must be especially taxing for a man married with a young family. He recalls having to leave his wife and two daughters, Shana, 12, and Alaina, 9, for nine months to complete a front end package for a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) plant for the French engineering company Technip, in France which proved to be a real wrench for a man who steadfastly believes in family life.
He cites his favourite project as an 18 month construction/ supervision job on a LNG plant done in Malaysia for Kellogg. This assignment was a joint venture with a Japanese outfit, which meant he was working alongside Japanese, Chinese and other people from the Far East. He took the opportunity to travel and explore the region, which proved enlightening.
Any words of advice for would-be engineers back in Jamaica?
"Any engineer should always be open minded and receptive to new ideas. One can't afford to be narrow in their vision. If you aspire to be a supervisor or manager you had better learn the art of man management. Getting an engineering team to gel on a project is probably more tricky than all the technical requirements needed. You have to sense people and get them to want to produce their best. You have to pinpoint your team's personal character level and have the ability to relate to people." And would he ever consider returning to Jamaica to head an engineering team on a project?
"Yes, I am open to all opportunities to returning home, provided the conditions are right. Back in 1985, I was very interested in the hydro-electricity generator project but it did not have proper funding," said Mr. Patterson. The world will always need great engineering projects and no doubt a Jamaican engineer called Keith Patterson will play his part -- wherever that might be.
