EVERY year, after the moon sighting and the announcement of Hari Raya Aidilfitri is made, Muslim families start their preparation – rearranging furniture, decorating the house with colourful Ketupats, ironing their outfits for the first day of Hari Raya, all while the children play with fireworks.
Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a special time to spend with family and friends, strengthening family bonds and ties, visiting loved ones who you might only meet once a year. However, not everyone has the luxury to spend their first days with loved ones – Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd (BSP) staff and contractors working offshore on Ampa 9, Fairley 4 and Champion 7 are no exception as they are tasked with ensuring that oil production continues to safely and reliably fuel the nation.
About 80 per cent of the platform crews are Muslim. Some have missed out on the celebrations for several years but all have one understanding: that it is their duty and obligation to provide for their family and the country.
Despite being away, personnel working on these platforms celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, albeit briefly. During the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, they might start with decorating their mess and ironing their baju raya so that they can don their outfits in the morning.
Traditionally, their celebration kicks off with the mass Takbir Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer and the Sunnat Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer. After prayers, all the offshore personnel gather at their respective mess rooms and enjoy the Hari Raya cuisine. Lots of dishes will be prepared, such as ketupat, rendang, lemang, serunding, satay, asam pedas, lontong, and kuih.
Fathers will be FaceTime-ing their children, daughters Skype-ing with their parents, wishing each other well and asking for forgiveness.
Despite being away from home, personnel working on offshore platforms celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Haji Zulkiplee Amit, NS Production Lead at Champion 7
Abdul Rahman Mail (above), Offshore Medic at Champion 7 and Muhd Noorazry Nooralli (below), Production Operator at Ampa 9
Dayangku Noramanina Bahriah binti Pengiran Haji Mohd Tamit, Production Operator at Fairley 4. – PHOTOS: BRUNEI SHELL PETROLEUM
Zulaihi Besar, Offshore Installation Manager at Fairley 4
Offshore personnel donning their Baju Cara Melayu on the first day of Hari Raya
The Instrument Team N/S at Champion 7 wishing everyone ‘Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri’
From above to below: Khairuddin Zainuddin, Lead Permit Coordinator at Fairley 4; Haji Effindi Hussin, Complex Maintenance Lead at Champion 7; and Walmma Othman, Complex Production Lead at Champion 7
The ambience of Hari Raya offshore is different yet comfortingly similar because even though you are not with your loved ones, you are with your offshore family.
Nuramalina Samat, a C&A Technician at Fairley 4 mentions her favourite part of Raya offshore is the Takbir Hari Raya Aidilfitri in the morning and opening up Raya hampers with colleagues. She calls her family on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“I am very proud to serve Brunei during Hari Raya. I come from a family of five and this is my second time being away from them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Mail, an Offshore Medic at Champion 7, said, “I am proud to serve Brunei during Hari Raya. Not everyone can accept the challenges of working on the first day of Hari Raya. Being able to serve my country and giving the opportunity to celebrate, even briefly, means a lot. It gives me the feeling of satisfaction to know that I stand for my country and the people of Brunei.
“My greatest challenge is not being able to see my family and my two children on such a special occasion when they need my presence the most. I overcome it by not allowing myself to get too emotional and to concentrate on the job so that I can get back to them safely by the end of my shift.”
Abdul Rahman also shared that his favourite parts of celebrating Hari Raya offshore: celebrating it with his offshore family, performing Sunnat Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer in the morning and still being able to wear Hari Raya attire.
“This will be my third Hari Raya offshore, and from what I can see, every year on the eve of Hari Raya, we will be busy decorating the mess rooms, the ladies will be arranging Kuih Raya to be served the next day, and others would play Hari Raya songs and mingle until late at night”.
“Selamat Hari Raya to all our family and friends. During this Hari Raya, please always stay safe while celebrating. In the end, you and I will go home safely,” Abdul Rahman greeted.
Haji Effindi Hussin, Complex Maintenance Lead at Champion 7, who has missed Hari Raya celebrations 11 times shared that his greatest challenge is controlling his emotions, but he always reminds himself that he is working to provide for his family and for the country.
“I miss seeing my wife, children and parents.”
Haji Zulkiplee Amit, NS Production Lead at Champion 7 shared he misses “the gathering and celebrating with food prepared by my sisters and miss all the laughter and happiness”.
“I’ve missed out on Hari Raya too many times that I’ve lost count but I always take the opportunity to Skype with my family on the first day of Hari Raya,” he said. “We wish our friends and family a Happy Eid Mubarak.”
Walmma Othman, Complex Production Lead at Champion 7 shared that during his 32 years of service, he has missed Hari Raya eight times and he misses the joy of being with his five children. “I miss the gatherings and children but I need to carry out my duty and obligation as a shift worker,” he said.
Muhd Noorazry Nooralli, Production Operator at Ampa 9 also took the opportunity to say his well wishes. “Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin to all my family and friends. I would like to seek for your forgiveness from the tip of my hair to the tip of my toes.
“Please forgive me should I have said anything wrong or may have hurt your feelings. Kindly allow me to serve my beloved country and Insya Allah, let’s celebrate Hari Raya together in the future,” Muhd Noorazry said.
When asked whether he feels proud to serve Brunei during Hari Raya, Zulaihi Besar, Offshore Installation Manager at Fairley 4 replied with a yes. Zulaihi has 26 years under his belt in this line of work and feels proud for “being the ‘back-bone’ and the importance of doing our job well as frontline workers”. The last Hari Raya that he missed was in 2012 when he was on Ampa 9.
For Khairuddin Zainuddin, Lead Permit Coordinator at Fairley 4, the greatest challenge is working with a minimum crew on board the platform and being away from family.
“To overcome the challenge, there is proper planning for crew who spend the festive season offshore so there is no compromise to safe production and emergency response capabilities,” he said.
While wishing everyone Selamat Hari Raya, Khairuddin reminded people to stay safe. “Always stay vigilant and be safe especially when driving on the road. You and I will have a safe Hari Raya!”
For Dayangku Noramanina Bahriah binti Pengiran Haji Mohd Tamit, Production Operator at Fairley 4, this is the first time she spends Hari Raya away from family. “I’m sad that I’m absent from the family gatherings. What I will miss is shaking hands and asking for forgiveness from my parents and my 11 siblings early in the morning on the first day of Raya. And, receiving my green packets!”
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