We get you to READY-FOR-START-UP
- or independently certify you're on track.
Independent commissioning, start-up, SIMOPS and project-management consulting for LNG, Oil & Gas and Nuclear projects. We bridge the gap between mechanical completion and live operations-built on 106+ years of cumulated experience at the sharp end of the world's most demanding facilities.
As an independent consultancy, we don't supply the manpower; we supply the oversight, the strategy, and the unvarnished truth. Operating at the intersection of executive authority and complex field execution, we isolate the hard facts from contractor optimism. We give your project management team the clarity and control needed to reach Start-Up safely.
When you need to know exactly where your project stands. We audit the physical reality in the field against the EPC’s claims—scrutinizing schedules, punch lists, and completion databases. We identify the hidden risks and provide the overarching strategic roadmap to ensure your systems reach Start-Up safely, legally, and on time.
Deployed for specific, high-risk challenges. Whether you require an expert review of a specific project phase, project deliverables, strategic SIMOPS planning, or specialized site inductions drawn from decades of lessons learned, we deliver the exact surgical expertise needed to solve the problem and keep the schedule moving. We can solve anything! Well, almost...
From first flush to operations - independent support across the full pre-commissioning, commissioning and start-up scope.
Independent oversight of the final mile. We verify system completion, MC and RFSU readiness, loop checks and start-up execution - confirming every system is genuinely ready before it goes live, across LNG trains, gas plants, GTL and refinery units. Throughout, we provide complete guidance and preventive risk control, anticipating the blockers before they cost you schedule.
Safe simultaneous operations, assured. When live gas must run through active construction areas, the margin for error is zero. We bring frontline SIMOPS expertise from a project that set the global LTI-free man-hour record - verifying readiness to proceed, advising on live-line and gas-in strategy, and developing tailored SIMOPS procedures on request to keep construction and commissioning running safely, side by side.
Called in when start-up is in trouble. We provide independent diagnosis of what’s really blocking progress - cutting through contractor claims and optimistic reports to the true root cause in the field. Drawing on decades of lessons learned across the world’s most demanding facilities, we define a clear recovery strategy, re-sequence the path forward, protecting your start-up date, your budget, and your safety case.
The roadmap to RFSU, advised by experience. We offer expert guidance on commissioning sequencing in Primavera P6, system prioritisation, punch-list strategy (A/B/C), ITP/ITR control and turnover via ICAPS, WinPCS and OPERCOM. From schedule compression to smarter system priorities, we bring the ideas and the outside perspective that help your team find the fastest safe path to Ready for Start-Up.
New to commissioning? We hand you the playbook. For companies without in-house commissioning experience, we provide the complete roadmap - what you actually need to do the job, the best approach to take, what to rent versus what to buy, how the commissioning world really works, and the hard-won secrets that aren’t written in any manual. We turn an unfamiliar, high-risk undertaking into a clear, structured plan your team can execute with confidence.
Your independent eyes on the EPC. We are here to support you and act purely in your interest - delivering third-party audits of a specific EPC contractor’s commissioning readiness, independent evaluation of reported progress against field reality, and consultancy on contractor deliverables, gate readiness and turnover. An impartial verdict for your project management team, with no stake in the outcome but the truth.
Independent technical oversight for rotating machinery - MRT and motor solo run review, alignment and vibration audit, and preservation strategy design for idle or standby equipment. We verify what your contractor reports, design what your team executes, and confirm what’s actually happening on site matches the plan.
Bringing a specific unit or piece of equipment online - new or existing - takes more than a procedure. We review your start-up plan against real operating requirements, advise on staffing and manning levels for the start-up window, and assess your spare parts and critical-consumables readiness, so nothing stalls the sequence once it begins.
Simultaneous operations are where projects get hurt. We advise on the planning and assurance of SIMOPS - drawing on frontline experience from a project that set the global industry record for LTI-free man-hours - routing live fuel-gas lines through active construction zones with zero recorded incidents. We bring that hard-won judgement to your project as independent guidance on the following aspects:
Good commissioning lives or dies on its procedures. We write, develop and independently review the operational test procedures, method statements and commissioning plans that govern safe execution - verified against nuclear-grade and EPC standards before a single valve is touched. Whether you need a procedure written from scratch or an expert second opinion on what your contractor has produced, we make sure the document is sound before the field relies on it.
Rotating equipment problems rarely announce themselves clearly - a machine that won't align, a vibration signature that doesn't match the datasheet, a trip nobody can explain. We bring decades of hands-on experience to exactly this moment: reading what the equipment is actually telling you, distinguishing a real fault from an instrumentation error, and identifying the true root cause before more time or budget is lost chasing the wrong fix.
On a major facility, every day of slipped start-up can cost more than an entire commissioning engagement. A missed punch item, an unverified system, an optimistic report taken at face value - any one can trigger weeks of delay, a safety incident, or a reputational hit that outlasts the project. Our oversight is the cheapest insurance you will buy on the whole programme.
Figures are indicative industry benchmarks drawn from published energy-megaproject performance data and reflect typical ranges, not project-specific guarantees.
106+ years of cumulated experience across 30 world-class facilities — the rigorous quality controls and execution standards we bring to your project.
Senior Consultant · Oil & Gas Commissioning & Start-Up Expert
BSc Oil & Gas Processing Technology & Petrochemistry
Vasile Dorobantu brings 28+ years of international commissioning, start-up, and operations expertise across LNG, GTL, refining, petrochemical, and gas processing facilities. With over 21 years at Chiyoda Corporation, he has led pre-commissioning and commissioning on major EPC megaprojects in Qatar, USA, Singapore, Europe and Russia. His expertise spans the full process chain — from OXO alcohol synthesis (Davy, Union Carbide, BASF) and ethylene oxide/ethoxylates to Acid Gas Removal, Dehydration, Fractionation, SRU/TGT, and complete LNG train start-up. A recognized authority in rotating equipment commissioning — pumps, compressors (screw, reciprocating, membrane), turbines, expanders, and blowers across cryogenic, high-pressure, and high-temperature service. Track record of delivering on-schedule RFSU under the most demanding SIMOPS conditions, with zero incidents.
Pumps, screw/reciprocating/membrane compressors, steam/gas turbines, expanders, blowers. Mechanical test runs, lube oil flushing, run-ins, and performance verification on hundreds of machines — from cryogenic LNG to 850°C reformers.
OXO alcohol synthesis (Davy, Union Carbide, BASF), ethylene oxide/ethoxylates, LP Oxosynthesis, SCOT/HDS refining, SRU/TGT, AGR (MDEA, Selexol, Ucarsol), Dehydration, Mercury Removal, Fractionation, and complete LNG train start-up.
21+ years with Chiyoda on the world's largest LNG expansion (Qatar NFE, 77→110 Mtpa), Arctic-class Yamal LNG, and US Gulf Coast Cameron LNG. Zero-incident delivery under SIMOPS.
“Commissioning is where engineering meets reality. After 28 years across every major process unit, the difference between on-time start-up and costly delay is never one big thing — it's a thousand small things done right, with discipline, experience, and an uncompromising commitment to safety.”
Senior Consultant · Commissioning & Start-Up Expert
Oil Refining & Petrochemistry Technical School, 1988
Ionel Popescu brings 30+ years of international pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, and operations expertise across LNG, gas processing, refining, and petrochemical facilities worldwide. He has held lead PC&C roles on major EPC projects with Technip France, SNAMPROGETTI-BECHTEL, and Baker/OTS across Mexico, China, Russia, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Algeria, Oman, Nigeria, and the Middle East. His expertise spans the full process chain — from LNG pretreatment and liquefaction to gas treatment, enhanced liquid recovery, oil stabilization, LPG, catalytic processes, and steam plant operations. A recognized authority in dynamic equipment commissioning — centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, GE gas turbines (Frame 5 & 7), turbo expanders, GTGs, centrifugal and reciprocating pumps, and HTF systems across cryogenic, high-pressure, and high-temperature service. Proficient in DCS platforms including Yokogawa, Foxboro, and Honeywell (SGS, FGS, SCADA, MMS).
Centrifugal/reciprocating compressors, GE gas turbines (Frame 5 & 7), turbo expanders, GTGs, pumps, HTF systems. Mechanical run tests, flushing, chemical cleaning, catalyst loading, and performance verification across cryogenic, high-pressure, and high-temperature service.
LNG pretreatment & liquefaction, gas treatment, enhanced liquid recovery, oil stabilization, LPG, catalytic cracking, steam plants. DCS proficiency: Yokogawa, Foxboro, Honeywell (SGS, FGS, SCADA, MMS). Skilled in PFD, P&ID, ISO, C&E, 3D Navisworks & Easy Plant.
30+ years across 13 countries — Sempra LNG (Mexico), LNG Arctic 2 (China), Yamal LNG (Russia), CCPF Nawara (Tunisia), ADGAS (UAE), MLN Gas Plant (Algeria), Saih Rawl (Oman), and more. Zero-incident delivery across multiple EPC contractors and operating companies.
“I've commissioned plants on four continents, in deserts and Arctic conditions, onshore and offshore. The equipment changes, the languages change, the standards change — but the fundamentals never do: systematic preparation, rigorous testing, and a team that knows what to expect before it happens.”
Associate Expert · Rotating Equipment & Commissioning Specialist
BSc Mechanical Engineering — Polytechnic Institute of Iasi, 1988
Egmond Ovidiu Sum brings 28 years of international pre-commissioning, commissioning, and rotating equipment engineering across refining, petrochemical, GTL, and fertilizer facilities. He has held lead rotating equipment and commissioning roles with Worley, Fluor, SPIE Oil & Gas, Toyo Engineering, Technip Italy, and UHDE on projects in UAE, Russia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Vietnam. His expertise covers the full rotating equipment scope — centrifugal and reciprocating compressors (MAN, Mitsubishi, Thomassen, Nuovo Pignone), steam and gas turbines (Siemens, Nuovo Pignone, Coppus, Hitachi, Dresser-Rand), pumps (Flowserve, KSB, Lewa, Nikkiso, Leistritz), gearboxes, and fans. He has led equipment preservation programs, mechanical run tests, oil flushing, alignment, vibration analysis, and Root Cause Failure Analysis across multiple EPC contractors. Proficient in ICAPS (RFC, RFSU, RFISU), 3D Navisworks, and API/ASME standards.
Centrifugal/reciprocating compressors, steam/gas turbines (Nuovo Pignone, Siemens, Coppus, Hitachi, Dresser-Rand), pumps (Flowserve, KSB, Lewa, Nikkiso, Leistritz), gearboxes, fans. Motor solo runs, MRT, oil flushing, shaft alignment, vibration monitoring, coupling installation, bearing clearance checks.
Equipment preservation programs, preservation oil replacement, dry air blanketing with dew point monitoring, space heater energization, shaft rotation programs. ICAPS dossier management (RFC, RFSU, RFISU). LOTO, RCFA, FAT/SAT punch closure, MOC management, vendor coordination.
28 years across 10+ countries — Borouge 4 (UAE), AMUR GPP (Russia), Clean Fuel Kuwait, SADARA & YASREF & SATORP (Saudi Arabia), Shell GTL & Oryx GTL (Qatar), Helwan Fertilizers (Egypt), Phu My Fertilizer (Vietnam). Lead roles with Worley, Fluor, SPIE, Toyo, Technip Italy, UHDE.
“Twenty-eight years commissioning rotating equipment across four continents has taught me one thing: a machine never lies. The vibration data, the oil analysis, the bearing temperatures — they tell you the truth long before a failure happens. The question is whether the team is disciplined enough to read the signs and act before the schedule forces their hand.”
Founder · Project Commissioning & Start-Up Specialist
BSc · MSc Chemical Engineering · Executive MBA · PMP®
True project assurance requires dual authority: strategic command in the boardroom and tactical verification on the steel. The most critical commissioning errors occur in the disconnect between the executives who carry the schedule and the engineers who turn the valves. We operate flawlessly in both spaces - translating complex field realities into actionable executive strategy so your entire project operates on one standard of truth.
Five languages, four continents, the world’s most diverse project teams. We bridge cultures and disciplines so a global workforce pulls in one direction - toward start-up.
The critical path rarely clears itself with textbook answers. We bring creative, pragmatic solutions forged on projects where “impossible” was not an acceptable schedule outcome.
We don’t patch symptoms. Every fix is driven through disciplined root-cause analysis, so the problem is solved once - and never reappears to threaten your start-up again.
“Start-up should never be a leap of faith. With proper planning, a systematic approach and an open mind, there are no unachievable challenges - only solutions waiting to be implemented. Start-up is reached on time through a reasonable compromise, and our role is to bring the measure of that reasonability.”
Whether you need a full readiness audit or a surgical fix for one critical bottleneck - let's discuss your project.