Security and risk assessment consultancy firm RSK has been awarded accreditation by the Iraq Ministry of Health and Environment, as a certified firm for undertaking environmental protection work in Iraq.
The three-year licence, awarded under Iraq’s Regulation No 3 of 2014, grants RSK’s environmental office in Al Majal Business Park, Berjessah, endorsement to present environmental impact assessment reports in the field of protecting and improving the environment.
RSK is the first non-governmental environmental bureau to be approved by the Ministry of Health and Environment for these studies.
RSK’s regional managing director Fergus Collie said: “The award of this important licence presents a major milestone for our operations in Iraq and helps in fulfilling our ambitions as a local business delivering high-quality accredited services to our Iraqi and international clients.”
“The accreditation is a testament to the skills of our local staff and will help to underpin our environmental work for our broad range of existing clients, including all the leading international oil and gas companies operating in the region,” Collie was quoted as saying in a press release.
The UK-headquartered company has had a permanent base in Iraq since 2012. Since then, it has set up a fully accredited laboratory in Basra in 2014; received accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005, the main International Organization for Standardization standard used by testing and calibration laboratories, in 2015; and won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in international trade in 2016. The latter, one of the UK’s highest accolades for business success, was a win largely attributed to the vital role RSK played as one of the major UK companies helping to rebuild Iraq.
In Iraq, RSK undertakes a range of environmental consultancy and technical services operations. This includes oilfield cleanup and land remediation operations, environmental impact assessments and baseline monitoring, waste management services and facilities, soil and groundwater investigations, and geotechnical analyses on major infrastructure projects and oil and gas sites.
RSK has conducted several geotechnical and geo-environmental investigations across major oilfield sites in Iraq and has developed a training academy service line for oilfield personnel. The on-site team has grown rapidly, the emphasis being on employing and developing local content.
“I have always seen great opportunity in Iraq, both for RSK and for the country, as we assist with its cleanup. Receiving this certification is another significant milestone for us and something that many of the team have been working towards for several years,” RSK’s chief executive officer Alan Ryder said, as per the press release received by arabianoilandgas.com. “It is demonstrative of the top-class services that RSK provides in Iraq, so I am delighted that the Ministry of Health and Environment has recognised our efforts.”
