Meet Boris de Koning, a funny Dutch with gold teeth who loves life in Indonesia, especially in the quiet of Kalimantan, where he worked in a flat Platform of land as drilling manager.
Boris and son Caz
Hi Boris! Where are you from? When did you move in Indonesia?
Hi! I was born in the Netherlands. Available in Malaysia in 2001, made a stop in China, returned to Malaysia and finally moved to Indonesia at the end of 2009.
Have you move a lot when you were younger? Do you have any funny stories from one of your posts
I did ?; My father worked for a large civilian contractor. I ended up in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Trinidad when I was young (er). While in Sri Lanka, my younger brother and I spent every day after school and on weekends in the pool. At that time, I could swim and he was not. Be a good brother, I decided it was time for a change and took out his arms and floats attached to the ankles, after I threw him in the pool. The result, though predictable now, was a surprise as only the feet of my brother emerged above the surface. A guest attentive to the pool saved him. As a reward, my brother knocked a tooth a few years later -. But more on that later
You are now CGS Drilling Manager (Coal Gas Solutions) Indonesia. Tell us what a typical day for you? That makes up much of your work?
Basically, I run a small land drilling rig in East Kalimantan. Unfortunately I spend much of my time dealing with small problems that, in an ideal world would not exist.
Did you study engineering? What attracted you in the area?
I studied Drilling in Holland. I wanted to be a psychologist, but decided after a trial that was not going to work. My uncle, working for Shell abroad at the time of travel mentioned, job stability, money and big boy toys -. I was sold
Are you in Jakarta or field in Kalimantan? Which do you like more, Jakarta or Kalimantan?
I live in Jakarta but spend 2-4 days a week in Balikpapan or the platform to the north. Personally, I prefer to be in Kalimantan as I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere there, the small scale of Balikpapan and fresh air.
Where did you work before coming here in Indonesia and assuming your position as drilling manager?
I started working in 1996 and spent five years in Europe and Russia works as drilling superintendent. In early 2001, I was asked to go to Malaysia as I mentioned earlier. I worked for periods shorter or longer in Holland, Belgium, Wales, France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Thailand , Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka, India, Australia and of course Indonesia.
The drilling is difficult (and often dangerous), tell us what kind of problems you often run into and how do you overcome them. What are the security measures that you always take into consideration?
The safety comes first. We run the platform more modern and safe land of Indonesia with a high level of automation in hazardous areas, keeping guys away from evil. Training and PPE (personal protective equipment) are a must.
Boris and colleagues
What is the hardest type of drilling; what type of terrain and what type of drilling technology / product?
I spent time drilling pipelines, called horizontal directional drilling (HDD) which carries more of a challenge, especially when drilling from the shore approach of pipelines. In this case, there would still be a huge and expensive ship awaits us at the end. Of course, shore approaches also mean ships, Sea and water fruits, which are fun!
you are a registered owner of Borizontal. Could you elaborate on what is and your role?
In 2004, I had a guy who works for me in Thailand to make a hard drive work called Terry. He billed monthly through his company called Terryzontal. I then decided that if I start something for myself, I get the best name in the business, BORIZONTAL. A few months later I decided to leave and started Borizontal. I run it, whatever that may mean. At present, it means nothing.
With your extensive travel folder, and busy schedule, do you still find time to travel to Indonesia for fun?
I did not see much of Indonesia outside of work to be honest, apart from the standard spots. I remember boat tours of two in the Tangguh camp at a small airfield called Babo being extremely relaxing as we move through the virgin jungles, with extensive wildlife and mangroves. This has always happened at sunrise, with the right sun in his eyes as we traveled east.
A little bird told us about your gold teeth. Could you tell us the story of how this came to be?
My younger brother struck the original tooth when I was about 12. It was reinstalled, but broke in West Papua last few years, and now I'm still waiting on my FC BuGils teammates to sponsor new gold or ruby tooth.
What you do on your down time to relax?
I play football (and drinking) with FC BuGils and play baseball. I plan to pick up a guitar and enjoy Caz throw around in a pool. Play Van Halen is very strong also relax.
What do you like most about Indonesia?
The positive attitude of most people, and their ability to get along in spite of completely different backgrounds. My compatriots back in Holland could learn a lot.
Boris de Koning and family
You have a beautiful wife, a son and one more on the way ( congratulations!) are they your motivators?
First of all, thank you. Our first son is named after a bar (its name is Caz de Koning), so I would leave this question open to interpretation ... Honestly speaking, life is motivated.
Would you say that you are a hard worker?
Only if she is appreciated.
Thank you, Boris! To contact Boris, email boris@borizontal.com