All custody transfer measurement equipment and systems shall be secure from
unauthorized access and manipulation of measurement values being reported.
Meter systems shall be equipped with security seals made of wire or plastic.
Electronic systems shall also be secured with key, locks or access codes.
PROCESS & CONTROL SYSTEMS SECURITY
Note: Each system should be reviewed to define the exposure risk and to
identify the appropriate level of security.
No employee shall falsify or alter the results from automatic measurement
equipment and computers. If manual measurement and/or calibration is used due
to lack of or malfunction of automatic measurement, or due to error found in
computerized calculations, these manual entries shall be documented and ready
for review and/or audit.
12.1 Metering Hardware
Keys for metering equipment will be controlled in locked key boxes, with box
access limited to authorized individuals only. Where no keys exist, numbered
security seals are the preferred method of control with separate seal logs
maintained.
12.2 Metering Software
The use of passwords shall be required for each metering control devices (Mastery
Supervisory Computers, Flow Computers, etc.) The passwords shall be controlled
and changed regularly to limit access and unauthorized modification to metering
systems. LAN access shall also be, limited to a list of authorized personnel.
Access shall be reviewed at least annually.
12.3 Seals and Tagging
All custody transfer and royalty measurement equipment and systems shall be
secure from unauthorized access and manipulation of measurement values
being reported
Applicable sealing requirements shall apply to situations where the
measurements are conducted by others (non-Aramco organizations) or
contactors acting on Saudi Aramco or customer’s behalf.
Flow meters in custody transfer service shall be sealed and tagged to indicate
whether they are suitable for use. Meter identification number, the date of last
calibration and the due date for next calibration shall be clearly and permanently
written on the tag.
When sealing electrically operated systems that have many accessories, power
supplies and readouts, it is recommended to have equipment locked in a building
or behind a secured gate.