Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was a man who acknowledged

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was a man who
acknowledged the value of conserving our environment back
in the early 1960s. But placing conservation as a priority
wasn’t enough. Under his wise guidance, he ensured that the
appropriate regulations and laws were issued and action
taken in order to guarantee a clean, healthy and safe
environment for his people and the coming generations.
With his passing, an era comes to a close, but Sheikh Zayed
has left us with a solid foundation for preserving the
environment. He has inspired each of us to love our
environment, which will allow his teachings and wisdom to
remain with us long after his passing. He envisioned a nation
that maintained a balance between development and
preserving the environment and it is up to us to carry his
vision forward and make sure that vision becomes a reality.
Offshor e Arabia
2004 Report
Offshore Arabia 2004 Conference & Exhibition took place in Dubai,
UAE International Exhibition Centre, from 29 November to 1
December. The event was held under the patronage of
H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown
Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence.
HRH Prince Turki Bin Nasser President, Presidency of Meteorology &
Environment, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, honoured us with his presence
and inaugurated the event. “We must coordinate the efforts of the
countries overlooking the marine region, and the specialised regional
centers to deal with oil contamination accidents and reduce their
negative effects on marine environment,” he said.
The speeches of Abdulaziz F. Al Khayyal, Saudi Aramco Senior Vice-President, Refining, Marketing and International
and Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awadi, Executive Secretary, Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine
Environment (ROPME), Kuwait were inspiring and encouraging to the eager enthusiasts present.
Offshore Arabia 2004 is the first ever such event held in the United Arab Emirates. The conference and exhibition were
highly specialised and concentrated on the theme of “Maintaining a Healthy and Clean Marine Environment”. Experts
participating in Offshore Arabia 2004 conference stressed that prevention and appropriate practices are the best and
most economical approaches of maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
More than 2000 attendees from all over the world attended the
conference, the workshops & the Exhibition. International and
regional speakers discussed several subjects on Offshore and Coastal
Protection, Oil Spill Prevention and Response, Crisis Communications
and Emergency Preparedness, Incident Command Systems, HSE in
Marine Environment, Tanker Discharge and Regional Reception
Facilities, Oil Spill Management, Technology and Response
Consideration, Ballast Water Bio Invasion, Hazardous and Industrial
Waste Management and Disposal, Tankers Operation Safety, Best
practices to minimize environmental impact and the latest technology
in Marine environment protection.
This conference and exhibition focused on the importance and significance of maintaining and protecting the region’s
shores and offshore areas. The exhibition displayed emerging technologies and the latest products that have been
developed by regional and international companies for the prevention of oil spills and protection of the infrastructure.
The Recso event was organised by INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est., sponsored by Saudi Aramco and
supported by all oil majors in the Gulf and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dubai Municipality, Dubai
Maritime City and with strong technical participation from IMO, UNESCO, UNEP, Shipping Association, International
Oil Companies Association (IPIECA & OGP), Regional Organisation for the Protection of Marine Environment
(ROPME), National Environmental Agencies, Shipping, Ports and Harbours.
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About RECSO
WHAT IS RECSO?
As the title clearly indicates, RECSO is an oil industry co-operative organization functioning on the concept of “mutual
aid”. RECSO was officially set up in 1972 by 13 founder members. The oil companies in the region at that time
recognized a need for collective response to major oil pollution incidents and thus came together to achieve a common
objective - protecting the Gulf’s resources from oil pollution. In addition to arrangements for mutual aid in times of oil
spill emergencies, provision was also made for reimbursement of costs incurred by member companies in responding
to oil spills originating from another member’s installations or facilities.
Today, though the original objective of the organization - oil spill response through mutual aid - remains the same, the
circumstances in which the oil industry operations are conducted these days are significantly different from the
conditions that prevailed in the period from 1972 to 1990. It is against this changed background that RECSO has had
to expand its activities in a more pro-active direction.
MISSION:
The prime responsibility of RECSO today is to protect the marine environment in the Gulf from oil pollution emanating
from operations of RECSO member oil companies in the region. Each member oil company shares the responsibility of
ensuring a long-term commitment to the “Clean Gulf” concept. RECSO recognises this pledge and co-ordinates efforts
towards meeting this challenge.
The RECSO vision is to:
Achieve “Clean Gulf” environment in the regional seas;
Prevent operational oil spills;
Stop tanker discharges;
Enhance safety on ships leading to cleaner seas; and
To stop all industrial waste discharges to the seas.
RECSO Members 2004-2005
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Joining Hands to K eep
our Seas Clean
One of the activities organized as part of Offshore Arabia 2004 was ‘cleaning the beach’ in association with Dubai
Municipality. Cleaning the beach activity took place in Jumeirah1, (open beach) and students from Al Hesn Private
School and Al Shaab Primary School participated in this activity.
Mr. Mohammed Al Gusaier
The Conference Chairman joined the activity
“By having our children assume
environmental responsibility at an early
stage in their lives, we will make the
job of protecting our environment
that much easier”
Mr. Mohammed Al Gusaier Commented
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Pr e-Confer ence
Workshops
The Conference
Chairman
Mr. Mohammed Al Gusaier &
the Vice Chairman
Mr. Khamis Bu-Amim,
officially opening the workshops
Shoreline Clean-Up Techniques and Operations.
This course is developed for the protection and clean-up of near-shore and shore-line areas. The workshop
included practical deployment of equipment to ensure attendees were exposed to the challenges and
realities of field operations. The attendees got an opportunity to
enhance their knowledge and competence to undertake on-site
clean-up operations. The lecturers Mr. Peter Taylor, Director and Ms.
Virginia Nelson from The Oil Spill Training Company Ltd, also gave
a review of spilled oil response techniques for both on-water and
shoreline pollution.
Shoreline Clean-up Techniques and
Operations Workshop
Mr. Peter Taylor, Director,
The Oil Spill Training Company Ltd.
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Pr e-Confer ence
Workshops
Safety and Environment Behavior of Management, Crew and Ship.
Despite the many legislative initiatives taken by the shipping industry, there are many casualties related to human
failure. This course focuses on enhancing the quality of the people managing shipping companies, the seafarers and
the ships themselves. The lecturer, Mr. Jan Fransen is the Deputy Managing Director of the Green Award Foundation.
In his opinion, schemes like Green Award contribute to motivation and differentiation in Quality Shipping. Both of
these workshops were a huge success and have achieved their set objectives.
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Confer ence Topics
• Offshore Oil Spill Prevention & Response
• Produced Water Management and Technologies
• Industrial Waste Water Treatment, Recycling and Reuse
• Advanced Technologies for Waste Oil, Sludge Treatment, Recycling and Disposal
• Hazardous Waste Management
• Tanker Traffic and the Environment
• MARPOL 73/78 and Reception facilities in the region
• Tanker Ballast Water Discharges of Harmful Biological Invasions
• Environmental Impact Assessment, Current Practice and Future Trends
• Applications of Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing Technology (Eg. Sensitivity Mapping)
HRH.Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdel Aziz with Mr. Gusaier and
Mr. Abdul Salam Al Madani during the Opening Ceremony of Offshore Arabia 2004
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Opening of
Offshor e Arabia 2004
“Despite the efforts exerted by specialized regional
centers, which has effectively minimized the adverse
impacts of oil spills, there is still a need to enhance our
cooperation between the governments and specialized
agencies within the region, in order to prevent oil
pollution and its negative consequences on the marine
environment”.
HRH. Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdel Aziz
President,
Presidency of Meteorology & Environment,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the
Opening Ceremony of Offshore Arabia 2004
“Industry successes today are not judged solely on the
financial balance sheet, or their ability to meet customer
demand. In the eyes of the world’s public our impact on
the enviornment is more visible by far. We should not
underestimate the importance of our role in promoting
sound environmental practices”.
Mr. Abdulaziz F. Al-Khayyal,
Saudi Aramco Senior Vice President - Refining,
Marketing & International at the Opening Ceremony of
Offshore Arabia 2004
“As you are aware, our Region enjoys the largest
offshore operations of oil and gas in the world. Such
being the case, we should exert best efforts to minimize
the detrimental operational impacts of offshore
installations on our fragile and endangered marine
environment”.
H.E. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Awadi
speaking on Protection of the ROPME Sea Area from
Operational Oil Pollution at the Opening Ceremony of
Offshore Arabia 2004
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Opening of
Offshor e Arabia 2004
“Environmental concerns are not a passing interest. They
involve the future of our planet. These concerns will
continue to grow steadily in importance as time goes on.
We need to be aware of this fact and exert ever greater
efforts in this field”.
Mr. Mohammed S. Al-Gusaier,
Conference Chairman, Vice President, Distribution &
Terminal Operations - Saudi Aramco at the
Opening Ceremony of Offshore Arabia 2004.
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“The future strongly and clearly indicates that the Gulf
Oil Producing countries are the main future providers of
the world’s energy, be it oil or gas and it is expected that
the Gulf Countries will provide approximately 35 mbpd
in the coming 30 years.”
Mr. Khamis Juma Bu-Amim,
Chairman of RECSO, Vice Chairman of the Conference,
Vice President-External Affairs & Administration Services,
Dubai Petroleum Company at the Opening Ceremony of
Offshore Arabia 2004.
During Some of the Sessions of the Conference
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Confer ence Feedbac k
Venue / Equipment Ratings
2%
“It has been an honour and a privilege
for the Green Award Foundation to
participate in this important and high
quality conference”
27%
71%
Hans De Goeij, Managing Director, Green Award
Foundation, The Netherlands.
Excellent
Adequate
Below
Would you like to participate in future conferences?
“I was pleased with the conference
and with the professional way it was
put together. I thought both the
program and the exhibition were
interesting by bringing “local” and international
exhibitors together”
6%
94%
Yes
Gunnar A. Knudsen, INTERTANKO,
Kingdom of Norway.
No
“The event was new in the way the
governmental sector, regional and
international organisations, and the
private sector, and in particular HSE
Departments of the oil and related
industries came together, and
discussed subjects of mutual concern,
and cross-border. Well done, RECSO,
and Saudi Aramco, and other supporters”.
Sessions Ratings
2%
29%
Benne Böer, Ecological Sciences Advisor UNESCO Arab Region
69%
Excellent
Adequate
Below
“The majority of speakers were excellent and the
material was relevant”
Craig H. Shelley, Fire Protection Advisor, Saudi
Aramco, KSA.
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Offshor e Arabia 2004
Exhibition
The companies that participated in Offshore Arabia 2004 are RECSO members and companies and organizations that
are related to protecting coasts and offshore regions.
RECSO Members
Government Departments
Coastal Protection Units, Companies and Organizations
Offshore Structures
Oil Spill Response Companies
Ports
Coastal / Offshore Protection Equipment Manufacturers
Consultants
Tankers
Shipping Companies
Tanker Equipment
Environmental Organization
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RECSO Members at Offshore Arabia 2004
Exhibition Feedbac k
Was the event up to your expectation?
75%
4%
21%
Above Expectation
As Expected
Below Expectation
Was the timing of the exhibition suitable?
90%
10%
Yes
No
How do you rate the Exhibition's organisation?
7%
35%
58%
Above Expectation
As Expected
Below Expectation
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Are you interested to participate in
Offshore Arabia 2006?
96%
4%
Yes
No
How do you rate the number of visitors?
10%
29%
61%
Above Expectation
As Expected
Below Expectation
Were you able to achieve your objectives?
80%
20%
Yes
No
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Exhibition Feedbac k
Was the venue suitable?
98%
2%
Yes
No
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Appr eciation
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Offshore Arabia Committee members with HRH Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdel Aziz
Media Report
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Media Report
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Media Report
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Media Report
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