Abqaiq: Exceeding safetyexpectations evident

Sun
The Arabian
Vol. LXX, No. 10, March 11, 2015
77 years since
Prosperity
We look back at our
humble beginnings,
noting the perseverance
and hard work that not
only built a company,
but also shaped a
country.
... pages 6 and 7
Tanajib: Remarkable safety
Abqaiq:
Exceeding
expectations evident
record
is no safety
accident
Photo: Ahmed Al Thani/MPD
n
On land or at sea, Tanajib Area has set forth an exemplary safety
record in the past year. Employees there were able to demonstrate some of the steps they took to achieve such a record. From
left, Sager Al Enazi, Safaniyah Plants safety coordinator, illustrates
the importance of safety cards during the safety orientation
presentation; Ahmad Al-Romaih discusses the dangers of mobile
phones and radiation; and Abdullah S. Al-Qahtani, Safaniyah Producing superintendent, explains the Predictive Emission Monitoring
System (PEMS) that was installed at Safaniyah furnaces.
Cover
Story
Safety came first at the Tanajib
Area Executive Management
Safety Review as management
waited two hours for fog
to lift before traveling, but
good news met them when
they did arrive. At one of the
largest operational areas, zeroes
were recorded in the number of
motor vehicle accidents, lost-time
injuries, restricted duty injuries
and fires in 2014.
Saudi Aramco by the Numbers
0
is the number of motor vehicle accidents reported by
the Tanajib Area in 2014.
As part of its efforts to
improve traffic safety,
Tanajib introduced a mass
transportation program,
installed speed-monitoring
chips in vehicles of employees
who volunteered to do so, and
installed Automatic Vehicle
Locator devices in company and
contractor vehicles.
Fuel
economy:
Up to You
SEEP urges drivers to use the
cruise control
function on their
vehicles to save
fuel. Page 10
Management praised the
area’s safety culture and
efforts, which ranged from
environmental to operational,
noting that if safety is a journey,
Tanajib is “essentially there.”
Still, even as the numbers reflect
a pinnacle of achievement, a
challenge remains: to maintain
that level of excellence.
See full story on pages 8 & 9
Up To You
Keep it Steady
Avoid jack-rabbit starts and stops and drive at a smooth,
steady speed to save fuel and reduce wear
and tear on your vehicle.
Keep it Steady
Garden Show 2015 draws a crowd
Cruise into
Savings
Reduce Your
Idle Time
Go Green and
Save Money
Landscapers, organizers offer bevy of ideas
with fantastic displays. ... pages 12 and 13
2 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
Company News
Saudi Aramco sees big turnout for IP Week reception
MUAZZIN MEHRBAN
LONDON — More than 500 of Saudi Aramco’s partners and customers attended a company reception as part of
International Petroleum (IP) Week held
in London, which this year focused on
“strategies for the changing oil and
gas landscape.”
For 2015, the Saudi Aramco reception was themed “Enabling Opportunity,” underlining the approach taken to
remain on track to achieve long-term
goals. The evening in February was an
opportunity for the world’s largest oil
exporter to host stakeholders and give
attendees a platform to discuss opportunities within the sector.
“In 2014 alone, we hired thousands of new employees and pledged
to invest billions over the next decade
across the value chain,” said Salah
Al-Hareky, then-managing director of
Saudi Petroleum Overseas Ltd. (SPOL),
Saudi Aramco’s London-based crude
marketing arm.
“The numbers emphasize our desire
to continue pursuing the right investment opportunities, even in times of
uncertainty when convention dictates
consolidation rather than expansion.”
As well as discussing increases in investment and human capital, the company also highlighted its continuity
over the past 12 months amid declining oil prices. Underlined was Saudi Aramco’s responsibility and reliability as a
producer and its resilience to changes
OPEC Basket Weekly Price trend
for the past five weeks:
Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 — $51.27
Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 — $53.55
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 — $56.56
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 — $54.87
Friday, March 6, 2015 — $55.98
Your Voice
Keep Saudi
beautiful!
Your Voice reflects the thoughts and
opinions of the writer and not
necessarily those of the publication.
“We are going beyond
reliability and responsibility, extending our
focus in areas such as innovation. We believe innovation is the key to
making our resources
more accessible, useful,
sustainable, and competitive.”
— Saleh Al-Hareky
in the price of crude.
Al-Hareky also spoke of Saudi Aramco’s own efforts to meet challenges.
“We are going beyond reliability and
responsibility, extending our focus in
areas such as innovation. We believe
innovation is the key to making our
resources more accessible, useful, sustainable and competitive,” he said.
Indeed, Saudi Aramco’s commitment to research and development
spending is set to increase, while the
number of people working in this area
will also become significantly larger.
IP Week, a thought-leadership forum for the global oil and gas industry, is organized by the Energy Institute
(EI), a technical partner of Saudi Aramco through its Europe-based arm,
Aramco Overseas Company. The threeday event saw more than 2,000 delegates from across the oil and gas
industry — including CEOs, policy
makers and academics — discuss the
challenges within the sector and how
to approach them.
According to the EI, this year’s event
was unique given the ongoing political uncertainty around the world, placing greater emphasis on the role of oil
When most people think of the
landscape of Saudi Arabia, they usually think of the desert. Maybe an
oasis with a small pond and palm
trees, but NEVER a beautiful beach!
Many Saudi Aramcons have the
privilege of either living on or very
near the beautiful beaches of the
Arabian Gulf, and we’ve learned
that while everyone loves the beach,
not everyone respects the beauty of
the beach.
Drinking my morning coffee, looking at the beautiful turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf,
I thought “It’s the little things that
can truly make a difference in our
quality of life.” My husband and I
collected our trash bags and began
picking up the trash littering the
dunes leading toward the water’s
edge.
Our neighbor saw us working
and brought his own trash bag and
began working. But we didn’t stop
there. Our neighbor was retiring,
and he mentioned an old bench he
wasn’t using any more. That bench
is now on the beach being enjoyed
by early morning walkers or families
out for an evening stroll, in addition
The Arabian Sun is a weekly publication issued
free of charge by the Public Relations Department
for Saudi Aramco employees.
Room 87, Dhahran Heights, Building 9156, D Wing,
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Telephone, 876-0374; Email: [email protected]
ISSN: 1319-156X
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 3
Company News
A breakthrough in Master’s opportunities
DHAHRAN — The general
manager of Training and Development, Nabil K. Al-Dabal, inaugurated on Feb. 15 a “unique
collaboration” that has brought
about the fruition of a two-year
Master’s of Science Hosted Program in Pipelines Engineering for
Saudi Aramco, being conducted
within company premises.
The partnership between Training and Development, Pipelines,
Northumbria University from England’s City of Newcastle upon
Tyne, and Penspen Integrity, a
world leader in pipelines engineering operations, maintenance and
integrity training, will deliver both
academic and practical pipelines
engineering knowledge and practices.
Jamil F. Al-Dandany, director of
Saudi Aramco’s Educational Partnerships Department, said the program will “enhance the technical
competence of the 20 selected
Pipelines engineers in regard to
managing pipelines integrity and
addressing threats pertaining to
pipeline capacity, reliability and life
cycle design.”
Al-Dandany praised the efforts
of the University Relations Division
and Pipelines organization subject
matter experts for working with
Northumbria and Penspen in what
was a year-long process to establish the Master’s of Science hosted
program.
Abdulwahab A. Al-Qahtani,
manager of the East/West Pipelines Department, stated that “the
uniqueness of this program lies in
the synergy created by combining academia with practical experience from the industry and
therefore enhancing the ability of
participants to put the knowledge
gained into practice.”
Al-Qahtani encouraged members of the inaugural class to
“maximize your gain” from the
learning opportunity presented to
them.
“Your development will only
be realized by your dedication and
hard work to actively participate
in your classes, engage in discussions with your professors and
colleagues, fully utilize the online resources and produce quality
course work that matches Saudi
Aramco expectations.”
Nader Al-Otaibi, a pipelines engineer in the Specialists Unit of the
Pipelines Technical Support Division, is one of those participants
eager for the challenge ahead. He
joined the company in 2006 and
since 2009 has worked in various
engineering activities related to
pipelines design, construction, inspection, repair, threat assessment
and integrity management.
“I am thrilled that my colleagues and I have begun this journey,” said Al-Otaibi. “You can feel
the excitement and the high level
of energy and what is driving that
is the quality of the program content and academic staff. It will no
doubt be demanding, but everybody is eager to learn and we are
all looking forward to realizing the
full benefits of this one-of-a-kind
program.”
Northumbria, in collaboration with Penspen Integrity, stood
as the prime candidate providing learning in onshore pipelines
that would match Saudi Aramco’s
needs.
Northumbria offers a range of
Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD
n C
lockwise, from top left, are Nabil A. Al-Dabal (who inaugurated the
event) Abdulwahab A. Al-Qahtani, Jamil F. Al-Dandany, and Nader AlOtaibi, a program participant.
professional services, and the university was previously declared the
“U.K.’s most IT-enabled organization” in a national competition.
Penspen has trained more than
3,000 people in more than 30
countries.
It should be noted that the Uni-
versity Relations Division has nine
active hosted programs locally to
improve employees’ performance,
productivity and increase retention. For info about Saudi Aramco
Hosted University Programs, please
direct your questions to epdurd@
aramco.com.
Unique program looks to enhance young Saudi professionals’ expertise
n S
alah Al-Hareky, then-managing director of Saudi Petroleum Overseas Ltd., speaks
about the significant investments the company has made in not only physical assets, but human resources, as well.
and gas in sustaining society. The host
organization also said the current landscape brought the issue of economic
growth to the fore with the need for
the industry to meet future challenges
becoming even more acute.
The Saudi Aramco reception also
contained a corporate social responsi-
bility element aligned with the theme
of “Enabling Opportunity” with the
company gifting attendees with products made by Al-Faisaliya, a women’s
welfare society based in the Kingdom,
which plays an active role in supporting cultural and community awareness
programs.
Kimberly Karam
Ras Tanura
[email protected]
to my family.
It got me thinking what a wonderful world it would be if we all
made small efforts that could be
enjoyed by others. There is a special
satisfaction derived from seeing others enjoy the fruits of your labor.
It’s not a new concept. The “pay
it forward” concept of a beneficiary
of a good deed repaying the good
deed or kindness to others has been
around for many years. And when it
affects the environment, the payoffs
are multifold.
That concept and a neighbor’s
Director, Publishing Division:
Haitham Jehairan
Editors: Jamsheed Din, Todd Williams
Editorial staff: Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf,
Jeff McCoshen and Rawan Nasser.
hand-me-down bench were the inspiration for our little beach beautification project. Now there is a
sitting area on the beach in front of
our home in RT for all to enjoy. The
value-added benefits are the enjoyment of seeing early morning walkers or families out for an evening
stroll sit and enjoy the view. Mean-
while, we have developed a
habit of keeping our dunes clear
of debris, so we have an unobstructed view of the beautiful
waters of the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia has such unexpected natural beauty. As we enjoy it, I hope we all remember to
keep Saudi beautiful!
Correspondence may be addressed to the editor,
R-87, Dhahran Heights, Building 9156 (D Wing)
Articles may be reproduced provided The Arabian
Sun is credited.
Printed by:
KARAM YATEEM
Young Saudi engineers have been recently inducted into the Production Engineering
Specialist Program (PESP), a joint program
between the Northern Area Production Engineering and Well Services Department
(NAPE&WSD) of Northern Area Oil Operations (NAOO) and the Southern Area Production Engineering Department (SAPED)
of Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO).
The main program objective is to develop
a pool of Saudi in-house experts within the
Production Engineering Discipline to support
complex production engineering operations
within Saudi Aramco.
This program identifies capable Saudi
young professionals with the vision of becoming competent national technical experts,
particular in the disciplines of Production Engineering. PESP offers the platform for specialization through consolidated individual
development plans (IDPs) that integrate developmental technical
assignments, advanced training and
challenging deliverables through which
the participant is able
to attain and master
the acquired knowledge and skills.
The new inductees from both
NAPE&WSD and
Yasser Almazny
SAPED are Yasser
Almazny, Mohammed
Baqshi, Ali Safwani, Mohammed Dawsari, Ali
Yaseen, Abdulkareem Harbi, Khaled Mutairi,
and Talal Almutary.
Yasser Almazny, who has been recently
inducted to the Stimulation and Fracturing
specialty from Northern Area Gas Production Engineering of NAPE&WSD, says: “PESP
is a great opportunity for young engineers
to gain knowledge and acquire the required
skills to succeed. I am looking forward to the
day that I graduate and am able to provide
crucial support making critical decisions in my
field of specialty.” He added, “When I think
of PESP, I first think of the petroleum industry
demography and remember how it has been
changing over the past years.”
Mohammed Dawsari of SAPED said the
Specialist Program
helps the production
engineer to focus
on a specific area
under Production
Engineering. Sharing the knowledge
with other engineers
from various petroleum disciplines and
benefiting from the
Mohammed Dawsari
experts and mentors is
an attracting element
of the program.
“The program will help me to extend my
background knowledge in my specialty, Stimulation and Fracturing, and will help improve
my engineering skills in this area. Throughout
the specialist program, I will be reflecting in
my work, the knowledge that I am building
up so that I perform better designs and models to optimize production, save costs and
prevent any potential engineering hazards,”
he said.
SAPED PESP coordinator, Syed Warsi, noted, “A production engineering specialist with
a chosen specialty is expected to focus on
that particular specialty until becoming a recognized expert.” The skills can be developed
through various means or mechanisms, such
as education, fieldwork, and training assignments.
“Candidates must stay engaged with the
latest technologies that relate to their area of
expertise by attending conferences, seminars
and maintaining contacts with the industry
experts,” said Warsi. “At the end, he serves
as a technical adviser to management, as well
as to production engineers.”
Faisal Khelaiwi, NAOO PESP coordinator,
summarized the basic functions of any PESP
graduate as:
1. Providing technical support and guidance in specialized areas of production engineering, including but not limited to
production operations, well treatment, artificial-lift methods, well completion designs,
stimulation and fracturing, and well intervention of conventional and advanced wells
2. Making unique and significant contribution in improving operations efficiency, reducing costs and resolving problems
3. Serving as a technical adviser to man-
“A production engineering specialist with a chosen specialty is expected
to focus on that particular specialty until becoming a recognized expert.
Candidates must stay engaged with the latest
technologies that relate
to their area of expertise
by attending conferences,
seminars and maintaining
contacts with the industry
experts.”
— Syed Warsi
agement.
As fields become mature along with new
fields’ developments and rapid advancements
in technologies, national in-house experts
are needed to provide technical support to
ensure that operations are being conducted
in the most cost-effective and safe manner.
In addition, these Saudi in-house experts
are expected to improve productivity, to stay
abreast of the latest technologies on the market and to apply innovative techniques and/or
creative thinking in solving arising problems.
The program is not only essential for the
technical and leadership development of the
young talent in our company, but it is also an
excellent platform for professional knowledge
transfer and an effective bridge of experience and age gap. Moreover, the program
will ensure the availability of Saudi in-house
expertise to timely tackle any production engineering and operational wells related issues
in a timely manner.
The PESP includes seven critical specialties that are required to meet the current and
future challenges of Production Engineering.
These include:
1. Stimulation and fracturing: The
candidate is expected to develop expertise
in damage removal, matrix stimulation, hydraulic and acid fracturing technologies for
vertical, horizontal and multilateral wells in
limestone and sandstone reservoirs
2. Well treatments: The candidate is expected to develop expertise in well conformance, corrosion control and scale removal/
inhibition for vertical, horizontal and multilateral wells in limestone and sandstone reservoirs and Super-K management
3. Well completions, wellhead equipment and workovers: The candidate is expected to develop expertise in various types
of well completion such as horizontal, multilateral, smart completions, and specific completions for unconventional gas wells. The
candidate is also expected to develop comprehensive knowledge and understanding
of various types of wellhead and downhole
equipment, sand control equipment, and
workover practices.
4. Artificial lift: The candidate is expected to develop expertise in the various types
of artificial lift method such as electrical submersible pumps (ESPs), progressive cavity
pumps and gas lift with the most emphasis
on ESPs, since they are the most widely used
methods of artificial lift in Saudi Aramco
5. Well intervention technology: The
candidate is expected to develop expertise in
well intervention operations such as coiled
tubing and related technologies, and wireline
and electric line operations on vertical, horizontal, multilateral wells
6. Production optimization: The candidate is expected to become an expert in
the areas of well production optimization for
both vertical, horizontal and multilateral wells
and facilities. This is achieved through the
mastery of multiphase flow simulation and
nodal analysis, well test (PI/II) analysis and interpretation, well rate testing, oil/water production/injection optimization, production log
interpretation and economic and risk evaluations.
7. Intelligent field: The intelligent-field
candidate is expected to develop a knowledge and work experience on all downhole,
wellhead and surface sensors and actuators
such as multiphase flow meters, permanent
down-hole motioning systems, smart completion, single phase meters and wireless gauges, as well as other sensors and instruments
used for pressure/rate measurements and
transmissions.
4 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
Company News
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 5
Company News
PE&D VP Lecture Series
Preferred leadership — engaging employees
DHAHRAN — Vice president
of Petroleum Engineering and
Development (PE&D) Khaled A.
Al Buraik welcomed a full house
in the Exploration Auditorium
for the recent fourth VP Lecture
Series titled “Toward Mastering
the Art of Leadership.”
Guest speaker for the event
was Dr. Edward J. Shelton of the
Management and Professional Development organization.
Shelton focused on Preferred
Leadership — Engaging Employees.
The lecture series is designed
to present various points of
view for developing human resources skills that enable supervisors to motivate and engage
their employees.
Shelton, a celebrated author
and management development
facilitator, thanked PE&D for the
invitation, prefacing his address
saying it is important to share
ideas within the company.
Leadership style
Leadership is a life-long engagement, affecting our homes,
extended families, friends, colleagues and our work. Are there
formulae? No, but it is the desire and willingness to learn and
change our behaviors that will
help us to become people-oriented in leadership.
A key success factor noted
by Shelton is that we must care
for others more than ourselves
in a way that is genuine and
not insulting, while setting high
standards. Preparing people
early in their careers on how
to develop skills that are motivating, engaging and getting
commitment is a development
process that is characterized by
being fair and equitable He encouraged supervisors in their
staff meetings to allow young
and more experienced employees to offer ideas and avoid
“back-slapping” sessions. Division and department managers
ages. Good leaders are good
followers. Training leaders is a
long and ongoing process that
should begin at the PDP level
where they should be trained
and developed in leadership
skills. Citing Maslow, our employees need psychological
safety, love and esteem. It is up
to the supervisor to create the
work environment with a nonhostile environment with socially secure employees. Supervisors
must know their employees and
their talents. If an employee
cannot fit into their work, the
supervisor must talk to them
about it, opting for the least
radical solutions.
n Dr. Edward J. Shelton speaks to a group of Saudi Aramco employees and professionals as part of the ongoing
VP Lecture Series. Shelton spoke on the topic of “Toward Mastering the Art of Leadership.”
should walk around, taking time
to compliment staff, be interested and involved, leading by
example in good characteristics.
A good boss can tell you when
you have a problem and how to
improve your work. He is able
to give you constructive criticism
while respecting the employees’
intelligence.
Some leaders lead with fear,
which is almost effortless but
cannot be sustained, Shelton
said. Laissez-faire bosses inherited the role and are mostly incapable. Transactional bosses react
and shout employees down
where 80 percent of work is
roles oriented to get the job
done, whereas the transformational leader prevents problems
and always has the employees’
interest in mind.
He referred to Hofstead
Globe cross-culture studies
showing how effective leadership principles cross all cultures.
The leader who shows trust and
benevolence above his or her
own individual consideration is
not indigenous to any one culture. Lack of integrity creates
mistrust in any culture.
Employee engagement
On average globally, 70 percent of employees are not engaged because organizations
do not grow talent effectively.
In the Middle East, disengagement is almost at 75 percent.
When does disengagement become apparent? Shelton asked
the audience if they had ever
dreaded going to work because
of their boss or because of uninteresting or less-meaningful
work or lack of communication
among team members. In our
careers, he said, we’ve probably
all been disengaged at some
point but had to keep going.
The process to address disengagement has become known
as Transformational Leadership.
A Gallup poll showed engaged employees as loyal, productive, and psychologically
comfortable and committed to
do extra. The boss is the environment creator in the workplace. If the atmosphere is bad,
employees tend to withhold efforts and become aloof, getting
into a cycle of no product1ivity.
Who is responsible for breaking this cycle? The key is not to
fall into this cycle when the supervisor develops all his staff by
maintaining individual attention
in a caring environment.
In many organizations, supervisors became supervisors
because they could organize
and showed other managerial
qualities but were not evaluated for leadership potential
or taught cause and effect. As
a result, we see that up to 80
percent of supervisors fail. One
cannot lead the way one man-
Engagement, enforcement
Shelton asked the audience
to reflect on what makes them
happy to come to work? The
audience suggested free thinking and sympathy toward family
needs. Affirming this, Shelton
noted that while there is no
need to meddle in employee’s
personal lives, there must be
consideration to the qualities
of trust and integrity to achieve
inclusive engagement, as well
as psychological comfort, need
for comfortable work space,
technical competency and high
standards, and defined goals.
This all must be presented, he
said, in a noncritical way by approaching employees with respect. In the absence of these
fundamental qualities, research
has shown that a high salary is
not a motivator toward cultivating long-term engagement.
Shelton said that the Hawthorne Study first looked at this
between 1929-39, showing a
direct correlation between employees initiating communication with their supervisor and
positive engagement. Almost
100 years later, this study is still
referenced. Supervisors must be
coached on transformational
leadership styles.
n M
embers of Saudi Aramco management take part in a ceremony celebrating the signing of three Project Management contracts in Dhahran. The contracts will be used for engineering, project management, and construction management services in support of the Offshore Maintain Potential Program and other Saudi Aramco offshore projects.
Project Management signs three key contracts in support of Offshore Maintain Potential Program
DHAHRAN — On Feb. 18, Project Management (PM) celebrated
a major milestone with the signing
of three Project Management contracts.
These vital PM contracts will
be utilized for engineering, project management and construction
management services in support
of the Offshore Maintain Potential
Program and other Saudi Aramco
offshore capital projects.
The signing ceremony was attended by Fahad E. Al-Helal, vice
president of Saudi Aramco Project
Management; Nabilah M. Al-Tunisi,
acting chief engineer; Mohammed
A. Al-Kordy, Offshore Projects Department manager, and representatives from Contracting, Law, the
Contract Review and Cost Compliance Department and the contractor’s management. The signing of
the PM contracts is a major mile-
stone in the Offshore Projects Department (OPD) history and will
allow Saudi Aramco to enhance
the overall execution of its offshore
projects.
The selection of the PM contractors was made after careful
examination of the bidder’s resources, key personnel, project
experience, tools and software, execution methodology, and current
workload. The selected contractors
have demonstrated a high level of
experience in the engineering of
grassroots and brownfield offshore
facilities, and OPD is looking forward to benefiting from it.
OPD’s ongoing offshore projects execution transformation initiative also includes procurement
of several other contracts such
as a PM contract for engineering
and project management of drilling rigs, marine vessels and boats;
long-term agreements for the engineering, procurement, fabrication, and transportation of offshore
facilities; geotechnical investigation contracts; and the hookup and
commissioning contracts. These
contracts will provide OPD with
access to a larger pool of qualified resources for work execution
with better terms and conditions to
meet the aggressive offshore projects cycles and KPIs.
Enhancing a culture of technology in our young workforce
As part of Engineering Services’ efforts
to enhance our technology culture, the
Technology Management Division recently
organized and hosted a Young Workforce
Technology Engagement event targeting
young engineers throughout the organization.
The goal was to leverage young engineers’ engagement in technology and to
present the new structure of Engineering
Services’ technology program.
About 120 participants attended the
event along with managers from the organization, as well as Nabila Al-Tunisi, acting
chief engineer. In her opening remarks, AlTunisi emphasized the role of engineering
services — especially the young members
of our workforce — in meeting the company’s strategic objectives.
Then, after a set of presentations from
the Young Leaders Advisory Board, the
Technology Management Division and Engineering Knowledge and Resources Division,
a young engineer from each engineering
department presented a technology project
they are leading. Each focused on learning experiences such as the challenges they
were able to overcome, the skills they attained, how they engaged with management, and interaction with the project
team. The stories inspire young engineers,
encouraging them to go beyond their normal duties and to take the lead in technology.
“Novel Reactive Membranes for Xylenes
Isomerization,” a presentation by Rakan
Bilaus from the Process and Control Systems Department, highlighted a collaboration between Saudi Aramco and the King
Abdullah University for Science and Technology.
The presentation showed research into
production of para-xylene using a unique
process technology. The invented process
will result in significant energy savings and
was published in the engineering journal
“Petroleum Technologies Quarterly.”
In addition, the presentation highlighted
n R
akan Bilaus
makes a presentation on
the topic of
“Novel Reactive
membranes
for Xylenes
Isomeration.”
Highlighting
the challenges,
solutions and
engagement
with management, the
presentations
were designed
to inspire young
engineers.
some of the challenges our employees face
when exploring uncharted territories, as
well as offering some inspirational lessonslearned for young employees.
n A
group of employees from Saudi Aramco Chemicals and secondees to joint ventures were recently recognized for continuous service and safety at a ceremony in Dhahran. Together, the 16
employees represent an accumulated 340 years of service.
Chemicals, JV secondees recognized for safety and service
DHAHRAN — Employees from Saudi
Aramco’s Chemicals admin area and secondees to joint ventures Petro Rabigh and
Sadara gathered recently to recognize the
years of service and continued dedication
of a number of key employees.
Held at Ad-Diwan on Feb. 25, the
recognition ceremony celebrated an accumulated 340 years of service by 16 employees.
Batal Al-Mutairi, manager of the
Chemicals Business Coordination and Support Department, presented the awards,
together with Nizar Al-Khadra, manager of
projects with Downstream’s UPISL department.
The service awards come at a time of
unprecedented growth for the Downstream business line and is a sign of the
depth of experience the Chemicals Busi-
ness group has as it works to fulfill the
company’s mission to becoming a global
leader in energy and petrochemicals.
Those receiving awards for 30 years of
service included Abdulqader Alghamdi,
Ahmad Al-Abbad, Taher Al-Nemer, and Nizar Al-Khadra.
Those recognized for 25 years of service included: Amin Nasser Al-Nasser, Mohammed A. Al-Azzaz, and Mukhtar A.
Al-Jaafar.
Those receiving awards for 20 years of
service included Awadh Melfie Al-Qahtani,
Bader Al-Mousa, Gasem Al-Nujaidi, Abdullah A. Alhassan, and Khalid Algahtani.
Musaed Althubaiti and Ali Alquraisha
received awards for 15 years of service.
Anzar Ahmad was recognized for 10 years
of service, and Wahaq Alsahali was recognized for five years of service.
6 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
Company News
Company News
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 7
A brief history of the
Prosperity Well, Well No. 7
A look back at the discovery
that changed the Kingdom
1933
Saudi Arabia and the Standard Oil Company of
California (Socal) sign a concession agreement for oil
exploration in the Kingdom
1934
Max Steineke and a team of geologists arrive in Jubail to
explore the geology of the region
Photo: Yara Ziyad/MPD
n A
bdulaziz S. Al-Houty, administrator of the Guest Services Division (front, fifth from left), is joined to his
left by Suhad K. Al-Faddagh, supervisor of Steineke Hall, along with other member of the guest Services
division at Steineke Hall as they celebrate the discovery of the Prosperity Well.
Company celebrates anniversary of Prosperity Well
discovery with a look back in time at Steineke Hall
77 years of Prosperity
n W
hen Dammam Well No. 1, pictured here near the original Dhahran camp, failed to produce, Max Steineke and the exploration team continued to
search. Two years in, as prospects grew dim, they finally hit pay dirt with Dammam Well No. 7 — the Prosperity Well.
Seventy-seven years ago on March 4, the Prosperity Well (Dammam Well No. 7) produced oil in commercial
quantities and Saudi Arabia’s transformation began in earnest. One man played a pivotal role in making it happen.
Geologist Max Steineke refused to give up when many around him began to doubt that the Kingdom was home
to vast amounts of hydrocarbons. He persisted, and the Kingdom changed forever. We take a step back in time to
remember the moments that set in motion the transformation of Saudi Arabia.
n T
he official telegram sent from Dhahran to Riyadh
and San Francisco confirming the discovery of oil.
JAMSHEED DIN
In the hallways of the San Francisco headquarters of the
Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), the mood was
grim. Oil executives were fretting. The company had pumped
millions of dollars into oil exploration in the deserts of Saudi
Arabia and after four years of drilling there was still no commercially viable oil field. Dammam wells 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 had
shown promising signs in 1936 but two years on, their prospects were poor. Dammam Well No. 7 offered one last hope
— a last throw of the dice.
But the Prosperity Well was also
falling short of
expectations and
was beset with
problems. Socal’s
Arabian venture
was now looking like a risky
gamble that was
doomed to fail. It
was time to pull
the plug.
One man
didn’t agree.
Socal’s chief
geologist Max
n Geologist Max Steineke
Steineke flew
back to San Francisco from Saudi Arabia and now found himself
drawing upon his encyclopedic knowledge of the Arabian terrain
to buy more time for the venture. Steineke had a mission: to convince his bosses that vast amounts of extractable oil lay beneath
the Saudi Arabian desert. He knew it was there. The geology of
the land and his meticulous research told him so. They just needed
to keep drilling.
JAMSHEED DIN
DHAHRAN — To commemorate the anniversary of the events of March 4, 1938,
Steineke Hall last week held four days of activities for visitors and members of the community.
During the week, visitors to Steineke Hall
were given informative leaflets on the legendary Max Steineke, after whom the hall is
named, and the importance of the discovery of
the Prosperity Well.
The Heritage Gallery also held special activities educating visitors on the important discovery that took place 77 years ago.
The events culminated in a gathering at
Steineke Hall on March 4.
On March 4, 1938, as
Steineke presented his case
to his anxious bosses, over in
Dhahran an altogether different mood was in the air. Drillers
and geologists were jumping
for joy. The Prosperity Well was
flowing at a rate of 1,585 barrels per day. As Steineke had
advised, they had drilled a little bit deeper and struck black
gold. The news quickly spread.
From Dhahran, the telegram
reached Riyadh. Before long
it reached San Francisco. Further testing followed over the
next few days that confirmed
a major commercial oil discovery. Saudi Arabia was about to
change forever.
Through its Arabian subsidiary the California Arabian
Standard Oil Company (Casoc), Socal now drilled to the
same depth in the other wells
on the Dammam dome and oil
began to flow. The Prosperity
Well proved to be the gateway
to the vast oil reserves that lay
dormant and untapped under
the rugged desert land of the
Kingdom. A new chapter in the
evolving story of Saudi Arabia
had begun.
Seven decades and seven
years later, it is unlikely that
Steineke, Socal, Casoc, the
fretting oil executives, the geologists, the drillers, or even King
‘Abd al ‘Aziz had any idea of
the consequences of what they
were about to discover. Not
only would the land of Saudi
Arabia be transformed, but a
company would evolve that
“We conducted several activities within
Central Community Services, including educating our guests on the story and distributing
leaflets,” said Suhad Al-Faddagh, supervisor of
Steineke Hall.
One visitor to the event, Stephen Gomes,
from the Finance Department, was impressed
with the information shared.
“I appreciated the story of Max Steineke,”
he said. “It’s a good lesson to learn of never
giving up.”
The guest house opened in 1952 offering
only 23 guest rooms. Over the years, Steineke
Hall has been expanded to offer 119 rooms
as temporary community accommodation and
hospitality services for company visitors.
1936
Dammam Wells 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 show promising
signs of commercially viable oil quantities. The number
of U.S. employees rises from 26 to 62, and the number
of Saudi employees reaches 1,026. But in the same year,
all six wells fail to live up to expectations and show little
sign of production as the drillers dig deeper.
Dec. 1936
Drillers begin work on the deep test well, the Prosperity Well
Dec. 1937
Despite also showing promising signs, the Prosperity Well
disappoints, even after drilling to a depth of 1,382 meters
Early 1938
Max Steineke finds himself in San Francisco trying to
persuade his Socal bosses that the Kingdom contains
large quantities of oil; they just needed to drill deeper.
March 4, 1938
After drilling at a depth of 1,440 meters, the Prosperity
Well flows at a rate of 1,585 barrels per day.
The other wells are also deepened and begin to
produce at commercial rates.
October 1938
The Kingdom officially declares the discovery of oil in
commercial quantities
1939
A 69 km pipeline from Dammam oil field to the port at
Ras Tanura is completed
May 1, 1939
n A
drilling crew sits at the base of Dammam Well No. 7, the Prosperity
Well. The discovery of oil at this site literally changed the history of the
Kingdom and the world, but not without a good amount of perseverance and hard work.
would spearhead a nation’s development and fuel the global
economy: Saudi Aramco.
Spirit alive and well
Today, Saudi Aramco employs more than 61,000 employees and is the world’s most
reliable energy supplier. The
company is also in the midst of
the biggest transformation in
its history. Steineke refused to
give up and believed in his mission. And though he may not
be here today, it’s clear that
Steineke’s pioneering spirit is
alive and well in Saudi Aramco.
King ‘Abd al ‘Aziz turns the valve at Ras Tanura port
that sends oil from Dammam into the tanker, the DG
Scofield, and the Kingdom’s first oil shipment is sent on
its way.
1982
After more than 45 years of service, the Prosperity Well
is taken out of production after producing more than
32 million barrels of oil.
April 1999
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the late King
Abdullah, visits Dammam Well No 7 and renames it
Prosperity Well.
Cover Story
8 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 9
Cover Story
TANAJIB EMSR
Remarkable safety
record is no accident;
Tanajib Area
a safety inspiration
Photo: Hatim Oweida/MPD
n Khaldoun Bukhari of the Marine area’s Underwater Inspection and Repair group shares
information on the area’s shallow water capabilities, highlighting the introduction of the
Zamil-601 Diving Boat.
Photo: Mohammed Al Shaikh/MPD
n M
ohammed Al-Alwe, Safaniyah Plants machinist technician, shares with Amin H. Nasser and other members of executive management details about the new upgraded mechanical seals that
were used to achieve water conservation.
“You don’t achieve these
consistent safety improvements by chance. You have a
cultural behavior; there is a
systematic process. We saw
it in the actions, the words,
and the eyes and guidelines
of the supervisors, and it
has cascaded down.”
— Khalid A. Al-Falih
Photo: Hatim Oweida/MPD
n Khalid A. Al-Falih and members of Saudi Aramco executive management listen as Saleh Tamimi, a senior process control systems technician in Tanajib, gives a presentation on three major
environmental and economic initiatives undertaken in-house by Safaniyah Onshore Producing in 2014. The initiatives reduced flaring by 75 million standard cubic feet of gas annually.
JEFF McCOSHEN
TANAJIB — Agility and resiliency
were front and center at the 2015 Tanajib Area Executive Management Safety
Review (EMSR) last week as heavy fog
prompted organizers to tweak the schedule of activities for the day.
Weather conditions that caused a
two-hour delay at the airport in Dammam made for an abbreviated EMSR, but
that didn’t take away a sterling performance that saw the area achieve several
notable safety targets. At the top of that
list were zeroes recorded in the number
of motor vehicle accidents, lost-time injuries, restricted duty injuries and fires
in 2014 — the highlights of an overall
safety report in which the numbers in virtually every category were trending in a
positive direction. In fact, the number of
total recordable cases for the entire area
dropped from 10 in 2013 to just three in
2014.
“I salute you, I congratulate you, and
I think the rest of us are inspired by your
achievement,” said Khalid A. Al-Falih,
Saudi Aramco president and CEO. “You
have demonstrated that it can be done,
and it can be done in a very busy area.”
In delivering the report, Nasir K. AlNaimi, vice president of Northern Area
Oil Operations (NAOO), credited the diligence of management in the area for
their attention to detail on all matters
pertaining to safety.
“I want to thank all here for doing a
fantastic job,” said Al-Naimi.
The safety achievements recorded last
year are all the more remarkable when
one takes into consideration the size of
the area, which consists of more than
3,500 employees in six departments —
Safaniyah Onshore Producing, Safaniyah
Offshore Producing, Manifa Producing,
Northern Area Gas Producing, Northern
Area Production Engineering and Well
Services, and Northern Area Technical
Support.
The area’s efforts in helping to prevent
any motor vehicle fatalities was particularly notable. Al-Naimi said the introduction of a mass transportation program,
along with the use of speed monitoring
chips — voluntary in employees’ private
vehicles — and installation of Automatic
Vehicle Locator devices in company and
contractor vehicles, were keys to the accomplishment.
The area also hosted a Tanajib Family Day with a theme of “Preventing
Injuries at Play and on the Way” that
was attended by more than 400 families. Environmental initiatives during the
year included a mangrove plantation
campaign, the establishment of a bird
sanctuary, and the deployment of an artificial coral reef program. The area also
exceeded key performance indicator reduction targets with regards to flaring
and energy intensity, where NAOO was
the best performer in energy intensity
companywide with an 8.34 percent reduction, compared to the company average of a 6.7 percent reduction.
“We saw some very simple, but impactful, results in environmental improvements,” noted Al-Falih. “Technicians, by
just looking at processes and systems and
tweaking them, changing set points, control valves, and valve seals — it all added
up to significant reductions in emissions
and great improvements in energy efficiency.”
Prior to the presentation of the report
by Al-Naimi, management listened to a
Safety Moment report from Ahmad AlRomaih about the health dangers of mobile phone use. Al-Romaih cited a recent
study that revealed the type of radiation
coming out of a mobile phone is similar
to a low-powered microwave oven and
is measured by Specific Absorption Rate
(SAR). His presentation included several
tips for mobile phone users to reduce
the risk of radiation, such as leaving your
phone away from your bed while sleeping and making sure the keypad is positioned toward your body when carrying
the phone.
The three tours possible on that day
were visits to the Safaniyah plants, Manifa plants and fields, and Tanajib plants
and Marine. At the Tanajib Process Management Center, management listened
to a visitor safety orientation presentation
by Ayed Shammari, who noted careful
attention is paid to the potential dangers
of exposure to H2S through the use of a
gas detection monitoring system.
That was followed by a report from
Mohammed Al-Khaldi, who spoke about
safety and integrity enhancements at
Tanajib that included a rehabilitation
of the flare system, the installation of a
Predictive Emission Monitoring System,
and Emergency Shutdown System and
Distributed Control System project upgrades. The enhancements involved more
than 200,000 man-hours, 40 engineering procedures, 55 safety meetings, and
most importantly, zero incidents.
That was followed by a walk-through
of the Tanajib Gas Plant area led by Mansour Mutairi, the superintendent of the
Tanajib Producing Operation Division, and
Hussain Enazi, Gas Plant shift supervisor.
Saleh Al-Tamimi delivered a presentation about three major environmental
and economic initiatives undertaken and
done in-house by Safaniyah Onshore Producing in 2014 that resulted in significant
savings by reducing flaring by 75 million
standard cubic feet of gas annually.
Khaled Al-Dhafeeri conducted a presentation about enhancements to H2S
sensors at the Tanajib plant that involved
the implementation of new dust guards
that improve sensor activation to any H2S
leaks. Al-Dhafeeri said that 100 percent
of the sensors have been replaced, noting that “every second counts” when it
comes to H2S detection.
The tour then continued with a short
bus ride to the Tanajib Marine Facility. On
the way, Hamad Al-Hajri provided some
facts and figures about the Marine Area,
which was built in 1982, covers an area
of 1.4 million square meters and contains
20 vessel berths. He noted that the area
achieved a record year in 2014 in terms
of port shipments.
At the pier, the tour first heard from
Paul O’Rourke and Mohammed Qarni,
who spoke about submarine cable repair
local capabilities development and readiness.
Khaldoun Bukhari, a supervisor with
the Marine area’s Underwater Inspection and Repair group, provided further
information on the area’s shallow water
capabilities, highlighting the introduction
of the Zamil-601 Diving Boat, which is
equipped with a Daughter Meer-Cat that
can reach areas that otherwise cannot be
accessed.
At the end of the tour, Al-Falih and
other tour participants met with several
underwater divers from a contractor, posing for a group photo with some of the
divers in their gear.
In the briefing that followed the three
tours, several references were made to
the agility demonstrated by NAOO organizers, who adapted the initial scheduled
tours to ensure that the EMSR could still
be staged despite the challenging weather conditions.
“We stuck with it, and it was indeed
worthwhile to come here and see some
great things and wonderful people,” said
Al-Falih. “You don’t achieve these consistent safety improvements by chance.
You have a cultural behavior; there is a
systematic process. We saw it in the actions, the words, and the eyes and the
guidelines of the supervisors, and it has
cascaded down.
“We always say safety is a journey,
a destination, but you are essentially
there,” he continued. “I think you have
reached the pinnacle, the top of the
mountain. The challenge now is to stay
there.”
Photo: Hatim Oweida/MPD
n Khaled Al-Dhafeeri discusses enhancements that have been made to H2S sensors at the
Tanajib plant that included the implementation of new dust guards.
Photo: Hatim Oweida/MPD
n A
t a stop at the Tanajib pier, members of executive management heard from Paul
O’Rourke, who spoke about submarine cable repair local capabilities development and
readiness.
10 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 11
Up To You
What’s happening
n 2015 KSA Expatriate Reunion
through March 20.
Saudi Aramco will
be hosting the KSA
Expatriate Reunion
for more than 600
visitors. The organizing team has been
working hard to offer
more than 70 events
and trips to ensure an
unforgettable time.
n Feel the Burn on Saturday, March 14,
beginning 7:30 a.m. at the Hills running track.
Watch firefighters compete against each other in various firefighting drills and sporting
events, and participate in 6 x 1 mile relay race.
Participants must register by no later than
March 12. For more info, email [email protected].
Profile
Keep it Steady
Avoid jack-rabbit starts and stops and drive at a smooth,
steady speed to save fuel and reduce wear
and tear on your vehicle.
In 2013, Saudi Aramco received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Platinum Certification accreditation,
which is the Green Building Certification institute’s highest designation. Office Services
Department project engineer Faris Al-Mushref
was one of the leaders driving the team to
achieve this honor, and
his professional accomplishments have continued to accumulate
since then.
Al-Mushref has established a name for
himself as a self-motivated employee with a
contagious positive attitude, reliability, and
trustworthiness. He has reached out to work
with professional organizations such as Project Management and Engineering Services
and community groups such as the Lead by
Example and Operation Excellence groups. He
is keen to present new ideas to improve efficiency and create a healthy working environment for Saudi Aramco.
He is currently the Facility Management
Group Leader at North Park Office Services
Division and has worked in that role since
2012.
What has Office Services done for you lately?
n F
rom the high-tech Al-Midra Tower complex to the mail tracking system to major building renovations such as the East Admin Building in Dhahran, the Office Services Department’s reach traverses the Kingdom and plays an integral part in maintaining business operations at Saudi Aramco.
Did you know that the Office Services Department (OSD) operates across
the Kingdom, providing services for over
25,500 users and management of about
150 office buildings with a total gross area
of about 560,000 square meters? That’s
equivalent to eight Al-Midra towers or 85
soccer pitches! And if that’s not enough,
future plans see additional buildings coming under its control.
From the office furniture to the fire
alarm system, the elevators to the conference rooms, executive secretarial staff and
trackable mail delivery; everyday office operations are supported through the OSD.
Apart from managing office buildings to
ensure normal operations including utilities
maintenance, conference room management and custodial services, the workforce,
made up of Aramcons and contractors provides a variety of other services and support.
You may be surprised to learn that their
Secretarial Services unit is responsible for
the recruitment of all secretaries at the
manager level and above, administers newhire secretarial orientation programs and
provides secretarial relief starting at the
general manager level; while the Executive
Office Services Group coordinates office
furniture and accessories and guest office
reservations.
Staffed by professional engineers, space
planners and designers, the Office Planning
Design and Projects Division coordinates
the planned and unplanned office space
assignments and designs, associated modifications, refurbishments and office user
relocations, as well as renovation design
packages and even furniture. They are also
the area responsible for the overall coordination with corporate organizations to develop office building master plans.
Have you ever wondered who provides
office technology and equipment maintenance support? Office Services’ Office
Technology Division, in coordination with
IT organizations can get those jobs done.
They also provide graphic design and printing services, and handle mail services with
a newly established mail-tracking system,
which allows the user to check on the location and delivery status of their letter or
package, instantly.
When you think of energy conservation
and sustainability concepts, does an office
service organization come to mind? The
alignment of the construction of Al-Midra
Tower in 2009 with guidelines set by LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) resulted with the 2013 LEED “Platinum Certification” Award for outstanding commitment to sustainable buildings
and environmental stewardship. This has
become a momentous shift in the way we
operate our business and see the world. Areas of focus have been LED lighting for the
entire parking area at the North Park Office
Complex, LED/Solar Bollard lights for North
Park walkways and a Water Metering System at the North Park Office Complex.
As Saudi Aramco ramps up to prepare
for its anticipated growth, Office Services
will continue to be driven by the need to
provide as much office space as possible
in the shortest amount of time. Construction of new office buildings is a longer-term
goal, but for at least the next three years,
the focus will remain on open plan office
conversions and portable buildings.
OSD Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I report a maintenance problem in an office cubicle?
You can request a minor ticket item by calling 939 or make a request through the CRM system in the “My Home” portal.
2. How do I book lobby space for business use in an office
building?
Simply contact the building supervisor at the targeted building.
3. How can I arrange for the loan of office equipment?
Users can submit a request online through the eServices portal.
The delivery of the equipment is subject to availability and approval.
4. When will the Al-Mujamma’ renovation be complete?
Work should wrap up in the third quarter of this year, however,
new concessions and services are already operational.
5. What businesses will occupy the shops in the newly renovated al-Mujamma’ building?
Expect to find the following services: barber shop, photo shop,
DHL, bank, gift and stationery shop, Global Travel, an insurance office, and an optical service.
CS Safety Corner
Keep it Steady
Cruise into
Savings
Reduce Your
Idle Time
Go Green and
Save Money
What would you do if you woke
up in the middle of the night and
your house was on fire? It’s important to understand a few basic things about house fires and to
have a plan of action in place in
case of an emergency.
The threat from flames and
heat are obvious, but the smoke
from a fire is actually the biggest
killer. Smoke contains toxic fumes,
and it reduces your visibility to almost zero. You can’t breathe, and
you become so disorientated that
you can’t find your way out of the
room.
That is why it’s critical that you
get out of the house before your
escape is blocked by smoke or heat.
All family members, young and old,
should know the correct procedures
to follow in the event of a fire.
Put together a home fire escape
plan using these steps. Do it today!
If you wait until your house is on
fire, it’s too late.
1. Develop your escape plan:
Work with your family to identify
possible areas in your house where
a fire may start, and then identify
at least two possible escape routes
if possible. Draw a sketch of your
house to identify the exit doors and
escape routes to safety.
2. Practice makes perfect: Practice an escape drill with your family. If you discover problems, make
changes to your plan until it works
effectively. Once you have a workable plan, conduct frequent family practice drills. Vary the timing of
your drills, and include some night
practice. Pull out your calendar and
schedule a drill a minimum of every
three months.
3. Exit safely: When the smoke
alarm sounds, it is important to exit
your home quickly. However, it’s
just as important not to panic or to
run, as injuries can easily happen
when you are panicked and not
thinking clearly. In a fire, the smoke
will fill a room from the ceiling
downward. In a smoky room, there
is often space near the floor with
breathable air and good visibility.
Train your family to use this space
by crawling on hands and knees to
escape.
4. Designate a safe assembly
area: All escape routes from your
home should end in a safe assembly area. This should be far enough
away from the house that your
family is safe from heat and smoke.
Avoid an assembly area near road
traffic or that may interfere with
emergency responders.
5. Help others: Very young and
older family members may need assistance to make a safe and speedy
exit from the house.
6. Dial 110 or 872-0110: Train
all family members to call 110 from
your Saudi Aramco house phone or
872-0110 from cell phones or non-
Saudi Aramco landlines in case of
an emergency.
7. Once out, stay out: Never be
tempted to re-enter the house for
any reason. Material possessions
can be replaced, but family members cannot!
12 The Arabian Sun | March 11, 2015
Community News
March 11, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 13
Community News
Photos: Mohammed Al Shaikh/MPD
n C
olorful displays of flowers dotted the King’s Park area for thousands of visitors to the community. Organizers used 1.1 million seedlings from the Dhahran nursery and a variety of landscaping approaches to create a marvel to the eye for visitors.
Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD
n A
min H. Nasser, left, claps during the inauguration of the 2015 Garden Show in Dhahran. The two-day event attracted thousands to the King’s Park area in Dhahran and highlighted a variety
of landscaping and gardening techniques through colorful and unique exhibits and presentations.
Art in Landscaping: Crowds dig Garden Show 2015
NATASHA BURGE
DHAHRAN — The 2015 Garden Show
opened its gates to the public on Feb. 20
as more than 18,000 people visited the
wide-array of botanical displays in the
King’s Park area. Using more than 1.1 million seedlings from the Dhahran nursery,
the organizers created a horticultural masterpiece to reflect this year’s theme, “Art
in Landscaping.”
Amin H. Nasser, senior vice president
of Upstream, and other members of management were on hand to preside over
the inauguration. The group was given
a tour of the park, and gardening staff
briefed them on the many landscaping
concepts, artworks made from recycled
materials, nursery plants, and handicraft vendors. Management also presided
over the Dhahran Best Yard Competition
awards ceremony.
“This has been a wonderful day, with
beautiful flowers and five great winners,”
(see box) Nasser said, thanking the organizers for an excellent event. “The Garden
Show event means a lot to our community — for residents and outside visitors
alike — because everyone can come together to meet new friends and share a
love of nature. It shows that gardening is
a bridge between people anywhere in the
world and something shared among all
cultures.”
The show’s innovative design approach
offered examples of several gardening
styles. “This year’s festival focused on educating people on the different types of
landscaping designs that can be implemented in each and every garden. These
designs are mostly based on xeriscaping, a
low-maintenance type of garden design,”
said Nabeel A. Al-Dughaither, administra-
Dhahran Best
Yard winners
Best curb appeal
1. Susan Polega 2. Helen Rowlands
Best effort
1. Sonali Verma 2. Ian Graves
Best xeriscape
1. Peter and Jennifer Crisi
tor of the Gardening and Sanitation Services Division.
Among the most popular landscape
features were the six vertical garden displays, “flower towers” that dazzled visitors with their sleek and modern design.
Ranging from 2.5 to 7 meters in height,
the towers were composed of hollow
metal structures filled with seasonal flowers such as petunias, ivy geraniums, pansies and marigolds that would provide a
dramatic element to any home garden.
A traditional French style garden presented visitors with a classic example of
horticultural beauty. Another area inspired
visitors with examples of distinctive architectural elements that can be added to
any garden, such as ornamental steppingstones, electric fountains, and comfortable
outdoor seating areas.
Meanwhile, the xeriscaping plot’s unusual design elements attracted many
visitors. Xeriscape gardening has been a
recurring theme in recent garden shows
as it allows home gardeners to cultivate
their yards in an environmentally responsible way.
Landscape architects Sami Al Malki and
Maha Al Yacoub, along with their team,
that have been thrown away could be repurposed into their living spaces,” she
said.
Community participation always plays
a key role in the Garden Show, and this
year gardeners throughout the community
competed to win the Best Yard Competition. In its third year, the competition continues to grow in number of entries and
quality. This year, 24 entries were submitted from new and seasoned competitors.
“Many participants worked really
hard to grow beautiful flowers, shrubs,
and healthy vegetable plots, while some
participants focused on putting in special efforts to use water efficient, creative
landscapes, or xeriscaping,” said Shipra
Bhatia, Recycling coordinator.
With three categories, participants adhered to the eco-friendly ethos of choosing the right plant for the space and
customized their yards to best present
their talents. Susan Polega won the best
curb appeal category, with Helen Rowlands as runner-up. In the best effort division, Sonali Verma took first place, while
Ian Graves was runner-up. Peter and Jennifer Crisi’s garden earned first prize in the
best xeriscape category.
Polega, winner for best curb appeal,
described her yard: “I have an informal,
terraced garden filled with petunias, red
penstemon grass, and succulents. Because
my yard is on a slope, we installed different levels of terraces and used a mix of
colors, heights, and varying textures to
make it interesting.”
Verma, who has had a lifelong love of
gardening and enjoys repurposing household objects into useful and beautiful
garden ornaments, said judges were especially impressed by bird feeders she made
from an old basket and an old bowl. “The
garden is a lovely place to listen to the
birds, have coffee mornings with friends,
“The Garden Show event
means a lot to our community — for residents
and outside visitors alike
— because everyone can
come together to meet
new friends and share a
love of nature. It shows
that gardening is a bridge
between people anywhere in the world and
something shared among
all cultures.”
n G
irl Scouts and their families helped plant 50 trees and 2,000 surrounding ground covers
throughout the Dhahran community. The planting helped replace some of the trees lost to
a wind storm last May.
and the children especially like having
movie nights outside beneath the stars. It
is a wonderful place for the whole family,” she said.
Jennifer Crisi, co-winner of the best xeriscape yard, said gardening is a great reason to spend time outside and gives one a
chance to meet your neighbors. “The key
to xeriscaping is to use low maintenance
plants that thrive in these conditions, such
as succulents, native desert plants, cacti,
and bougainvillea. They all do well here
and will make your yard beautiful.”
Arborist Chanda Stone, one of the
judges, echoed Crisi’s suggestion. “One of
the great things about this show is it helps
people learn how to use plants native to
the region that will flourish in our unique
climate. If anyone is interested in starting their own garden, I would suggest:
go slowly, have fun with it, and remember that our gardens are never a finished
product.”
During the event, Stone led a treeplanting activity with Girl Scouts and their
families in which 50 trees and 2,000 surrounding ground covers were planted in
the Dhahran community.
“We lost many trees in the May storm
last year, and we wanted to replace those
as well as increase the number of trees we
have in the community,” said Stone, noting trees suppress dust, offer shade and
create “a great atmosphere” in the community.
Blue Leaf Wattle Acacia, Mexican Birds
of Paradise, and Manila Tamarind were
the three tree types chosen for the planting activity because once established, they
require minimal water.
“Many groups in Saudi Arabia are
working to plant trees that are sustainable. This is Saudi Aramco doing its part
and doing a great job,” said Stone.
“Our educational activities such as the
tree-planting event, are focused on fami-
— Amin H. Nasser
lies and children, to build their sense of
environmental awareness and to champion environmental stewardship. We’d like
to instill awareness in children at an early
age by teaching that water conservation is
important, that trees and plants can help
the environment, and that there are plants
native to this environment that thrive
beautifully here,” said Strawn.
Visitors to the event shared Strawn’s
sentiments. Nadiya Broadhead was
amazed to see hollyhock flowers on display. “I’m from Ukraine, and these flowers
remind me very much of my grandmother’s garden; it is very special to see them
again,” she said.
In the end, one of the show’s main
goals was to help people achieve their
landscaping dreams and vision in an entertaining way. “We want people to know
that having a beautiful garden is achievable for them, and that gardening can
make their life better and more peaceful,”
concluded Al Yacoub.
Photo: Mohammed Al Shaikh/MPD
n O
rganizers and landscape architects gather for a photo prior to the Garden Show. Front
row, from left, are landscape architects Sami Al Malki, Abdul Rahman Salagoor, Fahad
Shanbah, and Abdullah Buainain. Back from left are Maha Al Yacoub, Julie Strawn, Nabeel
Al-Dughaither, Mohammed Kabbaz, Mohammed Moosa, Rayed Samhood (planning analyst), and Abdulrahman Al Ghamdi, supervisor of Gardening Operations.
spent months designing and creating the
layout of the park and were especially
pleased by the visitors’ reaction to the xeriscape display.
“We would like visitors to know that
even in our harsh climate we can have
very nice gardens,” Al Malki explained. “If
we choose the right plants for the right
place, and know what each particular
plant needs, we can make a beautiful yard
that requires minimal water and maintenance.”
A vintage car display and a reused
glass bottle fountain and wall attracted a
number of visitors. The display epitomized
a whimsical style that is an eco-friendly
and beautiful addition to any yard. “This
year we emphasized the ‘reuse’ aspect in
landscaping, where we utilized used-glass
bottles to make a colored glass wall and
water fountain to beautify the gardens,”
said Dina Al-Shaikh, Recycling Group
head.
Julie Strawn, Central Community Services Department environmental coordinator, said the use of different materials
used in the show’s landscaping and outdoor living space displays proved to be an
interesting aspect of this year’s show.
“Because many parts of the displays
featured repurposed materials that could
be used outdoors, I hope it inspires people
to take a look around their homes and in
the community to see what sort of items
Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD
Inside
this issue
Fuel
economy:
Up to You
SEEP urges drivers to use the
cruise control
function on their
vehicles to save
fuel. Page 10
Up To You
14
The Arabian Sun
March 11, 2015
Keep it Steady
Avoid jack-rabbit starts and stops and drive at a smooth,
steady speed to save fuel and reduce wear
and tear on your vehicle.
Keep it Steady
Cruise into
Savings
Reduce Your
Idle Time
Go Green and
Save Money
SA LIFE
Pierson, Shepp top field at 2015 CEO Cup
JEFF McCOSHEN
DHAHRAN — A total of 268
players from throughout the Kingdom participated in the recent
2015 CEO Cup, and Saudi Aramco’s top golfers were certainly put
to the test on the challenging Rolling Hills Golf Course.
Breezy conditions, particularly
on the second day of the two-day
event, made for an interesting
tournament for all of the participants in the Stableford format,
which rewards golfers through a
point system on a hole-by-hole
basis.
At the end of the tournament,
Kelly Pierson of Dhahran emerged
as the men’s overall champion
with a total of 41 points while
Joyce Shepp, also of Dhahran,
claimed the women’s title with an
overall score of 40 points.
The two champions were presented with their trophies and gift
certificates by a newcomer to the
CEO Cup, Ahmed A. Al-Subaey,
executive director of Marketing
Supply & Joint Venture Coordination, who played in the tournament for the first time.
Al-Subaey also addressed the
crowd at the tournament’s awards
banquet, which was held at the
Plaza Conference Center.
He conceded that he is a relative newcomer to the sport after
taking up the game almost out of
necessity while working in Japan
a few years ago, as many mem-
Readers
Album
A fountain
in autumn
n
Bayan Sadiq captured this
image of a fountain along
a busy New York City street
while studying photography
in September 2014. He used
a Canon 5D camera to shoot
the photograph in front of
the Metropolitan Museum.
Sadiq lives in the Eastern
Province and works in Dhahran
on monitoring supplier
performance for Materials
Supply in the Industrial
Development Department. He
has been with the company for
three years.
n Ahmed A. Al-Subaey presents
the championship trophy to
Joyce Shepp, who earned the
women’s title.
bers of the business community in
that country are avid golfers. Since
then, he has played also in South
Korea and China, as well as being a member at RHGC, and says
he has come to truly enjoy the
camaraderie and “warm spirit of
friendship” that exists in the game
wherever it is played.
Al-Subaey noted the “proud
65-year history of golf at Saudi Aramco” and the CEO Cup in particular, which was first played in
1972.
“When I reflect on what a wonderful tournament this has been,
I realize how much the joy in the
game of golf is a collective effort
of various people and organiza-
tions,” said Al-Subaey. “For every
Aramco golfer, whether you play at
a Saudi Aramco course in Abqaiq,
Dhahran, Ras Tanura, ‘Udhailiyah,
or Yanbu’, I’m sure we share an
appreciation for the greenskeepers who work so hard to maintain
the courses, the club members and
volunteers who invest their time to
organize and administer tournaments like this and, of course, our
fellow golfers who celebrate with
us, console us, compete with us or
just simply make good friends and
great company.”
Individual club winners from
this year’s tournament included
Wayne Magaway of RHGC, Matthew Hope of the Ain Nakhi Golf
Club in Abqaiq, Adrian Beunrostro
of the Wadi Al Saeed Golf Club
in ‘Udhailiyah, Jonathon Dupont
of the Surf Side Golf Club in Ras
Tanura and Dexter Jarrett of the
Yanbu’ Golf Association.
Following is a list of the other
flight winners:
Women’s A Flight: Tamara
Tahir (38 points), Rodziah Daud
(33), Yuko Schultz (31); Men’s
A Flight: Jay Ward (37), Andrew
Thompson (36), Dave Minchau
(35); Men’s B Flight: Will Kochinski (36), Saleh Al-Thenayan (35),
Adam Fox (34); Men’s C Flight:
Douglas Thompson (35), Marc
Elasmar (34), Bruce Waldner (34);
Men’s D Flight: Youngseo Kim
(37), Jonathan Grosch (34), Juan
Michelangeli (30).
Photos: Michael Temporas/MPD
n K
elly Pierson of Dhahran sinks a putt on his way to capturing top honors at the 2015 CEO Cup at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Dhahran. More
than 250 golfers competed at this year’s event.