6 - Kuwait Oil Company

safety systems in its oil
operations as one of
the strategic goals that
the Company is keen to
preserve and promote.
We are sure that our
contractors are as keen
as us in applying HSE
systems, and that they
spare no effort in working
side by side with us to
achieve this purpose as it
is a shared responsibility
which rests with all
concerned parties.”
The Chairman then
thanked the audience
and said that it was his
hope that KOC and its
contractors would do
everything in their power
to renew their commitment
to support the bonds
of mutual cooperation
between the participants
to serve common interests
and achieve desired goals.
The floor was then given
to KNPC’s Bakhit Al-
Rashidi, Deputy Managing
Director for Planning
and Local Marketing.
During his speech to
the audience, Al-Rashidi
upheld the importance
The KOC C&MD delivers his opening address.
of the Town Hall Meeting
and Exhibition, calling
it “constructive” and
“rewarding for the oil
sector companies and
suppliers.” He maintained
that the meeting and
exhibition does much
in the way of building
the relationships and
tools necessary to
enhance future business
prospects for all
involved with Kuwait’s
oil and gas industry.
Al-Rashidi then told the
audience about a number
of projects KNPC was
currently engaged in,
particularly the two mega
projects which include the
New Refinery at Zour and
the Clean Fuels Project
in Mina Abdullah. In
regard to these projects,
Al-Rashidi maintained
that “two state-of-the-art
refining plants will emerge
in 2017 and 2018 with
a total throughput of
1.4 million barrels of
crude oil per day.” This,
he said, will shape the
future of Kuwait’s oil
refining industry over
the coming decades.
In addition, the KNPC
DMD referred to the
Town Hall Meeting as a
“vital opportunity for face
to face communication
between work partners to
further enhance mutual
cooperation.” He added
that “Cooperation with
international partners
who have the know-how,
the expertise and the
technology but above
all the commitment to
honor their obligations
is embedded in our
principles, and we strongly
believe that international
expertise is essential for
upgrading local skills
while indigenous human
resources & facilities
should seize every
possibility to benefit from
interaction with multinational
experiences.”
Al-Rashidi also told the
audience that KNPC was
committed to providing
local contractors with
opportunities to “receive
their deserved share
of the huge business
emanating from the
scores of sustainability
projects launched by KPC
and its subsidiaries.”
He then concluded his
speech by thanking
KOC for the hospitality
provided and commended
the company for hosting
such an organized and
beneficial event.
Following the KNPC
DMD’s speech, Ibrahim
Faraj, Commercial
Support Group Manager
from KOC, delivered
his opening address.
The KOC Manager
told the audience that
the Company does
much in the way of
ensuring that important
projects are completed
by qualified and
experienced contractors
and suppliers who can
meet the requirements
of the very sensitive oil
and gas industry.
The KOC Manager
went on to say that the
selection process requires
KOC to make sure of the
efficiency of contractors
and suppliers in order
to maintain the safety
and efficiency of oil
facilities and to avoid
exposing them to risk
due to contracting with
incompetent businesses.
He added that a
significant qualification
for contractors is that they
operate in accordance
with the conditions and
standard specifications,
particularly HSE
requirements, so as to
ensure their abilities
while being able to carry
out their contractual
responsibilities.
“From this standpoint,
KOC has taken several
steps to attract local
and international
contractors and suppliers
for qualification and
competition. The
Company develops its
contracts in order to
reduce risks to contractors
and to motivate them as
well. At the same time, it
has formed a specialized
team to handle the
qualification operations
8
April - June 2013