1 MB pdf - Saudi Aramco

Fueled by a stable supply ofhydrocarbons, Asian cities arenow more productive than everbefore. Many people in theregion work in industries suchas manufacturing andpetrochemicals that rely onpetroleum and its derivatives.The automotive industry, forexample, makes extensive use ofplastics to make cars lighter andmore fuel efficient while alsomaking them stronger and safer.As incomes rise, peopleincreasingly have the ability topurchase a dazzling array ofconsumer products that streaminto the region’s ports and citiesfrom around the region and theworld, delivered by petroleumpoweredships, aircraft andvehicles.From food and beveragecontainers to fiber-reinforcedcement to children’s toys andhome furnishings, plastics makeup a substantial segment ofconsumer and industrial products.Petroleum-based plastics arelong-lasting, recyclable, requirecomparatively little energy toproduce compared to processingnatural resources, and are moreenergy efficient to transport.For the last four years we havebeen the largest supplier of crudeoil to China, India, Japan, TheRepublic of Korea and Singapore.In 2006, we opened newmarketing support offices inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, andShanghai, China, to serve theregion better.Staying ahead of the long-termenergy trends in the Far East isjust one of the ways we aretaking the initiative when itcomes to meeting the world’senergy challenges.ANNUAL REVIEW 2006 21