Marasi 30

ity upgrade of our ships while they
went through the mandatory fiveyear
maintenance. We have installed
gas exhaust pumps to reduce sulphur
emissions and added advanced
equipment to treat ballast water to
prevent biological pollution. This will
help our vessels comply with IMO's
standards and give us an advantage
to get new contracts in established
markets such as the European Union
and North America. Many companies
are expected to withdraw from these
markets because they will not afford
the expenses to comply with the new
technical specifications.
We have also installed new advanced
engine fans that reduce fuel
consumption by 5%. Taking this
step now helps us avoid having to
use higher-priced, less-available lowsulphur
fuels and thus risking higher
operating costs and the possibility of
our vessels to stop and not generate
revenues while waiting for fuel. We
have successfully adopted plans and
programs to fully comply with international
environmental laws related
to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
climate change and the targets
for 2020, 2025 and 2030. Regarding
the fleet expansion, we have increased
our assets by adding two
petrochemical carriers “Gulf Mishref”
and “Gulf Mirdif” to our fleet aiming
to enhance the company’s petrochemical
transportation capabilities.
We are also planning to buy six chemical
tankers towards end of the year.
Generally, we aim to expand our fleet
to reach 20 multipurpose vessels by
the second quarter of 2020.
Strong leadership management
requires comprehensive planning,
how did Gulf Navigation manage
to maintain a distinctive leadership
management system?
Our strategy is derived from the holistic
approach concept, which mainly
prioritizes factors such as maintaining
focus, improving communication,
sharpening readiness and enhancing
knowledge. This strategy has
been very successful as every single
employee of the company not only
abides by but also practices it and
that’s a critical part of our management.
We have been very effective
in streamlining our business and also
ensuring that all our future planning
has a risk management concept helping
the management also to make a
wiser decisions.
Reducing the fuel consumption of Gulf
Navigation's vessels adds a competitive
advantage that allows it to achieve higher profits
and offer competitive value for the market"
Since ADNOC recently announced
about the in country value. To what
extent do you think that GulfNav
can benefit from this initiative?
I think we can benefit a lot, the in
country value across the board can
help private companies and public
companies work with the concerned
parties in delivering different requirements,
different services. I believe
we are geared up to that and we are
looking into opportunities.
Finally, how do you see Gulf Navigation
in 5 years from now?
I think we have emerged very victorious
from the challenges we had.
We have managed to resolve several
issues, which drives the company towards
a steady growth. Our main corporate
identity has been changed towards
achieving further growth. I am
very grateful to all our strategic partners
especially Tabarak Investment,
who expressed their great confidence
in Gulf Navigation and its strategic
plan. We promise our shareholders to
be always up to their trust. Based on
the directives of the Board of Directors,
I’m confident that Gulf Navigation
will continue its expansion and
increase its assets.
32 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2018