Qatargas Receives Extension for Qatar's Coral Conservation Programme

Doha, December 18 (QNA) - Qatargas has been permitted to continue its protection programme of the coral colonies in the sea around Qatar's coast in partnership with the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the pioneer of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry said in a media statement here Sunday. Five years ago in October 2006, Qatargas and the Ministry of Environment, started implementing a unique environment conservation programme to save more than 4,500 coral colonies in Qatar's waters close to where the underwater pipeline laying activities related to Qatargas' expansion projects - Qatargas 2, Qatargas 3 and Qatargas 4 have taken place. The conservation programme entailed moving the corals from their existing location to a more suitable area south east of Al Khor. In an operation that lasted over five months, scientists detached the coral colonies from the seafloor, transported them safely to the new location and re-attached them to the seafloor. The corals were then numbered and tagged for future monitoring. Qatargas Chief Executive Officer Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, "At Qatargas we uphold the highest standard of energy use, responsible energy management and energy conservation. As a responsible promoter of energy, we are committed to the care and protection of the environment for generations to come. We believe that minimising the environmental footprint of our industries is critical to achieving the environmental development outcomes of the Qatar National Vision 2030, this coral relocation project is one such fine example." Qatargas has been conducting regular environmental monitoring surveys to determine the success of the relocation programme and establish a baseline for the monitoring of the reef health and viability. The corals are currently monitored every six months. Two successive recent surveys have highlighted that the transplanted corals are beginning to reproduce successfully. Qatargas Chief Safety, Environment and Quality Officer Toufik Benmosbah said, "Qatargas is proud to be associated with this innovative environmental mitigation initiative. In addition to protecting the marine environment, it also contributes towards gaining scientific knowledge of coral reef habitats and how they react to the harsh marine environment of the Arabian Gulf." In partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Qatargas has voluntarily extended this monitoring period for a further three years, starting in 2012, as new and valuable scientific information is gathered at each monitoring session. This extension will provide an ongoing assessment of one of the only permanently marked and routinely monitored coral community in Qatar. Through this important conservation work we are able to ascertain the value of coral relocation as a mitigation option for pipeline and other impacts on the near-shore environment, and further build local capacity on this important environmental project in collaboration with the MoE, the company established in 1984 said. Qatargas' coral relocation project has received recognition both locally and regionally. It has won the Qatar Today Green Award's Excellence in the Energy Industry in 2008 and the Regional Clean Seas Organisation's Excellence in Environment Projects in 2009. Qatargas looks forward to continuing to proactively participate with industrial partners and regulators to support similar environmental initiatives and challenges shared by society, the company statement concluded. (QNA)