Three-day Offshore Middle East Conference, Exhibition Opens

Doha, January 21 (QNA) - The three-day Offshore Middle East Conference and Exhibition 2013 got underway today in Doha under the patronage of HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada. Mubarak A. AL-Hajri, Chairman, Advisory Board Members, OMEC 2013, QP-Operations Manager (Offshore Operations), highlighted that Offshore Middle East conference was one of the largest and most respected events in the oil and gas industry, considering the fact that Middle East holds about 48% of the world's oil and 38% of the gas reserves. "This year , the conference has grown significantly since its first inception from Doha in 2008, and now the conference is expanded from a single track conference to two tracks, also the exhibition has expanded and now it includes companies from almost 40 countries from around the globe." AL-Hajri said Offshore Middle East conference and exhibition, provides a forum where industry leaders can address technical issues, introduce latest technology and share lessons learned about, finding, developing and producing oil and gas in Middle East offshore region. It also encourages growth of young professionals to participate in the conference. "Furthermore, as we all know, commencement of oil and gas exploration in the Middle East goes back to many decades. Today we have many challenges to face to maintain our capabilities with sustainable development of our resources. Some of these challenges are: asset integrity of aging facilities, re-development of mature fields, optimization of costs, managing HSE risks and these challenges are expected to be addressed in the conference." Following the opening session, HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada inaugurated the exhibition, which coincides the three-day conference. The 2013 event this year's line up is stronger than ever with over 50 speakers from nearly 20 countries plus an impressive line up of leading companies, the organizers had said, adding that the Middle East region's oil and gas industry has never looked healthier with firms investing heavily to increase their acreage at sea in an effort to meet growing global demands. "The GCC is forecasted to award a little over $50bn worth of contracts in the oil, gas and petrochemical projects market in 2013." Some of the most important challenges currently facing the offshore oil & gas industry relate to accessing modern technology and securing the necessary capital to cover the large investments required for exploration, development and production projects. The event will take place over three days from 21-23 January at Qatar National Convention Centre with an impressive programme featuring distinguished opening and awards ceremonies, comprehensive conference programme and exhibition floor. Topics up for discussion include Well Construction & Drilling Operation, Field Development - Asset Integrit, Reservoir Monitoring & ControlAsset Integrity LNG/Gas Operations - Pipelines/Flow Assurance, HSE & Risk Management, Geophysics and HR/Training. Another round table discussion - Panel Session: Ageing Oil and Gas Assets featuring Qatar Shell, Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and Maersk Oil is also expected to generate a lot interest and topical debate. (QNA)