Seventh Offshore Arabia Conference and Exhibition commences

Dubai, Feb 27th, 2012 (WAM)--Dr Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water inaugurated today the seventh edition of the Offshore Arabia Conference and Exhibition, which is held under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Offshore Arabia is held this year under the motto "Offshore Oil Spill Prevention and Response through New Technology and International Cooperation" and is running until February 29 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Fahad delivered a speech during the opening ceremony in which he reiterated his support to the Offshore Arabia Conference and Exhibition as an important platform to discuss many of challenges and changes that "we are facing at the moment such as; Oil spill and pollution, the role of new technologies and the role of international cooperation in decreasing the pollution and eliminating its negative impact on the regions marine life and its resources." He added in his key note speech that was delivered during the opening ceremony that "the marine life is considered one of the most important environments in the region and unfortunately it goes under frequent pressure due to the activities conducted during oil excavations, construction buildings at the shoreline and also the tankers that carry the oil in the sea. Therefore, the region should always be prepared and well planned to face any accidents and respond quickly to avoid any crises".

The minister was impressed by the new technologies displayed at the exhibition which vary to cover all monitoring, controlling and fixing techniques. "New Technologies have a positive influence on this industry as it has shown strong capability to decrease the danger that oil spill can cause to marine life." He also stressed on employing the best techniques in research in addition to developing research centres and constitutes that will cater to students and individuals who are interested to specialise in this particular field, especially that region now is paying so much attention to this vital field.

The Offshore Arabia conference will last for three days and will include researches and lectures presented by environmental and Oil & Gas specialists. The topics that will be discussed on the first day include; Technology Innovation as Applied to Oil Spill Response, Oil spills; A Clear Case for Crisis not just Emergency Management, Challenging Oil Field Emulsions: Liability of Asset, Saudi Aramco Tanker Vetting System (TVS), Technology Innovation as Applied to Oil Spill Response (Continues), Remote Sensing Technologies for Oil Spill Detection and Monitoring, Advantages and Limitations, Seasoned Surface Current Maps in U.S. Spill Response, HF Radar Technology and Services as Applied to Spill Response and other related industries.

Salem Abdul Rahman Al Wehaibi, the Chairman of Offshore Arabia 2012 Conference & Exhibition and the Chairman of Regional Clean Sea Organization (Recso) expressed his sincere appreciation for H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai for his continued support and patronage of Offshore Arabia 2012 conference and exhibition.

He also said in his key note speech: "We hope the oil, gas & tanker industries in the region will benefit enormously from this forum, both in terms of transfer of technology and prevention of oil pollution, thereby protecting the marine environment."Salem added that "Oil has been the primary source of this regions economic growth for several decades. Its transported by the worlds largest tanker fleets, navigating through restricted waterways in the Gulf; it poses a great threat of oil pollution. The economic impact of an oil spill is often substantial and the solution to the problem is prevention through effective and integrated best operation practices, close monitoring and stricter enforcement by authorities. And we are highly anticipating that Offshore Arabia conference and exhibition will be able to fulfill those outcomes".

Leading international experts will present their views on handling offshore and onshore oil production, safe tanker operation at sea and terminals, emerging response procedures, personnel safety & enforcement and new technologies.

"Offshore Arabia 2012 Conferences Technical Committee has developed an outstanding set of presentations which we are confident that they will provide significant value from the sharing of advancements, developments and demonstrations of leading technologies and processes. The knowledge that the participants will obtain will provide a unique insight into business information which cannot be found anywhere else, " said Salem Al WehaibiIn addition, the Offshore Arabia conference will provide a unique opportunity for peer-to-peer exchange and networking as well as time to envision emerging technologies and innovative solutions which will enhance your position in the competitive global market. It will also highlight emerging technologies and innovative practices which leading companies are deploying today to meet tomorrows challenges and engage workforce for higher productivity, the way organizational mindset must change to use new tools, the way emotional intelligence will affect your company, and the way social networking tools can enhance your communications etc.

By participating in this conference, he continued, " you can also explore the game changing tools and technologies that are impacting our industry."