$

OPEC basket five-week price trend 2017

insidethis issue

More than 1,300 professionals, scholars, and government officials gather to expand their knowledge on sustaining water resources through innovative and reliable water and wastewater treatment technologies at the Fifth Water Arabia Conference and Exhibition.

promoting water conservation in the Kingdom

see page 6

“High-Pressure, High-Rate Big Bore Gas Wells: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward after One Year of Production” was the theme of the Second Safety Forum for Northern Area offshore nonassociated gas fields.

focusing big bore gas well safety in the Northern Area

see page 5

Students from the Dhahran Industrial Training Center learn about the history of the oil industry, Saudi Aramco, and the Kingdom in a visit to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.

King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture hosts ITC students

see page 12

Dhahran — They come from all areas of the company and work in a variety of vo-cations, but one thing they all share is an innovative streak and an appreciation for safety as a foundational value at Saudi Ar-amco.

The 2017 recipients of Saudi Aramco’s Ex-ceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program (ESARP) stand as further evidence of the company’s unwavering commitment

to maintaining a strong safety culture.“Saudi Aramco strives to be a global safe-

ty leader, and ESARP reflects this dedication at both the individual employee and team level. We hold the ESARP program in high regard and strongly believe in the value that it adds,” said Bader F. Al Qadran, executive director of Safety and Industrial Security. “It has added value to many aspects of our facilities and practices, and we are contin-

uously looking to improve the program to enhance and motivate participation across the company.

“It is an opportunity for people to be-come more involved in the innovation of our safety practices, and add value that addresses all aspects of our business,” he added.

recipients are evidence of company’s commitment to safety culture

see pages 7-9

Abdullah D. Althawab, a Housing inspector with the Central Community Services Department, conducts a check on a smoke detector in the Dhahran community while executing the Housing Safety Inspection Program. Led by Ali S. Al Qahtani, the program is one of 12 recipients of Saudi Aramco’s 2017 Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program awards. (Photo: Hasan AlMubarak/MPD)

ESARP: celebrating exceptional safety

protecting the environmentAramcons on both sides of the Kingdom take to the beach to help pick up trash and protect the environment, with cleanup efforts employing the use of employees, volunteers, and students along the Arabian Gulf in Ju’aymah and the Red Sea in Yanbu’.

see page 12

cubic meters per year is the annual decrease in water demand at Saudi Aramco since the implementation of water conservation initiatives in the company began in 2015.

1 millionSaudi Aramco by the numbers

see page 3

The Inspection Technology and Quality Assurance National (ITQAN) Institute produces

its first batch of some 163 young Saudi graduates.

ITQAN grads tool gives hiring process a boost

see page 2

Saudi Aramco launches HireVue, a new digital interviewing tool that improves the way the company conducts interviews and makes hiring decisions.

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January 10, 2018 vol. LXXIII, No. 2 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.

your voice

We are accustomed to thinking that su-per humans and superheroes must have supernatural powers and flashy costumes. They always have a mission to save the universe or to protect humanity from a su-per angry villain.

In my opinion, this is not at all true and a completely superficial take on the subject.

You see, a super human can be anyone. I’m sure you’ve already met a couple of them, or you may have walked by one of them just now.

They may seem like ordinary people, minding their own business, doing normal work, but the truth is, they use their great and seldom noticed superpowers to create a great impact in the lives of others. 

Although their impact is being realized,

they are rarely recognized as superheroes. They may not even recognize themselves as superheroes. 

Allow me to introduce some examples of the superheroes I meet every day at my workplace. 

The ordinary super human and always smiling coffee man I meet every day is a true superhero. He has the power to turn lines of barely awake people into ready-to-work, alert employees by simply distribut-ing some of his powers through the hot cups of coffee he serves us every day.

Furthermore, he can remember my usu-al order because he can identify me from my face, whether I’m smiling or frowning, angry or happy, awake or sleepy. That’s something even the latest iPhone X cannot

do! Another class of super humans involves

those we don’t necessarily meet but al-ways know are there to support us in our daily work. They are the ones who spend days and nights in their offices and behind their screens to ensure we get the best ser-vice they can offer.

For them, every email sent, every doc-ument shared, and every order approved is another success story acted on by many players working collaboratively to make sure all of our daily work activities run normal and as expected. They are super humans because they don’t need to wear suits or have super cool gadgets, but they always strive to make sure we have a busi-ness-as-usual day at work.

recognizing the super humans around us

by Ahmad Hadab

Dhahran

Ahmad.Hadab@aramco.com

new digital HireVue technology a big boost in our hiring process

The new HireVue technology not only helps the company save time and money but also offers a streamlined and robust process that enables recruiters and interviewers to make more effective hiring decisions. (Photos courtesy of HireVue)

Dhahran — In the continuing pursuit of Operational Excellence, the Saudi Aramco Expatriate Employment Division, in part-nership with the Human Resources Systems Support Department, has launched a new digital interviewing tool named HireVue, which will dramatically improve the way the company conducts interviews and makes hiring decisions.

Traditionally, Saudi Aramco has utilized videoconference interviewing technology to conduct interviews for expatriate candidates based in locations where face-to-face inter-views are not possible, or as a preliminary interview.

However, this process would involve re-serving a videoconference studio near the location of the candidate, as well as re-serving a videoconference room in Saudi Aramco facilities. Not only was this process often costly, but it was also restrictive and time-consuming in setting up suitable tim-ings and facilities for both proponents and

streamlined and robust process that enables recruiters and interviewers to make more effective hiring decisions.

“HireVue brings enhanced functionality and a scalable solution that can incorporate advances in the latest recruitment methods,” said AbdulRahman M. Al Mesned, director of the HR System Support Department.

“HireVue increases our digital interview-ing footprint and paves the way for future enhancements by having predictive assess-ments to have higher quality candidates.”

Eid B. Biltagi, administrator of the Expa-triate Employment Division, said, “HireVue is already reducing cycle time, thereby lead-ing to boosting the quality of hires — and creating significant cost efficiencies for the company.”

a qualified successProponents have been happy with their

experience using the new videoconferenc-ing technology.

“I found HireVue a very convenient system that makes videoconference interviews flexi-ble and convenient for both interviewer and candidate,” said Saad H. Binmatlig, head of the Technical Development Vision in the Downstream Capital Portfolio Department.

HireVue has been successfully rolled out across the company, with more than 700 interviews having been conducted on the platform so far. It is available for use as both a pre-screen and live interview tool for ex-patriate hiring.

“The system is excellent. I truly like it,” said Abdullah Garni, who is with the Explo-ration Drilling Department. “The connection is very good, and the convenience of being able to conduct interviews from our own office computer expedites the process.”

For more information, email Fahad Bagmi, supervisor with the Expatriate Recruitment Unit, at Fahad.Bagmi@aramco.com.

candidates who are often in widely varying time zones.

from desktops, laptops, tablets and phones

With HireVue, candidates and interview-ers now can conduct video interviews from multiple platforms, including their desktops or laptop computers, tablet devices, and even mobile smartphone devices. Unlike the previous videoconference interviewing process, there is no need to reserve a phys-ical videoconference studio in the same lo-cation as the candidate, thereby completely removing associated costs and time restric-tions. It also leaves candidates free to inter-view at night or on weekends from their homes.

HireVue also introduces a completely new and industry-leading interviewing op-tion — the “On-Demand” Interview. With “On-Demand,” interviewers are able to send mini-questionnaires and tests for can-didates to complete at a convenient time for them, as well as record themselves answer-ing predetermined questions. This “On-De-mand” function enables interviewers to fa-cilitate effective pre-screening of candidates before conducting face-to-face or live video interviews.

Deya Elyas, director of the Staffing Ser-vices Department, said, “As part of the Staffing Services Department strategies to look for new recruitment technologies, Hi-reVue is an industry-leading interviewing option that will enhance the quality of the videoconferencing interviewing process and enrich candidates’ experiences.”

why digital?Shifting to a digital format in recruit-

ment makes sense in many ways, beyond the improvements in efficiency, time, and cost. Digital platforms offer a much more

January 10, 2018

2 company news

Dhahran — Olivier Thorel has joined Saudi Aramco effective Jan. 1, 2018, as executive director for the company’s Chemicals busi-ness.

Thorel joined Shell in France in 1990 and held various positions in the Chemicals busi-ness in manufacturing, sales, marketing, supply chain, and as global general manager,

based in France, the Netherlands, and Lon-don until 2006.

He then led the global base oil business and thereafter became vice president of sup-ply, distribution and Shell pipelines for North America, based in Houston. Over the past four years, Olivier has led various parts of the Shell Chemicals business as vice president of

Global intermediates, and then vice president of Chemicals Asia, Ventures and New Busi-ness Development, based in Singapore.

Thorel graduated in 1988 from École Poly-technique (science and economics) and holds a master’s degree in Finance from Université Paris-Dauphine. He completed an executive MBA at Insead in 2002.

Olivier Thorel joins Saudi Aramco to head up Chemicals business

ITQAN produces its first batch of graduatesAl-Khobar — Some 163 Saudi youth

recently graduated as the first group of students from the Inspection Technology and Quality Assurance National (ITQAN) In-stitute. Also attending the ceremony was Abdullah O. Al Baiz, vice president of En-gineering Services for Saudi Aramco, and HE Fahad Al-Tuwairji, CEO of the College of Excellence.

about ITQANA leading institute in the field of training

on technical inspection and testing, ITQAN strives to play a prominent role in develop-ing the training sector through programs that apply world-class standards by provid-ing the national labor market with a high-ly qualified workforce that has academic knowledge and practical skills in a variety of disciplines.

ITQAN reflects a state-of-the-art model of independent, nonprofit training institu-tions and is the result of a strategic cooper-ation between Saudi Aramco and the Tech-nical and Vocational Training Corporation.

Located in Ju’aymah, ITQAN’s purpose is to train and qualify young Saudis to meet the labor market needs, contribute effec-tively to community growth, and help re-duce unemployment through the national-ization of professional jobs. ITQAN offers inspection training mainly to high school graduates in an effort to qualify them to work in the energy sector in the future.

ITQAN trainees obtain a two-year diplo-

ma in a specific inspection discipline such as electrical, mechanical, welding, civil, or nondestructive testing.

human development and Saudi Vision 2030

Jameel Abdullah, ITQAN’s administra-tive director, said ITQAN’s vision “is to contribute to human development efforts as part of Saudi Vision 2030 through the fulfillment of workforce requirements and integration of promising qualified Saudi youth into the labor market by providing high-quality training programs in various inspection disciplines.

“Besides building personalities by instill-ing the values of knowledge and educa-tion, ITQAN gives priority to security and safety by adopting the latest occupational safety methods through cooperation with an industry leader in occupational safety, Saudi Aramco,” he said. “Saudi Aram-co, in turn, provides intensive educational programs for ITQAN’s students and staff members.”

ITQAN has launched the “ITQAN Path to Quality and Safety” initiative. Targeting professional and training development, the initiative provides loss prevention require-ments designed to protect both the trainer and trainee while enriching extracurricular programs and activities with physical and intellectual activities, boosting the role of sponsor companies during and after train-ing.

Abdullah stressed that “investing in the

Saudi workforce is the ideal solution to nationalizing jobs and reducing unemploy-ment among young Saudis, which reflects Saudi Vision 2030.”

On behalf of the graduates, Moham-mad Al-Subaie said: “ITQAN has greatly enriched their life skills. On the academic side, for more than a year, ITQAN provided them with an education in physics, chem-istry, and the English language, thereby expanding their scientific knowledge. In addition, they received technical training in various disciplines.”

As for safety, he said, the students learned at ITQAN that safety should be a lifestyle and not be restricted to specific places, accompanying them everywhere they go.

The Arabian Sun interviewed student Abdullah Al-Shihabi, who was happy for finally completing the training that he has aspired to since his childhood. As a young boy, he was fond of mechanics and amazed by the movement of gears, brakes, and clutches, always searching for big and small engines on the internet.

As for ITQAN, he said the training in-stitute “is a perfect step toward reaching practical solutions that benefit all parties,” and that persistence, education, and train-ing “are three essential pillars of nation building.”

The ceremony concluded with the dis-tribution of certificates to graduates, who each procured jobs in various professions at Saudi Aramco.

Some of the more than 160 young Saudi students at the Inspection Technology and Quality Assurance National (ITQAN) Institute in Ju’aymah listen intently during a graduation ceremony held in al-Khobar. ITQAN is designed to train and qualify young Saudis to meet labor market needs, contribute to community growth, and help reduce unemployment through the nationalization of professional jobs. (Photo: Yara Ziyad/MPD)

by Mohammad Adarbeh

Besides building personalities by instilling the values of knowledge and education, ITQAN gives priority to security and safety by adopting the latest occupational safety methods through cooperation with an industry leader in occupational safety, Saudi Aramco.

— Jameel Abdullah

”

the arabian sun

3company news

EXPEC ARC wins top innovation awards at International Conference on Engineering Geophysics

SAPED promotes 4IR awareness for Upstream applications

by Emad A. Alabbad

Al-Ain, UAE — The EXPEC ARC Ad-vanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) re-cently won first and second place in the 2017 Innovation Award competition at the International Conference on Engineering Geophysics (ICEG) in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Sponsored by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), the ICEG event rep-resents the biggest and most prestigious society in exploration geophysics of the oil and gas industry. Contributions of individu-al teams participating in the award compe-tition were in the form of full journal papers describing original research never published before.

A shortlist of seven technologies were selected for the final round of the com-petition, where candidates were asked to present and defend their research in front of a jury composed of five renowned glob-al experts in shallow geophysics and engi-neering.

“This is an outstanding achievement and undisputed recognition of Saudi Aramco leadership in geophysics technologies,” said Ali A. Al-Meshari, EXPEC ARC manager.

Daniele Colombo received first place for a novel technology that relates to automat-ic near surface velocity and residual statics

were developed in EXPEC ARC’s Geophys-ics Technology Division and are the object of several patent and trademark filings.

More than 40,000 km2 in the Central portion of Saudi Arabia have been pro-cessed to date with the pQC technology, making it one of the best examples of innovative technology development fol-lowed by a widespread application to Sau-di Aramco operations. In addition to its high-quality results, the pQC technology provides unprecedented speed in perform-ing the complex task of near surface analy-sis up to 100 times faster than the industry standards.

The pQC/aQC technology development is an example of excellent teamwork where the main contributors to the development and application of the methodology were Colombo, Federico Miorelli, Diego Rovetta, and Ernesto Sandoval-Curiel.

second-place awardThe second-place innovation award was

granted to Saudi Aramco for developing a novel fiber optic seismic system for onshore acquisition, which is capable of simultane-ous near surface characterization and deep reflection imaging of oil and gas targets.

This new technology, which addresses

both near surface and data quality chal-lenges by burying sensors in the subsurface, was invented by EXPEC ARC’s Geophysics Technology Division. The main component of the system is the “smart DAS uphole,” a shallow hole (50 to 500 meters deep) with cost-effective optical fiber similar to what is used for internet connections at home or the office. Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology enables every meter of the fiber to act as a seismic sensor, turning a shallow hole into a smart, instrumented well, listening from top to bottom.

Smart DAS upholes provide direct mea-surements of shallow velocity variations and eliminate false structures caused by a poor-ly characterized near surface model. Using a network of smart DAS upholes connect-ed by a single fiber, the proposed fiber op-tic system enables new seismic acquisition with buried vertical DAS arrays. Smart DAS upholes, which enable a simpler, safer, and more cost efficient operation, were found to produce excellent data quality for near surface characterization.

The successful field demonstration proj-ect was performed by a team consisting of Andrey Bakulin, Pavel Golikov, Robert Smith, Kevin Erickson, Ilya Silvestrov, and Mustafa Al-Ali.

for participants, noting that past industri-al revolutions have largely been defined by technological breakthroughs such as steam power, electricity, and computers.

The term 4IR is commonly used to refer to current and developing breakthroughs in digital capabilities that are believed to be defining a fourth industrial era.

Such technologies utilize big data and advanced analytics to increasingly yield su-perior outcomes. Examples of those tech-nologies include artificial intelligence, ma-chine learning, and the Internet of Things — among others — that can potentially change the way business is done in the 21st century. 

practical workshopThe SAPED South Ghawar Production

Engineering Division (SGPED) hosted the half-day workshop in ‘Udhailiyah, which included a technical program featuring dis-cussions on a variety of topics, including:

• Predictive analytic applications for pro-duction optimization and forecasting

• Failure management for electric sub-mersible pumps (ESPs)

• Well integrity management• Corrosion management. 

“SAPED deals with increasingly com-plex challenges related to well integrity, production optimization, ESP failure, and more” said Hamad M. Al-Marri, acting manager of SAPED. “Our engineers are empowered to select the right tool, soft-ware, and technology to support decision making — not only to meet the company goals but also to raise the benchmark of the ways we conduct our business.”

More than 50 Upstream professionals at-tended the workshop, which included sub-ject matter experts from Weatherford shar-ing their experiences and presenting some global examples of tackling 4IR challenges. 

Ahmed K. Alkhalifah, a petroleum en-gineering system analyst and Professional Development Program employee, said, “It was interesting to see how IT technologies can be applied in production systems.”

Shaker A. BuHassan, a Petroleum Engi-neering specialist, added, “The workshop was a good venue to exchange knowledge and ideas on production solutions.”

Saad M. Al-Mutairi, acting general su-pervisor with SGPED, said, “We will con-tinue our efforts to find ways to improve the efficiency and reliability of our busi-ness.”

‘Udhailiyah — Looking to facilitate knowledge exchange and promote aware-ness on Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) applications in the oil and gas business, the Southern Area Production Engineering Department (SAPED) recently conducted a technical workshop in ‘Udhailiyah.

the Fourth Industrial RevolutionThe workshop began by defining 4IR

A production optimization subject matter expert from Weatherford explains production challenges at the SAPED technical workshop in Al-Dorrah Hall in ‘Udhailiyah on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The workshop addressed a number of topics, including predictive analytic applications for production optimization and forecasting, failure management for electric submersible pumps, well integrity management, and corrosion management.

Members of the first-place winning team from EXPEC Advanced Research Center, left, include Diego Rovetta, Daniele Colombo, and Ernesto Sandoval-Curiel. Not pictured is Federico Miorelli. Right, the team of second-place contributors includes Pavel Golikov, Robert Smith, Andrey Bakulin, Mustafa Al-Ali, Ilya Silvestrov, and Kevin Erickson.

solutions from surface consistent analysis of refracted waves. Second place was award-ed to Andrey Bakulin for a new fiber op-tic-based land seismic acquisition system used in near surface characterization and deep reflection imaging.

ICEG 2017, in its fourth edition, attracted a large participation from the internation-al scientific and industrial communities by concentrating on global innovation, creativ-ity, as well as advances and new approach-es in the field of engineering and geophys-ical applications.

first-place awardThe first-place innovation award was de-

livered to the group of innovative technol-ogies known in Saudi Aramco as pQC and aQC, which provide the automatic solution of distorting the near surface for enhancing the subsurface seismic imaging. This is per-formed by automatically deriving the nec-essary time shift corrections, velocities, and amplitude compensations.

The unique methodology relies exclusive-ly on the analysis of refracted waves rather than reflected waves, and provides surface consistent solutions in an automatic fashion at a fraction of the time needed by con-ventional approaches. The methodologies

January 10, 2018

4 company news

NAOO safety forum focuses on ‘Big Bore Gas Wells’Ju’aymah — Focusing on the safety of

big bore gas wells, the Northern Area Gas Producing Department (NAGPD) recently conducted the Second Safety Forum for Northern Area offshore nonassociated gas fields.

The forum, held at the Ju’aymah Admin Complex under the theme of “High-Pres-sure, High-Rate Big Bore Gas Wells: Les-sons Learned and the Way Forward after One Year of Production,” was attended by more than 120 delegates, including senior management and subject matter experts. The forum was designed to provide a ven-ue to exchange experiences and best prac-tices in offshore gas surface and subsur-face safety measures.

Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, senior vice president of Upstream, led off the event, inaugurating the accompanying exhibition and touring the 12 exhibiting vendors and service companies that were on hand to demonstrate their products and services relevant to offshore gas fields.

The forum program facilitated by mas-ter of ceremonies and event organizer Ra-kan A. Al-Shebil of NAGPD opened with a safety moment by Arabiya field service operator Abdullah Al-Matar, who spoke about driving safely in the rain. Al-Matar shared key precautions and inspection points that should be administered before the arrival of the rainy season, as well as defensive driving practices on wet pave-ment.

In his welcoming remarks, NAGPD man-ager Abdulrahman M. Al Qahtani spoke about the importance of the forum and emphasized the action items addressed in the inaugural Northern Area Oil Oper-ations (NAOO) Safety Forum, as well as NAGPD’s commitment to complete them.

leading by example in NAOODawood M. Al Dawood, NAOO vice

president, opened by thanking Upstream management, as well as service compa-nies’ management, for attending and par-ticipating in the forum. Sharing key NAOO safety statistics, he pointed to improve-ments that have been made to help make NAOO the leading admin area in safety throughout Upstream. Al Dawood said the improvement came as the result of exercis-ing initiatives, and exerting efforts and a strict commitment toward key safety ob-jectives.

Al Dawood also talked about how these unique events focused on big bore gas wells and the efforts taken by NAOO to mitigate the risks associated with such op-erations, adding that the event should be extended to include more organizations and participants.

setting our sights highIn his comments, the senior vice pres-

ident of Upstream expressed his strong interest in expanding the event to a corpo-rate level. Emphasizing the uniqueness of the forum’s focus and the need to envision scaling the event to be internationally rec-ognized — as it is unmatched in the indus-try — Al Qahtani said: “We have to set the standards high and have a big vision and meet the industry. And if the industry is not yet there, we create it.”

Al Qahtani also recognized our “young and courageous workforce,” some who have only two or three years of experience and are handling huge responsibilities. “We are proud of them for taking these responsibilities very seriously,” he said.

technical presentationsSubject matter experts provided a vari-

ety of technical presentations during the

event, including: Ibrahim Al-Mohasin of NAGPD updat-

ed the progress made since the inaugural NAOO Safety Forum on “Big Bore Gas Wells,” which sought to provide a venue to exchange experiences and best practic-es in offshore gas surface and subsurface safety measures. The forum also created a venue to brainstorm potential scenarios beyond the current safety mitigations. He highlighted several key recommendations identified in the inaugural forum that have been completed, including the formation of the Safety and Reliability Review Team, composed of a number of subject matter experts from various departments.

Ahmed Al-Thukair of the Northern Area Production Engineering and Well Services Department provided an overview of the various integrity challenges with Northern Area offshore gas fields’ high-pressure gas wells. He also presented on challenges and mitigations in a variety of aspects, includ-ing wellhead growth, high annuli pressure, tubing retrievable subsurface safety valve leaks, and wellhead tree leaks.

Bader Al-Dalbahy of the Gas Reservoir Management Department (GRMD), who presented on “Safe Reservoir Pressure Surveillance Techniques for Northern Area Offshore High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) Gas Wells.” He spoke about the recently developed in-house methodolo-gy for predicting reservoir pressure of off-shore gas fields based only on static and dynamic wellhead pressure. He explained techniques commonly applied to acquire reservoir pressure and GRMD’s innovative technique to provide key bottom-hole pressure data for assessing field perfor-mance. The technique identifies the oc-currence of constant flow rates at various times and examines how the flowing well-head pressure at surface condition chang-es. The wellhead pressure changes trans-late to a similar depletion rate of reservoir pressure, utilized for field performance as-sessment and forecasting.

Avazbek Karimov provided insight on successful safety accomplishments during the recent turnaround and inspection shut-down on Karan Tie-in Platform 1. He pro-vided an overview of the scope of work, the process of assessing risk, and planning, as well as how high-risk activities were ex-ecuted. The presentation also identified ar-eas of improvements and lessons learned during work activities.

Arvind Dhir from the Process and Con-trol Systems Department presented on the recent standardization of offshore gas wellhead platform activity performed by revising the High Integrity Protection Sys-tems (HIPS) standards and incorporating

lessons learned from the Hasbah I and HASBAH II projects. The new standards have leveraged ongoing standardization projects to develop and implement en-hanced safety, reliability, and cost reduc-tion of HIPS. He demonstrated the new standardization design features, which is expected to generate significant savings.

Ali Al-Hababi of Drilling and Workover presented on enhancing offshore gas well integrity by using a uni-head system on HPHT wells. He provided an overview of multistage spool wellhead systems devel-oped to provide improved safety, rig-time savings, through-bore installation efficien-cy, and overall compactness in comparison to conventional wellheads. Al-Hababi not-ed how the systems drill through design allows multiple casing strings to be run and landed without having to disassemble the blowout preventers.

Faisal Al-Abbas of the Consulting Ser-vices Department provided an overview of the NAOO Subsea Pipelines Technical As-sessment. The subsea pipelines network consists of 688 pipelines distributed over eight different producing fields, represent-ing a key component of Saudi Aramco’s offshore operations. Ensuring the integrity of each pipeline is critical. He explained the assessment approach for the study, utiliz-ing a semi-quantitative risk-based meth-odology designed to identify, analyze, and evaluate risk associated with each subsea pipeline. The risk calculation combines the probability of failure and the consequence of failure.

open panel discussionThe open panel discussion, facilitated by

Maree M. Al-Qahtani, acting superinten-dent of the NAGPD Engineering Division, featured the participation of presenters emphasizing safety enhancement oppor-tunities in all gas field operating aspects and identifying areas of improvement to-ward an even more successful forum in the coming years.

another successO r g a n i z e r s w e r e

pleased with the work-shop’s impact and ef-fectiveness.

“The participation has grown over last year’s forum, and well-recog-nized leading technolo-gy companies exhibited their products along with a demonstration, in a message showing NAOO’s commitment toward safety,” said Khalid Lash’ath, event organizer.

Among those participating in the forum were, from top, Maree M. Al-Qahtani, Rakan A. Al-Shebil, Ibrahim Al-Mohasin, Ahmed Al-Thukair, Bader Al-Dalbahy, Avazbek Karimov, Arvind Dhir, Ali Al-Hababi, and Faisal Al-Abbas,

Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani is joined by Dawood M. Al Dawood and Ali S. Al Ajmi during a tour of the exhibiting vendors at the Second Safety Forum for Northern Area offshore nonassociated gas fields in Ju’aymah. See additional photo on page 10. (Photos: Moayed Al Qattan/MPD)

Khalid Lash’ath

the arabian sun

5company news

Ibrahim Haddadi of Saudi Aramco’s Northern Area Oil Operations (NAOO) Plants Network and Systems Compliance Unit presents during the recent 2017 NAOO Cybersecurity workshop in Ju’aymah. The objective of the workshop was to deliver to the admin area cybersecurity strategy, key performance indicators, new technologies, and to promote awareness among the attendees. The workshop was attended by representatives from various admin areas, as well as NAOO information security analysts and Process Automation Network administrators. Many speakers participated from different organizations, such as the Information Protection Department, Ras Tanura Refinery, and the vendor (Palo Alto Networks). The workshop provided a good venue for cybersecurity knowledge sharing across organizations.

shoring up on cybersecurity in the Northern Area

Abdullah O. Al Baiz notes that since the inception of the Water Arabia conference eight years ago, the Kingdom has made great strides in dealing with water challenges. The conference featured two world-class workshops, 40 technical presentations, an exhibition, and a poster contest. (Photo: Yara Ziyad/MPD)

Water Arabia: promoting conservation in the Kingdom

Al-Khobar — More than 1,300 profes-sionals, scholars, and government officials from 20 countries participated in the Fifth Water Arabia Conference and Exhibition or-ganized by the Saudi Arabian Water Envi-ronment Association (SAWEA). 

Water Arabia 2017 provided an excellent opportunity for local water and wastewater professionals to expand their knowledge on sustaining water resources through inno-vative and reliable water and wastewater treatment technologies. 

The event was planned by SAWEA, which is a Saudi Aramco professional self-direct-ed group that is the Middle East’s regional member association for the Water Environ-ment Federation. The majority of SAWEA’s leadership is from Saudi Aramco’s Utilities and Technical Support and Environmental Protection departments, although there are members from several other departments, governmental ministries, and local universi-ties and companies. 

Events included:• Two world-class workshops that were

attended by over 450 professionals• 40 technical presentations, ranging

from “Membrane Bioreactors for Industrial Applications” to “Water Safety Planning”

• An informative exhibition that included 39 companies and organizations showcas-ing the latest innovations and best available technologies in the water and wastewater industry

• A poster contest with eight finalists from four Saudi Arabian universities, which showcased research that is being conduct-ed at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, and the Institute of Ac-counts, Business, and Finance. The event was widely covered by the local press and received overwhelming praise from the dig-

nitaries in attendance.

taking strides in water conservation

In his welcoming remarks, Abdullah O. Al Baiz, vice president of Saudi Aramco Engi-neering Services, noted that since the in-ception of the conference eight years ago, the Kingdom has made singnificant strides in dealing with water challenges via imple-menting large-scale projects and initiatives. The industry took part in those endeavors, including Saudi Aramco.

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 lists a clear commitment to conserve and optimize wa-ter usage, said Al Baiz. Additionally, Saudi Vision 2030 states the Kingdom’s intention to reduce overall water consumption while increasing the utilization of treated water.

As an industry leader in environmental protection, Saudi Aramco initiated projects to preserve water within its communities and operations, said Al Baiz. He highlighted a few of the company’s accomplishments in implementing effective water conservation and reuse programs.

In 2016, 80% of the company communi-ties’ wastewater was reused after required treatment. Saudi Aramco views wastewater as a resource.

Within the communities, since 2010, Sau-di Aramco has converted a 500,000 km2 of green area into a hardscape. This resulted in a 10% reduction in the communities’ wa-ter demand.

Since 2015, implementing water conserva-tion initiatives at oil and producing facilities has decreased the water demand by 1 mil-lion cubic meters per year in Saudi Aramco.

These projections and initiatives illustrate the leadership of Saudi Aramco in water conservation.

“By investing in saving precious water, we are investing in the Kingdom’s sustain-able future for generations to come,” said

Al Baiz.He underscored the criticality of water

sustainability and the opportunity for partic-ipants to explore innovative solutions, such as utilizing renewable energy for water and wastewater treatment and also highlight-ed the importance of educating the public about the significance and benefits of water conservation.

“While making tremendous progress in water sustainability, the urgency of this is-sue calls on all of us to step up,” he said.

a forum for solutionsDuring the inauguration ceremony, HE

Mansour H. Al Mushaiti, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, said Water Arabia is a platform for water pro-fessionals from various areas and organiza-tions to have fruitful discussions and arrive at solutions.

The event featured a number of speakers from Saudi Aramco who highlighted the company’s success stories:

• Mansor Kashir from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) talked about best management practices in reducing the impact of conventional gas development on water resources.

• Muhammad W. Riaz of the Jiddah Re-finery Department presented on the desali-nation multistage flash unit at the Jiddah Refinery.

• Ali S. Wadani of the Jazan Refinery En-gineering Department discussed Jazan IGCC wastewater system for sustainable industry.

• Vilas S. Koleshwar, Ayedh K. Al-Hajri and Kamarul A. Amminudin spoke about “Water Conservation through In-Plant Source Water Utilization.”

• Maher M. Shariff, presented on “De-bottlenecking Water-Oil Separation to Increase Water Flow Rates in Mature Oil Fields.”

• Ziyad Ahmed, spoke about “The Re-moval of Carcinogenic VOCs at the Sub-Mi-cron Level with Low Profile Air Stripping.”

• Abdullah Ammar of the Utilities and Technical Support Department teamed up with Mohammad Y. Yagout from EPD to discuss the development and implementa-tion of the Dhahran Water Safety Plan.

The first day of the event was dedicated for training. The following two days fea-tured 41 technical sessions for water pro-fessionals to share knowledge and best practices. Additionally, a number of univer-sity students displayed posters about their research projections. During the three days, a total of 45 institutions and companies par-ticipated in the exhibition section.

by Musherf Alamri

January 10, 2018

6 company news

Dhahran — The 2017 recipients of Saudi Aramco’s Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program (ESARP) stand as fur-ther evidence of the company’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a strong safety culture.

As has been the case in each of the 12 years that the awards have been distrib-uted, the selection committee was put to the task to select the top safety innovation ideas from a long list of qualified candi-dates. A total of 94 ideas — all of them endorsed and forwarded on by department managers — made it through the rigorous selection process to be considered for an ESARP award.

Ultimately, 12 of those ideas were select-ed by the committee as standout innova-tions that met a standardized criteria devel-oped by the Loss Prevention Department (LPD). To qualify, the safety initiative should be a proactive effort that has demonstra-bly advanced safety within Saudi Aramco or the public, and should also be one that can serve as an example to others to en-hance safety. To be considered, the initia-tive needs to have been implemented with-in the last three years.

Husam E. Al-Khaldi, ESARP coordinator, says the committee was faced with the challenge of selecting winners from a re-cord 94 nominations. “Each initiative un-dergoes a rigorous selection process that needs to meet a very specific set of criteria. We always ensure that each submission is reviewed in a thorough and objective man-ner, as we value all initiatives that have the ability to improve safety in any way. Follow-ing this review, a total of 12 safety initia-tives and 20 individual winners were select-ed for 2017,” he says.

the importance of recognition“The ESARP provides much deserved rec-

ognition to individuals and teams who con-tributed to a safer workplace by implement-ing new and innovative safety initiatives,” says Abdullah A. Al Ghamdi, manager of LPD. “Over the past several years, these proactive efforts have advanced safety not only within our company, but also in Saudi communities.

“ESARP has successfully engaged all members of the workforce and encouraged them to be more proactive in safety, and all other daily activities. There is always a way to do things better. Our employees took the initiative, found that way, and delivered results,” he adds.

Each year, departments within the com-pany are asked to select two exceptional safety achievements for consideration for an award. Then a field verification assess-ment is carried out by LPD to determine the effectiveness of each initiative, followed by a thorough scoring evaluation completed by committee members.

A significant factor in determining which initiatives qualify for the company’s ulti-mate safety award is whether the initiative is readily transferable to other departments within Saudi Aramco.

Abdulrahman Muqri, supervisor of the Loss Prevention Technical Services Unit, notes that ESARP is constantly evolving and improving to further promote safety initia-tives across the company. “We would like to recognize and extend our appreciation to all participants — winners and nonwinners alike

— who are continuously striving to find new ways of improving safety across the com-pany,” says Muqri. “We consider all partici-pants as winners, and are extremely proud of their efforts and proactive attitudes.”

‘mitigate or eliminate risks’For Majed A. Al-Zahrani, an electrical en-

gineer with the Technical Support Unit at Riyadh Refinery, being named a 2017 ES-ARP recipient marks the third time in his 10 years with the company that he has been recognized for a safety initiative. Al-Zahrani was previously awarded for being part of a team that developed a comprehensive off-the-job safety improvement program while with the Jiddah Refinery Department, and then was also recognized three years ago for his role in the implementation of a wireless electric multimeter that made for safer electrical testing and troubleshooting of motor starters and other electric circuits.

“The most important benefit for me is to add valuable safety features to mitigate

or eliminate the risks that our colleagues in the plant are exposed to during their routine day-to-day activities,” says Al-Zah-rani, crediting the innovative environment at Riyadh Refinery — and throughout the company — for encouraging employees “to deploy new ideas that benefit the whole company.”

‘committed to our corporate culture’

Ali S. Al Qahtani, supervisor with the Dhahran Housing Inspection Unit, was rec-ognized for coordinating an effort to in-spect all residential units and eliminate any potential hazards or safety issues. The ini-tiative has already been expanded to other communities, including Ras Tanura, Abqaiq, and ‘Udhailiyah.

“To be recognized and acknowledged on behalf of Community Services’ (CS) col-lective efforts, in terms of my professional career growth, this positively increases my motivation to achieve my goals,” says Al Qahtani. “And as part of CS organization, this is a testament that we are committed to our corporate culture — safety first. We want to ensure that our employees and their families are living in hazard-free hous-es and protect the company’s valuable as-sets.”

‘safeguarding our offshore people and assets’

Khalid A. Mohsen, superintendent with Tanajib Marine Operations, and Fahad A. Ajaji, supervisor with Quality Assurance and Vessel Inspection, shared recognition for an interactive vessel traffic monitoring system that, since implementation, has resulted in zero incidents between vessels and fixed offshore structures.

“Winning the ESARP award exemplifies Saudi Aramco’s commitment to continuous-ly improving safety performance to ensure the safeguard of our offshore people and assets,” says Mohsen.

‘holistic approach’Syed Khalid M. Gilani, a petroleum engi-

neering consultant with the Southern Area Production Engineering Department, served as the team leader for another winning ini-tiative — a well integrity risk ranking system.

“Well integrity management was nev-er easy in the past because there was no

celebrating exceptional safety achievementby Jeff McCoshen

Yousif H. Kushi, a supervisor with the Terminal Operations Department, leads a discussion with three young employees on the “I Ask” program — an initiative he introduced to help encourage members of the company’s young workforce to actively engage in knowledge transfer by freely engaging with experienced personnel. The program has already revealed itself to be a success in closing knowledge gaps and garnered on of Saudi Aramco’s 2017 ESARP awards.

The Loss Prevention Department (LPD) is once again inviting department heads to submit nominations for Sau-di Aramco’s annual Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program (ES-ARP).

To be considered for the 2018 ESARP awards, each department can submit two nominations of safety initiatives that were fully implemented by individ-uals or teams during 2015-2017, and that have made a measureable impact on improving safety in their depart-ment and/or the company.

Nomination forms and criteria for safety initiatives to be recognized are available on the LPD website, which includes information on previous win-ners. All nominations have to be elec-tronically submitted by March 29 via LPD Homepage > Services > ESARP. For more info, contact your area LPD office, or Husam I. Al-Khaldi at 872-9610.

system to rank wells based on their risk severity with a holistic approach,” says Gi-lani. “This innovative application has made it easy for the young production engineers to know exactly which wells to tackle first. The engineers’ dashboard has facilitated them to access all well integrity related in-formation through a single window, which saves a lot of time and effort.”

team effortZouhair A. Kaaki, Planning staff coordi-

nator with Safaniyah Producing, was hon-ored for leading the introduction of Simul-taneous Operations (SIMOPS) to Safaniyah Offshore Producing, but he was quick to point out that the successful execution of the project was a team effort.

“I was glad to participate in the first SI-MOPS operation in the Safaniyah field,” says Kaaki. “This could not have been done without the participation of team members from various Saudi Aramco organizations with specialized team members from Drill-ing and Workover, Reservoir Management, Facilities Planning, Production Engineering, and Safaniyah Producing.

“We used the lessons learned from Mar-jan SIMOPS to develop the bridging docu-ments where all potential risks and safety measures associated with SIMOPS were carefully reviewed, and additional safety measures were taken to execute SIMOPS without incident. The first rig operation was the biggest challenge and we visited the platform many times to make sure all safety measures, procedures, and equip-ment were in place and that the employees were well trained.”

addressing a longstanding challenge

Andrey V. Bakulin, a consultant with the Geophysics Technology Division, also de-clared that his personal ESARP recognition for the development of unique shallow hole drilling safety technology was not an individual achievement.

“This novel method to address a long-standing challenge in the safety of shallow drilling was achieved through an effective collaboration between EXPEC ARC and the drilling contractor,” said Bakulin. “Our com-pany needs shallow holes for imaging the oil and gas reservoirs besides a variety of other upstream applications. With the pres-ence of shallow drilling hazards, we must be able to drill such holes safely each and every time. This innovation was proven in the field in 2017 and resulted in safely com-pleting the drilling of 10 shallow holes.”

ESARP nominations open until March 29

see pages 8 and 9 for the complete list of 2017 ESARP winners

the arabian sun

7company news

Shallow Hole Drilling Safety Technology

Department: EXPEC Advanced Research Center

Initiative: EXPEC ARC developed a new shallow hole drilling practice and technique that has improved the safety of shallow hole drilling operations. The practice in-volves the use of a platform similar to the mesh used on large land-based drilling rigs and a stabilized shallow conductor. Togeth-er, these help prevent potentially danger-ous near-surface collapse and washout that can be attributed to unconsolidated or un-stable geology. Moreover, this technology provides a stabilized working surface/envi-ronment during drilling and technology de-ployment downhole. The platform, which can be disassembled for easy transport, has a special cutout to accommodate for the wellbore.

Individual recognized: Andrey V. Bakulin

Simultaneous Operations for Safaniyah Offshore Field

Department: Safaniyah Offshore Produc-ing

Initiative: The rig Simultaneous Opera-tions (SIMOPS) activities initiative allows other producing wells on the same plat-form to operate safely while carrying out Drilling and Workover (D&WO) operations. The initiative was successfully implemented in the Safiniyah offshore field while main-taining world-class safety standards. The platform is visited by experts from D&WO, Producing, and Well Services to ensure all subsurface and surface safety valves are healthy for safe operation. In addition, the efficiency of the supervisory control and data acquisition system is tested to ensure it is functioning properly. Moreover, the platform ESD system is extended to the rig in three locations for platform/rig interface and provides for shutdown capability from the rig during SIMOPS.

Individual recognized: Zouhair A. Kaaki

Loss Prevention issues annual Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program awards

New Design for Diesel Product Filter

Department: Yanbu’ Refinery (YRD) Initiative: The concept of the new filter

design is to enable it to be cleaned online without the need to open it and isolate the unit. The activity of cleaning out the die-sel product filters posed several potential hazards, including the risks of exposure to hydrocarbon and hot surfaces, as well as working at heights. The physical act of cleaning the filters required isolation, drain-ing, purging, and opening the top cover. The YRD team modified the internals of the filter and converted the filter into a self-cleaning one — avoiding the need for offline cleaning and removing the hazards associated with it.

Individual recognized: Adel A. Amoudi

Adel A. Amoudi

Enhanced Safety Features for Lighting Poles

Department: Riyadh Refinery (Electrical) Initiative: Riyadh Refinery successfully in-

stalled an adjustable, raised height lighting pole in its crude unit on a platform above ground. This adjustable raised lighting pole, also called v-spring pole, allows for the pole to be raised and lowered by hand (vertical-ly) with minimal force since it is spring as-sisted. This reduces the risk of working at heights to replace lightbulbs on elevated platforms because the electrical represen-tative can lower the light by hand and does not need a ladder, scaffold, safety harness, or motorized raised platform. The risk of se-vere injury from falling is completely elimi-nated with the v-spring pole.

Individual recognized: Majed A. Al-Zah-rani

Majed A. Al-Zahrani

GOSP Emergency and Operational Upset Scenarios

Department: SAOO Manpower Develop-ment Division

Initiative: This initiative strengthens the capabilities and competencies of Southern Area Oil Operations employees, including supervising operators, so they can effec-tively respond to real emergency and op-erational situations while handling critical operations in hydrocarbon facilities. The driving force behind this initiative was to fill the knowledge gap between existing oper-ators in the field and the new generation. A unique set of credible emergency and operational upset scenarios was developed by the experienced operations personnel from SAOO GOSPs. This initiative was im-plemented at ‘Uthmaniyah GOSP-6.

Individuals recognized: Sami S. Mohanna and Yaqoub Y. Marshad

Yaqoub Y. Marshad Sami S. Mohanna

Zouhair A. KaakiAndrey V. Bakulin

Breakers Remote Switching Panels Project

Department: Abqaiq Plants Operations Initiative: As a part of the arc flash hazard

mitigation program, Abqaiq Plants complet-ed the installation of remote switching pan-els to enable electrical system operators to perform the required electrical switching at a safe distance to eliminate exposure to arc flash risks, as a portable device is used to switch the breaker remotely. Abqaiq Plants took a step further and installed a central remote switching panel at every substation. This control panel can control all breakers inside the substation within a limited time and with less effort compared to the por-table device, increasing the technology re-liability. This project has been implemented at all existing 35 substations inside Abqaiq Plants.

Individuals recognized: Felix A. Riestra Ex-posito and Yousef O. Rasheedi

Felix A. Riestra Exposito Yousef O. Rasheedi

It (ESARP) is an opportunity for people to become more involved in the innovation of our safety practices, and add value that addresses all aspects of our business.

— Bader F. Al Qadran,executive director of

Safety and Industrial Security

”

8 cover story January 10, 2018

Department: Southern Area Production Engineering (SAPED)

Initiative: A well integrity risk ranking (WIRR) initiative was conceptualized and implemented for the first time at Saudi Ar-amco. Done in-house with no cost, WIRR has switched the company’s well integrity management program from reactive to pro-active mode to enhance the safety of more than 6,400 wells in SAOO. WIRR utilizes more than 40 pre-identified risks, in dif-ferent weights to classify a well as critical, high, medium, or low risk. The concept has been developed into a corporate database application, which has been integrated with

the current integrity watch list application for complete remedial actions for each well. WIRR has built-in guidelines and flow charts to help engineers take necessary actions to reduce well risk and help them identify wells that may be evaluated for plug and abandonment. The application, which has the feature of generating management re-ports for better tracking and monitoring, was rolled out in June 2016 for all types of wells. This application is being adapted by NAOO.

Individuals recognized: Syed Khalid M. Gi-lani, Sanjiv Kumar, and Ahmed H. Mahsoon

Department: Safaniyah Onshore Produc-ing (SONPD)

Initiative: Consulting Services issued a corporate technical alert about using a cer-tain type of 16,000 hp motor because of loose enclosure bolt failures. The bolts loos-ened in their sockets over time and could be sucked into the annular space between the motor rotor and its stator, causing cat-astrophic failure. SONPD proposed to use lock wires in addition to lock washers as an extra safety measure. With the use a lock

wire, failure of a single bolt cannot initiate catastrophic damage to the motor as it’s held together by other bolts in the annulus. SONPD used nonmagnetic wires to lock the system to minimize any problems caused by stray currents or residual magnetism. The system is being implemented in all nine such motors at SONPD.

Individuals recognized: Yahya H. Araif, Hakem H. Alali, Arnaldo S. Albelda, and Thamer F. Alshammari

Loss Prevention issues annual Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program awards

Maintenance Safety Practice

Department: Berri Gas Plant Initiative: Berri Gas Plant implemented

an innovative solution to transfer 18-meter long screw conveyor shafts from the pro-cess area to the maintenance fabrication shop for repair. The initiative included de-signing and fabricating a trolley for carrying and horizontally maneuvering the shaft in a safe manner. The innovation eliminated the regular practice of using a crane and truck with a long bed inside a congested plant area. The innovative solution also resulted in a quicker repair.

Individual recognized: Talal I. Al-Ruwaili

Talal I. Al-Ruwaili

Yahya H. Araif Hakem H. Alali Arnaldo S. Albelda Thamer F. Alshammari

Interactive Vessel Traffic Monitoring System

Department: Marine Initiative: The Vessel Traffic System

(VTS) team was established following a root cause analysis of incidents involving offshore vessels in the oil field. The team reviews all passage plans before a vessel moves to ensure the safety of the intend-ed plotted track. Once approved, the vessel embarks and is monitored in real time by a VTS operator using Lifeline software. Ad-ditionally, the Quality Assurance and Com-pliance Unit evaluates marine officers to ensure that they possess the correct qual-ifications, valid experience, knowledge of the industry, and company documentation. A further control layer has been added to ensure that officers remain up-to-date on company rules and requirements. Since the implementation of this initiative, there have been zero transit incidents.

Individuals recognized: Khalid A. Mohsen and Fahad A. Ajaji

Fahad A. Ajaji Khalid A. Mohsen

Use of Lock Wire to Secure Motor Stator Housing Bolt

I Ask

Department: Terminal Operations Initiative: The concept of the program

came from a shift supervisor who observed a knowledge gap and shortage of skill be-tween experts and the younger generation. It was determined that transferring the knowledge to younger employees could take considerable time using typical train-ing methods, so the “I Ask” concept was designed, established, and developed. The main goal of I Ask is to share experience within the team, enhance communication, and build practical skills utilizing a nonfor-mal, positive environment with active learn-ing. The program focuses on enriching em-ployees’ knowledge and skills in all relevant areas and disciplines.

Individual recognized: Yousif H. Kushi

Housing Safety Inspection

Department: Central Community Services Initiative: An initiative was developed and

implemented to maintain the integrity and safety of all residential units by eliminating potential hazards. The initiative involved conducting inspections of all housing units for unsafe conditions, and included the re-moval/rectification of all unapproved home alterations considered substandard. The assigned team inspected 2,500 houses in Dhahran. Inspections revealed that 585 of 1,108 (53%) of inspected family units, and 164 of 1,420 (12%) of inspected bachelor units had unapproved alterations, with 71% of these amended as of year-end 2016. The program has also been benchmarked, ad-opted, and implemented in other commu-nities.

Individual recognized: Ali S. Qahtani

Yousif H. KushiAli S. Qahtani

Syed Khalid M. Gilani Ahmed H. MahsoonSanjiv Kumar

Well Integrity and Safety of Oil, Gas, and Water Wells Enhanced through a Structured Risk Ranking Approach

9cover storythe arabian sun

Fifteen employees from Information Technology (IT) divisions in Abqaiq and ‘Udhailiyah were re-cently honored for 30 and 25 years of continuous service to Saudi Aramco. Yousef A. Al Ulyan, vice president of IT, and Ahmed M. Al-Shaikh, manager of the Southern Area IT Department, presided over the ceremony, with Al Ulyan thanking the awardees for their years of service. Employees rec-ognized at the event included: (30 years) Hasan H. Bujbarah from ‘Udhailiyah; (25 years) Homoud H. Al Rashidi, Jahaz A. Al Dossary, Saad A. Al Dossary; Laith A. Al Goaz; Saad A. Al- Saif; Hasan I. Al Ali; Abdullah K. Al Damshaq; Mansour M. Al Yami; and Najib H. Al Moqahwi from Abqaiq; and (25 years) Mohammad A. Al Rashed, Ahmed S. Al Hussaini, Waleed H. Al Zaid, Abdulhameed A. Al Abdullatif, and Ibrahim M. Al Hussain from ‘Udhailiyah.

spotlight

The Yanbu’ NGL Fractionation and Yanbu’ Refinery Departments recently conducted a 25- and 30-year service award ceremony for 66 employees. The ceremony was attended by Suleman A. Al-Bargan, exec-utive director of Domestic Refining and NGL Fractionation, and other members of management. Al-Bargan expressed his gratitude to the employees and their families, emphasizing the importance of knowl-edge transfer from these veteran employees to those entering the workforce. “I hope that you transfer your cumulative experience to the new generations, as knowledge transfer is one of the key factors contributing to Saudi Aramco excellence.” Among those recognized include, from the Yanbu’ NGL Fractionation Department: (30 years) Ibrahim A. Falatah, Midawiss A. Al-Ghamdi, Jamal R. Al-Zahrani, Talal J. Al-Johani, Gharamallah A. Al-Ghamdi, Salah S. Al-Ghamdi, and Zaki H. Al Youbi; (25 years) Mokhtar N. Al Hakami, Khalid S. Al Johani, Saeed M. Al Jahani, Abdulaziz Y. Al Malki, Saad S. Al Youbi, Ghazi B. Al Sobhi, Saeed H. Bashehab, Waslallah D. Al Johani, Khalid S. Ahmadi, Mohammed R. Tayeb, Metab F. Al Shammary, Ahmed A. Al Thomali, Ali A. Al Rajhi, and Faisal A. Al Subhi. Employees recognized from the Yanbu’ Refinery Department include: (30 years) Abdulla M. Al-Ghamdi, Faisal M. Balawi, Adeeb M. Zari, Arafah A. Al-Mezaiyen, and Nasir E. Al-Otaibi; (25 years) Abdullah M. Al Hamdi, Mohammad K. Al Bishri, Fayez S. Al Johani, Khalid F. Al Sherif, Saud M. Al Sobhi, Mohammad K. Al Bishri, Abdulrazaq A. Al Johani, Abdulnaser A. Al Malki, Hani A. Ba Wazir, Haytham A. Hamadallah, Ahmad S. Al Zahra-ni, Mohammad O. Alawi, Mohammad A. Barnawi, Turki S. Al-Ghamdi, Mahir O. Basfar, Abdulhameed A. Nazzawi, Khalid M. Ba-Bkair, Yasser M. Al Sayed, Naeem H. Tahlawi, Rajeh A. Al Johani, Samer M. Al Johani, Khalid A. Al Sobhi, Talib R. Al Beladi, Kamal B. Al Dahri, Ahmad M. Al Johani, Mabrouk A. Al Johani, Yousef E. Al Sherif, Menwer N. Al Sulami, Abdulsalam A. Takrooni, Zayed H. Al-Balawi, Amro A. Al-Rahemi, Kamal M. Badroun, Saad S. Al Ghamdi, Abbas M. Fallatah, Ibrahim H. Fadag, Tareq M. Ajab Noor, Ali A. Al Ghamdi, Ibrahim M. Shingiti, Abdullah S. Al Zahrani, and Mosleh S. Al Resheedi.

Organizers and participants in the Second Safety Forum for Northern Area offshore nonassoci-ated gas fields pose during an event held in Ju’aymah under the theme of “High-Pressure, High-Rate Big Bore Gas Wells: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward after One Year of Produc-tion.” The event was attended by more than 120 delegates, including senior management and subject matter experts.

pg 5

Twenty employees in Marine, Mechanical Services Shops, and the Transportation and Equipment Services departments who completed a cumulative 500 years of service were recently honored at a ceremony at the Ras Tanura Leadership Center. The event was hosted by Abdulhakim A. Al-Gouhi, vice president of Industrial Services, with Faid Al-Harbi serving as master of ceremonies. Also attending were Moham-mad A. Al Sultan, manager of the Marine Department; Saad I. Al Shamrani, manager of the Mechanical Services Shops Department; and Sultan N. Al Ghadery, manager of the Transportation and Equipment Services Department. Among those recognized included Khaled A. Al-Ghamdi, Abdullah N. Al-Utaibi, Saad A. Al-Dossary, Abdullah H. Al-Sherhir, Nayif S. Al-Yami, Hamad M. Al-Zamanan, Emad A. Shwaish, Mohammad H. Fuhaid, Nayif S. Enizy, Wael A. Hurayran, Mohammad B. Khaldi, Saleh A. Najrani, Abdulnasir A. Julahi, Mubarak F. Qahtani, Hasan A. Awaji, Mohammad A. Thubaiti, Saeed A. Zahrani, Munas-sar J. Yami, Faisal A. Zahrani, and Ahmed S. Gashmer.

Graduates of a recent six-month Lean Six Sigma program for seven areas across the Riyadh Refin-ery Department pose during a recognition ceremony. Pictured are, back from left, Omar Osaimi, Fahad Subai, Nouman Fudhail, Abdullah Bagar, Mayez Gabrael, Razwan Chaudary, Basil Hatlani, and Abdulaziz Al Shugair. Front row sitting from left are Abdulrahman Rabiah, Abdullah Subaie, Meshary Mussaied, Khalid Qahtani, Abdullah Ghamdi, Yadav Shuresh, Essam Bazuher, Hamed Abdulmajeed, Ahmad Qurashi, and Abdullah Dhafer. Not pictured are Abdukareem Alturki, Ahmad Bakarman, and Mohammed Tamim.

January 10, 2018

10 company news

by Niall A. Higgins

Beijing — Saudi Aramco was the sponsor of the recent Clean Fuels for Future High Efficiency Engines Symposium in Beijing, China. Part of the annual Society of Auto-motive Engineers International Powertrain, Fuels and Lubricants meeting, the sympo-sium focused on peer relations for auto-motive original equipment manufacturers, trade associations, national laboratories, and automotive solution companies.

The four-day event attracted more than 500 industry professionals from across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, with a total of 245 technical papers presented.

Saudi Aramco’s attendance at an event such as this is key to the development role we play as a leading global exporter of energy and its research into innovative clean and efficient combustion systems for the transport sector. The company’s joint collaborations with several major automak-ers are designed to demonstrate the in-ternal combustion engine’s (ICE) potential for considerable efficiency improvements and our efforts to accelerate the develop-ment of cost-effective, viable technologies that also address the challenge of climate change.

The continuous improvement in ICE effi-ciency offers clear advantages in regard to greenhouse gas emission reductions while concurrently meeting an ever-increasing global demand for mobility.

partnering to address challenges, the future

In his keynote address, Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, Saudi Aramco vice president of Technology Oversight and Coordina-tion, discussed “The Role of Transport in a Rapidly Changing Energy Landscape.” Al-Khowaiter outlined why a new and in-novative approach is required to address the challenges of sustainable future mobili-ty, adding that the energy industry can and

Amer A. Amer speaks on “Enabling Sustainable Mobility Solutions” during the recent Clean Fuels for Future High Efficiency Engines Symposium in Beijing, China.

Kent Strawn, a specialist in the Environmental Protection Department, presents on the role of industrial hygiene in an emergency. He was just one of a variety of subject matter experts to speak at the two-day Pipelines Emergency Preparedness Symposium in Abqaiq. (Photo: Hasan AlMubarak/MPD)

Throughout the two days, presentations by subject matter experts were accompanied by an outdoor exhibition, courtesy of the Abqaiq Fire Protection Department, where firefighters showcased fire and hazardous material response trucks.. (Photos: Salah M. Shabeeb/MPD)

should play a more active role in partnering with automakers.

“We need to work with leading minds in this area, and we believe that Chinese play-ers can be at the forefront when it comes to technological advancements,” said Al-Khowaiter said.

Professor Neville Jackson, chief technol-ogy and innovation officer at Ricardo Plc, echoed Al-Khowaiter’s earlier message that vehicle electrification is one element of the future transport energy mix, but also noted that low carbon liquid transport fuels will serve as the backbone of the transport sec-tor for many decades to come.

Frank Zhao, director of the Tsinghua Au-tomotive Strategy Research Institute at Ts-inghua University, discussed challenges and strategies to address future fuel and CO2₂ emissions requirements in the Chinese au-tomotive industry.

Presentations were also delivered by Sau-di Aramco Research and Development Cen-ter (R&DC) principal professional Gautam T. Kalghatgi and R&DC Transport Technology chief technologist Amer A. Amer on “Fuel Requirements of Future Engines” and “En-abling Sustainable Mobility Solutions,” re-spectively.

Other attendees included Ammar A. Al-Nahwi, R&DC manager, along with Saad Al Khateib, Aramco Asia-Japan Research and Business Development manager, as well as scientists from each of Saudi Aram-co’s global fuel research centers and Aram-co Asia.

our place in AsiaDuring the event, Al-Khowaiter met with

a variety of Chinese speaking media out-lets, discussing not only transport technol-ogy and sustainable energy solutions, but also Saudi Aramco’s strategic intent in Asia.

“Oil will continue to play a key role in the global energy mix, and we are heavily in-vested in the Asian markets. Some 60% of

oil consumption is focused on transporta-tion — the rest is on the production of pet-rochemicals and other materials,” he said, adding that the petrochemical demand growth rate is greater than that of trans-portation energy’s demand growth rate.

While the company’s focus is still weighted toward developing crude oil and petrochemicals, the rela-tionship Saudi Aramco has with the transport industry is growing. “We believe policymakers should be tech-nology agnostic,” Al-Khowaiter said. “By developing appropriate stan-dards, they should allow all technol-ogies to compete and allow the most efficient ones to prevail.”

Saudi Aramco believes that the current technologies it is developing strategically across three continents will not only offer realistic solutions to reducing transport car-bon footprints, but also provide econom-ical and performance guaranteed engines for the future.

our research networkIn recent years, Saudi Aramco has es-

tablished a global research network to accelerate the development of sustainable and cost-effective transport technologies. This includes the Saudi Aramco R&DC in Dhahran, along with the Aramco Fuel Re-search Center in Paris and the Aramco Re-search Center in Detroit. The activities in these centers are complemented by the company’s close ties with the Clean Com-bustion Research Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal. The centers serve as a platform to innovate, develop, and showcase low-car-bon footprint transport technologies.

Scientists at Saudi Aramco’s research cen-ters are dedicated to improving efficiency, reducing harmful emissions, and lowering the cost of engine and fuel technologies. Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI), for

example, is a Saudi Aramco flagship pro-gram designed to deliver diesel engine ef-ficiency with considerably lower pollutant emissions. GCI brings together the best elements of today’s gasoline and diesel en-gines.

Although the GCI combustion process works similarly to a diesel engine, the adapted market fuel has similarities to gaso-line. This results in extremely low emissions of soot and nitrogen oxides, and diesel-like engine efficiency. By making ICEs more ef-ficient and mutually adapting engine design with fuels, Saudi Aramco is helping to en-sure the sustainability of the transport sec-tor for decades to come.

Pipelines Emergency Preparedness Symposium: sharing knowledge for a safer tomorrowAbqaiq — A two-day Pipelines Emergency

Preparedness Symposium, a first-of-its-kind convention conducted by the Southern Area Pipelines Department, recently brought to-gether key players in emergency response planning.

The event was organized to improve the Pipelines Department’s emergency readi-ness through engaging presentations and outdoor exhibitions that helped foster net-working opportunities.

Emergency Response PlanThe Emergency Response Plan (ERP) re-

flects preparation taken by proponents to respond to anticipated emergencies such as a fire or a hazardous material release.

Having a quality and realistic ERP is essen-tial to ensuring that an emergency response is effective. It is even more important to have competent responders fully equipped with knowledge, skills, and the necessary equipment.

The key roles of those mentioned in an ERP are as important as the plan itself. During the symposium, subject matter ex-perts spoke on incident commanders, haz-ardous material cleanup, crisis scenarios, and lessons learned from past incidents, among other topics.

working together and at the readyAbdullah M. Al-Mansour, general man-

ager of Pipelines, praised participants of the symposium, adding, “The intent of us gathering here is to raise the profile of emer-gency preparedness and response, and the key element of this symposium is the collab-oration and input we are going to get from today’s attendees.

“We have assets from the East to the West and North to the South that produce millions of barrels, and we have to keep our-selves ready for the unexpected to avoid any delays or losses,” he said.

The first day’s speakers presented on re-sources and planning methods to deal with emergencies. Timothy Markley, a fire and

rescue specialist in the Fire Protection De-partment (FrPD), noted that the biggest takeaway is “the connections we are going to make and understanding the emergency process itself to apply it, and how the barri-ers will be broken down to have parties bet-ter understand each other.”

On the second day, the focus shifted from planning to response and what to do when an emergency occurs. Throughout the two days, presentations by subject matter ex-perts were accompanied by an outdoor ex-hibition, courtesy of the Abqaiq FrPD, where firefighters showcased fire and hazardous material response trucks. Aside from the

Saudi Aramco plays a strong role at Clean Fuels Symposium in Beijing

large vehicles, HAZMAT suits, and Geiger counters, the firefighters were present and proudly presented their equipment to the attendees.

Robert Seccuro, fire chief and HAZMAT coordinator with FrPD, said, “We deal with hazardous materials every day in Saudi Ar-amco’s community and facilities, and while most of the spaces are well prepared to handle such situations, we still have to be ready in case of fires and chemicals being released.”

Preparation is of paramount importance for dealing with emergencies, and the sym-posium demonstrated that perfectly.

by Ibrahim Alrahji

the arabian sun

11company news

by Mohammad Adarbeh

Yanbu’ Refinery Department takes cleanup initiative

King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture hosts ITC students

Terminals: restoring habitats and raising environmental awareness

Yanbu’ — The Yanbu’ Refinery Depart-ment (YRD) recently took the initiative to lead the 10th annual Cleanup Day on the Yanbu’ Al Bahar Corniche.

One of the primary reasons YRD ensures this event takes place annually is to guar-antee that positive environmental behav-iors are planted and passed on to every generation’s mindset throughout the re-gion.

This year, middle school students ac-counted for the majority of participants, with more than 100 helping in the cleanup activities.

Attending the event was Musaid Al-Sal-

Ju’aymah — In a move to further cement Terminals’ identity as a responsible steward of the environment, a coastal cleanup event was recently conducted outside Ju’aymah Tank Farm. The event was the result of a collaborative effort between Terminal, Ras Tanura Community Services, Northern Area

Dhahran — The Dhahran Industrial Train-ing Center (ITC) Department recently orga-nized a visit for freshman students to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.

The trip was geared toward introducing the students to the Center, the Kingdom’s cultural history, and knowledge and culture

eem, governor of Yanbu’, along with rep-resentatives from the Yanbu’ Police, Civil Defense, Ministry of Education, Yanbu’ City Hall, and Frontier Guard, as well as members of Saudi Aramco management from YRD.

Abdullatif Alshami, YRD manager, deliv-ered the inaugural speech, recounting the various environmental initiatives and ac-complishments the company and YRD has undertaken.

The coastal cleanup programs provide an important opportunity to put the power of volunteerism in the hands of the civilians to make positive changes for the local com-munity and public properties as well.

Freshmen students from the Dhahran Industrial Training Center learn about the design and features of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture during a recent visit to the facility.

Students from Najmah community school join forces with Saudi Aramco employees and Terminals management during the recent beach cleanup event outside the Ju’aymah Tank Farm. More than 100 bags of trash and debris were collected. (Photo: Mohammed Al Shaikh/MPD)

Musaid Al-Saleem, governor of Yanbu’, is joined by Abdulatif S. Alshami, manager of Saudi Aramco’s Yanbu’ Refinery Department, and scores of volunteer middle school students during the 10th annual Cleanup Day on the Yanbu’ Al Bahar Corniche.

The library uses technology to encourage visitors to read and obtain books and locate them on the shelves of the library. The li-brary also employs scanner technology to obtain information. In the cinema section, the students enjoyed watching a 30-minute film produced by the Center.

the Center designAdil Al-Sabti, from the Programs Divi-

sion at the Center, presented on the Cen-ter’s design — one that narrates the story of Saudi Aramco and the Kingdom. “The design represents a unique, iconic architec-tural landmark featuring modern and old technologies, such as the tamped earth technology, sands, and stones. It is an en-vironmentally friendly building that was built with state-of-the-art construction and architectural engineering technologies,” he said.

At the end of the tour, Abdulrahman Sharaf, an ITC student, thanked the man-agement of the Center for its efforts to enhance the students’ knowledge. He also thanked the staff of the Center for their efforts to introduce the facility to the stu-dents.

as the building blocks for the progress of nations.

The tour began at the Energy Exhibition, where the visitors learned about the stag-es of oil recovery and the history of the oil industry.

The students enjoyed a virtual reality dis-play of stratigraphy and the various stages. “I understood now the process of explora-tion and production in a simplified and cor-rect manner,” one student noted.

enriching knowledge, creativityShabeeb Al-Shabeeb, administrator of

the Dhahran ITC, and members of man-agement accompanied the students on the tour and urged them to excel. “The Indus-trial Training Center is keen on providing all techniques that would enrich the students’ knowledge,” said Al-Shabeeb. “The vis-it to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture is an initiative to enhance creativity and knowledge of the trainees, and identify their roles and what is expected from them in the future.”

The students were delighted and curious to learn more, particularly at the “Future Library.”

itat to its natural state. In the initial stages, Terminals removed scrap materials and oil contamination that remained from historical industrial operations at the location.

The coastal rehabilitation efforts culminat-ed in the beach cleanup event, which was used to raise awareness among employees and community members about the remark-able habitats surrounding Saudi Aramco’s facilities. More than 100 bags of trash and debris were collected. This is particular-ly important since debris on the Ju’aymah coastline restricts the places where turtles can nest and can prevent baby turtles from reaching the sea after hatching.

ambitious plansThe journey to care, protect, and revive

the Ju’aymah coastline does not end here. Terminals has developed further plans to enhance the habitat through planting man-groves, installing artificial reef structures, and finally, designating the area officially as a Corporate Biodiversity Protection Area. This designation will ensure that the unique habitat will be protected and cared for into the future.

Security, and Government Affairs, and was attended by Terminals management and employees, along with students from the Najmah community school, who participat-ed in the cleanup efforts.

a unique coastal areaThe journey to restore the coastal habitat

began in early 2017 during a visit by the En-vironmental Protection Department (EPD). The area was suspected to be a high-value biodiversity protection area, and the visit confirmed and exceeded these expectations. Biodiversity experts from EPD determined that the area consisted of natural vegetated sand dunes, sandy beaches, and large areas of coastal hinterland providing a unique ex-ample of undisturbed Arabian Gulf habitat utilized by mammals, birds, and marine tur-tles for nesting. In fact, it is one of the few sites where turtles still nest along the main-land.

restoring the Kingdom’s habitatFollowing recognition of the value of the

area, Terminals identified several improve-ment opportunities to rehabilitate the hab-

by Justin Shewchuk

by Yazeed S. Janbi

January 10, 2018

12 company news

Ras Tanura — The surfside community of Ras Tanura (RT) recently showcased anoth-er exhilarating 13.1 mile half-marathon and relay race, which was enjoyed by more than 250 runners of all ages and abilities.

The RT Half-Marathon has been attract-ing large numbers of runners every year since it began in 2012, so it was little sur-prise to see so many runners participating. The mix of participants ranged from nov-ices tackling their first ever half-marathon to seasoned, elite athletes, and everyone in between.

Runners were given the option to com-plete the 13.1-mile (21-kilometer) race as an individual or as a relay team consisting of three runners, each completing a lap of 7 kilometers.

race dayAt the start/finish line of the race course,

crowds of enthusiastic community mem-bers and volunteers cheered on the run-ners. The race weather conditions, though dry, were cold and windy, which added an extra challenge to those competing. Thankfully, the beauty of the race course — which included part of the stunning Ras Ta-nura beach path — provided runners with relief from the cold winds and tired legs — at least temporarily.

Upon crossing the finish line, every run-ner was welcomed with cheers from their fellow runners, friends, and family, and the competitors were provided with a running shirt, finishers medal, and complimentary breakfast — goods that would showcase their accomplishment and satisfy their hun-

gry stomachs and tired muscles. Crystal trophies were also awarded to

all male and female individuals finishing in first, second, and third place within their age group category, and to the three fast-est male and female runners of the day.

winners and timesAny doubt regarding accurate finish times

were removed via the use of a professional grade MYLAPS sports timing system, (pur-chased by the RT Recreation Department in 2012), which is the same used in the Olym-pic Games and many other world-class sporting events.

In the overall Men’s Division, Mahmoud Ali Asmon captured top honors, complet-ing the course in 1:19:19. He was followed by Faye Al Otaibi (1:20:01) and Fahad Al-sahli (1:21:03), who finished in second and third place, respectively. Nita Wood cap-tured first place in the Women’s Division with a time of 1:38:52. She was followed by Keshia Desai, who finished second with a time of 1:53:44, and Maria Cowan, who finished third with a time of 1:54:54.

race supportThe RT Recreation Unit happily supported

the RT Fitness Group to conduct the event and viewed the race as a way to take an-other step toward Saudi Aramco’s goal of promoting health and balancing the work-life environment of its employees.

Support was also generously received from the RT Terminal Department in fund-ing the post-race breakfast for the runners. Heather Most, RT Fitness Group vice presi-dent, gave special thanks to the RT Terminal

Department and the RT Recreation Services for their continued support, and went on to thank Northern Area Industrial Securi-ty Operations Division for its cooperation and assistance in controlling road traffic during the race. She also thanked the RT Medical Department, which provided an onsite paramedic (Sam Greco) to ensure the highest levels of safety to all runners and volunteer staff involved in organizing and running this special event.

In recognition of the event, the RT Rec-reation Unit awarded the RT Fitness Group its prestigious “Event of the Year” award at the unit’s annual Self-Directed Group Ap-preciation Night held in December. Praise was given to the group in light of its out-standing efforts in helping to make the Ras Tanura a healthier and happier community.

The Ras Tanura Fitness group features a rich calendar of events every year and encourages all interested RT Community members to join them in enjoying a vari-ety of sports and fitness events planned for 2018.

Ras Tanura hosts another successful half-marathon raceby Andrew Pascoe

Faris Al-Dajani, in blue, gives a head kick during a recent tournament in Riyadh. The 11-year-old Aramcon is expected to become a black belt in taekwondo this year. Pictured at right is Mosa Al-Dajani, who recently placed in the Eighth Arados International Friendly Championship in Bahrain.

A dependent of a Saudi Aramco employ-ee, Faris Al-Dajani, 11, earned third place in the Kingdom Clubs Taekwondo Champion-ship — Champions of Regions in Riyadh, with the team earning first place at the com-petition at Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium in Riyadh.

Previously, Faris participated in several competitions in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, he earned second place at the Eastern Prov-ince Taekwondo championship held in Dammam.

He first became attracted to the martial art from his cousins who were competing in taekwondo. Holding a red belt since the beginning of 2017, Faris has been nominat-ed for the poom belt (black belt) for 2018.

For the past four years, he has practiced with a private club before joining the Al Salam Club under the supervision of one of

the top coaches in the Kingdom, Abdulmu-nim Al Khawaher, who has won multiple gold medals at the Gulf Championship over the past year. In 2017, he coached world champion Mohammed Al Suwaiq.

another young standoutAnother martial arts enthusiast Aramcon,

Mosa Al-Dajani, 9, also recently placed at a taekwondo tournament. Mosa earned third

place in the Eighth Arados International Friendly Championship in Bahrain.

Mosa holds a blue belt in taekwondo and has been practicing the sport for two years. Coming from a family that loves sporting activity, Mosa has always been interested in watching his cousin Sami and recent world champion Al Sowaiq.

He, too, practices at Al Salam clubs under top coaches, including Al Khawaher and Ahmed Al Ahmed.

by Haidar Dajani and Ali Dajani

Aramcons get their kicks at taekwondo tournaments

Christophe Sargis and Mahmoud Ali Asmon display some friendly rivalry at the race start line of the recent Ras Tanura Half-Marathon. Asmon went on to be the overall winner while Sargis placed first in his age group. More than 250 runners participated in the event, including individual and team competitors.

Anxious athletes attend the early morning race briefing from race volunteer Eric Tepner.

13community newsthe arabian sun