Dec. 21, 2016 vol. LXXI, No. 51

OPEC basket five-week price trend 2016

Saudi Aramco by the numbers

is the estimated number of quality jobs to be delivered by the In-Kingdom Total Value Add Program by 2021.

500,000$

46.47

DEC 2

45.01

NOV 25

50.62

DEC 9

51.29

DEC 16

42.13

NOV 18

Abqaiq EMSR: safety first at Shedgum

see page 3

Executive management takes note of accomplishments in the Southern Area, adding that beyond the accolades remains a driving need to put safety first at work, on the road, and at home.

Dammam — Last week, Saudi Aramco took time to recognize some of the most prominent In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program success stories over the past year, during an in-augural IKTVA Excellence Awards ceremony at the Dammam Office Building.

Held under the auspices of HRH Prince Saud bin Naif bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al-Sa’ud, the awards highlighted some of the most notable goals of

the program. Prince Saud presented the award to representatives from the winning compa-nies, including recognitions for highest in Sau-di workforce, highest in localized goods and services, best in employee recognition, best in supplier development, and best in training and development.

Prince Saud noted that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ibn ‘Abd al-

‘Aziz Al-Sa’ud recently visited the Eastern Prov-ince, inaugurating a number of major projects and laying the foundation for other projects.

“These projects are worth about half a trillion Saudi riyals,” the Prince said. “This reflects how powerful the Saudi economy is despite all the challenges and shows how agile the Kingdom is in drawing investments globally.”

see pages 8 and 9

pioneering program develops local talent, boosts economy

IKTVA: driving diversification, excellence

HRH Prince Saud bin Naif bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz Al-Sa’ud, Governor of the Eastern Province, inaugurates the In-Kingdom Total Value Add Program Excellence Awards ceremony held last week at the Dammam Office Building. The event recognized top performers in the program, which is designed to help develop the local workforce and economy. (Photo: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

insidethis issue

Sharing knowledge and technology, Saudi Aramco

takes a leading role in the gathering of more than

95,000 oil and gas industry professionals at the

annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibi-

tion and Conference.

‘Strategies for the New Energy Landscape’ at ADIPEC 2016

see page 7

The Remote Fields Gas Production Engineering

Division “EnLight” program puts the focus on

King Fahd University of Petroleum’s College of

Petroleum and Engineering and Geosciences in

‘Udhailiyah.

a connection in ‘Udhailiyah

see page 10

Saudi Aramco: Confidential

Saudi Aramco joins forces with international partner

General Electric to help bring wind power to the

Kingdom with the construction of a massive wind

turbine in Turaif. When completed, the turbine will

have the capacity of producing 2.75 megawatts.

helping bring the power of renewables to the Kingdom

see page 4

breaking new ground on R&Dsee page 5

December 21, 2016

2 company news

Ahmad Sa’adi shares Saudi Vision 2030 at Bosphorus Summit in Turkey

Istanbul — Saudi Aramco senior vice president of Technical Services Ahmad A. Al Sa’adi joined a host of high-profile speakers, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in addressing the 7th Bos-phorus Summit recently in Istanbul.

Attended by politicians, industry leaders and academics from across key geogra-phies, Al Sa’adi discussed Saudi Aramco’s role in the growth and diversification of the Kingdom’s economy, and the potential for other countries — including Turkey — to participate.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Tur-key have a longstanding and deep-rooted relationship that is growing stronger by the

Ahmad A. Al Sa’adi speaks on the company’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint during a keynote speech at the 7th Bosphorus Summit held recently in Istanbul. Al Sa’adi also spoke about opportunities available to Turkey for investment in Saudi Arabia through Saudi Vision 2030.

your voice

A special breed who think differently! Many have heard this label referring

to those people with different specialties working together on the exploration and development of oil and gas fields. Beyond simple humor among friends, this statement does carry a lot of truth and is worthy of deeper reflection.

Examining the traits of many of these people allows us to test the validity of this creative label.

Observat ion i s a bus iness sk i l l demonstrated in many jobs, but an ultra-refined version of it is exhibited almost daily by this special breed in Exploration.

They observe the present to unlock the geological past in their attempt to understand processes that occurred hundreds of mill ions of years ago. Observing rock depositional patterns in living deltas, for example, can help read old depositional environments in core samples obtained while well drilling.

This deduction process is demanding and challenging, as the unknown is always much bigger than the known. For example, it is not uncommon for explorationists to study a vast acreage of land using a scarce amount of hard data provided by a single, shallow, or distant well in conjunction with vintage seismic images of inadequate quality. Being relatively comfortable working on ambiguous scenarios such as this and

constantly stretching the value of such scarce data is a special trait of this breed.

Science-guided imagination enables these fel lows to infer and fi l l the gaps within the bigger and unknown picture through building and testing an array of plausible spatial scenarios of unproven fields. This means that the true explorationists must be flexible and open to new ideas. They can’t afford to be rigid or entrapped by their own old thinking when faced by new or old data with better quality or enhanced implications.

They are constantly challenging their own assumptions, seeking models and approaches that better resemble reality in their window of interest. Because of this, out-of-the-box-thinking is a daily routine for most of them. A great example of this is gleaned through a quick review of the evolution of well drilling from vertical holes to inclined ones to horizontal to multilateral and geo-steering technology.

Production of gas through shale fracturing, as another example, would not have occurred without someone daring to look at the familiar shale in an unfamiliar and innovative way.

These c reat i ve exper ts a re not imprisoned by the familiarity or the tunnel vision traps occasionally created by over-specialization. They are comfortable crossing their own discipline borders to seek ideas and business solutions

from unrelated domains. Many of the subsurface exploration imaging technologies were initially borrowed and customized from other fields such as medical radiology.

They a lso do not rush to form hypotheses or conclusions, thanks to the rigorous and multi-step nature of their work. This trait certainly endears them to many of the creativity experts emphasizing the need to enrich the initial perception stage and avoid a premature jump into the later processing stage of the thinking process.

Unlike many other disciplines, the mental model of these special people is based on a divergent thinking style that encourages and welcomes new and alternate ideas. This is a positive trait in their industry. One can hear in the way they talk or read in their writings a style that uses such carefully crafted qualifiers such as: “let us keep in mind, the dynamic aspect of this picture …” or “our current level of understanding is …” or “the data we have — until now — points in this direction,” or “that is the most probable approach now.” These are not merely evasive clichés; they are continuous humbling reminders that we are dealing with the distant geologic past, massive and unique Earth processes that predate our existence on this mysterious and awesome planet.

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

a special creative breed

By Hesham Gurban

Dhahran

hesham.gurban@hotmail.com

day,” noted Al Sa’adi. “In September, our Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Naif, visited Turkey and outlined the scope for growth in trade be-tween our two countries.”

Reflecting on Saudi Aramco’s own con-tribution toward the country’s economic future, Al Sa’adi also underlined commit-ments to reducing our carbon footprint. “A significant portion of our technology port-folio is allocated to our sustainability do-mains, which include carbon management, CO2 conversion to chemicals and fuels, and enhanced oil recovery through CO2 injec-tion,” he said.

Al Sa’adi also met with Turkish counter-parts, among them companies that earlier

this year signed Memorandums of Under-standing (MoUs) with Saudi Aramco, add-ing new partners for future capital projects.

Meanwhile, Erdogan, patron of the sum-mit, thanked attendees while delivering the opening speech, describing Istanbul as a key geographic location for an event that he expects to continue gaining significance.

special sessionsBeyond key addresses, there were numer-

ous special sessions on technology, smart cities, and one session dedicated specifi-cally to Saudi Vision 2030. The session on renewables was opened by Turkish Energy Minister, Berat Albayrak, who presided over the MoU signings with Saudi Aramco in October.

Organized by the International Coopera-tion Platform (ICP), the summit lasted three days with the overarching goal of enhanc-ing multilateral understanding between countries and stimulating new levels of global cooperation. It offers a space for dis-cussion among decision makers in not just politics and business, but also in education, arts, philanthropy, and nonprofit pursuits.

Saudi Aramco was also a major sponsor. The occasion represents the second time

in recent months that Saudi Aramco lead-ership has visited Turkey, following atten-dance at October’s World Energy Congress, when the MoUs were signed. Bilateral ties between Turkey and attending countries, mainly from Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, were considered a priority.

by Muazzin Mehrban

the arabian sun

3company news

Abqaiq — Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser reminded employees in the Abqaiq Area that safety comes first in the company’s performance, and spear-heads our operations across all business lines, during the monthly Executive Man-agement Safety Review (EMSR) last week.

The tour started with a meeting be-tween executive management members and Abqaiq officials, with Abdulaziz H. Bukhamseen from the Abqaiq IT Division delivering a presentation on the trend of people taking selfies and the risks associ-ated with this widespread behavior among smartphone users while driving. He provid-ed some statistics about victims who have died as a result of this practice, concluding his presentation with advice for everyone to adopt safe driving behaviors.

improved safety statisticsKhaled A. Al Buraik, vice president of

Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO), de-livered a presentation on the safety perfor-mance for Abqaiq Plants in 2016.

The statistics showed that lost-time in-juries in the company’s Abqaiq operations areas declined from 0.14 in 2015 to 0.045 up to the end of October 2016. Al Buraik noted that these improvements came as a result of enhanced adherence to safety per-formance rules, risk awareness, and contin-uous supervision.

Abqaiq operations areas did not record any disabling injuries in 2016, matching last year’s performance. At a company lev-el, disabling injuries increased from 0.004 in 2015 to 0.008 in 2016.

For off-the-job injuries, the rate declined in the area from 0.28 to 0.21, as well as at the company level from 0.43 to 0.32 for the same period. Al Buraik attributed this decline to the continuous efforts made by Abqaiq departments to provide education, training, and workshops for employees.

As for motor vehicle accidents in Abqaiq, the rate has decreased from 0.41 in 2015 to 0.30 as a result of the positive impact of preventive programs and training work-shops. One off-the-job fatality was record-ed in Abqaiq in 2016, and no industrial fire incidents were recorded.

Referring to contractor employee statistics, Al Buraik said followup on safety procedures in the area remains a challenge to operations at Abqaiq Plants. There were 71 minor injury cases, 19 cases that required medical treat-ment, four lost-time injuries, one restricted duty injury, and no fatalities.

As for the information-security indexes, he said Abqaiq employees’ rate of response to phishing email tests included 57.1% positive responses, 1.7% negative respons-es, and 41.2% neutral responses. He added

Abqaiq EMSR: safety first in Shedgum, Southern Area

that 98% of employees completed online phishing courses, while 88% of employees completed a basic course on information security.

SAOO initiativesAl Buraik also spoke about SAOO’s ini-

tiatives, including further development of Abqaiq public transportation facilities, firefighting training of Abqaiq General Hospital’s employees, and the protection and development of wetlands in the area. A biodiversity survey was conducted, with more than 70 boxes placed for breeding of birds in the natural environment, and more than 1,000 trees planted during the course of the year. The company also helped spon-sor the Abqaiq Safari festival (see page 16) by delivering presentations about the de-velopment of the company’s operations in the Abqaiq Area, and organizing safety and environmental protection awareness cam-paigns.

Al Buraik concluded the presentation by reporting about traffic accidents on the Old Abqaiq Road and the area department’s ef-forts to provide a proposal for developing the road to enhance safety.

field tours The EMSR team divided into three groups

to tour the area. The first group, which in-cluded Nasser and Al Buraik, visited Shed-gum Gas Plant (SHGP) and Shedgum Gas-Oil Separation Plant-3 (SHGOSP-3).

The second group, which included Mo-hammed Y. Al Qahtani, senior vice pres-ident of Upstream, visited Abqaiq Plants and the Abqaiq community.

The third group, including Abdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi, acting business line head with Downstream, visited Qurayyah Seawater Treatment Plant and Abqaiq GOSP-5.

safety enhanced Members of the first tour met control

room employees at SHGP and discussed a number of safety topics. The group toured the plant’s facilities and was briefed by Ab-dallah O. Al-Jallal, SHGP manager, on safety performance and measures at the plant de-signed to enhance the safety of Saudi Ar-amco employees and contractor personnel. Employee Sattam R. Bensaad gave a pre-sentation on the plant’s safety programs.

At SHGOSP-3, executive management lis-tened to a briefing from a group of young employees on safety measures at the plant. Nasser spoke to them about safe driving on the roads and the importance of complying with traffic regulations and safety. At the end of the meeting, operator Abdulhamid A. Al-Saad recounted some of the job site safety measures.

After concluding the visits, members of the executive management provided a briefing on their visit. Nasser said the safe-ty statistics were commendable, noting the importance of knowledge transfer to the plants’ young employees. He stressed the importance of the role of management and supervisors to ensure employees are skilled and follow proper procedures on the job. He said the company will continue to stress that safety is paramount and always comes first.

Amin Nasser speaks to employees at Shedgum Gas Oil Separation Plant-3 during the monthly Executive Management Safety Review held in the Abqaiq Area. The CEO emphasized the importance of safe driving behaviors and complying with traffic and safety regulations at work, on the highways, and at home. (Photo: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

by Bander M. Alharbi

Abdulaziz H. Bukhamseen from the Abqaiq Information Technology Division delivers a safety presentation on the trend of people taking selfies and the risks associated with this behavior on the King-dom’s highways.

December 21, 2016

4 company news

Dhahran — With the arrival of a 58.7 me-ter long wind-turbine blade at Saudi Aram-co’s headquarters, the company’s vision of tapping into Saudi Arabia’s rich wind-ener-gy resource has drawn a crucial step closer.

Senior management from Saudi Aram-co and General Electric (GE) gathered on Dec. 13 to sign their names to the 13-ton blade, which was briefly put on display be-fore beginning its 8- to 10-day journey to the northern Saudi city of Turaif. With con-struction currently underway and expect-ed to be completed in first quarter 2017, Saudi Aramco’s bulk plant facility in Turaif will start receiving electricity from the King-dom’s very first utility scale wind turbine shortly thereafter.

a first for the KingdomThe demonstration project was devel-

oped by specialists from Saudi Aramco’s Power Systems, with GE selected to design, supply, and construct the demonstration project.

Abdulkarim Al Ghamdi, acting executive director of Power Systems for Saudi Aram-co, said: “Saudi Aramco is actively promot-ing the reduction of energy intensity across the Kingdom by advocating responsible policies, awareness, and energy innovation.

This milestone has been made possible with the skills and knowledge Saudi Aramco has attained over decades as the Kingdom’s supplier of energy and those of our partner, GE, as a wind industry leader.”

Hisham Albahkali, GE’s president and CEO for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said: “With the arrival of the first GE wind tur-bine in the Kingdom, we are demonstrating our strong commitment to support the goal of diversifying the energy mix. This is a mo-mentous occasion as it highlights that wind energy generation in the Kingdom is ‘real’ and heralds a new era of renewable energy that clearly shows to the world that action is being taken to support the renewable goals of Saudi Vision 2030.”

on a massive scale The scale of the wind turbine is mind-bog-

gling. Each of the three blades — construct-ed from lightweight composite materials us-ing techniques from the aerospace industry — is 58.7 meters long, with a total diame-ter of 120 meters. That is 40 meters wider than the wingspan of an Airbus 380, and 20 meters longer than a standard football pitch. The mast is 85 meters high.

At peak times, the output from the wind turbine will generate 2.75 megawatts (MW) of power, with the blade’s tip reaching

speeds of 300 kilometers per hour. This is equivalent to the amount of energy it takes to supply 250 homes and could save ap-proximately 19,000 barrels of oil equivalent per year. The wind turbine will be connect-ed into Turaif Bulk Plant’s electrical distribu-tion system to help it reduce the amount of power purchased from the Saudi Electricity Company and to reduce the diesel currently consumed to supply power at the plant.

Wind power is a key component of the National Renewable Program, which seeks to generate 9,500 MW of the Kingdom’s power from renewable sources by 2023. Saudi Aramco has been developing high potential sites for wind power since 2012, starting with a Kingdomwide wind resource measurement program. The program quick-ly established that Saudi Arabia’s extraordi-nary wind resource may generate some of the lowest cost sources of electricity any-where on the globe.

Al-Ghamdi, chief technology officer Ah-mad O. Al Khowaiter, and chief engineer Nabilah M. Al Tunisi were among the com-pany representatives who signed the blade, along with senior management from GE. After the signing ceremony, the wind tur-bine blade was to be displayed for two days near the Al-Midra office building before continuing the journey to Turaif.

by Scott Baldauf

bringing wind power to the KingdomA nearly 60 meter long wind-turbine blade is seen in a parking lot outside Al-Midra Tower in Dhahran before being transported to Turaif, the site of a Saudi Aramco bulk plant facility that will use wind energy for part of its power needs. At peak times, output from the turbine — when operational — will be enough to supply power to an equivalent of 250 homes. (Photo: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

Dhahran — The Technology Leadership Team from ARLANXEO was recently hosted by Saudi Aramco’s Research and Develop-ment Center (R&DC) and Chemicals orga-nizations in Dhahran and Jubail.

The visit signaled the start of a coordi-nated approach in relations for the joint venture (JV), which was created in April with the acquisition of a 50% stake in the rubber business of the German chemical company, LANXESS. This key milestone was achieved as part of Saudi Aramco’s 2020 Strategic Intent to become the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company, and it has led to the creation of ARLANXEO, a JV with the strategic mission to be the world’s leading synthetic rubber manufacturer.

fostering collaboration, synergyOne of the goals of the visit was to build

familiarity within both companies’ research organizations and identify research com-petencies and areas of mutual benefit and synergy, fostering closer collaboration.

In welcoming the ARLANXEO team, Am-mar A. Al Nahwi, R&DC manager, said: “I am delighted to have the technology leadership team from ARLANXEO in our midst and am confident that this first vis-it will serve as a platform for collaboration between the two organizations for many years to come.”

During the visit, teams from R&DC and ARLANXEO presented overviews of their business and research focus areas, includ-ing targeted workshops where they ex-plored collaborative opportunities. These discussions focused on the use of “green” fuel-efficient tires, applications of special-ty nonmetallic materials and high perfor-mance elastomers in the oil and gas indus-try, synergies in catalysis research and high throughput experimentation. The use of ARLANXEO’s large-scale customizable pilot-ing facilities in Germany for the demonstra-tion of Saudi Aramco’s chemicals technolo-gies was also discussed.

opportunity to shareOn the second day of the visit, the AR-

LANXEO team met with the Chemicals Business Coordination and Support Depart-ment to better understand our core part of the Chemicals organization, as well as to identify areas of best practices, potential collaboration, and mutual interests.

ARLANXEO shared an overview of its business units, as well as various plants and application technical centers around the world. One of the primary areas of en-gagement was Saudi Aramco’s interest in polymer applications development and AR-LANXEO’s expertise in the field.

The introduction of ARLANXEO’s poly-mer and rubber processing capabilities

was also of great interest to Saudi Aramco, leading to open discussions about product lines and product, applications, and market development. Subsequently, an overview about Saudi Aramco planned Product Ap-plications and Development Center project was presented to ARLANXEO.

Discussions included various breakout sessions, followed by a half-day trip to the Sadara plant (a Saudi Aramco-Dow Chem-ical JV) in Jubail, where the teams toured Sadara’s state-of-the-art chemical facility, as well as its modern analytical laboratory.

While at the Sadara site, the visitors had an opportunity to see the site’s advanced laboratories and equipment, including the Samples Transport System, a cutting-edge sampling technology.

ARLANXEO JV portfolio management co-ordination representative Sulaiman Al-Khal-di remarked: “We are excited to host the ARLANXEO R&D team as a way to promote future collaboration and explore business opportunities in the unique synthetic rub-ber business. We are looking forward to growing this promising new partnership.”

Gerard Van Doremaele, head of the AR-LANXEO delegation, noted: “This is the start of an interesting, mutually beneficial, and collaborative journey. We have seen just in this visit that there’s a common drive and desire to push this partnership as far forward as it can go.”

ARLENXEO Tech Leadership Team visits Dhahran

Ammar A. Al Nahwi speaks to visitors from the ARLANXEO Technology Leadership Team, which recently visited Dhahran. The visit signaled the start of a coordinated approach in relations for the joint venture, which was created in April. The JV derives its name from a combination of the first letters in each of the parent companies’ names — AR and LANX combined together with EO from elastomers.

the arabian sun

5company news

Thuwal — Saudi Aramco last week broke ground on the construction of a new, state-of-the-art research center at King Abdul-lah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), with an expected completion date of mid-2019.

The groundbreaking ceremony was at-tended by HE Ali I. Al Naimi, consultant to the Royal Court and Chairman of the KAUST Board of Trustees; HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, and Vice Chair-man of the KAUST Board of Trustees; Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aram-co; Jean-Lou Chameau, KAUST president; and several government, academic, and business dignitaries.

leaders in technology“Saudi Aramco and KAUST are leaders in

technology development domestically and internationally,” said Al-Falih. “Their unique roles in developing innovative and original research is essential to the future success of the energy industry in Saudi Arabia. Their future joint research and development ef-forts, through collaboration and partner-ship, will help achieve the Kingdom’s stra-tegic energy objectives and create business value in pursuit of the national objective of transition to a knowledge society, as enun-ciated in Vision 2030.”

Nasser noted that the groundbreaking marks a major milestone in the successful partnership between Saudi Aramco and KAUST — a partnership that benefits the Kingdom as a whole.

“Our relationship started when KAUST was just an idea, and today, it has grown — literally from the ground up. A number of highly promising technologies have been produced here, such as the Saudi Aramco inspection robots, and research here has contributed to many patents,” said Nasser.

technology strategyThe facility will allow Saudi Aramco to

leverage its unique position within the R&D

Saudi Aramco, KAUST break ground on new research center

ecosystem at KAUST to accelerate the im-plementation of the company’s technology strategy. The facility will include laborato-ries and offices to support research in the areas of chemicals, intelligent systems, solar energy, reservoir engineering, com-putational modeling, and environmental protection.

“At KAUST, we are committed to advanc-ing science, innovation, and technology through distinctive and collaborative re-search, which relies upon the nurturing of ideas and talent,” said Chameau. “Partner-ing with Saudi Aramco on this new center is the latest in a series of shared success-es to foster the transition to an innova-tion-driven economy sustained by intellec-tual capital and scientific discovery.”

The new center, which will be an 11,300 m2 research facility housing 132 scientists and researchers, will be designed to sup-port Saudi Aramco’s upstream and down-stream research domains, as well as envi-ronmental-protection research efforts.

“This new facility is about expanding our research needs as a business,” said Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, chief technology officer. “As part of our new technology strategy, we are looking to enable our research do-mains through capitalizing on the world-re-nowned scientists, exceptional facilities, and international network of academic in-stitutions affiliated with KAUST.”

The facility is intended to integrate with the KAUST community and foster strong networks with other leading R&D organi-zations focused on solar energy, chemicals, fuel technology, robotics, hydrocarbon re-covery, computational modeling, and the marine environment.

“We achieved this year a leading position in creativity among energy companies. To reach our aspiration of global leadership in energy-related technology development and deployment, Saudi Aramco has adopt-ed an accelerated strategy to expand its global R&D footprint with further collab-orations in academia and industry,” said Nasser. “These partnerships, including the

one with KAUST, will be crucial to the com-pany and national agenda for the next 15 years, and they are seen as much-needed enablers to accelerate the successful deliv-ery of technologies across the entire value chain of the energy industry.”

HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, HE Ali I. Al Naimi, and Amin Nasser perform ceremonial groundbreaking activ-ities for a new Saudi Aramco Research Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal. The new 11,300 m2 research facility will house 132 scientists and researchers and will be designed to support Saudi Aramco’s upstream and downstream research domains, as well as environ-mental-protection research efforts. See additional photo on page 13.

An artist’s rendition shows how a new state-of-the-art research center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology would look when completed in 2019 in Thuwal. The facility is intended to integrate with the university’s community and foster strong networks with other leading R&D organizations focusing on various fields.

December 21, 2016

6 company news

Aramco Asia Korea wins National Sharing Grand AwardSeoul — Aramco Asia-Korea (AAK) re-

cently won a National Sharing Grand Award from the Minister of Health and Welfare for its outstanding contributions to sustainability and social welfare in a grand ceremony held at the Korea Broadcasting System headquarters.

The awards, among the most prestigious in the donation field, are annually given to

individuals, groups, associations, and com-panies to recognize their deep engagement in various forms of donation activities in South Korea.

Through this award, AAK achieved the early success of recognition as an outstand-ing corporate citizen by implementing var-ious donation activities since its establish-ment four years ago.

AAK has expanded its corporate social

responsibility program in partnership with reliable institutions, such as Community Chest of Korea, Child Fund, Good Neigh-bors International, and Snail of Love — all of which help meet the needs of various communities throughout South Korea.

The awards ceremony was nationally broadcast through the KBS.

company, partners sign MoU to establish National Information Technology Academy

Al-Khobar — Saudi Aramco, along with our strategic partners, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the National Information Technol-ogy Academy.

The MoU was signed by representatives from Saudi Aramco, the Ministry of Com-munications and Information Technology (MCIT), the Communications and Infor-mation Technology Commission (CITC), and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), with representatives from major information and communica-tions technology (ICT) companies such as Oracle, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Huawei, Wipro, SAP, Cisco, and Mobily in attendance. The signing ceremony was followed by a panel discussion and a ques-tion-and-answer session.

academy goalsThe academy’s strategic objectives are

aligned with those of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 — developing the IT sector and a digital economy, increasing local workforce skills, equipping citizens with competencies that will meet the future needs of the labor market, and increasing female participation in the workforce.

The academy will invest in Saudi human capital by equipping young Saudis with market relevant ICT skills, bridging the skills gap, and developing a “job-ready” talent pool. Its curriculum will focus on technical and professional skills, as well as address emerging technologies that are aligned with market needs where students are “trained to hire.”

The academy’s operating model will offer three streams:

• The Core stream: A two-year founda-tion program that offers high school grad-uates ICT technical and academic courses (i.e., business English, interpersonal skills, etc.)

• The Bridge stream: An on-demand

bridge program that offers vocational and university graduates ICT advanced techni-cal courses and professional certifications, as well as academic courses

• The Distance Learning stream: A stream that offers students a web-based platform to access courses from anywhere.

A key component of the academy’s oper-ating model is the use of online and virtual technologies to support distance learning, thereby expanding outreach to the furthest regions of the Kingdom and allowing stu-dents to become active participants in the learning process.

Abdulaziz T. Otaibi, the academy project manager and an information systems con-sultant with the IT Strategy and Technology Planning Department, said, “The acade-my’s initiative is in line with the National Transformation Program 2020, paving the way to serve the youth and fill skills gap between demand and supply.

“The academy’s vision is to build capaci-ty that will increase Saudization in the ICT local market by bridging the skills gap be-tween academia and the industry,” he add-ed. “The role of the academy is unique and focuses on constructive, advanced, and ac-celerated training and development.”

establishing strategic partnershipsEstablishing strategic partnerships with

stakeholders and major sector companies, Saudi Aramco Training and Development (T&D), in cooperation with respective ad-min areas, has established 11 specialized academies across various disciplines that include drilling, construction, inspection, and industrial training.

These academies have more than 8,000 Saudi students who are all sponsored by companies — Saudi Aramco contractors, vendors, and suppliers — which is the model that the National IT Academy will apply.

In his remarks, Yousef A. Al Ulyan, Infor-mation Technology executive director, said the establishment of the academy will re-quire active participation and commitment from key players in the ICT sector.

“Today, we have among us leaders in the ICT market who come with a strong corpo-rate social responsibility. Through strategic partnerships and collective efforts, we will effectively enable the academy to meet its objectives and bridge gaps where approx-imately 35% of the ICT labor market is missed — primarily for not having the right skill mix in the ICT workforce,” Al Ulyan said.

Over the course of the morning, repre-sentatives from MCIT, CITC, and TVTC pro-vided insight on employment opportunities and challenges faced by the ICT industry.

insight into the ICT workforceSulaiman A. Mirdad, deputy governor of

CITC, shared some realities based on peri-odic surveys conducted by the CITC.

“Only 50% of Saudi nationals are part of a specialized ICT workforce, and 2% of that workforce are females, showing us that this industry is clearly dominated by males,” he said. “There is demand for professionals with technical skills in the emerging fields of cloud computing, cyber-security, and data analytics; and soft skills such as communication and project man-agement skills.”

The government sector sees the largest demand especially for software application developers, entry-level jobs, and help-desk/support jobs. Other challenges include meeting the expectations of highly quali-fied and motivated Saudis.

Ali S. AlSoma, ministerial advisor and secretary general to the MCIT, said, “As part of their corporate social responsibili-ties initiatives, global companies have com-municated and committed their willingness to work together and utilize local talents; it is a timely agreement.

“With the MCIT as policymaker, CITC as a regulator, and Saudi Aramco as an influ-encer, we are confident this partnership will be a win-win, and we look forward to graduating the first batch of National IT Academy students,” AlSoma said.

next steps forward In an exclusive interview with The Arabi-

an Sun, Nabil K. Al Dabal, general manag-er of T&D highlighted the benefits of the Academy.

“The National IT Academy facilitates the creation of a thriving, diversified economy that will provide higher economic profits and ample opportunities for higher educa-tion, training and development, and entre-preneurship,” he said, noting that this will be the 12th such academy established by T&D and that the organization has a goal of establishing a total of 25 by 2025.

“After securing stakeholder and part-nership alignment, a board of trustees and a tech steering committee will be estab-lished. The board will look into developing an academy charter and establishing a le-gal entity,” Al Dabal said.

In Quarter 2 and 3 of next year, the board will approve the facilities, acquire, and install the necessary equipment, part-ner with training service providers, estab-lish organizational structure, and select and enroll trainees.

The academy is working to admit 700 ICT students by the end of the third quar-ter of 2017.

Officials from Saudi Aramco and strategic partners sign a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a National Information Technol-ogy Academy, which is working to admit 700 information and communications technology students by the end of the third quarter of 2017. From left are Nabil K. Al Dabal, Yousef A. Al Ulyan, Ali S. AlSoma, and Sulaiman A. Mirdad. (Photo: Ding/MPD)

by Shaistha Khan

by John Park

The National Sharing Grand Award won by AAK.

the arabian sun

7company news

Abu Dhabi — More than 95,000 oil and gas industry professionals attended the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) 2016 recently.

The event was held under the patron-age of the United Arab Emirates President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan under the theme “Strategies for the New Energy Landscape.” With 106 technical sessions and more than 36 pan-el discussions, the event offered a wealth of knowledge sharing and representatives from Saudi Aramco played a key role in the success of the event.

leading role in the industryIn a panel session about research and

technology in the oil and gas industry, Saudi Aramco chief petroleum engineer Nabeel I. Al Afaleg spoke about the company’s ap-proach in developing the latest innovations and breakthroughs.

“In a low oil price environment, it is equally important to keep the focus on the main thrusts of research focus areas and capitalize on opportunities to maximize val-ue, and accelerate technology development and deployment which contributes to opti-mizing cost, maximize recovery and expand discovery,” said Al Afaleg.

“In recent years, Saudi Aramco has ex-panded its R&D reach portfolio through establishing global research centers and technology offices within the Kingdom, the U.S., Europe, and Asia to support technolo-gy innovation focus areas.”

As an example, Al Afaleg cited Saudi Aramco’s development and utilization of GigaPOWER as a means of enhancing ex-ploration efficiencies.

“GigaPOWER, the most advanced simu-lator, enables Saudi Aramco to predict with accuracy reservoir performance and drill wells in the most suitable locations to en-sure optimal recovery and optimize cost.”

cost savings through secure networks

The oil and gas industry is considered a leader in adapting and creating innovative information technology solutions to im-prove operational efficiency while maintain-ing a high level of safety standards, Saudi

Aramco chief information security officer Abdulrahman E. Al Muagle said during his keynote speech in a session on “Security in Energy.”

Due to advances in sensors and process-ing technologies, the industry stands to benefit from advanced analytics capabilities by capturing and analyzing very big volumes of data, said Al Muagle.

Projected future implementation of big data analytics can result in significant sav-ings by minimizing unplanned well outag-es and optimizing maintenance schedules, he added, as these new capabilities can be used to improve decision-making and accu-rately devise strategies and future plans.

“We are confident that the future will hold many advances since the need to inno-vate and reduce costs is a major objective,” he said.

He cautioned, however, that, connecting industrial systems and machines through networks produces a potential threat to the security of operations, and creates an urgency to update traditional security mod-els to cope with the digital transformation. Although security breaches of industrial sys-tems require huge resources and expertise, organizations should follow best practices of cybersecurity risk management in isolat-ing industry control systems from untrusted networks to prevent potential threats, he said.

adapting efficient, new technologies

Saudi Aramco chief engineer Nabilah M. Al Tunisi spoke about how the company is capitalizing on new, disruptive technologies to optimize operations, reduce costs and in-crease safety.

“Technology plays a pivotal role in shap-ing the future of our industry,” she said. “The potential for innovation from using new technologies is truly unlimited.”

Saudi Aramco utilizes remote sensing devices to examine areas that are not eas-ily accessible and potentially dangerous, such as when inspecting flare stacks, said Al Tunisi. This innovative approach enables the continuation of operations during the inspection and the potential hazard for the inspection crews is eliminated. The poten-tial savings from using this new technolo-

gy, said Al Tunisi, ranges from 50% to 80% compared to the traditional method.

Al Tunisi said Saudi Aramco pursues a ho-listic approach to deploying new, disruptive technologies as the company examines the complete set of factors that contribute to the success of the technology adoption, in-cluding required certification, appropriate procedures, policies, asset management and suitable equipment.

In a panel discussion about nurturing the next generation of leaders in a changing world, acting director of Industrial Train-ing Salem A. Al Shehry spoke about Saudi Aramco’s approach to developing leaders, which includes highly regarded manage-ment courses and mentorship programs.

In the exhibition section, Saudi Aramco’s booth displayed several new and innovative projects. The booth’s “Transforming Visions into Reality” exhibit used 3-D simulation on TV, virtual reality, augmented reality, and multi-touch screens to introduce recent Saudi Aramco technologies and patents to attendees. Advanced, proprietary software was used throughout the exhibit — the same software that is utilized in production by the Advanced Research Center and Up-stream Professional Development Center.

by Musherf Alamri

Among those participating in key roles at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition Confer-ence (ADIPEC) 2016 were, clockwise from top left, Nabeel I. Al Afaleg, Abdulrahman E. Al Muagle, Nabilah M. Al Tunisi, and Salem A. Al Shehry. Representatives from Saudi Aramco played a key role in the success of the event. (Photos: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

Aramco magazines honored with awardsA year after a magazine and website re-

design, developing an app, and promoting a growing social-media presence, Saudi Ar-amco’s flagship publication, AramcoWorld, was honored recently in New York with 12 magazine industry awards.

This number surpasses last year’s previ-ous best of 10 awards received by Aramco-World from the international competition sponsored by Folio: magazine — which this year attracted about 3,000 entries in 150 categories of editorial excellence and 90 categories of design excellence.

Saudi Aramco’s publication for our retir-ees worldwide, Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah, won its first Folio award for a series of articles “Amazing Aerial Find.”

AramcoWorld won top honors for its custom website design and custom app/digital edition.

“We are happy to see that our digi-tal-first efforts are being recognized,” said

Richard Doughty, AramcoWorld editor. “Our growing presence online through

social media, video, and our new digital newsletter is expanding AramcoWorld’s mission and brand to a new generation of readers, as well as complementing our highly decorated print edition,” he added.

AramcoWorld received laurels for its use of social media, custom print redesign, and feature article design for “Reviving the North Aral Sea” in November/December 2015. Also receiving honors were the single article, “The Unlikely Sisterhood of Seattle and Tashkent,” and the best use of pho-tography, table of contents, and best use of illustration for “Malika II: Radiyya bint Illtutmish.”

ASC Public Affairs produces the Aram-coWorld bimonthly print and online maga-zine, which seeks to broaden knowledge of the culture, history and geography of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Aramco magazines AramcoWorld and Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah won writing and design awards for fea-tured articles, the use of social media, custom website design, photography, and illustrations.

‘Strategies for the New Energy Landscape’ explored at ADIPEC 2016

December 21, 2016

8 company news

IKTVA: driving diversification, excellencepioneering program helps develop local talent, boost economy

IKTVA represents a pioneering and model program, among other major programs that the Saudi Arabian government is working on to expand and diversify the economy, localize strategic industrial and economic sectors, and create jobs in alignment with Vision 2030.

— HE Khalid A. Al-Falih

”

Dammam — On Dec. 14, Saudi Aramco held a forum with its supply partners and gave In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) Excellence Awards to five of our top part-ners that are helping the company deliver on a promise to increase the percentage of locally produced energy-related goods and services, as well as the level of exports for local energy goods and services and the number of job opportunities for Saudi cit-izens.

With the inaugural IKTVA Excellence Awards, Saudi Aramco management ap-plauded the efforts of local and interna-tional partners who have abided by the company’s IKTVA program. IKTVA is a pro-gram that guides the company’s purchas-es of materials and services with the goals of doubling the percentage of locally pro-duced energy-related goods and services to 70% by 2021, significantly increasing the level of exports of our local energy goods and services industry to 30%, and helping the energy sector to deliver 500,000 well-paid jobs for talented Saudis.

Among the attendees at the ceremony held at the Dammam Office Building were Eastern Province Governor HRH Prince Saud bin Naif bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al-Sa’ud, HE Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser, as well as a representation of corporate and execu-tive management. The forum was also well attended by government dignitaries and more than 400 local and international sup-plier executives.

IKTVA awardsThe five IKTVA Excellence Awards were

targeted as key goals of the IKTVA pro-gram, and the awardees included some of the company’s top-performing supply partners, both locally and globally. The awardees included:

• Highest in Saudi workforce: Schlum-

berger• Highest in localized goods and services:

Arabian Pipes Company• Best in employee recognition: Arabian

Drilling Company• Best in supplier development: General

Electric• Best in training and development: Hal-

liburton.In his keynote remarks, Al-Falih said

the ambitious IKTVA program will have far-reaching impacts on the Saudi economy and will be a win-win for Saudi Aramco, for the Kingdom, and for the companies that do business here.

“IKTVA represents a pioneering and model program, among other major pro-grams that the Saudi Arabian government is working on to expand and diversify the economy, localize strategic industrial and economic sectors, and create jobs in align-ment with Vision 2030,” said Al-Falih.

He added that the localization of the Sau-di economy by both the public and private sectors reached 35% in 2015 and is expect-ed to reach 50% by 2021, 59% by 2025, and 70% by 2030.

Nasser: IKTVA building blocksIn his keynote address, Nasser said that

while the current low oil price environment has posed challenges for the oil and gas industry, particularly for service providers and suppliers, a long-term perspective is re-quired and will ensure IKTVA succeeds.

“IKTVA can be part of the building blocks for a thriving and competitive world class Saudi energy sector as Saudi Aramco cham-pions massive investments that will create new industries, which will need completely new localized supply chains,” he said.

Reflecting on the achievements that have been made since IKTVA was launched in December 2015, Nasser said that over-all, the share of local manufacturing has reached SR10 billion ($2.6 billion), or 43%, which is an increase of 16% from 2015 lev-

els — the highest level of local content in the company’s history.

“We remain committed to procuring goods and services worth more than SR1 trillion over the next decade. Therefore, vast opportunities are there for all our sup-pliers by ensuring that 70% of those riyals are adding value in the Kingdom,” he said.

integrating IKTVA into our cultureThe IKTVA forum gave an opportunity to

show the possibilities of a well-coordinated program to promote localization through the company’s purchases of goods and ser-vices. Thanks to IKTVA’s alignment with the Kingdom’s own Vision 2030 (which was launched last spring), Saudi Aramco has already made impressive headway toward its goals, embedding IKTVA into more than SR60 billion worth of contracts.

Furthermore, Saudi Aramco has complet-ed the “Third Party Certification” of the IKTVA baseline for the top 100 suppliers, which includes key metrics for local value creation.

In addition to purchasing goods and ser-vices locally, Saudi Aramco has been work-ing diligently to enable the training and development support systems required to meet the critical needs for highly trained and highly productive Saudi manpower through partnerships with government training institutes.

In partnership with the Technical and Vo-cational Training Corporation (TVTC), 12 national training centers are now opera-tional Kingdomwide, and that will increase to 28 by 2030. Between them, they will have the capacity to graduate as many as 360,000 young Saudi men and women in a wide range of skill sets and disciplines.

more partnershipsOn the sidelines of the IKTVA forum,

Saudi Aramco also signed agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several strategic partner companies,

by Scott Baldauf

Participating in a panel session during the event were, from right, Nabil K. Al Dabal, general manager of Training and Development for Saudi Aramco; Abdulaziz A. Al Abdulkarim, vice president of Procurement and Supply Chain Management for Saudi Aramco; and Rasheed Al-Shubaili, CEO of the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company. See additional photo on page 13. (Photo: Mohammed Al Shaikh/MPD)

the arabian sun

9company news

IKTVA: driving diversification, excellence

We remain committed to procuring goods and services worth more than SR1 trillion over the next decade. Vast opportunities are there for all our suppliers by ensuring that 70% of those riyals are adding value in the Kingdom.

— Amin Nasser

”including:

• Saudi Aramco-Rowan joint venture (JV) to own, manage, and operate offshore drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Aramco-Nabors JV to own, man-age, and operate onshore drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Aramco-Siemens to formalize the collaboration efforts on digitization

• Saudi Aramco-Siemens to formalize the collaboration efforts on fuel treatment.

In regard to the Rowan and Nabors deals, these onshore and offshore drilling JVs will invest $6 billion to $7 billion to purchase onshore rigs and offshore jackups manu-factured in Saudi Arabia by Saudi Aramco manufacturing JVs, creating an additional 5,000 jobs, with a goal of achieving 80% Saudization levels.

Additionally, two MoUs were signed to bring about the launch of a National Mar-itime Academy and a National Aviation Academy to help further the development of human capital in the Kingdom.

In support of the King Salman Interna-tional Complex for Maritime Industries and Services, Saudi Aramco is partnering with the Technical and Vocational Training Cor-poration (TVTC) to launch the top-tier mar-itime academy. The soft launch startup of approximately 1,400 students is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2017 at Jubail’s training center. The full launch of the academy will target 2,000 students in Ras Al-Khair. Workforce demand is expect-ed to reach 112,000 by 2035.

Seven stakeholders are involved in the aviation academy initiative, including Sau-di Aramco, TVTC, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Economic Cities Authority, TAQNIA Aero-nautics and King Abdullah Economic City. With both Saudi Arabia and the Middle East leading aviation growth projections worldwide, Saudi Aramco and the industry leaders came together to address the need for the academy, which will facilitate the sustainable growth of the Kingdom’s avia-tion economy with highly trained and qual-ified Saudi professionals. The soft launch will accommodate 400 students, with the full launch targeting 1,400 students.

award winnersA highlight of the event was the awards

ceremony itself. A close look at the awardees and their achievements shows that the IKTVA program is already produc-ing results.

Highest in Saudi workforceWinner: SchlumbergerSchlumberger offers assistance in evalu-

ating geological formations through direc-tional drilling, well logging, well cement-ing and stimulation, and well completions. It also enhances productivity through its range of consulting, software, information management, and IT infrastructure services. Its long history of cultivating talent in the Kingdom was a key reason for Schlumberg-er having the highest number of Saudi em-ployees among all of Saudi Aramco’s sup-pliers and partners.

Highest in localized goods and services Winner: Arabian Pipes CompanyArabian Pipes Company (APC) is manu-

facturing and marketing welded steel pipes for oil and gas, structural, and commercial utilization with sizes ranging from 6 to 48 inches. APC owns and operates two fac-tories in Saudi Arabia. In all, Arabian Pipes has a total average capacity of 460,000 tons per year.

In winning the award, APC has demon-strated its commitment to Saudization through the high portion of goods and ser-vices purchased from in-Kingdom suppliers and the revenue generated from in-King-dom based sales.

Best in Employee Recognition Winner: Arabian Drilling CompanyJointly owned by the Saudi-based Indus-

trialization and Energy Services Company and Schlumberger S.A., the Arabian Drill-ing Company (ADC) started operation in 1964 with one drilling rig and now owns and operates 32 drilling rigs — on land and offshore. By winning this award, ADC has exhibited the best program to recognize Saudi employees.

Best in supplier developmentWinner: General ElectricThrough this award, General Electric is

recognized for its efforts in developing the capabilities of In-Kingdom suppliers in

a number of areas, including technical ca-pabilities, technology transfer, quality im-provement, and integration into the inter-national supply chain. Other considerations included its costs in supporting develop-ment of local supply-chain capabilities.

Best in training and development Winner: HalliburtonThrough this award, Halliburton was rec-

ognized for its contribution in the training, development, and qualification of Saudis. Halliburton was also recognized for its in-vestment in education, and sponsorship programs for Saudis, as well as training and qualification expenses related to Sau-dis, and the number of Saudi nationals who participated in technical training and qual-ification activities (both In-Kingdom and Out-of-Kingdom).

‘IKTVA is now a key driver’Abdulaziz A. Al Abdulkarim, vice pres-

ident of Procurement and Supply Chain Management with Saudi Aramco, noted that Saudi Aramco’s contribution to Vision 2030 is centered on three pillars — supply chain development, workforce develop-ment, and anchor projects such as the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services.

Saudi Aramco has already embedded IKT-VA into its procurement process, and IKTVA bids are evaluated on a pass/fail basis to de-termine if they are acceptable. Also, busi-ness allocation guidelines have been revised to reward IKTVA achievements.

At the forum, Nasser called on suppliers to not limit their presence only to final as-sembly operations, but rather to establish and develop their manufacturing supplier base, and regionalize their research and de-velopment alongside their operations in the Kingdom.

“Our partners are the lifeblood of IKTVA and their success is our success,” Nasser said. “IKTVA is now a key driver of Saudi Aramco’s procurement process because diversifying the economy, growing the pri-vate sector and increasing energy sector ef-ficiency through localization are integral to Vision 2030.”

HRH Prince Saud bin Naif and HE Khalid A. Al-Falih share a light moment with a team at the Saudi Aramco IKTVA booth during the inaugural IKTVA Ex-cellence Awards. Five of the company’s top partners were recognized for their efforts in achieving IKTVA goals so far, and the event featured a number of agreements signed between Saudi Aramco and strategic partners on important projects. (Photo: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

December 21, 2016

10 company news

Ahmed Al Jalaly speaks about the organizational model on the Contract Administration Perfor-mance Index. He was one of several presenters at the recent knowledge-sharing and networking event sponsored by the Saudi Aramco Contract-ing Society. (Photos: Rayan Al Ghamdi/MPD)

Dhahran — The Saudi Aramco Contract-ing Society (SACS) recently conducted its second knowledge-sharing and networking event that was attended by more than 200 employees from various business lines across the company.

SACSMaysar Rweili, chairwoman of the society,

welcomed everyone to the half-day session and provided an overview of the organi-zation, including the role it plays in Saudi Aramco, the society structure and member-ship, past SACS events, and a roadmap for the upcoming year.

SACS promotes knowledge sharing, de-velops contract management skills, and encourages effective collaboration that is needed to improve applicable procedures, processes, and systems in conjunction with all stakeholders.

Established in December 2015 by Procure-ment and Supply Chain Management, the society sits under the custodianship of the Contracting Department and is designed to complement the department’s mission. The society structure comprises three directors and six officers.

SACS consists of 950 members, with a di-verse representation of procurement profes-sionals, including 32% from Technical Ser-vices, 22% from Upstream, and 16% from Downstream. Additionally, 10% of member-ship is female.

Stakeholders involved in the contract de-velopment and procurement process include

contract representatives, contract advisers, contract review and cost-compliance repre-sentatives, Law personnel, and Finance per-sonnel, as well as end users and proponents.

“The society’s vision is to become a cen-ter of excellence that provides its members a source of knowledge and serves as a plat-form for networking, where they can con-nect to capitalize on their collective knowl-edge, experience, and best practices,” Rweili said.

Over the past year, the society has con-ducted several knowledge-sharing sessions, dinner meetings, field trips, and plans to launch a newsletter. SACS’s long-term plan is to reach employees outside Saudi Aramco — extending membership benefits to Saudi Aramco joint ventures and affiliates. It hopes to increase membership and engagement of young professionals, senior management, and women.

challenges and opportunitiesAbdul Hameed A. Al Rushaid, executive

director of Drilling and Workover and key-note speaker at the event, shared his expe-riences with contracting jobs and expecta-tions from SACS. Al Rushaid noted his first significant experience with contracts was in 2004, when he was assigned to an Up-stream joint venture agreement.

Subsequently, he recognized that al-though contracting is a challenging job, the field does not solely require technical per-sonnel. Nontechnical skills such as negoti-ation, communication skills, and other soft skills are extremely essential to a leader and to the organization.

“The society should aspire to attract and develop talented people who understand the business, who are not only technical but also visionary leaders coming from profes-sions such as contract advisers, finance advi-sors, lawyers, and subject-matter experts in all fields,” Al Rushaid said.

With 200 active contracts that are worth billions, the company is continually renew-ing, extending, and procuring contracts. “The society is a very timely initiative — ex-change of best practices puts Saudi Aramco and you at an advantage,” he added.

Al Rushaid concluded by encouraging membership and active participation, espe-cially from the young generation who will be

leading the company into Saudi Vision 2030, “a very challenging, but bright future.”

IKTVA, best practices, and CAPI Other topics of discussion at the event in-

cluded the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IK-TVA), contracting best practices, strategies, and trends, and the Contract Administration Performance Index (CAPI).

Ahmed Kelantan from the Industrial De-velopment and Strategic Supply Department presented on IKTVA target setting for con-tracts.

“So far, billions of dollars worth of con-tracts have IKTVA embedded into them, and Saudi Aramco’s top 100 strategic suppliers have readjusted their baseline and action plans. Furthermore, Tier 1 suppliers have started creating their own supply chain management push toward IKTVA,” Kelan-tan said.

Thomas Hastler, a corporate and contract lawyer presented on “U.S. Government Contracting Policies and Procedures versus Saudi Aramco Contracting Policies and Pro-cedures,” emphasizing comparing best-val-ue source selection in government and pri-vate sectors and their differences in terms of competition requirements, contract qualifi-cations, bid evaluation, and source selection.

Ahmed Al Jalaly from the CAPI team spoke on the organization’s model, which is a part of a comprehensive contract administration program and includes process enhancement and people development. A pilot was con-ducted in four admin areas to measure the model’s efficiency and effectiveness, work-force maturity, and compliance controls. Al Jalaly said the team saw positive results and a keen interest in the model. The path forward entails companywide awareness and enhanc-ing contracting administration functions.

The takeaway session concluded with closing remarks by the SACS host, Abdulaziz A. Al Abdulkarim, vice president for Procure-ment and Supply Chain Management. Al Abdulkarim thanked everyone for their ac-tive participation and interest in the society and encouraged the young Saudi Aramco workforce to join the society.

For more information on the society and membership details, visit https://sharek. aramco.com.sa/cop/SACS/S i tePages/ Community%20Home.aspx.

contracting: an inside-out perspective

by Shaistha Khan

‘EnLight’ provides the connection in ‘Udhailiyah‘Udhailiyah — Southern Area Production

Engineering Department’s (SAPED) Remote Fields Gas Production Engineering Division (RFGPED) recently hosted administration and faculty members from King Fahd Uni-versity of Petroleum and Minerals’ (KFUPM) College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences (CPG) in ‘Udhailiyah as part of the division’s “EnLight” program.

EnLight represents an in-house platform for engagement and knowledge exchange on relevant subjects.

The event featured CPG dean Abdulaziz O. Al-Kaabi, who spoke to the more than 50 petroleum engineering professionals attending the session about CPG’s journey from inception to today and into the fu-ture.

on a mission In partnership with KFUPM and Saudi

Aramco, CPG was created in May 2015 to house three already established depart-ments — petroleum engineering, geology, and geophysics — into one cohesive entity. Al-Kaabi noted that “CPG’s mission is to

provide a world class and research-intensive education for undergraduate and graduate students while furthering research in — and the development of science and tech-nology for — the discovery and recovery of hydrocarbon resources.”

He also shared some of its milestones and aspirations moving forward, including increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, and researchers.

He also presented an update on two in-frastructure developments that are under-way on campus and answered questions on academic curriculum and continuing edu-cation programs.

“I was excited to learn how much my col-lege has transformed in such short period of time,” petroleum engineer PDP Moham-med Alabdrabalnabi said.

SAPED builds on collaboration The event facilitated setting new com-

munication channels between SAPED and CPG, thereby enabling more collaboration. Emad A. Alabbad, an RFGPED petroleum engineer and EnLight team leader, said

Ahmad Kelantan from the Local Business Devel-opment Unit in the Industrial Development and Strategic Supply Department presents on “IKTVA Target Setting for Contracts” during the event.

“having KFUPM administrators and faculty visit ‘Udhailiyah and talk to our petroleum engineers not only keeps us engaged in such exciting developments, but also helps both organizations find common goals and plan future collaborations.”

Nayef Al-Shammari, SAPED manager, expressed his appreciation for the CPG vis-it. “We are proud of the talents we see in our petroleum engineering new hires that we receive each year from KFUPM, and we would like to support the college in any way possible.”

RFGPED general supervisor Mohammed Al-Atwi added, “We will continue capitaliz-ing on more technical exchanges between SAPED and CPG.”

about EnLight The program started in 2015 with

RFGPED as an in-house initiative designed to elevate the level of excellence and knowledge in the workplace in ‘Udhailiyah. It has generated positive feedback and at-tracted high participation through its mul-tiple events, especially by Upstream petro-leum engineering professionals.

Abdulaziz O. Al-Kaabi speaks to more than 50 petroleum engineers in ‘Udhailiyah about the journey King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals’ College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences has taken from inception to the present day in ‘Udhailiyah. Created in 2015, the college focuses on three areas: petroleum engi-neering, geology, and geophysics.

by Emad Abbad

the arabian sun

11company news

RT promotes environment, energy awarenessRas Tanura — Under the theme “I Can’t

Save the Earth, but Together We Can,” the Ras Tanura Refinery (RTR) recently conduct-ed an environmental and energy awareness campaign with approximately 3,000 Saudi Aramco employees, contractors, consul-tants, families, and students attending.

The campaign, which put a strong em-phasis on environmental sustainability, was inaugurated by Khalid H. Al Juraifani, man-ager of the RTR Engineering Department. He was joined by several managers from Northern Area Oil Operations, the Environ-mental Protection Department (EPD), Com-munity Services, and Saudi Aramco Expatri-ate School principals.

The campaign included recycling activi-ties, awareness lectures toward waste man-agement, quizzes on environmental issues, gifts for all the participants, and prizes at the end of the campaign distributed by Muayad Aaraj from EPD.

going green“Environmental sustainability is essential

for safeguarding the world’s ecosystems, and for building a peaceful and equitable world,” said Al Juraifani. “The Ras Tanura Refinery itself is well known for pursuing environmentally sustainable approaches to development. Through its effective air-qual-ity initiatives, an innovative system of mon-itoring air pollution, and its drive to reduce energy, Ras Tanura Refinery has been put-ting green initiatives into practice in ways that benefit people and the environment.”

The delegation visited the various booths, reviewing their technologies, environmental and energy conserving products, and their awareness programs designed for the cam-paign.

outreachRTR’s annual outreach campaign, which

started in 2011, illustrates the crucial role it plays in informing stakeholders and the community about environmental and en-ergy conservation issues, as well as RTR’s role in environmental protection and en-ergy conservation as it has established an example of excellence and best practice in communicating sustainability and green is-sues. The campaign encouraged everyone to learn about the environment that sur-rounds them, to discover how it contributes to their lives and well-being, and to take ac-

tions that will ensure that it is preserved and used sustainably.

from the mouths of studentsRT Middle School students Nita Das and

Jackson Swets each spoke on the impor-tance of environmental protection and en-ergy conservation.

Jackson opened the session by talking about the importance of our natural sur-roundings and everyone’s role in better understanding their environment so that they can better protect it. Living close to RTR, “It is important for us to know what the refining activities are, how does it af-fect our day to day living, as well as what RT Refinery does to prevent pollution and harmful effects to the community and oth-er stakeholders. This is a platform where RT Refinery provides educational and aware-ness activities that demonstrate their con-tribution toward environmental protection,” Jackson said.

He further noted the variety of partic-ipants in the campaign and their keen knowledge about environmental protection, encouraging everyone to take advantage of these resources and learn more from them.

“I am proud to live in a community that is well protected by Saudi Aramco,” he add-ed. “We as a community have the option to give back, to promote change and to make a difference, by striving toward saving pre-cious water, promote waste reduction, exer-cise recycling and prevent contamination.”

Nita spoke on energy conservation issues, asking visitors to imagine a world without lights, gasoline, power, water, or heat. “This could happen if we don’t start conserving energy now,” she said, emphasizing that energy conservation is the best way to avoid “the situation we cannot even imagine.”

Nita said “conservation makes sense for individual consumers and commercial users alike — for one it provides better economic security, for the other it increases efficiency and maximizes profit.”

However, she noted that standard eco-nomic theory suggests technological im-provements that increase energy efficiency tend to increase rather than reduce energy use, as the cheaper energy is used more and increases use. Also, increased use gen-erally leads to economic growth.”

And while this doesn’t imply increased efficiency is bad, it does indicate that it is

more important that we alter our behaviors toward energy use to see the results we wish.

She listed several areas where individuals can help conserve energy around the home, such as:

• Appropriate temperature settings to control heating or cooling demand

• Use of correct energy rated home ap-pliances

• Proper lighting and fittings• Suitable mode selection for our hose

equipment • Stopping the unnecessary running of

the appliances.“The energy intensity of our houses de-

pend on the resident behavioral pattern, so we need to change our behavior towards the energy use,” said Nita.

She also spoke about the importance of cultivating solar and wind energy, which will help conserve fossil fuels.

“We have to act responsibly to secure our future for continuing supply of energy in the coming generations,” she concluded.

beach cleanupThe inauguration ceremony included

As part of the environmental and energy awareness campaign sponsored by the Ras Tanura Refinery, students from the Ras Tanura Primary School helped release previously captive birds into their natural environment. The day also featured a pair of speeches delivered by middle school students, a beach cleanup, a number of exhibitors, and more. See additional photo on page 13.

focus on nonmetallic materials use in TanajibTanajib — The Northern Area Technical

Support Department (NATSD) in Northern Area Oil Operations (NAOO) recently host-ed a technical awareness session at Mar-jan Hall in Tanajib on “Use of Nonmetallic Materials for Piping and Pipelines at NAOO Facilities.”

The session was arranged with the joint efforts of NATSD and the Consulting Ser-vices Department (CSD). The objective of the session was to promote nonmetallic installation in NAOO facilities to overcome major challenges with metallic piping.

NATSD manager Faisal Al-Dhabaiban opened the awareness session and empha-sized the importance of NAOO having a strategy for the deployment of nonmetallic materials with associated cost benefits.

Fifty-nine participants from CSD and NAOO departments attended the meeting. Four technical presentations were delivered by CSD and NATSD on the overview of the nonmetallic roadmap, nonmetallic ongo-ing projects, new technologies, and NAOO

corrosion challenges.

fighting corrosionTechnical presentations showed that cor-

rosion cost can be reduced by better uti-lizing nonmetallic piping. As accomplish-ments and ongoing projects highlighted, nonmetallic piping was used for the Shay-bah gas condensate line 13 kilometers (km) with significant savings. Also, around 50 km of subsea flexible piping were deployed in Safaniyah, Abu Safaniyah, Marjan, and Zuluf, which resulted in further significant savings. An additional installation of 50 km of flexible piping is planned for 2017-2019.

Following the presentations, a discus-sion took place focusing on piloting new technologies of nonmetallic at NAOO. It was agreed to form a technical committee comprising of representatives from NATSD, NAOO operation departments, CSD, the In-spection Department, and the Capital Proj-ect Division.

The committee will work on the feasibili-

ty of piloting new nonmetallic technologies in NAOO fields and establishing a NAOO nonmetallic strategy and installation road-map for the next three years.

At the end of the session, Al-Dhabaiban thanked all who attended for their active participation in making the session a suc-cess, as well as the excellent contribution of the presenters.

Participants in a session jointly organized by the Northern Area Technical Support and the Con-sulting Services departments listen to a session promoting the installation of nonmetallic mate-rials in piping and pipelines at Northern Area Oil Operations facilities.

songs by RT Elementary School pupils, cleaning of the RT Beach by students from the RT Primary School, along with the plant-ing of trees and releasing birds into their natural environment by the students.

The focus of the campaign community activities at the RT Beach, included limit-ing the impacts of climate change, through activities such as waste reduction and recy-cling, water and energy conservation, and re-vegetation. During the beach cleanup, the volunteers and students took part in ac-tivities designed to tidy up, spruce up, and conserve their local beach.

exhibitorsExhibitors at the event included the Envi-

ronmental Protection, Loss Prevention, and Fire Protection departments, the Northern Area/Western Region Community Services and Gardening Unit, John Hopkins Aram-co Healthcare, King Fahd University of Pe-troleum and Minerals, Al-Zamil Company, Veolia Environment Company, Anabeeb Company, Risal Company, Sepco Company, Al-Suwaidi Company, Mastoura Company, Emerson Company, Tanajib Company, and the Atlas Company.

12 community news December 21, 2016

When you walk along the roads in Japan, you experience not only the charm of a beautiful country, but you find yourself im-mersed in a lush, neat, organized greenery, in full harmony with the places of worship and deep spirituality.

Japan is a country of huge contrasts where the modernity of the metro with its towering skyscrapers, colorful neon signs, and massive crowds filling the streets are somehow always composed, with peo-ple exhibiting great hospitality while being discreet and noninvasive, with respect and helpfulness always on display.

the beauty of NikkoNot far from Tokyo rests the beauty of

Nikko. Climbing along nature trails, one ar-rives at the Tosho-gu Mausoleum, built in 1634. More than 15,000 artisans worked there, lacquering, painting, carving, and decorating for two years to create this won-derful complex.

Inside you can admire a five-story pagoda built in 650.

The Omoto-mon is the main entrance af-ter the pagoda, and it is guarded by two statues of Deva kings. Here, there are three sacred stores in which wood was kept and a sacred spring exists for washing hands. The Shinkyusha, a sacred stable, is also here and houses the famous sculpture of three mon-keys that “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

Nikko’s beauty is remarkable, its artistic richness amazing. One thing that strikes you about this sanctuary is that it is a spot of color in the green. Red, which has cultural significance, is predominant. For the Japa-nese, the brilliance of red represents the sun and happiness. It can even be found on the nation’s flag.

Kegon FallsWhen my husband and I visited, it was

the pervasiveness of the natural landscape

that persuaded us to extend our explora-tion upward toward Kegon Falls. We got on a bus that tackled the hard uphill hairpin bends, and we went up in the mountains to visit the small villages. After reaching our destination, we took a lift to access a van-tage point from which you can see the falls in all of their majesty.

The sunset came quickly, the rather over-shadowed sky let in a faint light which cre-ated an extraordinary scene that was rich with iridescent reflections on the waters of the little lake.

discovering Kyoto, KinkakujiIn Kyoto, we headed to the Arashiyama

district to see the bamboo forest. Here, the bamboo is more than 10 meters high and completely engulfs you on your jour-ney. The sound of rustling wind, combined with the singing of birds, made this place uniquely meditative and one of the most beautiful forests on the planet.

Still discovering Kyoto, we went to Kinka-kuji, which is the name of the Golden Temple. This wonderful pagoda contains the Buddha’s relics and is covered with golden leaves.

Gold has a strong symbolic value of purifi-cation from all kinds of pollution or negative thinking. The warm color of the walls and surrounding nature welcomes and embrac-es visitors. My husband and I stopped there and devoted some time to enjoy the place!

charming shrineAnother place that we found very charm-

ing was the shrine dedicated to the Kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, west of the Kyoto area. Located at the base of a moun-tain, the sanctuary includes several trails to other smaller shrines. The first structures were built in 711 on Inariyama hill in the southwest of Kyoto, but the sanctuary was moved in 816 at the request of Kukai Mo-naco. The main structure of the shrine was built in 1499.

At the bottom of the hill lies the main

gates to the sanctuary. Behind them in the middle of the mountain, the inner sanc-tuary is reached by a stairway lined with thousands of torii. They are the heart of this shrine, and the liveliness of their red cap-tures your eye and draws you into the in-finite illusion. The torii become progressively more linear and stylized in succession, skirt-ing the stairs immersed in lush vegetation and creating this vision to the infinity.

On top of the mountain there are hun-dreds of altars. Many of the altars have vo-tive objects, lamps, statues, and messages. Each torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha was donat-ed by a Japanese company. Foxes (kitsune), considered messengers, are often found in Inari shrines depicted with keys to the rice store in their mouth.

the castle of HimejiAnother amazing corner of Japan is Hime-

ji, a castle built for military purposes, erect-ed in 1601. It is one of the oldest structures of the Sengoku period. The Himeji Castle is also known by the name of Hakurojō, or Shi-rasagij, which means white heron, because of its appearance of a bright white color. The tall stone foundations, the white walls, the bastions, the access doors, the maze of narrow streets leading to the central tower, the organization and layout of the buildings within the complex, and the artillery posi-tions and holes in the walls used to throw stones at the enemy are only intended to be a deterrent for any attackers and allow the defenders to have them constantly in check.

You can dream a fairytale and you can then relive it in Himeji Castle. You can imagine princesses wearing precious kimo-nos who pace through the private rooms of inner courtyards, and you can imagine a white building that is colored by flowers thanks to the surrounding park.

Japan is a reminder of nature, spirituality, modernity, efficiency, and a civilization that makes life livable — a place that satisfies both body and soul.

Japan: a place that satisfies body and soul

The Japan countryside is where nature meets man in the most serene and beautiful interface, with walking paths, majestic pagodas, and mar-velous waterways among the images that dot the landscape.

by Chiara Ciampricotti

the arabian sun

13company news

spotlight

Some of the organizers of Southern Area Oil Operation’s Safari Abqaiq event pose for a photo at one of the event’s booths. The popular 10-day event attracted more than 100,000 visitors with a strong focus on Saudi Aramco’s history, from the first exploration for oil to current day activities.

Children who participated in Ras Tanura Refinery’s “I Can’t Save the Earth, but Together We Can” environmental and energy awareness campaign pose for a photograph with management following the event, which featured recycling activities, awareness lectures toward waste management, quizzes on environmental issues, and prizes distributed by management at the refinery. (Photo: Moayed Al-Qattan/MPD)

pg 11 pg 16

Front, HRH Prince Saud bin Naif bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz Al-Sa’ud, Governor of the Eastern Province, fifth from left, was joined by a number of high ranking officials at last week’s In-Kingdom Total Value Add Excellence Awards, including HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, fourth from left; HE Khalid S. Al-Sultan, rector at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, third from left; Amin Nasser, Saudi Aramco president and CEO, sixth from left; Abdulaziz A. Al Abdulkarim, Saudi Aramco vice president of Procurement and Supply Chain Management, second from left; Nasser A. Al-Nafisee, vice president of Saudi Aramco Corporate Affairs, far right; and Nabil K. Al Dabal, Saudi Aramco general manager of Training and Development, far left. The delegation was joined by a number of young Saudi trainees who are some of the primary benefactors of the IKTVA program. (Photo: Musleh Khathami/MPD)

pg 8

HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, and HE Ali I. Al-Naimi, former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resourc-es, are joined by top officials from Saudi Aramco, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and The Dow Chemical Company, including Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser and Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow, during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new research center at the university in Thuwal. The new research facility will be designed to support Saudi Aramco’s upstream and down-stream research domains, as well as environmental protection research efforts.

pg 5

The Saudi Aramco Gas Reservoir Management Department (GRMD) hosted a technical visit for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) as part of GCC National Oil Companies Steering Committee, focusing on development initiatives in the region. The goal of the visit was to share knowledge and experience regarding Underbalance Coiled Tubing Drilling — considered a technology “game-changer” for the Upstream gas development program in the Kingdom. Abdullah Al-Utaibi, GRMD acting manager, noted the technology involves efforts that “are integral in the development of oil and gas wells to improve well rate potential while reducing development cost.” The visit was an example of Saudi Aramco’s support and cooperation with GCC national oil companies sharing best-in-class development practices for optimized gas reserve exploita-tion. (Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD)

arabian 14the arabian sun

The Arabian Sun is a weekly pub-lication issued free of charge by the Public Relations Department for Saudi Aramco employees.

Publishing director: Haitham JehairanEditors: Jamsheed Din, Todd WilliamsEditorial staff: Musherf Alamri, Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf, Jeff McCoshen, Shaistha Khan, and Rawan Nasser.Articles may be reproduced provid-ed The Arabian Sun is credited.

Articles and coverage can be requested through the company’s CRM system.Correspondence may be addressed to the editor, North Admin Build-ing, Room AN-1080, C-05A.

North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaTelephone (013) 876-0374 Email: publishing@aramco.comISSN: 1319-156X

Safari Abqaiq offers a trip through timeAbqaiq — Saudi Aramco, represented

by Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO), recently participated in the Safari Abqaiq, which took place over 10 days. The event was held under the patronage of HRH Saud Bin Naif, Governor of the Eastern Province, at Salasil, south of the Abqaiq region.

During the event, Saudi Aramco present-ed the extensive history of oil in the region in general and the Abqaiq Area in particu-lar, covering the story of oil discovery, ex-traction, and eventually production from its inception in the early 1930s moving on to the present.

images and artifactsThis was demonstrated by sharing a large

number of film documentaries along with a photo gallery that captured Abqaiq City’s development throughout the years. The gallery offered a glimpse of the past, dis-playing old items such as typewriters, cal-culators, and an old treasury.

A green leather armchair used by late Saudi kings took center stage with visi-tors, as it was used during royal visits to

Dhahran.Among participating entities was the

Traffic Signature Safety Program, which the challenged locals’ misconceptions about speed, seat belts, and injury by providing the Seat Belt Convincer — and did just that by shaking up the populace through demonstrations. The device simulates the effect of vehicle accidents at slow speeds.

citizenship and sharingSalah Al-Juaidan, manager of the Abqaiq

Plants Maintenance Department, said, “One of our main goals is to participate with local communities to present our history and showcase Saudi Aramco’s oil business and its growth over time up to today for the broad audiences that attended.

“This comes in line with the company’s values and citizenship — especially shown through SAOO’s commitment toward the local community in Abqaiq,” he added.

The event was attended by more than 100,000 people from all over the Eastern Province and the GCC, with more than 14,000 gifts given to attendees and guests.

Safety is an important factor at any Saudi Aramco event, and the Safari Abqaiq was no different. Or-ganizers in Southern Area Oil Operations brought in the always popular Seat Belt Convincer, a device that allows individuals to physically feel the equivalent of a slow-speed vehicle accident.

by Aref M. Younis

Karen Du Four Des Champs took this photo-graph on her iPhone 6 while on a flight from Dammam to al-Hasa. Du Four Des Champs, who lives and works in Dhahran as a Manage-ment and Development adviser/coach, said she captured the image after noticing the service road dotted with electrical towers while the flight was descending to the al-Hasa airport and flying over al-Hofuf. Du Four Des Champs has been with the company for more than 18 months.

a lonely path in the desert

finding peace of mind in Japansee page 12