A Stellar Platform
Ali Rashid Al-Jarwan, General Manager - Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) and Chairman of the recently held Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC) 2008 speaks to Jessica Brookes of OER on the sidelines of the conference in Abu Dhabi

How significant a role does ADIPEC play in bringing together the industry?
It has been proven through the years that ADIPEC is a very important event for the industry. If we take for example this year’s event, the attendance on the first day was 122,000, including 50 CEOs from the majors and national oil companies. So it is a very important event. We have about 1,550 companies exhibiting their latest equipment, technology and methods. It is an excellent forum for networking to capture best practices, exchanging information, developing a network within the industry. At the same time it is an opportunity for professionals in the industry to see the exhibitors, available trends, applications and what possible solutions are available.

How does the conference compare to previous years?
This year we have experienced growth across all areas. The exhibition has grown 100 per cent in size compared to the last ADIPEC held in 2006. In the conference section we have grown approximately 70 per cent. The quality of the conference and the exhibition has also improved each year. The first ADIPEC was held in 1984 and formed by professionals from ADNOC and members of the Society for Petroleum engineers. By 1992 we had achieved our goal of being the most competitive conference and exhibition in the region within the 10-year period that we had set for ourselves. As a world-class event we attract the attention of thousands of professionals and industry managers. This year alone 800 papers were submitted of which we selected only 200 papers. It is this choice that leads to credibility within the industry.

Take us through the modalities of the selection process?
Two years ago we established a new organising committee and an exhibition committee. These were supposed to co-ordinate and put strategies in place for the event. The executive committee for this year’s event consists of the top industry experts who are supported by specialised technical committees. The combined expertise of all involved ensures that we selected only the highest quality of papers that demonstrate the latest technologies, and best industry practice and approaches used to enhance industry performance. As a team we formulate the theme which is then used as the criteria for paper submission. The 2008 theme, “Working Together to Deliver Sustainable Growth: Innovative Teams and Technology Deployment”, was chosen for its timely relevance as the industry is faced with increased demand for energy. By holding such an event we hope to addresses such major challenges and issues that confront the energy sector.

The role of international oil companies (IOCs) and national oil companies (NOCs) is a hot topic at this year’s event. How important is industry collaboration?
Not only is the event itself a platform for this, by bringing together a vast range of industry professionals from both NOCs and IOCs, but it also gives companies the chance to discuss future role of collaboration and how to best achieve this. The industry now more than ever is realising the need for closer collaboration. Collaboration needs to occur both with the company itself and with outside companies and organisations. I see these collaborations as being the way forward for the industry. The international oil companies have a lot of excellent experience and they are result oriented. National oil companies also have very skilled workforces with the local knowledge and know-how and have targets to achieve, so drawing together the key strengths of both NOC and IOCs can only add value and strengthen the industry.

Given the global financial crisis what do you believe is the way forward?
We are still speculating and observing the market. We don’t know the extent of this economic crisis, and nobody knows what will happen in the short-to-medium-term. Most oil activities are related to the long-term, and I believe that we should not let the recent events dissuade us from the long term vision and targets we already have in place to achieve production in order meet the world demand for supply.

What needs to be done to address the skill shortage in the industry?
More emphasis needs to be placed on education starting not just from university levels but at high school also. There should be more alignment with the industry, what the industry requires and where it is heading. We need to focus on education – on the fundamentals of physics, chemistry and mathematics, and actively engage students in the industry. It is also vital that we prepare them from the very beginning of their education to manage changes, because the industry is changing everyday right before our eyes.

How important is the role of alternative energies in the energy supply equation?
It is very important that is why the industry requires all types of disciplines, all types of engineers and science fundamentals. I think the industry altogether from the wider scope of energy will take a wider spectrum of future energy requirement. The oil and gas industry will continue to have a major role for many years to come but we will require versatile engineers who know about the new technologies and alternative energy sources to ensure that they can deal with the future demand. All this, will ensure efficiency and better operation, sustainable production and maybe even higher recovery of oil and gas.

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