OREANDA-NEWS. February 04, 2013. Qatar Petroleum (QP) launched the 1st Operational Safety Challenges in the Oil & Gas Industry Forum, an event that brought together representatives from various QP departments as well as from Dolphin Energy, Oryx GTL, Qatar Fuel Additives Company (QAFAC), Qatargas, RasGas and Shell, reported the press-centre of Qatar Petroleum.

Held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP, the two-day forum is organized by the Best Practice Technical Committee (BPTC) of QP’s Dukhan Operations. The main objective of the event is to provide a platform for industry professionals and stakeholders to share their experiences, strategies and achievements related to operational safety.

“I believe this forum will further synergize safety in every aspect of our operations and it supports our commitment to a culture of operational excellence. Safety has played a very important role in the development of our hydrocarbon industry in the past and will continue to occupy a key position in the current and future growth of our industry,” said H.E. Dr. Al-Sada, who delivered the keynote address during the opening of the forum.

Mr. Ahmad Saif Al-Sulaiti, Operations Manager-Dukhan Fields, said: “This forum is the first of its kind in Qatar and it primarily aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences and ideas among the many oil and gas companies operating in Qatar. Qatar Petroleum has always been very particular about the safety of its employees and contractors, and I am confident that this forum will drive us all to achieve even better results and will be very beneficial and rewarding as we continuously work to improve our safety culture.”

The first day of the 1st Operational Safety Challenges in the Oil & Gas Industry Forum focused mainly on the Permit to Work (PTW) system, its effectiveness and challenges as well as on Process Safety (PS) Asset Integrity Management (AIM).  The speakers came from QP, RasGas, QAFAC, Qatargas, Oryx GTL and Pearl GTL.

At the continuation of the forum at the St. Regis Doha, the presentations will further discuss a wide range of topics related to PTW challenges and PS implementation in the oil and gas industry. The forum will conclude with roundtable plenary sessions, during which the lessons learned, technical challenges and other issues will be thoroughly discussed by a panel of experts.

“With safety being a significant and critical aspect in the operations of the oil & gas industry, we believe that sharing our valuable experiences will greatly contribute in enhancing the safety culture and further raising the safety standards in this sector. We are planning to have similar forums in the future, as we hope to bring out the best operational safety practices to the oil and gas world,” said Mr. Soud Jaleel Al-Ruwaili, Assistant Manager for Production Operations (Gas Recycling) at QP’s Dukhan Operations and Chairman of the BPTC.

The BPTC is tasked with researching, studying, customizing, and implementing the best practices carried out locally and internationally by oil and gas companies. The committee’s goal is to ensure that all Dukhan facilities are operated in an efficient and safe manner in line with the objectives of QP’s Operations Directorate.