OREANDA-NEWS. December 05, 2013. Aramco Overseas Company (AOC) was chief sponsor of November’s prestigious IChemE Awards 2013 held in the UK, which recognize innovation and excellence in the field of chemical engineering.

Founded in 1922, IChemE (Institute of Chemical Engineers) has a global professional membership within the industry and boasts close to 38,000 members across 120 countries.

Affiliate AOC, headquartered in Europe, took this opportunity to give greater exposure to Saudi Aramco among the leading specialists and academics in attendance. Networking in such technical fields will allow the business, through AOC, to foster new relationships.

Delivering the evening’s key note address, Nabil Aldabal, Managing Director of AOC emphasized the importance of awards ceremonies like these, which reward cutting-edge thinking. “Nights like this highlight the continuing technological advances in an industry which is of fundamental value to the global economy. Furthermore, we believe these achievements can help meet the challenges that come with an ever-changing energy landscape.  

“Since 2012, Aramco has continued to expand its refining capacity and integration of new chemicals facilities, which means more of what we produce will contribute benefits further down the value chain,” he told the audience, which included leading executives from a host of industries including oil and gas, chemicals and pharmaceutical.

Indeed, movement down the value chain, through potential projects in conjunction with IChemE members, can assist the Aramco business to further its downstream activity, in products such as aromatics and polymers.

AOC was also sponsor of one of the ceremony’s key accolades, the Water Management and Supply Award, an area which holds particular resonance with Saudi Aramco, as it looks to improve efficiencies in processes that require heavy water usage. The winners of the award were South Africa’s Trailblazer Technologies for their solutions related to acid rock drainage (ARD), an issue that affects the fossil fuel industry.

The ceremony, this year held near Manchester (UK), is the institute’s global edition and entries from all over the world were in contention. Dr. David Brown, IChemE’s chief executive congratulated all of those shortlisted for this year’s awards, especially the winners. “To have winners from five different continents shows the truly global nature of the IChemE Awards as they continue to grow from strength to strength.”

This year’s proceedings featured a record number of entries from countries including Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States.

“The IChemE Awards represent the hard work, inventiveness and achievements of thousands of chemical engineers across the world, and we are proud to host them on behalf of the profession,” Dr. Brown added.