OREANDA-NEWS. November 06, 2013. Saudi Aramco once again had a strong showing at the Oil and Gas Middle East Awards in Abu Dhabi, collecting four awards for its efforts over the past year. 

It won Integrated Oil Company of the Year, Gas Project of the Year (Karan Gas Project), Young Engineer of the Year and, in conjunction with joint venture partner Dow Chemical Co., Best International Collaboration in recognition of their efforts in forming and developing Sadara Chemical Co. (Sadara).

“We are pleased that the awards’ judges have recognized the importance that Sadara holds for not only our two companies but the future economy of the region as a whole,” said Abdulrahman F. Al-Wuhaib, Saudi Aramco senior vice president for Downstream and Sadara chairman of the board.

“Sadara embodies Saudi Aramco’s vision for ongoing involvement in the downstream petrochemicals industry — a vision that will lead to the creation of a wide range of useful products for our society and numerous employment opportunities,” Al-Wuhaib said.

“With Sadara, we at Saudi Aramco are dedicated to nurturing a productive environment that will make use of the latest in technology and innovation and will provide lasting benefits to the Kingdom and beyond.”

Sadara is a landmark chemicals project planned to yield more than three million metric tons of vital consumer and industrial plastics and specialty chemical products annually.

As a major area of future business focus for Saudi Aramco, Sadara will possess robust cracking capabilities, and the company’s output will serve rapidly growing markets in energy, transportation, infrastructure and consumer products throughout the Middle East region and beyond.

Sadara’s fully integrated chemicals complex is currently under construction in Jubail Industrial City II and is scheduled for full operation by 2016.

Sadara will be the largest-ever chemical facility built in a single phase, composed of 26 manufacturing units, making it a truly one-of-a-kind venture. It is anticipated that the presence of Sadara will lead to thousands of new Saudi jobs in the coming years.

For Abdulkareem M. AlSofi, being awarded the Young Engineer of the Year award at the Oil and Gas Middle East (OGME) conference serves as the ultimate recognition that his work as a reservoir engineer with the Saudi Aramco EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) is not only appreciated but also held in high regard.

“Winning such an award is also a reflection of my EXPEC ARC colleagues and management who have provided such encouraging support and opportunities, without which none of this would have been possible,” said AlSofi.

“This recognition provides the incentive to keep up the momentum and assures me that hard work is taking me in the right direction.”

AlSofi earned the award for his efforts as an active member in the Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (C-EOR) and SmartWater Flood research programs with EXPEC ARC’s Reservoir Engineering Technology (RET) Division.

And the Karan Gas Project, already recognized as a world-class development and winner of several regional and international awards, was recognized as winner of the “Gas Project of the Year”.

Saudi Aramco also received “Integrated Oil Company of the Year” based on outstanding work it has done in handling such mega-projects as Karan.

Previously, the Karan project was one of 10 finalists for the “Excellence in Project Integration” award at the 2013 International Petroleum Technical Conference in Beijing, China, which brought in more than 4,000 participants.

Through the implementation of multifarious high-end technology in drilling, completion and hydraulic fracturing, along with a dedicated group of engineers and technologists and continuous assistance of various sister departments from drilling, production, facilities, research and gas plants, the overall gas project is overcoming all challenges and proceeding at a formidable pace to meet the Kingdom’s ever-growing internal consumption.

“The amount of workload our engineers are carrying is tremendous, and with their dedicated efforts and best-in-class practices, the new gas discoveries and higher production performances are highly visible today, supporting the economy of Saudi Arabia,” said Adnan Al-Kanaan, manager of the Gas Reservoir Management Department.

“We maintain a balanced and productive environment in our department, and our professional staff stays happy with the strong support and appreciation they receive from the upper management.”

Al-Kanaan noted that the Karan Gas Project is one of the most valuable assets of Saudi Arabia’s nonassociated gas portfolio, providing a substantial potential to the gas supply.

“It has outstanding reservoir qualities, and we are carefully putting together the mode of exploitation and optimal reservoir management practices to ensure the highest sustained recovery from this offshore field,” he said.