The Minister of Oil inaugurates the 7th International Conference and Exhibition on Health, Safety and Environment

H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, inaugurated the 7th International Conference and Exhibition on Health, Safety and Environment, on Monday evening, September 30, 2019 under the theme of "Efficiency, Resilience and Sustainability", hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain from September 30 to October 3, 2019 in the Gulf Hotel. Organized by iCONEX and in coordination and cooperation with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) and supported by Saudi Aramco, Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas) and many local, regional and international companies.

The event was attended by H.E. Mr. Jameel Bin Mohammed Al-Hamaidan, Minister of Labor and Social Development, H.E. Ms. Faeqa Bint Saeed Al Saleh, Minister of Health, and H.E. Shaikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, and a large number of senior executives of companies specialized in the oil sector, interested people, technicians and academics to discuss many topics related to health, safety, environment and the latest developments in this field.

H.E. the Minister of Oil said that this conference is a specialized conference, which will be a good opportunity to discuss many topics related to health, safety, environment and the latest developments in this field. With the presence of a large number of specialized speakers who will raise this event with their ideas and knowledge and their experience, which benefits participants representing several sectors, including the oil and gas sector, which is one of the sectors with a high labour density.

H.E. the Minister of Oil explained that NOGA, based on the guidance of the esteemed government, emphasizes the importance of health, safety and  environment for the development of human resources, as the human element is the most important resource on which any production institution depends on. The oil companies of NOGA are seeking to monitor the annual budgets for good training and to inform the workforce of the latest programs related to human health and occupational safety, as a result of which a number of oil companies under NOGA have obtained several international awards awarded by specialized entities in health, safety and environment. Adding that this achievement and honor is a source of pride not only on records and awards, but also that the culture of health, safety and environment has become a behavior that includes all those working in this important sector, which had a great impact on the achievements achieved over the past years.

H.E. the Minister of Oil highly appreciated the performance of  the oil companies in applying the highest standards of regulations in health, safety and environment, which yielded outstanding results, where Bahrain National Gas Company (BANAGAS), Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and Tatweer Petroleum company launched a number of vital oil projects recently, which needs a plan to implement a number of regulations to provide a safe and healthy working environment with the aim of increasing production, preserving facilities and preserving the human element. H.E. pointed out that the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) has been able to achieve approximately 8,353 working days without any time-consuming incidents, equivalent to 30 million working hours, which is a major achievement in this regard. 

As for the environment, H.E. the Minister of Oil said that the Kingdom of Bahrain has ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change. Noting that the Kingdom of Bahrain is implementing a wide range of projects and initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions or those aimed at reducing the negative effects of these phenomenon on the Kingdom of Bahrain. H.E. said that NOGA is organizing many specialized events, conferences, exhibitions and workshops with the aim of promoting awareness and culture in order to preserve the environment and protect the planet from climate change. Hoping that these initiatives and events will be able to achieve the world's desire to achieve more achievements and desired goals.

At the end of his speech, H.E. the Minister of Oil thanked the organizers for the good preparation that contributed positively to the large participation in the conference. As well as, H.E. thanked and appreciated the speakers, heads of meetings, delegates and companies participating in the accompanying exhibition, wishing them all the best and success.

The opening session, which was attended by more than 800 participants, was attended by Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, CEO of BANAGAS, President of the conference, and Dr. Muhammad Al Saggaf, Senior Vice President of Operations and Business Services at Saudi Aramco. The conference will also attract more than 120 dignitaries from around the world who will discuss several important topics in the field of health, safety and environment, with 4 panel discussions, 16 technical sessions and 7 specialized workshops. The opening ceremony program also included a panel discussion of the CEO's of oil companies, who discussed health, safety, environment and challenges in key projects with the participation of Ms. Fatema Mohamed Al Nuaimi, CEO of ADNOC, Mr. Khaled Ali Al Alyani, Vice President of SABIC, Mr. James Kenneth Eastlack, CEO of Tatweer, and a number of CEO's.

Moreover, H.E. the Minister of Oil inaugurated the accompanying exhibition, in the presence of a number of ministers and chief executives of oil companies, where they had a tour around the exhibition and saw many displays from different exhibitors. This year's accompanying exhibition also featured the allocation of space for youth creativity with the participation of a number of local universities to discuss and exchange ideas and experiences. More than 50 international companies participated in the exhibition, including Saudi Aramco, Sadara, BAPCO, GPIC, Tatweer, BANAGAS, Alba, ENOC, Total and a number of government institutions such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health and the Supreme Council for Environment.