KOC will host Kuwait’s 3rd Conference for Oil & Gas Flow Measurement Technology, which will take place from November 12-19 and include the participation of a number of local, regional and international companies and entities that will present their latest services and technical products related to measurement technology.
In this context, Rashid Al-Marri, Team Leader Export Oil Movement & Measurement Team, explained that KOC is the first national oil company in the Gulf to organize this conference, which is held in various locations around the world every year. The first was in the USA, the second was in Great Britain and the last was held in Asia. The Middle East wasn’t on the event’s schedule before 2014 until KOC took the initiative and hosted it successfully with extensive participation from Gulf companies, who benefitted immensely. This encouraged even more companies to take part. The first event had an attendance of about 300 individuals.
Spurred by its success, KOC hosted the second version in 2015 and achieved even more success. ARAMCO expressed its desire to host the 2016 version in rotation with KOC. However, it didn’t organize it last year, which led KOC to take the initiative again and organize the event, while also being ready to host this event annually.
Company Stature
By hosting the conference, KOC was able to build on its good reputation and receive global recognition. The conference became well known in the oil and gas industry, and global companies added it to their annual agendas when planning and preparing budgets dedicated to their external participation.
Moreover, the number of lectures increased. Previously, the first two days were enough to cover them, but this year all three days will be dedicated to lectures as work papers have increased. There will also be more companies from new countries and regions, such as China.
Immense benefit
KOC succeeded in attracting a number of internationally significant oil and gas companies to present their measurement technology in Kuwait, enabling several regional and local companies, as well as state institutions like the Ministry of Electricity and Water, to learn more about these latest methodologies and technologies.
Furthermore, prominent international experts delivered lectures about the best measurement technology which signify great importance in our daily lives, as this technology plays an important role for all of society, not just businesses, as many things are governed by accurate measurement, and any mistake has the potential to cause a considerable amount of damage to facilities and individuals. Therefore, KOC has long understood the importance of accurate measurement methodologies because of the important role they play for safe operations, which is a primary concern for the Company.
In previous iterations of the event, new practices were presented, allowing KOC to ensure that it is keeping pace with the latest technology. This comes within the context of constant development of measurement practices, as the event is a cornerstone of this development as it provides an opportunity to exchange practices with other companies and learn more about some of the problems it may have faced, as well as solutions.
Work Papers
The 3rd Conference for Oil & Gas Flow Measurement Technology will have various work papers with more presenters. The number of work papers that will be presented has reached 36, whereas in the past this figure did not exceed 27. It was possible to reach 40 work papers, but the Organizing Committee decided to limit the number to better control the conference flow and optimally use its time.
KOC will present three papers, and there will be two more from Kuwait with one from KNPC and the other from EQUATE. In addition, other papers from the Gulf will be included, as ARAMCO plans to deliver three work papers at the event. In regard to attendance, concerned employees from various Directorates will be present as all oil operations involve measurement.
Management Support
The 3rd Conference for Oil & Gas Flow Measurement Technology is also distinguished by the boundless support displayed by KOC’s Senior Management, as the event is chaired by the KOC CEO or one of his DCEOs. According to Al-Marri, the high significance attributed to the domain of measurement is because of the important role it plays in reflecting KOC’s professionalism and respect for its clients, as accurate numbers demonstrate the Company’s desire for accuracy and accountability. The second reason is because oil is an income source, and whatever is measured and exported forms the amount through which sales revenue is calculated.
New Team
Rashid Al-Marri currently leads the Export Oil Movement and Measurement Team, which is relatively new and shoulders many responsibilities. Until recent times, KOC’s oil measurement depended on a static system which utilized tanks and gauges, but recently this has evolved to the incorporation of a dynamic system that is more accurate, as what is measured is what is delivered. This new approach, however, necessitated the formation of a new and specialized team.
At first, a section with some independence was established to take on verifying amounts in operations and other related activities. This section’s capabilities evolved with different specialists coming into the mix, and the Company considered distributing them over all its administrations since it requires specialists in different capacities, e.g. operations measurement is different compared to export measurement, etc.
Hence, there was a need for engineers in different specialties to be combined in one team, and it was established as a unit that fell under the Support Services Group of Export Operations and Marine Operations in the West Kuwait Directorate.
Regarding the “Movement” aspect of the team’s name, part of the team is responsible for defining amounts, and issuing documents for vessels that need official invoices and origin certificates issued in Kuwait to be used in customs. These documents include data that clarify available amounts, specifications, and more.
The team currently has 31 employees, but since it has various tasks over a large area, it needs to employ more, which is occurring at the moment, especially since it was given a new task that involves covering dispatch points at all Gathering Centers, which is the point where oil goes out to the farms. This means the team is now responsible for calibrating amounts, gauge types, and other methods, including export points to the Ministry of Oil.
Preparation and Training
The team needs more preparation and equipment. It is well informed within the market, and is one of the first entities to learn more about any new technology that appears, and its officials make sure it attained approvals and licenses from specialized global laboratories before adopting them. Even afterward, it is implemented in pilot projects before final approval.
Al-Marri concluded that the sustainability of any team requires training its individuals, and hence, they cooperate with specialized global companies in this field with the best experience. There are several types of training, which include sending one of the employees abroad for a certain time to work with an international company and learn more about their standards and procedures, then they come back having gained vast experience. In the second method, an expert is brought through assignment to work with the team members and present their experience. This is in addition to other methods which include lectures, workshops, external participation, and more.
The Committee for the 3rd Conference for Oil & Gas Flow Measurement Technology:
KOC CEO Jamal Jaafar will chair the conference. The Executive Committee is led by DCEO WK Ismail Abdulla with the membership of Export Operations Group Manager Ali Hashim, PR & Information Group Manager Mohammad Al-Basry, Career Development & Planning TL Bader Al-Hadiya and Chief Multimedia Officer Noora Al-Soula. Meanwhile, Rashid Al-Marri leads the Technical Committee, which involves a number of engineers and specialists from KOC, KNPC and EQUATE.