GPIC holds board meeting

Manama, Dec. 31 (BNA): The Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPC) has held a meeting of its board of directors under the chairmanship of Dr. Ahmed Al Sharyan. The chairman welcomed the members and thanked them for their efforts during the year and for supporting the company in its future aspirations. Al Sharyan said he is proud of working with the board as well as with the rest of the team. He praised their commitment through working together and cooperating to achieve and win several prizes. The board reviewed the company’s main activities and achievements since the last meeting. The items on the agenda were discussed and appropriate decisions taken. Issues related to the operation and events carried out by the company, especially those relating to social responsibility, community assistance and contribution to its development, were also discussed. Plans were reviewed to develop national cadres, who have proved their professionalism in taking the company to new horizons of success and excellence. Dr. Al Sharyan said despite the challenges, the board of directors is proud of the company's achievements in the field of safety. He expressed pleasure at the results in the field of occupational safety and said the GPIC had achieved about 8,353 workdays without a lost time accident, which was equivalent to more than 30 million hours. He said the largest-ever periodic maintenance in terms of the total number of employees and contractors and the number of businesses was carried out during the year, which was a great achievement, not only for the level of figures achieved but also with regard to the success of the company in maintaining the safety of employees whom the company sees as the core of its sustainable development. GPIC President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery revealed that the company had succeeded in recording new export figures. A total of 1.13 million tons of ammonia, urea and methanol were exported, which was 1% higher than planned what had been planned. He said a total of 49,325 metric tons of ammonia, 409,671 metric tons of methanol and 667,721 metric tons of urea fertilizer were sold, all of which was shipped to its final destination on board 59 vessels. In addition, 786 metric tons of urea packed in bags was allocated to the local market to support Bahrain’s agricultural sector, accounted by China and Brazil the largest share of the company's total exports by 18 %, followed by then both India by 16% and 14% Taiwan ranking. He spoke about the several national and international awards the company had won, including the King Hamad Award to empower young people to achieve the goals of sustainable development, the Gold Medal for Excellence in Health, Safety and Environmental Conservation awarded by the International Fertiliser Association in recognition of its unique safety record and its observance of the highest standards applied in occupational health and the environment at all stages of manufacturing and production. In addition, Dr. Jawahery himself received the 2018 Chief Executive Award in the field of safety given by the National Safety Council of the United States. The company also received a certificate for its methanol from Halal Certification Services (HCS) after conducting a rigorous examination and analysis. It won the safety award from the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for the 14th consecutive year and the Arab Award for Social Responsibility for the category of major enterprises in the Arab World by the Arab Network for Corporate Social Responsibility. It was also awarded the Responsible Care Award for 2018 (Health, Safety and Occupational Safety) for its programme from the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association. Dr. Al Sharyan thanked the board members for their efforts to make the meeting successful and to take appropriate decisions that would enhance its success and help it to continue its journey at all levels with all professionalism while implementing its decisions, policies and strategies. The board of directors expressed its satisfaction with the good results of the meeting and thanked the Chairman for his good management and guidance. It praised the efforts of the members of the executive management and the efforts of the employees who contributed to the success of the company. The board members stressed that they would take advantage of all the economic and developmental opportunities offered by the petrochemical industry to promote development and make the best use of all the Gulf region's primary resources and enjoy a large industrial base for the basic values of the vital industry. It said the region is ready to take advantage of the opportunities available in the market at present. The GPIC was founded in 1979 as a nucleus for cooperation between the GCC countries in the field of fertilizers and petrochemicals, taking advantage of the natural gas produced by Bahrain as a raw material. The company was established as a joint venture equally owned by the Government Bahrain, represented by NOGA Holding, Saudi Arabia represented by the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Kuwait, represented by the Petrochemical Industries Company. The board of directors consists of representatives from the three participating countries. The first project of the company was the setting up of a petrochemical complex to produce ammonia and methanol. It later evolved and introduced a plant for urea. It looks forward to the future as a distinct company in the production and export of petrochemical products of high quality, and to maintain this unique position, has been directing efforts and investment in the development and modernization of major equipment for factories and modernization of management and control systems.