Gulf energy industry leaders call to protect marine environment

Dubai: Gulf government and energy industry leaders called for more protection of fragile marine environments in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea yesterday.

Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group, said Gulf nations were committed to minimising the potential risks of global warming.

Speaking at Offshore Arabia, an oil and gas conference that kicked off in Dubai yesterday, he said, "I am also confident that oil producing countries will help in attaining fair and just solutions towards global energy security and environmental protection."

Offshore Arabia, with its theme of "Global partners for energy and environment," has attracted more than 50 environmental firms specialising in dealing with oil and gas spills.

There were 164 oil and gas leak cases in the Gulf between 2002 and 2005, and 43 incidents in the Red Sea during the same period, according to the Saudi Arabian government. The environmental damage from the leaks is unknown.

"We need to do more," said Salim Al Aydh, senior vice-president of engineering and operations services at Saudi Aramco.

Non-native species

"We must continue to raise awareness of environmental issues, to develop new technologies to protect delicate natural ecosystems and work to enhance our operational reliability."

Saudi Aramco, the largest company in the world, worth $781 billion according to recent estimates, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in environmentally-related projects, said Al Aydh.

He noted the company recently launched environmental excellence programs, developed a continuous ballast exchange system on its ships to prevent the importation of non-native species, and created a technique to rapidly identify the source of marine spills.

Khamis Juma Bu Amim, chairman of the Regional Clean Sea Organisation and vice-president of Dubai Petroleum Company, said the Gulf was home to energy intensive industries that would increase with surging economies and populations.

More than 70 per cent of the world's desalinisation plants are located in the region, he noted.