Recognised achievements of Qatar’s oil and gas industry underline safety as a basic component and a valuable characteristic of the country’s business, said HE the Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada.
“Such an unwavering commitment by both Qatar and the sector set the dynamics for the development of the HSE discipline and it also ensures that we meet the health, safety and environmental demands of today, while creating sustainable conditions for tomorrow,” al-Sada said in his opening remarks at the 2014 Society of Petroleum Engineers Middle East Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development Conference and Exhibition at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.
“Our industry, is taking the search for new hydrocarbons into more intricate areas, hence creating an unprecedented need for higher levels of planning and performance. There is no doubt that our success is contingent upon our ability to integrate technological advances with safety, risk management, and environmental protection.
“We, in Qatar, are very much aware of the challenges we have to meet as we manage the rapid growth of not just our industry, but also our national economy. We are undertaking a number of complex mega projects as well as an important redevelopment of the existing Bul Hanine, Dukhan, and Al-Shaheen oil fields.”
Such projects place the energy sector at the heart of the country’s development, and direct its potential towards achieving Qatar’s National Vision and Development Strategy, which are guided by the vision and leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The strategic importance of Qatar’s oil and gas sector has been the driving force behind many initiatives designed to maintain a robust and safe industry, one that implements and promotes the strictest adherence to the highest international safety regulations and standards, al-Sada said. “Our objective is the safety of people and the environment through a safety culture that constitutes the backbone of all our operations – be they offshore, onshore, upstream, or downstream,” he said.
Qatar’s commitment in this endeavour has been demonstrated on numerous occasions, al-Sada said.
“It was just last week, that I had the honour to join Oryx GTL in a celebration to mark three years with a total recordable injury rate of zero, and almost 20mn hours without a lost time incident.
“This came on the heels of other similar achievements, including Pearl GTL’s 77mn man hours without a lost time incident, Qatargas Jetty Boil-off Gas Recovery Project’s 15mn man-hours without an LTI (lost time incident), and Qatar Petroleum’s 17mn man-hours without LTI on its Gas Sweetening Facilities project.
“But to top them all, I must not forget to mention Barzan project’s historic achievement of 100mn man-hours without a lost time incident. This was a moment to remember for RasGas and the entire energy and industry sector in Qatar as it involved a melting pot of more than 30,000 workers from some 45 countries, with various languages and diverse cultural backgrounds.”
Al-Sada also called upon the industry to help promote and develop a deep-rooted safety culture and a safe working environment for all and to use an important platform like this conference to heighten preparedness for the unexpected, and to be ready to protect “the People, environment, assets, and reputation”.
“It is admirable that an SPE Regional University Student Programme is being held in conjunction with this conference. It is very encouraging to note the objectives of such a programme, foremost of which is developing local talent and encouraging young Qatari students to pursue careers in the energy industry,” al-Sada said.
QFCRA plans new norm to make boards, senior managers accountable for staff recruitment
The Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) is planning to introduce a new approval process that places clearer accountability and responsibility on firms and their board and senior management to appoint competent and fit-and-proper employees. In this regard, the QFCRA has released a consultation paper seeking public comment on proposed rule changes that amend the approved individuals’ regime (AI regime) for QFC authorised firms. The consultation period is open until November 2, 2014.
The proposals to update the individuals’ rules include removing the customer-facing function (CFF) from the list of controlled functions; and enhancing particular knowledge competency requirements.
The proposals will ensure the AI regime appropriately targets board members, senior executives and people in key control positions, a QFCRA spokesman said.
There is no consideration to reduce the scope of the current training and competency regime in individual rules and employees who perform either controlled functions or a CFF for a firm are required to continue to meet the T&C requirements, he said.
