An engineer at Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) was recently elected as a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Ammonia Safety Committee – a first for Qatar and the Middle East, it was announced in a statement.
Qafco Continuous Improvement manager Ahmed Rahimi’s election to the committee was held during AIChE’s ‘62nd Annual Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities Symposium’ in New York.
Rahimi graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas in 1999 and immediately joined Qafco as a Mechanical Engineer. His expertise resides in Project and Maintenance Management, and is the current Continuous Improvement manager at the company.
“It is a genuine pleasure to be part of the AIChE’s Ammonia Safety Committee and to help implement the safety measures across the companies. Being part of this committee proves Qafco’s commitment toward supporting plant safety and operations excellence,” Rahimi said.
The annual symposium was dedicated to improving the safety of plants that manufacture ammonia and related chemicals, such as urea, nitric acid, ammonia nitrate, and methanol. More than 400 attendees, including plant safety personnel, plant managers, and process engineers, maintenance engineers representing a spectrum of industries shared technological advances and discussed strategies for improving plant safety, maintenance, and management.
Company leaders and practitioners described how their organisations can avoid or manage potential plant accidents, and presented solutions to a variety of safety engineering problems. Participants also received an overview of the products available to improve safety measures.
Qafco was created in 1969 as a joint venture company to produce chemical fertilisers. It was the first and most significant step in Qatar’s industrial diversification programme to utilise its natural gas resources.
Since then, Qafco has steered its way successfully, responding adequately to the world market demand for fertiliser and living up to the expectations of its shareholders. Qafco is now owned by Industries Qatar (75%) and Yara Netherlands BV (25%).