Gulf United Steel Holding Company (Foulath), a leading global steel investment vehicle and holding company and the world’s first fully integrated steel producer, was awarded for its commitment to and efforts in implementing the latest environmental protection systems.
President for the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife for the Kingdom of Bahrain presented award at a ceremony attended by Achim Steiner, United Nations Under Secretary and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awadi, Executive Secretary of the Regional Organization for the Protection of Marine Environment.
Foulath, which is among Bahrain’s largest investors and employers, was recognized for the role it has played in helping the Public Commission develop a new online system to monitor direct emissions from fixed sources such as industrial and power stations. This new tool will be critical in enabling the Kingdom to even better control the quality of its air, land and waterways.
Foulath investee company, Gulf Industrial Investment Company (GIIC) was established in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1984 and throughout this time, has remained highly committed to environmental protection through ongoing investments that ensure its growth is achieved in a planned and socially responsible manner. This means putting a premium on the establishment and maintenance of high health, safety and environmental standards at its Steel Complex, which is located in Bahrain’s Hidd Industrial Area, stretching across 1.3 million square metres of land.
Foulath’s Steel Complex is the world’s first fully integrated steel manufacturing facility and home to its investee companies Gulf Industrial Investment Company (GIIC), a world-class pelletizing company, which is one of three merchant plants in the world and the only one located in the Middle East, United Stainless Steel Company (USCO), the region’s first manufacturer of stainless steel, and United Steel Company (SULB), which will be the region’s only producer of beams and medium and heavy structural steel sections.
To date, Foulath and its subsidiaries have invested in excess of $20 million on the development, implementation and maintenance of environmental technologies, projects and procedures at their facilities so as to ensure the safety and preservation of the surrounding air, land and sea.
“We would like thank Shaikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa for this honour and his dedication to promoting the adoption and implementation of sound environmental policies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are delighted for the recognition he has awarded Foulath and our subsidiary companies,” said Khalid Al-Qadeeri, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Foulath.
“We continue to take active measures to adopt the most advanced systems and procedures so as to ensure the safety of the environment and communities in which we operate. We are extremely pleased to support this and other initiatives by the Public Commission to even further raise standards for monitoring the impact of industrial operations on the environment. We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the Public Commission as well as Foulath’s role as a strong corporate citizen in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
Foulath’s shareholders are Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), which is the Company’s 50% shareholder and is owned equally by the six governments of the GCC. They also include Qatar Steel Company, Qatar, Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi and Sons Company, Kuwait, National Industries Holding Group, Kuwait and Kuwait Foundry Company, Kuwait.