“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will establish non-destructive testing centre (NDTC) with an investment of $20million as part of its strategy aimed at supporting the petrochemical and petroleum industry in the Kingdom,” Engineer Samir A Al-Tubayyeb, Vice President Engineering Services at Saudi Aramco, said,
In his keynote at opening of the three-day 6th Middle East Non-destructive Testing Conference and Exhibition he said that Aramco would continue to adapt to the best practises as part of its strategy to be a leader in the market.
Highlighting the investment plans Samir said that despite some pressures on the downstream sides there would be significant investments by Saudi Aramco in 2012 and beyond.
The conference under the patronage of Bahrain’s State Minister of Electricity and Water Dr Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza attracted over 500 local, regional and international delegates and 63 exhibitors from across the world.
Ayedh Al Saleh Manager of Inspection Department of Saudi Aramco hailed the continuous support of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Middle East Nondestructive Testing Conference and Exhibition over the past years.
Al Saleh also expressed thanks and appreciation to the Minister of Energy Dr. Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza as well as Vice President of Engineering Services in Saudi Aramco whose generous support enhanced the conference greatly and underlined the commitment of Saudi Aramco to the regional development and prosperity of energy market as part of their corporate values.
Al Saleh added that they were envisioning this conference which would assist the various industries in the region to establish and use vigorous inspection and maintenance programs yielding to an effective ” Assets Performance and Management .”
“We all strive to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of our facilities – and this conference will debate these subjects and provide an opportunity to learn from each other as a global network,” he added.
“In today’s competitive economies , we need to share the challenges in our industries and work jointly with technology developers to design relevant engineering solutions, Non-destructive Testing is one of the important tools that can assist you to reach your goals.”
“This conference has grown from a very humble beginning back in 2001 to this big gathering that we are witnessing today, ” highlighting ” The hard work and persistent efforts of the Saudi Arabian Section of the American Society for Non-destructive Testing, and the Bahraini Society of Engineers is coming to fulfillment in a way that makes each and every one of us proud,” The Manager of Inspection Department of Saudi Aramco, said.
“We are expecting to have more than 500 local and international delegates attending the 65 technical presentations and we have 63 exhibitors providing access to a world class selection of NDT equipment and services to the region,” Al Saleh, added.
The local technical societies in the region have contributed significantly in developing engineers and technicians. The Saudi Arabian Section of the American Society for Non-destructive Testing (ASNT-SAS) has made major leaps in this direction. In addition to organizing such a conference and exhibition, ASNT – SAS has made important progress in certification.
“A few years ago, we had only very few technicians and engineers certified as ASNT Level III , which is the highest certification examinations to our region and has worked with the global and local training centers to prepare and offer NDT courses and exams.”
“Our region now has more than 600 active members where 130 of them are Level III engineers and technicians.”
“Of course, none of the achievements would have been possible without continuous support from members and local industries. By working together they will be able to solve challenges and to ensure rapid and full implementation of advanced NDT technologies to ensure reliability of our asset.”
This conference will provide a valuable chance to meet senior players in the NDT field including representatives from some of the renowned manufacturers, service providers and researchers.