The distinguished Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) Awards yesterday announced the seven winners of its 2014 edition.
Celebrating innovation and commitment to excellence in the energy sector, the prestigious awards were presented to the seven category winners during the ADIPEC Awards Gala Dinner at the Emirates Palace.
Hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the event concluded the opening day of ADIPEC 2014, one of the world’s largest oil and gas events and a global meeting point for professionals in the energy sector. Winning entries represented projects that demonstrated qualities of merit, including ethical oversight, sustainability, and benefit to the community, setting benchmarks for best practice in the region and worldwide.
Chaired by Mr Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, the awards this year attracted wide international attention, receiving a record number of entries, with 396 submissions from more than 100 organisations in 26 countries. Posting continuous growth since their launch in 2010, the awards received 104 more submissions than last year, representing five more countries, and with the participation of 21 more organisations compared to 2013.
The most popular category this year was Best Oil & Gas Innovation and Technology, demonstrating the critical role technology plays in the region’s progressing energy sector and its development year on year.
Mr Mohammed Shelaiweeh Al Qubaisi, Director, Human Resources at ADNOC, said: “The demand for energy continues to grow, and it is our responsibility to work towards meeting this every-growing demand through sustainability, technology, and, of course, by acknowledging talent. It is these achievements that will allow us to further develop as a knowledge-based economy.”
21 nominees were shortlisted after the opening round of assessment by the Regional Select Jury, a panel of 26 industry experts from the region’s leading energy companies, academic institutions, and professional associations. Each shortlisted entry was thoroughly screened by the judges at the Regional Select Jury Meeting with the winners selected on the basis of a meticulous three-tier evaluation process.
Mr Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, ADIPEC 2014 Chairman, and Strategy & Coordination Director at ADNOC, said: “The ADIPEC Awards offer an excellent representation of the ground-breaking work in the region. Winners of the Awards have demonstrated innovation and excellence, and by recognising these achievements we disseminate valuable information to all stakeholders in the energy sector.”
“It is through such initiatives of knowledge transfer that best practice can be achieved in the global oil and gas industry.”
Members of the Regional Select Jury said the exceptional quality of submissions made by the participants this year presented them with a challenge when selecting the winners.
“We were very impressed with the entries in terms of both the quality and number of submissions, which continue to progress every year. What we definitely noticed is the sense of enthusiasm and the spirit of competition that prevailed among the entries,” said Tarek El Barkatawy, Chairman and Managing Director at Tanmia Petroleum Company.
“Every category had several entries that drew our attention, so it was definitely a difficult decision for the jury.”
Peter Seitinger, General Manager of the OMV Business Unit in Libya, said: “There were some brilliant ideas presented across all the submissions. Even those who did not make it to the finals merit recognition, and it is essential that we compile an idea bank that captures the exceptional work of all participants.”
New to the awards this year is the ‘Best Oilfield Services Company’ Award, which recognises exceptional service to the region’s oil and gas industry, based on ethical and sustainable practice, adherence to timelines, cost control, and overall value.
Winner of the newly introduced ‘Best Oil Field Services Company’ Award, the National Drilling Company was recognised for its submission, ‘Committed to the Region’.
“We have served the country for the last 40 years and will continue to drill while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety in the years to come,” said Mr Abdalla Saeed Al Suwaidi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Drilling Company.
“We will never stop innovating and improving our services, and we are committed to always bringing excellence to the industry. We thank the government, ADNOC, our partners, and the organisers of the ADIPEC Awards for this opportunity.”
Schlumberger was honoured with this year’s most popular category, ‘Best Oil & Gas Innovation or Technology’, for its submission ‘GeoSphere: Truly Game-changing’, and also received the ‘Best Oil & Gas HSE Project or Initiative’ Award for its submission, ‘Regional Journey Management’.
“GeoSphere is a tool used to optimise well landing in order to enhance hydrocarbon production. Oil has less places to hide with Geosphere. As nearly all of the ‘easy’ oil has been found, we now have to look for more challenging sources, and this technology allows us to drill in those locations,” said Tim Day, Drilling PetroTechnical Engineering Centre Manager at Schlumberger.
“A well-established Health, Safety and Environment policy can essentially save lives, and we have worked hard on this initiative to ensure the safety of our employees. Every day, workers are exposed to a number of dangers in the oil and gas industry, however driving still has the highest associated risk. This is why if we implemented a regional journey management centre in the Middle East to improve drivers’ levels of commitment and reduce incidents associated with driving.”
Winner of the ‘Young ADIPEC’ Award, Mohammed Bader Abdullah from the Kuwait Oil Company was recognised for his submission ‘Living A Dream’.
“Future leaders are those who have the eagerness to learn more, the innovative skills to work more, and the curiosity to take risk,” said Bader, who was the first Kuwaiti to join the French Institute of Petroleum, and the first Kuwaiti Engineer to work on the Enhanced Oil Recovery project with the Kuwait Oil Company in the country’s north oil fields.
The Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oilfield Operations (ADCO) was honoured with the ‘Empowerment of Women in the Oil and Gas Industry’ Award for their submission, ‘ADCO is Leading Women Empowerment’.
“Everyone works in harmony at ADCO, and our work culture truly welcomes diversity in the workplace. We were the first in the energy sector and the third in the public sector to introduce a child nursery onsite, and this nursery adheres to our cultures and beliefs,” said Ayesha Mohammed Al Hammadi, Planning Manager at ADCO.
|