GPIC holds Board meeting

The Board of Directors of GPIC held its 194 th meeting, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Ali Al Sharyan.

Speaking on the occasion, His Excellency thanked the members of the Board for their efforts in 2019 and appreciated their support to the company and its aspirations, while looking at overcoming obstacles that may be a hinderance.

He said he is proud to work with his colleagues on the Board and praised their commitment by working together and cooperating to achieve more honours locally, regionally and globally.

The board reviewed the company’s achievements since the last meeting and discussed items on the agenda, while taking appropriate decisions in matters related to company operations.

They discussed projects the company has implemented, especially those related to social responsibility and which help the community by contributing to its development. The Board also made sure the employees had a safe work environment that motivates them to better perform. They discussed plans to further develop the national teams which have proved to have a high degree of professionalism. The Board reviewed the success and excellence of the company in spite of the challenges and said it is proud of GPIC’s achievements in the field of safety.

Company President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery said he was happy at GPIC’s promising results in the field of occupational safety. He said the company had achieved approximately 9,098 working days without any lost time accident, which is equivalent to more than 32 million hours. He said this is no mean achievement, not only in terms of the figures achieved, but also with regard to GPIC’s success in preserving the safety of workers, the backbone of its development.

Dr. Jawahery said the company had succeeded, as usual, in setting new records in operations, exporting a total of 1.23 million tons of ammonia, urea and methanol, an increase of 3.6 per cent over what had been planned in 2019.

He said a total of 43,600 tons of ammonia, 459,165 tons of methanol and 727,616 tons of urea were sold and all these exports were sent to their final destination on board 62 ships. In addition, 791 tons of urea was packed in bags to be allocated to the local market to support Bahrain’s agricultural sector.

He said India acquired the largest share of the company's total exports at 31 per cent. He added this market represents a major strategic importance for all producers. This was followed by Taiwan at 17 per cent and Thailand at 11 per cent.

The Board noted the achievements of the company in 2019, which included Dr. Jawahery being the founder of the Responsible Care Committee of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA).

The President of the company was awarded the International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety by the British National Council for Occupational Safety and Health Examinations (NEBOSH) and he was selected an international ambassador for the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). meeting and thanked the Chairman for the good management of the meeting and his directives. They applauded the efforts of the Executive Management and employees who contributed towards achieving continued success of GPIC, which is a successful example of joint Gulf cooperation.

They said the Board of Directors would work to take advantage of economic and development opportunities offered by the petrochemical industry and to make the most of all resources available in the region.

GPIC was established in 1979 AD as a nucleus for cooperation between the countries of the GCC in the fertilizer and petrochemical industry, to benefit from the natural gas produced by Bahrain as raw material.

The company emerged the winner of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Business Excellence, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Business Innovation, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Award and the Arab Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.

In addition, GPIC won the gold medal in the field of industrial excellence from the International Fertilizer Association, the Corporate Social Responsibility Award in the Arab countries from the Regional Network of social Responsibility and the RoSPA Award for Safety from the United Kingdom.

His Excellency Dr. Al Sharyan thanked the Board of Directors for its efforts in the success of the meeting and taking appropriate decisions that would enhance the success of the company and help it move forward. He praised the members of the executive management who worked with professionalism in implementing the Board’s decisions, policies and strategies.

The members of the Board of Directors expressed satisfaction at the results of the Board The company is a joint venture owned equally by the Government of Bahrain represented by The National Oil and Gas Holding Company, Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Kuwait, represented in the Petrochemical Industries Company.

The company’s Board of Directors is made up of representatives from the three shareholding countries.

GPIC’s first project was to establish a petrochemical complex. Initially, it consisted of two factories to produce ammonia and methanol. The company then increased its production and developed a urea fertilizer plant.

The company looks to the future as one that is distinguished in the production and export of high-quality petrochemical products and maintain the unique position. Efforts and investment have been made in developing and modernizing major plant equipment, management and control. This is in addition to the expansion plans aimed at either doubling the capacity of existing factories or to build new ones.