NOVEMBER 2015
more than business
www.totalworldenergy.com
Insuring a renewable future Standing amongst Europe’s top 3 within the insurance market for onshore and offshore wind projects, Delta Lloyd, spanning a history of more than two centuries, is the only Dutch insurance company operating within the European renewable market today.
Airtel Africa Connecting customers
Emarat Maritime High-spec requirements
Kuwait Oil Company 2030 strategy
MHWirth
First-class drilling solutions
Belgian leader Professional expertise European certifications
Surface treatment on sites or in our workshop Anticorrosive coatings in electrical environment and on superstructures Anticorrosion and floor coatings for industries Floor-covering and house painting
For more information, call or e-mail us at:
+32 64 460 260 info@monnaie.be www.monnaie.be find us on
Since 1884
Monnaie s.a.
Top-flight Painters at your Service
This month, Total World Energy looks at the power of onshore and offshore wind power and in the midst of the Global Goals announcement earlier this year and COP21 taking place in Paris next month, renewable energy is taking a very important stance. The UK alone, in a recent survey conducted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, highlights that more than three quarters of the population – a staggering 76% - are now in support of renewable energy in the UK. With solar energy taking the reins of popularity in the UK, holding 80% support amongst the British people, support for onshore wind generation, once provoking scepticism, is on the rise too, with two thirds now in favour. “Support for renewable energy has been consistently high during the tracker at around 75-80%,” the survey explains. “Opposition to renewables was very low at 5%, with only 1% strongly opposed. “Support for onshore wind has also increased slightly since it was last included in polling 6 months ago, rising from 65% to 66%, despite the Government’s decision to end financial support for future onshore wind projects.” With the UK’s renewable energy target in place to source 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 – there remains hesitation on whether this target will be fully met but if we look to the other European cities, the hope for permanent reform is much more palpable. It was reported in July this year that Denmark generated 140% of its electricity demands from wind power alone and in September, the Swedish government announced its ambitious plans to spend a further US$546 million next year on renewable energy and climate control action in an attempt to become the world’s first fossil fuel-free nation, ending its dependence on fossil fuels. It is an exciting and revolutionary time for renewable energy and with COP21 just around the corner, the future of renewable energy generation and its potential is now in the hands of those who can make a serious and very worthy change to the world we live in.
Harriet Pattison editor@ecp-ltd.com
EDITOR Harriet Pattison SUB-EDITOR Ajuanne Payne WRITERS Rosie DeWinter Colin Chinery Abigail Saltmarsh Annabelle Withering Johnny Falconé Louise Defoe
STUDIO DIRECTOR Martyn Oakley DESIGNER Harvey Tarlton SALES DIRECTOR Andy Williams SALES MANAGER Daniel Marshall SALES EXECUTIVE Mark Leonard
ACCOUNTS Mike Molloy MANAGING DIRECTOR David Hodgson FINANCE DIRECTOR Scott Warman
2a Ardney Rise, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 3QH, United Kingdom If you would like more information about ways in which Total World Energy can promote your business please call +44 1603 411616 or email | editor@ecp-ltd.com East Coast Promotions Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/ or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. © East Coast Promotions Ltd 2015
PAGE 3
Contents EDITOR’S PAGE
3
NEWS
6
The future of renewable energy generation
All that’s happening in the energy industry
DELTA LLOYD
14
EMARAT MARITIME
20
KUWAIT OIL COMPANY
26
MHWIRTH
32
AIRTEL AFRICA
38
BOROUGE
44
HELLENNIC PETROLEUM SA
50
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY
60
UNIQUE WELLUBE
64
INNOVATION
68
THE GLOBAL GOALS
72
ENTREPRENEUR
76
12.000 MW of wind energy insured and counting
Exceptionally high standards
Committed to a cleaner enviroment
Delivering world-class solutions
Innovative and affordable mobile services
Leading the polyolefin market in Abu Dhabi
Providing energy for life
Placing Poland firmly on the offshore oil & gas map
Specialist engineering services
Lexus creates a car made from 1,700 sheets of cardboard
17 ambitious targets
Matt Tomich: promoting RNG as an alternative vehicle fuel
PAGE 4
CONTENTS
14 26 26
20
38
32 PAGE 5
# twenews DONG Energy to build the world’s biggest offshore wind farm DONG Energy has today decided to construct the 660MW Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, located in the Irish Sea, approximately 19 km off the west coast of Britain. The final investment decision has been made after securing all necessary consents from authorities, completing site assessments and having signed the majority of the contracts for supply and installation to build the project. Walney Extension is expected to be fully commissioned in 2018, at which time it will be the biggest offshore wind farm in the world, surpassing the 630MW London Array Offshore Wind Farm which was commissioned in 2014 by DONG Energy and its partners. The wind farm will be constructed and operated under the UK’s EMR FID-enabling regime with a fixed price for the first 15 years of production. Samuel Leupold, Executive Vice
PAGE 6
President at DONG Energy, said: “Walney Extension will deliver clean electricity to more than 460,000 UK homes and I’m very pleased that we can now start construction of what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm when completed. Building this offshore wind farm will bring us significantly closer to realising our strategy of having 6.5GW of installed capacity online by 2020.” DONG Energy has decided to apply two different turbines: 40 8MW turbines from MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and 47 Siemens 7MW offshore turbines. Samuel Leupold continued: “British offshore wind has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. A prerequisite for long term growth in the industry is, that offshore wind eventually can compete on costs with other energy technologies. Building Walney Extension will bring
us one step closer to that target, and I’m satisfied to see that we keep bringing costs down, while continuing to expand the UK supply chain. I’m also excited about the fact that turbine blades, part of the foundations and cable installation will come from UK manufacturing facilities and vessels and create local jobs.” Currently DONG Energy is constructing 2,080MW in the UK and Germany. When these projects, including Walney Extension, are completed, DONG Energy has built a total of 5,089MW, corresponding to the annual consumption of electricity of more than 12.5 million Europeans. The information provided in this announcement does not change DONG Energy’s previous financial guidance for the 2015 financial year or the announced expected investment level for 2015-2016.
NEWS
PAGE 7
# twenews Lamprell names new COO Lamprell, a UAE-based firm constructing drilling rigs for oil and gas industry, has named a new Chief Operating Officer (COO). The company said on Monday that Niall O’Connell has been promoted to the role of COO with immediate effect. O’Connell joined the Group in April 2013 as Vice-President (Projects) and, since October 2014, has been in the role of Vice President and General Manager. O’Connell has 20 years of experience in the sector, having spent seven years at KBR with a focus on LNG projects, and prior to this 12 years at Cape Industrial Services in
a number of international roles. He has more than ten years’ experience working in the Middle East, with a proven track-record of project delivery with high standards of quality, safety and profitability. In the role of COO, O’Connell will report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Moffat, with responsibility for supervising overall operational performance, including organisational efficiencies, competitive positioning, implementation of process and productivity improvements, project delivery and resource management. James Moffat, CEO, Lamprell, said: “I am pleased that Niall O’Connell has
been promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Company, another internal promotion following the appointment of Tony Wright as Chief Financial Officer in August. Niall has been instrumental in the Group’s robust performance in our new build jack-up rigs business, demonstrating his strong management skills and clear focus on delivery. In the COO role, he will continue to be a key contributor to the Group’s ongoing performance and I am confident that we will benefit from his solid sector expertise and regional experience in the implementation of our long-term strategy.”
© Lamprell
PAGE 8
NEWS
South Africa announces new 1500MW solar project
Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has announced that a new 1500 Megawatts project will soon be launched in the Northern Cape to add to South Africa’s growing renewable energy programme. The Minister announced this at the South African International Renewable Energy Conference (SAIREC) 2015 on Monday 5th October. She said this would be a ministerial legacy project. “For my home province and country, a ministerial determination will be made for a legacy project for this conference for 1500 Megawatts of additional solar power in the Northern Cape,” she said. Briefing journalists later, she said the project would be in addition to previous announcements that she has made. In June, Minister Joemat-Pettersson
we want to give so that the SAIREC conference will be remembered for the rest of our lives as a conference where REN 21 motivated for an additional 1500 MW of solar energy,” she said. The project will be a much-needed addition to the Department of Energy’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) programme, which as to date helped government procure 6 000 MWh. The programme is seen as a valuable contribution to the power grid which has until recently been buckling under strain due to a shortage in generating capacity. IPP office to be rolled out to Africa The IPP project’s footprint would be increased to other parts of Africa due to its successes, the Minister said. The department’s IPP office, which was established in 2011 in partnership with National Treasury and the
contribute to addressing Africa’s energy needs. “We urgently need improvements in living standards. The World Energy Outlook Special Report provides a comprehensive picture of today’s Sub Saharan energy sector and its future prospects in the global context. “This picture varies widely across the region. But in Sub Saharan Africa, only 290 million out of 915 million people have access to electricity, and the number [of those] without access is rising. Our efforts to provide electrification is gaining momentum but are outpaced by population growth.” She said going forward, the office would look at re-shaping its mandate,
announced 13 preferred bidders of the procurement Bid Window 4. The 13 projects were tipped to supply an additional 1084MW of electricity to the national grid. “It is a ministerial determination, it is not a thumb suck, it is a legacy that
Development Bank of Southern Africa, has been lauded for adding through procurement from the private sector. She said the model, which was also lauded by International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Director-General Adnan Amin, would
which expires at the end of this month, to build on its successes. The private sector and other stakeholders are invited to give input on the shape they would like the office to take, given its past operations, challenges and successes.
PAGE 9
# twenews
Shell to install hydrogen fuelling pumps in Germany
© Shell Shell will install a nationwide network of hydrogen fuelling pumps at retail sites in Germany from 2016, in an effort to accelerate the growth in Europe of this low-carbon alternative transport fuel. Shell, which opened its first hydrogen fuel station in Germany in 2011, has today signed a declaration of intent with its H2 Mobility Germany joint venture partners and Germany’s federal transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt. It will lead to
“It will take technical innovation and bold policies to transform the global energy system into a progressively cleaner, less carbon-intensive one. H2 Mobility Germany shows what we can achieve through close collaboration between governments and business. The next step is for consumers to embrace this opportunity and consider buying hydrogen vehicles as they become available.”
The pumps at these sites will refuel hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in a few minutes. The cost of charging a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is comparable to filling a car with gasoline or diesel and they can travel similar distances to vehicles with conventional combustion engines. Shell has another two demonstration hydrogen filling stations in Los Angeles that allow the company to evaluate a range of technologies, drive down
hydrogen fuelling pumps being available at around 400 locations across the country by 2023. “Hydrogen-fuelled electric vehicles could play a key part in a low-carbon, low-emission, future,” said Oliver Bishop, General Manager of Hydrogen at Shell.
Shell currently operates three hydrogen stations in Germany, including one in Berlin and two in Hamburg. Shell anticipates the first four new fuelling points will be installed at existing retail sites in Frankfurt, Wuppertal, Geisingen and Wendingen.
costs and better understand consumer behaviour. The company is assessing the potential for more stations in the USA, UK, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
PAGE 10
NEWS
Eni expands offshore acreage in Egypt Italy’s Eni has acquired stakes in two offshore blocks in the Egyptian waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The company has been awarded a 37.5% participating interest and operatorship in North El Hammad, where it partners with BP (37.5%) and Total (25%), and a 50% participating interest in North Ras El Esh, where it partners with BP (50%) which will act
as operator. The two blocks, which will be managed by Eni’s subsidiary IEOC, are in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea, facing the Nile Delta and located southwest of the Temsah area and west of the Baltim area, where Eni operates existing fields and production facilities. The North El Hammad and North
Ras El Esh blocks cover areas of 1,389 and 1,927 square kilometers respectively. These two new concession agreements follow the recent award of the deep water Karawan and North Leil blocks and Eni’s recent and significant giant Zohr gas discovery, dubbed the largest gas discovery in the Mediterranean history.
© Eni
PAGE 11
# twenews
Hinkley Point C to power six million UK homes EDF and its Chinese partner China General Nuclear Corporation (CGN) have committed to Hinkley Point C during this week’s landmark China State Visit, confirming the first new nuclear power station in the UK for a generation. The companies have signed a Strategic Investment Agreement which marks a critical moment for the site in Somerset. EDF has confirmed it will take a
© EDF PAGE 12
66.5 per cent stake in Hinkley with CGN taking 33.5 per cent, demonstrating a clear commitment from both parties. The Gover nment and EDF have finalised the detail of the Contract for Difference which offers increased price certainty for the electricity produced from Hinkley Point C. The Funded Decommissioning Programme has been approved and will make sure that the tax payer
doesn’t pick up the cost of decommissioning the plant in the future. Hinkley Point C will provide low carbon electricity to six million homes, twice as many as the whole of London, for around 60 years – and consumers won’t pay a penny until the plant is up and running. It will provide a vital boost for the national and local economy – creating 25,000 jobs, up to 1,000 apprentices
NEWS and landing UK businesses billions of pounds worth of supply chain contracts. Prime Minister David Cameron said: “I’m pleased to announce that today we are signing an historic deal to build the Hinkley nuclear power station, providing reliable, affordable energy for nearly six million homes and creating more than 25,000 jobs, all while working together to build a low-carbon future.” Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said: “We are tackling a legacy of under-investment and building energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century as part of our plan to provide the clean,
affordable and secure energy that hardworking families and businesses across the country can rely on now and in the future. “The UK is open for business and this is a good deal for everyone – Hinkley Point C will continue to meet our robust safety regulations and will power nearly six million households with low-carbon energy, creating over 25,000 jobs and more financial security for working people and their families.” The Gover nment will support new nuclear power stations as we move to a low-carbon future. Hinkley Point C will kick start this and is expected to be followed by more nuclear power
stations, including Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex. This will provide essential financial and energy security for generations to come. EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz said: “Hinkley Point C and successive nuclear projects will guarantee the UK the reliable, secure low carbon electricity it needs in the future. Nuclear power will save customers money compared with other energy options and provide a huge boost to British industrial strength, jobs and skills both in Britain and abroad. Today’s announcements are also good news in the fight against climate change.”
PAGE 13
Insuring the future through renewable energy Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
With a rich history that spans more than two centuries, Delta Lloyd has established a leading and highly reputable position, now standing amongst Europe’s top 3 within the insurance market for onshore and offshore wind projects. With a dedicated team of wind energy experts in place, the company now boasts an insurance stake in more than 75% of the offshore wind farms located on the coasts of Europe PAGE 14
DELTA LLOYD With a history that dates back more than 200 years, Delta Lloyd now stands as one of the oldest life and general insurers in mainland Europe. Through a succession of mergers, alliances and acquisitions, the company boasts a successful organic growth and today, it is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels, and included in the Dow Jones SI World, Dow Jones SI Europe, AEX- and Bel-20 indices. A reliable partner for insurance, pensions, investment and banking since its inception, in 1967 - initially under the name Hollandsche Sociëteit van Levensverzekeringen - joined forces with the Amsterdamse Maatschappij van Levensverzekeringen and was renamed Delta. In 1969, Delta merged with Nedlloyd and expanded into general insurance, creating the new, listed Delta Lloyd N.V. Offering products and services in general insurance, pensions, investments, asset management, banking, commercial and retail, Delta Lloyd has three distinctive distribution channels in the Netherlands, operating through four brands: OHRA, ABN AMRO Verzekeringen, Delta Lloyd and BeFrank. Where Delta Lloyd works closely with independent insurance advisors, OHRA is a direct writer, so customers can take out insurance cover and arrange their own financial services directly through this. ABN AMRO Verzekeringen serves clients through the branches of ABN AMRO Bank. BeFrank is a modern online pension provider competing in the market alongside insurance companies and pension funds. Achieving a premium income of €3.9 billion in 2014, Delta Lloyd
now manages investments of an estimated €85 billion.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTFOLIO Boasting an enviable position as the largest Dutch co-insurance company in the commercial insurance market, Delta Lloyd’s renewable energy portfolio now forms an important segment of the total technical insurance portfolio and accounts for around 30%. Meeting the electricity needs of 12 million households through onshore and offshore wind, Total World Energy speaks with Manager Large corporate, Alex de Langen, and Willem Schrijver, Underwriting Manager, who explain the company’s tactical move into this ever growing industry and why they are leading the insurance pack with a dedicated team of renewable energy experts. With a rich history in construction and machinery breakdown spanning six decades, Delta Lloyd made the strategic decision to follow its loyal contractors as they began to venture more into the offshore industry. “We saw that the Netherlands was changing from a country known for making things to one that produces services and of course, one of these is energy,” explains Schrijver. “As energy producing firms and construction firms moved offshore, it was a normal follow on for us, having always insured these contractors. “We saw the making industry disappear and wind turbines come on land. It became common practise for the company and we set out to follow the energy market as it continues to grow over the next 20 years.” “We followed the needs of
our customers in this instance and thought, if we want to take advantage of this movement, then we need to step up and remodel our business otherwise we’ll be out of business – this was almost ten years ago and is more actual than ever now over the last few years,” adds de Langen. Today, Delta Lloyd boasts an international track record with 12.000 MW of wind energy insured and stands in the top 3 of Europe’s insurance market for onshore and offshore wind projects, in both the construction and operational phases. Initially beginning its journey in wind energy in the onshore wind turbine industry, Delta Lloyd insured the very first Dutch wind farm, providing it with machinery breakdown cover. “Erecting onshore turbines came into our focus straight away and we started this about 20 years ago. Ten years ago, we then ventured into the offshore wind industry from our contractors and due to the erection of two large wind farms directly in front of the Netherlands. The only thing they wanted was insurance in place so they could finance their project and at the time, Delta Lloyd was the only company willing to insure these kind of risks,” Schrijver explains. With offshore wind farms comes greater risks and it is the assessment and management of these which has placed Delta Lloyd in such a pedestal position.
RISK MANAGEMENT “If we can insure these risks, the chance of getting an investment for the developer gets much bigger, so this is why we decided to step into this market,” explains Schrijver. Delta Lloyd wants to PAGE 15
© Delta Lloyd
support the development of the renewable energy market and is therefore prepared to insure these kinds of unfamiliar risks. Over time, the damage to wind turbines is inevitable with 40% of claims resulting from cable damage - 85% of the total damage costs. If something goes wrong offshore, it is much more difficult to repair and so the costs rise, often as much as ten times the price for repairs made onshore. “Even if a small thing happens offshore, you still get a large claim straight away
PAGE 16
which I think most insurers don’t like. A working day at sea is not a working day on land – it is very weather dependent so you have to be willing to see that risk and take action if necessary,” explains de Langen. Customised insurance policies are imperative, alongside the knowledge of experts and experience in the offshore market. Evolving to become a specialist in this field, Delta Lloyd set up a dedicated renewable energy team, combining the knowledge of engineers, underwriters and
loss handling. Employing more than 4,200 staff, of which 3,700 in the Netherlands and more than 500 of these stationed permanently in Belgium, Schrijver explains the company’s engineers follow the obligatory offshore training program. In the underwriting department, an open mind and common knowledge comes in very handy: “It’s a mix of relationship management, knowledge and an open mind as you have to ensure universities and main influences are on board and mix with
DELTA LLOYD all different types of people, from finance to technical departments - so it’s important that everyone in the market knows them. In the claims department you must be aware, once more, of what’s around you, and in the change in demands,” Schrijver adds. To have financial close on a project, insurance must be in place but in many cases, there are time restrictions in underwriting a big project such as an offshore wind farm so flexibility in working times within the team is imperative.
AN EXTENSIVE DATABASE With a leading position in the industry, Delta Lloyd remains comfortable. In possession of a database that now stretches back over two decades, the
company has more than ten years’ experience in the offshore wind industry and more than 60 years in offshore dredging. “I think this gives us a head start in the industry in addition to maintaining contacts and relationships, we welcome competition,” explains Schrijver. “If you see what’s happening offshore, there is a lot of capacity to insure and if it’s all down to us, we can’t be alone and do not have the capacity to insure it all.” “We have a clear position in the market right now and as the only Dutch insurance company in the European renewable energy market, we have a clear focus on offshore and onshore,” adds de Langen. “We want to be involved in new specific projects such as tidal energy and other new business ventures. We have
a distinctive positioning in the market and that’s what we’re proud of - it’s a niche and a speciality.”
FOLLOWING THE CHANGE With renewable energy fast becoming a growing phenomenon, what is the company’s plan for the future within this industry? “I’d say the plan is to follow all kinds of energy changes that will happen – our current portfolio consists of wind energy, geothermic drilling operations and tidal energy and we will follow that change because energy is needed everywhere and always. I think it’s hard to say which will be the biggest in 50 years but the main point is that you have to follow them,” Schrijver explains.
Delta Lloyd Insurance Your partner in Offshore Wind
PAGE 17
“We will follow every type of energy producing system and will be keen to insure and maintain our knowledge and experience in the field. The Netherlands is known for its water management, that’s why we want to stay, focus on and maintain a relationship with the water,” adds de Langen. Joining Delta Lloyd more than 12 years ago, Alex de Langen studied Economics at university. Working within various management jobs in general insurance, pensions and life insurance, he has worked in this position in general insurance for three years now and is responsible for large corporate, co-insurance and
PAGE 18
intermediaries. A chemical engineer, Schrijver explains he joined the pharmaceutical industry after university, spending ten years in sales and marketing before joining Delta Lloyd. “After two years, I came across the technical lines and felt at home again, the same way of dealing with risks and thinking about what’s happening that I enjoyed during my studies.” 14 years on and Schrijver has held his underwriting position, managing a portfolio for eight years.
CREATING VALUE Sustainability in itself is very important to Delta Lloyd, it’s
not restricted to insurance or underwriting, it also includes investments. “It means that we create a positive impact on society with our core activities. And stimulating the renewable energy transition is one of our focus themes,” explains de Langen. “On the other hand, we also need to create financial value so it’s an interesting market to position us in as we can get revenue. So it’s a combination of these two – revenue on the one hand and positive impact on society on the other.” Insuring a large proportion of wind farms in the North Sea and many on England’s west
DELTA LLOYD
coast, de Langen explains of the 2,500 turbines erected, Delta Lloyd has insured almost 2,000 of these offshore, with a similar percentage in Belgium too. “In 75% of the offshore wind farms we have part of the insurance - most go through our hands here.” With continued in-house dialogues with its employees and external dialogues with its stakeholders, Delta Lloyd is very interested in sustainability and with its continued interest in energy, the company is committed to leaving behind a clean legacy and environment for future generations to come. Looking to the future and
Delta Lloyd wants to maintain its reputation as an ethical and reliable insurer – “Our focus is renewable energy, onshore and offshore wind, new business ventures and staying close to our own identity as a Dutch knowledge insurer.” As one of the main companies in Europe offering insurance for renewable energy projects, the company remains proud of its achievements and dedicated contribution to the industry. Maintaining its negotiation skills and staying flexible has helped to ensure the company’s success, not to mention its sheer determination to build on its already extensive
experience and knowledge within the renewable energy field. “We don’t do business with anybody, our business partners have been our business partners for a very long time. We have over 60 years of experience in dredging which is something that we take with us and our engineers have had vast experience in various types of industries, especially technical. “Like many big insurance companies, we won’t back out – we’re in it for the better and for the worse, we are here to stay and we’re in it for the long haul,” de Langen concludes
PAGE 19
Unconditional support, forwardthinking vision Editorial: Annabelle Withering
Since its early inception, Emarat Maritime has established a highly reputable position within the ship management industry. With a fleet today of 14 vessels, General Manager, Captain Sanjay Mehta, explains the company’s attention to detail when it comes to ship specification, ensuring all decisions are made with a long-term vision and the importance it places on its employees in maintaining a close-knit company environment. With an impressive fleet today of 14 ships – eight modern Handymax and Super-Handymax bulk carriers and six modern Aframax tankers - Emarat Maritime LLC (EML) is the ship owning division of the Sharaf Group and is
PAGE 20
headquartered in Dubai. Operating under the slogan, ‘The journey of a million miles begins with a single step’, the Sharaf Group - one the most successful and prominent business enterprises in the UAE - is a highly
diversified multinational shipping conglomerate with a diversified corporate portfolio encompassing travel & tourism, air cargo logistics, warehousing & distribution, retail fashion, retail electronics, IT, financial services and real estate.
EMARAT MARITIME Tracing back through the history and development of EML, the company began in 1990 through a joint venture with a former Soviet shipping company. Just six years on, under the able leadership of Captain Misra, EML – initially under Oasis Ship Management before it was renamed to Emarat Maritime - expanded its operational scale to become a truly prominent player in the global shipping market. Today, EML is widely renowned as an operator of a young fleet of modern, well-maintained and efficient vessels, recognized worldwide as the ‘Dubai Series’. With an initial focus on the regional agriculture products trade, the company made the strategic decision to turn its attention and move into the dry-bulk market with the turn of the new century, acquiring its very first Handymax bulk carrier in 2001. In 2004, EML adopted a new-build program of Supramax vessels to be built up by a leading
shipbuilding yard in Japan and just two years later, it added tankers to its steadily growing fleet when it ordered eight new buildings of 115,000 DWT from a South Korean yard. Speaking with Captain Sanjay Mehta, General Manager at Emarat Maritime, he explains the company has its own in-house technical management team, commercial, insurance, quality and health & safety and an IT department.
THE EML FLEET Ensuring it keeps abreast of developments in standards and regulatory requirements, particularly relating to environmental protection, the company’s holistic outlook is heavily outlined in its initiative to be involved in the design of its vessels in a bid to improve speed, fuel efficiency and control emissions whilst simultaneously increasing cargo intake. “The ships that we have
ordered, we’ve taken great efforts to look into the specifications to ensure they are made as per our requirements – these are generally higher than the usual standards,” explains Captain Mehta. “We include extra specifications and always ensure that they are built in Japan and even for our tankers, we went for the Korean Yard. “In order to ensure the ships are built as per our requirements, we had a new building team of ten people stationed in Korean and Japanese yards during the construction of those vessels.” The culmination of this vision was clearly seen in the design and construction of MV Dubai Sun - delivered to EML in April 2010 – it stood as the world’s first ‘Ultramax Bulk Carrier’ and the world’s first vessel certified for the Environmental Awareness Notation by class NKK. Built with innovative features helping to both improve fuel
General Manager | Captain Sanjay Mehta
PAGE 21
efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment, MV Dubai Sun was awarded ‘Ship of the Year 2010’ at the Lloyd’s List Middle East and Sub-continent awards in addition to its ‘Bulk Ship of the Year 2010’ award at the IBJ awards in London. From 2010, Captain Mehta explains EML started Oasis Maritime Services LLC – “OMS” 3rdParty Ship Management division following the opening of its India office, located in Mumbai, in 2009. With ten employees stationed at this second office, he explains the
PAGE 22
company’s move has allowed it to be more in touch with its seafarers and place a better focus on direct training. “The beliefs of Capt. Misra - our Managing Director is to have a self-contained system where we can provide the best of the services in-house. We understand our customers and their expectations. As a company we are equipped to fulfill the requirements of our customers completely and source their needs within the company setup. By involving ourselves directly, we can evolve and produce better, long-lasting
results – that’s our company philosophy.” Joining Emarat Maritime in 2008, Captain Mehta explains he introduced operations of Dubai based Ship Owners - Emarat Maritime to India, helping to set up the company’s new office in Mumbai. Captain Mehta was also instrumental in revamping EML’s entire QSHE Management System in line with Industry Best Practices & TMSA requirements. Setting up Oasis Maritime Services, for 3rdParty - Tech and Crew Management of Oil/ chemical Tankers and Bulk carriers in 2010, Captain Mehta
EMARAT MARITIME is now responsible for EML’s Dry Bulk Commercial & Post Fix ops, tanker operations and heads up the company’s F.P Dept.
THINKING LONG TERM With 65 employees between both its bases, EML places a heavy emphasis on staff responsibility and ensuring this is implemented with dedicated support. “Out here in our office, we support our ship staff to an extent so that they can inform us what needs to be done. We favour being supportive, provide professional guidance and leave the on-scene ship board management to make the best decision. That’s the difference between us and the typical ‘technical managers’ and why our retention rate remains very high.”
With such an individual focus on its staff and maintaining a close-knit community, Captain Mehta attributes this to the company’s long-running success and in helping it to achieve a competitive edge within the industry. “As the ship owners, we feel it’s easier for us to take the decisions, so this is what sets us apart. We work in close proximity so decisions can be made efficiently and effectively and there is never a restriction on budget in terms of safety or welfare to the group. “As owners of the ships, we think about decisions longterm as it directly affects the company, rather than cutting costs for short term gain, we try to think long term. I think this is one of the key differences
between us and other shipowning and management companies.” It is the company’s work ethic and implementation of a close family atmosphere which helps to motivate, creating a thriving working place and solid reputation. “Since we are the ship owners, we are self-sufficient in many aspects of the business,” explains Captain Mehta. “We are very well established and while we are not very big, we are well known to the people that matter. “Within a span of ten years, we have succeeded and made a mark in the tanker segment. We have been perceived and accepted very well and are approved by all the big oil majors for doing business with them.”
RELIABLE SEALS AND BEARINGS SOLUTIONS FOR THE LONG HAUL Wärtsilä Seals and Bearings Services provide integrated systems, packages and products that offer you lifecycle efficiency, reduce risks, and are environmentally sustainable. Our global service network responds quickly and provides expertise anywhere in the world at very short notice when needed.
Find out more about our Seals and Bearings Services at wartsila.com/services OEM providers for
PAGE 23
FIERCE COMMITMENT From its inception, EML has continued to evolve with a strong focus on Quality, Safety, Health and Environmental protection and is an ISO 9001 & 14001 certified company. Implementing a Quality Assurance Program in 1998, it lays great emphasis on these issues and also includes an intensive training program for shore-based and floating staff. The results are clearly evident today in the Company’s operations, quality, safety and maintenance standards of its fleet, efficiency of office © xxx and shipboard personnel and customer relations. EML’s fundamental concern for the
PAGE 24
growing environmental issues is further reflected by the investments it has made in the technical management of the fleet to ensure the company remains ahead of all existing and future international regulations. And despite the prolonged global recession, the company remains fiercely committed in ensuring the company’s fleet maintains the high standards synonymous with EML, subsequently ensuring complete customer satisfaction. An active member of multiple organizations, including BIMCO, Baltic Exchange, INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO and the International Chamber
of Commerce, all are intent on finding solutions to the various problems faced by the industry.
UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT With a promising future head, what is next for Emarat Maritime? “The future - in terms of expansion of office space – I would say we are self-sufficient at this point in time unless we go for expansion of the fleet. As far as this is concerned, we may go for more vessels but this would be purely to replace older vessels,” explains Captain Mehta. With advanced technology and new regulations being implemented within the industry in recent years, Captain Mehta explains: “For the new building, we will wait until the
EMARAT MARITIME
technology and new regulatory requirements settle down to be in sync with each other and we have some clarity. “We feel that due to the stringency of these new regulations, the technology is not ready to deliver those requirements. We do not want to get into something where we find that our ships are not complying with new regulations or we have to spend a lot of money to ensure they are compliant. So we will wait until the advanced technology and new regulations settle down and we have some clarity. “When it comes to new services, we are doing the 3rdParty management, if we have an opportunity to expand
“The team we have here are very experienced and we are a part of a very supportive company which really helps to motivate”
this then that is certainly something we will look into and take more ships on,” he explains. Reaching its 25-year anniversary, Captain Mehta continues to attribute much of the company’s long running success to the continued support of the EML family: “The team we have here are very experienced and we are a part of a very supportive company which really helps to motivate. Support from the top and from our Managing Director is so enormous – he is always there to solve any problems, both personal and professional, and makes sure the team is always united. I feel as though that is our major strength as a company.”
PAGE 25
The 2030 Strategy Editorial: Annabelle Withering
© Kuwait Oil Company
Like so many environmentally conscious companies, reducing greenhouse emissions is extremely important to the Kuwait Oil Company. As part of its 2030 Strategy, the company is attempting to reduce its gas flaring to less than 1% of total production by 2017 - “We are strongly committed to creating a healthier environment, and have dramatically reduced gas flaring. We are steadfast to further reduce it to as low as possible,” explains Mohammed Al-Zuabi, KOC’s Manager Gas Operations Group. PAGE 26
KUWAIT OIL COMPANY In December 1934, His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Saber signed the very first Kuwait Oil Concession Agreement, awarded to Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) and in February 1938, first oil was discovered in the Burgan Field following a technical report from Cox and Rhoades. KOC was founded by the AngloPersian Oil Company – known today as BP – and the Gulf Oil Corporation – now Chevron.
THE SILVER WHEEL A commemorative event in 1946 marked Kuwait’s first crude oil export aboard the tanker ‘British Fusilier’. The late Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah turned a silver wheel to begin this landmark process for the country. 50 years on and June 30th 1996 saw the half century anniversary of exporting the first Kuwaiti oil shipment, allowing the State of Kuwait to join the ranks of the world’s major oil producers. The event was started by Mr. Southwell, Director of Kuwait Oil Company Ltd., London, where he received Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber A-Sabah and his companions, escorting them to the ceremony site. Once more, the silver wheel was turned to mark this special occasion - 50 years on - to start the first Kuwaiti crude oil shipment flowing through an offshore pipeline to the British tanker Fusilier. In just over 11 hours, 10,567 tons of crude oil was loaded - an average of 950 tons per hour. At the celebratory event, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber A-Sabah said: “Every one of my people and my friends will rejoice with me in this happy event, which by the Grace of God is for our future and welfare. I thank God for such an opportunity as this which will help us carry on with the various improvement
which we desire for the happiness and welfare of the Kuwaiti people. I would like to further mention the assistance offered by the Company during their operations in our country. My thanks are also due to Her Majesty’s Government for their help in making such operations a success, and to my personal friends the British and American members of the Board as well as to all the Company’s staff for their valuable assistance. I am sure the friendship relation existing between us and the Company will continue to exist in a spirit of cordiality and good will.” Today, the company’s activities have extended to include exploration operations, drilling of test wells, onshore and offshore surveys and the developing of producing fields to crude and natural gas exploration.
GOGCE In March this year, the annual Global Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition (GOGCE) was held at the International Fairgrounds in Mishref. Sponsored by KOC, the event, now in its seventh year, helps to share the company’s 2030 strategy, strengthening business relationships between KOC and contractors and improving health, safety and environmental procedures. With the aim of achieving ‘excellence in performance’, GOGCE helps to play an important role for KOC in its drive for broader business relationships and knowledgebased expansion. In August, KOC signed a contract with Petrofac for the provision of a pipeline network which will carry oil to GCs 29, 30 & 31 in NK. The ceremony, held at KOC headquarters in Ahmadi, was
PAGE 27
signed by CEO Hashem Sayed Hashem. The signing of the contract was also witnessed by a number of his deputies and officials. Petrofac was represented by Executive VP for Operations in GCC Sunder Kalyanam. During his speech, CEO Hashem stressed the importance of this project for the three GCs, highlighting that Petrofac is one of the most important oil partners for the country. With a business relationship that has succeeded for more than 15 years, Hashem drew on the success of Petrofac, which has shown great success in the implementation of all projects.
PAGE 28
“Reducing gas flaring can make a significant contribution towards mitigating climate change”
ZERO ROUTINE FLARING Earlier this year, it was announced that gas flaring is having potentially catastrophic results, both environmentally and from a resource management perspective. Each year, it’s predicted that up to 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas is produced, together with oil, which is subsequently and wastefully flared out of various oil and gas fields across the world. These statistics put into perspective the impact of gas flaring – estimating that more than 300 million tons of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere - this is equal to the harmful emissions from 77
KUWAIT OIL COMPANY
© Kuwait Oil Company
million cars. In April, Chief Executives from the major oil companies met to discuss the harmful impact of gas flaring and have proposed a bid to end all routine gas flaring at oil production sites before 2030. The ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ initiative, has already been endorsed by ten oil companies – including KOC – nine different countries and six development initiatives. Its launch in April was hosted by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank Group President. “Gas flaring is a visual reminder
that we are wastefully sending CO2 into the atmosphere,” explained Jim Yong Kim. “We can do something about this. Together we can take concrete action to end flaring and to use this valuable natural resource to light the darkness for those without electricity.” “As we head towards the adoption of a meaningful new international climate agreement in Paris in December, these countries and companies are demonstrating real climate action. Reducing gas flaring can make a significant contribution towards mitigating climate change.
I appeal to all oil-producing countries and companies to join this important initiative,” Ban Kimoon added. Kuwait Oil Company is currently working towards reducing its gas flaring to less than 1% of total production by 2017 through numerous strategic ideas. These include: making significant financial investments in state-ofthe-art facilities and operations, working closely with the GGFR to ensure this target is met, ensuring flare reduction is made a company priority and holding periodic reviews of the gas value chain from producing well to end user in
PAGE 29
© Kuwait Oil company
© Kuwait Oil Company
an attempt to identify all sources of waste or potential optimisation. “We are strongly committed to creating a healthier environment, and have dramatically reduced gas flaring. We are steadfast to further reduce it to as low as possible,” Mohammed Al-Zuabi, KOC’s Manager Gas Operations
PAGE 30
Group, said in a World Bank report. “I firmly believe it was only possible because there was a complete change in the employee mind-set towards better understanding the environmental consequences of gas flaring and preserving a very valuable
resource.” The GGFR (Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership), launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, helps and supports the efforts of oil producing countries and companies in a bid to increase the use of associated natural gas,
KUWAIT OIL COMPANY reducing the need for gas flaring which leads to environmental impact and the waste of valuable resources.
2030 TARGET In addition to meeting its target to reduce gas flaring, KOC aims to increase its production capacity to four million bpd by 2020 from an estimated capacity of 3.4 million bpd – as part of these plans, the state has put forward a predicted $40 billion. Speaking to Reuters, Saeed al-Shaheen, KOC’s well surveillance manager explains: “There are plans to spend $40 billion to lift the capacity up to four million by 2020 and maintain that figure till 2030. We are a state oil company, we always look at the long-
“We are strongly committed to creating a healthier environment, and have dramatically reduced gas flaring”
term picture and at a time when the oil price is low, it’s more economical to invest in expansion.” Looking forward to the future and KOC has assigned itself a mission and established an important vision to adopt a leading position within the upstream oil & gas industry as an ‘integrated, value-driven enterprise.’ Intent on delivering on its commitments to both its customers and stakeholders, KOC, in the coming years, hopes to maximise the strategic value from oil to realise the potential of gas, to grow and hold reserves for a safe and sustainable future, to ultimately continue in its quest to strive for excellence and contribute to both the Enterprise and to the State
Contact us today! Tel: 22284670 / 1801234 Email: info@jumbotravels.com Web: www.jumbotravels.com
Simplifying corporate & leisure travel... Dream. Explore. Discover.
PAGE 31
A quest for excellence Editorial: Annabelle Withering
Providing world-class solutions, lifecycle services and advanced drilling systems to the offshore and onshore drilling industry, MHWirth has its roots firmly placed with more than a century in the industry. From its very first mud pump in 1905 to its 250th top drive, the company continues to provide inspiring solutions with sustainable results. A leading global provider of first-
in 1905 to its 250th top drive,
solutions with sustainable results.
class drilling services and services to the offshore oil and gas market, MHWirth - the largest subsidiary of Akastor – has an innovative history that spans more than a century. From its very first mud pump
the company has designed, engineered, manufactured and delivered advanced drilling technology since 1895. A major player in a highly competitive market, MHWirth has become a global success story – inspiring
With the drilling community evolving, MHWirth has kept up, continuing to offer its clients a safer, more efficient and reliable alternative. With a superior legacy and impressive portfolio behind it, the company’s vision remains
PAGE 32
MHWIRTH – “Centered on an unparalleled commitment to quality and yielding economic advantages for our customers and stakeholders.” Built on a foundation of innovation, reliability, high-quality and cutting edge technologies, MHWirth has its equipment installed on more than 500 floaters and jack-ups operating in an international market in the offshore market today. Each of these rigs is heavily supported with a dedicated Service Account Manager (SAM) located close to operations.
GLOBAL REACH With a vision to become a preferred partner in delivering safe,
“Our reputation is preserved through a winning combination of values, people and innovative technologies, proven by a respected track record and a vast collection of customer success stories”
efficient solutions to the onshore and offshore drilling community, MHWirth has transformed over the last 100 years into a new brand that is reflective of its robust strategy, highly persuasive ambitions and sustainable solutions. Today, MHWirth has an influential and global span that covers five continents with offices in more than 20 countries. Intent on seizing opportunities and offering lifecycle support, the company has now established a strong, regional presence across America, the UAE, Singapore, Russia, Australia and Europe, in a bid to draw upon its continuing global market success. And with 3,300 dedicated
© MHWirth
PAGE 33
© MHWirth professionals, the company consistently strives to enhance customer satisfaction, forming meaningful collaborations by creating a personalized and individual experience.
PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Operating a superior legacy product portfolio and establishing a position as a powerful collaborator, MHWirth has now engineered, manufactured and delivered advanced drilling solutions for more than a century. Built on an impressive foundation of sustainable results and cutting-edge technologies, the company offers an array of solutions to the offshore oil and gas drilling market. The company’s drillship concept
PAGE 34
“We support drilling operations ranging globally from basic land rig operations to deepwater high pressure high temperature (HPHT) projects”
offers a flexible and custommade solution, designed to operate in some of the harshest offshore conditions in the world while its platform rigs provide a standardized, cost effective solution to meet the current market conditions. Ready to operate in any offshore environment, each platform rig boasts a robust design with an integrated system approach. With a global in-house engineering team, MHWirth focuses on the specialised needs and individual operational requirements whilst providing customers with the best fixed installation for their operations and offering consistent, reassuring functionally for the life of the operation.
MHWIRTH
Within the Subsea and Risers category – MHWirth provides the offshore drilling market with Drilling Risers and Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD). During subsea operations, safe equipment and increased efficiency can make a significant difference. The company’s drilling risers help in reducing personnel injury risk by eliminating the need for heavy tools to connect or disconnect the riser during tripping operations. Losing this requirement also helps to improve the overall work environment of the rig. “Bolts and preloading the connector are a thing of the past,” the company explains. “Our drilling riser connector is positive confirmed closed or open by an index pin, increasing the safety of riser connection operations.
Our drilling riser’s open and close operations increase uptime by taking the connection time down to a minimum and out of the critical path.” With an array of benefits, the drilling risers increase HSSE performance on the rig whilst helping to reduce the number of rig personnel needed during the tripping process. The company’s MPD operations help in providing cost effective and robust solutions for riser gas handling, continuous circulation, kick detection and management. With services that include hazard identification, front-end engineering design (FEED), wellplanning and simulation, HSSE management which encompasses all types of drilling projects is ensured. “We support drilling operations ranging globally from basic land
rig operations to deepwater high pressure high temperature (HPHT) projects,” the company explains.
MYDRILLING™ An interactive, web-based communication platform, myDrilling™ has been developed by MHWirth for its customers – providing products and services to ensure optimal rig performance. Providing a total overview and details required by companies for day-to-day maintenance, the system shows ongoing correspondence, accurate information for rig crew at the right time, order details and further collaboration opportunities. myDrilling™ also provides customers with an overview of HSSE alerts, HSSE bulletins and tailored product bulletins relevant to equipment installed on the rig.
PAGE 35
SLURRY PUMPS For more than four decades, MHWirth has manufactured piston diaphragm slurry pumps and a variety of positive displacement pumps, providing transport for any type of slurry. Cementing the company’s leading position in the market, the slurry pumps can be utilised
dewatering and backfill and hydraulic ore hoisting), power industry (ash and coal slurry and long distance transport) and the oil industry (oil sand refining and tailing disposal). In a bid to meet a certain project requirement or slurry application, MHWirth offers a range of tailor-made
double-acting and electric motors and VFD configuration. All are built to the highest quality standards. Providing a complete service, MHWirth offers after-sales service and support to customers – including training and replacement parts - all available from the company’s global
in a range of industries: Pipeline transportation (ores, potash, coal, oil sand and minerals, etc.,) mining processing industry (autoclave and digester feeding and tailing disposal), underground mining (mine
solutions and different product specifications with pressure ratings ranging up to 30 MPa and flow rates of up to 1 400 m³/h. These specific designs include: piston or piston diaphragm, duplex or triplex, single or
network through its regional office hubs.
PAGE 36
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Like so many companies in the offshore industry, safety and sustainability is of paramount
MHWIRTH
importance to MHWirth – “Our HSSE mind-set is at the heart of who we are. We take HSSE and Security requirements seriously and continually strive for zero harm to personnel, material and the environment. We design our products and services to ensure the safety of both you and our people. Working across the organization, we integrate HSSE principle in everything we do – every employee, every day.” Working towards an important goal of zero Total Recordable Incidents, MHWirth places great importance on efficient and
“Working across the organization, we integrate HSSE principle in everything we do – every employee, every day”
effective staff training in a bid to create awareness and eliminate unnecessary risk. Over the last century, the company has strived to promote a working culture that focuses heavily on customer relations, open communication and cooperation to create a safe and risk-free working environment for all. “Our reputation is preserved through a winning combination of values, people and innovative technologies, proven by a respected track record and a vast collection of customer success stories,” the company explains
PAGE 37
Helping customers connect Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
Providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all its customers, Airtel Africa is a subsidiary of leading telecommunications giant, Bharti Airtel Ltd who has operations spanning Asia and Africa in 20 countries. Promising unrestricted talk time and uninterrupted services, Airtel Africa is now looking to meet the ever growing needs of its customers across the African continent. In June 2010, the Indian telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel Ltd spent an estimated $9 billion to become a global firm, purchasing Kuwait-based Zain Group’s telecom assets in 15 countries
PAGE 38
in Africa - taking on a staggering $8.5 billion in debt in the process. A leading global telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India, it was reported that Bharti
Airtel Ltd had over 277 million customers across its operations at the end of September 2013. It now ranks amongst the top four mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. The company’s product
AIRTEL AFRICA offerings in India include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, high speed DSL broadband, fixed line services, IPTV, DTH and enterprise services including national and international long distance services to carriers. In the remaining countries it operates in, Bharti Airtel offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Driven by a vision to provide affordable and innovative mobile services to all, Airtel Africa, headed up by long-time Mittal lieutenant Manoj Kohli, is now active in: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It operates a GSM network in all countries and provides 2G, 3G or 4G depending upon operations. When Bharti Airtel made the decision to venture into Africa, it set a target of acquiring 100 million subscribers, up from 42 million at the time of acquisition. $5 billion in revenue, up from $3.6 billion and $2 billion of Ebitda by March 2013 - less than three years after the acquisition. Ebitda is a measure of a company’s profitability and refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
ONE NETWORK Since Bharti Airtel’s acquisition, Airtel Africa has updated its roaming services, introducing flat and affordable rates for its customers who are travelling across countries within the
Airtel Africa network. One Network - the mobile phone network - allows Airtel customers to use the service in a number of countries but at the same price as their home network, enabling customers to place outgoing calls at the same rate as their local network with free incoming calls. From 2014, this service is now available in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Chad, DRC, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In July this year, the Government made a call for the ICT sector to play a more prominent role in economic growth of the region – in an attempt to introduce communication across borders at reasonable rates, whether on the same or different networks. Just three months on and Airtel Kenya announced it was offering a flat rate for roaming across Africa in October – providing a flexible and simple tariff within the Airtel Network footprint for its customers. In terms of pricing, customers can now roam in sixteen Airtel Africa countries with the added extra of being treated as local customers on the visited network. Providing a simple tariff within Airtel’s footprint, the new offer also hopes to enhance customer experience. Airtel Kenya customers travelling to Madagascar, for example, will enjoy up to 85% discount when making calls back to Kenya at Ksh 35 down from Ksh. 227.30 per minute. Airtel Kenya customers will be charged Ksh
12 while making calls within Madagascar down from Ksh 37 per minute. Receiving calls while roaming will still remain free of charge for the first 100 minutes a month and sending an SMS message will cost just Ksh.17 with incoming SMS’ remaining free. This new flat rate is included in Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, DRC, Gabon, Congo, Niger, Tchad, Burkina Faso and Madagascar. In an effort to enhance regional integration, changes in the tariffs within Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda were part of an agreement by the heads of state of three East African countries in a further bid to reduce crossborder calling rates by up to 60%. The new offers have helped to improve communication and stimulate growth within the telecommunications sector an important contributor to a country’s GDP. Airtel Kenya CEO, Adil El Youssefi said: “Airtel Kenya is delighted to have taken the lead yet again in offering the best value proposition, convenience and seamless communication for our customers when they travel to any of Airtel Africa’s fourteen networks. With ‘One Airtel’, roaming has never been easier - or more affordable to keep connected to family, friends and colleagues. We have launched this preferential roaming service to ensure that our customers fully benefit from the advantages of Airtel’s presence across Africa, ensuring savings in communication costs for our travelling customers.”
PAGE 39
MAXIMISING BENEFITS Ghana’s fastest growing telecommunications network in voice and data providing Airtel Ghana provides innovative and cutting edge solutions to meet the communications, connectivity and collaborative needs of its customers. In a continued effort to provide unmatched telecommunications and banking services to enhance and transform the social and professional lives of its valued customers, the company entered into a strategic partnership with First Atlantic Bank Limited in October
PAGE 40
this year. Providing synergy between Airtel Premier, a subsidiary of Airtel Ghana, and Atlantic Purple Plus customers, the partnership will customers allow access to integrated telecom and banking products and services – not to mention providing a wealth of convenience through the exclusive delivery of services, products and rewards. It is hoped that Airtel and First Atlantic Bank’s unique partnership will open a world of exciting rewards for the bank’s Private Banking customers and Airtel’s Premier customers.
While the Atlantic Purple Plus Account is the distinctive banking service for First Atlantic Bank’s private banking customers, Airtel Premier offers an array of telecom and lifestyle products, services and rewards for its highly valued customers. “Through this partnership, we are redefining telecommunications and banking services by giving our customers more reasons to be on Airtel,” explains Lucy Quist, Managing Director at Airtel. “Our Premier customers and Atlantic Purple Plus account holders have the opportunity to
AIRTEL AFRICA enjoy exclusive rewards such as access to over 700 VIP airport lounges worldwide through our priority pass service; access to the Adinkra Lounge at Kotoka International Airport with free Wi-Fi services, discounts from brand partners including hotels, automobile companies and restaurants.
“With our recent affordable internet-enabled phone offering together with free web access, our customers are in for a feast of information, education as well as the best experience on the Airtel network” “Our suite of lifestyle products and services are ever expanding and no matter your lifestyle choices and peculiar preferences, Airtel Premier has a service for you, now is the time to join the most loved telecom brand in the daily lives of Ghanaians,” Quist adds. “Airtel’s Premier customers can now enjoy preferential rates for facilities, interest bearing Atlantic Purple Plus accounts, free access to exclusive Private Banking lounges in selected branches, higher limits on ATM withdrawals and Personal Life, Travel and Health Insurance at a
discounted premium, exclusive lifestyle benefits, discounts, promotions and offers. Similarly First Atlantic Bank’s Private Banking customers will also benefit from all the packages available to Airtel Premier customers,” Mr Gabriel Edgal, Managing Director and CEO at First Atlantic Bank explained.
FACEBOOK PARTNERSHIP In partnership with the global social media giant, Facebook, Airtel Rwanda introduced free web access to Facebook and launched Freebasics.com in September this
year for Airtel Rwanda customers. Using the Airtel network, Airtel Rwanda customers will have free internet access on selected websites through Free Basics by Facebook including BBC Africa, SuperSport, Inyarwanda. com, Wikipedia, BabyCenter & MAMA, Dictionary.com and Bing search engine, amongst others. Customers will also have access to a set of free services within the categories of health, education, communication, sports, jobs, as well as local information. Free Basics by Facebook
WE BUILD TO LAST
H.B.C PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN THE AREAS OF
BUILDING, TELECOMMUNICATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURES MAINTENANCE WITHIN MADAGASCAR FANANTENANA RAOILISON Mobile: +261 330 732 522 Skype ID: fanantenana4 Email: fanantenana@hbc.mg
WWW.HBC.MG
PAGE 41
will be available as a mobile browser version for feature phone users on the web address: www.freebasics.com. It will also be available as an Android app for smartphone users who will be able to access it on Google Play store. Commenting on the new development, Mr. Tano Oware, Airtel Rwanda Finance Director & Acting Managing Director said: “We are delighted to kick off this partnership with © xxx Facebook and have it go live at a time where we as a telecom are looking to enable
PAGE 42
“We remain positive on Africa, which is the last remaining growth frontier in the world, and will continue to invest in our operations”
our customers to access the internet affordably. With our recent affordable internetenabled phone offering together with free web access, our customers are in for a feast of information, education as well as the best experience on the Airtel network.” Markku Makelainen, Director, Global Operator Partnerships at Facebook, added: “Following our success with Free Basics in Zambia, Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya, we are excited to continue our partnership and further extend reach with Airtel in
AIRTEL AFRICA
Rwanda. We believe that access to information is a basic right that empowers communities and entrepreneurs around the world.”
THE RIGHT DIRECTION An ambitious target at the time of the acquisition, Africa continues to suffer with fluctuating currency rates and the effects of the economic slowdown. However, despite these difficulties, the continent remains a competitive and highly desirable location for Airtel, with over one billion inhabitants, effective telecom services remain in high demand. In a statement to Live Mint
“We believe that access to information is a basic right that empowers communities and entrepreneurs around the world”
earlier this year, the company remain positive for a bright future: “We remain positive on Africa, which is the last remaining growth frontier in the world, and will continue to invest in our operations. We believe we have acquired a promising asset and the longterm growth fundamentals of the market are intact. While a complete turnaround has taken longer than our initial expectations, we believe the overall business is moving in the right direction and we are satisfied with the performance.”
PAGE 43
4.5 million tonnes of success
UAE petrochemicals giant and biggest producer in Abu Dhabi, Borouge, has been leading the polyolefin market in the region for over a decade. After recently completing its Borouge 3 expansion project, the company now owns and operates the world’s largest integrated single-site polyolefins plant and is all set for further growth and expansion in the years to come. Borouge, founded in 1998, is a leading provider of advanced solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals
company, ADNOC and Austrian chemical and plastics solutions provider, Borealis - Borouge is a seamless amalgamation of
there and its marketing and sales office located in Singapore – positioning it to service its clients in the Middle East and South East
and plastics. The company was founded as a joint venture by two majors in the global oil and chemicals industries – the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Borealis. Still owned by Gulf Oil and Gas
the expertise of the two and is ground-breaking in its field in the region, firmly positioned as an industry leader for plastics innovation. Borouge is based in the United Arab Emirates with a head office
Asia. Employing more than 3,000 people and with customers in 50 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Borouge has seen significant growth since its inception just over 15 years ago. The company has built on
PAGE 44
BOROUGE its Borstar® and Borlink™ technologies over the years to where they are able to offer comprehensive plastics solutions for infrastructure, automotive and packaging applications. Borouge has plans to expand its commercial and logistics network in Asia and the Middle East and relating to its company mission of ‘Value Creation through Innovation’, is investing in its innovation centre in Abu Dhabi and research and development application centre in Shanghai. With further growth on the horizon, the company will continue to offer reliable and quality service to its global clients.
MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION With expansions planned and in action and geographical growth continuing for the company, Borouge’s operations in Abu
Dhabi are still central to its business. Borouge invested US$1.2 billion to build its facility in Ruwais, 250 km west of Abu Dhabi City - the first petrochemical production plant in the Middle East. Equipped with the proprietary Borstar® technology from Borealis, at first the plant had a total manufacturing capacity of 450,000 tonnes per year (t/y). In 2005, the facility encompassed an ethane cracker unit (EU1) built by Bechtel and Linde, and two Borstar® bimodal polyethylene units built by Tecnimont (PE1/PE2) – both units with a maximum production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of bimodal polyethylene. The annual 450,000 t/y production capacity was tripled in 2010 to 2 million t/y in the Borouge 2 expansion. Investing a staggering US$5 billion in
the developments, Borouge upgraded its facilities – installing an additional ethane cracker unit, third polyethylene unit, an olefins conversion unit (OCU) and two new polypropylene units, with the new polypropylene units enabling the company to expand into that area of production. The Borouge 2 development greatly enhanced the company’s capabilities and is the precursor to the company’s more recent development. In order to meet demand and remain the leading player in the region, a further 4.5 million ton Borouge 3 development was planned in 2009 and scheduled for 2014, resulting in Borouge and Borealis having a combined annual production capacity of approximately 8 million t/y of polyethylene and polypropylene.
THE BOROUGE 3 PROJECT Costing US$1.86 billion, the Borouge 3 project is a further
PAGE 45
HIMA Middle East FZE Our solutions comply with the latest safety standards, including IEC 61508, IEC 61511 and ISA 84. All of our solutions are easily integrated into all automation environments and with all major distributed control systems.
Ranked 19th by DUBAI SME100 as one of the top performing SMEs in DUBAI HIMA solutions support the following applications along with others: • Emergency Shutdown Systems (ESD) • Fire & Gas Systems (F&G) • High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS) • Solutions for Pipeline Management & Control (PMC) • Solutions for Turbo Machinery Control (TMC) • Solutions for Burner Control Systems and Boiler Protection (BCS)
www.hima.com HIMA Provides critical Reactor shutdown control P.O.Box: 261487, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 8834489 Email: info.hme@hima.com
system to Borouge-3 LDPE plant in Abu Dhabi.
HIQuad Systems • HIMatrix Systems • Planar 4 Systems • HIMAX
expansion of the company’s petrochemical plant in Ruwais and includes installation of a third ethane cracker unit, built by the Linde Group and producing 1.5 million t/y of ethylene. Two further Borstar® polyethylene units were installed, producing 1.08 million t/y, two polypropylene units producing 960,000 t/y and a low density polyethylene unit (LDPE), capable of producing 350,000 t/y and built by a joint venture between Samsung and Tecnimont. The mega facility at Ruwais boosts total production capacity by a huge 2.5 million t/y to a total of 4.5 million t/y and is a continuation of strong technical partnerships with other major companies which the joint venture has fostered over the years. Tecnimont, commissioned to build the polyethylene and polypropylene units, has worked with Borouge repeatedly almost
PAGE 46
since inception and has been involved in all three stages of construction and expansion in the Ruwais plant’s history – an example of just one of the long standing supplier relationships the company has built up. Borouge 3 began production in the first quarter of 2014 and has had strong performance ever since, with materials being sold and exported across the wider Asian markets and the first shipment leaving its facility in October of 2014 by way of the Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi. As the country’s biggest petrochemical producer, the focus for Borouge, after a successful start-up at the end of 2014, will need to be on supply chain management and logistics. A company that is well versed in the value of strategic partnerships, Borouge signed an agreement in June of 2014 with Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) for the
construction and operation of a packaging facility for Borouge’s export products at Khalifa Port over and above export agreements that are already in place. ADT manages the Khalifa Port and as the main route to market for Borouge, the company recognises the importance of having strong systems in place at the Port. “Supply chain management is central to our growth,” explained Wim Roels, CEO of Borouge’s Marketing & Sales Company. “By investing in production capacity, commercial operations and research capabilities, we are well prepared to meet the growing demands and diverse needs of the markets we serve. Our goal is to make a sustainable contribution and deliver a competitive edge to customers all over the world.” After an initial start last year, Borouge 3 is scheduled ramp up production at Ruwais to its
BOROUGE maximum capacity of 4.5 million t/y by the end of this year and completion of this project means that Borouge now own and operates the world’s largest integrated singlesite polyolefins plant. “There are phases of expansion and we have started some of the phases already,” said Mr Al Suwaidi, Vice President of Sales for the Middle East. “We have already supplied some of the new capacity to the market place. “Borouge is a global leader in providing innovative solutions. With the Borouge 3 coming on stream in 2014 and the opening of Borouge Innovation Centre, Borouge will continue to develop and produce high quality productivity solutions the highest industry standards while maximizing production output.” Despite fluctuations in oil prices, Al Suwaidi expects demand for the
company’s products to continue to rise, due in part to the economic growth in the region and the subsequent increases in demand resulting from that. “There is a growing demand on plastics in the UAE on the long term, owing to economic growth,” explained Al Suwaidi. “There are many growth opportunities for companies both locally and globally. “The UAE makes up 25% of the Gulf’s plastic products industry has its more than 600 plastics plans across the seven emirates. Borouge is the largest innovative, high-value plastics solutions provider in the UAE.”
A RESPONSIBLE PRODUCER As well as the company’s investments in its own capabilities and profitability, Borouge understands the
importance of taking a vested interest in sustainability and the environment. As a leading operator in the chemicals industry, one of the potentially ‘dirtier’ sectors to operate within, Borouge is committed to its Water for the World™ initiative which addresses water and sanitation challenges. The Water for the World™ programme is Borouge’s core corporate social responsibility project and is focused on three main ideals: ‘Improving access to water and sanitation; promoting sustainable water management practices to preserve water resources; and raising awareness in communities and across the value chain’. The programme has been running since 2007 and has
Hyperion Group provides consulting & advisory services, systems engineering solutions and professional implementation services and support to process manufacturers worldwide. We are proud to have contributed to the success of the Borouge-3 expansion project with the execution of the IT Strategy and IT Front-End-Engineering-Design Study, the creation, operation and successful handover of the Project Management Office (PMO) for all Borouge-3 IT projects as well as the delivery of the Real-Time Batch Tracking and On-Line Polymer Analysis solutions for the new production lines.
We extend our best wishes to Abu Dhabi Polymers Co Ltd for continued success!! Website: www.hyperionsystems.net e-mail: info@hyperionsystems.net Contact Details: Hyperion Systems Engineering Group Stavros Spanos, EVP Marketing & Partnerships 38 Strovolos Avenue CY 2018, Nicosia, Cyprus Tel: +357 22840700 Fax: +357 22590009
PAGE 47
directly impacted the lives of over 300,000 people globally. Connected to this initiative is the company’s partnership with national government organisation, water and sanitation for the urban poor (WSUP) which has so far helped a further 800,000 people in Africa and Bangladesh gain improved water and sanitation. As well as understanding the need for supporting sustainability initiatives, B o ro u g e i s h e a v i l y i n v e s t e d i n t h e w e l f a re o f i t s 3 , 0 0 0 employees. Like any successful c o m p a n y, B o ro u g e i s n o d i ff e re n t i n re c o g n i z i n g t h a t t h e development and satisfaction of its employees form the backbone of its business and is key to its continued
“Our goal is to make a sustainable contribution and deliver a competitive edge to customers all over the world”
success. B o ro u g e p ro v i d e s e m p l o y e e s w i t h a r a n g e o f c a re e r d e v e l o p m e n t p ro g r a m s a n d b e n e f i t s , a s w e l l a s p ro v i d i n g local and international scholarships for students and p o t e n t i a l f u t u re e m p l o y e e s f o r the company and the polyolefin industry in general. As a company, Borouge is by no means afraid to make the investments essential to growing its business and maintaining its leading position – both in capacity and the wellbeing of its staff. As the number one petrochemicals producer in Abu Dhabi and with the largest mega facility of its type, Borouge has dug in deep and established itself as one of the global players shaping the industry worldwide
DISCOVER THE POTENTIAL
MAXIMIZE THE RESULTS
Performance Improvement Solutions by Neste Jacobs www.napconsuite.com
PAGE 48
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET
Neste Jacobs’ history in the Middle East goes way back to the 80’s, when the company was involved in petroleum refinery and chemical process industry projects in Saudi Arabia with Petromin (currently Aramco) and SABIC. In the 90’s Neste Jacobs was busy with the Borouge I project in Abu Dhabi and provided technology licensing to Oman Oil. These days Neste Jacobs is an active player in the Middle East technology, project management and engineering industry - bringing value to the market through its 60 years of experience and through the fact that the company was borne and founded at the center of the hydrocarbon industries. The company has always seen it as its main cornerstone to be involved right from the innovation, research & development through studies and FEED’s, project implementation and further, staying with its customers throughout the operation and maintenance. Since 2011 Neste Jacobs has been registered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, currently has its offices on Al Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi City, and employs some 100 engineers Jukka Hupanen locally, backed up by more than 1,000 experts and industry specialists at its home office. The customer base has widened and covers many ADNOC companies, such as Takreer, Borouge, and many more companies in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia, with whom Neste Jacobs works in partnership developing Gulf industries towards continued success. “It is a strategic decision for Neste Jacobs to be locally present in the GCC region and Abu Dhabi is our home base there” says Jarmo Suominen, CEO of Neste Jacobs Group. “We are looking for growth and count on the fact that we can bring true added value to the oil and gas, refining and other chemical process industries through our vast and in-depth understanding of process industry technologies, investments and handson operational excellence.” “Taking full advantage of current assets is important for local industry in the global market” says Jukka Hupanen, General Manager of Neste Jacobs Abu Dhabi & GCC Region. “Our portfolio, beginning with technology co-development and going all the way to commissioning and start-up and everything in between, is comprehensive. Our customers benefit greatly from the integrated approach that we can offer.”
Jarmo Suominen
Neste Jacobs is looking for further long term growth together with its customers in the UAE and GCC regions, by enabling the success of its customers.
Neste Jacobs is a preferred solution provider of high-quality technology, engineering and project services for a wide range of industries in the fields of oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, biorefining, biochemicals, biopharma and industrial infrastructure. The company has 60 years of experience in technology development and industrial investment projects as well as maintenance and performance improvement in Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East. In addition to its home market Nordic countries, Neste Jacobs is looking to grow in the global expanding markets. Neste Jacobs employs 1300 professionals globally.
www.nestejacobs.com PAGE 49
Energy for Life
The leading Greek Refining & Marketing Company, Hellenic Petroleum SA, which spans a history of six decades, today operates three of the four refineries in Greece. With the upgrade of the Elefsina refinery and its recent bid for two onshore lease block areas in Western Greece, Total World Energy speaks to Gerasimos Stanitsas, Director of Corporate Communications, to find out what the future holds for this leading energy group in South East Europe… With a contract for Greece’s very first oil refinery signed in 1955, construction of the Aspropyrgos refinery started in 1956. Just two years later, the new refinery was inaugurated and Hellenic Petroleum Group (HELPE) was
the share capital of the Group sees Pan European Oil and Industrial Holdings SA with 42.6% share, Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (35.5%) Institutional Greek Investors (7.9%) Institutional Foreign
seven countries with activities extending across numerous energy sectors: “We are an integrated energy group, spanning from exploration & production, refining, supply and trading, domestic marketing,
formed four decades later in 1998. Throughout its 60 year history, the company has seen many changes and developments and experienced impressive growth. Today, the distribution of
Investors (6%) and Private Funds (8%). Total World Energy speaks to Gerasimos Stanitsas, Group Communications Manager at Hellenic Petroleum who explains the Group is now present in
international marketing, petrochemicals, gas and power, renewables and engineering. “We have refineries in Aspropyrgos, Elefsina and Thessaloniki, covering the whole territory of Greece from South to
PAGE 50
HELLENIC PETROLEUM SA
North. Our total refining capacity is 345 kbpd (thousand barrels per day). The three refineries operate as a hub and they run complementary to each other, exchanging products so we can maximise profits and optimise our operations,” Mr Stanitsas explains.
A LEADING ENERGY GROUP “In Exploration and Production, we currently have assets in Egypt, Montenegro and Greece. We have recently participated in the 2nd round of Greece areas, which was concluded only last week, we have bid for two out of the three areas that were available so we hope we get them. Last year we were awarded one area in Western Patraikos Gulf, along with our partners Edison & Petroceltic, and we are proceeding according to our
“In Refining, Supply and Trading, we have the three refineries – Aspropyrgos, Elefsina and Thessaloniki - with a total capacity of 16 million tons per year”
plan. “In Refining, Supply and Trading, we have the three refineries – Aspropyrgos, Elefsina and Thessaloniki - with a total capacity of 16 million tons per year. The Nelson Complexity Index (NCI) – a measure of the secondary conversion capacity of a petroleum refinery relative to the primary distillation capacity of the three refineries is 9.6, so it’s quite advanced and we have a refining market share of 65%. We also own tanks with a total capacity of seven million cubic meters. “Looking at our Domestic Marketing activities, we currently operate 1,800 petrol stations in Greece with a 30% market share. Our sales volume currently totals up to three million tons per annum. Continues on page 54...
PAGE 51
TECHNICAL COMPANY - TECHNICAL WORKS
OUR COMPANY GENKAT S.A. was established with the focus on the anticorrosive protection of metal surfaces, heat insulation, refining and petroleum products and scaffolding according to the Greek and national models (SSPC, BS, SIS, STST, AP, ELOT e.t.c.). It applies all the existing methods and is staffed from personnel with many years of experience in insulation works, paintworks and sandblasting.
ACTIVITIES • Surface protection - cleaning and steel preparation • Blasting / Water-jet / Ultra high pressure Water blasting • Coatings • Scaffolding - industry / energy / construction • Insulation - thermal / cold / acoustic / underground insulation • Passive fire protection - Cementitius fire proofing / intumescent fire proofing • Repairs of metal elements - Construction / erection / repairs PAGE 20
Contact us 324 Thivon Avenue, GR 12241 Aigaleo, Athens, GREECE Phone: + 30 210 9585190 Fax: + 30 210 9585160 Email: info@genkat.gr Website: www.genkat.gr
OUR PRIME CLIENTS: • Hellenic Petroleum S.A (Hel.pe S.A) • Motor Oil Hellas • EKO Refinery • DEI / PPC • Service Of Civil Aviation • Greek Broadcasting Corporation Television ( ERT ) • Martial Navy • Technipetrol Spa • Aktor SA • J&P Hellas • Elliniki Technodomiki
• Gek S.A. • Ekme S.A. • Biotek S.A. • Neokat S.A. • Metka S.A. • Terna S.A. • Technical Union – Athina S.A. • Tanko S.A. • Impregilo Hellas • Cimolai Spa
PAGE 21
GENKAT S.A. was established with the objective to provide professional services, anticorrosive protection of metal surfaces, insulation, passive fire protection & scaffoldings according to the Greek and National models (SSPC, BS, SIS, STST , AP, ELOT e.t.c.). It applies all the existing methods, being staffed by personnel with years of experience and continuous training in surface protection, blasting, painting scaffolding & insulation works. Our main Activities are the following: Surface protection - cleaning and steel preparation Steel preparation / blasting / water jet / ultra-high pressure water jet Coatings protecting against rust, oxidation and corrosion Storage tanks / tank coatings / steel structures / pipelines / equipment / non-slip films / scaffolding Industry / energy / construction Insulation Thermal/ cold /acoustic / underground Insulation Passive fire protection Cementitius fire proofing / intumescent fire proofing Repairs of metal elements / construction / erection / repairs Steel structure - Tubes - Tanks and other equipment Cleanings - chemical cleanings / gas free / deposition / pumping The policy of our company, GENKAT S.A. is the execution of the projects that it has taken on in a way so that it can satisfy the demands of the clients as they are being defined at the technical specifications, according to the contract that has been compiled and always in the defined time. The immediate and continuous contact with the client, the timely effective reaction if there are by chance any complaints from our client is a fixed policy of our company. For the realization of this policy the company uses the most modern equipment and is determined to invest continuously for the continuous modernization and enrichment of the company. Believing that all the above are dependent in a big way on the quality of the human power that work there, the company gives special emphasis to the continuous education of the personnel, investing for this purpose using all the necessary finances. Genkat S.A. is on a steady upward course in the construction sector that possesses experience and know-how in the following fields:
• Refineries • Shut down / Turn around • Electricity Power Plants • Tank farms • Industrial – building installations • Refineries • Natural gas projects • Chemical and petrochemical industries Genkat sa is one of the leading companies in Greece in industrial surface preparation, insulation and Scaffolding providing services to various refinery, industries, energy plants, chemical and petrochemical industries etc. We believe in establishing long term business relationships with our clients by providing them with nothing short of the best. This approach of ours has helped us in meeting their requirements, offering complete solutions in terms of quality goods with complete adherence to timely delivery. We are constantly focused on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. Our Prime Clients: HELLENIC PETROLEUM S.A (HEL.PE S.A ) MOTOR OIL HELLAS EKO REFINERY DEI / PPC SERVICE OF CIVIL AVIATION GREEK BROADCASTING CORPORATION TELEVISION ( ERT ) MARTIAL NAVY TECHNIPETROL SPA AKTOR SA J&P HELLAS ELLINIKI TECHNODOMIKI
GEK S.A. EKME S.A. BIOTEK S.A. NEOKAT S.A. METKA S.A. TERNA S.A. TECHNICAL UNION – ATHINA S.A. TANKO S.A. IMPREGILO HELLAS CIMOLAI SPA
HELLENIC PETROLEUM SA ...Continued from page 51 “If we extend into international marketing, we are present in Cyprus, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with 280 petrol stations and a sales volume of one million tons per annum.” The only petrochemicals producer in Greece, Mr Stanitsas explains that one of its key products is Polypropylene which uses Basel technology. Propylene, the raw material for polypropylene production is produced in the Aspropyrgos refinery and then transported to the Thessaloniki plant. “We have a factory up North that produces BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene),” explains Mr Stanitsas. “DIAXON PLASTIC PACKAGING MATERIALS SA, a subsidiary of HELPE, is the only producer in
“There are many retail companies operating in Greece, but I think we are amongst the most well received and well placed so we have a competitive advantage there as well”
Greece of BOPP film, used in the food packaging industry. More than 50% of our production is then exported to Iberian, Italian and Turkish markets. “In the Power and Gas market we have a joint venture with the Italian company Edison, Elpedison, which operates two CCGT plants, fed by natural gas, with a total production capacity of 810MW. We hold a 35% stake in DEPA Group, (Public Gas Corporation of Greece), the main natural gas supply company in Greece with sales volumes of 3.8 billion cubic meters per annum. “Then lastly, in Renewables, we have various projects in different stages of development, which amount to more than 100MW and in the Engineering sector, we have a company called ASPROFOS SA which deals with technical studies, engineering, consulting and project
PAGE 55
PAGE 56
HELLENIC PETROLEUM SA management services,” explains Mr Stanitsas.
A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE With four refineries operating in such a small country, competition is bound to be present, not to mention the continuing and seemingly long-lasting effects being felt by the economic crisis. With all four refineries concentrating more on exports, Mr Stanitsas explains that Hellenic Petroleum concentrates on remaining competitive, not only in Greece but in the broader area too. And with an increasing number of refineries across Europe closing down, he explains: “We are doing our best so that we will not be among those refineries; so far we have made it and we have a good chance of maintaining this. Therefore, we are now focusing on being competitive through a series of actions: reducing our operating costs, optimising our production and methods, operating the three refineries as a hub, adding synergies and advantages to each one separately and all together. “There are many retail companies operating in Greece, but I think we are amongst the most well received and well placed so we have a competitive advantage there as well,” he explains. Before the economic crisis, a total of 8,000 petrol stations were in operation across Greece,
so that we have a greater control, can invest more in them and use them to offer more advanced products to our clientele,” Mr Stanitsas adds.
THE ELEFSINA UPGRADE Successfully completing a five year investment plan totalling EUR€3 billion, Mr Stanitsas explains that the Group’s most important project to date was the upgrade of the Elefsina refinery in 2012. With the changing trends in fuel consumption in Europe and diesel shortages in the European market, an investment of EUR€1.42 billion
for the refinery, originally built in 1973, transformed it into a “state-of-the-art, very modern and very efficient refinery.” Said to be the most competitive refinery operating within the Mediterranean region today, Elefsina stands as the biggest industrial project in Greece in the last few years. The main purpose of the upgrade was to maximise diesel production, eliminate fuel oil production and improve the environmental records. Maintaining its existing production capacity of 100,000 bpd, the refinery includes storage
this number, although reduced significantly, is still a high ratio for the country at 5,500. “We are continuously developing new products and lately we have been focusing on operating our own petrol stations
KX_ABC Factors_Corporate_88x125.indd 1
PAGE 57 3/3/15 2:22 PM
areas for 3.35t of crude oil and products, a private port with a capacity to berth 5 ships for both the loading and unloading petroleum products and is connected by pipeline to other key facilities of the Group.
ARTA-PREVEZA AND NW PELOPONNESE BLOCKS In March this year, Hellenic Petroleum submitted an offer for the two out of the three onshore lease block areas in Western Greece, Arta-Preveza and NW Peloponnese. “There are apparent benefits if our exploration operations become successful for the company and for the country,” explains Mr Stanitsas. “Up until now Greece has had a limited production of indigenous oil. There are many bright prospects regarding new areas and we have already been awarded the W. Patraikos lease where we have
PAGE 58
KEEPING THE BALANCE
social responsibility program, we are very sensitive to the needs of the local community where we operate. “Regarding the developments towards a greener energy environment, there is a very sensitive balance and of course, we always opt for a greener environment but we have to be realistic because modern societies need energy. The regulatory environment should be organized in such a way that it will not deregulate the industry or stop it from operating, so we have to find the right balance between preserving the environment and developing the industry and society. “We participate in all the corresponding European and International bodies - like the European Petroleum Refiners Association and FuelsEurope – so we make an effort to try and establish that sustainable balance,” adds Mr Stanitsas. With the effects of the economic crisis still lingering, Mr Stanitsas explains the future is one of rebuilding and promise. “There is turmoil in the area regarding the sources of crude oil and economies of consumer countries,” he explains. “So the future is survival and the next couple of years is transformation and to be an even more efficient and competitive group. “In the end we have to reach our target for sustainable development, so we can develop
The Group’s responsibility towards the environment and maintaining sustainability is dealt with the upmost respect where possible, Mr Stanitsas explains: “We implement a very concise and well organised corporate
and profit but not on the back of society and the environment – so we are looking for the optimum balance and harmonious co-existence between those participators,” Mr Stanitsas concludes
commenced exploration operations.” Hellenic Petroleum is in a good position with a long and fruitful history within the exploration and production sector and a long line of experienced personnel – “We have been involved in this area since the very beginning, from the late 70’s, early 80’s. “We have inherited all the personnel and the know-how of the former state company which was dealing with the exploration and production in Greece so we think we are an incumbent player well placed for a successful development of any oil field, if there is oil to find,” explains Mr Stanitsas.
HELLENIC PETROLEUM SA
PAGE 59
Aluminium offshore oil and gas expertise from Poland
Aluship Technology is Poland’s leading offshore oil and gas engineering construction company, building complex facilities for big name energy companies from around the world. Chairman and Founder, Goetz Linzenmeier tells Total World Energy more about the ongoing growth of this innovative and exciting organisation…
When you think about the global offshore oil & gas industry, you might
mind before expertise in offshore oil and gas. But one business, based in Gdańsk
engineering and construction of offshore facilities, mega yachts and general
think about countries like Norway, France, Holland, USA, UK, Australia, South Korea, Brazil or Singapore as some of the big name players but what do you think when you hear Poland? Perhaps Polish exports like vodka, Chopin or Pope John Paul II come to
on the Baltic coast, is looking to change that and is currently proving that Poland has excellent capabilities, knowledge and facilities for production in the oil and gas, maritime and civil engineering industries. Aluship Technology specialises in
vessels and also repair and conversion and civil engineering, with a focus on working with aluminium. The company was founded by Goetz Linzenmeier, a German whose interest in the maritime industry sparked the formation of Aluship Technology, more
PAGE 60
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY than 24 years ago. “I started my activity in the maritime aluminium welding construction industry in 1990 in Hamburg and I started to build one-off custom designed sailing yachts. It was nice but labour intensive, and at the end of 1993 I started to move the small company to Poland and Gdańsk where I found the perfect place with skills, knowledge and history in similar industries. “I further developed the company, training people and growing from a small workshop to an industrial company over the last 20 years. Now we have over 170 permanent employees, we own a four and half hectare plot in the harbour of Gdańsk with a 10,000m² production hall and a 3500m² administration, engineering workshop and we have a very well organised ISO 9001 certified business with independent quality control, high health, safety and environmental standards and very efficient production process flows. “With quality and value for money from the client’s point of view, we are
well regarded giving very high quality, always on time and being pro-active with short response times. “In the 1990s, labour costs in Poland were significantly lower and with one off custom designs, which were very labour intensive, it became commercially unviable in Germany so I had to make the decision to move the operation to a country with lower costs but with skilled people and long traditions and Gdańsk was the perfect place,” Linzenmeier explains. And over the last two decades, the company has grown to become extremely well respected across Europe and in international markets and Linzenmeier is happy with the progress that has been made. “I was a passionate sailor and because of that and other reasons I decided to start this entrepreneurial adventure and I do not regret it,” he says.
OIL & GAS Aluship began working in the offshore oil and gas industry after great success
with yachts and other vessels and the company’s initial contract in this new industry came from a Swedish company after Linzenmeier decided that the company should diversify in order to grow. “Our work in oil and gas started in 2006 because of my intention to diversify our activities into three distinct areas; special ship building, the oil and gas industry and mega yacht constructions. The first major project was for two big stair houses for Pharmadule Emtunga, now Apply Emtunga, in Sweden,” he says. Success with its early projects in oil and gas has seen Aluship move onto bigger and more complex projects and the company is currently working on its most prestigious offshore project to date – the Gina Krog project from Total in the Norwegian North Sea. “In 2010, we proceeded with permanent special oil and gas constructions for rig related enclosures for filtration units, special technical enclosures, enclosures for gas turbines
PAGE 61
European shipyard to correct mistakes and improve quality so if the saving is worth it, I don’t know. “We are not a shipyard; we are a supplier to shipyards and big oil and gas companies. Aluminium is a very versatile material and in shipbuilding as well as oil and gas one important thing is not just weight but centre of gravity. The ideal situation for a ferry or commercial vehicle is to translate the weight saving into additional payload and aluminium is the most profitable material for ship construction when it comes to this and if you have a fast vessel, you need the weight saving to meet the top speed with less energy,” he says.
and anything else that could be built in aluminium,” says Linzenmeier. “We always aimed for larger structures and today we are engineering and building aluminium accommodation modules for Apply Leirvik, for their Gina Krog project where we are building a big living accommodation structure including detailed engineering and we are happy to have the Apply Group as another strategic client in our portfolio as we have Oceanco in the mega yacht field and Fjellstrand AS in special ship building where we recently delivered the zero emission ferry, Ampere 1. “The current Gina Krog project with Apply Leirvik is one of the most prestigious jobs we have done in the oil and gas industry.” With construction beginning last year, it was delivered earlier this year. Aluship’s focus on aluminium makes
of aluminium structures which includes engineering, we are quite unique. We are also more or less unique in our potential and size regarding projects we can deliver. There are very few in Europe who can deliver big living accommodations or very large mega yacht super structures or large ferries like we can. In engineering, production, facilities, capabilities regarding project management and handling of complex documents we are quite unique,” says Linzenmeier. And even with the reported shift in attitudes in the offshore construction industry, with many big name energy companies looking to China for building services because of its cheap prices and skilled workforce, Linzenmeier is not overly concerned with competition saying the company’s aluminium work and reputation for quality are strong. “For our company directly, the Chinese are only marginal competitors right now.
the company stand out from the crowd in the European market as there are many shipyards and engineering companies will great capabilities but not many who use aluminium as a predominant material. “In our complex service as a supplier
“We only see this at the borderlines of the market. It’s more concerned with big projects like entire rig construction and platform building. We have seen in the past that when European companies order products from China, very soon after delivery, that product will arrive in a
PAGE 62
BUILDING A STRONG FUTURE Aluship is a growing company and Linzenmeier is looking to continue building on what is already a strong workforce by investing in training and development of talented local people as well as opening offices in strategic locations in Europe, in areas with a connection to the offshore oil & gas industry. “We are interested in opening more offices not only related to oil and gas but also our other business sectors in the future. “We have interesting stories in our workforce; there are some people who were with the company 20 years ago and who remain here today. “The challenge is recruiting qualified staff, therefore Aluship Technology is one of the most active companies in the north of Poland, not only in advertising for staff who are active in the industry, but also in basic education of young people, developing in-house education programmes, cooperating closely with welding schools and also closely cooperating with the chamber of commerce and technical schools to support them and help develop programmes which are more focused on our activities. We want to work with
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY young talent from a technical point of view and that is why we are working with the technical university in Gdańsk to look for young talented engineers,” he adds. Gdańsk University of Technology has faculties covering electrical and control engineering, civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering and ocean engineering and ship technology among other subjects and could help to create an extremely capable labour pool for Aluship.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY In an important development for the future, Aluship celebrated the delivery of its latest vessel, Ampere 1 to Norwegian ferry operator Norled last year. “Ampere 1 is an 80 meter, fully battery powered catamaran ferry. Its engineering concept is unique and it’s the first of its kind in the world for its size; having no diesel engine, being completely electrically powered. This
vessel, and maybe a second vessel very soon, will operate in the Hardangerfjord under the operational management of ferry operator Norled. The vessel will cross the fjord in 20 minutes and during the 10 minute boarding period it will be connected to the onshore grid to partially recharge. During the night, the batteries will be fully charged while there is no operation. This concept is very clean, very eco-friendly and very cheap for the ferry operator,” Linzenmeier explains. The idea for a fully-electric vessel comes off the back of the success seen in the industry with hybrid diesel vessels and Linzenmeier says that the reaction to the cost saving and environmental savings of hybrid vessels has been very good. “There has been a positive response to ferries with hybrid diesel engines which reduce fuel costs by 21%. Currently, there is another vessel under
construction which will provide savings of 25% and this will be the cheapest in operation. Money talks so this has been a breakthrough in the market, not only in Norway with ferries but also in much wider applications.” And these applications could include activity with crew transfer vessels or other medium-sized supply vessels in the offshore energy industry. “Right now, Ampere 1 is for short distances and is working very well. It’s very clean, very cheap and showing great potential for the future,” says Linzenmeier. Aluship has found another niche market space which will be hugely beneficial, not only to Aluship, but to the wider maritime industry. And all of the innovation and visionary forward thinking is coming straight out of Gdańsk proving that Poland’s offshore and maritime industry sector is becoming more and more developed with each passing year
OFFSHORE & SHIPBUILDING
• Aluminium construction Alloys • Friction stir welded pAnels • Floor proFiles • BulB proFiles • GrAtinG And FreezerplAte proFiles • stAirwAy And GAnGwAy proFiles Nedal Aluminium B.V. • Postbox 2020 • 3500 GA Utrecht Netherlands • T +31 (0)30 - 292 57 11 • E salesr@nedal.com • W www.nedal.com
PAGE 63
Uniquely placed
Part of the dynamic Unique Maritime Group, Unique Wellube’s services are focused on plant and pipeline operability and avoidance of costly unplanned shutdowns. Global reach extends across the Middle East, North America, Africa, and the UK North Sea, and a hugely impressive growth rate looks set to accelerate following a partnership with USbased Mactech Offshore. Formed 22 years ago with just three employees, the Unique Maritime
the marine, diving, hydrographic, oceanographic, oil & gas and
acquisitions have powered a continuous expansion of Group
Group has grown to become one of the world’s leading integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solution providers. Specialising in offshore and onshore services including the sale and rental of equipment for
non-destructive testing sectors, the UAE-headquartered company has also developed an established manufacturing capability for the delivery of customised engineering projects worldwide. Organic growth and targeted
services and geographical infrastructure to the point where UMG is now employing over 500 people worldwide located across seven global regions including the Middle East, UK, USA, South Africa, Nigeria, India and Singapore.
PAGE 64
UNIQUE WELLUBE All ten of the Group’s companies are well positioned to manage substantial project requirements as well as sales, rental and service support for a fast-growing international customer base. Among them is Unique Wellube, the UAE-based specialist engineering company acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary two years ago.
SHUTDOWN AVOIDANCE Unique Wellube offers dedicated engineering services and associated products focused on plant and pipeline operability. Costly unplanned shutdowns are spared by allowing intervention and plant critical maintenance work to be carried safely and cost effectively. Products and services range from hot tapping, line stopping, on-site machining and under pressure leak sealing, to customised firings, testing, maintenance, platform
decommissioning services and portable onsite machining sales and rentals. Formed ten years ago, Unique Wellube grew rapidly with UMG investment providing a springboard for international expansion. When its founder John Allison retired two years ago, UMG acquired a 100% holding. “Unique has always been an integral part of the Group,” says its Managing Director, Sahil Gandhi. “With many years of combined experience backed by substantial R&D, our team of professional graduate engineers and highly skilled technicians are providing innovative solutions to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges.” Hot tapping and line stopping services are currently the most in-demand services. “And over the last couple of years there’s been a lot of focus on asset integrity and
management, pushing the life of lines as far as they can go. There are a lot of pipe lines coming to their scrap date, and clients are looking for solutions to maintain pipe lines and keep them going for as long as possible. “There are always different challenges of course. No one pipe line is ever carrying the same material or chemical composition, so you must come up with small innovations on almost a daily basis to ensure best performance.” As part of UMG, Unique Wellube benefits from Group divisional interaction and resource support. “We are a synergised Group with a widely similar customer base, so we work very closely with our diving and marine departments, not least because they, like us, are dealing with a lot of offshore EPC contractors.” Unsurprisingly oil & gas has been
PAGE 65
Gandhi. “We provide the services and Mactech the engineering and machinery behind it. We are talking to the same clients, and this enables us both to offer a bigger package and take away the headaches and hassle of having to deal with
g gin na Ma
Di rec tor
|S ahi l Ga ndhi
identified as a Group major expansion area. “This is where we are going to deliver most of our growth over the next five years,” says Gandhi. “We have already started the expansion process, taking the Oil and Gas Division to India, Nigeria, and the UK. “Three locations in a very short time, and hopefully next year we will be bringing in Singapore and Saudi Arabia. We see the Middle East as a major market for our products and services.” As well as regional growth, Unique Wellube is looking to bring in complimentary products and services – a strategy that has seen the development of a major partnership with US-based Mactech Offshore, the world’s leading provider of subsea and offshore machining equipment solutions. “Mactech is a very interactive company working with clients to come up with bespoke solutions. They are able to react very quickly and provide high quality equipment and engineering services, and this
PAGE 66
ties in very much with our philosophy and operation. As a Group we won’t take lots of partners on, but when we do we like to think of them as our company and vice versa.” Focused mainly on cutting services, Mactech is the forefront name in offshore decommissioning diamond wire cutters. Ideal for cutting multi-string applications or heavy wall legs and cross members, its compact and robust design creates an ideal cutting environment, reducing setup, installation and removal time and costs. And as part of its strategy of continuous innovation, Mactech Offshore has now introduced the revolutionary ROV Diamond Wire Saw. Designed to address economical efficiencies and advantages, it also focuses on personnel and environmental safety when cutting equipment for abandonment operations.
A RANGE OF SERVICES “All this ties in with the range of services we provide,” says
“We have a very strong engineering team, and this is the base of our company, and as a result we are able to provide solutions our competitors are unable to do” different sub-contractors.” With the oil price crash of 2014 upending the geopolitical chessboard, and Saudi Arabia’s oil minister Ali al-Naimi’s preChristmas claim that OPEC will not cut production even if the price falls to $20 a barrel, how does Mr Gandhi assess the challenges facing Unique Wellube? “We are riding the wave OK at the moment. But a continuous phase of low oil prices will bring a period of slow down in the market, though for service companies like ours I think there will be a time lag before it comes through. “But there’s still optimism in
UNIQUE WELLUBE
how we can become more efficient in our technology and practices, bettering ourselves by 10 to 15%.”
“I think the keys to success in this critical industry are quality, response times, and our flexibility to work around different problems and challenges. We have a very strong engineering team and an unparalleled reputation for customer service and project delivery - this is the base of our company. “As a result of this, and new partnerships such as the one with Mactech, we have a very exciting time ahead and will continue to g r o w U n i q u e Maritime Group to meet our customer and market demands.”
WIRE SAW ND
DIAM O
V O R able cap
WIRE SAW ND
the board we are always looking at
Unique’s on-going expansion. “I see it growing exponentially. At the moment we are working in a couple of regions, but we are both ambitious companies and as we grow over the next five years you will see the Mactech-Wellube combination in many more places around the world. “We are exhilarated to enter new markets, and growing fast in regions such as the Middle East, providing our superior range of products and making our clients happy with Unique Wellube’s efficient and costeffective solutions.
DIAM O
the market with a lot of the key players saying they will continue with their new and expansion projects, especially in the Gulf States and Middle East. “Middle East government oil majors are willing to ride out the dip in prices, but other regions and deeper water locations such as the North Sea and Brazil could suffer, with higher costs and the fact they are not backed by big government majors.” These concerns aside, the global deep water operational expansion of recent years has seen an increasing demand for rental equipment, with Unique Wellube investing in deeper water assets for its rental pool while simultaneously boosting its design team to ensure the diving and buoyancy divisions can cope with deeper waters. And with its strong exploration and construction focus, Unique Wellube’s portfolio has clear potential for the renewables sector. “Currently we do not have a technology like this, but we are always looking to develop. “It’s always about finding the right opportunities, and with a lot of variations across these technologies we are monitoring them very closely to see which are the most efficient, and also the potential partners we might work with. There are many renewable technologies out there but not all are as efficient as others. “In our own case, right across
Subsea Cutting Experts Ma c t e c h O f f s h ore p rovid es h un d red s of A merican mad e t ools a n d s e r v i c e s commit t ed t o t h e Of fs h ore S ub s ea mar ket. F rom S p lit F ra m e C u tt e r s t o Diamon d W ire S aw s , w e h ave p os it ion ed ours elves to d e s i g n , d e v el op an d appl y t h es e s p ecializ ed cut t in g t ools t o m a r i n e s e r v i c e s in t h e oil an d gas in d us t ry.
See our equipment for yourself Visit www.mactechoffshore.com P.O. Box 42647, Sharjah, UAE www.uniquegroup.com enquiries@wellube.com +971 6 5130333
3129 Hwy 90 East - Broussard, LA 70518 www.mactechoffshore.com info@mactechoffshore.com +1.337.839.2793
DYNAMIC PARTNERS Clearly, the Mactech partnership is going to be a major force in
PAGE 67
Creating Amazing Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
This month, Total World Energy looks at the origami car – a replica of the Lexus IS Saloon model - this creative vision is made almost entirely from cardboard sheets. With a steel and aluminium frame, the London-based designers, LaserCut WORKS and Scales and Models have even fitted the model with an electric motor, giving it the power to be driven.
PAGE 68
INNOVATION
PAGE 69
Lexus has pushed the boundaries of exceptional design in its real life-size replica of the Lexus IS Saloon built from 1,700 individually shaped pieces of cardboard. Rather spectacularly however, this is not just a car made out of cardboard to be admired, it can actually be driven outside. Exploring the Lexus’ promise of ‘Creating Amazing’, it has been designed and constructed to celebrate all the qualities that makes Lexus so unique. The luxury vehicle division of Toyota, Lexus is Japan’s largest selling make of premium cars. Headquartered in Nagoya, Japan,
corporate reorganisation from 2001 to 2005, the company now operates its own design, engineering and manufacturing centers and today, it is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide.
Using a steel and aluminium frame for support, the origami IS model, while perhaps not the most comfortable of cars, can be sat in thanks to its fully functioning doors. With LED headlights and rolling wheels, the design of the Lexus IS model has been replicated to the smallest,
unpredictable English weather and its safety features are virtually non-existent. The careful and painstaking © XTI Aircraft Company work was carried out by LaserCut WORKS and Scales and Models – two Londonbased specialist companies with extensive experience in the design and creation of prototypes, architectural models and custom commissions. Provided with a digital 3D model of the Lexus IS, the designers took this file and divided it into a series of principal parts such as the main body, the dashboard, seats and wheels.
the Lexus brand originated from a corporate project to develop a new, premium Sedan – the Lexus LS followed in 1989. From the early beginnings of production, Lexus vehicles have been produced in Japan. Following a
minutest detail and has even been fitted with an electric motor, allowing the car to be driven. Of course, this model is more for its aesthetic design than its ability to drive – it certainly wouldn’t bode well in the
Using a laser cutter to produce 1,700 10-mm pieces of cardboard, each piece was then meticulously glued together to create the Lexus body. In a process done entirely by hand, the designers used a water-based glue which required a steady and
PAGE 70
AN ORIGAMI MODEL
INNOVATION
patient hand as once the glue had set, changes couldn’t be made. To ease the pressure of this task, each individual layer was given its own reference number, ensuring it was assembled in the right sequence and to the correct model specifications. Precision and accuracy was key explains Reuben Marcos, Founder and Director at Scales and Models: “This was a very demanding job, with five people involved in the digital design, modelling, laser cutting and assemble. Just like Lexus, we were committed to producing the best possible quality. “The seats took a few attempts to
resources we needed in-house, this made the changes easier to produce.” Taking three months to complete the full IS model, the origami car typifies the Lexus brand – renowned for its high-spec technology and expert craftsmanship. Similarly, Lexus unveiled its design for a real-life, working Hoverboard in August – turning science fiction dreams into a real transportation reality. Crediting ‘magnetic levitation technology’ to its triumph and impressive design, it helps the wheel-less skateboard to defy gravity successfully. Although a life-long dream of so
With both innovations, they highlight the truly unique and exceptionally high standards that Lexus features so heavily in its designs. Known as the ‘Takumi’, Lexus’ car makers are responsible for ensuring all cars coming out of its factories are built and finished to the highest of standards. An ancient Japanese word, the Takumi’s skills have been honed, digitised and programmed into robotic functions, raising the company’s exacting standards even higher. W ith many people’s trust in car manufacturers falling short
get just right and the wheels required a lot of refining. Once we could see the physical pieces taking shape, we could identify where we needed to make improvements – as with anything, there were some elements of trial and error, but as we had all the
many ‘Back to the Future’ fans, the Hoverboard will only work on specially constructed tracks which have been designed with permanent magnets, creating a magnet field, allowing the board to float up to two inches off the ground.
recently amid the emissions scandal, we can perhaps breathe a small sigh of relief that Lexus will continue to invent, innovate and surprise – creating amazing for the foreseeable future
PAGE 71
An ambitious target? Editorial: Harriet Pattison
The 17 Global Goals have been announced by the World Leaders in an ambitious bid to achieve three extraordinary things in the next 15 years - to end extreme poverty, fight inequality & injustice and fix climate change. The Global Goals for sustainable development could get these things done. In all countries. For all people. In this issue, Total World Energy looks at how countries and cities all over the world are already implementing ways in which to combat climate change, introducing renewable measures in an effort to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
In a series of ambitious targets, the Global Goals - announced by the United Nations in September – have been outlined and set by world leaders in a bid to tackle climate change and end world poverty in just 15 years.
PAGE 72
17 in total, the goals aim to achieve three very bold results: to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and fix climate change. If these goals are met by 2030, together they will help to secure
the health, safety and future of our planet and ensure a certain standard of living – a global social floor which no-one can fall below – for everyone. This means that we should all be protected from extreme poverty, we should have
THE GLOBAL GOALS
the right to fresh water and food, an education and protection from the degradation and imminent results of climate change. Providing a universal and collective global vision, these goals highlight what our planet should look like and how we, as inhabitants, should live.
MAKING A CHANGE This year alone, the media has been inundated with numerous reports of successful energy efficient initiatives, the implementation of renewable energy solutions and cities that are now leaving behind the use of fossil fuels for a greener and much more sustainable alternative. In July, it was reported that Denmark generated 140% of its electricity demands from wind
power, enabling it to export 80% of its power surplus to be shared between neighbouring Norway, Germany and Sweden. With strong government backing for renewable power, up to three quarters of the country’s wind capacity comes from onshore wind farms and with future wind installations in the pipeline, Denmark could be generating half of its electricity from renewable sources before 2020 – ahead of Government schedule. A spokesman for trade body the European Wind Energy Association, Oliver Joy, explains: “It shows that a world powered 100% by renewable energy is no fantasy. Wind energy and renewables can be a solution to de-carbonization – and also security of supply at times of high demand.”
Governments around the world are making the effort to get behind and introduce renewable energy into its cities. In September, the Swedish government announced plans to spend an extra US$546 million on renewable energy and climate control action in its 2016 budget in an attempt to become the world’s first fossil fuel-free nation and end its dependence on fossil fuels. With two thirds of its electricity obtained from non-fossil fuel sources, Sweden is looking to focus more on its solar and wind potential with an aim to make its transport industry more sustainable, subsidised through an increase in taxes on petrol and diesel. Several of the country’s old nuclear power plants have been scheduled © Elia for early closure with no further
PAGE 73
replacements planned. In an eight fold increase on its current budget, solar energy has been allocated US$58.4 million a year between 2017 and 2019. Other areas of the budget will be spent on the country’s electric bus © Elia fleet, climate adaptation strategies, renewable energy storage technology, subsidies for green cars and helping to make residential buildings more energy efficient. In September, the new Sidensjö wind farm – one of Sweden’s biggest wind farms – was inaugurated. Located approximately 15km west of Örnsköldsvik in Sweden, the field was installed by RES subsidiary, Nordisk Vindkraft and Stadtwerke München of Munich in Germany. The biggest project built by Nordisk Vindkraft in the country, the 48-turbine wind farm will add 144MW to Sweden’s energy mix. “The Sidensjö wind farm is
PAGE 74
a significant milestone for our company,” explains Nordisk Vindkraft CEO, Arne Lorenzen. “We are now looking forward to continue the cooperation with our client Stadtwerke München during the operational phase of the wind farm together with the local stakeholders in and around the Sidensjö area.” “Thanks to the good and professional collaboration with Nordisk Vindkraft, our renewable energies expansion campaign has taken a further big step forward,” adds Christian Vogt, Stadtwerke München (SWM) head of corporate investment management. “And SWM’s expansion of renewable energies continues: along with the three offshore wind parks DanTysk and Global Tech I in the North Sea, and Gwynt y Môr in the Irish Sea, the Sidensjö onshore wind park is our fourth major project that is being
commissioned this year. “And our next large-scale regenerative project is already being created with the start of construction works on the Sandbank offshore wind park.” Earlier this year, Costa Rica reached a huge milestone, powering the country for 75 consecutive days using 100% renewable energy. With a population of 4.8 million, Costa Rica is no stranger to supplying reliable and affordable power and with heavy rainfall at the beginning of this year at four of its hydroelectric power facilities, it was able to generate enough electricity to banish the burning of fossil fuels during this period. Last year, hydropower in the country accounted for a reported 80% of electricity generated and produced and back in 2010, with its perfect volcanic-rich setting for geothermal power, this renewable power supply accounted for
THE GLOBAL GOALS 13% with additional geothermal projects in the pipeline. In July 2014, members of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly approved a US$958 million geothermal project located at Guaracaste, near Rincon de la Vieja. With $600 million of the total project funded by two sources - $540-$560 million by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and $70 million from the European Bank, the remainder will be provided by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute. With the first plants expected to generate 55MW and costing $333 million to build, two additional 50MW plants have also been scheduled. Once operational, the plant could generate electricity at five cents per kilo-watt hour – helping Costa Rica achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. The project will also aid in stimulating the country’s economy through local job creation. Providing a steady and
consistent power supply, geothermal projects are regularly favoured over the often intermittent resources of wind and solar power.
COP21 With such a positive response from cities around the world, much of the future of renewable energy, its implementation and potential over the next 15 years will be decided upon at the end of this year. The 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on climate change will be held in Paris at the end of November. Its objective? To achieve a legally binding agreement on climate change, from all the world’s nations. This new agreement, to be enforced in 2020, holds tremendous potential in taking the world towards full climate neutrality this century – limiting global warming to 2°C. The third largest greenhouse
gas emitter in the world, India has announced that it is to source 40% of its electricity from renewables by 2030; while Brazil is to cut carbon emissions by an estimated 37% by 2025. It seems as though, although we are still a long way off reaching a sustainable end goal, countries and governments are beginning to realise the vital necessity of doing their bit, making a difference and opting for change. As the United Nation’s Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon fittingly states; there is no plan B for action as there is no planet B. If all these proposed targets by many of the world’s greatest greenhouse gas emitters are honoured, the level of emissions should hold the threat of global warming at 2.7°C. Although this is still high above the threshold to help prevent climate change, it’s a start and a promising leap in the right direction to becoming a carbon neutral planet, securing the future for our helpless generations
PAGE 75
An advocate for renewable fuel Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
Joining Energy Vision in January 2012, Matt Tomich focuses on the advancement of renewable natural gas (RNG) as a vehicle fuel. Now Vice President, Tomich has been instrumental in coordinating the company’s education and outreach initiatives and this year, he was named as one of New York City’s Top 10 Energy Entrepreneurs by Breaking Energy.
PAGE 76
ENTREPRENEUR Cities in the US and across the world are looking at ways in which they can implement sustainable initiatives. Of course, this news is not breaking and it is widely known that more needs to be done to make our cities a more renewable and sustainable environment. Furthermore, it is how these initiatives are to be introduced and the potential they hold which is so important. A rather fitting topic in line with the launch of the Global Goals and the imminent COP21 conference to be held at the end of this month in Paris, it seems as though climate change is finally on the lips of those who really matter and those that can make a potentially significant and serious difference. One such effective and sustainable initiative sweeping across cities in the US and beyond is the use of organic waste to generate energy and as a low-carbon fuel alternative. In the US alone, more than 250 million tons of municipal solid waste is generated every year – and almost 70 million tons of this is food and yard waste holding tremendous potential. As it is broken down in landfills or anaerobic digesters, the waste produce biogases – a mixture primarily of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane, however, has strong global warming potential, as much as 25 times more than that of CO2, contributing
damaging - petroleum is almost exclusively relied upon for this - causing serious concerns for climate change. In the US, it is reported that petroleum-derived fuels account for more than 95% of all energy used in this industry, this is an estimated 158 billion gallons every year. And although heavy-duty trucks and buses account for just 4% of all on-road vehicles in the country, they consume almost 38 billion gallons - that’s 25% - of the total and a large proportion of this is diesel fuel. So the question remains – can natural gas, in its fossil or renewable natural gas form, be a sufficient renewable alternative to diesel for these heavy-duty vehicles? While raw biogas can be used to generate power, it is when this is refined, removing the CO2 and impurities, that renewable natural gas (RNG), also known as Biomethane, is left. Boasting an array of uses, RNG, much like fossil natural gas, can be transported through the pipelines on site to then be used for generating power, heating or fuelling vehicles. A low-carbon alternative, RNG derived from landfill site gas has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 88% compared to diesel and furthermore, RNG that is produced from anaerobic digesters can be net-carbonneutral or even carbon-neutral; meaning RNG produced using this method will prevent more
significantly to climate change. To combat this and harness the potential energy, these gases can be captured and utilised as fuel. The current state of transportation fuel is globally
carbon entering the atmosphere than it actually creates – an analysis by the California Air Resources Board reports. W ith New York City standing as the most-densely populated city in the US, it is
© Energy vision | Matthew Tomick PAGE 77
understandable that it produces on average, eight million tons of residential and commercial waste every year – with 1.6 million of this food waste. Although a staggering number, the potential here for turning this waste into energy and transportation fuel is huge. This is where Energy Vision steps in. A New York-based, non-profit environmental research and education organisation, it aims to promote the transition to renewable transportation fuels and energy sources across the US. Named as one of New York City’s Top 10 Energy Entrepreneurs for 2015 by Breaking Energy, Matt Tomich, joining Energy Vision in January 2012, has been concentrating on the advancement of RNG as a viable vehicle fuel. His work, to date, has included the research and writing on the major RNG initiatives in the US across a variety of
PAGE 78
sectors, including the dairy, landfill gas, wastewater treatment plant, residential and commercial waste sectors. He has co-authored many of Energy Vision’s in-depth reports; Renewable Natural Gas: The Solution to a Major Transportation Challenge, Tomorrow’s Trucks: Leaving the Era of Oil Behind and Tur ning Waste into Vehicle Fuel: A Step-by-Step Guide for Communities. Earning a B.A. in Geology from Haverford College, Tomich focused on Soil Geochemistry and further gained an M.B.A. from Kansas State University in Technology Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship. Speaking to AGaminKansas in October 2014, Tomich explains why he chose to venture into the realms of renewability: “I grew up in Kansas and was always around agriculture and people who were making products and producing things. I was always
interested in the renewable field as it’s such a critical part of our lives and the way in which we live in the 21st century. “After university, I decided I wanted to get into the renewable space as it seemed that was where the trend was going. Energy Vision was doing some really creative research on renewable energy and converting waste into energy – combining this thought of waste as a resource and economically taking that and turning it into a product. That’s what really got me hooked and what I’ve been focusing on since.” Since joining the company four years ago, Tomich, now in his position as Vice President, has been instrumental in the coordination of Energy Vision’s various education and outreach initiatives, both regionally and nationally and regularly appears as a guest speaker in venues across America and internationally
INNOVATION
Power from nature that we help capture BayWa r.e. Solar Systems - the most trusted wholesaler in the solar PV industry Our comprehensive range of high quality solar PV modules, inverters, mounting and balance of system products are amongst the UK‘s most competitively priced.
Exacting levels of customer service and technical support are the cornerstones of our success since we first started trading way back in 1984. Visit our website to order from our well stocked range for next day delivery. Or call our sales team for any technical support and PV system questions you may have. www.baywa-re-solarsystems.co.uk
BayWa r.e. Solar Systems Ltd Unit 7, Dyfi Eco Park, Machynlleth, Powys. SY20 8AX Phone 0845 201 6100 www.baywa-re-solarsystems.co.uk
PAGE 79
Provider of drilling, sidetracking and workover services, on land in Russia and offshore in the Caspian Sea Provider of drilling, sidetracking and workover services, on land in Russia and offshore in the Caspian Sea
www.eurasiadrilling.com