Rasgas magazine layout

Issue 43 • Summer 2014

The pace of

development in the country and even in the world now is so fast...

Asia’s high-tech

powerhouse

12

the

testing

22 business shale gale at

gastech

24

five days in

30

2014

Moscow

Striving for excellence

BIG Picture

The largest Arabic reading lesson ever, a world record set by RasGas and local school children at Qatar National Convention Centre in April issue 43

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RasGas magazine 1

read all about it In the last 20 years, the media sector in Qatar has flourished.

Energised by the swift rise of Al Jazeera as an international current affairs phenomenon, new and existing businesses have launched new TV and radio stations, new magazines and newspapers, and new digital news sites.

Competition in the sector is hot, but today there is more reporting, more discussion and more opinion than ever before. Read more on page 8 about Qatar’s tradition of openness to ideas.

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WELCOME brief

Striving for excellence Ras Gas works consistently and with great focus to deliver its vision of being a world-class global energy supplier, striving for excellence. By embracing progressive change, RasGas continues to enhance its energy-related products, and its commitment to customers around the world.

From increasing operational efficiency to investing in our people and facilities, we have developed processes and systems which enable us to deliver the highest standards of quality, reliability and environmental safety.

Ras Gas’ operations provide strong evidence of our commitment to quality, something repeatedly recognised by our industry peers and international benchmarking organisations...

RasGas’ operations, across the entire company, provide strong evidence of our commitment to quality, something which has been repeatedly recognised by our industry peers, and international benchmarking organisations. In the field of safety for example, this year alone we received three significant awards. In May, RasGas was a winner in the Qatar Oil & Gas Industry HSE Excellence Awards: RasGas’ Venture Group, with JGC, received a gold award for the Barzan Onshore SHE&S Excellence and Innovation programme. Then, in June, RasGas received the award for Excellence in Sustainability Management at Qatar’s annual sustainability awards ceremony.

Such accolades reflect our safety values, on a par with the highest international standards advocated

by His Excellency Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, the Minister of Energy and Industry.

By June 2014 the RasGas Venture Group had achieved a world-class performance of 130 million hours worked without a lost-time incident (LTI), the Operations Projects Department had logged 26 million hours with no LTIs, and the Subsurface & Technology Group had reached 20 million LTI-free work hours. In addition, the Operations Projects Department recently received

the ExxonMobil Production Company Projects Safety Award 2013 for its exemplary safety record.

We are proud of these successes as they demonstrate our professional approach to our work. In this respect, the RasGas Laboratory, part of RasGas’ Operations Group, is a critical element in the LNG value chain. In 2005 the laboratory was the first in Qatar to receive ISO 17025 accreditation, as required by the Ministry of Environment.

The research laboratory’s experienced, multi-skilled team rigorously analyse and test all gases, liquid hydrocarbons, water, soil and other materials involved in RasGas’ operations. Their attention to detail ensures that our customers receive the highest quality end-product. The same systematic approach also helps to protect the natural environment, in line with RasGas’ Corporate Social Responsibility commitments and the Qatar National Vision 2030.

RasGas continues to invest in high-quality research facilities, and the Barzan Gas Project, whose two trains will come on stream later this year and in 2015 respectively, will have its own dedicated laboratory to provide assurance of quality.

Finally, in April RasGas demonstrated that its drive for quality extends beyond our own projects and operations, when we joined more than 1,350 local school children at the Qatar National Convention Centre to set a world record for the largest Arabic reading lesson, to encourage Arabic literacy among our younger generation. As RasGas expands and evolves in the future, our commitment to quality will remain constant and enduring.

Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi Chief Executive Officer

issue 43 RasGas magazine 3

RasGas Magazine Issue 43 Summer 2014 www.aldarprinting.com

CONTENTS

Cover image Taipei 101 © Louie Psihoyos/Corbis © RasGas Company Limited 2014

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RasGas Company Limited PO Box 24200 Doha, State of Qatar Tel: +974 4473 8000 Fax: +974 4473 8480 www.rasgas.com

WELCOME

RasGas’ operations provide strong evidence of our commitment to quality, something repeatedly recognised by our industry peers and international benchmarking...organisations...

Edited and produced by RasGas Company Limited Public Affairs Department Tel: +974 4453 1139 Fax: +974 4411 8928 Editor-in-Chief Abdulla Hashim Managing Editor Carol Pascoe Contributing writers, Jane Chittenden, Theodore Kinni, Josie Latham, Bernie Sheehan, Edward Targett, Charlie Watson Editorial assistant Lolita Salaga Photography Nigel Downes, Studio Qatar, Ismail Parambil Designed by East Publishing Limited www.eastpublishing.com Printed by Aldar Printing, Qatar www.aldarprinting.com All statements and expressions contained herein are the sole opinions of the writers and editors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of RasGas Company Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from RasGas Company Limited.

Note: Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (3) and Barzan Gas Company Limited (QSC) are joint venture companies that are operated by RasGas Company Limited (“RasGas”). For ease of reference, the use of the name “RasGas” in this publication may refer to any of these joint venture companies 4 RasGas magazine issue 43

06 briefing

Gas-eating bacteria; converting light into mechanical energy; ‘elastic’ aircraft wings; zero-carbon yachting. RasGas news: Qatarization Crystal Award; safety milestones; award for Operations projects Department; RasGas teams up with Texas A&M University at Qatar; RasGas Sustainability Report

10 VISION

It attracted journalists from all over the world, and during that time there was no rival. Al Jazeera opened the door...

12 Asia’s

Taiwan is already a global leader in manufacturing Information Technology products, but its future strategy is to grasp a larger share of the market for high-value branded goods through a focus on research, innovation and knowledge...

20 cause for celebration

In May, RasGas hosted three days of celebrations to mark the Venture Group’s achievement of 130 million work-hours without a lost-time injury (LTI ). Venture Group project management teams, contractors, subcontractors and site workers contributed to the exceptional safety performance, as part of a multinational team of 30,000-plus at peak times.

30 five days in moscow

At the triennial World Petroleum Congress in Moscow in June, Qatar’s energy sec tor was well represented and there was a life time achievement award for the architect of the country’s ‘energy transformation’...

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Sustainability first In June, at Qatar’s annual sustainability awards ceremony, RasGas won the award for Excellence in Sustainability Management. This new award was the climax of the event, and represented another level of success for RasGas, which in the previous two years won first prize in the large company category for sustainability reporting.

The awards, organised by the Ministry of Energy and Industry in partnership with Qatar Petroleum (QP), form part of QP’s Sustainable Development Industry Reporting initiative. Download RasGas’ Sustainability Report 2013 at www.rasgas.com/ sustainability..

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BRIEFING

light University of Singapore presented the first instance of the photosalient effect in a solid material. The chemical reaction enables microscopic crystals to burst like popcorn in the air when exposed to ultraviolet light, reaching heights hundreds of times greater than their own size. The breakthrough could potentially result in innovative applications for harvesting solar energy. The research was featured in the English version of Angewandte Chemie, a German scientific journal.

Research published in the science journal Nature suggests that soil-borne bacteria could combat the gas leaks that cause global warming. Scientists at the University of East Anglia in the UK demonstrated that a single bacterial strain (Methylocella silvestris), found in peat, tundra and forest soils in northern Europe, can grow on methane and propane, both components of natural gas. This new finding is important, because it reveals that a single type of bacteria, rather than groups of bacteria as previously thought, can efficiently mop up these greenhouse gases (from natural gas seeps in the environment as well as those arising from human activity, such as fracking and oil spills) before they are released into the atmosphere, helping to mitigate their effects.

Singaporean researchers have described a chemical reaction that opens up new possibilities for converting light into mechanical energy, known as the photosalient effect. A team from the Department of Chemistry at the National

With more than 2 billion airline tickets bought every year, creating a huge carbon footprint, energy efficiency is critical in aviation design. The natural, streamlined flight of the bird has inspired airplane designers ever since the days of Leonardo Da Vinci. Now, the EU’s Smart Intelligent Aircraft Structures project (SARISTU) is developing aircraft landing flaps that change shape like a bird’s wing, leading to greater fuel efficiency.

around the world. Phil Sharp is working with the university’s Energy Futures Lab to design a sustainable energy system that will power the yacht’s autopilot, navigation equipment and drinking water-making system.

The design needs to be sufficiently lightweight, robust and efficient to enable the yacht to perform in the world’s most challenging races.

If the team achieve their aims, this will be the first zero-carbon, fully-sustainable racing yacht to complete a round-theworld race such as the Vendée Globe. The boat will also compete in other events of the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship.

Sources: www.uea.ac.uk www.eandt.theiet.org www.oilprice.com

www.imperial.a The prototype ‘elastic’ wings have a silicon skin with alternate rigid and soft zones, and can remain flexible from –55°C to 80°C. The ingenious design innovation could reduce aircraft fuel consumption by up to 6 per cent.

Finally, a British sailor is teaming up with researchers from Imperial College London to develop a zero-carbon yacht, which he plans to race issue 43 RasGas magazine 7