Oman Economic Review – August 2018

BUSINESS BRIEFS

16 August 2018

Oman to host global logistics conference in Nov 2018

Industry leaders from around the world will be
visiting Muscat this November to attend the
highly-anticipated International Road Union (IRU)
World Congress. The three-day global logistics
conference will be held between November 6
and 8, and is expected to unite global experts,
government officials, and business executives
to discuss the future of the logistics sector. The
theme for the 2018 event will be “Innovation on
the Move.”

The conference will be held under the
patronage of HH Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al
Said, deputy prime minister for international
relations and cooperation afairs and personal
representative to His Majesty.

“As Oman’s flagship logistics group, this
event will further support our efforts to lead the
implementation of the Sultanate’s Logistics
Strategy 2040 and raise Oman’s logistics
profile on the global stage,” said Nabil bin
Salim Al Bimani, group chief for ports and
freezones at Asayad and a member of the
IRU World Congress organising committee.
“Businesses and regulators are all facing
increasing market disruption. This event brings
together renowned experts and high-profile
speakers to examine the challenges and create
solutions affecting the world’s transport and
trade networks.”

Boris Blanchester, managing director of IRU,

praised Oman for hosting this year’s event.

“Transport, logistics, and mobility are changing

quickly, becoming increasingly digital,

connected, and automated,” said Blanchester.

“At the heart of ancient and modern trade

corridors, with its comprehensive logistics

strategy and ongoing reform of passenger

transport, Oman is an excellent place for the

industry, governments, and the international

community to come together this November.”

Salim bin Mohammed Al Naimi, undersecretary

of transport at the Ministry of Transport and

Communications and chairman of the IRU World

Congress organising committee, said at a recent

press conference that Oman’s hosting was

confirmation of its achievements in the fields

of transportation and logistics. “The IRU World

Congress’s selection of Oman to host such a

prestigious event is a testament to the quality

and future of the transportation and logistics

infrastructure within the Sultanate,” he said.

Oman to host World Heavy Oil Congress & Exhibition

in September 2018

Muscat will welcome more than 500 conference
delegates from over 40 countries at the World
Heavy Oil Congress & Exhibition (WHOC), held
at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre
from September 3 to 5, 2018. Co-hosted by
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and under
the auspices of the Ministry of Oil & Gas, the
annual congress will address challenges and
discuss opportunities across the heavy oil value
chain through a two-day strategic conference,
and a three-day technical conference alongside a
three-day international exhibition.

HE Dr Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Rumhy,
Minister of Oil and Gas said: “Heavy oil
contributes approximately 15 per cent of
Oman’s oil production and is an important
aspect of the industry, especially as we

continue to innovate and pioneer novel EOR

technologies to meet the evolving demands

of producing heavy oil. We know that as the

heavy oil sector matures, opportunities for

collaborations, innovation, and investment will

also continue to advance and evolve.”

Despite a challenging economic environment,

PDO is spearheading innovation and continuing

to identify novel EOR techniques to maximise

production from four active heavy oil fields with

particular focus on the Amal West field and the

Miraah Solar plant. It is anticipated that by 2025

more than 23 per cent of PDO’s production will

come from EOR projects.

The strategic conference will cover 10 diverse

topics on investments, creating agile business

models, collaboration between heavy oil

producing countries, and unlocking refining

potential and value chain performance. Some

of the key conference speakers include: HE Dr

Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister

for Oil & Gas, Sultanate of Oman; HE Shaikh

Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister

of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain; Raoul Restucci,

managing director, Petroleum Development

Oman; Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO, Mubadala

Petroleum; Steve Kelly, president and general

manager, Occidental Mukhaizna; Giuseppe

Ricci, chief refining and marketing officer, ENI

SPA, S M Farouq Ali, professor of petroleum

engineering, University of Houston; and Dr

SK Majumdar, executive director (refining and

technology), Indian Oil R&D.