Offshore Middle East 2013 announces strong line up for upcoming conference and exhibition

Speaking at the Press Conference were Mr. David Paganie, Chief Editor, Offshore Magazine, Director, Offshore Conferences, PennWell Corporation, USA and Mr. Mubarak A. Al-Hajri, Chairman, Advisory Board, Offshore Middle East 2013, Operations Manager, Offshore Fields, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar.

The event's Platinum Sponsors were also well represented with spokespersons including Mr. Alistair Routledge - Vice President & Joint Interest Manager, ExxonMobil, Qatar and Mr. Paul Taylor of Maersk Oil.

The Middle East region's oil and gas industry has never looked healthier with firms investing heavily to increase their acreage at sea in an effort to meet growing global demands.

The GCC is forecasted to award a little over $50bn worth of contracts in the oil, gas and petrochemical projects market in 2013.

Over the next two years, some of the major projects awarded include contracts on Saudi Aramco's Jizan refinery, major work offshore Abu Dhabi, and new world-scale petrochemical complexes in Qatar.

Some of the most important challenges currently facing the offshore oil & gas industry relate to accessing modern technology and securing the necessary capital to cover the large investments required for exploration, development and production projects.

Organized by Offshore and hosted by Qatar Petroleum, Offshore Middle East 2013 is honoured to be graced with the generous patronage and support of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry.

The event will commence with the Opening Plenary & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Monday 21 January featuring keynote speakers H.E. Dr. Mohammad bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry and Managing Director, Qatar Petroleum, Mr. Mubarak A. AL-Hajri , Operations Manager -Offshore Fields, Qatar Petroleum and Mr. David Paganie, Chief Editor, Offshore magazine and Director, Offshore Conferences, PennWell Corporation.

The event will take place over three days from 21-23 January at Qatar National Convention Centre with an impressive programme featuring distinguished opening and awards ceremonies, comprehensive conference programme and exhibition floor.

Topics up for discussion include Well Construction & Drilling Operation, Field Development - Asset Integrit, Reservoir Monitoring & ControlAsset Integrity LNG/Gas Operations - Pipelines/Flow Assurance, HSE & Risk Management, Geophysics and HR/Training.

Another round table discussion - Panel Session: Ageing Oil and Gas Assets featuring Qatar Shell, Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and Maersk Oil is also expected to generate a lot interest and topical debate.

The Opening Night Reception sponsored by Qatar Petroleum and Networking Reception sponsored by Saudi Aramco on 22 January are likely to attract high interest with the opportunity for continued business discussions with the industry's major players.

Mr. David Paganie Conference Director, PennWell Corporation who are the organizers of the event, said "We are delighted to be returning to Qatar with an outstanding conference programme that features some of the industry's most distinguished speakers and companies. With offshore spend predicted to equal onshore investment by 2014, the future looks bright for the offshore oil & gas industry and the event serves as an ideal platform for regional and international businesses to come together to share ideas and expand business interests in the Middle East."

In conjunction with the conference, the exhibition will feature leading regional and international offshore companies such as Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Shell, Maersk Oil, Al Nasr Holding Co., Total, Wartsila Gulf FZE, Natikilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd, TMK and Geologix Ltd with launch and display of the very latest products and technologies.

For the first time, Offshore Middle East will present the inaugural Student Paper Program sponsored by Shell. This will consist of a Poster Session Display of finalist abstracts to showcase regional engineering talent and student development in regional universities and allow university students to meet with technical experts in their fields of study. The winner of the Student Paper Program will present their abstract at a Technical Session and be awarded prizes by Shell at the Closing Awards Ceremony.