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Offshore conference to discuss oil spill

DUBAI - Offshore Arabia 2004 Conference and Exhibition will be held in the city from November 29 to December 1 at the Dubai International Convention Centre under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister.

Offshore Arabia 2004 is part of the Regional Clean Sea Organisation's (RECSO) biennial conferences, which will cover vital topics such as coastal protection, marine spill prevention, industrial waste management, oil tanker safety and tanker operational hazards in the Gulf region, as well as best practices to minimise harmful environmental impact.

The conference promises to be the biggest venue for oil and shipping industry leaders and professionals to interact and discuss various issues and concerns affecting the industry and the environment. The conference will also provide a platform to review the achievements of the past and the future direction that the industry will be taking, with focus on managing the changing sea environment and protection of offshore and onshore infrastructures.

Around 50 research papers are expected to be presented at the conference. Alongside the conference, an exhibition will also be held that will showcase the latest technologies in the prevention and protection of oil spills and infrastructure. The event is being organised by Saudi Aramco, RECSO and Index Conference and Exhibition Organising Establishment, with a strong technical participation from IMO, Unesco, Unep, shipping associations, International Oil Companies Association (IPIECA & OGP), Ropme, national environmental agencies, shipping, ports and harbours. RECSO formerly known as Gulf Area Oil Companies Mutual Aid Organisation (GAOCMAO), is a regional oil and shipping industry cooperative organisation based in Dubai which functions under the concept of 'mutual aid' at times of marine oil spills.

RECSO was officially set-up in 1972 by 13 founder members. The oil companies in the region at that time recognised the need for collective response to major oil pollution incidents and came together to achieve a common objective - protecting the Gulf's resources from oil pollution. Since its founding RECSO had to respond to several oil spill incidents including the Gulf War oil spill of 1991. In recent years, RECSO, in addition to its principal activity of providing vigilant services by coordination of joint response at times of marine emergencies, has expanded its activity to advocating best operational practices under the policy of 'prevention is better than response'. This has gradually cut down the number of operational oil spills within the member oil companies.