Focus on product quality control in oil & gas sector
New developments and best practices in laboratory efficiency and challenges faced by the petroleum and petrochemical sectors are being discussed
MUSCAT: The Fifth GCC Laboratory Efficiency Conference kicked off yesterday.
The two-day conference is organised by the GCC Standardisation Organisation (GCC-SO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
It reviews the latest development and exchanges best practices in the field of laboratory efficiency and important challenges faced by the petroleum and petrochemical sectors.
The conference was patronised by Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, who considered the conference as a platform for exchanging ideas and agreeing on specific mechanisms to enhance cooperation among member countries to uplift the efficiency of laboratories, especially with regard to control on fuels and petrochemicals and implementation of best international practices in this field.
Dr. Al Sunaidi said that the conference addresses the oil and petrochemical sector as it is of vital importance to the economies of the GCC countries, which are among the largest producers of oil and related industries, including the petrochemical industry, which is the second largest industrial sector in the region, with products worth a total of approximately $100 billion per year and a global market whose total value in the next five years is expected to exceed $1 trillion.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry pointed out that the Ministry contributes to organising this conference in cooperation with GCC-SO to emphasise the principle of partnership with other GCC countries to ensure the implementation of quality standards and the development of the infrastructure of standardisation.
Saud bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, GCC-SO Secretary General, said that since its establishment, the GSO has supported the implementation of the unified economic agreement for the GCC countries, based on the objectives of the GCC Statute aimed at achieving coordination, integration and connection among member states.
John Walter, President of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), stressed the importance of the conference, especially in the quality of industries that adhere to specifications, pointing out that each country has to do many things and there are many priorities.
ISO president noted that the importance of this conference is to set priorities as a discussion of the impact of the quality of manufacturing in the oil and gas sectors.