Week 23 in Review: World Environment Day, the CEO Cup, and a circular carbon economy solution

The environment, technology, and golf are among the top stories on Aramco LIFE this week. Here’s a quick look at the top headlines over the past few days.

Aramco finds alternative to iron ore for submarine pipelines

A network of submarine pipelines connects our offshore production platforms to processing plants to prepare oil and gas for global markets. Keeping those pipes securely anchored to the seabed requires coatings of concrete that contain heavy iron ore aggregates that prevent unwanted buoyancy.

The problem: iron ore is not available in the Kingdom’s markets.

The solution? Ask Aramco’s Consulting Service Department which has developed a solution, and has licensed a local company to implement it in the field.

The solution is to partially replace iron ore with locally produced steel slag, which is a byproduct from local steel factories. 

Not only does this solution meet Aramco’s required specifications for heavyweight concrete on its submarine pipes, but it also saves money by procuring steel slag locally, recycles steel byproducts that would have been wasted, and generates revenues within the Kingdom for local Saudi materials and service providers. 

On World Environment Day: Reduce, reuse, and recycle

On World Environment Day, Aramco Environmental Protection put the focus on some of its efforts inside the company to promote recycling.

One of those was Community Services’s “Recycle for the Life Cycle” campaign that was launched in selected company spaces last autumn. Employees responded enthusiastically.

And while that campaign managed to collect tons of plastic materials that have been sent to certified recycling centers, more such programs are planned.

Top golfers give it a go at 41st CEO Cup

President and CEO Amin Nasser congratulated participants in this year’s CEO Cup —including the youngest ever competitor to win the tournament — at a recent awards dinner in Dhahran.

Maaz BinSaad, just 16-years-old, was this year’s men’s  champion, the youngest to claim the Cup. Tamara S. Tahir, who has twice won the cup previously, was this year’s champion in the Ladies’s Division.

Winning a big tournament like this feels great. Golf is challenging mentally and physically — my goal is to take it all the way and to become a professional, to represent Aramco and SAGA.
— Maaz BinSaad 

From Max to Manifa: Celebrating decades of remarkable production

As the company continues to celebrate its 90th anniversary, Petroleum Engineering and Development joined in by recognizing some of its longest and best producing fields: the offshore fields of Zuluf and Marjan, as well as Manifa.

It has been 85 years since Dammam No. 7 (the Prosperity Well) first was declared a commercial producer, but it has been a half century of production for Zuluf and Marjan, and a decade for Manifa.

“Our employees are the backbone of our achievements. They are more than capable of delivering sustainable and reliable energy, and we trust them to continue doing so for many years to come,” said Waleed A. Al-Mulhim, PE&D senior vice president.

Also on the 90th — an Energy Hunt

The Young Leaders Advisory Board (YLAB) and Community Services recently celebrated Aramco’s 90^th anniversary by gathering 200 employees in 40 teams from across the company to work together in groups of five for an Energy Hunt adventure in Dhahran. 

The Energy Hunt revolved around Aramco’s transformation from an oil giant throughout the years. It was designed to educate employees on Aramco’s evolution, bring attention to its facilities and programs, and reinforce four critical behaviors: communication, collaboration, people conversations, and decision making through creative team-based problem solving. 

The goal was to inform and involve employees about Aramco’s achievements in sustainability, technology, operations, and well-being.

“This will provide us with a unique opportunity to learn about our operation history,” said senior vice president of Community Services, Talal H. Al-Marri, during the opening ceremony. “In this Energy Hunt, we will reinforce Four Critical Behaviors, which I always encourage: communication, collaboration, people conversation, and decision making.”  

A team from the Inspection Department collected top honors and a trip to al-Ula.