The Zone: Edition 64

REVOLUTIONISING THE GLOBAL PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY THROUGH ADVANCED TRADE AND LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS

Today’s global supply chain market has been in a vol atile state with an uncertain outlook on the oil prices, global capacity, pricing issues and trade uncertainties; all of which have accelerated a downturn.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it expects global oil demand growth to exceed the increase in supplies by 1 million barrels a day next year; however, they added that the outlook for 2023 suggests no relief for the already squeezed consumers. The future of petrochemicals remains a question mark.

We, at DP World, are leveraging our capabilities to tackle the de mands of the rapidly changing market. We are taking on the challeng es head-on to ensure transparent and seamless global supply chains.

The volatile markets have resulted in further pressure on all sectors including petrochemicals, which is an integral pillar of economies worldwide. As a crucial part of our day-to-day lives, petrochemicals are required for more than just fuel for transportation. They are also an important part of our circular economy and are used in the F&B and the medical industry as well. From vehicles to electronics, it is safe to say that almost everything today is made of petrochemicals. Their significance is translated into the job market that we see im proving, as the demand for petrochemicals increases. They are here to stay for the foreseeable future and will surely empower our devel opment and progress.

Globally and regionally, the sector’s significance is unprecedented. When it comes to the production and export of chemicals, the GCC market that produces over USD 108 billion worth of goods is a key hub. The sector has tremendous potential and we hope to enhance our contribution to its multi-fold growth in the region. DP World has been providing integrated, flexible and cost-effective supply chain solutions that support petrochemical trade lanes and ecosystems worldwide. Our aim is to continue supporting chemical companies to

position themselves among some of the leading names by utilising our competencies and vast experience in the value chain. Our efforts are complemented by several national partnership agreements. Take, for instance, the recent industrial agreement between the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan where petrochemicals, was one of the five areas that the three countries are looking to elevate. The strategic partnership could allow expansion projects in the petrochemical sector and manufac turing industries exceeding USD 21bn. Over the years, through our flagship Jebel Ali hub, our contribution to this growing market has been immense. Both the Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) have played a crucial role in enabling the sector’s growth within the UAE and the Middle East. The Jebel Ali Port alone provides support to 65 per cent of the GCC’s polymer exports and 33 per cent of its petrochemical exports.

Our leading trade and logistics hub Jafza is home to several key pet rochemical companies. Since our inception, we have been offering holistic solutions to customers through state-of-the-art storage solu tions, as well as unmatched import and export facilities. Our advanced warehousing solutions, trade and logistics-related facilities, and ro bust connectivity through our ports have enabled us to catalyse the growth of the petrochemical sector. The Port of Jebel Ali provides the petrochemical industry to service 4,700+ of the port’s and industry’s customers. With our stronger container handling infrastructure, the Jebel Ali Port supports 65 per cent of GCC’s polymer exports and 33 per cent of its petrochemical exports. Our port has 2 million square metres of dedicated liquid chemical handling capacity and we plan to expand further. Through our flagship assets, we are working to ensure the continued progress of the sector, fuelling its stability. In tandem with our stakeholders and partner, we are taking massive steps to ensure that there are efficient, equitable, and sustainable solutions for the sector to prosper. Our ultimate goal is to explore new growth opportunities that will lead to the creation of resilient, future-proof businesses in the UAE and the GCC.

SULTAN AHMED BIN SULAYEM GROUP CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF DP WORLD AND CHAIRMAN OF PORTS, CUSTOMS AND FREE ZONE CORPORATION

Emirates inks MoU with Jafza to explore joint activities to attract and incentivise new and existing businesses

Emirates airlines and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore joint coopera tion and initiatives targeted at attracting more investments into Dubai by supporting new and existing businesses registered or licensed in the free zone.

Under the signed MoU, both parties will explore opportunities to offer a number of travel-related incentives for new and exist ing SMEs and larger businesses, including potential enrolment in the airline’s Business Rewards programme. The MoU was signed by Dina Al Herais, Emirates’ Vice President, Commer cial Products, B2B Corporate & Leisure, and Ebtesam Ahmad Alkaabi, Head of Sales, Jafza. The signing ceremony was also attended by Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President, Gulf, Middle East & Central Asia, and Ahmad Al Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Parks and Zones, DP World UAE.

DP World, NIIF broadens artnership in India

DP World and India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) broadens their existing partnership, with NIIF Mas ter Fund investing primary capital of INR 22.5 billion (approx imately US$300 million) for a shareholding of approximately 22.5 per cent in Hindustan Ports Private Limited (HPPL), the wholly owned subsidiary of DP World.

NIIF’s investment under this partnership will reach around US$500 million. HPPL is one of India’s leading container ter minal platforms with a proven track record of growth over the long-term. The entity operates five container terminals manag ing more than 5 million TEU of capacity which represents a national market share of over 20 per cent. These terminals are in strategic growth locations which includes: Mumbai, Mundra, Chennai and Cochin.

Jafza and Dubai Trade reveal data-driven capabilities for the e-commerce sector at Seamless Middle East

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) and Dubai Trade, DP World’s leading trade and logis tics hub and premier trade facilitation platform will showcase their dynamic ca pabilities at Seamless Middle East 2022 to be held on May 31 and June 1, 2022. From design to distribution, the two com panies offer the perfect environment for e-commerce businesses to thrive in the Middle East, with Dubai as their hub. Over the years, Jafza has witnessed a rapid growth in its e-commerce cluster,

owing to Dubai Trade’s robust infrastruc ture, including last-mile delivery logistics. Additionally, Dubai Trade’s technological ly advanced solutions give e-commerce companies a competitive advantage over other players in the market. Through their participation in Seamless Middle East, the entities aim to capitalise on this success and help more companies take advantage of the technology, resources, and expertise to reach new geographies.

Manrre logistics fund makes strategic investments in Jafza increasing its portfolio to US $71.3 million

Manrre Logistics Fund, a private Du bai-based investment company, has made two strategic investments in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), DP World’s leading trade and logistics hub, increasing the value of its portfolio by 22.5 per cent to US$71.3 Million. Launched in 2018 by Dubai-based Palmon Group, Manrre fo

cuses on institutional-grade logistics and industrial properties in locations including Jafza, Dubai Investments Park and Dubai South, in addition to investments in the cloud, dark kitchen and alternative spac es in the UAE The first of the investments in Jebel Ali is a facility leased to Infofort, a subsidiary of Iron Mountain which is a

company focused on records manage ment, data backup and recovery, docu ment management and data centres. The second is AMS Integrated Solutions, a Danish company operating in 9 countries specialising in fleet management, techni cal training, and logistical needs for mis sion readiness.

Maersk opens first Integrated Logistics Centre in Jafza

Maersk Kanoo UAE, an integrator of con tainer logistics, on Thursday inaugurated its first Integrated Logistics Centre in Dubai, UAE, at DP World’s leading trade and logistics hub, Jafza. The Maersk Inte grated Logistics Centre was inaugurated by Richard Morgan, regional managing director, Maersk West and Central Asia; and Christopher Cook, managing director, Maersk UAE, in the presence of Maersk’s top W&D customers in the UAE.

Ocean shipping and inbound logistics & distribution have traditionally been shared amongst multiple stakeholders in the region, resulting in complex logistical requirements. With the brand-new Inte grated Logistics Centre in Dubai, Maersk is taking an important step towards building a truly integrated solution for its customers wherein the customers will get single window access to multiple logis tics requirements, not only for the goods

flowing in and out of UAE but even other Middle Eastern countries who use Dubai as a gateway to global trade. Maersk has a strong commitment to decarbonise logistics and services. The facility will get solar panels on its rooftop to cater to all the entire electricity requirements for facil

ity operations. The 434 MWh/year clean energy production of this installation will reduce more than 1,700 tonnes of carbon emissions over 10 years; an equivalent decarbonisation feat achieved by planting over 70,000 trees seedlings over 10 years.

Yiwu Market opens doors to the public

Dubai’s Yiwu Market, a hybrid shopping complex that will empower regional and global supply chains, opened its doors late June. The Yiwu Market is a partnership between DP World and China Com modity City Group (CCC). The AED600 million Yiwu Market is the first phase of the upcoming Dubai Traders Market. Located in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), the Traders Market, once completed, will cover over 60 million square feet and house 20,000 traders and tenants.

The Yiwu Market gains a strong competitive edge by combining DP World’s logistical expertise with insights from CCC, which runs the world’s largest wholesale market, the Yiwu China Commodities City. As the first smart free zone market in the Middle East, Dubai’s Yiwu Market offers a one-stop-shop for purchasing, and a highly efficient online and offline platform for wholesale and retail trading.

Jebel Ali Port, Jebel Ali Free Zone are the epicenter for over 90% of Dubai’s sugar exports

Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) are the epicenter for over 90 per cent of Dubai’s sugar exports to over 114 countries, with an estimated value of more than AED 4.4 billion. At the center of this is Al Khaleej Sugar, which currently refines and produces about 3 per cent of the total global sug ar output.

Dubai is a major sugar exporter, ranking seventh globally in the UN’s Comtrade listings. Behind this extraor dinary success is DP World’s Jebel Ali hub, with its world-class manufactur ing and logistics facilities, which has

played a prominent role in enabling the trade of sugar across the globe, enhancing food security, and ensuring the reliability of supplies for this vital commodity.

DP World worked with Al Khaleej to build the world’s largest standalone sugar refinery at Jebel Ali in 1995, providing the advanced facilities re quired to unload imported raw sugar from ships directly to storage areas for refining. The sugar complex can now produce more than 7,000 tonnes of refined sugar per day (2.55 million tonnes a year.

DP World honours owner of the world’s largest Dhow

DP World honoured Majid Obaid Al Falasi for his efforts in building the world’s larg est wooden Arabic dhow, and encourag ing the revival of the UAE’s traditional dhow trade. The Obaid, a 92-meter-long dhow, standing at a height of more than 11 meters, was hand-built by Majid Obaid Bin Majid Al Falasi & Sons, a family-run shipyard in Dubai.

The vessel was built with 1,700 tonnes of African teak and 800 tonnes of steel, making it larger and stronger than con ventional wooden dhows and capable of carrying four times more cargo. The ves sel has twin 1,850-horsepower engines, the Obaid can move its cargo sail at up to 14 knots. The vessel carries out import and export operations via Dubai Creek, Deira Wharfage and Mina Al Hamriya.

Jafza breaks ground at new Logistics Park

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), DP World’s leading trade and logis tics hub, held a ground-breaking ceremony for the first phase of its new “Jafza Logistics Park”, which is scheduled for completion in 2023. The purpose-built trading and logistics development will accommodate the growing number of warehousing, processing and logistics activities carried out in Dubai.The ground-breaking was attended by Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Direc

tor, DP World UAE & Jafza, as well as the company’s leadership team. Jafza Logistics Park will reinforce the success of the logis tics cluster in Jafza, which has already grown by 14 per cent since 2016. The project covers a total leasable area of over 46,000 square meters, of which 87 per cent will be allocated to ware housing. The remaining space is dedicated to office facilities.

DP World launches Berbera Economic Zone in Somaliland

Following its investment in the Port of Ber bera, DP World is now launching the Berbera Economic Zone to create an integrated mari time, logistics, and industrial platform to serve the Horn of Africa and Ethiopian markets.

The Port of Berbera is the most modern con tainer terminal in the horn of Africa with exten sive bulk and breakbulk handling facilities as well as liquid cargo handling capability.

On the other hand, the Berbera Economic Zone, modelled on our flagship Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, aims to offer a similar busi ness environment that our Jafza customers have become accustomed to, whether it is in terms of the regulatory framework, range of facilities, incentives and the one-stop-shop services.

Suhail Albanna, DP World’s CEO & MD of the Middle East & Africa says ”With both the port and the economic zone being operated by DP

Key Attributes:

operated by

World

Economic Zone operated by DP World

One-Stop-Shop operated by DP World

World, it will be like home away from home for our Jafza customers”.

A new special economic zone law and a new special economic zone companies’ law have been passed by the Somaliland Parliament with a view to offer companies operating in the zone a secure and stable business envi ronment.

The facilities which are available for annual lease, long-term lease of 25 years or sale in clude offices, prebuilt Light Industrial Units (LIUs) as well as serviced land plots. DP World can also offer built to suit as well as project management services for companies looking to outsource the construction of their facilities.

Moreover, DP World will provide logistics ser vices including clearing, storage and delivery of goods to companies operating in the zone.

The incentives offered to companies include a wide range of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives,

including exemption from corporate tax, du ty-free storage of goods, exemption from im port or export permits, 100% foreign-owned companies and the ability to employ foreign labour.

DP World has set up and will operate the onestop shop where services include company formation, licensing, issue of building and Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) permits, as well as facilitating other services such as visa and work permits. Applications for regis tration and licensing can be made through the Berbera Economic Zone portal or submitted and attested through the Jafza one-stop shop.

This integrated maritime, logistics and indus trial platform, the customer centric ecosystem as well as the competitive and conducive busi ness environment, constitute the key attrib utes in positioning Berbera as an emerging gateway for the horn of Africa and Ethiopian markets.

Logistics Services

Built to Suit / Project Management services

Fiscal & Non-Fiscal incentives

multimodal Connectivity

Customer Centric EcoSystem

Integrated Maritime, Logistics, and Industrial platform

Readily available facilities

SUHAIL ALBANNA

&

OF THE MIDDLE EAST

The petrochemicals sector is an integral pillar of Operation 300bn, the UAE’s Indus trial Strategy that aims to increase the GDP from AED 133 billion to AED 300 billion by 2031. Since 95 per cent of all manufactured goods rely on petrochemicals, the sector is essential to the global economy. Despite the 2020 crisis and the delayed economic recovery, the sector is poised for significant growth in the decades ahead. The UAE’s export-oriented industry is already witness ing improvements which will be sustained by new polypropylene capacity, due to a ramp-up in production in 2022.

DP World UAE plays a pivotal role in facili tating the growth of the regional and global petrochemicals sector through its flagship assets in Jebel Ali. The company’s stream lined chemical supply chain solutions and extensive range of logistics offerings are reinforcing the UAE’s and GGC’s rapidly growing petrochemical sector.

Valued at AED 21.4 billion, DP World UAE’s petrochemicals hub accounts for close to 60 per cent of Dubai’s total trade value in the sector. Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) alone supports 4,700 port customers and

is home to 584 companies from the pet rochemicals sector. Complementing this is the Jebel Ali Port, a hub for global pet rochemical companies catering to growing markets of the Indian Subcontinent, Africa, and the Middle East.

Enabling seamless trade

With its robust container handling infra structure, the Jebel Ali Port supports 65 per cent of GCC’s polymer exports and 33 per cent of its petrochemical exports. The port has 2 million square metres of ded icated liquid chemical handling capacity comprising 11 berths and over 1 million cubic metres of liquid bulk storage space. DP World UAE’s comprehensive solutions also include tank terminals and warehous ing, specialised storage space for packed lubricants, fuels and industrial chemicals, ISO tanks storage and dangerous goods warehouses.

The 532+ petrochemical sector in Jafza is powered by 584+ companies from 60+ countries with a 6000+ workforce, all of which contribute to Dubai’s position as the second-most important emirate in terms of petrochemical production.

With its robust container handling infrastructure, the Jebel Ali Port supports 65 per cent of GCC’s polymer exports and 33 per cent of its petrochemical exports.

The Port of Jebel Ali, as an example, al lows the petrochemical industry to service 4,700+ of the port’s and industry’s custom ers.

Creating local and global success stories

The petrochemical at Jafza spans on the area 3.9 million sqm of combined facilities. Jafza supports several key petrochemicals companies, including DOW, BASF, Total and Gulf Petrochem. The free zone offers a holistic solution – handling imports in bulk and containers and offering 235,000 cubic metres of storage capacity. Its en hanced capabilities have ensured that it is the base for some of the largest chemical distributors in the Middle East and Africa. The integrated logistics offerings support ed by connectivity across international pet rochemical trade lanes and the ecosystem at Jebel Ali give the industry the most at tractive logistic proposition. Additionally, its strategic location and vast network of glob al liners have contributed to the success of the UAE and the region.

The

High oil prices boost energy transition plans, challenging conventional wisdom

A strong oil price enables investment in riskier

expensive green energy solutions, such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Given that no single stakeholder

provide the necessary

and absorb all commercial risks associated with building a CCUS industry, all participants in the entire O&G value chain become important, as they’re involved in more than half of planned CCUS projects.

Oil

prices have recovered to around $80/bbl after turning negative in

76%

surveyed

that

Oil prices have been rising since the start of

capped

by recovering

Business models shift to enable a new energy era

Business model changes

Strong oil price

New era in renewable energy

The oilfield service (OFS) sector had slashed costs and optimized operations to stay afloat even before the pandemic. Being traditionally dependent on upstream cycles, the sector is now likely to see a permanent structural shift as rapid energy transition shifts the scales of O&G revenues and spending.

Convenience and experience supersede fuel as the new anchor to attract customers

Apart from the disruption created by the electrification of transpor tation, traditional fuels (diesel and gasoline) also face competition from other low-emission fuels, such as hydrogen, and renewable fuels. Furthermore, the generational shift from baby boomers to mil lennials is changing the fueling preference of consumers from brand and price to convenience and user experience

The interplay of the energy transition with changing demographics is creating a challenge for many fuel retailers, who must transform their operations to attract and retain a new generation of custom ers while also adapting to a changing fuel mix

The oil price crash of 2020 triggered the fastest layoffs in the history of the US O&G industry. Pric es have nearly doubled since then, but only about 50% of lost jobs have come back. The cyclical hir ing and laying off employees is adversely affecting the industry’s reputation as a reliable employer, and a tenured, aging workforce is reducing the available talent pool.

ESG plays a larger role in M&A transactions

Upstream M&A activity, which typically follows oil prices, remains well below prepandemic levels. While the ongoing capital discipline of O&G companies is the primary reason behind the lull in upstream M&A activity, limited visibility of buyers into the carbon profile of sellers or their assets is a growing factor.

DOW eyes on progressive future for the UAE’s petrochemicals industry

In recent years, the UAE has become a pio neer in the field of petrochemicals. While the pandemic hampered the growth of the region’s industries, petrochemical demand remained strong and continued to grow. A multitude of reasons have contributed to the local industry’s success, including the UAE’s advantageous gas feedstock, which it transforms into pet rochemicals and plastics before exporting to growing markets. The UAE has boosted produc tion of chemicals and plastics to satisfy their increasing regional and worldwide demand across many industries, which is rising due to the growing population and GDP expansion.

During the pandemic, demand for medical plas tics increased, boosting the petrochemicals industry even more.

Dow Chemical utilises advanced technologies to minimise impact on environment and meet rapidly increasing market demands. The com pany specialises in manufacturing plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products, serving sectors such as building, construction and in frastructure, automotive and transportation, chemical manufacturing, beauty and personal care, and packaging.

AHMED DUALEH PRESIDENT, DOW UAE

Ahmed Dualeh, President, DOW UAE, spoke to The Zone about the petrochemicals industry in the region and also highlighted the latest technology and innovative solutions adopted by DOW to meet the demands of the market and ensure sustainable development.

It is now widely accepted that up until 2030, petrochemicals will be the primary drivers of future oil demand growth, with predictions that the industry will be able to restore oil demand to pre-pandemic levels. In line with these trends, the UAE is increasing its petrochemical produc tion, generating hopes for future petrochemical

HUGE GROWTH

CHEMICAL

VIA THE UAE’S JEBEL ALI PORT

projects. In a forward-thinking move, UAE oil producers are focusing on integrating largescale refineries, including petrochemical fa cilities.

Towards increasing demand & market growth

Dualeh explained, “The UAE intends to meet rising petrochemical demand by in creasing petrochemical production through downstream projects. National oil and petro chemical firms are partnering with global oil corporations in high profile and significant deals in order to attract investments in the downstream industry. In order to satisfy rising demand in the UAE and the region, such firms are setting high targets of production.” With high demand across areas such as construc tion, infrastructure, and consumer goods, the UAE continues to enjoy exceptional growth. Demand is being fuelled by this growth, and it will continue to do so.

The oil and gas industry continues to evolve and innovate by utilising technological innova tions and advancements to adapt to changing situations. The most pressing problem faced by the industry today is developing and de ploying more efficient and cleaner technol

ogies to minimise carbon emissions in the environment. He added, “As a result of tech nological advancements, the industry will be able to deliver fuels while also making product consumption more efficient, safer, and clean er. In the future, we may see more sustainable technology used in the sector, particularly as Middle Eastern countries, including OPEC states, pursue their economic diversification strategies.”

Through optimisation and automation, tech nology has the ability to enhance performance across the upstream oil and gas value chain. Oil and gas companies can save on capital ex penditure and operational costs by investing in technology. To create value and preserve a competitive advantage, businesses will con tinue to use digital transformation strategies such as cloud computing, AI, and robotics.

Reinforcing smart technology for business excellence From innovation to product development, and from customer experience to supply chain management, smart technology is a key enabler across the value chain in the petrochemical sector. Dualeh clarified, “We, at Dow, have always been at the forefront of

pushing the boundaries of innovation through digitalisation. We integrate AI and predictive technology into all aspects of our company to transform how we operate and how our cus tomers interact with us. We’re making our pro cesses smarter and more cost-effective, and are developing new capabilities to accelerate innovation, differentiate ourselves faster, and provide a better client experience. Through faster response times and fewer trials, the en tire product development process is speeded up, resulting in a shorter time to market.”

Dow has continued to pursue expansion plans, undertaking a number of capacity ex pansion projects to support the development of its client solutions division. To meet rising demand, the company is increasing produc tion in several of its key markets across the globe.

Dow is also working on circular and sustain able solutions, announcing new sustainability goals such as carbon neutrality by 2050 and a circular economy for plastics. Dualeh con cluded, “We also saw three times increase in product sales based on renewable bio-based feedstocks in 2020 year-on-year, and released post-consumer recycled plastic resins for a variety of applications globally. In order to minimize CO2 emissions and electrify ethyl ene steam crackers, the firm is accelerating investments in process technology. These are only a few of Dow’s efforts to be socially re sponsible. Our annual ESG report outlines all of our efforts to ensure that we continue to pursue the most innovative and sustainable solutions possible.”

AI AND PREDICTIVE TECHNOLOGY

SMARTER AND COSTEFFECTIVE

ACCELERATE INNOVATION

3 TIMES INCREASE IN PRODUCT SALES BASED ON RENEWABLE BIO-BASED FEEDSTOCKS

2020

It is now widely accepted that up until 2030, petrochemicals will be the primary drivers of future oil demand growth

Our purpose is simple; to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and in collaboration with our strategic partners

LUKOIL Marine Lubricants thrives on integrating innovative technology with smart services

ITS BUSINESS MODEL IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MAXIMUM VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO REINFORCE A CULTURE OF HIGH RESILIENCE TO THE CHANGING MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT THROUGH RISK DIVERSIFICATION

In 2007, the company decided to bring its expertise in lubricants technology to the mari time industry. LUKOIL Marine Lubricants was founded as a global sales and marketing busi ness focusing on the production and sales of marine lubricants worldwide. The approach was to form a new marine lubricants organi zation with outstanding operational and tech nical service, based on profound marine lubri cants knowledge.

Dr. June Manoharan, Managing Director of LUKOIL Marine Lubricants MENA, has ex clusively clarified to the Zone the company’s leading role in the marine lubricants industry and its success journey in the region.

Strong global position

LUKOIL is one of the largest suppliers of ma rine lubricants in the Middle East. “We own more than 35% of the Middle East regional marine lubricants market and we are the main supplier for the largest shipping com panies in the region. We are proud to be the market leader,” said Manoharan. Achieving outstanding global ranking in less than a dec ade, LUKOIL Marine Lubricants has achieved significant market shares in Singapore, HK South Africa and India. It is also making major progress in Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.

The company produces and markets over 150 lubricant products to meet their customer re quirements from marine, auto and industrial sectors across the Middle East and South Asian markets. The product range covers from the modern to most advanced synthetic motor oils, various industrial oils, hydraulic fluids and speciality lubricants. Globally, LU KOIL International has over 700 products in its portfolio, and we have introduced over 150 of them in this region.

Smart and agile services

Regarding the tactics that LUKOIL has been implementing to accomplish this remarkable development, Manoharan explained, “we un derstand our customers’ needs and meet their requirements, we expanded our distribution network to cover more than 900 ports.”

The company said that their fast deci sion-making processes has enabled them to succeed in this expanded network approach. They explained that they trust in intensive communication with customers and local partners to ensure that the products are deliv ered reliably at all times.

Manoharan emphasized, “As a responsible marketer and the fastest growing global lu bricants brand, LUKOIL wants to be closer to

LUKOIL has already stayed ahead of the curve and developed an impressive range of synthetic products. We are pleased to excel in such a highly sophisticated and competitive market

the customer and contribute to the local econ omy and community, where it operates. Also, there are operational and cost advantages to customers – shorter lead time as opposed to moving products from Europe, flexibility and supply efficiency helping them manage their working capital better.”

LUKOIL has a very robust R&D programme and competent team, which works with reput ed global OEMs (car makers) in order to keep the company’s product portfolio up-to-date in response to the continuously changing needs of the industry. This collaboration helps LU KOIL to secure and maintain the prestigious approvals for its products and also work pro actively to keep itself ahead of the curve when it comes to adopting newer technologies.

Innovative and futuristic technology

In addition to the company’s smart approach of providing distinctive services, LUKOIL depends on another factor to reach more customers and occupy a leading position exceeding 12% of the global market share. Manoharan added, “Innovation in technology is the most significant booster to our success. Through our technology head office in Ham burg, we have a unique capability to identify our customers’ new requirements”. LUKOIL was the first company to develop a high BN cylinder oil in 2011.

Manoharan explained further, “Our achieve ments cycle has witnessed constant improve ments, we developed “iCOlube” (intelligent Cylinder Oil lubrication unit) that provides cost-effective solutions and efficiency to the vessel.”

Further to this new achievement, the compa ny was again first in the market to introduce fully saturated EAL (Environmentally Accept able Lubricants) products, which fulfil all re

quirements for both safe and environmentally friendly operation.

The UAE as a maritime hub

As for the reason for choosing the UAE as the headquarter for LUKOIL Marine Lubricants’ global operations, Manoharan mentioned that the UAE has become a truly cosmopolitan des tination in business and cultural aspects. “It is extremely easy to run a global business in the UAE. We enjoy full government support to sim plify business processes,” she added. Due to the outstanding journey of success of LUKOIL Marine Lubricants, the company’s main office in Moscow decided to launch the industrial and automotive lubricant business in 2015 in the GCC countries.

“It is significant for us to be part of a strong free zone such as Jafza. We need a partner that understands our varied and complex business needs, and Jafza’s global connectivity and ad vanced business operating framework help us navigate through our business here with ease. With the government safeguarding industrial in terests, more industries are being encouraged to come forward and set up their businesses in free zones that offer several facilities. This will help solidify the ‘Made in UAE’ brand to reach new heights,” Manoharan concluded.

DR. JUNE MANOHARAN MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LUKOIL MARINE LUBRICANTS MENA

We follow the in-tank, or batch blending process, which provides us the advantage of flexibility to respond to very volatile customer demands, avoid cross contaminations and maintain overall low cost of product

and

Reinforcing

of

AquaChemie: Localising its Capabilities and Stimulating Regional Expansion

WITH INVESTMENT WORTH $100 MILLION AND A CURRENT TURNOVER OF AROUND $150 MILLION, THE

EYES EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

As one of the leading companies in the Middle East’s chemical manufacturing and distribution sector, AquaChemie has adopted a unique strategy of localising its industrial capabilities and operations to ex pand business operations and enhance its market position. Subrato Saha, Director and Co-founder of AquaChemie talks about the company’s operations and expansion plans in the region.

Can you introduce your company?

Since our establishment in 2008 in the UAE, AquaChemie has operations primarily in GCC countries and is now expanding to Afri ca and parts of Asia. Growing at a CAGR of over 35 per cent, with a current turnover of around US $150 million, we are well poised

to become one of the top leaders in the re gion, for chemicals and services.

What added value do you achieve through your presence in Jafza within the UAE and the GCC market?

Our industrial and operational model de pends on supply chain steps, that is why we chose Jafza, for its proximity to Jebel Ali Port, and its location in the heart of Du bai’s Golden Logistics Triangle that includes land, sea and air transportation. It is consid ered the trade gateway to the GCC region, which is a key global hub for the chemical industry.

In 2020, AquaChemie Middle East, part of the UAE-based AquaChemie Group, broke ground on its strategic, world-class petro chemical terminal in DP World’s flagship,

ANANDKUMAR

SUBRATO SAHA DIRECTOR AND CO-OWNER, AQUACHEMIE

Invested around

AquaChemie is growing at a CAGR of over 35%, with a current turnover of around

Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. The AED 150 million terminal will serve as a vital gateway, facilitating and boosting petrochemical trade between manufacturers and end-users in the Middle East. On completion, our target is to achieve a revenue of USD 400 million within seven years. So far, we have invested around USD 100 million to build corporate offices, speciality chemical manufacturing facilities and supply chain infrastructure (including a bulk petrochemical terminal) in Jafza and the GCC region.

How do you plan to capitalise on these huge investments?

The company has demonstrated a high level of localisation (a key to acquiring local business) through several country-specific programs like Aramco’s In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program & Local Content for downstream companies in KSA, the In-Country Value (ICV) program in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) & OQ Oman.

Does this mean that your operations are limited to the GCC region?

We have an active business association with over 250 major compa nies in the region. For speciality chemicals (water and process), we have a JV partnership with a Japanese Multinational, Kurita. Kurita is a prominent global player in the field of speciality chemicals for water and process treatment. We also work closely with several mul

tinationals such as Dow, BASF, Shell, ExxonMobil, Sabic, etc. on the supply side, mainly for their petrochemical product range.

Can you elaborate on the company’s petrochemical products and industry-related services?

AquaChemie deals in speciality and bulk industrial chemicals, for upstream oil and gas, refinery and petrochemicals, mining and min erals, power and desalination, and the paper and metal industry. Besides, we serve several other niche sectors, with a range of select speciality products. Our products and services include, Kurita spe cialty chemicals, catalysts, cleaning & decontamination services, catalyst sulfiding services, molecular sieves & adsorbents, fertiliser additives, ion exchange resins, etc.

What operational model did you adopt to achieve expansion?

The management team consists of experienced industry profession als with prior stints in global corporations, including GE, Shell, Exx onMobil, and Sabic. Overall, we are a growing team of around 180 skilled professionals in the region with well-experienced chemical engineers and chemists for pre-sales, sales, and technical support. Our processes are ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 & GMP certified, all inte grated over SAP.

Union Chemicals: Investing in advanced solutions for enhanced growth

Union Chemicals, one of the leading fertiliser companies across the globe, continues to in vest in R&D locally to establish international partnerships in order to ensure the advance ment of their operations in the areas of Artifi cial Intelligence and analytics for the agricul ture sector. During his exclusive conversation with The Zone, Farouk Tuleimat, General Manager, Union Chemicals, explained how the company is functioning in today’s world.

Would you like to throw some light on your company’s wide range of services offerings?

Union Chemicals Co. LLC. was established in 1989 as the first fertiliser company in the GCC and MENA region to produce water soluble fertilisers in partnership with Finnish company Kemira-GrowHow. Since our estab lishment, our mission has been to enable and support regional food security by producing the highest quality fertilisers based on inter national standards.

We have witnessed several stages of growth and invested heavily in increasing our produc tion capabilities to include granular fertilisers. This allowed us to strengthen our footprint not only in the UAE, but also internationally, as we now export our products to over 28 countries across the globe. Today, we cater to a large number of organisations operating in the agriculture industry, and serve some of the largest agricultural projects in the Middle East and Africa.

We continue to invest in R&D locally and have established international partnerships with

academies in Germany in the areas of Artifi cial Intelligence and analytics for the agricul ture sector. We are proud to serve some of the most innovative and environment-friendly agriculture projects (high tech greenhouses/ vertical farms) in the region. As one of the vital sectors in the country, our focus during the pandemic was to ensure continued and undisrupted supply chains to all our partners. We increased our production and reserves to ensure strategic agricultural projects con tinue to be served, and we are proud to have been able to ensure that no essential products were missing or delayed, that could have led to negative consequences on crops, farmers, and agricultural production in the country. We are committed and focused on continuing to support food security in the UAE and its sus tainable food production by providing high quality agricultural inputs and services.

Can you provide some details about the company’s petrochemical products and industry related services?

Depending on the needs of our clients, macro, secondary, and micro nutrients, are produced in various forms such as water soluble, gran ular, and liquid. Our wide range of products include organic and inorganic fertilisers, which are utilised in various farming methods such as open field, green house, and vertical farming. Application methods include foliar, fertigation, soil, and slow release. Addition ally, based on over 33 years of experience in the region, we have custom made formulas that are tailored to the unique requirements of our clients and the climate in the region; for example, a palm tree focused formula. Prod

ucts manufactured in our factories are in line with high quality international standards. In addition to our diverse range of products, our services include consultations, targeted as sessments, and custom formulations based on crop requirements. Our commitment to quality has been one of the key factors for our growth and well-established presence in the market.

Would you like to provide some details about the company’s advanced solutions?

From a product perspective, we are capable of customising fertilizers to our customers’ needs with the support of our technical en gineering team. Our automated solutions en able a variety of nutrients to be blended into homogeneous end products manufactured specifically to the growing requirements of our customers. Our services include techni cal support to farmers to ensure optimal pro ductivity and yields in addition to a variety of advanced logistical services that ensure an excellent experience for our customers.

What are the industries that you ca ter to? How do you manage to cater to such diverse sectors while ensuring high quality services?

We focus on offering our services and solu tions to a wide variety of agricultural enter prises (open fields, green houses, vertical farms and hydroponic farms). The key to our success is our deep understanding of our customers’ needs and requirements, and our unwavering commitment to excellence and

Our

include a wide spectrum of fertilisers

play a central role in producing a sufficient amount of nutritious food products. Our range includes a wide variety of formulations that cover all elements essential for plant growth,

over 33 years of custom made formulas that are tailored to the unique climate in the region

quality. We adhere to international best practices and provide technical consulta tions to our clients to enable better yields and improved farm profitability.

Would you like to provide some insights into your growth figures and key projects?

Our key objective right now is to continue increasing our investments in R&D to intro duce new products relevant to our markets across the region. We have been operating in Jebel Ali for over 35 years now and have been a key supplier to the agriculture sec tor, with exports to over 28 countries. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of food security in our region and we are excited about the next phase of growth with increased investment in the food security agenda. Our strategy is in line with aspira tions and directions of the UAE food securi ty strategy 2051 that encourages domestic production and we are proud to be produc ing fertilisers domestically.

Our top performing services in the region are fertiliser production, distribution, con sultation, and technical support for farming.

How has your existence in Jafza enabled you to expand globally?

Without the capabilities of the world-class logistics and trade center in Jafza and Jebel Ali, our global reach would not have been possible. On the other hand, we enjoy full access to some of the best business servic es, whether it is advanced logistics in land and sea transport services, or integrated smart services to deal with the global sup ply chains through Dubai Trade, enabling us to operate easily and smoothly.

Micronutrients

We have witnessed several stages of growth and made investments in increasing production capabilities to include granular fertilizers, this allowed us to strengthen our footprint in the UAE and internationally where we export to over 28 countries

FAROUK TULEIMAT, THE GENERAL MANAGER, UNION CHEMICALS

Where is the Petrochemical heading to?

Cyril Widdershoven Founder of Verocy Ahmed Dualeh President, DOW UAE

We see three times increase in product sales based on renewable bio-based feedstocks in 2020 year-on-year, and released post-consumer recycled plastic resins for a variety of applications globally. In order to minimize CO2 emissions and electrify ethylene steam crackers, the firm is accelerating investments in process technology. These are only a few of Dow’s efforts to be socially responsible. Our annual ESG report outlines all of our efforts to ensure that we continue to pursue the most innovative and sus tainable solutions possible.

Petrochemical demand forecasts show volatility on all sides. Even though the global oil and gas sectors are heading for possible de mand destruction, the overall outlook stays positive. Based on new assessments, the petrochemical sector is set to grow to $1 trillion by 2030, putting new demand for oil and gas in the market. At the same time, not only demand investments are needed, but also increased pressure to decarbonize will have its price tag. In general, petro chemicals are in demand for years to come, even in case of removal of hydrocarbon fuels in future. A recent petrochemical report shows that demand for petchem is hitting $1 trillion by 2030, based on a CAGR of 6.2% per year. Main demand will come from construction, pharmaceuticals, automotive and electronics. Main product demand is expected in ethylene, propylene, and benzene, which are main ly used for packaging, plastic, rubber and electronics. The largest market is Asia Pacific, expected to be pushed by strong regulatory policies in industry.

Dr.June Manoharan Managing Director of LUKOIL Marine Lubricants MENA

As a responsible marketer and the fastest growing global lubri cants brand, LUKOIL wants to be closer to the customer and contribute to the local economy and community, where it op erates. Also, there are operational and cost advantages to cus tomers – shorter lead time as opposed to moving products from Europe, flexibility and supply efficiency helping them manage their working capital better.

Farouk Tuleimat the General Manager at Union Chemicals

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of food secu rity in our region and we are excited about the next phase of growth with increased investment in the food security agen da. Our strategy is in line with aspirations and directions of the UAE food security strategy 2051 that encourages do mestic production and we are proud to be producing fertiliz ers domestically.

GP Global MAG: Challenges & Achievements

What are the most significant achievements of the company, and the most prominent projects carried out by the organization?

At our state-of-the-art plant, we produce lu bricants for some of the leading companies across the globe, such as Toyota, Valvoline, MG, and many other multi-national giants. Our superior offerings have helped us gain the trust of the customers and enabled us to supply our products to more than 60 countries around the world. Our strategic location in NIP, Dubai, and our flexibility and transparency has helped us grow and thrive to cover several locations on the world map and serve various MNCs worldwide.

In your opinion, how has the petrochemicals market evolved over the years?

The petrochemicals market is constantly evolving and adapting to new technological advances. Therefore, to keep up with the fast pace of evolution, we must adopt new

technologies to manufacture lubricants that cater to the ever-changing automotive indus try, and provide the right kind of lubricants for the upcoming engines. The recent fluctu ation in the petrochemicals market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and various other unprecedented events unfolding across the globe has led to an increase and fluctuation in oil prices and made it very challenging to keep up with the market demands. However, our company’s sales strategies, efforts, and teamwork, enabled us to keep our customers satisfied and successfully manage the supply of our lubricants despite such challenging cir cumstances.

What strategies have you adopted to stay ahead of your competitors?

At GP Global MAG, we don’t just sell oil, we give our customers a full range of benefits. We build long-term relationships with customers and make sure to exceed their expectations through sales and marketing initiatives that put them first. As a part of our corporate so

cial responsibility, we produce our lubricants flash and leak free, and ensure that our of ferings are environmentally friendly. Over the years, we have increased our reliance on the latest technologies to reduce the impact on the environment in the process of manufactur ing, in order to minimize gas emissions during our operations to play a role in safeguarding our planet, and becoming a role model in the market.

Our main strategy is to provide high quality lubricants and maintain a good relationship with our partners and clients, so that we pro vide them with the right solutions and support their presence in targeted markets. At GP Global MAG, we are committed to innovation, and offering superior quality solutions to cater to the ever-changing needs across industries, and we are proud of the fact that our products keep automobiles moving across the world.

Would you like to provide some details on your partnerships or collaborations with other organizations to ensure enhanced growth?

We work with several valuable partners, in cluding industry giants such as Toyota, one of the biggest car companies in the world; Valvo line, one of the top 8 oil companies worldwide; Eneos, the biggest Japanese oil company; and many others. In addition to partnering with MG, which enjoys a very good market share currently, we have also collaborated with Idemitsu Japan for the regional supply of lubricants in order to enhance growth and prosperity for both parties. Our main brand “MAG” is blended in Dubai and marketed

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE ZONE, MAHMOUD AL THERAAWI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF GP GLOBAL MAG, DISCUSSED THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES THE COMPANY FACED. AL THERAAWI SAID, “THE BRAND GP GLOBAL MAG IS BLENDED IN DUBAI AND MARKETED ACROSS 60 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE, WITH TRUSTED EXCLUSIVE SUPPLIERS IN EACH COUNTRY.”

across 60 countries worldwide, with trusted exclusive sup pliers in each country.

Would you like to provide some details on the fully automated blending system technologies adopted by the company?

Our 30,000 sqm state-of-the-art fully automated plant is lo cated in Dubai, with a capacity of 100,000 MT, highly trained engineers, and top-notch quality control labs, registered with ASTM PTP, and (ISO 9001:2015) (ISO 14001:2015) (ISO 45001:2018) certified QMS. We consistently manu facture high-quality lubricants at our ESMA certified plant using the best quality raw materials from global suppliers.

What are the biggest challenges that you have faced?

One of the biggest challenges we are currently facing is the change in the automotive market, as many people have be gun to opt for electric vehicles. This shift in interest will com pletely revolutionize the market within the next 10-15 years.

However, we can see many countries trying to enter the lu bricant market, especially Saudi Arabia, which is providing groundbreaking solutions to meet market demands. We hope that in the coming 10-15 years, we can continue oper ating from Dubai; but as a company, we need to keep think ing of ways to develop and meet the market’s requirements and serve electric cars.

At GP Global MAG, we don’t just blend oil. We keep pace with the development”

GP Global MAG today is certified from top OEMs globally, such as: Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, Porsche, Bugatti, Bentley, Land Rover, Rolls Royce

MAHMOUD AL THERAAWI, FOUNDER AND CEO

GLOBAL

Sustainability begins with environmental consciousness

The Zone speaks to Nidal Haddad, Founder & CEO of Al Bayader International about the company’s work on maintaining a sustaina ble operation in Jafza which sets a model in self-sustainable industry ecosystems. The CEO said that embracing environmental con sciousness in all their operations has been a significant step to their commitment to pro duce a “Green Track” range.

Would you like to throw some light on the company’s growth and expan sion plans?

Through our expanded facility in JAFZA, we can serve the entire food packaging supply

NIDAL HADDAD FOUNDER & CEO AL BAYADER INTERNATIONAL

chain through locally made products. Cur rently, our overall production capacity across seven manufacturing facilities in the UAE and Qatar stands at 31,000 tonnes per annum. This expansion is part of a significant AED200 million investment by us for major industrial and retail expansion.

Our strategic expansion plans are in line with the industrial strategy of the UAE to create additional in-country value creation and an expanded portfolio of ‘Made in UAE’ products that not only meets the needs of the nation but also are exported to several European, Asian, South American and African nations.

The expanded plant in Jafza also completes a self-sustained industrial ecosystem as it has advanced technology to manufacture our own machinery.

We have also opened our flagship retail outlet in Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road Exit 45, near the Oasis Mall, and our ninth retail outlet in Nad Al Hammar in Dubai. This is part of our plans to open more retail outlets across the UAE as well as grow our business footprint to Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Above that Al Bayader has launched its own online stores in the UAE and Qatar in order to enhance the customer experience and reach out to a wider audience in these markets.

In other expansion initiatives, we launched our dedicated Foodstuff & Beverage Division of fering an extensive selection of solutions that developed through extensive research and development. They represent a wide range of organic canned food and beverages that can be offered to customers along with many ex isting products related to food packaging and cleaning products. The food division extends Al Bayader International’s current packaging business to provide a one-stop solution for the HORECA sector.

Furthermore, we have secured a medi um-term financing for setting up the region’s largest food packaging industrial complex in Sharjah’s Al Sajaa Industrial City. Spanning a 450,000-sq-ft area – the size of nearly six foot ball fields – the Industrial Complex will manu facture over 70% of our total product range of more than 4,000 food packaging and clean ing products. The facility will include a dedi cated R&D facility to drive product innovation, a large showroom, offices and 500-strong staff accommodation.

What are the key sectors you cater to?

Since humble beginnings, we have emerged today as the market leader in the region for high quality food packaging and cleaning solutions. With a dedicated team of close to 1,000 employees from 30 nations, and the support of over 400 business partners, we de liver unbeatable value to the global food and beverage industry.

With an extensive product portfolio of over 4,000 products, we operate seven manufac turing and nine logistics locations. We also lead several GCC markets with a substantial market share, while steadily increasing pen etration into markets further afield, including Europe and Africa.

Our products include disposable tableware, disposable food containers, baking sheets, bags & wrapping systems, cleaning & hy giene products, food decoration items, foil and film rolls, paper products, bottles & jars,

and a wide range of organic canned food and beverages.

Can you provide some details on the self-sustained industrial ecosystem set up by the company in Jafza?

Our manufacturing facility in Jafza sets a model in self-sustainable industry ecosys tems, and is in fact home to the country’s first and largest solar rooftop within the food packaging sector. We set up the solar system on the rooftop of the plant with high-efficiency photovoltaic panels that have been installed on the rooftop spanning an area of 4,000 square metres and will generate over 1.5 GWh of clean electricity annually. This solar rooftop is part of the Shams Dubai programme and will offset approx. 700 tonnes of carbon diox ide emissions annually, equivalent to planting over 34,000 trees.

This initiative is part of our wider sustainability programme to be a net zero emissions compa ny and aligns with the National Food Security Strategy 2051, which focuses on promoting food safety while conserving the environment. Integrating the solar panels on the rooftop of our advanced manufacturing plant will en able us to make long-term financial savings on energy costs and also conserve the envi ronment, contributing to a more sustainable future. Among other sustainability best prac tices include a Botanical Garden that has over 20 types of plants and 240+ trees native to the Mediterranean region, which is irrigated using treated sewage water. The garden offsets 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

What other technologies have you adopted in your facilities?

Recently, we also strengthened our omnichan nel retail offering with the launch of a dedicat

This initiative is part of our wider sustainability programme to be a net zero emissions company and aligns with the National Food Security Strategy 2051, which focuses on promoting food safety while conserving the environment”

ed eCommerce portal - shop.albayader.com. It serves as a one-stop-shop showcasing the diverse products from the different divisions of the company, including Food Packaging, Cleaning & Detergent, and Foodstuff & Wa ter. By including recycling, water treatment plants, composting and energy conservation in our manufacturing processes, we aim to add value to our market offerings.

What kind of an approach have you adopted in order to be a more sus tainable company?

Embracing environmental consciousness in all our operations is of significant importance to us. This commitment includes producing a “Green Track” range and pursuing green initi atives. Our Sukkar range is 100 per cent plant based and sourced completely from sugar canes. The production process emits fewer CO2 emissions, is industrially compostable, and reduces our carbon-footprint.

Our Gaia range is also 100 per cent plant based and is completely biodegradable in both landfill and marine conditions, leaving no microplastics behind in the ground; while our Terra range is plant based, allowing a great look and feel as well as reusability. This ma terial also emits less CO2 during production which further reduces our carbon footprint. Additionally, we have adopted a new tech nology that allows plastic to biodegrade in landfills.

When it comes to energy-saving initiatives, we use Power Factor Correction (PFC) systems and stretch blow molding machines in our pro duction facilities to reduce electricity costs, increase energy efficiency, and reduce our carbon footprint; as well as switching to the outdoor solar powered LED lamps and indoor motion sensor LED at all our manufacturing facilities and distribution centers.

How does the company’s facility in Jafza enable its growth in business?

Our manufacturing facility in Jafza is central to our growth. In addition to its strategic loca tion that enables us to expand our exports and regional footprint, Jafza offers us a conducive environment to grow sustainably, and enables us to be innovative in our approach.

BASF: Creating a sustainable world through modern solutions

UDO HUENGER

BASF Group, a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world, has been present in the UAE since the 1970s. In addition to oilfield solutions, the company’s office in Jafza offers a wide range of products such as chemicals for coatings, performance materials, plastics, nutrition and health, personal care and home care, as well as automotive refinishing.

During his converstion with The Zone, Dr. Udo Huenger, Vice President Middle East & Egypt, CEO, BASF FZE explained how the company has been operating in the region.

The chemical industry is known for having a significant impact on the environment, what steps have you taken to solve this issue?

Our aim has always been to contribute towards the building of a world that provides a viable fu ture with enhanced quality of life for everyone. We do so by creating chemistry for our custom

ers and society and by making the best use of available resources.

Would you like to throw some light on how BASF’s Styropor is helping in reducing carbon footprint? Styropor®, an expandable polystyrene (EPS), was invented in 1951 by BASF and has become an in-demand raw materials in the construction and packaging industry today. Styropor® of fers a large product portfolio with a wide range of applications. It has gained recognition for being an ideal raw material for efficient con struction, shock absorption, and moisture in sensitive packaging of products.

The Biomass Balance Method, certified by German Technical Inspection Authority, RED cert, implies that raw materials required for the manufacturing of EPS can be replaced with renewable feedstock. Production methods of this kind save valuable resources and reduce CO2 emissions at the same time. The use of biomass-balanced Styropor® protects the en vironment and the climate while maintaining the usual high quality. This is because they are

identical to their fossil equivalents in terms of their formulation and properties.

What other sustainable initiatives have you started or been a part of? Kindly provide some details on the output achieved from these initiatives?

The transition toward an environment-friendly society is a fundamental challenge of the 21st century. By 2030, BASF aims to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 25 per cent as compared to its emissions in 2018. Despite the growth of our business, BASF is committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Our new climate goals underscore BASF’s determination and commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Would you like to provide some details about the products and services offered by the company, and the markets you cater to?

We offer a wide range of products and services to the Middle East region. Our key offerings are processed chemicals, catalyst technologies for the local petrochemical industry, oilfield solu tions, plastic additives, and agricultural solu tions in Egypt.

Know your labour rights

EARLY THIS YEAR, THE EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATIONS IN THE COUNTRY WERE RESHAPED. WHAT IS LISTED BELOW IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE KNOWN ABOUT THE MAIN ARTICLES OF THE UAE’S NEW LABOUR LAW…

In line with the UAE leadership’s vision to enhance employ ment rights, attract talent to the country and boost the coun try’s competitiveness in the global market, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has amended the UAE Federal Law No 8 of 1980. These amendments has brought significant changes concerning discrimination laws, termina tion of employment, ‘non-compete’ clauses and more...

New labour law explained UAE Federal Law No 8 of 1980 (as amended) (the “Old Law”) was repealed in its entirety on the 2nd of February 2022 and it was replaced with a new Federal Decree Law No 33 of 2021 (the “New Law”) and supplemented by Cab inet Resolution No 1 of 2022 (the “Executive Regulations”). This is the first major change in the UAE labour laws in over 40 years, aligning the UAE with other global labour laws and practices. This new law applies to onshore UAE companies and all non-financial free zones.

Changes to the probationary period

Despite the changes in the law, the maximum six-month pro bationary period remains. However, employers must give 14 days’ notice to dismiss instead of the previous 7 days.

employees must also give:

Changes to the recruitment and employment contracts

In terms of employment contracts, all employees must be em ployed on a fixed-term employment contract, not exceeding three years in length.

The requirements for the MOHRE/free zone contract remain. However, changes can now be made to the approved template contract and different forms existing depending on the type of visa/work model. The new law looks at new models of work including:

restrictions

clauses can be used and can last up to two years in length. The law sets out the circumstances in which post-termination restrictions will be unenforceable including; for example, where will the employer terminate the employ ment in breach of its legal obligations due to the employee.

employee pays up to three

written

as may be deemed

(subject

Internal policies

Employers with 50+ employees must have in place:

Overtime

Rates of overtime pay are unaffect ed, except that the enhanced premi um for night work now only applies for hours between 10 pm and 4 am.

Payment of salary

Employees may be paid in currencies other than AED by agreement between the em ployer and the employee.

Maternity leave and maternity pay

Maternity leave entitlement has been increased to 45 days at 100 per cent pay; plus 15 days at 50 per cent pay.

There is now no minimum qualifying service requirement. This maternity leave is now available to women who suffer from a miscarriage or stillbirth after six months of pregnancy.

An additional 45 days’ unpaid leave is available where the employee suffers from a pregnancy-related illness, and an ad ditional 30 days’ paid leave and 30 days’ unpaid leave is avail able where the employee’s child has a disability.

Dismissal on notice

Employees can be dismissed for any legitimate reason. The ex piration of a fixed-term contract is a valid reason for dismissal.

Employees on fixed-term contracts can now be dismissed on notice as normal, with no additional compensation being pay able.

Victimisation - where an employee is dismissed for filing a com plaint against the employer - is unlawful.

Summary dismissal

The exhaustive list set out under the Old Labour Law has been maintained, with two further additions:

Study and compassionate leave

Employees with more than two years’ service are entitled to ten days leave per year to sit for exams. To be eligible, the em ployee must be studying at a government-approved UAE edu cational institution.

All employees are entitled to compassionate leave in the event of a death of a family member:

Death of a spouse – five days’ leave

Death of parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent - three days leave

Notice periods

The minimum notice period of 30 days continues. However, a maximum of 90 days notice period has been introduced. For employees leaving while still employed on unlimited term con tracts, minimum notice periods apply:

days for employees with up to five years

days for employees with between

and 10 years’ service

days for employees with 10 years’ service or more.

Discrimination

Specific protections have been introduced for employ ees, meaning that they cannot be discriminated against based on:

End-of-service gratuity “ESG”

Employees summarily dismissed now retain their entitlement to ESG, and no reductions apply where an employee resigns. Payment of ESG, together with all other termination payments, must be made within 14 days of the termination date.

Harassment

protections against

been

harassment, bullying

Positive discrimination in favour of Emiratis is an exempted category.

Fines

The UAE courts are now able to levy fines against employers for breaches of the Labour Law. Fines can be doubled by the court for repetition of violations. Fine ranges are:

20,000-AED 100,000

for ille

5,000-AED 1,000,000 for any violation of the

Labour Law.

METIS technology to shape future of digital shipping

METIS Cyberspace Technology and its part ners such as Kongsberg Digital are working together to bring the METIS data analysis platform to the market; using which, fleet operators can monitor operations in real time and increase vessel performance whilst re ducing emissions and costs.

METIS is a cloud-based data analysis plat form which offers real-time vessel monitoring, performance analysis, evaluation, as well as predictive insights for the whole fleet.

The company was founded by seven engi neers and scientists in 2016, with a mission to implement solutions that enable smart shipping, and lead the digital transformation of traditional and old-fashioned shipping activ ities. The industry accounts for the transport of more than 90 per cent of whatever people buy, use, and consume, via over 90,000 cargo vessels worldwide.

“We provide groundbreaking solutions and offer value added services to ship owners and ship management companies,” said Mike Konstantindis, CEO, METIS Cyberspace Technology. “Adaptability and flexibility are extremely essential qualities, not only to sur vive in difficult and unexpected situations, but also to thrive despite unprecedented times. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on all of us, it would be wrong for us as technology companies to say that during the pandemic, we increased our reve nues,” he added.

According to Konstantindis, the architecture of the METIS platform allows clients to inte grate data from all available sources. There fore, clients can select from a wide range of digital ship performance solutions to cater to their specific needs.

With the help of our solutions, our clients can make optimal use of real-time analytics based

on Artificial Intelligence, and analyse fuel con sumption, hull fouling, emissions, and route costs. In the absence of data from a vessel or other automated equipment, it is impossible to do a proper performance analysis. There fore, it is extremely essential to have accurate, reliable, and regularly generated data from equipment.

“In a data-driven economy, it’s absolutely essential to have data that is accurate and precise in order to be able to do emissions reporting and measurements,” explained Konstantindis.

“It is a part of the solution, and without it, tar gets can’t be accomplished with top-down or fragmentary approaches. So, the actual da ta-driven measurement, assessment, and cor rective actions like fine tunings of the vessel is only possible based on actual data powered by AI in the analysis,” he added.

a data-driven economy, it’s absolutely essential to have data that is accurate and precise in order to be able to do emissions reporting and measurements”

MIKE KONSTANTINDIS CEO, METIS CYBERSPACE TECHNOLOGY

Accelerating the shift to a circular economy

EVOGREEN, A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN UAE-BORN BEE’AH AND GREEK-OWNED POLYGREEN OFFERS INNOVATIVE MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, BOOSTING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Last year, in mid-June, Polygreen that offers a total circular econ omy approach worldwide and Bee’ah, the Middle East’s sustain ability pioneer announced Evogreen a joint venture with the goal of providing solutions to promote a sustainable planet and circu lar economy.

The launch of the new company is a contribution to the global ef fort of protecting the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change. With Evogreen, the companies will take the lead in promoting best practices in the maritime waste manage ment industry and achieve remarkable outcomes for the UAE and the region.

Makis Spyratos, Business Development Director - Middle East at Polygreen explains more about the company’s activities, its col

laboration with Be’eah and their efforts in partnering with ports including the Jebel Ali Port.

Can you give us an overview of your company? Operational in the UAE market since 2016, Polygreen today has a strong presence in the country. We have always been on a mission to tackle marine pollution through advanced waste man agement solutions to keep oceans pristine. Our values are on par with those of Bee’ah, the biggest environmental company in the region. This led to the creation of Evogreen, our partnership and joint venture with them.

Through Evogreen, we also provide oil spill response services; management of distressed vessels, cargo and abandoned con tainers including recycling or recovery solutions, repair or refur

Polygreen offers a total circular economy approach worldwide and Bee’ah, the Middle East’s sustainability pioneer announced Evogreen a joint venture with the goal of providing solutions to promote a sustainable planet and circular economy.

EVOGREEN

sustainable planet and circular economy

bishment works; green ship recycling and establishing an envi ronmental laboratory.

Valuable partnerships are major keys to accomplishment, who are your main governmental or private partners?

Our main partner in the UAE, Beeah Sharjah, is a govern ment-owned organisation. We have created a joint partnership with them for the next coming years and we have taken over the responsibility of waste management of vessels and ports, espe cially in case of oil spillage.

In this regard, we now deal with some of the key ports in the UAE including Port Khalid in Sharjah, Khorfakkan Port, and Port of Kalba. We have recently developed provisions to enhance our services to the Jebel Ali Port too.

Elaborate on the company’s expansion plans in the MENA region.

We have been growing rapidly over the past couple of years. We ventured into the region in 2011 with a presence in Oman and ex panded our business to the UAE in 2016. We are also expanding and exploring opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

we also provide oil spill response services; management of distressed vessels, cargo and abandoned containers including recycling or recovery solutions, as well as repair or refurbishment works.

Petrochemicals still face challenges but look for growth

After global headwinds in 2019, demand for crude oil has fallen sharply due to the COV ID-19 virus in 2020 which chas created eco nomic slump worldwide. These widespread lockdowns have forced businesses to close and restricted people to move which automat ically translated to less demand for oil push ing the prices down.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil basket price –tried to mitigate the risks of declining demand and prices, by agreeing with Russia and nine other non-OPEC members, to reduce supply by 9.7m barrels per day.

In 2021 the global economy began to gradu ally recover as countries opened their borders and vaccination was rolled out. Currently due to the ongoing geopolitical tension has pushed the prices to skyrocket which could be beneficials to producers who have. It is ex pected that this year Asia, mainly China, will continue to lead petrochemical plant expan sions. There is a chance that China has the capacity to struggle with the paraxylene and purified terephthalic acid markets as well as the polyester supply chain. Meanwhile, both Europe and the US are looking to Asian PX to set a trend. However, S&P Global reports

that the “overcapacity in Chinese PX and PTA makes this a challenging market in which to operate for producers.”

Petrochemicals locally

The UAE’s Industrial Strategy aims to in crease the GDP from AED 133 billion to AED 300 billion by 2031, petrochemicals is expected to make a big part of this strategy. The UAE has put in place a circular economy policy and a council to oversee its implemen tation starting at the beginning of 2021. This policy provides a framework to work on circu lar economy through many leading sectors including but not limited to petrochemicals.

Benzene

Global supplies is attached to the downstream demand: Asian markets see styrene plants start up/European downstream demand set to recover.

Under pressure production margins due to high gas prices, Unclear supply due to weather related outages.

Ethylene

PropyleneMethanol

higher upstream energy costs in Europe, Asian market might face lower downstream derivative margins.

supply challenges, pressure from softer downstream demand in the US.

Butadiene

European suppliers target sales to US markets, China’s butadiene capacity is expected to increase around 7% in 2022

At DP World UAE’s petrochemical hub accounts for approximately 60 percent of Dubai’s total trade value in the sector and it is valued at AED21.4 billion.

The aim is to be part of the policy which was developed jointly by several ministries, includ ing the Ministry of Climate Change and Environ ment (MoCCAE), the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, and the Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Dig ital Economy and Remote Work Applications.

Petrochemicals in Jafza

DP World UAE has been playing a crucial role in facilitating the growth of the regional and global petrochemicals sector through Jebel Ali.

Our UAE’s comprehensive solutions include tank terminals, warehousing, specialised storage space for packed lubricants, fuels and industrial chemicals, ISO tanks storage and dangerous goods warehouses.

The petrochemical sector spans an area of 3.9 million sqm of combined facilities, 8,000sqm of warehouse space, and 15, 200sqm of occu pied office space, hosts petrochemical industry companies that are keen to grow fast.

The 532+ petrochemical sector in Jafza is powered by 584 companies from 60+ coun tries with a 6000 workforce, all of which con tribute to Dubai’s position as the second-most important emirate in terms of petrochemical

production. Jafza’s prime, strategic location helps these companies grow economically as Dubai links the East and the West. Therefore, the free zone attracts oil and gas companies from everywhere in the world, allowing it to con tribute approximately 70 per cent to the UAE’s foreign trade through petrochemicals.

The Port of Jebel Ali, as an example, allows the petrochemical industry to service Over 4,700 customers. The Jebel Ali Port alone supports 65 per cent of GCC’s polymer exports and 33 per cent of its petrochemical exports. The port has 2 million square metres of liquid chemical handling capacity comprising 11 berths and over 1 million cubic metres of liquid bulk stor age space.

Globally, 95 per cent of all manufactured goods depend on petrochemicals, which make the sector an integral part in the global circular economy.

Scott Bader: Celebrating

1971

Scott Bader Middle East (SBME) opened its production plant and offices in Jafza. Ideally positioned to manufacture and distrib ute the Crystic® brand range of polyester resins, vinyl esters, and gelcoats.

Scott Bader set up a facility in South Africa, trading as Scott Bader Pty.

Scott Bader Inc. set up a facility in Hudson, Ohio, USA, focusing on supplying a wide range of Specialty Polymers and Rheology Modifiers.

Scott Bader set up a facility in Ireland, offering a ‘one-stop-shop” for GRP users in both Northern and Southern Ireland.

Set up the John Hand Laboratory to fa cilitate advanced polymer research, named after the organisation’s first Technical Director.

growth

2002

2006

2007

2013

Scott Bader North America acquired ATC – Formulated Polymers; a Canadian manufacturer of innovative compounds for the composites market.

Having licensed UPR technology to China since the 1960s, Scott Bader cemented this operation and opened a Scott Bader Asia Pacific site in Shanghai.

Scott Bader acquired full ownership of Chromos tvornica smola d.d, creating Scott Bader d.o.o in Zagreb, Croatia.

Scott Bader opened a subsidiary company in Sant Cugat del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain, which was later renamed as Scott Bader Ibérica.

2001

Scott Bader Germany set up a facility in Weiden, Bavaria, providing a range of synthetic resins and polymers for Pipes and Infrastructure, Building and Construction, Automotive, Marine, Wind Energy, and Chemical Containment sectors.

Scott Bader celebrated its 100th anniversary

Scott Bader Australia Pty. Ltd. was formed following the official purchase of the oganisa tion’s long-standing distributor Summit Composites.

Scott Bader set up a facility in Japan, supplying customers with quality composite and adhesive products mainly in the wind energy, marine, land transportation, building and construction markets.

Jafza: Fostering Business Growth and Success

AS A LEADING TRADE AND LOGISTICS CENTRE, THE FREE ZONE HAS BEEN A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DUBAI’S ECONOMY, ACCOUNTING FOR 23.9 PER CENT OF THE EMIRATE’S TOTAL FOREIGN INVESTMENT. WITH INNOVATION AT ITS BACKBONE, THE FREE ZONE WITNESSED A ROBUST NEW CUSTOMER GROWTH OF NEARLY 40 PER CENT YEAR-ON-YEAR IN H1 2021, TAKING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF COMPANIES OPERATING IN ITS FACILITY TO MORE THAN 8,700. THROUGH ITS TRADE ACCELERATORS, BUSINESS INCUBATORS, AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, THE FREE ZONE OFFERS COMPANIES UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES. COMPLEMENTING JAFZA’S CUTTING-EDGE INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE BRILLIANT MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY THROUGH THE JEBEL ALI PORT THAT OFFERS ACCESS TO OVER 3.5 BILLION CONSUMERS, HELPING BUSINESSES REACH GLOBAL SHORES. THE ZONE GIVES YOU A PEEK INTO SOME OF THE MOST VISIONARY COMPANIES IN JAFZA.

ENOC: Contributing to the energy sector value chain

the oil and gas markets. The Group currently operates two business arms – energy operations and general services. In 1999, the oil and gas giant established its first refinery in Dubai within Jafza’s premises. Boasting a capacity to process 210,000 b/d of condensate, the facility yields refined products such as naphtha, reformate, jet fuel, diesel oil, fuel oil and LPG.

As a leading integrated global oil and gas player, Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) has significantly contributed to Dubai’s eco nomic diversification and sustainable development. With customers across 60 markets, the company is committed to deploying innovation, the newest technologies and best practices to offer world-class customer service. Over the past 30 years, ENOC has achieved global recognition in

Building on its commitment to protecting its people and assets, earlier this year, the Group opened its first one-of-a-kind emergency response centre in the free zone that spreads over nearly 90,000 sq ft. The stra tegically located, technologically advanced centre allows access to all ENOC facilities in the free zone in less than four minutes, strengthening coordination and alignment with local Civil Defence partners through the effective implementation of Pre-incident plans (PIPs) and emergency re sponse plans (ERP).

Star Energy Oiltanking: Providing vital mid-stream energy logistics services

Star Energy Oiltanking (SEOT) owns and operates one of the UAE’s largest independent terminals in the port of Je bel Ali. The company is a joint venture between the Star Energy Group Ltd., one of Jafza’s first private investors and Oil tanking GmbH, one of the world’s leading independent storage providers for oil, chemicals and gases. Catering to refiners, petrochemical companies, traders, gov ernment entities and other commercial

end-users, the company offers top-notch storage services for petroleum products and chemicals. With a focus on HSSE and customer satisfaction, SEOT ensures safe and efficient handling of products stored free of duties and taxes due to the com pany’s location in Jafza. The company’s commitment to safeguarding its employ ees and the environment and making a positive impact on the communities has ensured its meteoric growth.

Innova Specialty Chemicals: Leading through innovation

A part of the INNOVA Group of Companies, INNOVA Specialty Chemicals (ISC) is a multinational with valuable experience in refining, manufac turing, and trading of petroleum and petrochemical products. ISC is in volved in the development and production of superior high-performance products manufactured in a facility equipped with modern production and testing equipment. One of the key elements of ISC is quality control,

which is tackled through a three-pronged approach that focuses on prod uct, customer and team.The company’s well-equipped manufacturing facility has a capacity of 57,000 MT per year. With the highest quality of purpose-sourced raw materials, the facility produces a versatile range of speciality chemical products that can be delivered packaged in drums, IBCs, flexitanks, ISO tanks, and road tankers.

Kemsol: A Step Closer to the Future

A rapidly growing trading and distribution company, Kemsol was established in 2000. Operating from an office in Jafza, the compa ny offers end-to-end supply chain solutions for distribution in the Middle East, Africa and India. Handling a total of 70 products, the company distributes 100000 MTs of goods per year.

The Chemical Division represents the core business of the compa ny. Petrochemicals including products such as chemicals, solvents and fertilizer feedstocks form an integral part of their portfolio that also covers healthcare and pharma products.

Despite the rapidly growing demands of the dynamic market, un derstanding the needs of their customers and working closely with them to time-effective and cost-efficient services is one of their key focus areas and strengths. Due to their expertise in the busi ness, infrastructure and experienced teams, the company ensures seamless distribution for some major international manufacturers. With a state-of-the-art chemical storage warehouse in Jebel Ali, the company works in tandem with suppliers and customers to ensure regular inventory of various products handled.

operational in

you with the best service you can get

This is a premier event in the Bitu men

Petro-Products Industry. This Global Conference has been garnering a massive amount of attention from the Top Players in the Bitumen, Petro-Products and Petrochemicals.

GITEX GLOBAL is one of the world’s most influential meet ing places for the technology industry; bringing together thought-leaders, creators, inno vators and makers to discuss, debate and challenge new ide ology, showcase new products and identify future opportunities

Saudi Maritime Congress is the largest global shipping & logistics event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two-day exhibition and conference provides a unique platform to learn about the key opportunities in the Kingdom and connect with an international audience of decision makers and government entities.

ADIPEC 2022 is where the world’s energy ecosystem – in cluding 2,200 exhibiting com panies, 52 NOCs, IOCs, NECs and IECs and 28 international exhibiting country pavilions –will come together to explore market trends, source solutions and conduct business across the industry’s full value chain.

Conference that aims to pro vide an interactive forum for presentation and discussion on Non-Renewable Resources, Waste to Energy and Smart Grid Systems, Biofuels, Bioenergy.

ArabPlast is the Middle East’s Premium International Trade Fair for Plastics, Petrochem icals, Packaging & Rubber Industry; It is the right place to network with industry peers and share intelligence.

operational in

aim to leverage our extensive

as global leaders in the marine safety industry by

safety

that comply with

boat

Safety

you with the best service you can get

عتمتت تايسنجلا ةددعتم ةكرش ،»افونيإ« افونيإ« كراشتو .ةيواميكورتبلاو ةيلورتبلا تاجتنملا ةراجتو عينصتو ءادلأا ةيلاع تاجتنم جاتنإو ريوطت

لوح اًقوس 60 نم رثكأ يف اهئلامعل ىوتسملا ةيملاع قاوسأ يف ةيملاع ةرهش كونيا تققح ،اماع نيثلاث ىدم ىلعو يف تايلمعلا :لامعلأل

،زاغلاو طفنلا

1999 ماع يفو .ةماعلا تامدخلاو ،ةقاطلا لاجم

توـــــكـــــس« ىلع ذوــحــتــســت »ةــيــلاــمــشــلا تارميلوبلل يس يت هيإ« ةكرش تابكرملا

ةجتنملا لودـــلا هنم

رمتست نأ ماعلا اذه للاخ عقوتملا نمو

ةدايق يف ،نيصلا ةصاخو ،ايسآ

ةيلامتحا كانهو ،تايواميكورتبلا عناصم يتلا تاردقلا ىلع اءانب نيصلا موقت نأب جاتنإ يف رامثتسلااو عسوتلا يف اهكلتمت ىقنملا كيلاثفيرتلا ضمحو نيليسكرابلا .رتسيلوبلا ديروت ةلسلس كلذكو

نم لك علطتت ،راــطلإا كلذ يفو

هجوتلا

،ديدجتلاو حلاصلإا لامعأو ،ةداعتسلااو ،ريودتلا ةداعإ لولح كلذ .يئيب ربتخم ءاشنإ ىلإ ةفاضإ ،ءارضخلا نفسلا ريودت ةداعإو زربأ مه نم .فادــهلأا قيقحتل ةسيئر حيتافم ةميقلا تاكارشلا ؟صاخلاو يموكحلا نيعاطقلا نم ”نيرغيلوب“ ءاكرش ةموكحل ةكولمملا ”ةئيب“ ةكرش تاراملإا ةلود يف سيئرلا انكيرش ىلوتن ثــيــح ،ةلبقم تاوــنــســل مهعم ةــكارــش اــنــيدــلو ،ةــقراــشــلا تلااح يف اميس لا ،ئــناوــمــلاو نفسلا تايافن ةرادإ ةيلوؤسم .يطفنلا برستلا

ئناوملا

ددع عم ايلاح لماعتن ،ددصلا

لولح ميدقت ىــلإ فدهي يذــلا كرتشملا عورشملا .ةمادتسلااو يرئادلا داصتقلاا زيزعتو ،ةيئيبلاو ةيرحبلا تايافنلا

ةيامح يف ةيملاعلا دوهجلا معدل ةديدجلا ةكرشلا قلاطإ ءاج

”نيرغوفيإ“ للاخ نمو .يخانملا ريغتلا تايدحتل يدصتلاو عاطق يف تاسرامملا لضفأ زيزعت يف ةردابملا ماــمز ناتكرشلا

تاراملإا ةلودل ةيعون جئاتن قيقحتو

راطخلإا تارتف

مت ،كلذ عمو .اموي 30 راطخلإا ةرتفل ىندلأا دحلا رمتسي .ىصقأ دحك اموي 90 حبصتل راطخلإا ةرتف

ريغ دوقعب لمعلا ءانثأ نورداغي نيذلا نيفظوملل ةبسنلاب

راعشلإا تارتف نم ىندلأا دحلا قبطني ،ةدملا

سمخ ىلإ مهتمدخ ةدم لصت نيذلا نيفظوملل اموي 30

10 و 5 نيب مهتمدخ

دراوملا ةرازو تماق ،ةيملاعلا قوسلا يف ةيسفانتلا ةدحتملا ةيبرعلا تاراملإا ةلودل يداحتلاا نوناقلا ليدعتب نيطوتلاو تارييغتلا لوــح ديزملا ةفرعمل ةءارــقــلا عبات .1980 ماعل 8 مــقر مدع“ دونبو ،فيظوتلا ءاهنإو ،زييمتلا نيناوقب ةقلعتملا ةمهملا ... ديزملاو ،لمعلا دوقع يف ”ةسفانملا ديدجلا لمعلا نوناق حرش

8 مقر ةدحتملا ةيبرعلا تاراــملإا ةلودل يداحتلاا

،عينصتلا تايلمع للاخ ةقاطلا كلاهتسا .قاوسلأا يف انتاجتنمل ؟ةمادتسا رثكأ نوكتل »ردايبلا« ةكرش هعبتت يذلا جهنلا ام ةيمهأ هل يذلاو انتايلمع عيمج يف يئيبلا يعولا ينبت ىلع دمتعن نمض انتاجتنم ةعومجم مازتللاا اذه لمشيو .انل ةبسنلاب ةريبك .ءارضخلا تاردابملا قلاطإو »رضخلأا راسملا« رداصم نم ةقتشم اهانقلطأ يتلا »ركس« تاجتنم ةعومجم دعُتو .ركسلا بصق اهردصمو ،100% ةبسنب ةيعانص تسيلو ةيتابن نكمي امك ،لقأ نوبركلا ديسكأ يناث تاثاعبنا جاتنلإا ةيلمع نمضتتو .ةينوبركلا انتمصب نم للقت يلاتلابو ةدمسأ ىلإ تافلخملا ليوحت يف 100 ةبسنب يتابن اًضيأ اهردصم »اــياــغ« تاجتنم ةعومجم تابكم يف ءاوــس امامت يجولويبلا للحتلل ةلباق يــهو ،ةئاملا ةيكيتسلاب اــياــقــب ةـــيأ نود ،ةــيرــحــبــلا فورــظــلا يــف مأ تاــياــفــنــلا

انب ةصاخلا »اريت« ةعومجم دمتعت امنيب ،ةريغص ةيبوكسوركيم

نكاسمو ؟ةكرشلا اهمدخت يتلا تاعاطقلا زربأ ام ةدئار ةكرش مويلا حبصتل ةكرشلا تروطت ،ةعضاوتملا اهتايادب ذنم داوملا فيلغت لولح دــيروــتو عينصتل ةقطنملا يف قوسلا يف لا ةميق ةكرشلا رفوتو .ةدوجلا ةيلاع فيظنتلا تاجتنمو ةيئاذغلا قيرف نم معدب ةيملاعلا تابورشملاو ةيذغلأا ةعانصل يهاضُت ةفاضإ ،ةلود 30 نم فظوم فلأ وحن مضي يذلا صصختملا لمعلا .يراجت كيرش 400 نم رثكأ ىلإ 4000 نم رثكأ رفوت ةيتسجول تآشنم عستو عناصم ةعبس انيدل قاوسأ نم ديدعلا يف ةريبك ةيقوس ةصح ةكرشلا كلتمتو .جتنم قاوسلأا يف رمتسم لكشب عسوتنو ،يجيلخلا نواعتلا سلجم لود .ايقيرفإو ابوروأ قاوسأ كلذ يف امب ىرخلأا مدختست يتلا ماعطلا ظفح بلعو ةدئاملا تاودأ انتاجتنم لمشت تاجتنمو ،فيلغتلا ةمظنأو سايكلأاو ،ةدبزلا قروو ،ةدــحاو ةرمل ريدصقلا قروو ،ةــمــعــطلأا نــيــيزــت داوــــمو ،مــيــقــعــتــلاو فيظنتلا ،تاجاجزلاو ،ةيقرولا تاجتنملاو ،فافشلا فيلغتلا كيتسلابو تابورشملاو ةمعطلأا نم ةعساو ةعومجم ىلإ ةفاضإ ،تاوبعلاو .ةبلعملا ةيوضعلا يئيبلا ماظنلا لوــح ليصفتلا نم ديزمب انثدحت نأ نكمي له؟ازفاج يف ةكرشلا هتسسأ يذلا ايتاذ مادتسملا يعانصلا

مدقي

ثيح

راسملا« تاجتنم

ططخ

تدهش يتلاو ازفاج

ةئبعتلاو فيلغتلا

عيمج

جاتنإب اهمازتلا

انثدحت نأ نكمي له

انتأشنم للاخ نم

ديروت ةلسلس معد اننكمي

جاتنإ

رخفنو ،يلحملا

ةيجيتارتسا

عجشت يتلا

للاخ

،تاجتنملا

انئلامع تاجايتحلا ةدمسلأا

حمسيو ،انيدل ةينفلا ةسدنهلا قيرف تاناكمإ نم ةعونتم ةعومجم جزمب يللآا جاتنلإل انطخ ةسناجتم ةيئاهن تاجتنم يف ةيئاذغلا رصانعلا ليصاحملاو تابلطتملل اصيصخ ةممصمو تامدخ ديعص ىلع اــمأ .انئلامعل ةعونتملا نامض ىلع لمعنف نيعرازملل ينفلا معدلا ةفاضإ ،مهل ىلثملا دئاوعلا قيقحتو ةيجاتنلإا تامدخلا نــم ةــعــساو ةعومجم ميدقت ىــلإ ةزيمتم ةبرجت ققحت يتلا ةمدقتملا ةيتسجوللا .انئلامعل

نيعرازملاو رارمتسلااب نومزتلم نحنو .انتدمسأ اهل ردصن تاراــــملإا ةــلودــل يــئاذــغــلا نـــملأا مـــعد يــف ربع ،مادتسم لكشب يئاذغلا اهجاتنإ زيزعتو .ةدوجلا ةيلاع ةيعارز تامدخو تاجتنم ريفوت ةيواميكورتبلا ةكرشلا تاجتنم مهأ يه ام ؟يعارزلا عاطقلل ةهجوملا اهتامدخو ةعارز تارودو انئلامع تاجايتحا ىلع ادامتعا تابيكرتلا نم ديدعلا جاتنإ متي ،ليصاحملا ةيوناثلاو ىربكلا تايذغملا نيب عمجت يتلا يف نابوذلا لثم ؛ةفلتخم لاكشأب ىرغصلاو ةيبلتل ،ةلئاسلا ةدــمــسلأاو تابيبحلاو ءاملا انتعومجم لمشت امك .نيعرازملا تاجايتحا متيو ،ةــيوــضــعــلا رــيــغو ةيوضعلا ةدــمــسلأا

ةظفاحملا عم ةعونتملا

تامدخ

ةعومجم ميدقت

فلتخمل

انضورع

؛ةفلتخملا ةعارزلا تاقيبطت يف اهمادختسا ةيعارزلا تابوصلاو ةحوتفملا لوقحلا لثم قيبطت قرــط لمشتو .ةــيدوــمــعــلا ةـــعارزـــلاو

،ةبرتلاو ،ديمستلاو ،قارولأا شر انتاجتنم ىلع ءاــنــبو .دـــملأا

نواعتلا ةلباقلا ةدـــمـــسلأا جاــتــنلإ اــيــقــيرــفإ لاــمــشو -ارــيــماــك« عــم ةــكارــشــلاــب ءاــمــلا يــف ناــبوذــلــل تناك ،سيسأتلا ذنمو .ةيدنلنفلا »واــهورــج يئاذغلا نـــملأا مـــعدو نيكمت يــه انتمهم ءانب ةدوجلا ةيلاع ةدمسلأا جاتنإ ربع يميلقلإا .ةيلودلا ريياعملا لضفأ ىلع

غلبتو .يبد يف

يب

نوكيل ،)يكيرمأ رلاود نويلم 40( يتارامإ نيعّنصملا نيب تايواميكورتبلا عاطقل ةيمانتملا ةراجتلا زيزعتو قيقحت ةكرشلا فدهتستو .طسولأا قرشلا ةقطنم يف ءلامعلاو يف هتأشنأ يذلا اهعورشم نم رلاود نويلم 400 ةميقب تادارــيإ .تاونس 7 نوضغ يف ازفاج قفارمو انبتاكم ءانبل رلاود

and

Reinforcing

of

لهسلا نم« :تفاضأو ،ةفاقثلاو

؛تاراملإا ةلود يف

ةموكحلا

لماكلا

».لامعلأا ةسرامم كول« ةكرشل ةزيمتملا حاجنلا ةلحرل ارظنةكرشلا بتكم ررق ،»ةيرحبلا تويزلل ليوأ 2015 ماــعــلا يــف وــكــسوــم يــف ســيــئرــلا توــيزو ةيعانصلا توــيزــلا تايلمع قلاــطإ نواــعــتــلا ســلــجــم لود يـــف تاراـــيـــســـلا .يجيلخلا :لوــقــلاــب اــهــثــيدــح ناراـــهوـــناـــم

يك يقابتسا لكشب لمعلاو ،ةيملاعلاثدحأ ينبتب يف امئاد ةرادصلا يف نوكت .ةروطتملا تاينقتلا ةيلبقتسمو ةركتبم تاينقت يف يــكذــلا ةــكرــشــلا جهن ىــلإ ةــفاــضإو»ليوأ كول« دمتعت ،ةزيمم تامدخ ميدقت نم ديزملا ىلإ لوصولل رخآ لماع ىلع 12% زواجتت ةدــئار ةناكم لتحتو ءلامعلا حيضوتلو .ةيملاعلا قوــســلا ةصح نــم راكتبلاا دعي« :ناراهونام تفاضأ ،كــلذ ،انحاجن زــئاــكر مــهأ نــم ايجولونكتلا يــف تابلطتملا ديدحت ىلع ةديرف ةردق انيدلو

انبتكم رــبــع انئلامعل ةدــيدــجــلا

2011 ماع يفو ».غروبماه يف سيئرلا

روطت ةكرش لوأ »ليوأ

،ةفلتخملا

تاكرحملا

ميحشتلا داومو ةيكيلورديهلا

،يملاعلا ديعصلا ىــلــعو

نم رثكأ »ةيملاعلا لــيوأ كوــل« تاجتنم

اهنم اجتنم 150 نم رثكأ رفون ،جتنم 700

.طسولأا قرشلا ةقطنم يف

ةقيشرو ةيكذ تامدخ

كول« هدمتعت يذلا جهنملاب قلعتي ام يف

،ظوحلملا روــطــتــلا اذــه قيقحتل »لـــيوأ

انئلامع تاجايتحا كردن« :ناراهونام تلاق

دــقو ،مــهــتاــجاــيــتــحا ةيبلت ىــلــع لــمــعــنو

لمشتل انب ةصاخلا عيزوتلا ةكبش انعسو ».ذفنم 900 نم رثكأ

ذاختا يف اهتعرس نأ ةكرشلا تحضوأو

عيسوت يف حاجنلا نم اهتنكم تارارــقــلا نمؤت اهنأ ةكرشلا تدكأو .عيزوتلا ةكبش ءلامعلا عم رمتسملا لصاوتلا ةيمهأب ةيقوثوملا نامضل نييلحملا ءاــكرــشــلاو .تاجتنملا ميلست يف

اهتفصب« :لوقلاب نارهونام تحضوأو

ةيراجت ةــملاــع عرـــسأو ،ةــلوؤــســم

نمز

ةثلاث رادقمب اعافترا اندهش« :لوقلاب مجح يف يونس ساسأ ىلع فاعضأ

ىلإ دنتست يــتــلا تاجتنملا تاعيبم

يف ةددجتملا ةيويحلا ةيلولأا داوملا ةيكيتسلاب تاجنتار انردصأو ،2020 ماع متيل كلاهتسلاا دعب اهريودت داعملا ةددعتم تاقيبطت يــف اــهــمادــخــتــسا نم دحللو .ملاعلا ءاــحــنأ فلتخم يــف ليوحتو نوبركلا ديسكأ يناث تاثاعبنا جاتنلإ راخبلاب ةلماعلا ريسكتلا تادــحو صرحت ،ءابرهكلاب لمعلا ىلإ نيليثيلإا يف تارامثتسلاا عيرست ىلع ةكرشلاةليلق ةلثمأ هذهو .تايلمعلا ايجولونكت ةيلوؤسملا يــف »واد« دوــهــج ىلع تاسرامملا ريرقت رفويو .ةيعامتجلاا تاكرشلا ةمكوحو ةيعامتجلااو

ةــكرــشــلا

.ةتمتلأاو تايلمعلا

تاقفنلا ريفوت زاغلاو طفنلا

ةيليغشتلا فيلاكتلاو

.ةثيدحلا تاينقتلا يــف تاــكرــشــلا قبطت ،ةيسفانتلا زــيزــعــتو

يتلاو يمقرلا لوحتلا تايجيتارتسا

ةيباحسلا ةبسوحلا مادختسا لمشت .تاتوبورلاو يعانطصلاا ءاكذلاو

يف زيمتلل ةــيــكذــلا تاينقتلا زيزعت لامعلأا

سيئر نيكمت لماع ةيكذلا تاينقتلا دعت

يف ةميقلا ةلسلس لحارم فلتخم ربع راكتبلاا نم اءدب ،تايواميكورتبلا عاطق ةبرجتب ارورـــم ،تاجتنملا ريوطت ىــلإ

حضوأو .ديروتلا لسلاس ةرادإو ءلامعلا ةرادصلا يف »واد« تناك املاطل« :ةلاعد ربع راكتبلاا فيظوتب رملأا قلعتي امدنع

ءاكذلا جمدن ثيح ،يمقرلا لوحتلا ينبت يف ةيؤبنتلا تاينقتلاو يعانطصلاا

ةقيرط رييغتل ،ةكرشلا تايلمع عيمج

امك ،انعم انئلامع لعافت ةيفيكو انلمع

ةيليغشتلا انتايلمع لعج ىلع لمعن ،ةفلكتلا ثيح نم ةيلعاف رثكأو ءاكذ رثكأ

راكتبلاا عيرستل ةديدج تاردــق روطنو

ةبرجت مدقنل عرسأ لكشب انزيمت زيزعتو

تايلمع عيرست متيو .ءلامعلل لضفأ

،ةقطنملاو تاراملإا ةلود يف ديازتملا ةعفترم اًفادهأ تاكرشلا هذه تعضو تاعاطق يف بلطلا دايدزا عمو .جاتنلإل ةينبلاو ،ءانبلاو دييشتلا لثم ةفلتخم لصاوت ،ةيكلاهتسلاا علسلاو ،ةيتحتلا يئانثتسا ومن قيقحت تاراـــملإا ةــلود .ديازتملا بلطلا مجحب اموعدم اهومن زاــغــلاو طفنلا ةعانص لــصاوــت تاراكتبلاا نــم ةدافتسلااب اهروطتو تاريغتملا عم فيكتلل ةمدقتملا ةينقتلا رــثــكلأا ةيضقلا لثمتتو .ةــعراــســتــمــلا يف مويلا عاطقلا اههجاوي يتلا احاحلإرثكأو ةفيظن تاينقت مادختساو ريوطت ةينوبركلا تاــثاــعــبــنلاا ليلقتل ةءاــفــك لضفب« :ةــلاــعد فاـــضأو .ةئيبلا يــف

عاطقلا نكمتيس ،ينقتلا مدقتلا تقولا يــفو ،مزلاــــلا

ءلامعلا

نكمي امك ،ةيداصتقلاا ةربرب ةقطنم ةباوب

نم اهيلع قيدصتلاو تابلطلا ميدقت اضيأ .ازفاج للاخ

ةيتسجوللا تاردقلا تاذ ةيرحبلا ةصنملا هذه

ةموظنملاو ،ةلماكتملا ةيعانصلاو

نمض ،لاوأ ليمعلا ىلع زــكرــت يــتــلا

.تامدخلاب عيراشملا ةرادإو بلطلا بسح ءانبلا تامدخ ىــلإ جاــتــحــت يـــتـــلا تاــكرــشــلــل ةــيــئاــشــنلإا .اهتآشنم ءانبل ةيفاضإ دراومب ةناعتسلاا

اــهــتاــمدــخ »دــــــلرو يـــب يد« مدــقــتــس اــمــك ةقطنملا تاكرش نم اهئلامعل ةيتسجوللا صيلختلا تاـــمدـــخ كـــلذ يـــف اــمــب ،ةرـــحـــلا .عئاضبلا ميلستو ،نيزختلاو

يتلا ايازملا ىــلإ ةراـــشلإا ردجتو

لثمتت يــتــلاو

،يميظنتلا

يذيفنتلا ريدملا ،انبلا ليهس لاقو

طسولأا

ةــمدــقــتــمــلا ةـــيـــنـــقـــتـــلا لوـــلـــحـــلا حـــنـــمـــتو ةراجتلا تاكرشل ‘ةيراجتلا يبد’ اهمدقت يتلا عقوم يف اهعضت ةيسفانت ةزيم ةينورتكللإا يف ةلماعلا ىرــخلأا تاكرشلا نع مدقتم ةكراشملا للاـــخ نــم نكمتتسو .قوــســلا تاعوفدملل طــسولأا قرشلا ضرعم يف ةدعاسمو ،حاجنلا اذه رامثتسا نم ةسلسلا نم ةدافتسلاا ىلع تاكرشلا نم ديزملا تاربخو ،اهكلتمت يتلا دراوملاو ،ايجولونكتلا قاوـــسأ ىـــلإ لوــصوــلا لـــجأ نــم ،قــيرــفــلا .ةديدج

،اهلامعلأ اًزكرم يبد نم ةلحرم نم اءدب ،طسولأا قرشلا ةقطنم يف .عيزوتلا ىلإ لاوصو ميمصتلا

تاوــنــســلا للاـــخ ازـــفاـــج تدــهــش تاكرشلا عمجتل ادرطضم اوــمــن ةيضاملا ،ةــيــنورــتــكــللإا ةراــجــتــلا لاــجــم يــف ةــلــماــعــلا ىــــلإ كــــــــلذ يــــــف لــــضــــفــــلا دوــــــعــــــيو ،ةــيراــجــتــلا يــبدــل ةــيوــقــلا ةــيــتــحــتــلا ةــيــنــبــلا رـــيـــخلأا لـــيـــمـــلا ةـــلـــحرـــم كـــــلذ لـــمـــشـــيو .يــــتــــســــجوــــلــــلا ش تاــــيــــلــــمــــع نـــــــم

لــك هجتت دئارلا يراجتلاو يتسجوللا زكرملا ،)ازــفاــج( ىلولأا ةصنملا ،ةيراجتلا يبدو ،يبد يف ـل ناــتــعــباــتــلا ،يــــبد يـــف ةراــجــتــلا ريسيتل اــمــهــتاردــق ضارــعــتــسلا ،”دـــــلرو يــب يد“ كلذو ،ةينورتكللإا ةراجتلا لاجم يف ةيعونلا ضرعم تايلاعف يــف امهتكراشم نمض ةسلسلا تاــعوــفدــمــلــل طـــــسولأا قرـــشـــلا 31 نم اهداقعنا ررقملا نم يتلاو ،2022 2022 وينوي 1 ىلإ ويام ةيلاثم لــمــع ةــئــيــب

تاردابملاو كرتشملا نواعتلا فاشكتسلا مهافت ةيراجتلا لامعلأا معد للاخ نم يبد ىلإ تارامثتسلاا نم ديزم .ةرحلا ةقطنملا يف ةصخرملا وأ ةلجسملا ةمئاقلاو ةديدجلا ميدقتل اصرف ،مهافتلا ةركذم بجومب ،نابناجلا فشكتسي فوسو ةديدجلا ةطسوتملاو ةريغصلا تاكرشلل رفسلاب ةقلعتم زفاوح جمانرب يف ليجستلا كــلذ يف امب ،رــبــكلأا تاكرشلاو ةمئاقلاو .تاكرشلا ءلاو ةأفاكمب صاخلا »تاراملإا ناريط زدراوير سنزيب«

تاجتنملل سيئر بئان ،سيرهلا انيد مهافتلا ةركذم عقوو