Major issues related to the petrochemical industry and the best practices to ensure safe distribution of petro products will be discussed at the second 'GPCA Supply Chain Conference' to be held from October 24 to 26 in Bahrain.

The event is being jointly organised by Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), a non-profit association representing interests and concerns of petrochemicals and chemicals industry in the Gulf, and leading publication Chemical Week, at the Gulf Convention Center, Gulf Hotel in Manama.

The conference has the support of Bahrain’s Oil and Gas Minister and chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) Abdulhussain Mizra, who will be opening the conference with a keynote.

The high-level industry event will review all aspects of the supply chain: issues around transporting liquid and bulk products via land or sea, global standards and regulations, what the Middle East companies are doing to ensure supplies are delivered safely, and how companies can deliver their goods in an inexpensive and responsible manner, said a GPCA statement.

The petrochemical market is rapidly expanding and the Middle East is quickly becoming the supply hub to feed this growth, the GPCA stated.

A combination of rapid growth, future needs, and increasingly stringent regulations creates many questions that need to be answered in order for the industry to build supply chains that are sustainable and responsive to quick changes, it added.

Several industry leaders will also be sharing their experience at this event.

The list includes Saleh I. Al-Shabnan, project executive, Supply Chain Management Project (EMDAD), Sabic; Frank Luijckx, director of Business Services EMEA, Dow Europe; Mitchell Silver, project development director/Bulk Polymer Shipping Project, Mitsui OSK Lines; Abdulaziz S. Al-Bati, vice chairman of GPCA Supply Chain Committee and general manager, Supply Chain, Tasnee Petrochemical Complex; Mansour S. Al-Mohana, internal audit chief, Sabic Terminal Services Company; Christiaan Teulings, vice president, Supply Chain Management, Borouge, Theo Zwygers, VP/Supply Chain Europe, Asia and International, LyondellBasell.
 
“The first GPCA Supply Chain Conference was extremely successful and with such high level speakers this year, we anticipate even more interest from global and regional petrochemical executives,” said Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, secretary general, GPCA.

'Speakers will also provide updates on projects and plans in process to get the Middle East supply chain infrastructure up and ready to meet the world’s appetite for chemicals,' Dr Al-Sadoun said.

'Also included in this high-level event is a workshop covering global standards for the transportation of hazardous materials. This workshop will review the standards in place, and how each can be applied successfully in the Middle East,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service