Bahrain government's commitment to support the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company's (GPIC) strategy and projects which aimed to double petrochemicals and fertilisers production was reiterated at a key meeting yesterday (January 6).

HRH Premier's adviser on oil and industrial affairs and GPIC chairman Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa reaffirmed this while presiding at its general meeting and board meeting, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Shaikh Isa said last year GPIC achieved all goals despite a rapidly-changing and competitive global market for petrochemicals and fertilisers.

The board meeting saw discussions of key achievements since the last meeting, including visits of prominent personalities to its Sitra complex.

It also discussed all decisions taken regarding company operations and reviewed activities related to its community and social responsibility initiatives.

GPIC president Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery said the company achieved the highest daily productivity rate last year.

It recorded an annual production of 1.6 million tonnes of ammonia, urea and methanol, which was 1.5 per cent higher than planned, he added.

He said urea production reached 689,902 tonnes, taking the total production to 10m tonnes since start of operations in 1998. Methanol production was 452,751 tonnes.

Last year saw GPIC export a total of 1.23m tonnes of ammonia, urea and methanol, an increase of 1.8 per cent over the planned target.

This, he said, was also the highest amount exported during a year, breaking the previous record of 1.22 million tonnes in 2009.

Also last year, the GPIC exported 459,438 tonnes of methanol, breaking the previous record of 1991, when 444,554 tonnes were exported.

The company has also exported a total of 439,994 tonnes to the US, once again the largest amount exported since the start of production, surpassing the previous achievement of 379,482 tonnes in 2012.

All this, he said, has been achieved smoothly and without hindrance and in accordance with the marketing plan and contractual obligations.

He added that a total of 66 vessels carrying 704,270 tonnes of methanol, 459,438 tonnes of urea and 70,228 tonnes of ammonia left Bahrain's shores. - TradeArabia News Service