Abu Dhabi achieves phenomenal growth

Transcription

1 Volume 26 - No July 2011 Despite the global crisis Abu Dhabi achieves phenomenal growth 620 Billion AED, Abu Dhabi s GDP 14.8% Construction s 5.6% Growth rate of non-oil sectors 212 Trillion Cubic Feet, Abu Dhabi s natural gas reserves 92.2 billion barrel of oil reserves share of the GDP 17.7% Raise in hotel facilities 2.3 Million barrel a day, average production in % The share of oil in the GDP

2 Contents Cover Story The CEO follows up on Das Island projects 4-6 Runner-up Winner of ADNOC HSE Award 7th Liwa Date Festival Dates: Arab Sustenance Reserve 8-12 The HSE merits of ADGAS OAG Project A Monthly newsletter issued by the Corporate Communications & Public Relations Department in the Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company LTD (ADGAS) for company employees ADGAS recognizes the academic excellence of employees children Correspondence should be addressed to the Editorial Board, Corporate Communications & Public Relations Department, ADGAS at: PO Box: 3500 Editor s Telephone : Fax: baradey@adgas.com All rights Reserved. No part of this newsletter shall be re-produced in any other form without at least attributing the same to its source. Blessing Laden Breezes of Ramadan Invitation ADGAS News is your voice, and it welcomes any contribution to its content from its readership among Company employees 2 ADGAS News and their families. The Editorial Board, however, retains the right to edit such contributions as per the editorial policy and the technical requirements of the newsletter.

3 ADGAS News Good Old Days ADGAS has always been keen on the health and welfare of its employees. The following two pictures represent one of ADGAS old teams and a group of employees kids having a swimming course ADGAS News 3

4 ADGAS CEO follows up on Das Island projects As part of the General management s regular follow up on the ongoing projects on Das Island, Mr. Fahim Kazim, CEO, visited the island on July 18, 2011, accompanied by Mr. Bader Al Mohamadi, SVP (T). The visit started with a tour to the site of the IGD strategic project, where the CEO was briefed by the project team on the progress and latest activities taking place on site. The Management team witnessed the reclamation and construction works where many vessels were maneuvering within the available tight area to ensure the progress of the project. The CEO commended the efforts made by the project team to expedite the pace of work as per the recovery plan to meet the set schedule. However, he directed the team to 4 ADGAS News

5 ADGAS CEO touring the IGD project site with the SVP (T) and other senior officials on Das Island And discussing the the progress of Storex upgrade project ADGAS News 5

6 take additional safety precautions considering the type of work which involves marine heavy lifting and diving After that, both the CEO and the SVP (T) visited the existing STOREX Control Room, along with Mr. Fahim Uddin, Deputy Vice President (LNG Plant). The main objective of the visit is support the Storex Control System Upgrade (SCSU) project team during the hot changeover, a critical phase of the project. The ADGAS Senior Management delegations were received by Mr. Mohsen Barak Al Kindi, Projects Division Manager, and the SCSU Project members. The Senior Management was briefed on the progress of the current phase and the project in general, whereby the project progress is on target. The CEO emphasized the importance of early integration of the Operations and Maintenance teams into the project in order to have a seamless transfer and handover toward the commissioning of the project. Mr. Al Kindi, PDM, assured the CEO and the management team of the full integration of all the teams since the inception of the project, noting that a sub-system handover has been established and being implemented successfully. The team has successfully changed over on LNG Tank to the new system without interruption to the operations. Toward the end of the tour, the CEO commended the SCSU project team and the attached Operations & Maintenance members, on their full commitment to achieve satisfying progress of the project. Mr. Al Kindi (second left) briefing the CEO on the progress made so far 6 ADGAS News

7 HHI s CEO visits ADGAS ADGAS Management receiving HHI s CEO and his aids ADGAS Senior Management has made it a priority to closely follow up the progress of the Company s strategic projects to ensure their safe and timely completion to the best industry standards. This has recently been demonstrated through the special emphasis given to the progress of the Das package of the IGD project, currently in the EPC phase managed by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), South Korea. Due to some delays in the civil and marine construction works, ADGAS management has been directly involved in working with the EPC contractor s senior management, conducting several visits to HHI s home office to make sure that the contractor s senior management is completely involved in the follow-up process to ensure that progress as per plan and mitigation are done right and on time. Within the same endeavor, ADGAS CEO Mr. Fahim Kazim, ADNOC Acting Gas Division Manager; Dr. Saif Al Nassri and ADGAS Sr. Vice President (Technical); Mr. Bader Almohamadi received Mr. J.S. Lee, HHI s CEO on July 24, 2011 at ADGAS Headquarters, along with the HHI s IGD project delegation. The pre-planned meeting was held to follow up on HHI s role in the IGD project and to get the required assurance of HHI s commitment to the timely and safe completion of the Das Package of the IGD project as per the completion date set in the Contractual Agreement. During the meeting, both ADNOC & ADGAS Senior Managements reemphasized the strategic importance of the project to ADNOC and to Abu Dhabi s Infrastructure, acknowledging the recent uptrend and improvement of the Civil & Marine construction activities on Das Island. ADNOC reiterated the importance of the IGD project performance on the future relationship between HHI and ADNOC group It was further stressed that more HHI efforts and management intervention are necessary to enhance and maintain the recent site uptrend. HHI CEO assured ADGAS that the IGD Das Project is under focus by HHI Senior Management starting with himself and the Plant Division COO, and that all efforts and resources will be put to ensure the successful and safe completion as required. ADGAS CEO appreciated the recent actions by HHI, and the deployment of additional resources in both manpower and marine vessels as part of the agreed recovery plan. The meeting concluded with both senior managements pledging to have another follow-up meeting in the near future. ADGAS News 7

8 Cover Story 8 ADGAS News

9 7th Liwa Date Festival Dates: Arab Sustenance Reserve If you ask any Arab about the one, single, most important food used by Arabs throughout their history, the first thing that would come into their minds is dates. Long before Arabs left their arid desert and spread out to settle in urban cities across the Arab world as we know it today, their main source of nutrition was palm dates. It is no wonder, then, that the palm tree has received unrivalled importance in the life and culture of Arabs. It has acquired considerable respect, pictured positively as a blessed tree in the Holy Quran and in the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Nurturing this long relationship with the palm tree, and encouraging cultural tourism and local community economics, the Government of Abu Dhabi puts considerable stress on the annual Liwa Date Festival, an annual celebration that gathers all those who appreciate heritage and cherish the simple desert life in which palm dates were the real lifeline. The Festival attracted great interest from the country s leadership. It was visited by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who toured the festival site and commended the efforts put in organizing it. The Festival was earlier inaugurated by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler s Representative in the Western Region. ADGAS News 9

10 Cover Story H.H. Sheikh Mohammed contemplates an old picture of his late father during his visit to Liwa Festival The 7th Liwa Date Festival was organized by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) between 12 and 21 of July 2011, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. As in the previous versions of the festival, ADNOC Group of Companies contributed to this national and cultural landmark. This year, it was the official sponsor of the event. The festival aims to build on the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan s policy of encouraging agriculture, and to promote awareness amongst farmers about the best agricultural practices, especially in the field of date palm cultivation which is a national and traditional source of sustenance and income. The festival is also an endeavor to develop Liwa and the Western Region in general and encourage cultural tourism to the region. Through the Festival, palm farmers compete in showcasing their best products. Specialized committees conduct field visits to the farms of competitors to make sure that these farms are adopting the best cultivation and date production practices and to monitor the farm s abidance by all other standards in selecting the samples that enter the competition. Participation terms and conditions: Competing samples of dates should meet the following conditions: They should be of local production, and of the 2011 season. Dates should be in an appropriate stage of ripeness, which is 50% maturity. They should be free from any insect-induced harm, insect eggs, larva or waste. They should be free from any outward defects. They should be free from any unusual taste, smell, sand or metal residues, scars, etc. They should be of reasonable size. They should be produced by following the cultivation best practices. Apart from that pal date competition itself, the Festival includes several other activities organized alongside the competition. A traditional Souk or market of more than 160 stores showcase scores of local handcrafts and items that depend on the palm tree for their raw materials. A huge tent is also erected for children, where folklore competitions and contests are conducted throughout the festival. ADACH has also organized many cultural events and sessions that highlight the traditions and culture of the Western Region and the UAE in general. 10 ADGAS News

11 ADGAS employees in a group photo at the Festival Enterance ADGAS employees visit Liwa Date Festival With a genuine interest in the local and national events, ADGAS Social and Recreational Committee (ASRC) organized a trip to Liwa Date Festival on July 16, 2011 to give employees a glimpse of the time-honored traditions of Liwa oasis and its history as a palm date producer. Score of employees headed to Liwa to spend a relaxing day of fun with their families and children. They were able to visit the model village which showed how people used to live and work in the pre-oil era, making great use of palm tree products and raw materials in their daily life. They also visited the traditional souk, which provided a welcome relief to relax, shop and explore traditional goods and handcrafts on display. Even though ADGAS contingent did not catch up with the actual competition for the highly prized dates, they were still able to get a glance of the top ten winners. ADGAS News 11

12 Entries invited for Khalifa Int l Date Palm Awards The Khalifa International Date Palm Awards (KIDPA) started accepting award entries recently. Individuals and companies from any part of the world can submit their entries including projects, technologies, inventions and researches those meant to improve the production of dates. As usual for the past four years, every June 1 we launch the candidacy for KIDPA, giving the chance to all palm farmers, producers, researchers, academics, specialists and the lovers of the date palm tree all around the world to submit the applications to win one of the awards five categories, said Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid, secretary-general of KIDPA. The first two winners of each of the four categories will be awarded AED 300,000 and AED 200,000 respectively. In the category of distinguished personality, which only has one winner, the award money will be AED 300,000. Since its launch, the number of participants in all categories increased by 84 per cent, coming from 23 countries worldwide, revealed Dr Zaid. This year we are hoping to attract even more international participants through social media as we offer now information through channels such as Twitter, Facebook and other Internet pages, added Dr Zaid. KIDPA has also just published an Arabic and English bilingual book about the past three years award winners. Plans for a first palm tree museum in Al Ain are still in the pipeline and the newly launched date palm photo competition is all meant to increase awareness about this Arabian tree of life. Deadline for award entries is October 30. The winners will be announced in February 2012 and the awards will be presented in March 12 ADGAS News

13 ADGAS hosts a tobacco control lecture Dr. Ahmed Abdulla giving his lecture As part of its genuine concern about the health and welfare of its employees, ADGAS organized a lecture on Tobacco Control Program at the Company s Auditorium on July 5, Coordinated by ADGAS Medical Section Team, the lecture was delivered by Dr. Ahmed Abdulla, Senior Regional Public Health Promotion Officer at the Public Health Department in the Health Authority, Abu Dhabi. The event started with a brief introduction and a welcoming note from Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Medical Coordinator, who welcomed the lecturer and thanked the Health Authority Abu Dhabi for their cooperation with ADGAS to spread health awareness, especially about the medical issues that present a challenge to the local UAE community. The floor was then given to Dr. Ahmed Abdulla who highlighted the various health risks associated with tobacco consumption, quoting alarming statistics about the human and financial toll of smoking locally and internationally. He pointed out that smoking is both a habit and a form of addiction, and in order to quit it you have to overcome these two problems and to resort to the nicotine replacement therapy which proved to have considerable success. The lecturer listed the health improvements a smoker can see at the various stages after quitting smoking and how this improvement gets bigger with time. Dr. Abdulla reviewed quitting strategies and stressed the role of a strong will, which is vital for the success of any strategy. The lecture was followed by a Q/A session where attendants raised their queries and remarks and exchanged views with the lecturer. ADGAS News 13

14 Despite the global crisis Abu Dhabi achieves phenomenal growth % Growth rate of non-oil sectors Billion AED, Abu Dhabi s GDP 14.8% Construction s share of the GDP 17.7% Raise in hotel facilities 14 ADGAS News

15 Abu Dhabi s economy witnessed a phenomenal growth of 15.9 per cent last year, according to a report published by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) recently. 212 Trillion Cubic Feet, Abu Dhabi s natural gas reserves 92.2 billion barrel of oil reserves 2.3 Million barrel a day, average production in % The share of oil in the GDP ADGAS News 15

16 The construction sector is contributing to economic diversification The report, which is from the Statistical Yearbook of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2011, also said that a number of indicators show the capital s economy has overcome the repercussions of global financial downturn. The emirate s economy posted record gains of Dh85 billion last year, which saw the GDP at current prices grow to AED billion, up 15.9 per cent from AED billion, it said. The contribution of oil to Abu Dhabi s GDP was 49.7 per cent last year, while non-oil sectors have witnessed a noticeable increase of 5.6 per cent, the report said. SCAD s Statistical Yearbook 2009 reported oil s share in Abu Dhabi GDP as 49 per cent. Abu Dhabi had previously laid out plans to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil as its main source of funding. It is estimated that this contributed 44.6 per cent to the emirate s GDP in 2009, the document stated. From what we gather, oil production was roughly flat in the UAE in 2010, so most of the nominal value added increases are attributed to the rise of oil price, said Giyas Gokkent, group chief economist at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi, one of world s major oil producers, on an average produced 2.3 million barrels per day of crude oil and 4,847 million cubic feet of natural gas per day last year, the report said. There s no doubt that the economy is diversifying and non-oil activity is picking up, which is clear if you look at its performance over the past few years, Gokkent said. Fluctuations However, the fluctuations of the oil prices year to year will have an effect on how much the contribution of the oil sector is within nominal GDP, he said. So in other words, the higher the oil prices go, the higher its contribution to the GDP and vice versa. Abu Dhabi s nominal GDP is forecast at $197 billion this year, Gokkent said. Higher oil price will be a driver in 2011 growth as well as higher output [total UAE oil production during January-April 2011 estimated up 7 per cent year on year] and modest pick-up in non-oil activity, he said. UAE economy expert Mohammad Al Asoomi said that the non-oil sector is picking up well. There are many heavy investments happening in that area, he said. There are heavy investments in the petrochemicals field in Ruwais for instance, heavy investments in aluminum. Most recently, Emirates Aluminum, also known as EMAL, announced its plans to spend $4.5 billion (Dh16.51 billion) to double its output in the used metal industry. That s in addition to services, telecommunication, trade, etc. This means that the diversification is important, he said. Refining capacity Today, Abu Dhabi is ranked sixth worldwide in terms of proven oil reserves, and accounts for 8 per cent of OPEC s production. It has also been ranked seventh worldwide in terms of natural gas reserves. There are two refineries in Abu Dhabi, with a combined refining capacity of 600,000 barrels per day. There are plans to build a third refinery in the emirate of Fujairah with a capacity of 300,000 bpd. Abu Dhabi has become a very attractive place for businesses and investors, the SCAD report said. Investment statistics for last year show that the total number of registered business reached 96,381, of which 10.4 per cent were newly licensed, compared with 86,402 in 2009 of which 14.7 per cent were licensed during the same year. When asked about this year, Al Asoomi said that the year will most probably witness a high GDP growth rate. With high oil prices and so much investment in other sectors, this year will certainly see more growth on all levels. Consumer price rise tops 3% Consumer prices in Abu Dhabi soared by more than 3 per cent last year with housing, utilities and food and drink leading the way. 16 ADGAS News

17 The report from Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) revealed that inflation in Abu Dhabi was 3.06 per cent last year, driven by price increase in several sectors including housing, water, electricity, gas, food, nonalcoholic beverages and fuels. This year the Ministry of Economy has said that the inflation is likely to come down to as low as 1.5 per cent. However, Scad s statistics have shown consumer prices increased 2.4 per cent on the year in June, an increase of 0.5 per cent compared to May. Inflation has been rising steadily, which has been putting pressure on the government to take action. Since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Economy had introduced cap on prices of certain products, which they hope will result in more competition and eventually a fall in food prices increase in hotel facilities in Abu Dhabi in 2010 The share of oil and gas industry in the local economy is almost half ADGAS News 17

18 Runner-up Winner of ADNOC HSE Award The HSE merits of ADGAS OAG Project ADGAS has recently come a runnerup winner of ADNOC s HSE Award for Innovation, granted in recognition of the HSE merits of ADGAS OAG project completed last year. To further understand the HSE implications of the project, we asked our HSE Committee to shed some light on this issue. The following was their input. The HSE considerations that led to this recognition have to do with the HSE criterion applied on the design of the Offshore Associated Gases (OAG) Project on Das Island and the benefits foreseen during the operation of the new OAG gas plant. Putting HSE as a top priority in the project helped balance business requirements in such a way that the new asset can meet both current and future challenges. An energy efficient design, coupled with minimum quantity of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted, will allow ADGAS to operate in a safe, reliable, efficient, economical and eco-friendly way to process and condition the gas produced by the upstream client ADMA-OPCO and to deliver the product to the downstream client GASCO. The core purpose of the OAG Project is to increase the installed low pressure (LP) gas capturing capacity by 200 MMSCFD in order to partially decouple the ADMA OPCO oil production from the existing LNG Trains 1 and 2. These two LNG trains have been in operation for more than 18 ADGAS News

19 --- thirty years. In addition to that, the oil production is expected to increase in the near future and with this Project ADGAS will be ready to process the additional associated LP gases. Considering that Heat Integration leads to no fuel gas burning being required for process heating purposes, a hot oil system was incorporated in the design of the new Gas Plant which provided the following benefits in comparison to other process solutions: Thermal pollution is decreased by recovering 54 MMBTU/hr from the exhaust gases out of the Gas Turbines stacks Carbon footprint is reduced by 134 Tons/day equivalent to burning 2 MMSCFD of fuel gas at an operational cost of 3 MMUS$/year (Gas price of 4.39 $/MMBTU at NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Nov. 2010) To help satisfy business requirements and future government regulations that demand cleaner emissions, the latest technology such as Dry Low NOx system was applied to limit NOx and CO2 emissions from the gas turbines to 34 ppmvd and 50 ppmvd, respectively. Additionally, a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System was installed to measure online the combustion products released to the atmosphere. Finally, potential revenues from NOx credit trading might be obtained in the near future based on the new Gas Plant current design. These initiatives, which are now implemented and in operation will enhance the HSE key performance indicators and ensure the long term sustainability of the business as a green and socially responsible corporation concerned with global warming and climate change. ADGAS News 19

20 ADGAS recognizes the academic excellence of employees children Mr. Hasan Al Marzooqi SVP (A) addressing the audience ADGAS Corporate Communication & Public Relations Department organized, on July 7, 2011, a ceremony in the Company s Auditorium to honor the distinguished performance of the sons and daughters of some ADGAS employees in the 2011 Final Secondary School examinations, and also in other intermediate and secondary classes. The ceremony recognized twenty two secondary school graduates who scored more than 80%. Nine of these students scored more than 90%, and one of them, Alaa Zaki Ghafoor, scored as high as %99.2. The recognition also included dozens of students from other stages who have scored high marks this year; a new approach which aims at encouraging fair competition and academic distinction amongst the sons and daughters of ADGAS employees. The celebration was attended by Mr. Hasan Al Marzooqi, SVP (A), and some division managers and scores of ADGAS employees and parents. The event started with UAE National Anthem, followed by a welcoming note by Mr. Hasan Al Marzooqi, in which he congratulated the honored students on their distinguished performance, wishing them more success in their academic and professional future. 20 ADGAS News

21 In his note, the SVP (A) encouraged students to work hard to get more experience and knowledge especially in higher education in colleges and universities. If I were to give an advice here, it would be for you to stick to the same factors that made you excel this year! Namely, hard work, perseverance, learning from your environment and families and having high ethics and morals, the SVP (A) said. He concluded by thanking parents for their efforts and all staff who arranged this ceremony, stressing that ADGAS will keep supporting and caring about its employees and their families. Then, one of the honored students, Mohammed Mohsen Al Kindi, addressed the audience on behalf of his fellow students. He congratulated his colleagues for their performance and thanked the parents for the support and care they had shown to their sons and daughters. We feel that it is our duty to pay back this great favor to our small families and to our larger family nationally. This can only be done by accelerating our efforts and keeping our excellent records in the coming academic years at universities and colleges. You all can be sure of our pledge to do so, Inshallah! Mr. Al Kindi said. He concluded by commending ADGAS concern for the well-being of its employees and their families, pledging to continue on the road of excellence in the future. This was followed by a presentation by the popular trainer Mr. Khalfan Salem Al Marzouqi, titled Putting your goals and utilizing your potentials. The presentation reviewed success strategies and how can young men put their objectives and draw the appropriate plans to achieve them. Mr. Al Marzouqi highlighted the importance of positive thinking, optimism and passion, calling students to hold to the genuine, deep rooted values of their culture to achieve their goals. After the presentation, secondary school graduates and other students were called to receive their presents from ADGAS. Mr. Al Marzooqi handed out the gifts, before some group photographs were taken for the SVP (A), the students and their parents. The celebration was concluded with light launch, during which attendants exchanged congratulations in a happy and warm atmosphere. ADGAS News is seizing the opportunity to congratulate all final secondary school graduates and wishes them successful future. It also congratulates excellent performers in other stages and calls them to keep the good efforts for better future results academically and professionally. HSE Man of the Month The HSE Man of the Month award for May 2011 was given to Mr. Saif Rashed Al Dhuhoori, Area Operator in the Operations Division on Das Island for his agility and quick action. Mr. Al Dhuhoori has detected an early leak that would have developed into a serious one if not attended to in time. His quick action and sense of initiative had prevented what could have been a worse scenario. A big Thank You is due to our Man of the Month. It is with such dedicated staff that ADGAS can be sure to continue its HSE achievement for years to come. ADGAS News 21

22 At the campaign s opening Das organizes a blood donation campaign ADGAS has recently marked the World Blood Donor Day, annually organized on June 14. ADGAS Das Administration has launched a donation campaign on July 4, 2011, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Health Authority, to mark the global day which took the theme More Blood. More Life. The campaign was opened by Dr. Ahmed Mousa Imam, who is in charge of the donation campaign in the Health Authority Abu Dhabi. The event was attended by Mr. Mohamed Al Tameemi, Administration Manager Das, Mr. Fahim Uddin, Deputy Vice President (LNG Plant), Mr. Mohamed Zamzam, HSE Manager, Mr. Abdulla Al Nuhaid, ADMA-OPCO s Acting Service Manager and scores of employees of both companies who were invited to contribute to this campaign. In his opening speech, Mr. Imam expressed his gratitude to ADGAS and ADMA-OPCO for their support to the national blood donation campaign by spreading awareness amongst their employees about the vital role of blood donation in saving human life and also by encouraging their employees to be good donors to honor the national and global campaign. All facilities and equipment were prepared to do the necessary tests before donating blood, and the campaign proved to be a success as scores of employees came forward to donate their blood. 22 ADGAS News

23 Heat Stress awareness campaign on Das Island As part of its HSE policy and concern about the welfare of its employees and contractors, ADGAS HSE Committee on Das Island launched a Heat Stress Awareness campaign during the month of June, The campaign aimed to promote awareness amongst ADGAS employees and contractors about the impact of working in summer conditions on personal health and safety. A team of ADGAS management comprising members from Operations, Maintenance and HSE had visited several plant sites to educate employees about the importance of following the right procedures to prevent heat stress related illness amongst employees and contractors on the Island. The team emphasized the need for wearing appropriate clothing, drinking plenty of water and taking a few breaks in cool, shaded areas to reduce the risk of heat stress. Printed safety spotlight on heat stress was also distributed amongst the employees. The UAE Ministry of Labor had enforced a midday break for laborers working in the open air between 12:30 and 3:00 PM, from June 15 to September 15 this year Spot light on HSE HEAT STRESS Heat stress is the effect of the thermal environment on the person s ability to maintain normal temperature. Physical work generates heat in the body which must be lost by evaporation and sweating. Inability to get rid of body heat adequately may result in heat related illness. How to avoid Heat Stress? Drink at least 2 litres of water while working in hot weather. Add a little salt to your meals. Take frequent rest breaks. Schedule work for a cooler part of the day Get plenty of sleep. Acclimatize properly before joining work. When unwell, tell your supervisor. ABU DHABI GAS LIQUEFACTION COMPANY LTD. LNG Plant - Das Island Symptoms of Heat Stress: Heat Exhaustion Sweating Headache & dizziness Fainting Mental confusion Nausea & vomiting Treatment: Remove to a shaded area Apply cold compress Use fan to lower temperature Heat Stroke Hot skin with no sweating Mental confusion Loss of consciousness Convulsions Can be fatal (if unattended) Elevate Feet Remember Fluid intake & Rest breaks keeps away Heat Stress Make the person lie down If conscious, give fluid Seek Medical Aid ADGAS News 23

24 Ten Tips to improve the longevity of Your Laptop 2 Laptop users may encounter so many problems in laptops. Things became clearer after knowing exactly what happened. There are some tips to help users confront problems with their laptops and keep them running for a longer period of time. Here are some of these tips: The Keys to Laptop Longevity Battery Conditioning not needed A common mistake is unplugging a laptop when using it and connecting it back to the AC only when the charge in the battery is running out. The thinking behind this move is to prevent overcharging. However, built-in protection against overcharging means that this move only serves to dramatically shorten the serviceable life of the batteries, as there is a finite number of charge-discharge cycles that a rechargeable battery can handle. 1 Don t get a spare laptop battery A common temptation when buying a new laptop is to purchase an additional battery just in case you need it. The truth, however, is that most of us simply don t need an additional battery in our drawers. In addition, the chemical composition of modern lithium-ion batteries makes them start dying the moment they are created. Old batteries do not hold the same charge as brand new ones, even if they are doing nothing more than lying unused in the drawer. 3 Hear a buzzing sound? Don t wait for it to go away If you hear a loud, buzzing or whining sound emanating from your laptop, do send it for servicing at your earliest convenience. Waiting for these new sounds to go away by themselves is just asking for trouble, as the sounds are likely emanating from either the built-in ventilation fans or failing hard disk drive 24 ADGAS News

25 4 6 9 Get a keyboard and mouse protector, or use an external keyboard and mouse The keyboard sees the heaviest physical wear and tear on the laptop. While designed for heavy use, it s usually not replaceable if damaged and is a usability nightmare if not properly maintained. One way to protect against the introduction of foreign objects is to get a keyboard protector for your laptop. To reduce the wear on the keys and touchpad, it is a good idea to use a separate keyboard and mouse when at your desk. 5 Avoid walking around with laptop The hard disk head hovers at microscopic distances from the furiously spinning disk surface. As such, it s generally a good habit not to subject laptops with hard disk drives to excessive shock or swinging around when powered on. 7 Power off properly before putting into bag One way to quickly shorten the life or even kill your laptop would be to stuff it into your bag when it is still switched on. Damage to hardware is known to happen when applications or the Windows operating system itself hang during the shutdown process, leaving the laptop running in the confines of a bag. Check to make sure your laptop is really powered off first. Mind the heat One of the main laptop killers that has been observed over the years is heat. Excessive temperatures cause electronic circuits to fail faster, as well as dramatically shorten the productivity lifespan of a battery. Laptops that were designed to properly dissipate heat generally don t have this problem, though not all brands are equal in this regard. You can purchase a laptop base with a built-in fan if you detect hot-spots that trouble you, or you can buy cooling accessories to cool down your laptop. 10 Defragment your derive regularly (or not) Due to how a computer file system works, performance of hard disk drives will unavoidably decrease over months or years of usage. As such, it is a good idea to perform a defragmentation of your data from time to time. However, the same is not true of solid-state disks (SSD) which work differently. Doing so will shorten their usable lifespan. 8 Servicing your laptop? Let IT have a look at it. It s always a good idea to let your service help desk, or someone who is tech-savvy, take a look at your laptop in order to make a preliminary diagnosis. This will allow new problems that are introduced as a result of the service to be more easily isolated and identified should they surface after the repair. Protect from physical damage Users are spending thousands of Dirhams on a brand-new laptop, but when it comes to a laptop case, they select the cheapest one. Invest in a proper laptop bag (with some padding at least) to protect it from occasional knocks. ADGAS News 25

26 Cover Story Blessing Laden Breezes of Ramadan If you ask any Arab about the one, single, most important food used by Arabs throughout their history, the first thing that would come into their minds is dates. Long before Arabs left their arid desert and spread out to settle in urban cities across the Arab world as we know it today, their main source of nutrition was palm dates. It is no wonder, then, that the palm tree has received unrivalled importance in the life and culture of Arabs. It has acquired considerable respect, pictured positively as a blessed tree in the Holy Quran and in the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Nurturing this long relationship with the palm tree, and encouraging cultural tourism and local community economics, the Government of Abu Dhabi puts considerable stress on the annual Liwa Date Festival, an annual celebration that gathers all those who appreciate heritage and cherish the simple desert life in which palm dates were the real lifeline. The Festival attracted great interest from the country s leadership. It was visited by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who toured the festival site and commended the efforts put in organizing it. The Festival was earlier inaugurated by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler s Representative in the Western Region. The 7th Liwa Date Festival was organized by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) between 12 and 21 of July 2011, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. As in the previous versions of the festival, ADNOC Group of Companies contributed to this national and cultural landmark. This year, it was the official sponsor of the event. The festival aims to build on the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan s policy of encouraging agriculture, and to promote awareness amongst farmers about the best agricultural practices, especially in the field of date palm cultivation which is a national and traditional source of sustenance and income. The festival is also an endeavor to develop Liwa and the Western Region in general and encourage cultural tourism to the region. Through the Festival, palm farmers compete in showcasing their best products. Specialized committees conduct field visits to the farms of competitors to make sure that these farms are adopting the best cultivation and date production practices and to monitor the farm s abidance by all other standards in selecting the samples that enter the competition. 26 ADGAS News

27 Participation terms and conditions: Competing samples of dates should meet the following conditions: They should be of local production, and of the 2011 season. Dates should be in an appropriate stage of ripeness, which is 50% maturity. They should be free from any insect-induced harm, insect eggs, larva or waste. They should be free from any outward defects. They should be free from any unusual taste, smell, sand or metal residues, scars, etc. They should be of reasonable size. They should be produced by following the cultivation best practices. Apart from that pal date competition itself, the Festival includes several other activities organized alongside the competition. A traditional Souk or market of more than 160 stores showcase scores of local handcrafts and items that depend on the palm tree for their raw materials. A huge tent is also erected for children, where folklore competitions and contests are conducted throughout the festival. ADACH has also organized many cultural events and sessions that highlight the traditions and culture of the Western Region and the UAE in general. How should your body parts fast Salem Al Darmaki (IT Division) Fasting is not just about refraining from food and drinks. It rather involves putting controls on the various parts of your body and preventing them from doing anything that can jeopardize your fasting and waste your rewards and blessings. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was quoted as saying If you don t abstain from dishonest discourse, dishonest behavior or arrogance, Allah doesn t need your abstinence from food and drink. (Al Bukhari). When your body parts trespass into forbidden domains, that may not necessarily break your fast, but it would certainly waste a part of your reward. The following are the parts that should be kept from indulging in forbidden conduct for a perfect fasting: 1- The tongue s fasting: which means to stop any false statements, dishonest talk, swearing, backstabbing, talebearing and perjury (which is one of the biggest sins). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says When you are fasting, you shouldn t be obscene or boisterous, and if somebody cursed you or quarreled with you, you should just say I am fasting. 2- The eyes fasting: you shouldn t look at anything that is considered forbidden like obscene scenes, nudity, etc. 3- The ears fasting: you shouldn t listen to any forbidden talk like backstabbing, talebearing, slight, mockery or defamation. This also goes for songs that address lust. Allah (SWT) says: And follow not that of which you have not the knowledge; surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these, shall be questioned about that. 4- The fasting of the limbs: Your hands fast by refraining from doing anything wrong, like stealing or harming others; and your legs fast by refraining from walking to any place where forbidden things are done or displayed. 5- The heart s fasting: which means that you should purify your heart and free it from pride, envy, malice and hypocrisy. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was quoted as saying: Don t hate or envy each other, don t harbor enmity, and be brothers. (unanimously validated). ADGAS News 27

28 ASRC organizes a summer trip to Italy ADGAS Social & Recreational Committee continues to offer company employees and their families a wide range of programs and activities that cater for all tastes. The latest such activity was the joyful, one week trip the Committee organized to Italy between June 1 and 8, The trip started with a comprehensive tour in the Italian capital, Rome, where participants were taken to several historical and archeological sites and monuments including the (Teatro dell Opera di Roma) or the Opera House of Rome, the Trevi fountain and the famous Roman Coliseum. The group was accompanied by a tourist guide who provided them with valuable background information about these various attractions and answered their questions. Some other sites greatly enjoyed by participants, especially children, include the Rainbow Magic Land, which was full of aqua games and open air games, in addition to popular cartoon characters. Like the case in previous trips, the ASRC conducted a photography competition during the trip to choose the best three pictures shot during the trip in Italy. إلى اليسار: الصورة الفائزة بالمركز الثالث: المبنى المسمى الكولوسيوم في مدينة روما Left: The 3rd winner: the Colloseum in Rome 28 ADGAS News