6,500tons is the approximate weight of the Hasbah tie-in platform II, the heaviest gas production platform in the company’s history. It has the capacity to process 1 billion standard cubic feet per day of gas.

Saudi Aramco by the numbers

see page 13

volunteers still neededFor 10 days in March, more than 600 retired Saudi Aramco annuitants — including “brats” — will have a special kind of homecoming. To coordinate this event, it will take at least 140 volunteers, including people to work as hosts, hostesses, tour guides, historians, chaperones, and more.

CEO: 2019 ‘will be an exciting journey for all of us’

making history at

Hasbah

Dear colleagues, I want to thank you for your incredibly hard

work last year. While the year ahead looks set to be challenging, our newly approved 2019-2021 Business Plan steers us toward great-er resilience, more fiscal discipline, and in-creased flexibility — enabling us to effectively respond to continued oil market challenges and volatility.

Yet it also supports our clear, long-term corporate strategy, which is very ambitious, and will be an exciting journey for all of us.

For decades, we have been known as an oil powerhouse. But by 2030, instead of being the foremost global player in one business, we plan to be world leaders in five more.

We intend to be among the top three gas producers globally and export gas for the first time ever, in a world where the use of clean natural gas is rapidly expanding.

We also see our integrated Downstream

operations becoming just as significant as our Upstream. That includes a world-class refining business in the largest and fastest growing countries in the world; a world-class player in trading and retail; becoming a lot stronger in base oils; and critically, building one of the world’s largest and high-value adding chemicals business, with crude oil at its heart as feedstock, while also including cutting-edge nonmetallic materials. In fact, our Downstream capital program shows our determination to stretch the value of every barrel of oil we produce, and find additional, reliable destinations for our growing produc-tion.

Cutting across all of these businesses, we intend to be a world leading creator of game changing technology, which will help us to solve some of our industry’s (and indeed the world’s) most pressing challenges — especial-ly climate change.

But the crucial factor to our success, now

and in the future, will be how you — our em-ployees — respond. We can only build this new Saudi Aramco through a culture of ex-cellence, resilience, and passion for our work.

For example, in the current business envi-ronment, success will only be possible if we all make it a personal priority to focus relent-lessly on managing and optimizing our costs.

It is all a part of being engaged and ener-gized to work at Saudi Aramco. This compa-ny remains at the heart of global energy sup-ply. We are also playing a pivotal role in the global energy transition (as well as the King-dom’s transformation) currently underway.

There are so many exciting opportunities opening up with a vastly expanded business scope and rapidly expanding geographical spread, where we are constantly pushing the frontiers of technology, and needing people with skills that are not even known yet, but will be critical if we are to write a new chap-ter in our company’s history.

So we are determined to increase empow-erment, and unlock the talent of our youth and women at all levels. Above all, we trust you to give your best and have meaningful — as well as rewarding — careers.

Finally, we will never compromise on safety or the environment, as they are the bedrock of our global reputation, and show we care about our people and the world we live in.

What does this all add up to?Taken together, I have no doubt that we

will see Saudi Aramco increasingly recognized as the world’s most important company, in a category of our own, on a mission you can be proud of.

Thank you again for all your hard (and of-ten historic) work last year. I wish you and your families a peaceful and prosperous 2019.

Amin Nasser,president and CEO

2018The Arabian Sun takes a look back not only at the events and people who made the last year memorable for Saudi Aramco, but also the oil market and the dynamics that helped end a three-year market slump.

in review

see pages 3-5

see pages 6 and 7

Hisham U. Al Derhalli, manager of the Fadhili Gas Projects Department, speaks about the importance of the Hasbah II tie-in platform milestone at a ceremony in Sohar, Oman. The Hasbah Offshore Gas Facilities Increment II project continues to progress toward completion — a key step toward helping Saudi Aramco meet its national obligations while creating value and supporting future growth. (Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD)

January 2, 2019 vol. LXXIV, No. 1 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication for employees

‘a people person’Bader F. Al Qadran leaves a lasting legacy after 43 years

Saudi Aramco diversifies downstream portfolio with full acquisition of ARLANXEO

Dhahran — After 43 distinguished years with Saudi Aramco, Bader F. Al Qadran, the executive director of Safety and Indus-trial Security, is retiring from the company.

To recognize his contributions, a farewell luncheon was recently held at the Plaza Conference Center, which was attended by president and CEO Amin Nasser, members of corporate and executive management, and Al Qadran’s family and friends.

‘a true pioneer’ Muhammad M. Al Saggaf, senior vice

president of Operations and Business Ser-vices, spoke fondly of Al Qadran’s contri-butions to the company, and perhaps more importantly, building relationships within

Amsterdam — Saudi Aramco and LANX-ESS AG, a leading German specialty chem-icals company, announced Monday the completion of Saudi Aramco’s acquisition of LANXESS‘s interest in ARLANXEO Hold-ing B.V. — a Netherlands-based specialty chemicals joint venture (JV) between Saudi Aramco and LANXESS launched in 2016. All relevant authorities have granted ap-provals for the transaction, which was first announced in August 2018.

Saudi Aramco’s purchase of LANXESS’s 50% share in ARLANXEO, valued at €1.5 billion on an enterprise value basis, makes it the 100% owner of ARLANXEO, enabling further diversification of Saudi Aramco’s downstream portfolio, and strengthening the company’s capabilities across the ener-gy and chemicals value chain.

accelerating growthopportunities

ARLANXEO is a world-class synthetic rub-ber and elastomer products company that supplies feedstocks to leading tire and auto

the company. “Today we bid farewell to Bader Al Qa-

dran, who has devoted 43 years of his life to the company. A true pioneer, he knows the company in and out. He joined Saudi Aramco as a trainee and has progressed through several positions in Northern and Southern Area Oil Operations,” said Al Saggaf.

“During his time with Safety and Indus-trial Security, Al Qadran has adopted sever-al novel concepts and initiatives to enhance security, including the implementation of advanced RFID and drone technology. His wise and speedy decisions — under diffi-cult circumstances — have elevated the role of Loss Prevention. And we all know,

genuinely cares about people and their development. He takes the time to learn about their titles and roles. He also has an eye for talent and is keen on bringing more diversity to the workplace,” Al Saggaf said, adding that under Al Qadran’s leadership the Fire Protection Department recently trained Saudi Aramco’s first two female firefighters.

Al Qadran said he was truly happy to be a part of Saudi Aramco’s journey, and to be able to share these experiences with young employees.

“I am leaving with a legacy of having mentored young men and women in the company,” he said.

Al Qadran thanked his own mentors and all those with whom he had worked close-ly, particularly members of management, for providing guidance and support.

Al Qadran joined Saudi Aramco in 1975 as a trainee in the Dhahran Industrial Train-ing Center, and then joined Safaniyah Onshore as a gas operator. From 1982 to 1986, he completed a degree in instrumen-tation at the Texas State Technical Institute and he also obtained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northern Arizo-na University.

Throughout his career, Al Qadran demonstrated an ongoing commitment to professional and personal learning.

In 1991, he became the commissioning lead for the largest Zuluf Arabian Medium crude oil desalting facility. Shortly after, he was assigned to the superintendent role, overseeing various onshore and offshore producing Operations and Maintenance di-visions in Safaniyah and Tanajib. From 1999 to 2007, he held managerial positions with various organizations within the company.

He went on to serve as the head of Mar-keting Supply and Joint Venture Coordi-nation, and eventually, in 2015, he was named the executive director of Safety and Industrial Security.

Members of Saudi Aramco senior management, including Amin Nasser, as well as colleagues, friends, and family, gathered last week to bid a fond farewell to Bader F. Al Qadran. The photographic mosaic, comprised of the faces of Safety and Industrial Security personnel, was created and presented to Al Qadran in gratitude for his 43 years of service to the company. (Photo Saleh Al-Shabeeb/MPD)

Saudi Aramco is recognized for its excellent safety record.”

a people’s personAl Saggaf noted that Al Qadran’s hard

work and dedication to the company, along with his enthusiasm, have inspired many others to honor and take pride in their jobs.

“He is a role model. Perhaps more than his professional contribution, Bader is known for his personal achievements. With his warm, generous, and humble personal-ity, he is known for his engagements with people, and that feeling is reciprocated,” said Al Saggaf.

“Bader is truly a people person — he

parts manufacturers around the globe. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, ARLANXEO will accelerate development of growth opportunities integrating the strong feedstock position of Saudi Aramco.

In addition, full ownership of ARLANXEO will enhance Saudi Aramco’s sustainability efforts to optimize tire performance-related fuel consumption in line with its efficient fuel/engine research and development strategy, which is focused on increasing fuel

efficiency and reducing engine emissions. All of these efforts are well aligned with Saudi Aramco’s overarching downstream aspiration to drive value by expanding and integrating its portfolio and partnerships, as well as creating additional revenue streams.

“ARLANXEO, now as a 100% owned Saudi Aramco subsidiary, represents an es-sential component to our global position in the chemicals market,“ said Abdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi, Saudi Aramco‘s senior vice

president of Downstream.“Full ownership of ARLANXEO will fur-

ther diversify Saudi Aramco’s downstream portfolio and strengthen capabilities along the energy and chemicals value chains. I am positive about the upside and the future of product innovation that will serve our cus-tomers around the world.“

another stride forwardWhen Saudi Aramco created the AR-

LANXEO JV with LAXNESS, it was viewed as an opportunity for the company to take another stride forward toward its strategic goal of becoming a world-class integrated energy and chemicals company.

Now, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, ARLANXEO will continue to serve the development, production, mar-keting, sale, and distribution of specialty chemicals and synthetic rubber products, principally for the high-volume global tire and automotive industries. ARLANXEO will maintain its current base in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

January 2, 2019 the arabian sun

2 company news

dynamic year for oil market

$1112011

$1122012 $109

2013$992014

$542015 $45

2016

$552017

$722018*

Dhahran — It was a remarkable year for the oil industry. After three years of slumping prices, the Brent oil price aver-aged about $72 per barrel in 2018, which represented a more than 30% increase compared to the average for 2017.

At the core of this strength in oil price lies the success of the OPEC and non-OPEC partnership termed the Vienna Al-liance. Along with its key partner Russia among non-OPEC countries, the Vienna Alliance decided to cut about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of production begin-ning in January 2017.

A high level of compliance to this agree-ment resulted in re-balancing the over-supply situation that prevailed from 2014 through early 2017. Excess supply during this period prior to the Vienna Alliance agreement resulted in bloated inventory levels around the world.

Oil prices, consequently, failed to rise. Beginning in mid-2017, as a result of the Vienna Alliance production cuts, global oil supply began to fall short of demand, re-sulting in receding inventory levels. As a result, oil prices started to rise, from below $50 per barrel by mid-2017 to exceed $80 per barrel by October 2018.

A strong global economy also helped to support oil prices. Global economic growth surged ahead in 2017 with a mo-mentum strong enough to bring 2018 up to its best performance since 2011. This prompted policymakers to shift their focus away from boosting demand to starting the long and winding road toward “nor-malization.”

However, a world economy heavily reli-ant on governments is definitely struggling

to cope with the transition. So, despite robust growth led by the U.S., to a large extent driven by the U.S. tax reform and late-cycle federal spending, 2018 was also a year of heightened instability for global economy.

Propelled by this economic growth en-gine and favored by a relatively low price environment in recent years, global oil demand continued to be very strong. In 2018, global oil demand grew by 1.5 mil-lion bpd, reaching over 99 million bpd. More than 80% of this growth came from emerging market economies — particular-ly those of India and China.

For oil demand, the industry discussions prevailed around developments in mobil-ity, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs). There are about 1 billion passenger cars on the road today, with EVs constituting only 0.3% of that. As such, these EVs have a very small impact on current oil demand.

For EVs to be mainstream, a number of challenges need to be overcome, such as battery technologies that are scalable at low costs, comparable economics — with-out the large government support that they currently enjoy — to a conventional internal combustion engine car, large in-frastructure development for an entire power supply chain, including charging stations, and the ability to drive long-range distances without the need for fre-quent charging.

Over the year, an important milestone was achieved. For the first time, both global oil demand and supply exceed-ed the 100 million bpd mark during the second half of 2018. To meet growing oil demand, the oil exploration and produc-tion industry continued to overcome this

daunting challenge.While there are other important oil

suppliers in the world, including Russia, Canada, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, a key source of growth in re-cent years has been the U.S. through its impressive growth from shale resources. America alone added about 2 million bpd of supply during 2018. Shale oil supply from the U.S. now constitutes a major part of global oil supply (about 10%), playing an important role in meeting demand.

However, some portions of this develop-ment remain uneconomic, heavily fund-ed by speculators and creating periods of oversupply in the oil market. As the shale oil industry shifts its investment strategy from focusing on growth to economic re-turns, volatility in the oil market will be reduced.

Oil supply in 2018 experienced other un-certainties such as the ongoing decline in Venezuela production amid political and economic downfalls, and low upstream investment, as well as the impact of U.S. sanctions on Iranian exports. Production in Venezuela decline by 600,000 bpd in 2018 compared to the level in 2017, falling to 1.3 million barrels per day — a level not seen since 1949.

Similarly, the sanctions on Iran imposed by the U.S. administration resulted in a steep decline in the country’s exports during the last quarter of the current year. However, the U.S. granted waivers to some countries importing Iranian oil,

which eased concerns that the sanctions might tighten the oil market.

At the same time, producers were in-creasing their production in anticipation of the cut. During the second half of 2018, oil producers supplied an additional 2.5 million bpd of oil, out of which U.S. shale oil alone brought 1 million bpd.

The ease on the Iranian sanctions, along with the additional production, saw an oil market at year-end again concerned about oversupply. So, although the year regis-tered an excellent recovery in oil price, it is ending with a bearish note. Additionally, concerns on the global economy over the current U.S. government shutdown and looming debt ceiling crisis, uncertainty over Brexit, and the rise of populism glob-ally are adding risks in the short term. The Brent oil price fell below $55 per barrel by the end of December on a downward trend.

The Vienna Alliance, however, met in December and agreed to cut 1.2 million bpd of oil beginning January 2019, to help bring the oil market to a balance.

— Abdulla Omair, Mohammad Rahman, Hans Hansen, and Maria Cristina Vasquez Teran

Brent oil price (dollar per barrel)* estimated; full year not available

U.S. announces sanctions on Iran

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Highest daily closing oil price at $86.16/bbl on Oct. 4

U.S. announces waivers on Iran oil export sanctions

Vienna Alliance agrees to cut supply

Vienna Alliance opts to add supply

Venezuela decline steepens; impacts of Iran sanctions start to appear

Brent oil price in 2018 (dollar per barrel)

the arabian sun January 2, 2019

3company news

2018glancing back at a b r e a t h t a k i n g

Dhahran — During 2018, through the contribution of its talented workforce of al-most 70,000 people, Saudi Aramco stead-fastly continued to deliver the same reliable stability that has typified the company for decades since it commenced production in 1939. Conversely, the past 12 months also represented a remarkable period of transi-tion for both the Kingdom and the com-pany.

driving diversityAfter women took to the driver’s seat on

June 24, the world viewed 2018 as the year Saudi Arabia’s transformation program de-livered a consequential impact for the King-dom’s entire people. Saudi Aramco took the initiative, following the Royal Decree authorizing the issuing of driver’s licenses to eligible females, and established a driv-ing training facility in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian Traffic Police Authority.

Speaking at an October Gulf Region Organization for Women forum, Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser described June 24 as a historic day that “represented recognition of something we have for so long known as Saudi business leaders — that to mobilize our economy, we need to first mobilize our workforce. And that means all of our workforce.”

In its May 9 edition, The Arabian Sun re-ported that the appointment of five new Board members included Lynn Laverty El-senhans — the first female Board member.

While the Kingdom continued to roll out Saudi Vision 2030 — the transforma-

by Janet Pinheiro

A parallelized robot metal loading unit is operated by lab engineer Noor Sulais for exploring the design space of metal loading on different supports.

Nada Almansoor, one of 50 certified trainers at the Saudi Aramco Driving Center, gets ready to take the training car for a drive around the driving circuit. Saudi Aramco supported the Kingdomwide female driver movement by opening the center in Dhahran for employees and their dependents.

One of the 400 young employees attending a CEO Youth Town Hall participates in a question-and-answer session. Founded in 2011, YLAB is led by 16 young employees for an 18-month period, providing a bridge between management and the company’s young employees.

Aramco Performance Materials president Peter Shepard shows HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud a piece of flexible foam made with a chemical from sequestered CO2. Also on hand for the visit were HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Sauid Aramco Board of Directors, and Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser.

HRH Prince Saud ibn Nayef ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud officially launches the fourth iktva Forum and Exhibition in Dhahran as Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser and other Saudi Aramco officials join him for the opening. In addition to the signing of Memorandums of Understanding and commercial collaborations, an awards event was held to celebrate some of the program’s success stories for the year.

Following his keynote address at CERAWeek, Amin Nasser takes a seat on stage to respond to questions. Serving as moderator is Daniel Yergin, chairman of CERAWeek and a Pulitzer Prize winning author of the book “The Prize.” Yergin began by recognizing the 80th anniversary of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities at the Prosperity Well in Dhahran and the first steps taken by the company.

tion program introduced two years ago — Saudi Aramco worked on strengthening its world-class position in oil, becoming a powerhouse in gas, and growing its down-stream business into a global headquarters for refining and marketing, base lube oils, and chemicals.

crude oilThe release of the company’s Annual

Review recounted a strong and successful 2017, highlighting a year buoyed by a re-covery against the background of a rebal-ancing oil market.

In March, Saudi Aramco was part of a Saudi delegation completing a three-week tour of the U.S. to seek opportunities and generate momentum for partnerships, re-search and development, and collabora-

tions. At the CERAWeek annual conference in Houston, our president and CEO deliv-ered a compelling story for the future of hydrocarbons.

gasIn May, on the cusp of the company’s

85th anniversary, Saudi Aramco moved forward to tap unconventional resources, when it signed an Unconventional Gas Stimulation Services contract with Hallibur-ton.

Two of the world’s leading energy pro-ducers from the Arabian Gulf decided to work jointly in an area of mutual strategic importance when Saudi Aramco and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (AD-NOC) signed an agreement in November to explore opportunities for collaboration in the natural gas and liquefied natural gas sector.

November also saw the inauguration of Wa’ad Al-Shamal, or “Northern Promise,” which marked a major milestone in Saudi Aramco’s long-term strategy to increase gas supply in support of the Kingdom’s economic diversification program. Saudi Aramco began commercial production of unconventional gas in the North Arabia field in May 2018.

DownstreamWork toward achieving the company’s

expanded horizon in chemicals was a fea-ture of 2018.

The production of high-value petrochem-icals from crude oil will expand and bal-

ance the company’s portfolio to withstand better up and down market cycles.

To build the company’s worldwide re-fining capacity, the company is expand-ing its network of domestic wholly owned and joint venture refineries, and in April, PETRONAS, the national oil company of Malaysia, and Saudi Aramco announced the formation of two joint ventures for the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated De-velopment project.

Saudi Aramco and ADNOC, in consor-tium with three Indian oil companies, com-mitted to the development of a $44 billion mega-refinery and petrochemicals complex in Ratnagiri, India.

A front-end engineering and design agreement was signed during October for a giant petrochemical complex in Jubail on the Kingdom’s East Coast. Announced in

January 2, 2019 the arabian sun

4 company news

Investment opportunities abound through Saudi Aramco’s iktva program. From major industrial projects to high-tech solutions for an expanded energy and petrochemicals industry, the program’s many offerings were showcased at the annual iktva Exhibition and Forum at the Dhahran Expo.

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) hosted the Arab League Summit in 2018, as well as a wide array of cultural events.

In support of a wider effort Kingdomwide, Saudi Aramco launched its “Environmental Initiative for Planting One Million Trees” with a planting ceremony at Aramco Eco-Park attended by HRH Prince Saud ibn Nayef ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, Amin Nasser, and Deputy Minister Ahmed S. Aleyadah. The environmental stewardship efforts are aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

April 2018, the world-class complex will fully exploit operational synergies.

localizationAs a business strategy, localization can

deliver reliability, plus cost and time effi-ciencies to the bottom line. At the fourth In Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) forum held during November in Dammam, Saudi Aramco signed deals with suppliers worth $27.5 billion, and announced the company had already achieved 51% local content, and was on its way to achieving 70% by 2021.

Enabling economic growth entered a new phase when HRH Crown Prince Mo-hammed ibn Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud broke ground in December on the King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), a 50-square-kilometer energy city me-ga-project located in the Eastern Province.

With Saudi Aramco as the main anchor tenant, SPARK will position the Kingdom as a global energy, industrial, and technol-ogy hub.

climate changeIn October, The Arabian Sun reported on

one of the most comprehensive oil field carbon intensity studies conducted by a global team at Stanford University. The re-search provided external validation to the significant carbon intensity advantage that Saudi crudes enjoy relative to all major oil suppliers.

Following the 2017 completion of the company’s successful project of plant-ing two million mangrove trees along the shores of the Arabian Gulf coast, 2018 saw the launch of the “Saudi Aramco Environ-mental Initiative for Planting One Million Trees” — an ambitious environmental ini-tiative to plant one million trees native to Saudi Arabia throughout the Kingdom by 2025. In November, The Arabian Sun re-

ported on how Ju’aymah NGL is planting a further 100,000 mangroves as a contribu-tion toward the company’s commitment to restore the mangrove habitats in the East-ern Province.

our peopleSafety is one of the company’s five val-

ues, and in August, The Arabian Sun re-ported on a phone-based app rolled out by Downstream to monitor driving behav-ior, and help drivers to modify their own driving habits by providing personal feed-back.

At the fifth CEO Youth Town Hall held in November, organized by the Young Lead-ers Advisory Board (YLAB), the president and CEO’s candid advice to the company’s young employees was to deal with disap-pointment to make them stronger, and to learn from those more experienced.

On the world stage, Sami A. Alnuaim joined his fellow Aramcons at the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical

Conference and Exhibition in Dallas, being named president of the international orga-nization for 2019.

technology Saudi Aramco’s world leading reputation

for creating technology across its business-es was enhanced when the company’s new High-Throughput Research Laboratory — the first catalysis research laboratory of its kind in the Middle East — was inaugurated in late July. Through unprecedented cut-ting-edge discoveries of advanced chem-ical technologies, the lab is enabling the company to bring its catalytic technologies more rapidly to market.

In November, a groundbreaking ceremo-ny held for a new Saudi Aramco Research Center at the Lomonosov Moscow State University Science Park made it the compa-ny’s ninth research and development facility outside the Kingdom

creativity Among the Kingdom’s greatest economic

opportunities is creativity, and developing Saudi contributions in art and culture is one of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom’s first cultural center, the King Abdulaziz Cultural Center for World Culture — known as Ithra — soars nearly 300 feet from the Eastern Province’s desert plains to shine as the company’s flagship philanthropic contribution.

Built as a corporate citizenship initia-tive by Saudi Aramco to stimulate curios-ity, generate opportunities, and challenge minds through creativity, Ithra was included in Time magazine’s August issue in its list of the top 100 “World’s Greatest Places.”

Visit: https://home.aramco.com.sa/News/Pages/2018/August/Ithra-makes-Time-mag-azine’s-list-of-World’s-Greatest-Places.aspx.

Prior to its official mid-year opening, in April, Ithra hosted leaders of the Arab world to the 29th Arab League Summit.

The excitement of 2019 is just beginning, but already flowing are the stories of our people’s extraordinary dedication and nota-ble achievements.

The benefits of Saudi Aramco’s unconventional program have spread out into the Kingdom’s economy in tangible ways. Cranes lower well intervention tools into the hole of a well site in the Jafurah field — one of Saudi Aramco’s main target zones for unconventional gas.

Construction is nearing completion on the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development project in southern Malaysia. The formation of two joint ventures between Saudi Aramco and PETRONAS brings together the resources, technologies, experience, and expertise of the two global companies on the project.

the arabian sun January 2, 2019

5company news

historic at HasbahSohar, Oman — On Nov. 25, the Hasbah

Offshore Gas Facilities Increment II (Has-bah II) project team celebrated the sailing away of the Hasbah II tie-in platform-II (Hasbah TP-II), the heaviest gas platform in Saudi Aramco’s history, from Sohar, Oman, to be installed in the Hasbah field of Saudi Arabia. This is the second out of a total of eight platforms. The Hasbah II project is part of the Fadhili Gas Projects Program.

Saudi Aramco management, contrac-tors, and local authorities in Sohar attend-ed the celebration.

Fadhili Gas Projects Department (FGPD) manager Hisham U. Al Derhalli under-scored the importance of the event, ex-plaining how it contributes to Saudi Aram-co’s national commitment while creating value and supporting future growth.

“This marks a significant step in Saudi Aramco’s journey toward fulfilling the goal expressed in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 of increasing domestic gas supplies, provid-ing additional feedstock to drive industrial utilities expansion and improve national energy efficiency within the Kingdom,” he said. “The Fadhili Gas Projects Program is ushering a new era of project manage-ment techniques that maximizes value, quality, and safety.”

Hasbah TP-II weighs approximately 6,500 tons — the heaviest gas production platform with a capacity to process 1 bil-lion standard cubic feet per day (scfd) of gas.

The Hasbah II project, which is approx-imately 85% complete, includes in its scope the detail design, procurement, fab-rication, transportation, installation, test-

Fadhili Project milestone celebrated as Hasbah II tie-in platform launched

ing and commissioning of eight platforms that together will process 2 billion scfd of nonassociated gas, which will be trans-ported to the Fadhili Gas Plant through 500 kilometers (km) of onshore as well as offshore pipelines. The scope also includes development work of onshore facilities, as well as modifications of existing gas-oil separation plant platforms.

Certain project components were accel-erated to align with the schedule of drilling gas wells and preparations while ensuring that the targeted dates for supplying gas to the Fadhili Gas Plant are met.

wisely deploying capital The Fadhili Gas Program is the first such

program at Saudi Aramco to be imple-

mented under the Capital Management System (CMS), which was a product of the Accelerated Transformation Program’s Capital Efficiency Initiative, said Abdulaziz S. Al-Towayan, project manager and head of the Fadhili Onshore and Offshore Up-stream Facility Division.

Under this system, an integrated project team (IPT) is assembled from the key de-partments to work on the project, which has accelerated collaboration and team-work. Additionally, Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, senior vice president of Technical Services, became the project sponsor, engaging with IPT via regular project update re-views. This has brought a multidisci-plinary approach to the project while streamlining deci-

sion making.Following the CMS, the Hasbah II proj-

ect has undergone three phases of front end loading, which entailed IPT collabo-rating with departments across Saudi Ar-amco and consultants to create and an-alyze various design approaches for the Offshore Gas Facilities, said Al-Towayan. In the early development stage of the proj-ect, the team presented to stakeholders and management multiple options and associated tradeoffs in terms of cost and schedule, given that quality and safety are paramount. The optimal approach that was selected entailed two TPs, each con-nected to three wellhead platforms.

“Lots of options were discussed to ex-ecute the offshore works,” said Al-To-wayan. “All were plausible, while each has its own schedule and cost tradeoffs.”

The finalization of the design concept contributed greatly to achieving an effec-tive front end engineering design (FEED) of the offshore facilities, said Ghassan I. Hilal, Hasbah Wellheads Unit supervisor. This empowered the IPT to clearly define many of the project parameters ahead of tendering the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract.

“A strong front end loading package results in a detailed and clear scope for the EPC contract,” he said. “The key is to strictly adhere to the FEED to minimize modifications and change orders, and the process was very smooth for this project.”

fostering human capital Looking to build on past experience, a

decision was made to mobilize engineers from the recently completed nonassociated gas project, said Al-Towayan. This enabled the company to continue to nurture exper-

tise in the areas of managing nonas-sociated, offshore gas projects.

“The first challenge was assem-bling the right team for the proj-ect,” Al-Towayan said. “Offshore

is always unique when it comes to select-

Delivering the keynote speech, Hisham U. Al Derhalli speaks about the importance of the milestone to Saudi Aramco’s gas expansion plans. The project represents a key contribution to achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal of boosting gas supplies to fuel industrial growth. (Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD)

Weighing approximately 6,500 tons, the Hasbah II tie-in platform is the heaviest gas production platform in Saudi Aramco’s history and has the capacity to process 1 billion standard cubic feet per day. The Hasbah II project includes detail design, procurement, fabrication, transportation, installation, testing and commissioning of eight platforms, in addition to the laying of 500 kilometers of pipelines to transport gas to the Fadhili Gas Plant. The completion percentage of the project is 85%. (Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD)

by Musherf Alamri

6 cover storyJanuary 2, 2019 the arabian sun

ing the team. It has its own set of chal-lenges, such as logistics, material specifica-tions, and operations at the offshore field. The team members’ continued motivation is imperative to manage these challenges effectively.”

Lessons learned from the previous proj-ects were implemented during the design of the offshore facilities, said Hilal. From a constructability standpoint, Saudi Aramco prefers the float-over method instead of the single lift for installing the TPs, which has reduced the company’s dependency on the heavy lift vessels, thereby optimiz-ing the company’s cost, as well as opening the door for a comparatively larger pool of float-over type installation vessel subcon-tractors.

The technology adopted for the offshore facilities is similar to the one implement-ed in the Arabiyah Hasbah Project, com-monly known as Hasbah I, said Hussain M. Khaldi, a member of IPT. Given the similarity between the facilities, operations crew members can effectively manage the two locations, in turn reducing the cost of training and increasing the organizational agility. The standardization also optimiz-es supply chain and maintenance, Khaldi said. Nevertheless, the Hasbah II project implemented new technologies, including the modification of a high-pressure protec-tion system (HIPS) by integrating a multi-well tester that will enable the prevention of production losses during the annual testing of the HIPS.

Fellow IPT member Khalid S. Abduljau-wad added that Saudi Aramco engages reputed contractors, sources the best-in-class raw material, equipment, and technology for its projects from across the world while encouraging Saudi Ara-bian-based manufacturers to adopt the latest technologies to support the growth and diversification of the economy.

planned transition to production The concept of the IPT encompassed

mobilizing Operations representatives from the concept stage which augmented proj-ect management expertise in managing cost, quality, and scheduling, along with optimized reliability, efficiency, and redun-

dancy, Al-Towayan said. Ibrahim H. Ago, supervisor of the Elec-

trical and Instrumentation Control Unit as-signed from Northern Area Oil Operations, said, “It is very gratifying to join the proj-ect from the very beginning as it allowed team members to take ownership and ac-countability for their work.”

Ago, who was the second individual to join the IPT, said that although he partici-pated in projects previously, this is the first time he had the opportunity to contribute to a major project from the concept stage.

“The opportunity to see the project through from an idea to a fully construct-ed and commissioned structure is extreme-ly gratifying,” he said. “You see things happening at the drawing board, and op-tions being evaluated until decisions are made.”

From the close coordination with the proponents, the feedback and insight from operations teams were incorporated in the project, said Abdulrahman S. Ghu-rab, an IPT member acting as a represen-tative from Operations. For instance, the Operations Team’s feedback throughout

the FEED process resulted in achieving en-hancements in the platforms. Operations and maintenance crews from the propo-nent’s organization visited the fabrication site to test and pre-commission the major-ity of the equipment. “So, we make sure whenever we move to the offshore area, we have no surprises,” said Ghurab.

Conducting the majority of the pre-com-missioning activities in the fabrication yard gives the crews the opportunity to imple-ment modifications easily while the work-shops and personnel are available, said Ali M. Alkhalidy, who is on assignment with the IPT from the Northern Area Produc-ing Department. Carrying out any chang-es at the offshore area is both costly and time-consuming. Alkhalidy is excited to re-join his department to complete the start-up and commence commercial production.

While IPT members from Operations brought a wealth of work experience and knowledge, the project offered the oppor-tunity for young employees to excel, said Ago.

“In parallel to the development of the project, it was rewarding to see the devel-

opment of employees and their transfor-mation from observers to valuable contrib-utors.”

Yasser S. Shahrani, who joined Saudi Aramco in 2014, said that the project has enabled him to gain valuable experience and knowledge.

Khalid S. Dannah, a young engineer who joined the company as a PDP, said the proj-ect has allowed him to develop and feel a sense of empowerment and contribution. He is looking forward to bigger challenges that will contribute to the company’s fu-ture development plans.

While meeting the project parameters, the IPT was keen on mitigating the impact on the community, particularly for the two onshore 120-km pipelines that have 25 major crossings in its path, including major highways, said Naif S. Al Otaibi, supervisor of the Khursanyiah Upstream Unit. The pri-ority for the team was installing the pipe-lines without disrupting traffic.

proactive quality Similar to other Saudi Aramco me-

ga-projects, the company’s representatives ensured that contractor personnel, equip-ment, and procedures were checked and pre-approved before work was done. This ensures that the offshore facilities meet the set standards by leveraging quality in-dex tools to track those pre-approvals, said Yazeed S. Khonaifer, the Inspection De-partment representative and an IPT mem-ber. “Quality is the heart of each project,” he said.

A customized quality tracking tool spe-cifically designed for this project gives alerts about gaps in pre-approvals 100 days prior to any major activity, Khonai-fer noted. The goal is to keep the project on schedule and avoid unnecessary costs while maintaining world-class quality. He also pointed out that the structure of the IPT ensured that there is clear communica-tion and alignment between the different parties involved in the project. “I would emphasize the cooperation between the team members, and the team spirit is out-standing between the company’s various department representatives in this proj-ect,” said Khonaifer.

“The team cohesion and collaboration contributed greatly to reaching this mile-stone of sailing the Hasbah TP-II and keep-ing the project within the set parameters,” said Hilal. “The secret for maintaining this project without any issues is the teamwork and friendly environment we have main-tained in this project. This team is working like one family that has a single goal of making this project known for its success-ful and well planned execution.”

Ghassan I. Hilal, Hasbah Wellheads Unit supervisor, and Ali M. Alkhalidy, who is on assignment from the Northern Area Producing Department with the Integrated Project Team (IPT), return from overseeing the crews working on the Hasbah II tie-in platform. The key in the IPT concept is integrating the operations representatives from the concept stage in planning and executing the project to augmented project management expertise in managing cost, quality, and scheduling — along with optimized reliability, efficiency and redundancy. (Photo: Musherf Alamri)

Ali M. Alkhalidy and Khalid S. Abduljauwad, members of the Integrated Project Team, inspect the high-pressure protection system (HIPS). One of the innovations in the project is modifying HIPS by integrating the multi-well tester to prevent production losses during the annual testing of the system. (Photo: Musherf Alamri)

The official launch of the Hasbah II tie-in-platform — the heaviest gas platform in Saudi Aramco’s history — was cause for celebration for everyone involved in the Hasbah Offshore Gas Facilities II project. (Photo: Ahmad El Itani/MPD)

7cover storythe arabian sun January 2, 2019

Saudi Aramco at Al-Janadriyah ... from yesterday’s heritage to tomorrow’s vision

company focuses Kingdom’s young eyes on traffic safety

Riyadh — With a look back at its rich past and a vision for a prosperous future, Saudi Aramco is taking an active role in the Al-Janadriyah 33rd National Heritage and Cultural Festival near Riyadh.

The company used the popular setting to not only demonstrate its long history in promoting the Kingdom’s development, but also to exhibit — at the pavilion of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Min-eral Resources — the latest in scientific innovations and most significant technical achievements in the areas of drilling and exploration.

The exhibit also demonstrated to visitors the company’s integral role in implement-ing Saudi Vision 2030 through presenta-tions about the In Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) program, King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), and its contributions in establish-ing Wa’ad Al-Shamal.

innovations and technologies The pavilion witnessed the display of the

Shallow Water Inspection and Monitoring Robot, which is used to inspect subsea oil pipelines. The robot carries out this mission without the need for divers, as was the case in the past — not only cutting the costs of inspection, but also enhancing safety.

by Nagy Awad

by Nagy Awad

The company also displayed its Saudi Aramco Inspection Robot for testing and inspecting pipes and tanks, which empha-sizes safety by detecting corrosion through the use of ultrasonic waves. The robot’s val-ue lies in its ability to prevent oil and gas leaks, as it is equipped with a camera and a set of sensors that can monitor potential leaks in narrow or dangerous areas.

The latest in Saudi Aramco drilling meth-ods were also featured, demonstrating the use of materials extracted from date tree waste to help in the process. After exam-ining the ingredients of date tree waste materials, Saudi Aramco researchers con-cluded that these ingredients are effective in sealing rock formations in oil and gas wells. The presentation given at Al-Janad-

riyah showed that more than 500,000 tons of materials used in reducing lost circula-tion are produced from pruning the waste of old, damaged date trees.

And in yet another corner of Saudi Ar-amco’s pavilion, an interactive screen high-lighted the iktva program and its most important aspects, objectives, and opportu-nities, as well as its goal of increasing local content to 70% by 2021.

Beyond this, the company’s exhibits in-cluded a documentary about SPARK, the cornerstone of which was recently laid by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense.

Finally, Saudi Aramco highlighted its ef-forts in fostering diversity and supporting Saudi women through a huge billboard that featured pictures of two Saudi Aramco female employees at production sites: Ma-ria Ghalib Faraj, a mechanical engineer, and Zainab A. Mohsen, a laboratory scientist.

pavilions of ministries A large number of ministries, organiza-

tions, and regions took part in the festival by hosting their own pavilions. The pavil-ion of the Ministry of Interior was located near the entrance gate of the festival, with a huge helicopter and police vehicles lo-

As part of its outreach at the Al-Janadriyah Festival, Saudi Aramco emphasized traffic safety. The Traffic Safety Signature Program’s exhibit, found at the pavilion of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, featured five areas dedicated to topics such as the Traffic Safety Village. (Photos: Ding/MPD)

Riyadh — The Eastern Province Traffic Safety Committee is providing a unique — and vitally important — experience for visitors of the Al-Janadriyah Festival.

The committee is participating in the festival for the first time this year upon a directive of the head of the commit-tee, HRH Prince Saud ibn Nayef ibn

‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, Governor of the Eastern Province, with the full support of Saudi Aramco.

Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, acting director of the Traffic Safety Signature Program in Saudi Aramco, said participation in Al-Janadriyah is expected to increase awareness on the part of drivers, pas-sengers, and road users through aware-

ness and entertainment programs. He said the committee part ic ipated in five separate tents: “Saad and Sarah,” “House of Knowledge,” “Glimpse of the Past,” “Traffic Safety Village,” and the “Firefighters Challenge.”

The “Saad and Sarah” presentation features a dramatic 3-D show using holograms, among the biggest in the

Middle East. The scenario is based on a story — the heroes of which are Saad and Sarah — which tells the tragedy of deadly traffic accidents. The story demonstrated the grave results of reck-lessness that can lead to fatal traffic accidents and the need to avoid such tragedies.

The “House of Knowledge” includes

A Saudi youngster investigates one of the robots on display at the Saudi Aramco exhibit at this year’s Al-Janadriyah Festival. The festival features a wide variety of cultural exhibits, knowledge stations, and learning opportunities.

January 2, 2019 the arabian sun

8 company news

Saudi Aramco at Al-Janadriyah ... from yesterday’s heritage to tomorrow’s vision

company focuses Kingdom’s young eyes on traffic safety

cated within the pavilion. It also featured a mini shooting range through which visitors could test their skills.

The General Authority for Entertainment (GAE) had the biggest pavilion in terms of area, which included entertainment activi-ties for children and adults alike. GAE also dedicated an area for children that includ-ed an “Entertainment Jungle,” a dome designed in the shape of a jungle where children visiting the pavilion could see models of animals and glean information about them. It also included the “Knights Square,” where horse shows are held, and a live shows area on the main stage where visitors could revisit GAE’s achievements by walking into a dome exhibiting the most prominent interactive entertainment expe-rience.

The Ministries of Finance and Health, as well as agencies from Al-Jouf, Jazan, and other provinces, also participated through pavilions featuring their history and heri-tage.

The Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources also participated in the festival with a huge pavilion that

included 18 affiliated commissions. The pa-vilion was distinguished for its unique and attractive design, with a huge palm tree standing in the middle with several branch-es — each one representing a company af-filiated with the ministry and participating in the festival.

Ma’aden’s pavilion highlighted the most important projects that are currently being implemented, including the world’s big-gest phosphate fertilizers complex in Hazm Al-Jalamid, northern area of the Kingdom, which will be later moved to Ras al-Khair Industrial City on the Arabian Gulf to man-ufacture phosphate fertilizers.

The second project displayed by Ma’aden was the world’s biggest integrated aluminum complex. It showed the various stages of the project starting from the mine stage up to the final stage of manufacturing.

The third project was the King Abdullah project for devel-oping Wa’ad Al Shamal city for phosphate industries, including the construction of infrastruc-ture for the new city in the northern area of the Kingdom with all its industrial services and operations.

The Saudi Electricity Compa-ny’s pavilion included the lat-est technologies in electricity generation, as well as stand for answering visitors’ ques-tions.

Petro Rabigh presented sta-tistics about its annual hydro-

carbons production. And the Saudi Geolog-ical Survey Authority

showed interactive maps for the most sig-nificant mining areas in the Kingdom.

Bayt Al-KhayrThe Eastern Province’s Bayt Al-Khayr

(House of Prosperity) is also prominent at the festival, featuring a new look that in-cluded an upgraded building and some ad-ditional heritage facilities, such as the lwan (hall), guest room, Oasis exhibition, and the folk tent, alongside new activities and crafts.

Through its participation this year, Bayt Al-Khair seeks to present a new image

that enriches the intelligence and values of the region while main-

taining its well-established customs and traditions.

Bayt Al-Khair received visitors with folk songs, heritage, crafts, enter-taining games, compe-titions, traditional food, and Arabic hospitali-ty. The facilities of the house represent the heritage architecture, including the entrance of the Tarut Fortress, the folk tent, a tour of the Amiri school, agri-cultural life, Jabal Qa-rah, and the Juwatha Mosque.

After touring the oldest popular market in the Gulf, “Al-Qays-ariyah Souq,” visitors enter a social life section, visiting tra-

ditional houses and becoming acquainted with the House of Allegiance and tradition-al guest rooms. Visitors can then head to-ward Al-Uqayr Port and King Fahd Cause-way — historical places that represent certain eras and are held dear to a great past and history.

Al-Sharqiyah House, the popular market, and King Abdulaziz Hall in Al-Janadriyah include more than 60 popular traditional crafts representing agriculture, as well as desert and marine environments. A number of government agencies and commissions and universities in the region are engaged in Bayt Al-Khayr.

source of pride Commenting on Saudi Aramco’s partic-

ipation in the 33rd Al-Janadriyah Festival, Nabeel A. Al-Jama’, vice president of Cor-porate Affairs at Saudi Aramco, noted that the event is a source of pride for all Saudis as it reflects the heritage and culture of our country through generations.

“We at Saudi Aramco are proud of this distinguished national event,” said Al-Ja-ma’.

“Through the company’s pavilion at the festival, we present a chance for the visi-tors of the festival to get acquainted with our history, our long experience in energy exploration and industry, and our various contributions to developing the homeland through our work over more than eight de-cades,” he added. “We contribute through our facilities inside and outside the King-dom and research centers in various coun-tries of the world to support the Kingdom’s economy. We are honored to support Vi-sion 2030, which holds goodness and de-velopment for each Saudi citizen.”

As part of its outreach at the Al-Janadriyah Festival, Saudi Aramco emphasized traffic safety. The Traffic Safety Signature Program’s exhibit, found at the pavilion of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, featured five areas dedicated to topics such as the Traffic Safety Village. (Photos: Ding/MPD)

a simulation of an automobile rolling and the seat belt convincer. It also fea-tured questions designed to increase traffic safety awareness for visitors.

A third tent, “Glimpse of the Past,” reviews the history of Saudi Aramco’s attention to traffic safety, featuring the new driving school for women and the history of defensive driving training

within the company. The booth includ-ed an old Kenworth truck, used by the company for carrying heavy equipment.

A fourth presentation includes the ”Traffic Safety Village,” which works to entrench traffic safety in the minds of children by enabling them to drive small cars inside a special track where they observe traffic regulations — com-

bining both education and entertain-ment.

Eventually, the children obtained a symbolic driving license, which encour-ages them to observe traffic regulations by fastening seat belts and crossing the street from areas designated for pedes-trians, and other traffic regulations and laws, as well.

The ”Firefighters Challenge” area gave visitors a glimpse of the physical strength required of firefighters and the need to respond quickly to incidents.

The presentation was designed to help raise awareness of how difficult it is to be a firefighter, and highlight the noble deeds they perform to protect lives and property.

the arabian sun January 2, 2019

9company news

as new technologies flourish, ISAs gather to protect and enhance our IT landscape

IT PDPs shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Information security analysts (ISAs) working together during an interactive session during the bi-annual ISA Conference hosted by Corporate Security Services. The event featured a number of presenters and speakers on topics ranging from best practices in information security to updates on key technological changes in the company.

As part of the annual IT Professional Development Program Conference at the North Park Auditorium, Yousef A. Al Ulyan and other members of IT management watch a technical presentation. The theme of the event was “Adapting New Technology.”

D h a h r a n — A s v a n g u a r d s o f cybersecurity, information security analysts (ISAs) have a diverse range of responsibili-ties to protect Saudi Aramco’s data and in-frastructure, such as identifying and raising awareness of social engineering risks, pro-actively administering access controls, and performing real-time analysis of data leak-age threats.

ISAs from various Saudi Aramco organi-zations recently attended the bi-annual ISA Conference, themed “Ed-Ex” (Education Ex-change). The conference, hosted by Corpo-rate Security Services (CSS) at the Technical Exchange Center, provided a number edu-cational opportunities and helped strength-en knowledge in the diverse cybersecurity landscape.

maintaining robust protective efforts

Event emcee Fadi K. Adlouni highlighted enhancements to the conference — which included interactive and engaging sessions — before Mushabab M. Al-Qahtani, act-ing administrator of CSS, opened the event by highlighting and acknowledging some of the challenges ISAs face in securing the company’s information systems and large amounts of data.

Abdullah A. Ghabbani, then acting gen-eral manager of Training and Development (T&D), echoed those remarks, conveying the importance of the ISA’s roles in provid-ing structured development opportunities to ensure the ISA workforce is robust in its protective efforts.

boot campThe curriculum for the ISA education

boot camp, a collaboration between T&D and CSS, was highlighted by the T&D orga-nization team. The boot camp focuses on disaster recovery, risk management, access management, and data protection.

The advanced information protection training program was presented by Abdul-rahman M. Mohammad, Haifa A. Sayid, Abdullah A. Muaibid, and Muhammad K. Alam. The program is bolstered by the Host-

ed Universities Program, which will allow ISAs to pursue academic development with the Georgia Institute of Technology and other global universities. And then there is the e-Learning web system, which hosts a vast repository of cybersecurity courses ac-cessible from home and company networks. It will also expand to incorporate a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform such as “Ed-Ex.”

emerging threats, cloud solutions, and more

The event featured discussions by a wide variety of speakers.

“Social engineering and phishing are still prominent forms of cyberattacks due to targeted manipulation of human emo-tions,” said Moudhi Aljamea, a prominent academic from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, who delivered a talk titled “Dealing with the Emerging Cybersecurity Challenges.”

Fahad A. Al-Qarni, IT systems analyst from the Information Security Department, pre-sented on the challenges of Saudi Aramco’s IT infrastructure migration toward cloud-based solutions. Cost effectiveness, versa-tility, and mobility are a few of the positive features of cloud solutions, Al-Qarni noted,

will introduce a two-factor authentication login system, moving away from tradition-al password logins. Using the employee’s Saudi Aramco smart card ID in the keyboard slot, the login will require a pin code, fin-gerprint, or facial recognition (depending on the type of device) to log in.

Microsoft, also in attendance, present-ed how the global software company is re-engineering its online security strategy. Ozuzhan Filizlibay, a cybersecurity solutions expert, presented on the latest attack tech-niques by hackers. He discussed how on-line attacks are getting more sophisticated and cost-effective for the attackers. Conse-quently, defenders must have flexible, ro-bust, and equally cost-effective solutions to deter and counter such attacks. He present-ed several concepts and solutions on how organizations can achieve this.

Empowering ISA’s to influence those around them was the subject of a session hosted by Aisha Al-Omair, a CSS business systems analyst, and Ronald Z. Nganwa, a professional trainer with the Leadership Center. The session started with Al-Omair launching the “ISA Branding” initiative, which has an objective to raise awareness and strengthen the ISA role across Saudi Aramco. Al-Omair emphasized how import-ant, talented, and crucial ISAs are to the company’s implementation of information security, adding that personal branding and visibility, above all, is key to ensuring the robustness of the ISA program. The session was then turned over to Nganwa and his six-step method, which clarifies how ISAs can develop influence with their specialized skills and expertise.

Bader F. Al Qadran, then executive di-rector of Safety and Industrial Security, summed up the conference by speaking on the important and significant roles that ISAs have at Saudi Aramco. This includes detect-ing, preventing, and protecting the compa-ny’s information data and assets.

“ISAs are an integral part of the overall security of the company,” Al Qadran said, emphasizing the importance of the ISA conference as a platform to galvanize and strengthen the ISA network community.

by Hassan Iqbal

by Abdulazez H. Alghamdi

but added that other factors must be con-sidered in the move, including regional legal restrictions and security concerns.

Omar K. Al-Harthi, an ISA from the Con-sulting Services Department, presented his innovative SAP role matrix system, which allows ISAs to review SAP access roles and permissions quickly and efficiently. It sys-temizes and automates a cumbersome and time-consuming process yet allows for deci-sive access management and controls.

changes in 2019Looking ahead, 2019 will bring many

changes to the user’s desktop environment, one of which will be new Lenovo desktop and laptop workstations. Fawzi M. Alwo-saibai of the Area Information Technology Department spoke about the Workstation Replacement Program initiative, which will begin this January. The deployment will in-clude smaller and more powerful desktops, versatile touch screen laptops, and dock-ing solutions for increased flexibility for the workforce.

In parallel to this, the new Microsoft Win-dows 10 operating system will be utilized on the workstations. Anwaar B. Zawad of the Access Management Division show-cased “Windows Hello for Business.” This

tion through innovation, creativity, initiative taking, and embracing change.

It was highlighted through the confer-ence agenda that the adoption of new technology continues to show a positive trend and that we do live in a data-driven business climate that requires digital pro-ficiency and innovation to prioritize long-term digital transformation. Moreover, the conference agenda highlighted that IT rec-ognizes the importance of utilizing an ag-ile-based approach to introduce disruptive solutions — thereby giving them a compet-itive advantage to expand the business and create impact.

The conference featured nine keynote speakers and subject matter experts deliv-ering technical, safety, security, and inspi-rational speeches. After the presentations, Al Ulyan and other members of IT man-agement conducted a panel session with the PDPs, providing them with an oppor-tunity to understand expectations and to ask questions. Moreover, the conference featured more than 35 subject matter ex-perts showcasing the recent initiatives and efforts led by IT.

Dhahran — Yousef A. Al Ulyan, vice president of Information Technology (IT), recently held the annual Professional Devel-opment Program (PDP) Conference at the North Park Auditorium in Dhahran with the theme “Adapting New Technology.” The significance of this event was centered on giving IT PDPs an opportunity to engage, network, and learn.

Al Ulyan emphasized that with the young talent of IT PDPs, Saudi Aramco IT is pre-pared to embrace change and be swift, yet strategic, to adopt technology that can support the business of the organization. He added that Saudi Aramco is well posi-tioned to benefit from the visibility, clarity, and agility brought through new technolo-gies by IT.

In his opening remarks, Abdulazez H. Al-ghamdi, IT PDP chairman, spoke on the fact that Saudi Aramco, with its commitment and pioneering role in stimulating develop-ment, is keen on keeping up with the tech-nological revolution and strongly believes that IT PDPs are more than capable to par-ticipate in effecting the future transforma-

January 2, 2019 the arabian sun

10 company news

Andrea Vargova, Human Energy Management eating psychology coach, engages the CPP students about healthy food choices.

Saudi Aramco trainees at Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic are recognized at a ceremony in November for their performance at the school. Over the past year, company trainees have achieved a 100% pass rate.

CPP students Kinnan Al Jasser and Abdullah Sendi battle for the ball at Open Day 2018 in front of referee and CPP math teacher Hesham Shoier.

Dhahran — College Preparatory Program (CPP) students recently participated in an inaugural health forum conducted by Sau-di Aramco’s Human Energy Management (HEM) group. During a special two-hour period, HEM team members educated the students on the best practices to adopt a fitness for life attitude, to align with the health, safety and environment (HSE) Oper-ational Excellence model.

HEM is a group of professionals under Human Resources who strive to empower the company employees to develop sustain-able energy management strategies. This leads to higher performance, health, and overall satisfaction in life.

The four-session health forum was attend-ed by over 250 CPP students. Topics includ-ed energy management, healthy nutrition, stress and relaxation, and smoking cessa-tion. The HEM group’s message was to ener-gize and empower the students with proven strategies for overall lifestyle success.

an advocate for health and safetyHealth and safety has long been a prior-

Ras Tanura — The annual Open Day of the College Preparatory Program (CPP) was held recently at the Ras Tanura (RT) Najmah Surf and Beach House, with over 300 stu-dents and staff attending.

The CPP functions as a foundation year program for select Saudi high school grad-uates, preparing them for overseas under-graduate study and future careers at Saudi Aramco. This year marked the 20th anniver-sary of the CPP Open Day, which serves as an opportunity for hardworking students to take a break from their rigorous studies, participate in a range of team activities, and reinforce the connection between a healthy body and a healthy mind.

In total, some 265 students joined the event, participating in activities from soccer to softball, and football to Frisbee. Theater, library, and game room facilities were also made available to students looking for a

Saudi Aramco and Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic — a success story

forum looks to set CPP students on healthy path

Open Day promotes healthy body, healthy mind

by Keith Altman

Saudi Aramco helped pioneer the founda-tion of Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP) almost a decade ago.

The partnership has always been based on mutual commitment, unified goals, and close cooperation — characteristics that have become a hallmark of the venture’s success and productivity. Thanks to this collaboration, hundreds of Saudi Aram-co apprentices have been trained at SPSP, producing hundreds of professional Saudi youths who are ready to serve their com-pany and their country. Ongoing counsel-ing and study team meetings signal the

commitment by both parties to constantly develop methodologies and improve out-comes.

achievementsAs a result of this persistence, numer-

ous accomplishments have been achieved. This past year, in particular, has been good for Saudi Aramco trainees at SPSP, who achieved a 100% pass rate. All Saudi Ar-amco apprentices passed the four segments of the final tests (English, math, and clerical courses) at different levels with excellent re-sults.

Another of the current year’s accomplish-

ments is that SPSP recently finished the E5CTO iReview, which is a review package in iBook format. This came hot on the heels of the E3F iReview earlier in the year. An E4F iReview iBook is now under construc-tion, which will make available a full set of iReview books, further contributing to the future success of our trainees.

Teachers are encouraged to use their ini-tiative and share new methods with each other. Schoology and Flipgrid, for example, are websites introduced by our instructors that offer more practice and testing for our trainees’ benefit.

Schoology is used in math to give an op-

portunity to the trainees to complete more exercises and self-evaluated quizzes.

Flipgrid is a tool used to improve English speaking skills. This allows trainees to prac-tice their speaking, and then upload their recordings onto a website administrated by the instructor, who can subsequently evalu-ate them and respond with feedback.

As we celebrate this milestone of 10 years together, SPSP will not rest on its laurels but instead regard its shared endeavors with Saudi Aramco as a foundation stone upon which many future successes may be built.

Together, we can truly realize the vision of a better Saudi Arabia.

ity for the CPP. The program implements a number of interventions throughout the academic year designed to develop the students’ life skills and sense of well-being with particular emphasis placed on their health and safety.

As CPP health and safety physical fitness coordinator Musa D. Abdul-Aziz noted: “There is a great need for our students to learn healthy lifestyle strategies given the increase and popularity of fast food restau-rants, the internet, and video games with today’s youth. CPP students are selected for their academic acumen, and often do not see the value of a daily proactive, healthy lifestyle.”

“It only makes sense to start this process as soon as possible — in this case, with students who would become employees in the future,” Andrea Vargova, a HEM team member, stated.

Taha Alshareef, who discussed the impor-tance of sleep as being essential to the hu-man body’s basic functions, added that “it is the perfect opportunity for these young men and women to begin their careers

with healthy habits, the stepping stones to a healthier and more productive work-force.”

The hope is that events such as the HEM Health Day will encourage the students to

break from their physical exertions. 2018 marked the fifth year for the CPP

Open Day to be hosted at RT and the fourth year under the leadership of Musa D. Ab-dul-Aziz, health and safety physical fitness coordinator and organizer of the event. “The Open Day is an excellent opportuni-ty for CPP staff and students to enjoy time together in a beautiful environment, while building friendships, laughing, eating, and just having fun,” said Abdul-Aziz.

well-organizedPlanning a day’s worth of activities for

over 300 people proved to be no small chal-lenge. The CPP Physical Fitness Department collaborated with Ali J. Shamrani, the RT head of Security; Ali Sabra, coordinator of Nesma at RT; Mohammed Soofi, coordina-tor of the Saudi Aramco Busing Program; as well as Seema Nanda from RT Community

Services, to accommodate the student and staff members throughout the day and en-sure a successful event.

The day’s activities culminated in a final challenge: A return of the tug-of-war be-

tween CPP students and CPP instructors after a three-year hiatus. Despite a valiant effort from their teachers, the youth won the day and led the CPP student team to victory.

adopt a healthier lifestyle, not just during their time with the CPP, but for the rest of their lives, to the benefit of the individual, their families, their communities, and Saudi Aramco.

the arabian sun January 2, 2019

11company news

well-beingcaring for your health and wellness

Layal AlKhatib

Senior communications professional,Marketing and Communications Unit,Corporate Affairs Department,Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare

educational background• Advanced Public Relations and

Communications Certificate (2014)Michigan State University — East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.

• Neuro- Linguistic Programming Practitioner and Motivational Coach Certificate (2013)NLP Global — Miami, Florida, U.S.

• Master of Science in Nutrition (2010)Boston University — Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

• Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, Food, and Exercise (2007)Virginia Tech University — Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.

work history• 2017–present: Senior communications

professional, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare.

• 2013–2017: Public Relations representative, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare.

• 2010–2013: Preventative Medicine adviser, Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization.

quote“Knowing that what I do allows me to

contribute to the health and welfare of others is both professionally and personally rewarding. I’m always looking for new ways we can communicate with our patients, their families, employees, and other stakeholders.”

I can’t remember the last time I stuck to my New Year’s resolutions, if I ever did. Every year, I set wildly unattainable goals, leading me to dismiss all of them almost immediately after failing just one.

If you also have this problem, this year, let’s try something new by setting realistic and attainable goals that can nourish and nurture us and those around us — goals that can feed our lives with strengths to endure challenges and to be our best.

Let’s make 2019 a year of health, pros-perity, appreciation, and achievement. Here’s a few tips to lay a foundation for a happy and healthy year.

balance is keyWork-life balance exists only as much as

you will allow it to. Having a clear barrier between your job and your personal life is key to a happy and healthy life, and it can make you a more productive employee at work and a well-rounded, fulfilled person outside of work.

During your out-of-work existence, un-less you have work emergencies, your fo-cus should be on your life and the people in it. Leave your office at a reasonable hour to allow yourself time to unwind after a long day and spend time with your family and friends.

limit screen timeLet’s face it, if you are not glued to your

computer screen, it’s your TV screen. And if that’s not the case, it’s probably your mo-bile phone screen. The digital world has taken over, but you can control that.

Staring into a screen for hours on end

can have negative effects on your eyes, your posture, and your physical and mental health. Try to limit your screen time to less than two hours per day — and that means all screens, i.e., computer, television, and mobile devices. Try reading a book, work-ing on a puzzle, or doing something you enjoy that does not include a screen. The key here is to “disconnect to connect.”

an attitude of gratitudeSaving your worries for another day

and showing an appreciation for your sur-roundings keeps you grounded and living in the present. Mindfulness is the rage now for a reason; living in the moment helps you focus more and stress less, al-lowing for your creativity to flow and your productivity to flourish. Wherever you may be, just close your eyes for a few minutes, breathe deeply, count your blessings, and then you will be ready to tackle what comes your way.

get your beauty sleepAn adequate amount of sleep restores

and rejuvenates the body, helps you per-form better mentally, improves your pro-ductivity, and even helps you manage your weight, which in turn reduces your risk of chronic disease. As an adult, you need at need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night to gain all the benefits sleep pro-vides.

fiber upWhen I say fiber, do you think of bland

and hard to chew high-fiber bran cereal? You may be right, but wait, there’s more! You can find fiber in fruits, vegetables,

nuts, whole grains, and beans. Did you also know that popcorn is a good source of fiber? Just go easy on the salt and but-ter. Fiber aids digestion, helps lower cho-lesterol, and regulates your blood sugar levels.

spend time with yourselfSome alone time every once in a while

helps you recharge and rejuvenate. The hustle and bustle of everyday life can drain you and make you neglect someone very important — yourself!

Take yourself out for walk or a shop-ping spree, spend some quiet time alone to align your thoughts and goals or to just recharge. You can’t give when you are run-ning on empty. Go by the mantra of “treat yourself!”

get movingSitting for long hours doesn’t serve your

body well, be it in your office or on your couch at home.

Keeping active fights chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes while contributing to your mental well-being as it reduces stress and helps ward off depres-sion. Try to do at least 30 minutes of physi-cal activity a day, and keep moving.

break away from routineSome routines are a necessity, but that

doesn’t mean you are off the hook of tak-ing responsibility for how you choose to spend your days. Bring something new into your life that feeds your soul — sign up for that interesting course you have been meaning to take, read that book you have been putting off, go on that trip you have been planning, or volunteer in your com-munity and give back. Keep challenging yourself to live a life you can be proud of.

stop that dietDieting implies limiting what you eat for

a short amount of time until you achieve your target weight or lower your cholester-ol level. For many of us, we then go back to our old ways. Instead, strive to enjoy for a healthy lifestyle change where eating fruits and vegetables is the norm and eat-ing whole grains — instead of white, pro-cessed carbohydrates — is simply a habit. Eat greens and skip processed foods. Exer-cise and avoid high fat and sugary foods, and you will never have to diet again.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: All health and health-related information contained in this Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Company material is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for a visit with a health care professional. The advice is intended to offer only a general basis for individuals to discuss their health and medical conditions with their health care provider. Your health care provider should be consulted regarding matters concerning the medical condition, treatment, and needs of you and your family.

how to not eat your feelings

caring profile

• If you know you like to eat after a tough day at work, make a point of go-ing out for a walk. Take a shower, or lis-ten to some music when you get home. Don’t go to the kitchen until after you’ve reduced your stress levels a bit.

• Focus on your reaction to triggers. For example, if there are specific people who cause you to eat emotionally, have a counter-strategy ready to go — call a friend, find something to laugh about, or take a couple of deep breaths.

• Changing your daily habits can help you reduce the need for emotional eat-ing. If you eat standing up or right out of the package, stop. Never allow yourself to do this, especially while standing at the

counter or in front of the fridge. Force yourself to sit down and serve yourself one portion (check the package for por-tion sizes) of the food you desire, and put the package away before sitting down.

• Try snacking on fruits and vegetables such as carrots, celery sticks, grapes, ap-ple slices, watermelon, or nuts.

• If you often reward yourself by eating out or having a snack, try to reward your-self with something other than food. In-stead, reward yourself by going out to the movies, reading a good book, meeting up with friends, or planning an exciting trip.

• Practice deep breathing to lower your stress. Get plenty of sleep, and drink plen-ty of water to remain hydrated and keep

your hunger under control.• Learn to recognize hunger. Don’t

keep unhealthy foods around, eat bal-anced meals, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep.

Learn more, read more, and stay connected:To learn more about our latest updates and health

news, download our latest issue of the JHAH Wellbeing Magazine by visiting www.JHAH.com > News and Articles.

Stay connected to JHAH:Visit our website at www.JHAH.com and follow us

on our social media channels to be informed about our most up-to-date news:

• Twitter: @JHAHNews• Instagram: @JHAHNews• Facebook: Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare • LinkedIn: Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH)• YouTube: Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH)For suggestions or comments, email

Layal.Khatib@JHAH.com.

by Layal AlKhatib

2019: a healthy start for a healthy year

January 2, 2019 the arabian sun

12 company news

international oud star plays Ithra

Dhahran — For 10 days in March, more than 600 retired Saudi Aramco employees will have a special kind of homecoming.

“They are all coming back to their second home. Some lived here for 40 years, some were born here, some came to work here and retired from here,” says reunion chair-man Ali Baluchi. “They come with a lot of joy and interest to see their second home.”

The KSA Expat Reunion runs from March 11-21. And this next reunion is not just for retired company expats; it will also bring for-mer children — also known as brats — to the community, says Baluchi.

“We were able to persuade many children to come back to their second home.”

They will come from all corners of the planet, representing 19 different countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, and many others.

volunteers neededIt’s going to take an army of volunteers to

keep the reunion running smoothly, says ad-ministration team lead Carol Moss.

“Bring with you the love you have for your community,” says Moss, adding that volun-teers should be enthusiastic, good listeners, and have a dedication for assigned tasks.

During the 2015 Expat Reunion, 140 com-

munity volunteers came together to pull off the 10-day event. This year, the reunion committee is looking for just as many dedi-cated helpers.

There are lots of jobs needing to be filled, such as:

• Reunion House hostesses and hosts• On community tour guides• Oral historians• First aid helpers• Event stewards

• Trip chaperones• GreetersIt can be as simple as keeping the cof-

fee urn filled in the Reunion House, or as involved as leading a trip in the Kingdom, says Moss.

There is room for all levels of volunteer commitment and service.

one for the booksOne thing an annuitant loves to do is to

sit down and tell stories, says publicity team lead Alison Hooker. She made a particular plea for volunteers who are willing to sit with and record the memories of returning expats.

“We are planning to record some of the stories,” says Alison. “We want to capture them before they are lost forever.”

If you are interested in becoming a volun-teer, please email: VolunteersKSAReunion@gmail.com.

As 2019 KSA Expat Reunion draws closer, volunteers still neededby Jessica Weirmier

ufacturer Fawzi, and students, has devel-oped, built, and tested an oud family with measurements that correspond to acoustics and vibrations with exceptional precision. The team worked on three sizes of oud — the oudlin evokes the violin, which is played with a bow. The oudla is analogous to the viola, is slightly larger than the oudlin, and presents a deeper tone. The oudlo evokes the violon-cello or the cello. The curves of the oudlo strengthens the oud’s ancestral element, giv-ing it a unique standing point among other instruments.

Shamma introduced “The Oud Reborn Project,” which presents the oud family, re-united. In his performance, the new instru-ments were used to advance the oud family. “Arising out of a deep love for the oud in-strument and the purpose of gaining knowl-edge, these new instruments are the out-come of several years of intense studies,” he said.

The Ithra Theater hosts a broad program of local and international productions that promise to entertain, challenge, and inspire. Showcasing the world’s best orchestras and performances, the 900-seat theater will rein-force local, social, and cultural values, and at the same time, appeal to the widest possible audience. It serves as a testament to talent and its contribution to the country’s prosper-ing cultural scene. The theater aspires to host a range of world-class forums and sympo-siums.

Naseer Shamma and the Oud House Orchestra perform on Ithra’s stage recently. For the first time in the Arab world, Shamma showcased the use of three new instruments as part of his “Oud Reborn Project.”

Dhahran — Naseer Shamma and the Oud House Orchestra recently performed with Carlos Piñana on Ithra’s stage. For the first time in the Arab world, Shamma showcased the use of three new instruments — the oudlin, oudla, and oudlo. These instruments are within the family of ouds and are calibrat-ed to be used and complemented together.

a celebration of the oudElie Karam, Ithra art director, explained that

these instruments are the oud equivalents of the cello, viola, and the violin, respectively. “We are thrilled to reveal these three instru-ments to you, for the first time ever in the Arab world,” Karam said. “These new instru-ments have been crafted and honed pains-takingly over years of calculation and trial and

error by Shamma and his team, including lu-thier Amro Fawzi.

“This is a celebration of the oud, its history, and its future, by one of its world renowned masters — Naseer Shamma,” Karam added.

Shamma is renowned as one of the Arab world’s greatest oud players and researcher who developed the instrument. He has cre-ated an eight-string oud following the man-uscript of the ninth century polymath and music theorist Al-Farabi, expanding the in-strument’s musical range.

A skilled composer and performer, Sham-ma has worked tirelessly to promote the oud, most notably by establishing the first Oud House in Cairo (an institute which promotes excellence in oud playing and composition). Shamma is a UNESCO ambassador for peace, an Ambassador of the East-to-the-West by the German Ministry of Culture, and was awarded a prize for artistic excellence by the Arab Thought Foundation.

a new shape of musicShamma, with his collaborators, oud man-

13community newsthe arabian sun January 2, 2019

movies

NOTE: Movie schedules are subject to change. To avoid disappointment, call 875-FILM (3456), check the

mycommunity app, or visit http://reclibraries for the most up-to-date movie schedules.

A Mouse TaleTo save their kingdom from evil rodents, two young mice go on a quest to a forbidden world to find a legendary magic crystal that has the power to restore order to their kingdom.

JoudJoud is an unconventional meditation on the cycle of life — but in reverse. Set in Saudi Arabia, the film challenges viewers to look below the surface of everyday experiences and contemplate its Arabic title, translated as “generosity in the face of scarcity.”

Jungle Master 2: Candy PlanetRainie and her friends soar into a sugar rush of adventure to save their pals on Candy Planet.

Attenborough at 90: Behind the LensBBC goes through their archives and tells the story and highlights of national treasure David Attenborough.

Jan. 7, 8, 9Jan. 2, 5, 7, 8, 9

Jan. 3, 4

Jan. 2, 5

Jan. 3, 4

Jan. 7, 8, 95:30 p.m.7:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

4 p.m.

David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum AliveAs the doors are locked and night falls, David Attenborough meets the extinct creatures that fascinate him the most, as they magically come alive in front of his eyes — dinosaurs, ice age beasts and giant reptiles.

SumyatiDavid Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive. As told through the perspective of Layan, the youngest child of a family. The story centers on her family’s maid named Sumyati. She has to navigate and survive a horrible job due to her racist employers.

Jan. 2, 3, 4, 5 Jan. 3, 44 p.m. 5:30 p.m.

Ithra movies

DhahranBig news for the big screen! Recreation Services is now providing recently released movies at the Dhahran theater in King’s Road Park. Even more good news — the movies will be updated on a weekly basis! Find the latest schedule posted on the library’s webpage, (http://reclibaries/), at the library’s front desk, on MyCommunity App, and on bulletin boards within the community.

Ithra Heroes AdventureEngaging children’s animations that integrate science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Jan. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 10:30 a.m.

Najmah

Daddy’s HomeBrad Whitaker is a radio host trying to get his stepchildren to love him and call him Dad. But his plans turn upside down when their biological father, Dusty Mayron, returns.

BlingWill a “bling” ring or the courage to save his city from an army of evil robots win the heart of Sam’s childhood sweetheart?

Abqaiq

animation, comedy, family

Gnomeo and JulietJames McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine

5 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

4 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 2, 4, 5

Jan. 2, 4, 5

Jan. 3

Jan. 3

G

crime, thriller

Ocean’s ThirteenGeorge Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon

5 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 6 and 9

Jan. 6 and 9

PG-13

animation, comedy

Monsters UniversityBilly Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi

5 p.m.

8 p.m.

Jan. 6 and 9

Jan. 6 and 9

G

comedy

Daddy’s HomeWill Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini

6 p.m.Jan. 7 and 9 PG-15

‘Udhailiyah

adventure, sci-fianimation

Pacific RimIdris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi

BlingTaylor Kitsch, Jennette Mcurdy, James Woods

Jan. 2-5

Jan. 2-5

Jan. 3-4 5 p.m.

8 p.m.

6 p.m. PG-13PG

The Arabian Sun is a weekly publication issued free of charge by the Corporate Communication Support Department for Saudi Aramco employees.

North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaTelephone (013) 876-0374 Email: publishing@aramco.comISSN: 1319-156XArticles may be reproduced provided The Arabian Sun is credited.

Publishing director: Haitham K. Al-JehairanEditors: Jamsheed Din, Todd WilliamsEditorial staff: Musherf Alamri, Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf, Jeff McCoshen, and Shaistha Khan.Designer: Husam Nasr.

Articles and coverage can be requested through the com-pany’s CRM system.Correspondence may be addressed to the editor, North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A.

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) is a joint stock company, with certificate of registration number 2052101105, having its principal office at P.O. Box 5000, Dhahran, Postal Code 31311, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and with fully paid capital of SAR 60,000,000,000.

14 this and thatJanuary 2, 2019 the arabian sun