15-07-2014

QAPCO celebrates successful completion of planned general shutdown

Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) Q.S.C., one of the leading petrochemical powerhouses in the region and a pioneer in petrochemical production, recently celebrated the successful completion of its planned general shutdown over a gathering that recognized both employees and contractors outstanding contributions.
 
At QAPCO, a general shutdown (GSD) is a planned event that only occurs every five to seven years and entails production being suspended for a few weeks to give technical experts the opportunity to clean process equipment, replace specific machinery and perform necessary maintenance. A planned shutdown, which is sometimes also called a turnaround, is always a strategic and critical phase for an industrial facility. It allows further long-term efficiencies and improves the overall operational performance of plants.

As previously announced, QAPCO’s shutdown activities were scheduled for the first half of 2014.
 
On the occasion, Dr. Mohammed Youssef Al Mulla, Vice Chairman & CEO of QAPCO commented on the shutdown by saying:” With the successful completion of the planned General Shutdown 2014, we should all be proud of the remarkable performance achieved, in terms of scale, volume and complexity. I am pleased to report that the key objectives of the shutdown have been met.”
 
QAPCO’s shutdown is certainly a historical milestone for the company as over 3,000 activities were scheduled and effectively executed under one integrated master plan. 900 employees and more than 7,000 contractors participated in this unique project. At peak time, 7,790 people were present on site. The overall activities reached 2 million man-hours.
QAPCO’s successful 2014 shutdown is the result of 4 years of rigorous planning and preparations, extensive resource mobilization and optimization, and seamless communication between all the interfaces.
 
Dr. Al Mulla explained that the outcomes of the GSD strongly align with QAPCO’s sustainability ambitions: “Thanks to the GSD, we have improved our plants reliability; we will realize additional efficiency gains, reduce losses, improve our asset integrity and further optimize our environmental impact. Our facilities are now more sustainable than ever before and paving the way for a new era of growth and operational excellence. “
 
QAPCO continuously strives to optimize the impact of its operations on the environment, its employees and the society. Through the plant modernizations realized with the GSD QAPCO is laying the foundations for a promising operational future, and reaffirms the commitment of the company to sustainability.
 
Dr. Al Mulla appreciated the dedication and commitment of employees and contractors who contributed to making the shutdown a success by saying: “This accomplishment is the result of talented teams working together, driven by a common goal: making our planned shutdown safe and successful. Throughout the GSD activities, we all focused on ensuring an optimum HSE performance while maintaining our commitment to continuous improvement. Everyone played a strategic role, contributing towards making the GSD a success. You all deserve to be recognized for your outstanding contribution. “
 
During the GSD, QAPCO focused in particular on its safety performance and ensured that everyone, employees and contractors, embraced QAPCO’s safety culture. As such, 204 GSD safety training sessions were conducted for 10,000 participants. Dr. Al Mulla concluded by highlighting the pivotal role played by of all the contractors, QAPCO’s partners in success, and who strongly contributed towards achieving this unprecedented milestone and making the GSD a historical success.