J a p a n C o o p e ra t i o n C e n t e r, P e t r o l e u m

NEWS
No.

109

2011 April

Connected by technology, person-to-person

N The 29th JCCP International Symposium (Preliminary Report)
N Joint Press Conference Held with Iraqi Deputy Minister for Refining and Gas Processing
TopicsThe 19th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium
Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Visits JCCP
Executive Meeting: Visit to Mexico
Basic Agreement on Building a Cooperative Relationship with OAPEC
Committee for the Survey of Oil Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries: Invitation of
the Iraqi Ministry of Oil
Total Number of Training Participants Surpasses 20,000

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Table of Contents
The 29th JCCP International Symposium (Preliminary Report) ............................................................................................. 3
Joint Press Conference Held with Iraqi Deputy Minister for Reﬁning and Gas Processing ............................................... 5

TopicsThe 19th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium.......................................................................................................... 7
Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Visits JCCP ............................................................................................................................ 11
Executive Meeting: Visit to Mexico .................................................................................................................................. 12
Basic Agreement on Building a Cooperative Relationship with OAPEC .......................................................................... 15
Committee for the Survey of Oil Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries:
Invitation of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil ............................................................................................................................... 17
Total Number of Training Participants Surpasses 20,000 ................................................................................................ 22

Personnel Exchange Programs
New Regular Course on “Turnaround and Inspection”.................................................................................................... 23
CPO Seminar on “Reﬁnery Offsite Operations” Held at PETROBRAS .............................................................................. 27
CPO Seminar on “Human Resource Development” Held at Saudi Aramco...................................................................... 29
CPO Seminar on “Maintenance Management” Held at Khartoum Reﬁning Company .................................................... 32
CPJ Seminar on “Petroleum Marketing and Physical Distribution” for ADNOC .............................................................. 35
CPJ Seminar on “Environmental Management in the Reﬁnery” for Iraq......................................................................... 37
CPJ Seminar on “Total Quality Management” for KazMunayGas .................................................................................... 40
Saudi Aramco Vice President and Aramco Overseas Company President Visit JCCP....................................................... 42
JCCP Regular Courses Completed November 2010 – January 2011 ................................................................................ 43

Technical Cooperation
New JCCP Project Launched in Kuwait ............................................................................................................................. 45
Pilot Plant Completion Ceremony for the Study of Oilﬁeld-produced Water Treatment in Oman .................................. 47
The 20th Saudi Arabia-Japan Joint Symposium ............................................................................................................... 49
The 12th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium ........................................................................................................................ 50

Announcement
Personnel Change ............................................................................................................................................................. 52

The 29th JCCP International Symposium(Preliminary Report)
Sustainable Development of Oil Downstream Industry—For Energy Supply Security—
The 29th JCCP International Symposium was held on
January 26 and 27, 2011 at Hotel Okura Tokyo under the
auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI). Some 400 visitors from METI, oil-producing
countries, foreign embassies in Japan, government
offices, and domestic firms and organizations attended
the event. A preliminary report is provided below, to befollowed by details of the panelists’ presentations in thenext issue of JCCP NEWS.

1. First Day (January 26):
Opening Ceremony
A ceremony marked the opening of the symposium at
2:00 p.m. on January 26. Mr. Yaichi Kimura, Presidentof JCCP, gave an opening address, and Mr. HisayoshiAndo, Director-General of the Natural Resources andFuel Department, METI, delivered words of greetingas the guest of honor. These were followed by keynote
speeches by H.E. Mr. Arne Walther, Ambassador, Royal
Norwegian Embassy in Japan, and H.E. Mr. Ahmed
A.A. Al-Shamma, Deputy Minister for Refining and
Gas Processing, Ministry of Oil–Iraq.
In his speech, Mr. Yaichi Kimura noted that theworld population is continuing to grow, and many more
people will be born into this world in the future, sothat petroleum will become even more important as aresource that supports human activities. He also said that
petroleum could bring diverse opportunities that otherresources cannot, but since it is itself a limited resource,
people who work in the oil downstream sector must
make an effort to develop technologies for even moreadvanced utilization of petroleum and strive to create
a future where the next generation can build affluent
lifestyles. Mr. Kimura then explained the theme of thisyear’s symposium, emphasizing that ongoing efforts
to address new technology challenges and develop
leaders who can initiate changes in the future are thetwo most important responsibilities of managers in theoil downstream sector.
Representing the Japanese government, Mr. Hisayoshi
Ando from METI began his speech by thanking the oilproducing countries for maintaining friendly relations
with Japan over many years and contributing to oil
security in Japan. He then mentioned that the global
oil situation is rapidly changing, and that we must
now focus on responding promptly and properly to theslowdown of economic activities, the global warming

The guest of honor, chairpersons, and speakers of the symposium, and Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP (center)

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 20113

issue, and changes in the demand-supply structure.
Given this situation, Mr. Ando said that this international
symposium is an ideal forum for exchanging views
among oil-producing and oil-consuming countries,
cultivating mutual understanding, and deepening
relationships, and expressed his hopes that it would
contribute to stabilizing global oil supply.
The opening ceremony also featured special lecturesby a number of authorities in the global oil industry. They
included Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki, Chairman, FACTS
Global Energy Inc.; Mr. Abdulaziz Alattar, Head of
Houston Office, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; Ms.
Huda M. Al-Ghoson, General Manager, Training andDevelopment, Saudi Aramco; and Mr. Masakazu Toyoda,
Chairman and CEO, The Institute of Energy Economics,
Japan.

2. Second Day (January 27):
Discussion Sessions
The second day featured two discussion sessions:
Session 1 in the morning, chaired by Mr. Misao
Hamamoto (Executive Officer, Manufacturing Division,
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.); and Session 2 in theafternoon, chaired by Mr. Shogo Shibuya (Managing
Executive Officer, Technology & Engineering, Chiyoda
Corporation). In Session 1, panelists from Mexico,
Malaysia, Nigeria, Kuwait, and Japan discussed“leadership development,” and introduced their country’s
initiatives in that area. In Session 2, panelists from
Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Japan discussed “technicaldevelopment,” also in reference to challenges being
addressed in their countries.
As chairperson of Session 1, Mr. Misao Hamamotosummarized Session 1 discussions as follows: The oil
downstream sector in all countries is facing severeinternational competition. Unless efforts are made toinnovate technology and management toward creatingcompetitive companies, the oil downstream sector
cannot fulfill its social responsibility of providing stablesupplies of oil. The key to building a strong company
lies in human resources and their development. In otherwords, companies can grow only by developing their
human resources.
Mr. Shogo Shibuya, chairperson of Session 2,

Scene from the symposium

summarized the discussions of the session as follows:
Oil-producing countries are actively engaging in heavy
oil cracking processes to transform heavy oil into
petrochemical materials. Active efforts are also being
made to promote biofuels. Furthermore, oil-producing
countries and Japan are striving to innovate oil refining
and petrochemical technologies so that humanity may
continue to enjoy the benefits of the limited resources
as long as possible. Although they may have different
standpoints, oil-producing and oil-consuming countries
share a common commitment to utilize oil and natural gas
in even more advanced and effective ways, and should
therefore mutually share their experience and technologies
toward reforming the oil downstream sector.
At the end of the two days of discussions, Mr.
Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP, took the
podium for a closing speech. He said that the structureof the oil industry itself is undergoing a major change
and is calling for a need to develop leaders to promote
this change, and given this situation, we need to develop
outstanding leaders by drawing out their fullest potentials
and usher in a new era for the oil industry.
Based on lectures and presentations by people at thefront line of technical innovation and human resource
development in oil-producing countries and Japan, thesymposium provided a valuable opportunity for active
exchanges of views among all panelists and participants.
JCCP will continue to offer such forums for interactions
between oil-producing countries and Japan, to further
promote mutual understanding among all parties in theoil industry.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>* The presentation materials from the 29th JCCP International Symposium are available on our website (http://www.jccp.or.jp).

4

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Joint Press Conference Held with
Iraqi Deputy Minister for Refining and
Gas Processing
JCCP invited H.E. Mr. Ahmed A.A. Al-Shamma,
Deputy Minister for Refining and Gas Processing,
Ministry of Oil–Iraq, to give a keynote speech at the29th International Symposium. Being a central figurein the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Mr. Al-Shamma received somany interview requests from news outlets that a press
conference was scheduled, to be accompanied by H.E.
Mr. Lukman Faily, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq,
and Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP.
The joint conference took place on January 25, 2011,
for one hour from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., in the Clifford Roomat Hotel Okura Tokyo, with the attendance of around 20
reporters from various news media inside and outside ofJapan. The reporters generally had questions about thepotential of Japanese companies to participate in new
projects in Iraq. Mr. Al-Shamma avoided making any
predictive statement, saying instead that “all relevant
matters shall be decided by the new cabinet,” and that
“nothing has yet been decided.” However, he did saythat he acknowledges Japanese companies for their highquality technologies and performance capabilities.
Below is the opening statement given by Mr.
Al-Shamma at the beginning of the joint press
conference.

First of all, I am pleased to have this opportunity totalk with so many people from the media.
The relationship between Iraq and Japan goesway back to the 1960s, when Japan first provided its
assistance in various infrastructure development projects
in Iraq’s oil, natural gas and power generation industries
and other industries. Today, several tens of years after
completion of these projects, the infrastructures are
now undergoing a period of degradation that requires
maintenance. We are hoping the Japanese companies
that have cooperated in the initial projects will return toIraq, this time to implement maintenance projects. Iraq
has also implemented various reconstruction projects
since 2003 with cooperation from Japan, and throughthese projects, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil has sought
opportunities that could benefit both Iraq and Japan.
Japan has provided training programs in wideranging fields in response to our needs for humanresource development, which surfaced as a prominentissue in our reconstruction efforts. These programs,
made possible with the assistance of the Japanese
government, companies, and organizations, have been
largely instrumental in the development of humanresources in Iraq.

H.E. Mr. Ahmed A.A. Al-Shamma, Deputy Minister for Refining and
Gas Processing, Ministry of Oil–Iraq (center);
H.E. Mr. Lukman Faily, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq (left);
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP (right)

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

5

Joint press conference

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has also played a consistentand continuous role in discussions on the formulationof new projects with Japanese companies. For example,
with yen loans from Japan we have so far implemented
a project for restoration of a crude oil export facility in
Basra, a project for rehabilitation of the Basra Refinery,
and a project for rehabilitation of the Baiji Refinery.
At present, refineries in Iraq do not have the refining
capacity needed to respond adequately to domestic
demand for oil products. The supply shortage of oil

products is becoming conspicuous, and is calling forcontinued imports to secure necessary supplies. However,with Japan’s cooperation, we are hoping to increase
our self-sufficiency of oil products and to acquire thelatest technology and knowledge that would allow us
to do so. To Iraq’s oil industry, Japan’s cooperation
is indispensable to acquiring new technologies andenhancing technical performance.
It is also important for our two countries to promotecultural exchange. All staff members of the Ministry of
Oil who have received training in Japan have returned
to Iraq, impressed with the lifestyles and culture of
the Japanese people. I think that knowing Japanese
history and culture is helpful in deepening relations
with Japan and strengthening the result of training.
Therefore, in addition to technical exchanges in the oil
industry, cultivating cultural exchanges and ties throughcooperation between our two countries is extremely
important and beneficial.
Lastly, as my closing words of appreciation to Japan,
I would like to express my sincerest expectations forJapan’s continued cooperation in deepening our mutual
relationship. Thank you very much.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

6

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Topics

The 19th Joint GCC-Japan
Environment Symposium—Environmental Challenges and Mitigation Approaches for
Sustainable Development in the Oil and Gas Industry—

Commemorative photo taken at the opening ceremony

Background
The GCC-Japan Environment Symposium takes
place annually as a forum for information exchange
among environmental experts in the GCC countries andJapan, and was held for the 19th time this year.
This year’s symposium was jointly organized with
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman, and was
implemented over a three-day period from December 18
to 21, 2010 under the theme, “Environmental Challenges
and Mitigation Approaches for Sustainable Developmentin the Oil and Gas Industry.”

Overview
The symposium opened on December 19 with an

Scene from the symposium

opening ceremony attended by some 140 participants,
including such key figures as H.E. Dr. Saud Al-Bemani,
Vice Chancellor of SQU; Dr. Ali Al-Harthy, Dean, College
of Engineering, SQU; Mr. Salim Bin Awadh Al-Rubki,
Manager, Public Relations & External Communications,
Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company (ORPC;
special supporter of this year’s symposium); Mr. Shinichi
Yamanaka, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim (Counsellor),
Embassy of Japan in Oman; and Dr. Norio Arihara,
Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Waseda University (leader of the Japanese delegation).
Dr. Rashid S. Al-Maamari, Director of the SQU Oil &Gas Research Center and chairperson of the Environment
Symposium Organizing Committee, gave an opening
address, followed by Mr. Yamanaka and Mr. Morihiro
Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP.
Dr. Al-Maamari thanked everyone for attending the
symposium, and gave a brief introduction of SQU’s
relationship with JCCP. The first JCCP project thatwas implemented at SQU was in 1996, and the mostrecent was a project that ended in the establishment ofa laboratory plant for the treatment of oilfield produced
water at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) lastNovember. Through such projects, SQU has developed
close ties with JCCP, PDO and other oil companies in
Oman. Dr. Al-Maamari also noted that SQU has co-hosted
this environment symposium with Japan twice. As coorganizer once again this year, he hoped the symposium

Mr. Shinichi Yamanaka, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim(Counsellor), Embassy of Japan in Oman

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics •7

keynote speeches. From Japan, Prof. Arihara gave aspeech on “Opportunities and Challenges in LowCarbon Energy Developments and Global WarmingCountermeasures.” On the Omani side, Dr. Yasmeen
Al-Lawati, Water Management Team Leader at PDO,
gave an opening speech in Session 1.
After these keynote speeches, 19 Japanese and GCC
experts gave presentations in five separate sessions, as
shown below.
Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP

would be a forum for meaningful discussions between
Japan and the GCC countries as it has been before.
Mr. Yamanaka also mentioned the oilfield produced
water treatment project as an example of the longterm technical cooperation between Japan and Oman.
He then talked briefly about Japan’s contribution toenvironmental issues and Japan-Arab cooperation in
the energy and environment sectors, with references to
the Nagoya Protocol, which was adopted by the Tenth
Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the UN Convention
on Biological Diversity held last year in Nagoya, and theTunisia Declaration, issued by the Japan-Arab Economic
Forum also held last year in Tunisia. Mr. Yamanaka
closed his speech with words of expectation that all
parties would take the occasion of this symposium toacquire Japan’s outstanding oil refining technologies.
Mr. Yoshida, after giving a brief introduction of
JCCP and an overview of JCCP technical cooperation
projects and training programs, asserted that Japan’s
advanced environmental technologies would be effectivein addressing environmental issues that are raisingwidespread concern in the GCC countries, and stressed
the importance of this symposium.
After the opening ceremony, two speakers gave

Dr. Norio Arihara, leader of the JCCP delegation(Waseda University)

8• Topics •December 19
Session 1: Environmental Issues in the Oil and Gas
Industry
Session 2: Alternative Energy
Session 3: Oily Water Treatment
December 20
Session 4: Wastewater and Desalination
Session 5: Environmental Management in Selected
Industries
In each session, presentations by GCC speakers
particularly focused on topics relating to “water” and “theenvironment.” This is from the fact that the symposium
was originally launched as a greening seminar, andindicated the GCC countries’ strong continuing interest
and concern in the environment and water resources.
A closing ceremony was held after completion of
the last session on the 20th. Following a summary ofpresentations by Mr. Al-Maamari, Dr. Mustaque Ahmed,
Ph.D., Director, Center for Environmental Studies andResearch (CESAR) gave three recommendations fromthe general, long-term and short-term points of view.
Mr. Koichi Io, Deputy General Manager of the JCCP
Technical Cooperation Dept., thanked all symposium
participants, SQU and ORPC for their cooperation in the
successful implementation of the symposium.

A participant from a GCC country delivering a presentation

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

On the 21st, we visited ORPC’s Mina Al-Fahal
Refinery. After receiving a brief explanation of therefinery, we toured the refinery and observed the refinery’s
strong commitment to environmental conservation.

Summary
Active discussions took place in all sessions of
the symposium, with experts from the GCC countries

showing strong interest in the presentations on Japan’s
advanced environmental technologies.
We hope that this environment symposium has served
to deepen relationships between oil-related organizations
and companies in the GCC region and JCCP. We
are also hopeful that coverage of the symposium inlocal newspapers and on SQU’s official website has
contributed to increasing public recognition of JCCP in
the GCC countries.
<by Makoto Nakamura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

FY2010 Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium
Opening Ceremony

KeynotespeechCountry

Organization

Name

Presentation Title

Japan

Faculty of Science& Engineering,
Waseda University

Professor Norio Arihara(JCCP Delegation Leader)

Opportunities and Challenges in Lowcarbon Energy Developments andGlobal Warming Countermeasures

Session 1: Environmental Issues in the Oil and Gas Industry
Chairperson
Chairperson

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Ahmed Al-Futaisi

KeynoteSpeechOman

Petroleum
Development
Oman

Dr. Yasmeen Al-Lawati

Sustainable Development Aspirations
and Challenges for an Oil and Gas
Operating Company

1

Qatar

Qatar Petroleum

Speaker:Dr. Azhari F.M. Ahmed
Co-author:
Dr. Ali Hamad Al-Mulla

Mitigating Anthropogenic Air Emissions
in Qatar: Sustainable Development
Opportunities for the Oil and Gas
Industry

2

Japan

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Mr. Naoki Takakura
Ltd.

Environmental & Energy Policy in Japanand Efforts Made by Idemitsu

3

Oman

Oman Refineries
and Petrochemicals
Company

Cleaner Production in Oman Refineries
and Petrochemicals Company LLC

Speakers

Mr. Salim Ali Al-Harthy

Session 2: Alternative Energy
Chairperson
Chairperson

Japan

Faculty of Science& Engineering,
Waseda University

Professor Norio Arihara

1

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Ahmed Al-Busaidi

Jatropha: A Bio-fuel Crop for Oman

2

Japan

Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.

Mr. Hiroyuki Wada

Challenge to the Development of New
Type of Solar Concentration System in
Abu Dhabi

3

Japan

JX Nippon Oil &Energy Corporation

Mr. Jun Uehara

Toward New Energy at JX Nippon Oil &Energy4Japan

JGC Corporation

Mr. Yuji Saito

Solar Powered Desalination Using
Thermoelectric Power Generation

Speakers

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics •9

Session 3: Oily Water Treatment
Chairperson
Chairperson

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Salim Ali Al-Rawahi

1

Japan

Shimizu
Corporation

Dr. Kazuo Okamura

Treatment & Utilization of the Oilfield
Produced Water in Oman

2

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Mahad S. Baawain

Feasibility Study to Upgrade Effluent
Water Treatment Facility and Water
Disposal System at Marine Outfall

3

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Anton Purnama

Design Recommendations for a
Submerged Marine Outfall using
CORMIX Simulations

3

Nigeria

Ahmadu Bello
University

Dr. Abdulazeez Yusuf Atta

Treatment of Phonelic Waste Water
Using Microwave Enhanced Nickel/
Copper Oxides on Alumina Catalysts

Speakers

Session 4: Wastewater and Desalination
Chairperson
Chairperson

UAE

United ArabEmirates University

Prof. Abdel-Mohsen Onsy
Mohamed1

KuwaitKuwait Institute for
Scientific Research

Dr. Essam E.F. El-Sayed

Zero Liquid Discharge Desalination for
Treatment of Saline Water Waste Streams

2

Saudi
ArabiaSaudi Aramco

Mr. Mohammad Abu
NaiyanHigh Efficiency Biological Nutrient
Removal of the Modified Ludzack
Ettinger (MLE) Process3

Bahrain

University of
BahrainSpeaker:Dr. Mohammed Saleh
Al-Ansari
Co-author:
Dr. Nader Al-Masri,
Bahrain Centre for Studies& Research

Future Sustainable Desalination
Technologies for the GCC

4Australia

Curtin University

Dr. Hari B. Vuthaluru

Boron Pre-treatment for Seawater
Desalination

Speakers

Session 5: Environmental Management in Selected Industries
Chairperson
Chairperson

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Ahmed Sana

1

Saudi
ArabiaSaudi Aramco

Mr. Ali Hommod
Al Shamrani

2

Saudi
ArabiaKing Fahd University Dr. Bassam S. Tawabiniof Petroleum &Minerals

Environmental Management of Drilling
Fluids Waste: An Overview

3

UAE

United ArabEmirates University

Prof. Abdel-Mohsen Onsy
MohamedDurability of Cement Kiln Dust-based
Sulfur Polymer Concrete

4

Oman

Sultan Qaboos
University

Dr. Khalid Al-Rawahy

Transport Sector in Oman, Contribution
to Greenhouse Gases Implication for
the Future

Speakers
CO2 Soil Gas Survey Method
for Identification of Free Phase
Hydrocarbons in Groundwater* Presentation materials from each speaker are available on our website (http://www.jccp.or.jp).

10 • Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Topics

Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Visits JCCPOn December 15, 2010, H.E. Mr. Lukman Faily,
Ambassador, and Mr. Obay N. Al-Taii, Second Secretary,of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, visited JCCP
and spent close to an hour in pleasant conversation with
JCCP officers and executive members and on a tour of
the training facilities at JCCP Headquarters.
Ambassador Faily was recently appointed to the Iraqi
Embassy in Tokyo in June 2010. He is a businessman
who, after studying mathematics and computer sciencein university, worked for 20 years at a multinational IT
company based in the United Kingdom, including several
years as its executive officer. In his present post in Japan,
Ambassador Faily actively visits Japanese government
offices, companies, and educational institutions in aneffort to strengthen relations between Iraq and Japan.
He said he wanted to pay a visit to JCCP because, after
reading JCCP NEWS and learning that JCCP and the Iraqi
Ministry of Oil are jointly developing human resources
and industrial technologies for Iraqi refineries, he wishedto know more about JCCP activities and projects.
Having experienced prolonged war, Iraq has gone
through extremely difficult times in its aftermath, but
is now gradually regaining its stability. For the fullrecovery of its economy, however, the country mustrestore its domestic refineries and physical distribution
networks and establish a framework for the stablesupply of oil products to all corners of the country
as quickly as possible. The country’s refineries havesuffered so much damage in the war that they cannot
satisfy domestic demand alone, but must compensate
for the lack of supplies by importing oil products. In theyears ahead, Iraq must not only focus on restoring thecountry’s three major refineries, but it must also direct
its efforts to increasing gasoline production capacity byintroducing heavy oil cracking units and to executing its
plans to construct four large-scale refineries in response
to increasing domestic demand.
Also due to the prolonged period of war, Iraq has lost
opportunities to keep up with the waves of innovationin oil refining technologies. The country must therefore
introduce the latest technologies to its refineries, and at thesame time provide training in those technologies to bothsenior refinery staff and young engineers, with awarenessof the impending generational change in refinery staff
members. In December 2009, JCCP began accepting
engineers from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to regular courses

and has implemented customized programs in Japan forgroups of participants from Iraq. As part of the technicalcooperation program, JCCP has also provided continuous
technical cooperation for the improvement of asphalt
quality and treatment of oilfield-associated water.
Ambassador Faily said he understands that JCCP has
maintained good relations with Iraq’s Ministry of Oiland wishes the relationship will continue to evolve, asJapan and Iraq are valued friends to each other. In fact,
he said that many Japanese engineers resided in Iraq
before the war to provide technical cooperation, andthere was much that Iraq learned from these Japanesepeople who worked hard and valued personal ties. The
Ambassador repeated his wish to deepen relationships
with JCCP by sharing issues for reconstruction of theoil industry in Iraq, and stressed that the Iraqi embassy
is willing to help JCCP in any way possible toward thisend should JCCP so require.
After his visit to JCCP, Ambassador Faily displayed
his support of JCCP activities by participating in three
JCCP events: attending the press conference held by
H.E. Mr. Ahmed A.A. Al-Shamma, Deputy Ministerfor Refining and Gas Processing, Ministry of Oil–Iraq(January 25); delivering a brief address at the JCCP
International Symposium reception (January 26); andpresiding over a completion ceremony for a JCCP
customized program held in Japan for a group of Iraqi
participants (February 4). Taking the opportunity of thisarticle, we wish to once again thank the Ambassador forhis generous cooperation.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

H.E. Mr. Lukman Faily, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq
(front row, left); Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of
JCCP (front row, right)

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 11

Topics

Executive Meeting
Visit to Mexico
With the aim to strengthen relations with oilproducing countries, Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive
Director of JCCP, visited Mexico from October 25
to 30, 2010, and personally exchanged views andinformation with the management of PEMEX, a stateowned petroleum company and an important JCCP
counterpart in Mexico, and with the Japanese Embassyin Mexico and the Mexico Office of the Japan External
Trade Organization (JETRO).

1. Purpose of the Visit
Mr. Sase’s recent visit to Mexico was the first visit
to be made by an Executive Director of JCCP in five
years, the last being in 2005. Meetings were arranged
with top management members of PEMEX, because
PEMEX is an important JCCP counterpart in Mexico.
Since its establishment, JCCP has accepted more than
500 participants from PEMEX to its regular courses,
although the number temporarily declined last year due
to the H1N1 influenza epidemic. Moreover, as Japan has
particularly deep ties with Mexico aside from the Middle
East countries, JCCP wishes to continue strengthening its
relationship with the country. For these reasons, Mr. Sase
visited Mexico, accompanied by S. Miyawaki, Deputy
General Manager, Training Department, and M. Onai,
Operations Department.

2. Meeting with Mr. Miguel Tame
Dominguez, Director General of PEMEXOn October 26, Mr. Sase met with Mr. Miguel Tame
Dominguez, Director General of PEMEX. Mr. Antonio
Alvarez Moreno, Subdirector, Proteccion Ambiental,
was also present at the meeting.
Mr. Sase firstly expressed his appreciation to PEMEX
for its cooperation in maintaining good relations with
JCCP over many years. He noted that JCCP will becelebrating its 30th anniversary next year, and thatduring this time, JCCP has received more than 500
participants from PEMEX and sent more than 100
experts to Mexico.
In response, Mr. Dominguez thanked JCCP for its

12 • Topics •many years of support and cooperation. He said that
the Salamanca Safety Training Center, which was builtwith assistance from the Japanese government and JCCP,
and the lectures on Japanese technology and safetymeasures given by Japanese experts under the JCCP
Expert Services Program, have been extremely beneficial
to PEMEX. He also said that the two organizations
should further develop their cooperative relationshipbased on past accomplishments achieved throughpersonnel and technical exchanges. Mr. Sase agreed, andthe two leaders reconfirmed the importance of mutual
cooperation in the future.
Additionally, Mr. Sase took the opportunity of themeeting to inform Mr. Dominguez that JCCP is seeking
a speaker from PEMEX to give a presentation at theannual JCCP International Symposium, and requested
PEMEX’s cooperation. He also sounded out Mr.
Dominguez’s interest in coming to Japan and holding
exchanges with relevant parties in the oil industry inJapan under the JCCP VIP Invitation Program, inasmuch
as he is a strong supporter of Japan.

3. Meeting with Training and Human
Resource Development Managers at
PEMEX
After meeting with Mr. Dominguez, Mr. Sase met
with members of PEMEX’s training and human resource
development departments. Attending the meeting were:

Mr. Miguel Tame Dominguez, Director General of PEMEX(second from left)

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

employee quality, and has therefore formulated future
policies for its training system. Mr. Sase has taken alook at these training policies, and expressed his wish
to cooperate in any way possible. However, the first andforemost important task is to engage in mutual exchange
of information between the two organizations.

4. Courtesy Call on JETRO Mexico

Mr. Oscar H. Alva Rodas, Director of HR Process
Improvement; Mr. Enrique Rodriguez, Director of
Human Resources; Mr. Francisco J. Zurita Erana,
Director of Human Resource Development; counterpart
personnel of JCCP training; and JCCP graduates.
Mr. Rodriguez welcomed the JCCP delegation andintroduced each of the members on the PEMEX side. Mr.
Sase did the same for the JCCP side, and JCCP members
gave a brief introduction of JCCP activities. We also
explained that the fee scheme for accommodation andother expenses for JCCP regular courses will be changing
beginning in January 2011, and gave a rundown of therequirements for participation in regular courses. Mr.
Rodas then gave an overview of recent activities that havebeen initiated by PEMEX’s personnel department.
PEMEX will be commencing the construction ofa new refinery in 2011, and needs to secure sufficienthuman resources in the near future. However, withmany employees slated to reach retirement age aroundthat time, PEMEX not only needs to secure humanresources, but it must also take measures to enhance

After visiting PEMEX, Mr. Sase paid a courtesy
call on the JETRO Mexico, located in Mexico City. Mr.
Takahiro Okazaki, General Director, and Mr. Takao
Nakahata, Director, Promotion of Economic Exchange,
provided valuable information about economic
relations between Japan and Mexico, and about recent
approaches to PEMEX made by Japanese companies.
They explained that Japanese companies are facing aserious challenge against other foreign companies whoare steadily increasing the momentum of their activities
in Mexico.
Messrs. Okazaki and Nakahata also spoke about
Mexico’s macro economy in reference to the oil industry.
They said that the Cantarell oilfield has long been
regarded as Mexico’s prize oil field, but its production
has been declining of late to the point that the country is
now focusing concentrated efforts on the development of
new oil fields. At present, large expectations are placedon the Chicontepec oilfield and the offshore oil fielddiscovered off the southwestern coast of the country.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, PEMEX is building
a new refinery and modernizing its existing refineries,
and is steadily moving forward with plans for theconstruction of secondary processing units and heavy
oil cracking units, in particular, at all of its refineries. By
acquiring detailed information on such current situations

Mr. Oscar H. Alva Rodas (second from front); Mr. Enrique
Rodriguez (far back); Mr. Francisco J. Zurita Erana (front)

Mr. Takahiro Okazaki (right front), and Mr. Takao Nakahata(right back), at JETRO Mexico

At PEMEX

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 13

in Mexico, the JCCP delegation gained a sense of thedirection that JCCP training programs should take in the
future in response to PEMEX’s anticipated needs.

5. Courtesy Call on the Japanese Embassyin Mexico
On October 27, Mr. Sase paid a courtesy call on
the Japanese Embassy in Mexico, and met with H.E.
Mr. Masaaki Ono, Ambassador, and Mr. Kikuo Take,
Secretary.
Mr. Sase firstly thanked the embassy for its continued
support of JCCP’s activities in Mexico, and explainedthat JCCP has enjoyed friendly relations with PEMEX
since its establishment and has received more than 500
participants to date to its regular courses. Ambassador
Ono said he is pleased that JCCP and PEMEX havecultivated a long cooperative relationship, and expressed
his wish that the relationship would be maintained in the
future by valuing the role of JCCP graduates.
The Ambassador also noted that PEMEX has beenslow to open its crude oil and other undergroundresources to foreign capital due to constitutional
restraints, but said Japan, as a whole, should exercise
wisdom in seeking what it can do and provide thenecessary technical cooperation.

6. Summary
2010 was a commemorative year for Mexico. It
marked the 200th anniversary of its independence, the100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, and the400th year of Japan-Mexico relations. Main streets

H.E. Mr. Masaaki Ono, Ambassador to Mexico(second from right)

everywhere were filled with festive decorations incelebration of these anniversaries.
As Mexico is the central country in the Latin American
region where important oil-producing countries are
situated, Mr. Sase’s visit to Mexico to hold meetingsand exchanges of views with the top management of
PEMEX was extremely meaningful to JCCP. Mr. Sase
reaffirmed the need to further strengthen JCCP’s ties withPEMEX through continuous exchanges of technology
and information so that JCCP activities will benefit
PEMEX and its major undertaking of constructing a newrefinery and modernizing all of its existing refineries.
We would like to extend our deepest appreciation
to all who received and supported the JCCP delegation
during our visit to Mexico. Thank you very much.
<by Mieko Onai, Operations Dept.>

14 • Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Topics

Basic Agreement on Buildinga Cooperative Relationship with OAPECOn December 10, 2010, JCCP and the Organizationof Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
entered into a basic agreement to build a cooperative
relationship based mainly on the joint organization ofseminars and joint implementation of technical studies
in the oil downstream sector.

1. Japan-Arab Economic Forum
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP,
attended the Second Japan-Arab Economic Forum held
in Tunisia on December 11 and 12, 2010, and took
the occasion to hold a conference with members fromOAPEC and sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) regarding theagreement to build a cooperative relationship. JCCP andOAPEC signed the LOI on the day prior to the Forum inthe presence of Mr. Akihiro Ohata, Japanese Minister of
Economy, Trade and Industry, and Mr. Amre Moussa,
Secretary General, the League of Arab States. Aroundten members from the media were also present to coverand take pictures of the event. The signing of the LOI
was announced to all participants of the Forum on thefirst day (December 11).
The building of a cooperative relationship between
JCCP and OAPEC seemed to create a sense of expectationin the Forum. In fact, the Tunisia Declaration, which was
adopted by the Forum, acknowledged the significant roleof OAPEC in maintaining stable trade relations between
Japan and the Arab countries in areas that include oiland natural gas, and Mr. Moussa specifically mentioned
the two organizations’ cooperative relationship in his
closing speech.

2. Background to the Agreement
The idea for the cooperative relationship between
JCCP and OAPEC began to take shape last May, when
the OAPEC Secretariat sounded out the possibilityof receiving cooperation from JCCP. The OAPEC
Secretariat had been seeking to collaborate withextra-regional organizations in conducting studies andSigning of the LOI by
Mr. Abbas A. Naqi, Secretary General, OAPEC, andMr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP
(with Mr. Akihiro Ohata, Japanese Minister of Economy, Tradeand Industry, and Mr. Amre Moussa, Secretary General,the League of Arab States, bearing witness)

research and holding seminars on issues relating to theoil downstream sector and the oil industry in general,and approached JCCP as a potential candidate.
After numerous working-level discussions between
JCCP and the OAPEC Secretariat, Mr. Abbas A. Naqi,
Secretary General, OAPEC, and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida
of JCCP agreed to a framework for the cooperative
relationship in a direct meeting, and came to sign the
LOI two months later.

3. Overview of OAPECOAPEC was established in 1968. Headquartered in
Kuwait, it currently operates in ten countries. In addition
to the Council of Ministers that convenes twice a year, theorganization carries out its functions and responsibilities
through the General Secretariat, which is composed offour departments: (1) the Finance and Administrative
Affairs Department; (2) the Information and Library
Department; (3) the Economics Department; and (4)the Technical Affairs Department. It is the TechnicalAffairs Department that will be directly engaging incooperation with JCCP.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 15

Leaders of the Arab world assembled on stage

4. Anticipated Advantages of the
Cooperation
JCCP has thus far engaged in implementing training
programs, technical cooperation programs, international
symposiums, VIP invitation programs, and research
programs. Technical cooperation programs, in particular,
have been implemented mainly with individual countries.
However, by establishing a cooperative relationship withOAPEC, JCCP will be able to establish multi-tiered
relationships with relevant oil-producing countries, sincecooperation with the multilateral organization essentiallymeans cooperation with its members, which consistof Arab petroleum exporting countries. Furthermore,as the OAPEC Secretariat has direct connections topetroleum ministers and comparable officers in all
member countries, establishing a closer relationshipwith the secretariat as a consequence of the cooperative
relationship would allow JCCP to also partake in the
network of leading figures in the oil industry in OAPEC
member countries. This vision moreover accords with
JCCP’s establishment objectives to strengthen friendly
relations with governmental organizations of worldwide
oil-producing countries and contribute to securing stablesupplies of oil for Japan.

Mr. Abbas A. Naqi, Secretary General, OAPEC, andMr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
announce the signing of the LOI to participants of theSecond Japan-Arab Economic ForumTo OAPEC, JCCP represents Japan, a major oilconsuming country possessing superior oil downstream
technologies, so creating ties with JCCP is expected
to facilitate the flow of advanced technologies andinformation to the Arab countries, promote personal
exchanges among experts, and contribute to increasing
technical capabilities in member countries.

5. Future Plans
A conference of the OAPEC Council of Ministers
held in Cairo on December 25, 2010 officially approved
the initiative to build a cooperative relationshipwith JCCP, so hereafter the two organizations will
be implementing specific activities, including joint
technical seminars and joint technical surveys. We
intend to pursue this cooperation with support from ourmember companies.
<by Hiroshi Iida, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

16 • Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Topics

Committee for the Survey of
Oil Downstream Industries in
Oil-producing Countries:
Invitation of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil
The JCCP Committee for the Survey of Oil
Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries(chairperson: Mr. Koji Hotta, Advisor, Cosmo ResearchInstitute) invited to Japan a delegation of four members
affiliated with Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, from November 29
to December 3, 2010, to exchange information and viewson the status of refinery rehabilitation and construction
projects in Iraq and on future cooperation issues between
JCCP and the Ministry. The four members were as
follows: Ms. Nidhal Ali Alnasser, Expert, Studies andPlanning and Follow up Directorate; Mr. Saadoon Jasim
Mohammed, Chief Engineer, North Refineries Company;
Mr. Abdul Sadeq Mohammed Ali Hassan, Senior Chief
Chemical Engineer, Midland Refineries Company; and
Ms. Shaymaa Fadhil Majeed, Junior Process Engineer,

Midland Refineries Company.
Each of the four members is currently in chargeof refinery rehabilitation or the formulation of futurerefinery construction plans in the Ministry of Oil or arefinery governed by the Ministry.

1. Current State of Reﬁneries in Iraq
(1) Crude oil and pipelines
Crude oil deposits in Iraq are distributed in thesouthern Basra area, the northern Kirkuk area, and thesoutheastern area near the Iranian border. Currently,
crude oil from Basra and Kirkuk is being produced andexported as Basra Light Crude (API34) and Kirkuk
Crude (API35). A pipeline stretches southward fromPresent and Planned Reﬁning Capacities in Iraq (unit: BPSD)
Refinery

Large-scalerefineries

Existing
refineries Small-scalerefineries(skid-mounted)

New
Large-scalerefineries refineries

Baiji
Basra
Daura
Total
Najaf
SamawaDiwanya
KirkukKasak
QayarahSeeniyah
HadithaAl-Nassiriya
Maissan
Total
Total of existing refineries
Al-Nassiriya
Maissan
KirkukKarbalaTotal

Present
Actual capacity Planned future
Year of(nominal)
at present
capacity
completion
capacity
310,000
217,000
310,000
140,000
109,000
210,000
2011
140,000
79,000210,000
590,000
405,000
730,000
30,00030,00030,00030,00020,00020,00030,00030,00010,00020,00020,00030,00030,00016,00016,00030,00030,00030,00030,000246,000
107,000
236,000
836,000
512,000
966,000
300,000
2015
150,000
2015
150,000
2015
140,000
2014
740,000

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 17

Basra to a terminal in Fao, from where crude oil isexported to the Asia-Pacific region. Another pipeline
runs northward from Basra, through central Iraq, toCeyhan in Turkey, from where crude oil is exported toEurope and the Americas.
(2) Refineries
Three large-scale refineries are located along thepipelines that traverse the country in the north-south
direction. From the south, they are the Basra Refinery(140,000 b/d), the Daura Refinery (140,000 b/d), and theBaiji Refinery (310,000 b/d). As cities in Iraq are scattered
like islands in the desert, the refineries supply oil products
in response to demands in major cities in their vicinity,
such as Basra, Baghdad, and Baiji. Other cities situated at
farther distances from these refineries receive supplies ofoil products from small-scale (10,000 b/d) skid-mounted
refineries built in their environs. Their feedstock is mostly
Basra Light Crude and Kirkuk Crude.
(3) Supply and demand for oil products
Refineries in Iraq have suffered serious damage fromthe series of wars and the economic sanctions imposedon the country during those wars, and have not yet been

fully repaired. The country’s nominal refining capacity is830,000 b/d, but its actual refining capacity is estimatedas 510,000 b/d, which causes a constant shortage of oil
products.
However, with a gradual improvement in security,
the country’s economy has begun to show signs ofrecovery, and demand for oil products and gasoline, inparticular, has begun to grow so much so that domestic
refineries alone are unable to provide sufficient supplies.
To compensate for the shortage, the country is relying onimports, but the cost of importing roughly 2 million ton/year of oil products (corresponding to approx. 1.5 billion
USD) is weighing heavily on the national economy.
(4) Plan for increasing future refining capacity
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil is taking measures tostrengthen the country’s self-sufficiency of oil products.
At existing refineries, it is increasing gasoline production
capacity by introducing FCC/RFCC units and othercracking units. It is also planning to construct state-ofthe-art refineries equipped with large-scale cracking units
in the four major cities of Karbala (Karbala Refinery,
140,000 b/d), Al-Nassiriya (Al-Nassiriya Refinery,
300,000 b/d), Maissan (Maissan Refinery, 150,000 b/d),

TabrizDiyarbakir

Ceyhan Export
Terminal

Maras

Kirkuk Oilfields

Adana
Gaziantep

MersinMosul

Kirkuk Refinery(new) 150,000 b/d
Baiji Refinery(existing) 310,000 b/d

Nicosia

Iraq

Syria

Maissan Oilfields

BeirutLebanonDamascus

Tel Aviv-Yafo
Amman
Jerusalem

IsraelJordanDaura Refinery(existing) 140,000 b/d

BaghdadMaissan Refinery(new) 150,000 b/d

Basra Oilfields

Karbala Refinery(new) 14,000 b/d

Ahvaz

Al-Nassiriya Refinery(new) 300,000 b/d

Basra

KuwaitBasra Refinery(existing) 140,000 b/d

Map created using FLand-Ale Japan-World Map

Oil situation in Iraq

18 • Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

KuwaitBasra Export
Terminal

and Kirkuk (Kirkuk Refinery, 150,000 b/d). Once thesefour refineries are completed, the Ministry will havesufficient capacities to fulfill its domestic demands andintends to sequentially decommission the small-scale
skid-mounted refineries.
Because Iraq has large amounts of heavy crude oilwith an API gravity of 28 or lower, the Ministry of Oilplans to mainly export its lighter crude oils such as Basra
Light Crude and Kirkuk Crude, and to process heavier
crude oils at the new refineries. This means that a large
burden will be placed on heavy oil cracking units, andthat advanced technologies will be needed.
Iraq has lost opportunities to keep up with technicalinnovation on account of the prolonged wars. Therefore,
it has urgent needs for advanced technologies and large
amounts of funds to accomplish its goal of constructing
refineries of considerable scale and to take them tothe level of stable operations in a matter of several
years. Based on this awareness, the Ministry of Oil isrequesting technical cooperation from foreign countries
in introducing oil upgrading units at its existing refineries
and in designing, constructing, and operating its newrefineries. It is also seeking foreign investment to raise
construction funds.

2. Purpose of the Invitation
The purpose of the invitation was to exchange
information with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil on its plans forrehabilitation of existing refineries and the installationof new facilities in the four refineries slated to beconstructed, and to exchange views on Iraq’s futureneeds for technical cooperation. The members were also
invited to visit the refineries and research institutes ofrepresentative oil companies in Japan to gain exposure
to Japan’s heavy oil cracking technologies.

3. Agenda in Japan
November 29
JCCP Committee for the Survey of Oil
Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries
On November 29, the Iraqi delegation attended
a meeting of the Committee for the Survey of Oil
Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries heldin the 57th floor conference room at JCCP Headquarters,
and exchanged information with the committee on the
projects for rehabilitation of existing refineries andconstruction of new refineries.

At JCCP Headquarters (Nov. 29)

The committee consisted of Mr. Koji Hotta (Advisor,
Cosmo Research Institute) as chairperson; Mr. Masaaki
Itoi (Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.); Mr. Masashi Onishi(Cosmo Research Institute); Mr. Takaaki Koide (JX
Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation); and Mr. Shuichi
Funatsu (JGC Corporation). Several members from the
JCCP secretariat also attended the meeting, including
H. Tanda, General Manager, Planning; M. Kitahara,Manager, Planning and Public Relations; and M.
Maejima, Assistant Manager.
The main point of the discussion was as follows:
The Ministry intends to export its lighter crude oils suchas Basra Light Crude and Kirkuk Crude as a source of
foreign currency revenue, and to process its heavier crude
oils at the four refineries that it plans to construct soon.
This requires the introduction of heavy oil upgrading
units to the new refineries. To construct the new refineries
equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, the Ministry
is inviting foreign technologies and funds.
November 30
Visit to the Head Office of JGC Corporation(Yokohama City, Kanagawa)
On November 30, the delegation visited the head
office of JGC Corporation in Yokohama City, Kanagawa.
There they received an explanation of the world’s
upgrading processes in terms of their characteristics, suchas catalytic processes and thermal cracking processes,
from Mr. Shuichi Funatsu, Associate Executive Officer
and Deputy General Manager of Engineering Division(and a member of the JCCP Committee for the Survey of
Oil Downstream Industries in Oil-producing Countries),and process engineers, from the perspective of anengineering company.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 19

asked pointed questions about detailed aspects of
upgrading operations.

At JGC Corporation (Nov. 30)

December 1
Visit to Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.’s Chiba Refinery(Ichihara City, Chiba)
On December 1, the delegation members visited
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.’s Chiba Refinery, where they
were welcomed by Mr. Shigeru Tamura, Deputy General
Manager of the Refinery, Mr. Masayuki Wakabayashi,
General Manager of the Technology Training Center,and refinery staff members. After learning about thebackground to the introduction of heavy oil upgrading
units at Idemitsu and receiving an overview of theunits and the technical support framework of therefinery, the members observed the operations of an
actual atmospheric residue desulphurization (ARDS)
unit and FCC unit in the refinery, and in the afternoon
toured the catalyst evaluation bench plants inside theAdvanced Technologies Research Laboratories. Basedon their broad knowledge of various heavy oil upgrading
processes employed throughout the world, the members

December 2
Visit to the Research and Development Center of
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Satte City, Saitama)
On December 2, the members visited the Researchand Development Center of Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. in
Satte City, Saitama, and received a warm welcome from
Mr. Masaaki Kawatsuki, General Manager, and staff
members. The R&D Center supports the operations of
Cosmo Oil’s refineries by evaluating and developing
catalysts. The staff members gave a brief presentationon the characteristics of catalysts developed by the R&D
Center, and introduced the catalyst pre-production andevaluation unit that they actually use.
The staff members lectured that technical support
for catalysts, processes, and maintenance is important
to ensuring continuous operations of large-scale refinery
equipment such as FCC units and ARDS units, andemphasized the need for oil companies to develop atechnical service framework.

At Cosmo Oil’s Research and Development Center (Dec. 2)

At Idemitsu Kosan’s Chiba Refinery (Dec. 1)

20 • Topics •December 3
Visit to the Negishi Refinery and Central TechnicalResearch Laboratory of JX Nippon Oil & Energy
Corporation (Yokohama City, Kanagawa)On December 3, the delegation visited the Negishi
Refinery of JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation in
Yokohama City, Kanagawa in the morning, and thecompany’s Central Technical Research Laboratory in
the afternoon. At the refinery, they were warmly greetedby Mr. Hitoshi Nakamura, Deputy General Manager,
Negishi Refinery. After receiving a brief presentation

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

on JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation’s heavy oil
upgrading technologies, the delegation members toured
the refinery. At the research laboratory, they werewelcomed by Mr. Chikanori Nakaoka, Group Manager,
Catalysis R&D Group, Fuel Research Laboratory,
Research & Development Division, and other staff
members, who gave an overview of their catalyst
development and evaluation activities and provided atour of the catalyst evaluation bench plant and otherresearch facilities.

time apply them to improving future JCCP training andtechnical cooperation programs.

At JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation’s Negishi Refinery(Dec. 3)The Iraqi delegation spent a short but busy week inJapan, actively relaying the refinery situation in Iraq to
JCCP members while also absorbing Japan’s refining
technologies. We intend to review the informationexchanged with the delegation, and encourage futurecooperation with them.
Detailed results of the information exchange with
the Iraqi Ministry of Oil will be provided in the FY2010
Report on the Survey of Oil Downstream Industries in
Oil-producing Countries.

4. Requests from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil
As a result of the Iraqi delegation’s visit to Japan,
the Iraqi Ministry of Oil made the following requests to
JCCP. We will reply to the Ministry upon consultation
with the Committee for the Survey of Oil Downstream
Industries in Oil-producing Countries, and at the same

– The Ministry wishes young staff members to acquire
professional knowledge of heavy oil upgrading
processes, because in order to design, construct,and operate refineries for heavy oil upgrading in
Iraq, it is necessary to increase the number of people
who possess deep understanding of upgrading
technologies.
– The Ministry wishes to provide its operators
technical training in refinery operations, so that they
can become capable of operating state-of-the-art
upgrading processes based on proper knowledge ofthe process principle, equipment structures, chemicalengineering, and basic unit operations.
– Existing refineries in Iraq are equipped withlubricant production units, but these units need tobe modernized. The Ministry thus seeks training toacquire the latest technologies in the production of
lubricants.

<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Topics • 21

Topics

Total Number of Training Participants
Surpasses 20,000
We are proud to announce that JCCP has reachedanother milestone in its 29th year of establishment
when it received the 20,000th participant to a regularcourse. Mr. Muhsen Abdullah Hussain, an engineer
who works in the Technical Service Department at
the Shuaiba Refinery of Kuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC), participated in the course on “Quality
Management of Refinery Products” (TR-19-10) whichbegan on February 8, and became the commemorative
20,000th participant.
Since its establishment in November 1981, JCCP
has continued to offer an average of 25 JCCP-initiatedregular courses and member company courses every
year, and has invited large numbers of participantsfrom oil-producing countries in the effort to promoteexchanges of oil downstream technologies between
Japan and oil-producing countries. Many of the 20,000
participants who have taken part in a JCCP training
program in the past have gone on to assume important
posts in governmental institutions and oil companies intheir respective countries and are taking active leadershiproles in the oil downstream sector in oil-producing
countries. These people are also playing importantroles in supporting Japanese operations in oil-producing
countries, based on their knowledge and understandingof Japan. Mr. Ahmad S. Al Jamez, Deputy Managing
Director of the Shuaiba Refinery where Mr. Hussain
works, is also a past participant of JCCP.
Mr. Hussain is a bearer of KNPC’s future. We hope
he will introduce what he has learned of Japanesetechnologies and culture through JCCP training to
Kuwait and, with his advanced understanding of Japan,
we hope he will eventually rise to the top managementof the company.
Through the past 29 years, JCCP has been able
to receive a steady stream of participants from oilproducing countries to its training programs owing
to the oil-producing countries’ kind understanding aswell as expectations of JCCP, and also owing to thegenerous cooperation of JCCP members companies
and cooperating companies in Japan. To respond to the
expectations of oil-producing countries, we will continue
implementing training programs that respond to theirneeds and will devote our further efforts to promoting
personnel and technical exchanges with oil-producing
countries.

Mr. Muhsen A. Hussain, the 20,000th participant

Message from Mr. Muhsen Abdullah Hussain (KNPC / Kuwait)
First, I would like to thank you for this honor of becoming the commemorative 20,000th participant. It fills me with prideand great pleasure to have been nominated and accepted to participate in the “Quality Management of Refinery Products”
course organized by such an esteemed organization as Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP). The course provided
intensive training about Japanese culture, work ethic, quality control standards, and the latest equipment in Japan, and has
been even more delightful than I had expected.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my special thanks to Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director, and particularly
to JCCP coordinators/lecturers Messrs. Yuasa and Takahashi for their consistent support in making this program a success.
I also wish to extend my special thanks to the JCCP staff who have worked so hard to make sure our stay in Japan is as
comfortable and educational as possible. Last, but not least, I wish to thank all my colleagues for demonstrating great
teamwork, which made this experience both exciting and fulfilling.

22 • Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Personnel
Exchange

New Regular Course on“Turnaround and Inspection”
The Middle East countries have long been working
to increase equipment reliability in their refineries andto reduce conservation costs, and have recently turned
to JCCP to provide training in the actual practices ofplanning and implementing turnaround maintenance inJapan’s refineries.
In response to this request, a new course titled“Turnaround and Inspection” (IT-1-10) was designed
and offered for the first time this fiscal year to middlelevel mechanical engineers in departments in charge ofturnaround maintenance and daily maintenance, whohave five years or more experience working in a refinery,or who have equivalent or higher qualifications. The
course ran for a net of ten days, from November 29 to
December 10, 2010.

1. Lectures and Offsite Training
Drastic changes that are recently occurring in external
environment factors, such as the rise of crude oil prices
and increased foreign exchange risks, and the declining
domestic demand for oil are weighing heavily on oil
companies in Japan. To increase their competitiveness,these companies are now placing management resourceson measures for increasing the operating rates of existing
facilities and improving their efficiency and productivity.
Under this situation, turnaround maintenance, which isprescribed and obligated by law in Japan, is becoming
an important management issue.
In keeping with the reality of the oil industry inJapan, the new course was designed to provide bestpractices in turnaround maintenance, including points
for consideration, work process management, and risk
management at the planning, implementation, andstartup stages after turnaround maintenance, as well as
training in the latest conservation technologies. Throughthese best practices and knowledge of technologies that
help improve facility productivity and efficiency andensure low-cost, high-quality maintenance management,
the course aimed to enhance the management ofmaintenance plans that place importance on preventive
maintenance, reliability, and equipment upgrading.
We created the course program around the following

Participants of the course

topics and issues, and selected appropriate companies
and organizations to provide practical training.
(1) Lectures
1) Outline of Petroleum Industry in Japan
2) Planning and Execution Management of
Turnaround Maintenance & Inspection in
Japanese Refineries
3) Maintenance Technology and Human Resource
Development of Contractor(2) Practical training
1) Latest Maintenance Technologies and Responses
to Maintenance Management Overseas
2) Overhaul Technologies for Boilers and Other
Static Equipment
3) Introduction and the Latest in Non-destructive
Inspection Technologies
4) Reliability Improvement and the Latest
Technologies in Rotary Machinery and
Pressure Vessels5) Latest Maintenance Technologies of a Plant
Maintenance Company
6) Promotional Framework and Case Examplesof Maintenance Planning & Scheduling in the
Refinery

2. Participants
A total of 15 people from ten countries mainly in the
Middle East were selected to participate in the course,
giving preference to those who engage in or have

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 23

relevance to turnaround maintenance work. Additionally,
to provide a wide forum for mutually sharing knowledge
and experience, participants were selected from various
age groups—four were in their 20s, seven in their 30s,
three in their 40s, and one in the 50s.

3. Results
3.1 Lectures at JCCP
The lecture on “Outline of Petroleum Industry inJapan” provided an overview of the situation surrounding
the oil industry in Japan, and “Planning and Execution
Management of Turnaround Maintenance & Inspectionin Japanese Refineries” introduced general maintenanceactivities and their objectives and practices, and outlined
the certification system that obligates periodical
maintenance. The latter lecture also presented caseexamples of accidents that have occurred in petroleum
complexes as a result of causes related to turnaroundmaintenance, introduced Total Productive Management(TPM) activities as an effective tool for maintenance, andexplained the importance of voluntary efforts in daily
maintenance activities.
The lecture on “Maintenance Technology and
Human Resource Development of Contractor” wasgiven by Mr. Inadome and Mr. Yoshimura from Sankyu
Inc. They lectured on maintenance technologies andhuman resource development from the standpoint of amaintenance company. After explaining the company’s
human resource development system for maintenancemanagers in Japan and abroad, Mr. Yoshimura used caseexamples to discuss the company’s role in improving thetechnical capabilities of maintenance staff. In particular,
the case example he presented on a competition for
welding engineers captured the strong attention of theparticipants, many of whom asked whether engineersfrom their countries could also participate in it.
By having spent almost a year discussing andpreparing this lecture content, the lecture of Sankyu Inc.
presented deep knowledge in an effective manner, andeffectively promoted participants’ understanding of theworkings of a contractor.
3.2 Training at a Refinery and Factories(1) JGC Corporation, Head Office:“Latest Maintenance Technologies andResponses to Maintenance Management
Overseas”
The staff of JGC Corporation first talked about the

24 • Personnel Exchange Programs •company’s commitment to ensuring proper turnaroundmaintenance of refineries and facilities as a contractor,
and presented an overview of turnaround maintenanceactivities. They then described the company’s activities
in the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) sector abroad,in terms of their distinct characteristics. The participants
showed strong interest in the asset management
inspection maintenance system which JGC is currently
developing, and even expressed their wish to consider
adopting the system at each company. A lecture also
covered the company’s support system for contemplating
HSE risk management, plant life extension program, andan outline of its noise and vibration diagnosis system.
As a whole, the training at JGC Corporation provided
a general understanding of the attitude and efforts
regarding turnaround maintenance by contractors.
(2) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Yokohama
Machinery Works Kanazawa Plant:“Overhaul Technologies for Boilers and Other
Static Equipment”
The staff of Yokohama Machinery Works Kanazawa
Plant gave a lecture on typical boiler troubles that
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has experienced in thepast and their countermeasures, using many examples
and an easy-to-understand textbook. Actual samples on
display in an exhibit room provided direct reference toexample trouble cases, and brought beneficial effects
to the training.
(3) Non-Destructive Inspection Co., Ltd., Head
Office and Laboratory:“Introduction and the Latest in Non-destructive
Inspection Technologies”
Non-destructive inspection is considered the mostimportant method of facility inspection and diagnosis,
and is indispensable to the planning and implementation

Training at Non-Destructive Inspection Co., Ltd.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

of turnaround maintenance. As the largest company of
its kind in Japan, Non-Destructive Inspection Company
plays a prominent role in various inspection technologies.
For this new course, staff members of the company
provided detailed and easy-to-understand explanationsof the latest non-destructive inspection technologies,
with a focus on methods for detecting welding defects
and corrosion. Hands-on training was also provided
using actual machines and samples simulating various
situations, to demonstrate the high precision of thesemachines. Furthermore, an opportunity to observe theresearch facility where the latest technologies are being
developed rounded out the well-organized program thatwas highly appreciated by all participants.
(4) Kobe Steel, Ltd., Takasago Works:“Reliability Improvement and the Latest
Technologies in Rotary Machinery and Pressure
Vessels”
Lectures were given on the structures and applicationsof compressor types manufactured by Kobe Steel(reciprocal, screw, and centrifugal compressors), andelicited many questions from the participants, many ofwhom have strong interest in Kobe Steel compressors
because they actually use them in their country. They
especially seemed to appreciate the troubleshooting
section that was included in their handout as extremely
helpful, although it was not covered in detail in thelecture. The lecture on pressure vessels enhanced general
understanding by using an introductory video that has justrecently been produced, and also provided knowledge of
key technical details in an easy-to-understand manner.
In addition to the lectures, staff members of Takasago
Works responded readily to each and every question theparticipants posed, even during the tour of the pressure
vessel production site, and established good rapport withthe participants.
(5) Shinko Plantech, Isogo Factory:“Latest Maintenance Technologies of a Plant
Maintenance Company”
From the standpoint of a maintenance company,
the staff of Isogo Factory gave a detailed lecture on
elemental technologies that are needed in each stage ofturnaround maintenance. Beginning with an overview
of the planning, implementation, and re-startup stagesof turnaround maintenance, they then defined in detailthe roles and responsibilities of the Japanese-ownerside and the maintenance company. The content waspresented in such a way that it allowed the participants
to easily make comparisons with the situation in theirown countries. The staff then discussed important
maintenance work procedures by taking the flange as an
example, and “visualized” the explanation by providing
a demonstration of an actual flange-tightening task in
the worksite. Following this, they led the participants toa laboratory where various troubles are analyzed using
analysis equipment and machine property measuring
instruments, and provided an overview of trouble cases
relating to materials and welding and their analyses.
Actual demonstrations, such as of SEM+EDS analysis,
destruction surface monitoring, Charpy impact test, andweld bending test, helped facilitate understanding of
the significance of maintenance technologies. Lastly,a brief explanation was given of the databank that isbeing created by the High Pressure Gas Safety Instituteof Japan. All in all, the training at Isogo Factory was
highly informative and well arranged, and was highly
appreciated by the participants.
(6) Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Chiba Refinery:“Promotional Framework and Case Examplesof Maintenance Planning & Scheduling in the
Refinery”
The staff of Chiba Refinery gave a lecture thatdetailed the organizational framework of the refinery andthe role of each department in turnaround maintenancemanagement, as well as clarified the relationship androle of contractors. They also gave an explanation of
turnaround maintenance periods in relation to laws andregulations in Japan, and described step-by-step theprocess of turnaround maintenance using photographs.
At the refinery worksite, the staff showed the participants
the original copy of a P&I-based turnaround maintenanceplanning and implementation manual which the
Operations Division took the initiative in promoting,and described the steps involved in the management of

At the Chiba Refinery of Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 25

turnaround maintenance activities, from the preparation
stage to the implementation, completion inspection, andrestart stages. The meticulous care and attention involvedin turnaround maintenance at the refinery seemed toimpress the participants. In particular, matters regarding
production site confirmation, which have high relevanceto the participants’ own duties, elicited strong interestand questions, and sparked active discussions.

4. Participants’ Evaluation of the Course
Upon completion of training at each of the above
companies and facilities, participants were asked to fillin an evaluation form on the relevant program.
The overall evaluation of the course content andlevel was positive. To further improve the course, there
were some suggestions to present a larger number ofcase examples, and to consider the involvement also of
departments in charge of reliability.
Evaluations for course management were high. Mostof the participants said the course was relevant to theirown duties, and that it would benefit them after theirreturn to their countries.
Feedback from the participants included the following
points. We will consider them as reference for improving
the course for next year.
• Some lecturers need to improve their Englishspeaking ability.
• The course should be extended by a few days inorder to effectively cover all of the lectures that wereactually given in the course.
• Contents regarding the scope and planning of
turnaround maintenance could be enhanced.
• Please provide practical training at an actual sitewhere turnaround maintenance is being performed,
if possible.
• Please consider including a discussion session withdepartments in charge of reliability improvement.

5. Observations
This “Turnaround and Inspection” course was offered
for the first time after a preparatory period of almosta year discussing and consulting with cooperatingcompanies regarding the training content. To distinguishit from the existing “Maintenance Management” course
and to avoid providing only a generalized knowledgeof the subject matter, we encouraged the cooperatingcompanies to focus solely on issues related to turnaroundmaintenance. Judging by the results, we believe we haveachieved this goal.
The next time we offer this course, we will consider
allotting an entire day to examining case studies. We
will also consider inviting interested staff members fromcooperating companies to attend the case study session
so that effective discussions could be held on the spot.
As a distinctive feature of an intensive course, we need
to offer opportunities for deeper and more specialized
discussions on specific topics than regular courses.
The lecturers of training at the refinery and factories
are professionals who have been selected to represent thetechnical expertise of their respective companies, but toestablish even better communication with participants, wemight consider asking someone who both speaks English
and has technical knowledge to sit in on the lectures orengaging the services of a language interpreter.
We have been able to finish the new course
successfully owing to the strong support of cooperatingcompanies. We were also blessed with outstanding
participants from diverse countries, and enjoyed sharing
and discussing various issues with them. We will lend
an ear to their proposals for improving the course in the
future, and will strive to develop the course into one thatis even more beneficial to all JCCP participants.
<by Fumihiro Tone, Training Dept.>

26 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Personnel
Exchange

CPO Seminar on “Refinery Offsite
Operations” Held at PETROBRAS
1. Backgroundmanagement, blending treatment, quality control, anddelivery of oil products.

This seminar was implemented in response to a strong
request made by a participant from Brazil’s state-run oil
company, PETROBRAS, who participated in a regularcourse in 2008. The request was for a seminar, to be held
in Brazil, that would provide PETROBRAS employees
an overview of recent developments and information
relating to refinery offsite departments in Japanese oilcompanies.

2. Seminar Overview
A five-day seminar was organized to be held from
August 30 to September 3, 2010, in a training room at
PETROBRAS University, located in Rio de Janeiro.
The team of lecturers included K. Kojima from JCCP
(Training Dept.); and from outside companies, Mr.
Yukinori Kawashima from Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Head
Office Technology Dept.), Mr. Tetsuo Nagayama
from JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Head
Office Overseas Operations Dept.), and Mr. Hisamichi
Kobayashi from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Operations
Section, Tokuyama Refinery). Lectures mainly covered
the flow of oil products in the refinery and offsite
operations in general, such as tank storage, inventory

3. Details
On the first day, lectures were given on Japan’s oil
industry in general and the global energy situation. The
first lecture mainly covered the importance of securing
stable oil supplies to Japan and the unique characteristicsof the oil industry in Japan, in reference to differences
between Japan and Brazil, with Japan being an oilconsuming country with private oil companies, andBrazil being an oil-producing country with state-run
oil company. The second lecture covered a number ofissues of worldwide concern, including global warming,
environmental issues, and the future outlook of primaryenergy demand.
On the second day, a lecture was given on general
aspects of refinery offsite departments, with a focus on
the organization and role of offsite departments, theirrelationship with the head office, and their position
within the refinery. Questions from the participants
centered on refinery organization and framework,
emergency contact systems, employee training, andhuman resource development.
On the third day, a lecture was given on tank layout

Participants of the seminar

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 27

in the refinery and the maintenance and inspection oftanks and pipelines. In addition to providing a basic
understanding of tank layout, the lecture also covered
the principles of setting tank volumes for crude oil, semifinished products, products, and of setting capacities
at docks and tanker shipment terminals. Many of thequestions from the participants were regarding quality
maintenance and measures in Japan, particularly in
relation to corrosion and leakage found during pipelinemaintenance and inspection. The large differencesin the environmental and geographical conditions ofrefineries between Brazil and Japan seemed to stimulate
participants’ interest in the quality managementof products and the maintenance management ofpipelines.
On the fourth day, a number of lectures were given on
the efficiency and safety of product shipment; productblending and quality assurance; and strategies and thereality of stockpiling crude oil, semi-finished products,
and products. These lectures highlighted TPM and othersafety activities, environmental initiatives, and grievanceresolution in the refinery. The participants’ questions
were strongly concentrated on TPM activities andemployees’ interactions with management in Japaneseoil companies.
On the fifth day, a lecture was given on production
plan optimization and loss management in offsite
areas. The participants noted that PETROBRAS has
established a department dedicated to optimizationto actively explore actual optimization methods andpractices, and will be directing further resources tooptimization in the future.

4. Summary
The seminar enjoyed a large turnout, with some 40

Seminar scene

participants from refineries throughout Brazil. Although
it took several hours for many of the participants toreach the seminar venue, with the country being so
incomparably larger than Japan, they were nonethelessmore than willing to make the trip to acquire Japan’s
technologies and knowledge. In the final evaluation
form, many participants indicated their wish toparticipate in a customized program in Japan (CPJ),
so we hope to realize their wish in the near future andorganize a program that could benefit a large numberof participants.
PETROBRAS is the largest comprehensive oilcompany in the southern hemisphere and one of thelargest energy companies in the world, but in thedownstream sector they are still in the developing stages.
JCCP therefore wishes to provide ongoing cooperation
through these seminars.
For three of the four Japanese lecturers, this wastheir first trip to Brazil. Despite some jet lag, we wereable to complete the seminar successfully with thesupport and cooperation of the seminar staff memberson the PETROBRAS side, we were able to complete
the seminar successfully. For this we are truly gratefulto PETROBRAS.
<by Kazuo Kojima, Training Dept.>

28 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Personnel
Exchange

CPO Seminar on “Human Resource
Development” Held at Saudi Aramco
A Customized Program-Overseas(CPO) on “Human Resource Development”
was held from October 9 to 13, 2010, at the
Yanbu Refinery in Saudi Arabia.

1. Background
This seminar was realized in response
to a request from a participant of a regularcourse on “Training Management” (TRParticipants of the seminar after the closing ceremony
17-10) implemented in December 2009.
The participant, a manager in charge oftraining in the Yanbu NGL Fractionation Department at focused on “creating a Kaizen mind” as a perspective
Saudi Aramco, made the request after returning to Saudi of training-related programs. The third and fourth days
Arabia and obtaining the approval of his company. JCCP featured a seminar on training theories by Professor
obliged, and this became the first seminar on human Tanaka, and the last day was devoted to an introduction
resources to be held in Saudi Arabia.
of the personnel system employed by JGC Corporationand its corporate training activities. Finally, the seminar
ended with a closing ceremony.
2. Lecturers
Mr. Hiromasa Tanaka (Professor, Meisei University)
Mr. Hideki Otsuka (Human Affairs Dept., JGC Corp.)
Mr. Akio Hoshino (Training Dept., JCCP)

3. Seminar Overview
The seminar was held over a five-day period.
Following an opening seminar, a lecture on “Japanesestyle HRM and Corporate Training” was held on thisday and half of the next, and provided an overview of
HRM and HRD issues. The latter half of the second day
was spent on a lecture titled “Kaizen General,” which

Opening speech by the director of the Yanbu NGL
Fractionation Department

4. Details of the Seminar[Day 1 and first half of Day 2]“Japanese-style HRM and Corporate Training”
The seminar began with an opening speech by Mr.
Mohammad N. Al-Naghash, Director of the Yanbu NGL
Fractionation Department.
Then, a lecture was given for a day and a half on
Japanese-style HRM and corporate training, divided into
the following four parts.
(Part 1) History of Japan and the Japanese mentality(Part 2) Japanese-style organizational teamwork
and the substance of Japan’s high economic
growth(Part 3) Characteristics of Japan’s human resources
and the reality of corporate training(Part 4) Recent changes in Japanese society andcompanies and future corporate training
issuesThroughout the lecture, there were many questions
and comments from the participants, which at times
developed into active discussions among them and set
the tone for a highly successful program.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 29

[Latter half of Day 2]“Kaizen General”
The goal of this lecture is to provide knowledge ofthe Kaizen concept and the unique Kaizen mind of theJapanese people. It explained the process of introducing
Kaizen activities, the “5S” method of achieving Kaizen,
and “The Toyota Way” as an example of the result of
accumulating Kaizen efforts, to examine what is needed
to establish a “Kaizen mind” in the workplace. Most of
the participants seemed new to the principles presented
and listened to the lecture with strong interest, in theircapacities as refinery trainers and managers.
One of the participants noted that the Kaizen concept
is similar to the “Six Sigma” strategy he learned about
in a previous training program and asked to be allowed
to introduce it, so the lecture was suspended for several
minutes while the participant introduced the strategy tothe other participants.
[Days 3 and 4]“Training Program Planning and General Training
Theories”
This lecture is a regular program of the JCCP course
on Training Management, which is given by Professor
Hiromasa Tanaka of Meisei University over two days.
It introduces the comprehensive knowledge needed to
implement education and training, including survey
methods for training needs, training program designing,and evaluation of training results. Owing in part toProfessor Tanaka’s proficiency in English, the lecture
was a very well-received and high-level program that
captured the participants’ strong interest.
[Day 5]“Personnel Management System and Training
System in an Engineering Company”
The lecture began with an overview of the personnel
system at JGC Corporation with a focus on thecompany’s current salary and evaluation systems, andalso covered employees’ career path structure in theengineering company. After the first four days of lectureson an overview of HRD and training theories, this was
the only lecture that introduced the reality of corporate
training in specific terms.
After all of the programs were completed, theseminar closed with a closing speech by Mr. Husain
M. Asiri, Operations Division Superintendent, Yanbu
NGL Fractionation Department, and the presentationof completion certificates by A. Hoshino.

30 • Personnel Exchange Programs •5. Summary(1) The group of participants comprised 24 highlevel employees above superintendent level and below
manager level in charge of training. They came to Yanbu
to attend the seminar from Saudi Aramco’s head office
and its refineries and terminals located throughout Saudi
Arabia. From the beginning to the end of the seminar,
they displayed earnest attitudes and frequently asked
questions, raised new issues, and sought the lecturers’
opinions. As mentioned earlier, their questions andcomments at times stimulated active discussions among
themselves.
(2) We assumed that the Middle East countries, andparticularly Saudi Arabia, are much more “Americanized”
than Japan. Therefore, we thought that an (Americanstyle) “performance-based work environment” hadalready taken root in Saudi Arabia, compared to Japan,
because it was only about ten years ago that Japanesecompanies began reviewing their seniority system,
which had been an important factor in Japan’s rapid
economic growth. In this respect, we were worried
whether information concerning present personnel
systems in Japan would provide helpful knowledge to
Saudi Arabia.
There was no need to worry, however, as theparticipants gave full and concentrated attention to
the lectures on Japanese-style HRM and HRD, which
seemed to capture their interest as new concepts. In
addition to raising many questions and expressing theirviews, they also engaged in active discussions among
themselves. Moreover, practically all participants took
an active part in the seminar—whereas in most cases
only a certain handful of participants engage in this typeof active behavior—and demonstrated the high levelof Saudi Aramco’s employees and their outstanding
English skills.

Discussions during a lecture presentation

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Small seminar at Yanbu Industrial College

6. Small Seminar at Yanbu Industrial
College
The team of Japanese lecturers gave a special small
seminar at Yanbu Industrial College, a regional college
located in Yanbu City, on the night of the fourth day ofthe seminar. The faculty and students of the college, as
well as HR managers from local companies, were invited
to attend. It was held in response to a separate requestfrom Saudi Aramco based on the wishes of the university
aiming to achieve globalization.
Held in a large auditorium at the university, the seminardrew an audience of more than 100 faculty members,
students, and other interested parties. After A. Hoshino
and Prof. Tanaka gave short presentations, a surprisingnumber of people took part in the subsequent Q&A
session. The two major questions were the following.
(1) How do Japanese companies retain outstanding
personnel?
(2) What are the differences between an
individualism-oriented organization and a
teamwork-oriented organization?
There were more questions than could be answeredin the allotted time of the seminar, and because ofthis, many participants came up to the podium to ask
questions after the close of the seminar. They mainly
asked the following (replies omitted).
(1) What is the best way to create teamwork?

Students asking many questions after the seminar(2) How is Japan able to treasure its traditional
culture while at the same time developing
modern scientific technologies?
(3) What is important to continuing Kaizen?
The lecturers were impressed with the participants’pure drive and enthusiasm that was clearly evident intheir eyes and behavior, qualities we are seeing less ofin Japan today. With a large population of such young
people, Saudi Arabia is certain to develop into an evengreater power.

7. Observations
Yanbu, the city we visited for the seminar, is situatedon the western coast of Saudi Arabia, north of Mecca
and Jeddah, facing the Red Sea. It is a regional city
comprising a large industrial zone, which has developed
from its origin as Saudi Aramco’s shipping terminal, andquiet towns. This was the Japanese lecturers’ first visit to
Saudi Arabia, and it exposed us to a world of Islam thatis unlike that of other Middle East countries.
After the seminar, we visited JGC Gulf International,
a local subsidiary of JGC Corporation located on theeastern cost of the country in Al-Khobar, to hold an
exchange of information. The sight of the large city thatdiffered from Yanbu opened our eyes to another aspectof Saudi Arabia.
<by Akio Hoshino, Training Dept.>

Prof. Hiromasa Tanaka, Meisei University

Mr. Hideki Otsuka, JGC Corporation

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

A. Hoshino, JCCP

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 31

Personnel
Exchange

CPO Seminar on“Maintenance Management” Held at
Khartoum Refining Company
1. Background
Sudan began exporting crude oil in 2000, and hassince increased its export volume yearly, to become acrude oil exporter on par with Indonesia and Vietnam
today, in terms of countries outside of the Middle
East. Nile Blend, its principal product, is well known
as a low-sulfur, extremely high-quality crude oil, andcontributes to Japan’s stable supply of crude oil. Basedon this relationship between Sudan and Japan, JCCP has
already received some 20 participants from Sudan to its
regular courses since participation of the first Sudaneseparticipant in October 2009.
Last July, when Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive
Director of JCCP, made an official visit to Sudan, he
met with Mr. Salah H. Wahbi, President and CEO of
SUDAPET, and reconfirmed the significance of building
a mutually cooperative relationship between the twoorganizations. As the first step, a Customized ProgramOverseas (CPO) on refinery maintenance management
was held (Jan. 17 – 20, 2011) in response to a requestfrom the Khartoum Refining Company (KRC).

2. Seminar Overview
The seminar was designed as follows to incorporate
all contents requested by KRC.
Day 1: Maintenance management in Japaneserefineries (rotary machines)
Day 2: Inspection and diagnosis of rotary machines
in the refineryDay 3: Management of industrial water used in therefineryDay 4: Maintenance management in Japaneserefineries (static equipment)
Lecturers were given by two lecturers from JCCP’s
Training Department (S. Miyawaki and K. Saito) andtwo outside experts, Mr. Shigeto Nishi from Hitachi
Plant Technologies, Ltd. and Mr. Takashi Suzuki fromthe Suzuki Technology Office.
The seminar took place at the KRC Training Center,located adjacent to the Khartoum Refinery. As a state32 • Personnel Exchange Programs •In front of the KRC Training Centerof-the-art training facility designed exclusively for therefinery, it is outfitted with the latest functions andequipment, including a projector screen that doubled asa writing board, and provided the optimum environment
for implementation of the seminar. Owing to theforesight and detailed attention of Mr. Eltayeb Koko
Mousa, Manager, KRC Training Department, the facility
also boasts a complete array of audio-visual training
equipment.
With the seminar being the first of its kind to beheld at KRC, Mr. Ali A. Rahman Mohamed, Deputy
General Manager of KRC, personally expressed his
warm welcome and high expectations of the seminarto the Japanese lecturers on the day before the seminar.
He especially noted the following: KRC’s wish to learn
from Japan’s best examples for the future developmentof Sudan; its expectations of JCCP’s various training
programs, including courses on the latest advanced
technologies; its aim to become a model nextgeneration refinery as a key refinery mandated with the
responsibility of supplying oil products, the “blood of
the industry”; and its urgent need to develop Sudanese

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Lecture scenes from Day 1 (upper left), Day 2 (upper right),
Day 3 (lower left), and Day 4 (lower right)

engineers who will support the next generation. This all
seemed to indicate the entire nation’s strong expectationsof the role of KRC in realizing the country’s future
development potential.
The first half of the seminar centered on topics related
to the maintenance management of rotary machines, theheart of safe and stable operations in the refinery, and wasattended mainly by mechanical engineers having strong
interest in the subject, as expected. Many of the questions
raised by the participants during the lectures had to dowith specific concerns of the maintenance managers
themselves in their respective areas. For example, they
asked about the significance of communication between
maintenance managers and operations engineers in therefinery, and about the implementation and examplesof improvement measures in their actual duties. Suchquestions are also frequently asked in JCCP regularcourses, because there is a particularly strong needfor maintenance management of replacement partsfor refinery facilities and equipment, and the timely
procurement of such parts from foreign countries is an
issue that directly relates to the reality of maintenancemanagement in refineries. As a common issue among
refineries, the participants of this seminar in Sudan
also asked similar questions and engaged in active
discussions among themselves as they reaffirmed thesignificance of the issue.
As a new initiative, the Japanese lecturers,
accompanied by maintenance facility managers, visitedthe refinery’s workshop that also provides on-the-job
training to maintenance engineers, to conduct direct,
onsite training. The opportunity allowed the lecturers aglimpse into actual maintenance activities in the refinery,
as well as provided valuable hints for designing even

Onsite training through a workshop

Onsite training at a water quality control facility(input point on the Nile River)

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 33

more practical and beneficial customized seminars in
the future.
The lecturers also had the opportunity to visit a water
quality control facility located adjacent to the intake
point of industrial water used by the refinery (floating
pump station installed along the Nile River) and assess
the water quality management situation. The experience
provided extremely meaningful insight for promoting
and translating the content of the seminar lectures into
action.
Lecturers and participants after the closing ceremony

3. Summary
The African region is composed of a large number ofimportant oil-producing countries, but this seminar was
the first customized seminar to be held in Africa in eight
years after the previous seminar in 2002 (maintenancemanagement seminar in Nigeria). In the preparatory
stage, the functions and performance of facilities at
the KRC Training Center (mainly AV equipment to be
used in the lectures) were assessed in detail, and close
coordination was maintained with the KRC counterpart
to ensure the smooth implementation of the seminar. As
a result, the entire schedule ran as agreed and planned,
and greatly relieved the lecturers and all staff concerned.
The initial objectives of the seminar were able to beachieved also owing to a variety of other factors. It
greatly helped that KRC had arranged an optimal teamof training center staff members, and that the participants
kept regular times and allowed the lecturers to begin
each session on time and to almost effortlessly cover
all the lecture contents they had planned in advance.
Furthermore, the participants as a whole, including those
who have participated in a JCCP course in the past,engaged in mutual discussions concerning the seminar

topic, and created a forum for meaningful interactionand exchanges of views.
The seminar was held around the same time as thereferendum on independence for Southern Sudan. A
monitoring organization led by former US President
Jimmy Carter and various other foreign missions werein Sudan to monitor the referendum, media outlets fromaround the world were providing local coverage of thereferendum in response to worldwide concerns, andBBC and CNN were seen relaying daily news about
the voting situation and interviews with local residents.
Soon after completion of the seminar (on Feb. 7,2011), the President of Sudan officially announced thefinal results of the referendum, with 98.83% voting infavor of independence, and news of Southern Sudan’s
independence in July raced around the world. Given
this historical announcement, JCCP feels mounting
importance to establish the direction of its activities andcooperative relationship based on an accurate assessmentof development trends in the global oil industry and inconsideration of the role of Northern and Southern Sudanin the production of oil.
<by Shintaro Miyawaki, Training Dept.>

34 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Personnel
Exchange

CPJ Seminar on“Petroleum Marketing and PhysicalDistribution” for ADNOC
1. Background
The ADNOC Group has always had a strong wish
to provide broad knowledge of the entire series ofoperations involved in the oil upstream to downstream
sectors to all employees, including those who engage
in marketing activities, as part of its human resource
development and training initiatives. Based on thisunderstanding, JCCP members paid a visit to ADNOC
and presented a proposal for implementing a Customized
Course–Japan (CPJ) to the managers of the humanresources and marketing departments. In line with
ADNOC’s needs, we proposed to cover the overall flowof oil in Japan, from the receiving and stockpiling of
crude oil to the refining and marketing of oil products.
The relevant managers strongly agreed to our proposal,
and thus the seminar came to be implemented.

2. Seminar Overview
Upon consultation with the human resources manager
at ADNOC, the seminar was decided to be held over 11days, to minimize any burden on the participants’ workduties. A full agenda was planned from October 5 to15, 2010, filled with offsite training programs at an oil
storage terminal, a refinery, a sales office, and an oil
supplier, in addition to lectures at JCCP Headquarters.

A total of 10 members participated in the seminar,
including four from the ADNOC Head Office, three
from ADNOC Distribution (a marketing subsidiary),
two from TAKREER (a refining subsidiary), and one
from ADNATCO-NGSCO (a shipping subsidiary). The
majority of the participants were young, middle-level
employees at an average age of 34, and included one
woman.

3. Content of the Seminar
The lectures at JCCP Headquarters focused onJapan’s oil industry and the state of oil marketing andphysical distribution, while also providing a global
perspective on the world’s energy situation. Japan’s oil
industry and the importance of stable oil supplies in acountry without oil resources were described throughcomparisons between UAE and Japan in terms of thedifferences between an oil-producing country and an oilconsuming country, and the differences between private
oil companies and state-run oil companies. The lectureon the world’s energy situation provided an overview ofsuch global concerns as global warming, environmental
issues, and the forecast of primary energy demand in
the future.
The offsite training sessions took place at the Fukuoka
Branch Office of Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Shirashima Oil

Observation of a fueling operation by San-ai Oil
at Haneda Airport

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

At a Cosmo Oil service station• Personnel Exchange Programs • 35

Storage Company, Ltd., the Negishi Refinery of JX
Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, and the Haneda
Branch Office of San-ai Oil Co., Ltd.
At the Cosmo Oil Fukuoka Branch Office, theparticipants received a lecture on the head office
functions of an oil distributor and its sales policies, andon the sales branch’s independent sales strategies. Thenthey inspected the actual operations of the latest service
station. Questions focused on the sales activities of the
branch office, and particularly on the relationship andcontract between a primary distributor (tokuyakuten)
and a dealer, because the tokuyakuten system is Japan’s
unique commercial practice.
Shirashima Oil Storage Terminal gave a lecture on
the organizational function and role of the world’s firstoil storage base on the ocean, with a special focus onsafety and environmental measures that are of paramountimportance to the base, followed by a tour of the deck on
the storage ship. Needless to say, it seemed that the wholeconcept of needing a national oil reserve was foreign tothe participants from an oil-producing country.
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation’s Negishi
Refinery gave a lecture on the organizational function,
characteristics, and role of Japanese refineries, and took
the participants on a tour of a computer-controlled, stateof-the-art lubricant loading process and product shipping
facility. Japan’s diversified physical distribution systems
and thorough quality management, in particular, seemed
to capture the participants’ interest.
San-ai Oil’s Haneda Branch Office gave a lecture on
the process and management of the jet fuel storage andshipping facility, which comprises the core business ofthe company, and allowed the participants to actually
step onto the apron of the airport to observe firsthandthe fueling of an aircraft. Just around this time, Haneda
Airport was preparing for the opening of its new runway.
Fortunately, the participants were allowed to take a lookinside the soon-to-be-opened terminal.

At Shirashima Oil Storage Terminal

4. Summary
The 11-day time span of the seminar was decided
upon prior consultation with ADNOC counterparts, butmany of the participants noted in their evaluation form
that 11 days was too short, and that two weeks may
have been more appropriate. We would like to take thesecomments into consideration when planning future CPJ
seminars.
With respect to the content of the course, it seemed
the participants were generally satisfied that they wereable to learn about the entire flow of oil in Japan, fromthe receiving and stockpiling of crude oil to the refining
and marketing of oil products. We are especially gladthat the participants gave high marks to all of the offsite
programs, because the weight of this particular seminar
was placed on offsite training with the intention ofproviding information and knowledge of oil marketingand distribution more from firsthand observations andexperience than from classroom lectures, in contrast to
regular training programs on technical issues.
We feel that this seminar has brought JCCP andJapan closer to ADNOC employees, and hope that it willcontribute to the stable supply of oil to Japan.
<by Kazuo Kojima, Training Dept.>

36 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Personnel
Exchange

CPJ Seminar on“Environmental Management in the
Refinery” for Iraq
A Customized Program-Japan (CPJ) on“Environmental Management in the Refinery” (CPJ26-10) was held for a group of participants from Iraq,
from November 9 – 19, 2011.

1. BackgroundThe course was organized in response to a requestfrom the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, and was attended by agroup of engineers from Iraqi oil companies selectedby the Ministry. It was implemented following a wellreceived CPJ on “Heavy Oil Upgrading” (CPJ-25-10)
that was held for a different group of Iraqi participantsfrom October 13 – 28, 2010.
In Iraq today, there is rapidly increasing interest inenvironmental management. For example, there are
moves to undertake the environmental impact assessment(EIA) of the East Baghdad Field by independent efforts.
Given this trend, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil requested acourse on environmental management, and JCCP readily
consented.
A curriculum mutually approved by JCCP and theMinistry was designed through preliminary consultations
between the two organizations concerning the content
of lectures.

2. Planning
To provide practical training as strongly sought by the
Iraqi Ministry of Oil, the course was designed beyond thebounds of a regular course on environmental management
to incorporate topics of particular need to the Iraqi side,
such as environmental risk assessment, CDM (clean
development mechanism), noise restrictions, simulationof air pollutant dispersal, and flare gas recovery. It
also included a visit to Chugai Technos Corporation
for the very first time. Based in Hiroshima City, thecomprehensive engineering company offered a highly
practical training program that included a detailed
examination of environmental measurements.

3. Participants
The 11-member group from Iraq (8 men, 3 women)
comprised 2 participants each from the North, Midland,
and South Refineries, 2 each from the North and SouthGas Companies, and 1 from the Petroleum ResearchCenter. In terms of age, 4 were in their twenties with theyoungest participant being 26, 2 were in their thirties, 3were in their forties, and 2 were in their fifties, with theoldest participant being 55. Their average age was 38.

Participants and JCCP staff

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 37

4. Training at JCCP
(1) Japan’s Oil Industry
This lecture covered diverse aspects of the oil
industry in Japan, including the following: primaryenergy trends in Japan; the status of petroleum within
Japan’s total energy composition (petroleum share andits significance); the physical distribution of crude oiland oil products from import to sales; and primary
petroleum distributors, their share, and the locations andcapacities of their refineries. The participants said thelecture effectively provided a comprehensive picture of
the oil industry in Japan.
As refinery operations are becoming increasingly
challenging in recent years even by Iraq’s state-run oil
companies, we believe the participants gained a usefulframe of reference by learning about the intenselycompetitive situation of Japan’s oil industry.
(2) Wastewater Reutilization and Seawater
Desalination
This lecture covered such topics as the situation
regarding water utilization in Japan, membrane filters,
reverse osmosis and other membrane processing
technologies, and seawater desalination projects being
implemented in countries such as Qatar and Saudi
Arabia. In addition to contents normally provided in theregular environmental management course, it also placed
particular focus on the treatment of oilfield-associatedwater, to provide a wider scope of information.
(3) Flare Gas Recovery in the Refinery
In addition to flare gas recovery, this lecture discussed
the reduction of greenhouse gases as a global warming
countermeasure and topics related to energy conservation
technologies. The introduction of the Packinox heatexchanger, in particular, captured the participants’ strong
interest as it was the first time they had heard of theapparatus, so much that additional reference materials
were handed out to all participants after the lecture.
(4) Air Pollution Prevention Measures in the
RefineryThis lecture covered measures for SOx reduction
through FGD (flue gas desulfurization), measures forNOx reduction through the use of ultra-low NOx burners(Free Jet and SMR INFURNOx burners, etc.), and otherair pollution prevention measures, as well as topics
related to risk assessment and CDM (clean development

38 • Personnel Exchange Programs •mechanism) that are not normally included in the regularenvironmental management course but were included byrequest from the Iraqi side.
(5) Water Pollution Prevention Measures
This lecture introduced the various biological,
chemical, and physical water treatment methods thatJapan has developed through its history of waterpollution. It also discussed specific cases of sewage
treatment and pure water production, and captured theparticipants’ strong interest.
(6) Tank Sludge Treatment
This lecture covered such topics as prevention
methods for the sedimentation of tank sludge, tankcleaning methods, COW (crude oil washing), topper
charging after COW, and final sludge treatment.
Although it was a short lecture, it provided succinct
explanations of essential points, and was well received
by the participants.
(7) Soil and Groundwater Remediation
In this lecture, the current situation and legal
regulations concerning soil and groundwater pollution
in Japan and Europe were introduced in reference to caseexamples, and an overview was given of remediation
technologies that are used today. Additionally, topics
concerning the reutilization of refinery wastewater, which
are not normally covered in the regular environmental
management course, were discussed based on materials
that were specially prepared for this CPJ. The broadranging and easy-to-understand lecture was appreciatedby all participants.

5. Offsite Training(1) Chugai Technos Corporation, Hiroshima Head
OfficeAt the Hiroshima Head Office of Chugai Technos
Corporation, staff members provided a lecture on
water quality measurements mainly with respect to
COD and suspended solids, as well as on atmosphericmeasurements and noise measurements, and discussed
topics related to environmental impact assessment andsimulations of air pollutant dispersal in an easy-tounderstand manner. After gaining general knowledge
from the lecture, the participants divided into two groups
to observe actual measuring activities in the field andfurther their understanding. The participants noted

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

expressed so much interest in the wastewater treatment
facility that additional reference materials on wastewater
treatment were hastily prepared and handed out to allparticipants.

6. Observations

Offsite training at Chugai Technos Corporation

with approval that the opportunity to not only observemeasuring activities, but to also witness a demonstrationof measurement methods, helped them better understandmeasurement processes.
As this was the first time for Chugai Technos
Corporation to receive JCCP participants as a facility
for offsite training, the company spent a considerable
amount of time making advance preparations, andthe president and all relevant staff members divided
responsibilities and practiced their respective roles. As aresult of the practice, the company provided an extremely
in-depth yet understandable training program.
(2) Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Sakaide Refinery
At the Sakaide Refinery, an overview was given of
the company and refinery, followed by a tour of therefinery site with a focus on the wastewater treatment
facility, and a lecture on environmental management in
the refinery. The participants had many questions andThis course was held following the implementationof a CPJ on heavy oil upgrading for Iraq last October.
All programs were carried out as planned without any
trouble, and the 11-member group of Iraqi participants,
who displayed serious and earnest attitudes throughout
the course, successfully completed their training inJapan.
In response to a request from the Iraqi side, theparticipants were given an assignment on the first day,to “identify a problem area in their respective work, andsubmit a possible solution to that problem on the final
day of the course, based on what they have learned.”
These reports will be sent to Iraq at a later date, andwill also serve as a reference for future evaluation of theparticipants. Based on this awareness, all participants
engaged in their training in a positive manner, with theclear objective of acquiring possible solutions to theirproblems.
Environmental management is one of the mostneeded technologies to Iraq’s oil industry, to ensure safe
and sound refinery management, as well as to allow the
expansion of refinery capacity and construction of new
refineries in the future. JCCP feels that having gathered
environmental management engineers from Iraq andsuccessfully implemented this type of training programin Japan has great meaning to the future of both Iraq’s
and Japan’s oil industries.
<by Shigeyoshi Takahashi, Training Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 39

Personnel
Exchange

CPJ Seminar on“Total Quality Management”
for KazMunayGas
2.1 Training at JCCP
First, a lecture was given on the current situationof Japan’s oil industry. Then, over the next two days, aseries of lectures covered the following topics in detail toprovide a comprehensive understanding of TQM in Japan:
the quality improvement cycle; establishment of a systemfor continuous improvement; the background, necessityand effects of quality management; the TQM concept;
strategies and specific policies concerning customer
satisfaction; and the 5S activities. By examining TQM
systematically and specifically introducing practical
TQM procedures, the lectures at JCCP Headquarters
seemed to measure up to the expectations of the Kazakhgroup. All participants focused strong attention on thelectures until the very end.

At Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery

1. Background
This course was implemented in response to a requestfrom KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s state-run oil
and gas company that is recently garnering worldwide
attention for its oil and uranium resources.
KMG and its group companies have introduced
international standards for quality management (ISO9000) and environmental management (ISO 14000) in
2006, and are promoting a unified management systemthat includes industrial safety standards (OHSAS 18000),
but the effectiveness of this initiative still needs to be
examined. For this reason, a group composed of CEOclass managers from across KMG and its group companies
was organized to take part in a CPJ to learn about the
total quality management (TQM) initiatives of Japanesecompanies, and to acquire information on actual situations
concerning TQM and its operational know-how.

2. Seminar Content
The training program was roughly divided into twoparts. The first part was composed of lectures at JCCP
Headquarters, including those conducted by JCCP
lecturers and those conducted by outside lecturers. The
second part was composed of offsite training programs
that were designed to provide practical field training in
relevant technologies and activities at two refineries andone instrumentation device manufacturer.
40 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Lecture at JCCP Headquarters

2.2 Offsite Training· Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Sakai Refinery
After introducing the refinery and giving an overview
of its operations, staff members of the Sakai Refinery
talked about quality management, improvement activities,
and campaigns related to quality management that are
implemented by the refinery. In the afternoon, the focusof the program was placed on the profit improvement
project that the refinery is implementing under the
consultancy of KBC, and explanations were given of
the improvements that have been achieved to date andthe effectiveness of the project in terms of profit amount.
As there were some participants who have experienced asimilar type of project, the group raised many questions
and engaged in extremely active discussions.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

At the Negishi Refinery of JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation·

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation,
Negishi Refinery
The staff of the Negishi Refinery gave an overview of
the refinery, introduced the equipment composition andflow of oil in the refinery, its heavy oil cracking units
such as RDS and RFCC, and the refinery’s responses tothe latest trends toward clean fuels. They then provided
a tour of the test analysis laboratory, which serves
as the center of quality management in the refinery,and explained its functions. In the afternoon, detailed
explanations were given of the actual state of quality
management in the refinery and the profit improvement
program, which the refinery has pursued to date.
The Negishi Refinery has large numbers of various
types of secondary units, and the tour of its test analysis
laboratory impressed the participants with its extensive
array of facilities. The extremely detailed explanationsof the profit improvement program seemed to also satisfy
the participants’ interest and provoked further thoughts
among them.
·

Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Mitaka Head
Office and Plant
The training program at Yokogawa Electric beganwith a welcome address by the director of the Global
Engineering Business Headquarters, and included an
introduction of the company’s most recent operations
and the functions of the latest DCS system, by
their respective managers. It also included a tourof the company’s Kofu Factory. To provide greater
understanding of the company’s management of productquality and management systems, the participants visitedthe Kofu Factory by chartered bus and observed in detailthe production lines and quality management systemsof various products. The extremely meticulous andAt the Mitaka Head Office and Plant of
Yokogawa Electric Corporation

hospitable attention of all staff members was greatly
appreciated by all participants.

3. Evaluation and Impressions
Notwithstanding the course’s short duration of justnine days, it included visits to two refineries and one
instrumentation device manufacturer, and provided deep
knowledge of the TQM situation in Japan’s industries.
The efficient course coordination and arrangement
efforts of JCCP were highly appreciated by the Kazakhgroup. Because the group was composed of CEO-classmanagers from across KMG and its group companies, theparticipants had extremely sharp and incisive questions
about important points that pertained to their respective
fields. This seemed to indicate their strong desire to learn
about the TQM initiatives of Japanese companies andthe actual status of TQM in Japan, as well as to acquire
operational know-how about TQM activities.
The Kazakh Ambassador to Japan lent his presence tothe closing ceremony, and affirmed Kazakhstan’s wishes
to strengthen relations between the two countries and its
expectations of JCCP activities.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011<by Yoshiaki Ueno, Training Dept.>

Closing ceremony• Personnel Exchange Programs • 41

Personnel
Exchange

Saudi Aramco Vice President andAramco Overseas Company President
Visit JCCP
Since the year before last, JCCP and Aramco Overseas
Company (AOC), a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, haveengaged in discussions toward the implementation of a
Customized Program-Japan (CPJ) for Saudi Aramco’s
Materials Supply Organization. Upon reaching anagreement on the course program, an agreement signingceremony for implementation of the CPJ was held on
December 1, 2010 at JCCP Headquarters, with theattendance of representatives from Saudi Aramco andAOC, and Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of
JCCP.
Representatives from Saudi Aramco included Mr.
Munir Rafie, Vice President, Material Supply, and Mr.
Abdullah Al-Warthan, Manager, Projects Purchasing
and Strategic Sourcing Department. Representatives
from AOC included Mr. Ahmed Al-Zayyat, Managing
Director; Mr. Abdulmonem Al-Momin, Manager
Purchasing, Logistic & Contracting Department; Mr.
Ahmed Al-Zahrani, Chief Representative of the Tokyo
Office; and two key members from the Tokyo Office.
Many refinery operations and maintenance engineersfrom Saudi Aramco have participated in JCCP training
programs to date. Therefore, JCCP readily agreed to
implement the CPJ in response to a request from Saudi
Aramco’s Materials Supply Organization. Around ten
university graduate-level employees from the organization
will be invited to Japan to acquire comprehensive
knowledge of Japan’s oil industry through exchanges of
information with Japanese oil companies and practicaltraining at materials manufacturing companies in Japan.
At the same time, the program will offer participants anopportunity to learn about Japanese business practices,
job performance, and work ethics.
After the signing of the CPJ agreement by Mr. AlZayyat and Mr. Sase, JCCP staff members introduced
JCCP’s activities and facilities to the Saudi delegationand promoted deeper understanding of JCCP.
We believe that the visit by key figures from Saudi
Aramco and AOC has laid the foundation for widening
relationships between JCCP and Saudi Aramco, which
we consider one of our most important counterparts in
the Middle East.
<by Akio Yamanaka, Operations Dept.>

Signing Ceremony:
Mr. Ahmed Al-Zayyat, Managing Director of AOC,
and Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
shake hands after signing the agreement

42 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Address by Mr. Munir Rafie, Vice President of Material andSupply, Saudi Aramco

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

JCCP Regular Courses Completed in November 2010 – January 2011
TR-16-10

Training Management
November 22 – December 9, 2010

Content:

Overview of Japanese Oil Industry; Japanese-style
Human Resource Management & Development;
HRD of Oil Company in Japan; HRM & TPM at Refinery;
Kaizen General & Kaizen examples at a Refinery;
HRD of Engineering Company; Training Program
Development by University Professor;
Rational Thought and Team Consensus Building

Site visits:

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Head Office);
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Tokuyama Refinery);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Mizushima
Refinery); JGC Corporation; Meisei University

Country ofparticipants:

Bahrain China, Indonesia, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria,
Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Vietnam

Lecturer: Akio Hoshino<11 countries / 16 participants>

TR-17-10

Information and Control Systems Utilized in Refineries
November 22 – December 9, 2010

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan;
Outline of Distributed Control System (DCS);
Trend of Information and Control Systems; Process
Control Theory; Hands-on Training of Process
Control; Operation Support System; Outline of Alarm
Management; Modernization of Instrumentation

Site visits:

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Mitaka Headquarters);
Emerson Japan Ltd. (Mizushima Solution Center);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Mizushima
Refinery); Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Chiba Refinery);JGC Corporation

Country ofparticipants:

Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman,
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, Vietnam, Yemen

Lecturer: Kazuhiro Suzuki<11 countries / 14 participants>

TR-18-10

Energy Saving for Profitability Improvement
January 11 – January 28, 2011

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan; Simulator Practice;
Energy Saving of Refineries; Pinch Technology;
Recent Energy Saving Technology 1 (Furnace, Rotating
Machinery, Multiple Sites Pinch Technology);
Recent Energy Saving Technology 2 (Energy Conservation
Design, Co-generation); Case Study

Site visits:

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Negishi Refinery);Toa Oil Co., Ltd. (Keihin Refinery);
TLV Co., Ltd. (Head Office, Kakogawa Factory);
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Nagasaki Shipyard &Machinery Works)

Country ofparticipants:

Colombia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Mexico,
Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, UAE, Sudan, Vietnam

Lecturer: Bunsuke Kariya<12 countries / 13 participants>

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 43

IT-1-10

Turnaround and Inspection
November 29 – December 10, 2010

Content:

Outline of Petroleum Industry in Japan;
Planning and Execution Management of Turnaround
Maintenance & Inspection in Japanese Refineries;
Maintenance Technology and Human Resource
Development of Contractor; Latest MaintenanceTechnologies and Responses to MaintenanceManagement Overseas; Overhaul Technologies for
Boilers and Other Static Equipment; Introduction andthe Latest in Non-Destructive Inspection Technologies;
Reliability Improvement and the Latest Technologies in
Rotary Machines and Pressure Vessels;
Latest Maintenance Technologies of a Plant
Maintenance Company; Promotional Framework andCase Examples of Maintenance Planning & Scheduling in
the Refinery

Site visits:

JGC Corporation (Headquarters);
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Yokohama Works);
Non-Destructive Inspection Co., Ltd. (Headquarters);
Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Takasago Equipment Plant);
Shinko Plantech Co., Ltd. (Isogo Factory);
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Chiba Refinery)Country ofparticipants:

Indonesia, Mexico, Oman, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen

Lecturer: Fumihiro Tone

<10 countries / 15 participants>

IT-2-10

Petroleum Marketing and Physical Distribution
January 18 – January 28, 2011

Content:

The Petroleum Industry in Japan; Current World Energy
Situation; Shipping Facilities of Refinery; Oil Company's
Sales Strategy and Physical Distribution; Crude Oil
Terminal; Transportation System & Safety Driving;
Development of New Business & New Automobile Fuel;Japanese Management Style and Kaizen General

Site visits:

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Head Office /Mizushima Refinery); Nippon Oil Staging Terminal Co.,
Ltd.; Uyeno Kosan, Ltd.; Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. (Head
Office)Country ofparticipants:

Bahrain, Gabon, Iraq, Nigeria, Oman, Sudan, Thailand,
UAE, Vietnam, Yemen

Lecturer: Yasuo Tabei<10 countries / 12 participants>

44 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

TechnicalCooperation

New JCCP Project Launched in Kuwait—Joint Research on Upgrading Technology of Kuwait Heavy Crude—
1. Background

2. Project Overview

Kuwait exports crude oil and also processes heavy
crude oil for domestic consumption. In recent years,
however, trends toward low-sulfur gasoline, kerosene andgas oil, and the aging of domestic refineries are callingfor urgent measures. To address these issues, Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has decided topromote two simultaneous projects: the New Refinery
Project (NRP) and the Clean Fuel Project (CFP).
As part of these projects, KNPC plans to construct new
desulfurization units to reduce the sulfur content of gas oiland heavy oil. However, it needs to upgrade its technologies
for selecting high-performance desulfurization catalysts
and evaluating catalyst performance, before ultra-deep
desulfurization of gas oil and desulfurization of heavy oil
can proceed using the new desulfurization units. It has
therefore asked Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research(KISR) to commence a study on the selection andperformance evaluation of desulfurization catalysts.
Thus tagged by KNPC, KISR turned to JCCP for
cooperation. JCCP called on the participation of JX
Nippon Research Institute Ltd. and Kyushu University,and together organized a new JCCP project called “Joint
Research on Upgrading Technology of Kuwait Heavy
Crude” based on Japan’s technologies, experience, andknow-how regarding desulfurization catalysts. The
project was scheduled to be implemented over a threeyear period from fiscal 2010.

Before technologies for desulfurization catalyst
selection and catalyst performance evaluation can be
developed, it is necessary to assess the composition of
the feedstock to be desulfurized through catalyst activity.
Therefore, the composition of Kuwait heavy crude oil(Lower Fars crude oil, Eocene crude oil, etc.), the gas
oil and heavy oil refined from heavy crude oil, and theresulting desulfurized light fuel and heavy oil, will beanalyzed in detail, to assess the desulfurization reaction
properties of gas oil and heavy oil. Additionally, theperformance of various demetallization catalysts will
be investigated using literature references, because inheavy oil desulfurization, metals that degrade the activityof desulfurization catalysts must be removed through ademetallizing process.
Based on the results of the above, desulfurization anddemetallization catalysts will be selected for use in pilot
tests, and the selection of catalysts and conditions forthe pilot tests will be proposed to KISR. Improvementsof test conditions (operations, sample collection,
analysis items, etc.) will also be discussed with KISR
as necessary.
By executing the above activities, the project
ultimately aims to transfer Japan’s technologies
for desulfurization catalyst selection and catalyst
performance evaluation to the Kuwaiti oil industry.

Signing ceremonyDr. Hideo Nagashima, Vice President of Kyushu University,
delivering a congratulatory message

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Technical Cooperation • 45

Dr. Naji Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Director General of KISR,
and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP,
exchanging the MOA

3. Signing Ceremony
After much consultation regarding the content of thejoint project, KISR and JCCP reached an agreement andheld a ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) on November 1, 2010. The MOA
was signed by Dr. Naji Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Director
General, on the KISR side, and by Mr. Morihiro Yoshida,
Managing Director of JCCP, on the Japanese side, andcommemorative gifts were exchanged with a prayer forthe success of the new project.
From the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait, Mr.
Yoshinori Yamashita, First Secretary, attended the
ceremony and delivered a congratulatory message
on the commencement of the new JCCP project,expressing his hope that the project will contribute tostrengthening the friendly relationship between Kuwait
and Japan. Also representing the Japanese side, Dr.
Hideo Nagashima, Vice President of Kyushu University,

Dr. Al-Mutairi relaying the history of KISR
to Ambassador Yasuyoshi Komizo

attended the ceremony and, on behalf of the institution asa cooperating member of the JCCP technical cooperation
project, pledged to provide technical cooperation to
KISR. On the Kuwaiti side, a total of 17 members
attended the ceremony from companies such as Kuwait
Petroleum Corporation (KPC), Kuwait Oil Company(KOC), and KNPC, and expressed words of appreciation
to JCCP for its technical cooperation.
H.E. Mr. Yasuyoshi Komizo, Japanese Ambassador
to Kuwait, rushed to the venue of the signing ceremony
immediately after the presentation of the credentials
to the king of Kuwait. The Ambassador participated in
the welcome reception at KISR Headquarters with theJapanese delegation, and enjoyed a pleasant chat with
Dr. Al-Mutairi.
All members of the project hope for its successful
completion, and that the transfer of catalyst selection andnew catalyst development technologies to Kuwait willfurther deepen the two countries’ friendly relations.
<by Nobuyuki Suyama, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Memorandum of Agreement46 • Technical Cooperation •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

TechnicalCooperation

Pilot Plant Completion Ceremony
for the Study of Oilfield-produced Water
Treatment in OmanOn November 10, 2010, a ceremony was held tocommemorate the completion of a pilot plant for a
JCCP technical cooperation project on oilfield-produced
water treatment in Oman. The ceremony was organized
by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and Petroleum
Development Oman (PDO), and took place at the PDO
Ceremony Center.

1. Project Overview
Over the four years from fiscal 1997 to 2000, Shimizu
Corporation carried out a small-scale experiment called“Study on the Treatment and Utilization of Oilfieldproduced Water in Oman,” with subsidy from theJapan Petroleum Energy Center (JPEC). Based on thisexperience, it is now exploring low-cost, high-efficiency
treatment methods for oilfield-produced water in Oman,
with an eye to the possibility of commercializing aneffective method in the future.
As one treatment method, Shimizu Corporation
proposed a coagulation/pressure floating treatment using
microbubbles. It then simplified the system and madeit possible to construct a compact, container-sized pilot
plant (50 m3/day).
It also found a way to produce activated carbon fromthe trunk of date palms as an adsorbent made from anatural material available in Oman, and succeeded in
producing an oil adsorbent with roughly three times
greater oil-adsorbing capacity compared to commercial

Rendering of the utilization of oilfield-produced water

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Hamed Saif Al-Rumhi,
Minister of Oil & Gas, delivering a speech

activated carbons. Yet it is still aiming to develop evenhigher-performance adsorbents in the future.

2. Completion Ceremony
The completion ceremony was held with the objectiveof introducing the pilot plant’s operational performancein treating oilfield-produced water, and of promoting
greater awareness of the JCCP project among relevant
Omani parties.
A number of key figures associated with the oil
industry in Oman attended the ceremony on the
Omani side, including H.E. Dr. Mohammed Hamed
Saif Al-Rumhi, Minister of Oil & Gas; Dr. Ali bin
Saoud Al-Bemani, Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos
University; and Mr. Raoul M. Restucci, Managing
Director of Petroleum Development Oman LLC. H.E.
Mr. Seiji Morimoto, Japanese Ambassador to Oman,
and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP,
represented the Japanese side.
H.E. Dr. Al-Rumhi gave a speech, saying that people
usually lose interest in a study once it finishes, but thisstudy on produced water treatment is still evolving. He
also pledged the Ministry’s support for the valuable
project along with PDO, and expressed his expectations
that purified water will one day transform areas
surrounding the oilfields into a verdant landscape.

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Technical Cooperation • 47

Ambassador Morimoto also gave a congratulatory
message. He said he hopes that the pilot plant will
eventually develop into a full-scale commercial projectand supply irrigation water that will bring a green
environment to people working near oilfields in Oman.
Toward this end, he said he also hopes that Japanesecompanies will not only aim to commercialize thetechnology but will also work with PDO in exploring
the possibility of its dissemination. He then closed
his message by promising the Japanese Embassy’s
cooperation to all Japanese companies engaging inenvironmental projects in Oman.
Mr. Yoshida spoke on behalf of JCCP, and gave around of sincere appreciation to the Omani Ministry of
Gas & Oil, the Japanese Embassy in Oman, and SQU, fortheir constant support of JCCP activities, and to PDO fororganizing a truly special and significant ceremony.

Participants to the ceremony

It was covered by six newspapers (three Englishlanguage and three Arabic) and by television and radio
broadcasts in Oman, and also by television broadcasts
and newspapers in Japan.

3. Future of the Project

Setup of the water treatment unit

Following words of congratulations by the guest ofhonor and host of the ceremony, a brief introduction wasgiven of the project, and a video presentation was used
to provide an overview of the operational performanceof the demonstration test unit. Interest in the project ran
high among the Omani participants, who raised frequent
questions and comments during the presentation.
The ceremony received widespread media attention.

The objective of the study is to treat and recover oilfrom oilfield-produced water in Oman using low-costwastewater treatment technologies, and to explore thefeasibility of commercializing the reutilization of thetreated water for irrigation. JCCP hopes to achieve thisgoal by conducting a series of treatment tests in oilfieldregions throughout the country using the just-introduced
mobile pilot plant, and jointly addressing whateverproblems exist in each oilfield region with the relevant
counterpart.
The treatment of oilfield-produced water is one of
Oman’s greatest environmental concerns. We believethat applying Japan’s technologies and experience toaddressing the issue and creating new water resources
through commercialization of this project will contributesignificantly to Oman’s sustainable development assought by the country, as well as help strengthen friendly
relationships between Oman and Japan.
<by Kenji Ikushima, Technical Cooperation Dept.>48 • Technical Cooperation •JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

TechnicalCooperation

The 20th Saudi Arabia-Japan
Joint Symposium
On December 5 and 6, 2010, a Saudi Arabia-Japan
joint symposium on oil refining and petrochemical
catalyst technologies was implemented by the Japan
Petroleum Institute (JPI) under the sponsorship of
JCCP and King Fahd University of Petroleum andMinerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia. To commemorate
the milestone marking the 20th holding of the joint
symposium, this year’s symposium featured a special
speech by a Nobel Laureate and a commemorative
reception, in addition to the usual presentations, which
included presentations of the latest R&D results by six
Japanese researchers.
At the opening ceremony on December 5, Dr. Sahel
Abduljauwad, Vice Rector of KFUPM, read a message
from H.E. Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan, Rector. Mr. Koichi
Eguchi, leader of the Japanese speakers, and Mr.
Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP, also
gave opening greetings.
The presentations covered topics related to the latest
catalyst production technologies and trends in the oil
refining and petrochemical sectors. The Japanese sidegave nine presentations, including those related to JCCP
technical cooperation projects, the Saudi Arabian side
also gave nine presentations, and members from othercountries gave four presentations, for a total of 22
presentations. The auditorium was filled with more than
80 participants. The special speech by Dr. Robert Grubbs,
professor at the California Institute of Technology who

H.E. Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan, Rector of KFUPM, andAmbassador Shigeru Endo at the commemorative reception

Dr. Robert Grubbs (2005 Nobel Laureate in chemistry)

won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was a landmark
event.
In celebration of the commemorative symposium,a reception was held on the day before the symposium
at a hotel in Al Khobar City, with the attendance ofmany key figures representing the oil industry in Saudi
Arabia. They included H.E. Dr. Al-Sultan, Rector of
KFUPM; Mr. Abdullah S’aadan, Vice President of Saudi
Aramco; Mr. Omar Abdulhamid, Manager R&D; andH.E. Mr. Yahiya J. Shinawi, Director General, Ministryof Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Eastern Province
Branch. Members on the Japanese side included H.E. Mr.
Shigeru Endo, Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia,
and relevant parties from Japanese companies in Saudi
Arabia. Ambassador Endo delivered a congratulatory
speech on the 20th holding of the joint symposium, andexpressed his expectations that Japan and Saudi Arabia
will continue to strengthen and develop their mutual
relationship in the future.
JCCP also hopes this symposium will continue toserve an important role in providing opportunities forthe transfer of useful information to Saudi Arabian
researchers, and in strengthening technical cooperation
between Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The names and presentation themes of the Japanese
researchers are as follows.
1)
Dr. Koichi Eguchi, Graduate School ofEngineering, Kyoto University
Presentation theme: Development of solidoxide fuel cells and catalytic reaction for fuel

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Technical Cooperation • 49

2)

3)

4)

5)

flexibility
Dr. Takayuki Komatsu, Interdisciplinary Graduate
School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology
Presentation theme: Catalytic cracking of paraffins
on zeolite catalysts for the production of lightolefins
Dr. Junji Muramatsu, Institute of Multidisciplinary
Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku
University
Presentation theme: Preparation of well-crystallized
Pd20Te7 alloy nanoparticulate catalyst highly
active for 1,4-DABE synthesis by butadieneacetoxylation
Dr. Atsushi Ishihara, Graduate School ofEngineering, Mie University
Presentation theme: Reactivity of amorphoussilica-alumina prepared by the sol-gel method asa matrix in catalytic cracking
Mr. Noriyuki Shintani, Researcher, ResearchInstitute, Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.
Presentation theme: Techniques for octane number

Courtesy visit to Dr. Sahel Abduljauwad, Vice Rector of KFUPM(right: Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP;
center: Mr. Koichi Eguchi, leader of the Japanese speakers)

6)enhancement in FCC gasoline
Mr. Satoshi Takasaki, Researcher, Fuel ResearchLaboratory, Central Technical ResearchLaboratory, Research & Development Division,
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
Presentation theme: FCC gasoline desulfurization
reducing octane number loss
<by Koichi Io, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Technical
Cooperation

The 12th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium
JCCP and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research(KISR) sponsored the 12th Kuwait-Japan Joint
Symposium on “Innovations in oil refining processes” on
January 18 and 19, 2011. The symposium is held annuallyin Kuwait on themes alternating between the processcatalyst field (heavy oil processing, desulfurization,
new fuels) and the refinery equipment maintenancefield (corrosion, inspection, materials). Implemented
on commission by the Japan Petroleum Institute (JPI),
this year’s symposium featured presentations by five
Japanese lecturers.
The symposium opened with words of greeting from
Mr. Asaad A. Al-Saad, Deputy Managing Director,
Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery, Kuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC), and Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi, Director
General of KISR, on the Kuwaiti side; and from H.E.
Mr. Yasuyoshi Komizo, Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait,
and Dr. Takashi Tatsumi, Professor at the Tokyo Instituteof Technology and leader of the Japanese speakers, on

50 • Technical Cooperation •At the symposium venue

the Japanese side.
Ambassador Komizo noted that this year marks the50th year of diplomatic relations between Japan andKuwait, and among the various commemorative events
being planned by Japan, he said that this symposium

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi,
Director General of KISR

Mr. Asaad A. Al-Saad, Deputy Managing
Director, Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery

holds significant meaning as the first of such events. The
Ambassador also recognized the remarkable growth of
KISR, which initially started out as a research instituteunder the Japanese company, Arabian Oil Company,
Ltd., and has since expanded and developed into
the comprehensive institute that it is today. He also
expressed his hope that KISR will continue to engage
in technical cooperation with Japan and achieve evengreater development.
The symposium featured a total of 15 speeches andpresentations. The Japanese side gave one keynote speech
and five presentations, which included presentations bymembers of JCCP technical cooperation projects in
Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti side gave two keynote speeches
and seven presentations. Approximately 60 people
attended the symposium, including 40 from the Kuwaiti
oil industry.
JCCP hopes that the symposium will continue tocontribute to promoting technical exchanges between
Japan and Kuwait.
The names and presentation themes of the Japanese
researchers are as follows.
1)
Dr. Takashi Tatsumi, Chemical Resources

2)

3)

4)

5)

Ambassador Yasuyoshi Komizo

Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Presentation theme: Improvement of ZSM-5
catalyst for cracking of naphtha
Dr. Sachio Asaoka, Faculty of Environmental
Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu
Presentation theme: Selective conversion of nparaffins to gasoline fraction on metal/nano-sizedoxide/zeolite hybrid catalyst
Dr. Miki Niwa, Faculty of Engineering, Tottori
University
Presentation theme: Characterization and catalytic
cracking activity of USY zeolite
Dr. Takao Masuda, Graduate School ofEngineering, Hokkaido University
Presentation theme: Selective production ofintermediate species of reaction in series using
catalytic zeolite membrane as contactor
Mr. Yoji Sunagawa, Chief Researcher, Advanced
Technology Research Laboratories, Idemitsu
Kosan Co., Ltd.
Presentation theme: Development of zeolitehydrocracking catalyst and system for residhydrodesulfurization unit
<by Koichi Io, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011

• Technical Cooperation • 51

Personnel Change
Outgoing Personnel
Technical
Cooperation
Department

Kazuhisa OKUMURA

Announcement
On behalf of JCCP, the editor of JCCP NEWS thanks you deeply
for your heartfelt messages of concern and encouragement
following the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake.

Thank you for reading JCCP NEWS.
Please feel free to contact us with any comments, requests, or inquiries. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Please also inform us by e-mail if and when there has been any change in your position or address.
JCCP Administration Dept., Planning & Public Relations Group
Hisayoshi Tanda, General Manager [tanda@jccp.or.jp]
Masumi Kitahara, Manager [kitahara@jccp.or.jp]

Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP)
Headquarters
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JCCP NEWS No. 109 April 2011