Table of Contents
1. Training Program“Human Resource Management & Development” for Kuwait (KNPC) ................................................................... 1
Customized Program on “Human Resource Management (HRM)”
in Kuwait (KNPC) and UAE (TAKREER)................................................................................................................................. 5
Tailor-made Program on Practical Technology for Energy Saving Heldin Japan for Kuwait (KNPC).................................................................................................................................................... 8
Seminar on “Advanced Process Control” Held in Kuwait .......................................................................................... 11
Seminar on “Energy Saving at the Refinery” Held in Kuwait ................................................................................... 13
Report on the Cooperation with Training Center Program (No. 106) .................................................................. 16
Report on the Cooperation with Training Center Program (No. 103) .................................................................. 19
Participant’s Voice“Gas Processing for LNG”............................................................................................................................................... 23

2. Technical Cooperation
Workshop on Kuwait Heavy Crude Oil Upgrading ..................................................................................................... 24
Signing Ceremony for the Project on “Heavy Crude Oil Upgrading” in Kuwait................................................ 26
Activity Report from Researchers Participating in the Long-Term Researcher Dispatch Program ........... 28
Progress Report on “The Long-term Researcher Dispatch Program”................................................................... 31
Progress Report on the “Long-term Researcher Dispatch Program”.................................................................... 34
The 11th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium ..................................................................................................................... 37
The Tenth Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium ................................................................................................................... 39
The 9th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium ........................................................................................................................ 41
Joint Symposium on Fuel Cell Technology Held in Kuwait...................................................................................... 43

3. International Cooperation
The 28th JCCP International Symposium ...................................................................................................................... 45
The 27th JCCP International Symposium ...................................................................................................................... 51
The 26th JCCP International Symposium ...................................................................................................................... 57
The 18th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium ............................................................................................... 62
The 17th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium ............................................................................................... 65
The 16th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium ............................................................................................... 69
Mr. Sase, Executive Director of JCCP, Visits Kuwait...................................................................................................... 72
Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama, Managing Director of JCCP, Visits the Middle East ......................................................... 75
Cover photo by Masumi Kitahara, Manager, Planning and Public Relations, Administration Dept., JCCP

Personnel
Exchange“Human Resource Management &Development” for Kuwait (KNPC)
From February 2 to 13, 2009, JCCP held atwelve-day Customized Program-Japan (CPJ) on“Human Resource Management & Development”(CPJ-21-08) for a group of 15 members from the
Human Resource Department of Kuwait National
Petroleum Company (KNPC).

1. Background
This course was held as a follow-up to theCustomized Program-Overseas (CPO) on “Human
Resource Management (HRM)” (CPO-21-08),
which was implemented in Kuwait last October.
Initially, Mr. Ahmad Al-Mudaf, Director, Personnel
Department, and Mr. Ali Abdullah, Team Leader,
Career Development, took the opportunity of theirvisit to Japan in March 2008 to make the following
two requests:(1) Implementation of a CPO and CPJ on
Human Resource Development (HRD)(2) Time of implementation: CPJ is sometime
between mid-June and early-July 2008, and
CPO is sometime in January or February of
the following year
After due consultation with the KNPC side, JCCP
agreed to conduct a CPO on HRM in October 2008
and a CPJ on HRD in February 2009. However,during a meeting that was held after implementing
the CPO last October, the KNPC side asked JCCP
to design the subsequent CPJ so that it covers both
HRM and HRD.

2. Course Overview
In the same procedure as a regular course, JCCP
provided lectures on a general overview of HRM
and HRD at JCCP Headquarters, followed by visits
to three companies (including two refineries), where
each company introduced practical examples. Then,the group learned HRD theory at a university.

Course participants:
Tour of the training plant (Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Tokuyama Reﬁnery)

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 20091

(Lectures at JCCP)
s 4HE SITUATION OF THE OIL INDUSTRY AND PHYSICAL
distribution in Japans *APANESE STYLE (2-TRANSITION AND STATUS QUOand HRD(Onsite training and study topics)s )DEMITSU +OSAN #O ,TD 4OKUYAMA 2EFINERY
HRM and TPM at a refinerys *'# #ORPORATION (EAD /FFICE (2- AND (2$at an engineering company
s .IPPON 0ETROLEUM 2EFINING #O ,TD .EGISHI
Refinery: Personnel, appraisal, and education
systems in a Japanese oil company
s -EISEI 5NIVERSITY (INO #AMPUS 'ENERAL
studies in training program planning (educational
needs surveys, designing educational programs,
evaluation of training results)

3. Course Details(1) Japanese-style HRM—Transition andStatus Quo, and HRD
Three days were spent on general lectures on
HRM and HRD, divided into the following fiveparts:Part 1:
Japanese history and Japanese mentality
Part 2:
Japan’s post-war rapid economic growth andJapanese-style HRM
Part 3:
Recent social changes in Japan and changes
in the HRM of Japanese companies
Part 4:
Issues and future direction of HRM in
Japanese companies
Part 5:Present state and future issues regarding HRD
in Japan
The first day’s lecture provided an insight into
Japan’s unique teamwork spirit and the reality of
the rapid economic growth achieved by Japan, inreference to the two Japanese-style HRM practicesof lifetime employment and seniority system. The

2

second day’s lecture was on recent changes inJapanese society and companies, the performancebased system, and future HRM issues. The third
day provided a lecture on general HRD focusedon corporate education. The lectures intensively
provided an overall understanding of the main
theme of the course, and captured the participants’strong interest.
(2) Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Tokuyama
Reﬁnery: HRM and TPM at a Reﬁnery
After a warm welcome by Mr. Shigeki Nakashima,%XECUTIVE /FFICER AND 'ENERAL -ANAGER REFINERY
staff members gave a presentation on Idemitsu
Kosan’s basic philosophy concerning careerdevelopment, principles of Total Productive
Management (TPM), and examples of TPM
activities. This was followed by an introduction of
the refinery’s training system, which boasts abundant
experience in providing training to personnel fromoverseas, and a tour of the training plant. During
the tour, young engineers of the refinery provided
detailed explanations of actual examples of kaizen
that were achieved through TPM activities.
The group seemed to take particular note of
the green belt surrounding the refinery and otherenvironmental considerations that are common tomost Japanese refineries.

At Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Tokuyama Reﬁnery:
Mr. Shigeki Nakashima, Executive Ofﬁcer andGeneral Manager (left of center)(3) JGC Corporation, Head Ofﬁce:
HRM and HRD at an Engineering
Company
Mr. Eiki Furuta, Executive Officer, warmly

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Personality exercise using cards(JGC Corporation, Head Ofﬁce)

Get-together with the KNPC Fourth Reﬁnery
Construction Project Team in Japan(JGC Corporation, Head Ofﬁce)

greeted the KNPC group and gave an introduction of
the company. Then, staff members of the Personnel
Department provided an overview of the company’s
personnel system, with particular reference to its
present wage and personnel appraisal systems,
followed by an introduction of employment practices,training systems, and various aspects of an engineering
company, including career path planning.
The presentation by the Personnel Department
provided a distinct understanding of both HRM
and HRD in a well-balanced manner, in response to
KNPC’s request for a program that combines both
HRM and HRD topics, and seemed to be easy tounderstand for all participants.
4HE LAST ITEM ON THE TRAINING PROGRAM AT *'#Corporation consisted of a “game” of self-diagnosis
and evaluation/categorization of others, using cards.
The group seemed to enjoy this exercise as a fun
approach to learning about HRM.
During their break, the group had the chance
to get together with the team of KNPC engineers
WHO ARE PRESENTLY STAYING IN *APAN AT THE *'# (EAD
Office to receive guidance and support for KNPC’s
fourth refinery construction project.

speech from Mr. Katsuhiro Matsui, Deputy Director,
the group received a brief description and tour of
the Negishi Refinery. In the afternoon, refinery
staff members provided an overview of Nippon
Oil Corporation’s personnel system and personnel
appraisal system, and discussed its education system
in both general and specific terms.
The company’s new attempt at adding an
introduction and tour of the refinery to conventionalclassroom lectures at the head office lent variation
to the program and left an impression on theparticipants.

(4) Nippon Petroleum Reﬁning Co., Ltd.,
Negishi Reﬁnery: Personnel, Appraisal,and Education Systems in a Japanese Oil
Company
The company used to provide mainly classroom
lectures at its head office, but has recently begun
to provide training at its Negishi Refinery, alongwith a tour of the refinery site. After a welcoming

At Nippon Petroleum Reﬁning Co., Ltd.,
Negishi Reﬁnery(5) Meisei University, Hino Campus: General
Studies in Training Program PlanningThis two-day seminar is regularly included in the
JCCP regular course on Training Management. Mr.
Tetsuo Ogawa, President of the university, opened
the seminar with a welcoming address.
The seminar was conducted by Dr. Hiromasa
Tanaka, Professor in the School of Humanities andSocial Sciences, and comprehensively introduced

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 20093

Welcome address by Mr. Tetsuo Ogawa, President(right), and Dr. Hiromasa Tanaka, Professor (left),
Meisei University

With Meisei University students in the Shakespeare Hall
(Meisei University, Hino Campus)

the necessary knowledge for implementing
education and training programs, such as methods ofsurveying educational needs, designing educational
programs, and evaluating the results of training.
Owing to the professor’s proficiency in English andto the incorporation of a workshop, the seminar was
extremely well received by all participants and wasa great success.
'RADUATE STUDENTS WHO ASSISTED IN THE SEMINAR
and students from Professor Tanaka’s researchlaboratory joined the KNPC group for lunch andenjoyed friendly conversation with the participants,
followed by a tour of the campus. The participants
seemed to appreciate the precious opportunity tointeract with Japanese university students, who evenshowed the group the university’s proud collectionof Shakespeare’s rare original works and the original
COPY OF 3UGITA 'ENPAKUS Kaitai Shinsho (NewBook of Anatomy), at which even Japanese people
would marvel.

26, it was a young group with an average age of 32.
Five members were women.
The group completed an extremely tightschedule, arriving in Japan in the late night before
commencement of the twelve-day course, andleaving Japan on the day subsequent to the end of thecourse. As their only weekend in Japan was spent
on taking field trips to Kyoto and Hiroshima, they
did not have even a single day off to themselves. As
expected, some members expressed their impression
at the end of the course that “the itinerary could havebeen more loosely arranged.” Nevertheless, mostmembers took an enthusiastic part in the programand seemed to enjoy their field trips to Kyoto andHiroshima, though February in those cities musthave been extremely cold for them.
According to the evaluation form filled in after
the course, the majority of the participants gavehigh marks to the course content, commenting,for example, that it was extremely helpful to theirpresent work, and that the program provided morethan they had expected. Judging by the looks of theircontented smiles and attitude on the final day of thecourse, we believe that they enjoyed the program andleft for home with a favorable impression of Japan.
We, on our part, hope this course has contributed tosecuring stable oil supplies to Japan.

4. Summary
The members of the KNPC group were allfrom KNPC’s HR Department. Two of them also
participated in the CPO (for five days) held last
October. With the oldest aged 46, and the youngest,<by Akio Hoshino, Training Dept.>

4

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Personnel
Exchange

Customized Program on“Human Resource Management (HRM)”
in Kuwait (KNPC) and UAE (TAKREER)
In October and November 2008, JCCP implemented a Customized Program–Overseas (CPO) on humanresource management (HRM) intended for Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) in Kuwait and4!+2%%2 IN !BU $HABI 5!% "OTH SEMINARS FEATURED THE SAME PROGRAM

1. Overview of the Seminar
The 5-day seminars were held at hotels in Kuwait
and Abu Dhabi. Following a general introductionof HRM under the heading, “Transitions and Status
Quo of Japanese-style HRM,” one day each wasspent on more details of HRM practices applied
by a Japanese oil company and an engineering
company. In addition to the general introduction
and details of HRM, another day was allotted to
TOPICS IN h+AIZEN v NAMELY h'ENERAL /VERVIEW OF
Kaizen” and “Introductions of Kaizen Examples
in Refineries,” as requested by the counterpart
organizations. These lectures were provided as an
aspect of personnel education, from the approachof “cultivating a Kaizen mind.”

2. Seminar Program
The seminar was organized as follows:[Day 1, Day 2] “Transitions and the Status Quoof Japanese-style HRM”
Two days were spent on a general discussionof the main theme of the seminar, divided into 4
parts: (1) Japanese history and Japanese mentality;(2) Traditional Japanese-style HRM system; (3)Environmental changes surrounding Japanesesociety and companies today; and (4) Issues andfuture direction of HRM in Japanese companies.
[Day 3] “HRM System of Nippon Petroleum
Refining Co., Ltd.”A detailed description was given of the company’s
HRM system, in reference to its ability assessment

and performance-based compensation systems,
which were newly adopted when the company
revamped its HRM system in 2002.
[Day 4] “HRM System of JGC Corporation”
The engineering company’s current HRM
system was comprehensively examined, including
its performance-based personnel, recruitment,
and evaluation systems, which were introduced tothe company several years ago in response to thegeneral trend of the times.
[Day 5] “General Overview of Kaizen” and“Kaizen Examples in Refineries”
This session was intentionally designed to firstprovide a general overview of the concept of Kaizenprior to introducing Kaizen examples in refineries.
It invited participants to consider the meaning of
Kaizen and examine the unique “Kaizen mind” ofthe Japanese people, by explaining the process of
implementing Kaizen activities, the “5S” as a means
to achieving Kaizen, and the “Toyota method” as a
successful example of continuous Kaizen efforts.
The session finally expounded on what is necessaryfor entrenching the Kaizen mind in the workplace.
In a closer examination, specific examples of
Kaizen that Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. has actuallyadopted in its refinery were introduced, with the
ADDITION OF EXAMPLES OF OTHER COMPANIES IN 5!%Visuals were used to provide easy comparison
between “before” and “after” implementation of
Kaizen, in an easy-to-understand presentation.
The good combination of general and detailed
discussions seemed well received and appreciatedby all participants.

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 20095

KuwaitSeminar participants

1. Background

2. Dates of Implementation

In March 2008, two gentlemen from KNPC, Mr.
Ahmad Al-Mudaf, Director, Personnel Department,
and Mr. Ali Abdullah, Career Development Team
Leader, visited JCCP and requested a CPOCPJ combination program on human resource
development (HRD), on the occasion of their visit.
Thereafter, members of JCCP’s Training Department
and the KNPC side held working discussions on thespecific content and schedule of the program, andagreed to conduct a CPO on HRM in October 2008
and a CPJ on HRD the following February.

October 12–16, 2008

3. Lecturers
Akio Hoshino (JCCP Training Dept.)
Takayoshi Watanabe (Personnel Department,
Nippon Oil Corporation)
Yutaka Yamashita (Personnel Department,*'# #ORPORATION
Nakaha Nishikawa (Quality Control Division,
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Aichi Refinery)

4. Summary of the Seminar

Seminar venue

6(1) The seminar was attended by 15 HR-related
personnel. With the exception of one participantfrom the Shuaiba Refinery, all were from the
HR Department in the Head Office. Due tothe administrative nature of the seminar, morethan half the participants, or 8 to be exact, were
women.
(2) In this CPO program, the Japanese teamincluded a female lecturer, possibly for the

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 2009

Mr. Takahiro Watanabefrom Nippon Oil Corporation

Ms. Nakaha Nishikawa
from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

first time in JCCP history. In response to
JCCP’s request for a lecturer to take charge ofthe segment of the seminar on detailed Kaizen
discussions, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. referred
Ms. Nishikawa from the Aichi Refinery. As wewere uncertain as to whether a female presence
would pose a problem in terms of religion,
we checked with the KNPC side and weretold that she would be “more than welcome.”
Though this was Ms. Nishikawa’s first overseas
assignment, she fulfilled her duty impressively
with youthful energy and courage.
 5PON COMPLETION OF THE SEMINAR THE *##0
and KNPC sides agreed to implement a CPJ
program on HRM and HRD in February 2009,
as requested by KNPC.
(4) The seminar took place in a hotel that is famous
for its restaurant designed in the shape of the
traditional dhow ship. Since this was the firsttime for all three members of the Japanese
team from JCCP member companies to visit

Japanese memberswith the dhow ship

Mr. Yutaka Yamashita
from JGC Corporation

the Middle East, they were delighted to have
had the opportunity of this visit.

5. Visit to the Mina Abdullah
Reﬁnery and the KNPC Head Ofﬁce
After completing the seminar, the Japanese
members visited the Mina Abdullah Refinery, one of
KNPC’s three refineries. After receiving a welcome
from Mr. Sami Malallah, Operation Manager, theyreceived a presentation on an overview of therefinery from Mr. Ahmed Al-Baghli, Senior Process
Engineer. As Mr. Al-Baghli had just participated ina Study Tour on Practical Technology for Energy
Saving (ST-21-07) this past February, he was fullof good impressions of JCCP and fond memories ofJapan. In his presentation, Mr. Al-Baghli mentioned
an interesting plan that is being considered, to link
the other two neighboring refineries (the al-Ahmadi
and Shuaiba Refineries) with pipes to enable
centralized operations.

Presentation of the completion certiﬁcate

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 20097

Personnel
Exchange

Tailor-made Program on
Practical Technology for Energy Saving
Held in Japan for Kuwait (KNPC)
1. BackgroundIn recent years, JCCP has placed
primary emphasis on promoting tailormade courses. As part of that scheme,
an Expert Service (ES) program (aprogram conducted by Japanese experts
dispatched to an oil-producing country)
on “Energy Saving at the Refinery” (ES20-07) was implemented in late October
2007. JCCP took the opportunity of the
ES program to specifically propose aStudy Tour (ST) program (a program
held in Japan for a group of participantsfrom a specific country) on the same
theme, and the proposal was acceptedby Kuwait National Petroleum Company(KNPC).
The ST program was held over a 10day period, from February 26 to March
6, 2008, under the theme, “Practical
Technology for Energy Saving (ST-2107). Today, many countries are actively
engaging in energy-saving measuresat refineries, in response to increasing
global concern over global warming
and environmental issues. Kuwait iscertainly no exception, and KNPC
has even established a project team topromote company-wide energy-saving
measures. Five engineers each from
KNPC’s Shuaiba and Mina Abdulla
Refineries participated in the recent
program. The participants were carefully
selected, in consideration of their fieldof expertise and career background, andcomposed a well-balanced group.

2. Program Content
The program was roughly divided
into two parts. The first part consisted oflectures at JCCP Headquarters, by both
JCCP lecturers and external lecturers.

8

At Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Yokohama Works/Kanazawa Plant

The second part consisted of onsite
training, aimed at providing first-handexperience in studying technologies andactivities at various oil facilities. Visitswere made to two refineries and two
equipment manufacturers.
(1) Lectures at JCCP・ Present state of Japan’s oil industry
・ Refinery energy-saving measures
・ Latest energy-saving technologies (I)Improvement of heat efficiency
by cogeneration; thermal/electricenergy balance based on combined
cycle systems; energy-saving
methods for VVVF and otherrotary equipment; high temperature
combustion technology (HiCOT)・ Latest energy-saving technologies(II)
Overview of pinch technology;energy-saving designs for plants; newheat converter models; plant power
recovery systems
The lectures on the latest energysaving technologies, which provided

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

details of the functions and performanceof the combined cycle system, HiCOT,
and other advanced technologies,
seemed to be highly appreciated by theparticipants, particularly because to
many of them, it was the first time they
have learned about the technologies inso much detail.
(2) Onsite trainings #OSMO /IL #O ,TD 9OKKAICHI
Reﬁnery
The participants received lectures on
the configuration of refinery equipment,
framework and systems for promoting
energy saving, and an introduction
on various energy saving activities,

Lecture on the latest energy saving
technologies (JCCP)At Cosmo Oil’s Yokkaichi Reﬁnery

Lecture session at TLV International

Lecture session at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’
Yokohama Works

Training at Toa Oil’s Keihin Reﬁnery

followed by a tour of the production
site. By observing actual onsite energy
saving and small maintenance activities,
the participants were able to gain helpful
insight and tips on improving energy
saving activities at KNPC.
s4,6 )NTERNATIONAL )NC
+AKOGAWA (EAD /FlCE
The participants received lectureson the thermal dynamic properties,
applications, and functions of steam,and on the basic principle, structure,and maintenance management ofsteam traps. They were also shown ademonstration of equipment operations
and received a tour of the equipment
manufacturing shopfloor. The precise,easy-to-understand lectures, given
in an impressively well-organizedfacility, were highly appreciated by allparticipants.
s-ITSUBISHI (EAVY )NDUSTRIES ,TD
9OKOHAMA 7ORKS+ANAZAWA 0LANTThe participants received lectures on

various technologies, trouble cases, andimprovement examples related to boiler
facilities, as well as on the cogeneration
system and improvement measures
for steam turbines. The lectures were
followed by a tour of the equipment
manufacturing shopfloor, which was
buzzing and busy with activity. The tour
provided a precious experience for theparticipants, most of whom had neverbefore observed the manufacture oflarge-scale boilers and turbines.
s

4OA /IL #O ,TD +EIHIN 2EFINERY
To a c qu i r e p r a ct ica l energ ysaving technologies, the participantslearned about specific procedures for
implementing energy saving activities,
as well as details of the refinery’s pastachievements and specific examples
related to energy savings, and exchanged
views with refinery members. A lot of theirquestions dealt with the performance andcharacteristics of the heavy oil thermal
cracking process unit, Flexi Coker, whichis the core unit of the refinery.

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

3. Evaluation and Impressionsof the Program
Though the program spanned a short
10-day period, visits to two refineries
and two equipment manufacturers
provided not only an overview ofenergy saving technologies, but also
many opportunities for discussions
and exchanges of views with Japaneseengineers. In this respect, many
participants gave high ratings to theprogram coordination and arrangement.
More t ha n ha lf t he pa r ticipa nts
mentioned that they would have liked
the program to cover a longer period,of perhaps about two weeks, and thatthey wished they had more time at
the refineries, to hold discussions
particularly with young engineers. Yet,they indicated that the time spent at eachsite visited was largely satisfactory.
In regard to the content of thelectures, the introduction of trouble
cases and their countermeasures was
especially well-received. A participant

9

gave a representative opinion to the effectthat, as maintaining the performanceof various facilities and equipment
is extremely important to promoting
energy savings, it would be ideal if
JCCP would incorporate these contents
in future courses to a larger extent.
Additionally, a number of participants

commonly stated that they have not only
gained technical knowledge through theprogram, but have also gained a strong
impression of the social norms andstandards that support Japan’s industries
and society.
KNPC, as well as all other refineriesin Middle East oil-producing countries,

will be making further efforts topromote energy saving activities, alongwith measures to improve capacities andincrease their corporate value, in the
future. To respond to their needs, JCCP
will carefully heed the requests andopinions received in this ST program,to improve future programs.
<by Yoshiaki Ueno, Training Dept.>

10

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Topics

Seminar on “Advanced Process Control”
Held in Kuwait
1. Background
From October 28 to 31, 2007, JCCP
held a joint seminar on advanced processcontrol (APC) with Kuwait National
Petroleum Company (KNPC), at a bijou
resort hotel near the Head Office of
KNPC and its 3 refineries. As with the
KNPC seminar on “Energy Saving at
the Refinery” that is introduced on pages
8-10 of this newsletter, this “Advanced
Process Control Seminar” has also been
implemented in response to proposals
made by a JCCP promotion mission
visiting the Middle East last April.
With the cooperation of Messrs. K.
Nishioka from Nippon Oil Corporation
AND 9 .OGUCHI FROM *'# #ORPORATION
Mr. Yuji Nito and I, Keiichi Saegusa,
from JCCP organized and implemented
the seminar in Kuwait.

2. Focus of the Seminar
We were aware that KNPC had
already introduced advanced processcontrol to its refineries, because there
have been KNPC participants to JCCP-

With seminar participants

initiative courses on advanced processcontrol. We therefore designed theseminar as a forum for sharing thecontrol experiences and practices of
Kuwait and Japan. Specifically, as
shown below, the seminar featured casestudies of refineries in the two countries,
a Q&A session on development,
introduction, maintenance, and training
issues, a detailed explanation of model
predictive control (MPC), which is themainstream control method today, andkey points for the implementation ofcontrol projects.

$AY  /CT s /PENING CEREMONYs )NTRODUCTION OF *##0
s /UTLINE OF !DVANCED 0ROCESS
Control$AY  /CT 
s /UTLINE OF -ODEL 0REDICTIVE
Controls /UTLINE OF 2EAL 4IME /PTIMIZERS$AY  /CT 
s %XAMPLE OF !DVANCED #ONTROL
Applications from Japan$AY  /CT 
s %XAMPLE OF !DVANCED #ONTROL
Applications from Kuwaits $ISCUSSION ABOUT !0# RELATED )TEMS

3. Overview of the Seminar

At the Mina Al-Ahmadi Reﬁnery
Center: Mr. Asa’ad Al-Saad (Deputy Managing Director)
Far left: Mr. Mohammad Al-Mutairi (Manager, Operations)

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

The seminar was attended by atotal of 13 engineers in charge of
APC, instrumentation, operations, andtechnical services in KNPC’s threerefineries (the Mina Al-Ahmadi, Mina
Abdulla, and Shuaiba Refineries).
5NFORTUNATELY NOT ALL PARTICIPANTS
were able to attend the seminar in full,
due to their busy schedules, but there
were consistently about five to sevenparticipants to each session.
The seminar underscored the factthat both Kuwait and Japan have a11

Seminar scene

At the Mina Al-Ahmadi Reﬁnery
Meeting with reﬁnery staff members

proven record in the introduction of
APC, and that the application of APC
to various types of equipment has
produced significant results. KNPC
has participated in the Solomon Survey,
and has even been ranked among
the top groups in the area of APC
performance. One of Japan’s concerns isthat maintenance tends to be neglectedduring personnel transfers amongdevelopment staff members, but Kuwait
does not seem to be affected by thisissue. The seminar also revealed somedifferences in management styles
between the two countries. In Japan,
a head office department that governs
all refineries exercises control overproduction plans, facility expansion/
remodeling plans, and all other companywide plans. At KNPC, the head officedoes not have an organization forgoverning the technology sector, butinstead, each refinery is held responsiblefor its own operations.
With questions ra nging f rom
basic questions concerning control
to advanced technical questions on
property estimation, the seminar covereda wide range of issues. Also throughpresentations of implementation caseexamples, KNPC members and we wereable to share common experiences andengage in a constructive exchange oftechnical information.

Mohammad Al-Mutairi (Manager,
Operations) hosted a presentation
session on the history of the refinery andan introduction to its refinery operation
training system (unified management ofoperation manuals, emergency response
training for all types of emergency
situations, etc.), which illustrated
the refinery’s committed stance on
ensuring safety. We then received atour of the facility. Despite the widearray of equipment that filled the site,
the vast refinery was well-organized
and clean, and showed no trace of oilor steam leaks. Additionally, all theequipment and piping were free of rust,and appeared to be properly maintained.
There are plans to expand the refinery,
which is hardly an issue, considering
the wide open land still remaining
around the present refinery grounds.
Mr. Asa’ad Al-Saad (Deputy Managing
Director) generously spared some timefrom his busy schedule, which included
an inauguration ceremony for the new
KNPC chairman, to greet us and join

us for lunch.
In the afternoon, we visited thePetroleum Training Center (PTC)of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC), and was introduced to thetraining center’s programs by Mr. Fouzi!L 1ASSAR 4EAM ,EADER 'ENERAL
Training). The PTC boasts a hugebuilding, and offers 360 different typesof programs in response to the needs ofeach KPC subsidiary company.
We wish to acknowledge the support
and assistance of Mr. Ali Abdullah(Team Leader, Career Development)
and his staff, in mak ing carefularrangements for the seminar andabove visits. We would also like toextend our special appreciation to Ms.
Haifa Al-Youha (Specialist, Career
Development), for attending to us
throughout our stay in Kuwait. JCCP
extends its deepest gratitude to them;the successful completion of the program
could not have been possible without
their support.
<by Keiichi Saegusa, Training Dept.>

4. Visits to Relevant Facilities
On the day following the completionof the seminar, we visited the Mina
Al-A hmadi Refiner y, where M r.
12

At the Petroleum Training Center
Second from left: Mr. Fouzi Al-Qassar (Team Leader, Training)

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

Topics

Seminar on “Energy Saving at theRefinery” Held in Kuwait
1. Background
From October 22 to 29, 2007, a JCCP
team visited Kuwait to hold a seminaron “Energy Saving at the Refinery”(ES-20-07) under the Expert Service(ES) scheme. The team was comprisedof Mr. Shigenobu Takahashi and I,
Shinichi Satake, lecturers from JCCP’s
Training Department, and Mr. Hisato!OYAMA FROM *'# #ORPORATION AND -R
4SUYOSHI )NOUE FROM THE #OSMO 'ROUP
as experts in the field.
One of JCCP’s recent priority issues
has been the promotion of countryspecific programs that are specially
tailored to meet the respective needs ofoil-producing countries in the Middle
East, in addition to regular courses thatare open to participation by various
countries. Based on this policy of
promoting tailor-made programs,
a JCCP promotion mission visitedseveral countries in the Middle East,
including Kuwait, in April 2007. In
response to themes and implementation
drafts proposed by the JCCP mission,

Kuwait National Petroleum Company(K N PC; a subsidia r y of Kuwa it
Petroleum Company (KPC) in chargeof oil refining) readily consented, andformally requested a number of ES andST programs. The recent seminar on“Energy Saving at the Refinery” wasthe first such seminar to be implemented
following the JCCP mission’s promotion
campaign.
As though to mark the fresh startof JCCP’s enhanced ES/ST programs,
prior communications and preparations
for the sem ina r proceeded moresmoothly than ever before. To finalize
details of the seminar, we lecturers met
three times for discussions, prior to
making the trip to Kuwait. We designed
the program to include lectures on“global warming countermeasures”
and “advanced process control forenergy saving,” which are not offered inregular courses, enriched the content ofother lectures, and unified the English
translations of technical terms. KNPC’s
Human Resources Department also
worked with outstanding efficiency,

and notified us about pre-printing, thelist of participants, and the detailed
agenda of the seminar, well in advance,
via e-mail communication. After our
arrival in Kuwait, they attended to us
with kind consideration and efficient
professionalism, and greatly contributed
to the successful implementation of theseminar.

2. Overview of the SeminarOn the day we arrived in Kuwait, we
paid a visit to KNPC’s Human Resources
Department in the Head Office. We
met with Mr. Waleed Al-Hamad(Deputy Director), Mr. Ali Abdullah(Team Leader, Career Development),and Ms. Haifa Al-Youha (Specialist,
Career Development), and discussed
the details of the seminar schedule, as
well as reconfirmed our commitment
to promoting the friendly relations
between the two organizations.
The seminar was held from thefollowing day, over a period of fourAt the KNPC Head Ofﬁce

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 200813

days, with the participation of 13
members from KNPC’s three refineries(7 from the Shuaiba Refinery, 3 from
the Mina Abdulla Refinery, and 3 from
the Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery). The
attentive attitude of the participants
as a whole, greatly contributed tomaking the seminar a substantive event.
Following Arabic custom, the seminar
was held each day from 8 o’clock in themorning to 2 o’clock in the afternoon,
without lunch break. This style was
effective in maintaining concentrationin the seminar throughout the day’spresentations.

3. Seminar Program
On the first day of the seminar,
Mr. Takahashi and I showed a video
presentation on “Introduction to JCCP,”
and lectured on “Overview of Japan’s Oil
Industry,” “Oil Alternative Energies,”and “Energy Saving Activities inJapanese Refineries.”
On the second day, Mr. Inoue fromTHE #OSMO 'ROUP GAVE A PRESENTATION
on “Refiner y Energy Saving 1,”
and introduced actual examples ofenergy saving activities th roughoperational improvement and small
capital investments. Following Mr.
)NOUES LECTURE -R !OYAMA FROM *'#Corporation gave a brief introductionof “Pinch Technology,” an energy
saving measure for heat exchangesystems, and Mr. Takahashi lectured onh'LOBAL 7ARMING #OUNTERMEASURES v
which was specially included in thisprogram. As the final speaker on thisday, Mr. Jasem Al-Muhanna fromK NPC spoke on “Energy Saving
Activities in KNPC.” This included a
description of a company-wide energysaving campaign that a 14-member
project team carried out over a period of
six months from April 2007 (raising airconditioning temperature settings from19 to 23°C, turning off unnecessary
lights, etc.). Apparently, however, fullscale energy conservation activities(efforts to improve energy consumption
rates) are yet to be initiated by the14

refineries. Moreover, power generation
by refineries is still beyond their territory
at present, because the power generation
sector is controlled by the government(Ministries of Electricity and Water).
The third day’s lectures were
essentially the highlights of theseminar. In “Refinery Energy Saving2” (Mr. Inoue), “New Energy Policies
in Japan” (Mr. Takahashi), and “NewTechnologies for Energy Saving” (Mr.
Aoyama), the three lecturers discussed
the rearrangement of heat exchangers,d i r e c t c h a r g i n g s ys t e m s , A PH
installation, and many other examplesof large-scale capital investments, aswell as introduced a variety of newenergy saving technologies, such as
internal separation-type distillation
columns, regenerative furnace burners,
new heat exchangers that provide
higher heat-transfer efficiency, andtheir implementation examples. The
information-filled lectures and active
discussions made for an exciting andfulfilling day.
On the fourth and last day of theseminar, the four of us respectively
gave lectures on “IPP at a Refinery,”h5TILITY /PTIMIZATION v h%STIMATION OF
Energy-Saving and Promotion,” and“Advanced Process Control for Energy
Saving.” In the lecture on advanced
process control, which was specially
included in this seminar, the participants
showed strong interest in learningthat model-based predictive control(MPC), real time optimizer (RTO),
and other such new process control
technologies play a significant role inenergy conservation.
After the final lecture, a closing
ceremony was held with the attendanceof Mr. Waleed Al-Hamad, Mr. Ali
Abdullah, and other members fromthe HR Department. We presented
completion certificates that had been
prepared in advance in Japan to eachparticipant, and took a commemorative
picture with the entire group.
Evaluation forms filled out by theparticipants indicated that the seminar
was satisfactory and well-received byall. Furthermore, the attendance of-R (IDEYUKI 5RATA &IRST 3ECRETARY
at the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait,at the third day’s program and thefourth day’s closing ceremony, despite
the short duration of the seminar, wasappreciated by the KNPC side. It also
inspired strong motivation on the partof us lecturers. During free periods
before, during, and after the seminar, we
took the opportunities to visit the KPC
Training Center, the Mina Abdullah
Refinery, the Kuwait Office (Japan
Desk) of the Japan Cooperation Centerfor the Middle East (JCCME), and the
Kuwait International Fair, which was
being held at Kuwait’s largest exhibition
center. Through these visits, we wereable to acquire precious information that
could contribute to further enhancing
JCCP activities in the future.

At the Hilton Kuwait Resort Hotel, the seminar venue

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

Presenting JCCP completion certiﬁcates

4. Summary
To the relief of all parties concerned,
the first seminar in the Middle East
that was conducted under JCCP’s newpolicy of promoting tailor-made courses
in response to specific needs in oilproducing countries was completed in
SUCCESS 5NLIKE REGULAR COURSES THAT
are offered in Japan, such tailor-madeprograms are attended by members
from a certain counterpart organization
only, and lectures can focus on issues
specific to the relevant country, in linewith requests from the counterpart.

Closing ceremony(third from left: Mr. Hideyuki Urata, First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait)

Therefore, the transfer of technicalinformation and discussions between
the lecturers and participants are held
efficiently, and are highly meaningful toboth sides. As things stand, the selectionof participants is placed entirely in thehands of the counterpart organization,
but in the future, an even more carefulselection of suitable participants with
sufficient knowledge and experienceis expected to enhance the quality
and significance of these programs.
JCCP also intends to routinely upgrade
its lectures and win the trust of its
counterparts, to continuously improve
its tailor-made programs.

An ST program on energy saving
for KNPC engineers is scheduled to
be implemented next February, based
primarily on practical training in Japan.
JCCP is extremely pleased to have suchopportunities of technical exchange with
Kuwait, a country with one of the richest
oil resources in the Middle East, and isstrongly committed to strengthening
and developing this important bond.

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 200815

<by Shinichi Satake, Training Dept.>

Personnel
Exchange

Report on the
Cooperation with Training Center Program—Kuwait and Saudi Arabia—

In Kuwait, the delegation’s main destinations
included the head office of Kuwait National
Petroleum Co. (KNPC), KNPC’s Mina Abdullah
Refinery, and the Leadership Development Center(LDC) and Petroleum Training Center (PTC) of
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).
5NDER THE LEADERSHIP OF +0# THE OIL INDUSTRY
in Kuwait is promoting corporate reforms in aneffort to develop companies that are capable ofpursuing results and gaining a global competitiveedge. Human resource development, in particular, isregarded as an important part of corporate reform,
and initiatives are being implemented toward the
DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCESFROM LEADERS TO

FIELD OPERATORSWITH AN EMPHASIS ON REAL ABILITYAt KNPC’s HR Department, which sends thelargest number of participants to JCCP every year
from Kuwait, Mr. Waleed Al-Hamad, AssistantManager, introduced to the delegation its humanresource development programs and a check sheetof strict standards that KNPC uses to evaluate theeffectiveness and results of refinery engineers.
At KPC’s Leadership Development Center(LDC), Ms. Salma Al Hajjaj, Director, described
LDC as an institution established specifically for the
purpose of developing top management personnel,
and explained that potential top management
candidates are registered in a database from early on
to provide education and training from a companywide perspective.
At the Mina Abdulla Refinery, managers who
participated in a JCCP course in the past shared
their expectations and requests with regard to JCCP
TRAINING -R -OHAMMED ' !L -UTAIRI $EPUTY
Managing Director, in particular, expressed deep
understanding of JCCP activities, as one who has
participated in JCCP training programs twice.
He spoke about his impression of the Japanesepeople’s work ethic and Japanese-style management
practices, and about how the knowledge he gained

At KNPC’s Mina Abdulla Reﬁnery
Mr. Mohammed G. Al Mutairi, Deputy Managing
Director (fourth from right), and other ofﬁcers

At KPCMs. Salma Al Hajjaj, Director, Leadership Development
Center, KPC (fourth from left)

A JCCP delegation visited Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia from October 11 to 21, 2009, under the
Cooperation with Training Center Program toexchange views with the counterparts of JCCP
regular courses regarding their evaluation of thecourses and future needs. The delegation especiallyemphasized that JCCP will launch long-term CPJ
programs and new regular courses in fiscal 2010, toprovide even more practical training than before.

Kuwait16

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 2010

At the Saudi Aramco Head Ofﬁce
Ms. Huda M. Al-Ghoson, General Manager,
Training & Career Development (second from left)

At the Ras Tanura Reﬁnery
Mr. Al-Sultan, Maintenance Manager, RT Reﬁnery(second from left), and JCCP graduates

through JCCP personally benefited him in his
career thereafter, and expressed his strong desire
to continue sending as many refinery personnel to
JCCP courses as possible in the future.

operates very much like a real plant and large training
facility that is comparable to a vocational school inscale, while receiving detailed descriptions from
Mr. Al-Hamdan, Supervisor, NA Industrial Training
Dept., and managers of other departments.
At the Saudi Aramco Head Office, the JCCP
delegation exchanged views with Ms. Huda M.
!L 'HOSON 'ENERAL -ANAGER 4RAINING AND #AREER
Development, who explained that Saudi Aramco
is currently concentrating its efforts on developing
LEADERSHIP !CCORDING TO -S !L 'HOSON 3AUDI
Aramco seeks two specific abilities in potential
leaders: the ability “to forecast the future of the oil
industry from a global perspective, establish concretetargets, and see those targets through to the end,”
and the ability “to efficiently organize and develop
younger workers who adhere to new values.”
At the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral
Resources, H.E. Mr. Yahya J. Shinawi, Director'ENERAL SPOKE ABOUT THE MINISTRYS INITIATIVES FOR
capacity development of its staff members, with aview to creating environmental and safety criteria
for the oil industry in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the delegation mainly visited thefollowing five destinations: the Saudi Aramco Head
Office, the Ras Tanura Refinery, the Ras Tanura
Training Center, the Eastern Province Branch of
the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources,
and a Saudi Arabian government office in chargeof human resource development.
At the Ras Tanura Refinery, the JCCP delegation
held a meeting with JCCP graduates in the companyof Mr. Al-Sultan, Maintenance Manager, andobtained their views on how JCCP training is
helping them in their current workplaces, as wellas their expectations and requests for improvement
in regard to JCCP. There were those who said
they developed an interest in Japanese corporate
management as a result of their exposure to Japanesecompanies through JCCP training, and those who
said they wish to learn how to apply Japanese-style
management to Saudi Arabia. Others requested a
training program that not only offers classroom
lectures but places more emphasis on providing
practical knowledge.
At the Ras Tanura Training Center, the JCCP
delegation toured the center’s training plant that

The visits to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia yielded
the understanding that both countries place strongemphasis on human resource development as apriority issue, that they have a high regard for thebasic qualities of the Japanese people, culture andcustoms, and also for Japanese-style management.
Furthermore, the JCCP delegation noted that oil-

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 201017

producing countries have strong interest in training
programs that include lectures on kaizen, TPM and
TQC activities. In light of such new needs in Saudi

Arabia and Kuwait, JCCP acknowledges that it must
further enhance and improve its training courses in
the future.
<by Masumi Kitahara, Administration Dept.>

With H.E. Mr. Yahya J. Shinawi, Director General of theEastern Province Branch of the Ministry of Petroleum andMineral Resources (second from left)

18

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 2010

Personnel
Exchange

Report on the
Cooperation with Training Center Program(Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain)
From November 8–18, 2008, a five-member
JCCP delegation visited four countries in the Middle
East, to hold working-level conferences with JCCP
counterpart training departments in those countries.
The delegation specifically sought to introduce the
FY2009 JCCP regular course program, promote andpropose the implementation of customized programs(CPO/CPJ) that are designed in response to specificneeds in each country, and to exchange views with
JCCP counterpart personnel. The members of the
DELEGATION WERE -R !KIO 9AMANAKA 'ENERALManager, Operations Department, Mr. Yasuo
Tabei, Master Lecturer, Training Department,-R 3HOICHIRO 9AGI 'ENERAL -ANAGER -IDDLE%AST /FFICE -R 4OSHIMI +INOSHITA 'ENERALManager, Riyadh Office, and Mieko Onai, Manager,
Operations Department.
Each of the four countries sends participants
to JCCP courses on a continuing basis, and plays
an important role in sustaining JCCP cooperation.
For this reason, personally meeting with people
in charge of or involved in sending participants to
JCCP courses and directly obtaining their views andrequests have proved to be extremely meaningfulin further strengthening cooperative relationships.
The visits also presented an ideal opportunity to
explain in person course details that could not
be fully communicated by writing only, and topromote JCCP activities planned for the coming
fiscal year.

At the NIORDC Head Ofﬁce,with Mr. Saeid Mahjoubi, Deputy Director,
Production Coordinator & Supervision (second from left)

Mahjoubi, Deputy Director, Production Coordinator& Supervision. NIORDC sends many participants to
JCCP each year, but in order to secure its continued
participation, the delegation provided an overview
of FY2009 regular courses, as well as proposed theimplementation of customized programs. After due
consideration, Mr. Mahjoubi stated that he wishes
to place priority on receiving a customized program

1. Iran
On November 10, the delegation visited theHead Office of National Iranian Oil Refining
and Distribution Company (NIORDC) locatedin Tehran, and held a meeting with Mr. Saeid

At the NIORDC Esfahan Reﬁnery,with Mr. M. Aghanejad, Managing Director(ﬁfth from left)

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 200919

on safety management, saying that he would like
NIORDC employees to learn about the Japanesementality of preventing accidents from occurringin the first place.
After the meeting, the delegation met with Mr.
Aminollah Eskandari, Director Refining Affairs,
who expressed his growing expectations in JCCP’s
cooperative framework.
On the following day, the delegation visited theEsfahan Refinery. After receiving a warm welcomeand engaging in a follow-up discussion with Mr.
M. Aghanejad, Managing Director, and other JCCP
graduates, the delegation members toured the site
and gained an overall understanding of the refinery’s
operations.
During this trip, the delegation also had theopportunity to visit the Tehran Head Office andEsfahan Branch Office of National Iranian Oil
Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC), a
subsidiary of NIORDC specializing in logistics,

At the NIOPDC Head Ofﬁce

At the NIOPDC Esfahan Branch Ofﬁce

20

from which the numbers of participants to JCCP
regular courses have been increasing during thepast few years. The meeting at the Head Office
WAS ATTENDED BY -R 2AHMAN 'HASEMI $IRECTOR
of Human Resource & Training, and many othermembers who participated in a customized program(Human Resource Management & Development)
held in Japan last February for a study group from
Iran. As they were familiar with JCCP regularcourses, they offered diverse opinions and requests
for future regular courses. At the Esfahan Branch
Office, the delegation met with Mr. Farazmand
Mohammad, Manager, Esfahan Region, andMr. Soleiman Malakan, Deputy of Commercial
Department, both of whom participated in a JCCP
regular course in the past, in addition to a numberof other personnel, and gained an understanding of
the current state of an oil logistics facility in Iran.

2. Kuwait
On November 13, the delegation visited Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC) andheld a meeting with a number of key personnel,
including JCCP counterpart Mr. Ali Abdulla,
Team Leader, and Ms. Saud Abdullatif A. AlAwadhi, Senior Specialist, both from the Career
Development Division, HRD, Ms. Haifa AlYouhah, Specialist, Mr. Mohammad J. Burahmah,
On-the-Job Training (OJT) Personnel, and Mr.
Deven Kotecha, Safety, Health & Environment(SH&E) Training Personnel.
In addition to receiving participants fromKNPC to regular courses, since 2004 JCCP has
implemented four customized programs in Kuwait
and one in Japan. In the meeting, the KNPC side
requested the implementation of a new course on
the environment, with a focus on safety, health& environment (HSE), an area that KNPC isparticularly seeking to reinforce within its HRD
structure. The KNPC side also maintained that
JCCP training is an indispensable part of their HRD
system.
As KNPC is also striving to promote the OJT
system, the KNPC members provided an overview

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 2009

Meeting at the KNPC Head Ofﬁceof in-house OJT training and SH&E training. The
delegation members felt that the training system
chart and evaluation table that the company actuallyuses could be useful references for JCCP training
as well.
KNPC invests a substantial amount of expenses
in training its 5,000 employees. Its HRD systemaims to assign the right people to the right places,
and fosters human resources with care, so that each
person can exercise his or her full potential. In regard
to engineers, its policy appears to be to provide
thorough education on safety management issues
and attitude from the early stages of employment.
Based on this understanding of KNPC’s commitment
to training its employees, JCCP should perhaps
reexamine how it can continue contributing to
KNPC through its training programs.

customized programs to many training managers
all at once. There have been increasing numbers of
Saudi Aramco participants to regular courses during
the past few years, and there are plans to hold acustomized program at the Ras Tanura Refinery
again this fiscal year in December and January,
following those implemented during the previous
year. Therefore, the Saudi Aramco side showedstrong interest in regular courses and customized
programs for FY2009, and in the end requested acourse on gas operations.
Among themselves, the training coordinators
discussed measures for streamlining the feedbackof participants’ requests of JCCP courses, as wellas the series of procedures from announcing
course offerings within Saudi Aramco to sending
in applications. Hopefully, their discussion will
facilitate smoother coordination between Saudi
Aramco and JCCP in the future. The meeting
also produced specific requests relating to course
improvements. JCCP will consider these requests
seriously, and reflect them in the management andoperation of future courses.

3. Saudi Arabia
On November 15, the delegation visited Saudi
Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery. Regardless of it
being the beginning of the week in Saudi Arabia,
13 people turned out for the meeting, including
Mr. Lloydie A. Jonson, Assistant to Vice President,
Refining, who is also JCCP’s counterpart at
Saudi Aramco, and training coordinators for gas
operations from Saudi Aramco’s other refineries
and oil fields. The meeting provided an ideal stage
for presenting an overview of regular courses and

At Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Reﬁnery,with participants of the meeting

4. Bahrain
On November 16, the delegation held a meetingat a refinery operated by the Bahrain Petroleum
Company (BAPCO), with Mr. Mohamed Abdulla

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 200921

At BAPCO, with Mr. Mohamed Abdulla Al Jamea,
General Manager, Human Resources & Administration(third from left)!L *AMEA 'ENERAL -ANAGER (UMAN 2ESOURCES& Administration, and JCCP counterpart Mr. Ali
Salman Ali, Superintendent Technical Training.
Due to its small population, Bahrain has so far sent
only a small number of participants to JCCP courses
compared to other Middle East countries, but there
has been steady participation from Bahrain every
year since 1990.
BAPCO also enjoys a strong cooperative
relationship with Japanese companies. As Mr. Al
Jamea has stated, BAPCO is extremely grateful for
JCCP’s technical assistance, and holds particularly
strong expectations of training in the operational
maintenance sector. In addition to JCCP regularcourses, however, BAPCO would also like toparticipate in courses initiated by JCCP member
companies.

5. Summary
During its recent visit to the Middle East, the
JCCP delegation not only visited oil companies in
oil-producing countries, but also paid courtesy callson the Japanese Embassies in Iran and Bahrain andgained a deep understanding of current situations in
the countries visited. At the Japanese Embassy in
Bahrain, the delegation members had the opportunity
to meet with H.E. Mr. Takeshi Kondo, Ambassador

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, who emphasized
the significance of Bahrain to Japan. He stated that
“Bahrain may not produce as much oil as othercountries, but it plays an important role in securing
the navigation safety of tankers.” At the Japanese
Embassy in Iran, the delegation obtained invaluable
information on current situations in Iran from Mr.
Toshiyuki Shirai, Head of the Economic Section.
Mr. Shirai showed support of JCCP activities
by expressing his conviction that continuous,
hardworking activities over a long period of time,
like JCCP activities, are what is most necessary to
Iran today. The delegation also visited Yokogawa
Electric Corporation’s offices in Saudi Arabia andBahrain, and obtained significant insight into thecountries through the eyes of a Japanese company
that has succeeded in making inroads into theMiddle East region.
In each country, the percentage of young
employees is beginning to increase along with theincrease in population, and many companies arehoping to have them learn from Japan, not only
in regard to technical capabilities, but also suchspiritual aspects of the Japanese as their diligenceand sense of responsibility toward their work. To
many organizations, this is an extremely important
aspect of JCCP activities, and one for which
they have great expectations. At the same time,
however, some countries have articulated theirhonest opinions of JCCP courses without reserve.
These opinions will be reviewed and reflected in theplanning and implementation of future courses.
Over the years, JCCP has established close bondsof friendship with Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, andBahrain. However, the recent visits have provided
the delegation with the opportunity to reaffirm theimportance of continuously doing the utmost to
support counterpart countries and making steadycooperation efforts through JCCP activities.
I would like to take the opportunity of this report
to send my warmest and sincerest appreciation to
everyone who has supported us throughout our recent
trip through the four countries in the Middle East.
<by Mieko Onai, Operations Dept.>

22

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 2009

Participant’s VoiceGas Processing for LNG(TR-15-08: November 4 – November 21, 2008)
Mr. Khaled Mane Fahad Al-Ajmi (KNPC / Kuwait)

On behalf of the TR-15-08 “Gas Processing for LNG”
participants, I would like to express my appreciation to
JCCP management, staff and the wonderful country ofJapan.
I used to think of Japan simply as a modern country
with high-rise buildings and large beautiful bridges, but I
have discovered that it is also a verdant country with virginforests. During my stay in Japan, I realized that Japan has
become a leader in the world because the Japanese people
are united together, honest, creative and cooperative, andtake pride in their history, culture and traditions.
I think the “Gas Processing for LNG” course wasextremely beneﬁcial. JCCP staff efﬁciently provided a wide
range of information, as they delivered lectures on LNG
development and production and the applications of LNG,
and took us to LNG-ﬁred power plants and companies
that manufacture heavy equipment that use LNG.
During the course, we visited various cities in Japan,
including Tokyo, Himeji, Kyoto, Yokohama and Ichihara.
In Tokyo, we attended many lectures: Japanese Economy,
Outline of Petroleum Industry, Global LNG Market, SteelPipe Technologies, Development and Production of LNG,
Outline of LNG Plant, and Natural Gas to New Energy
Development. After the excellent background on LNG,
JCCP showed us the diverse industrial applications of LNG.
In Himeji, we visited a terminal where LNG is received inJapan. Then we visited LNG power stations 1 & 2, which
utilize LNG-ﬁred gas turbines to produce electrical power.
The gas turbines are manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries (MHI), so we visited MHI and attended a lecture
titled “Maintenance for Gas Turbine,” as well as visited
its workshop. We also visited Kobe Steel Company, which

manufactures many types of heavy industrial products.
In Yokohama, we visited IHI Corporation and attended
a lecture on IHI’s corporate activities, products and LNG
storage tanks. Finally, we visited Mitsui Engineering &Shipbuilding Company (MES) in Ichihara, where we
attended lectures on LNG carriers, toured the shipyard
and observed the process of shipbuilding.
Field trips took us to many beautiful, attractive,
historic and educational places in Japan. In Himeji wevisited Himeji Castle, and in Yokohama we saw Sankei-en,
Yamashita Park, the new business and shopping area,
Chinatown, and the red brick warehouse. We also visitedmany temples.
I would like to thank the JCCP management and staff,
especially Mr. Shigeyoshi Takahashi and Mr. Yoshiaki Ueno,
for their support and guidance throughout our stay inJapan. I think this course will remain in my memory as
one of the best courses in which I have ever participated,with the best group of people whom I can proudly callfriends.

JCCP NEWS No. 103 February 200923

TechnicalCooperation

Workshop on Kuwait Heavy Crude
Oil Upgrading
On May 26, 2010, a workshop was held at thePetroleum Research & Study Center (PRSC) of Kuwait
Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in Kuwait, toreport on the results of the joint JCCP-KISR technicalcooperation project on “Heavy Crude Oil Upgrading in
Kuwait Using Thermal Cracking Process.” More than 50
participants from various companies and organizations
attended the workshop and participated in active Q&A
sessions following each presentation. The participants
were from various oil companies in Kuwait, including
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), Kuwait Oil
Company (KOC), and Kuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC), and from institutions such as theOrganization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries(OAPEC) and Kuwait University.

will be evaluated based on a comprehensive assessmentof factors such as the relationship between the propertiesof Kuwait heavy crude oil and thermal cracking
reaction, and market studies of reformed crude oil. Dueconsideration will also be given to the intentions of KOC,
the authority for Kuwait heavy crude development.

2. Workshop
The workshop opened with an opening address by Dr.
Meena Marafi, Manager, PRSC KISR, followed by brief
messages from Dr. Abdulhameed Al-Hashem, Director,
PRSC KISR, Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Directorof JCCP, and Mr. Yoshio Yokoyama, Director of Arabian
Oil Company, Ltd.

1. Overview of the Workshop
The project aims to create a business model formaking practical use of Kuwait’s large quantities of highsulfur heavy crude oil by converting it to more usefullight, low-sulfur crude oil using Japanese upgrading
technology (Eureka process), and to ultimately examine
its potential for commercialization.
Candidate sites for construction of the upgrading
facility include at the foot of an oil well or near arefinery. The scale of the facility would be relatively
small in the case of the former and large in the case of
the latter. The project’s potential for commercialization

Preliminary proceedings and pamphlets of the workshop

24

Dr. Meena Maraﬁ, Manager, PRSC KISR,
delivering the opening address

As keynote speakers, Dr. Alenezi from KOC gave aspeech on the development of Lower Fars heavy crude
oil in Kuwait, and Mr. Ronald L. Dickenson, Presidentof SFA Pacific Inc., spoke about various technologies
for developing of heavy crude oil. Mr. Dickenson
mentioned the Ivanhoe HTL process, a coker processthat requires short retention time, has begun to draw
attention as a field upgrader, although operational results
have only been obtained from a prototype so far. He alsomentioned that the slurry residual oil hydrocracking
process which uses nano catalysts is a promising newprocess, and that a 23,000B/D plant is under construction
at a refinery operated by Eni S.p.A. The Eureka process,Mr. Dickenson noted, is an extremely innovative thermal
cracking process.

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

In the technical session which followed the keynote
speeches, Dr. Mamun Absi-Halabi, Principal Research
Scientist, PRSC, spoke on the direct reforming of heavy
crude oil, and Mr. Omori from Arabian Oil Company and
Messrs. Shimizu and Uchida from Chiyoda Corporation
introduced the Eureka thermal cracking unit andexplained its technical advantages. The Eureka process
is similar to the coker process, but differs greatly in thatits thermal cracking residue is liquid pitch, where it issolid coke in the coker process. The Japanese researchers
explained that the liquid state of the residue from the
Eureka process makes the process ideal when combinedwith a gasification process, and also emphasized thepotential of Eureka as a field upgrader.
After a brief lunch break, Dr. Faisal Alhumaidan,
Associate Research Scientist, PRSC KISR, reported on
the results of a vacuum residue thermal cracking test
conducted on three different types of heavy crude oil(Ratawi, Lower Fars, and Eocene) using a pilot vacuum
residue thermal cracking unit installed in PRSC last
fiscal year. The results indicated that vacuum residue
from Eocene is relatively easier to crack compared tothe other types of crude oil. He also presented interim
results of an analysis of thermal cracking speed. Next,
Dr. M. Ramadhan gave a presentation on the results ofDr. M. Ramadhan giving a presentation

Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP,
delivering an opening speecha market survey of heavy crude oil and synthetic crudeoil, and lastly, Mr. Hayashida from Arabian Oil Company
discussed the economic advantages of operating a
Eureka unit. Mr. Hayashida noted that if a Eureka unit
is installed at the foot of an oil well as a field upgrader,the Eureka pitch could be used to produce steam and thesteam used in the production process of heavy crude oil.
The economic efficiency of the process, he explained,
would be extremely high, delivering an IRR of 30 – 40%,
both when Eureka is used in a large process combinedwith gasification and when it is used as a small field
upgrader.
The workshop came to a close with a proposal toinstall a pilot Eureka plant in the Mina Al Shuaiba
Refinery, which is one of three refineries in Kuwait.
We feel that the true meaning of technical transfer
lies in the commercialization of the technology after
completion of the JCCP technical cooperation project,
and that this may be achieved by going beyond the scopeof a debriefing session with the counterpart organization
and widely disclosing information of the project to theentire oil sector in Kuwait, recognizing it as the future
owner of the project. It can be said that one of the reasons
why this workshop was successful was because KISR
shared this awareness with strong conviction.
<by Hiroshi Iida, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 201025

TechnicalCooperation

Signing Ceremony
for the Project on “Heavy Crude Oil
Upgrading” in Kuwait
On October 28, 2009, JCCP and Kuwait Institutefor Scientific Research (KISR) held a ceremony
for signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
on the joint technical cooperation, “Heavy Crude
Oil Upgrading in Kuwait Using Thermal Cracking
Process.”

1. Project Background
Kuwait has an abundance of heavy crude oilwith high sulfur content and API gravity ranging
from 10 to 20 degrees. It is available in such large
quantities that the 15-year plan for increased crude
oil production, which was approved by the national
assembly in 2004, announced that roughly 20%of the 2020 target production of 4 million B/D(700,000 – 900,000 B/D) will be acquired fromnewly developed heavy oilfields. However, in
addition to the fact that heavy crude oil with highsulfur content is difficult to sell alone, even if it isblended with other light crude oils, its API gravity
must be lowered to offset the increased ratio of
heavy crude in order to export it. This means that

Signing the MOA
Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR (left), andMr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP (right)

26

upgrading facilities are needed to “upgrade” heavy
crude oil to light, low-sulfur crude oil, and toward
this end Kuwait is well aware of the need to explore
various measures.
Heavy oil upgrading projects have been applied
to unconventional oil resources such as oil sands
and Orinoco tar, but have never been applied toconventional heavy crude oil. Therefore, the process
of upgrading of heavy crude oil must be examinedfrom various angles, including experimental testing
and market studies.

2. Project Overview
The said JCCP technical cooperation project
aims to create a business model for converting
Kuwait’s large quantities of high-sulfur heavy crude
oil to more useful light, low-sulfur crude oil, and toseek its potential for commercialization.
Candidate sites for the construction of the
upgrading facility include at the foot of an oil wellor near a refinery. The scale of the facility would be
relatively small in the case of the former and large

Exchange of commemorative gifts
Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR (left), andMr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP (right)

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 2010

in the case of the latter. The project’s potential forcommercialization will also be evaluated basedon a comprehensive assessment of various otherfactors, such as the properties of heavy crude oil,heavy crude thermal cracking tests, methods for theutilization of cracking residues, and the results ofmarket studies on reformed crude oil.

3. MOA Signing Ceremony
The signing ceremony was held with the presenceof Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR,
and members from Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC), Kuwait National Petroleum Company(KNPC), and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) on
the Kuwaiti side, and with Mr. Yukihiro Nikaido,
Minister, Embassy of Japan in Kuwait (representing
H.E. Mr. Masatoshi Muto, Ambassador); Mr. Yoshio
Yokoyama from Arabia Oil Co., Ltd.; Mr. Hiromi
Koshizuka from Chiyoda Corporation; and Mr.
Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP, on
the Japanese side. A large number of journalists werealso present to cover the important ceremony.
Dr. Al-Mutairi personally presided over the entire
ceremony, which included opening speeches by the
representatives of each participating company, thesigning of the MOA, and a technical presentationon the project. Active discussions were held withmembers of Kuwait’s oil industry in regard to thetechnical presentation, and the exchange of views
with KOC, the largest crude oil producer in Kuwait,

Local newspaper article on the ceremony(From left to right) Mr. Yukihiro Nikaido,
Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Mr. Morihiro Yoshida

was so stimulating that it continued even after
completion of the ceremony. All in all, members
from Kuwait’s oil industry and KISR, the counterpart
to the project, demonstrated an extremely high levelof interest and enthusiasm for the project.
Not only did local newspapers feature a large
article on the signing ceremony the next day, but
video coverage was also broadcast on TV, andcontributed to increasing public recognition ofJapan’s technical cooperation in Kuwait.
JCCP extends its deepest appreciation to everyone
at KISR, the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait, Arabian
Oil Company, and all other institutions concerned,
who generously provided their cooperation inholding the signing ceremony.
<by Hiroshi Iida, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Mr. Yukihiro Nikaido, Ministerof the Japanese Embassy in
Kuwait, delivering a speech

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 201027

Reference

Activity Reportfrom Researchers Participating in theLong-Term Researcher Dispatch Program
Introduction

FY2010 Researchers

Over the years, JCCP has developed cooperative
relationships with major counterpart institutions suchas King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals(KFUPM) and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research(KISR) through international joint research programsand technical cooperation projects. To further strengthen
and improve these relationships, JCCP sends veteranJapanese researchers to counterpart institutions longterm to provide research support and engage in direct
exchanges with researchers at those institutions under
the Long-term Researcher Dispatch Program.
JCCP has dispatched three honorary university
professors and a corporate researcher during the three
years from FY2007 to FY2009. They mainly help their
host institution develop research personnel and provide
detailed research assistance in response to its needs.
Three researchers have been dispatched in FY2010.
These researchers were asked to share some of the local
information they have obtained by staying long term in
the country of their host institution and interacting withlocal researchers, and to also introduce their researchsupport activities.

N Dr. Hideshi Hattori, Professor Emeritus,

Brieﬁng session at JCCP, July 14, 201028

Hokkaido University(1) Host institution:
Center of Refining and Petrochemicals (CRP),
Research Institute (RI), King Fahd University ofPetroleum and Minerals (KFUPM)(2) Term of dispatch:
Approxmately three months each year since FY2007(this year’s schedule is being planned)(3) Research field:
Application of solid acid catalyst and solid basecatalyst to oil refining and petrochemistry
N Dr. Katsuomi Takehira, Professor Emeritus,
Hiroshima University(1) Host institution:
Center of Refining and Petrochemicals (CRP),
Research Institute (RI), King Fahd University ofPetroleum and Minerals (KFUPM)(2) Term of dispatch:
Approximately three months each year since FY2009(this year’s schedule is being planned)(3) Research field:
Research of catalysts for petrochemical feedstock
production by ethylbenzene dehydrogenation
N Dr. Hidehiro Higashi(1) Host institution:
Petroleum Refining Department, Petroleum
Research and Studies Center (PRSC), Kuwait
Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)(2) Term of dispatch:
Approximately three months each year since FY2007(this year’s schedule is being planned)(3) Research field:
R&D on enhancement of practical evaluation
performance of pilot plant tests and improvement ofrefinery operations

JCCP NEWS No. 108 January 2011

3. Research Assistance at KISR in Kuwait
Dr. Hidehiro Higashi
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
was my host institution under the JCCP Long-term
Researcher Dispatch Program. It was establishedapproximately 40 years ago, and is the only publicresearch institution in Kuwait. KISR’s precursor wasa research center founded by Arabian Oil Company
Limited, which had a concession agreement to develop
the Khafji Oil Field. The company later donated theresearch center to the Kuwaiti government, where it
was placed under the control of the Ministry of Higher
Education and given a greater scope of research andpersonnel. Today, it is headed by Dr. Naji Mohamed
Al-Mutairi, Director General, and is headquartered in
Al-Shuwaik, Kuwait City. Studies in areas other thanpetroleum, which are primarily related to environmental
issues, are based in the headquarters, and studies related
to petroleum are conducted at the Petroleum Research &Studies Center (PRSC) in Ahmadi, under the directorshipof Dr. Abdulhameed A. Al-Hashem. With approximately
800 researchers under its wing at present, 65 to 70% ofwhom have an academic degree, KISR is one of the mostrespected scientific institutes in the Middle East. The
Kuwaiti government places large expectations on KISR,
and is presently considering making further expansions.
From 2009 to the present, I have made three brief stays
at PRSC, each about one month long, to provide researchguidance on hydrotreating catalysts mainly to Dr.
Hamza Albazzaz, Senior Researcher, under the generalsupervision of Dr. Meena Marafi, Manager. I have also

provided research guidance on the characterization ofaspahltene contained in residual oil (generally defined
as an n-heptane insoluble matter; the main material used
to make road-pavement asphalt), which has never been
the focus of studies in this area before, and on its impact
on catalytic reactions.
Kuwait owns and operates a national oil company
called Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) under the
direct management of the Ministry of Energy. KPC has
ten affiliated companies (wholly owned subsidiaries)
under its umbrella, to attend to all aspects of the oil
business, including the exploration, development,
production, refining, shipment, marketing, and overseas
investment of crude oil and natural gas. Kuwait National
Petroleum Company (KNPC) is one of KPC’s subsidiaries
specializing in oil refining. KNPC currently operates
three refineries with a combined refining capacity of
900,000 b/d: the Mina Al-Ahmad Refinery (MAA), Mina
Abdullah Refinery (MAB) and Shuaiba Refinery. It also
has a plan to construct a fourth refinery with a capacity of
600,000 b/d, although the plan has been suspended for thetime being due to various circumstances. Because KNPC
does not have a research center, studies and assessments
requested by its refineries are outsourced to PRSC at cost.
To PRSC, therefore, KNPC is a customer who provides
research funds. Kuwait produces mainly heavy crudeoil, and reduced crude, which is used as fuel, contains
as much as 4% sulfur. If this reduced crude is burned as
it is and used to generate electricity, large amounts ofInspection of research facilities at KISR (Sept. 2007)

With hydroplant engineers and operator

JCCP NEWS No. 108 January 201129

SOx would be released into the atmosphere as a sourceof air pollution. For this reason, KNPC has a number of
direct desulfurization units to remove the sulfur content
of reduced crude using catalysts. They include two UOP
units with two trains, a Chevron unit with two trains,
and a UOP unit with one train, which provide a total
processing capacity of 300,000 b/d. KNPC is the only
refinery in the world heavily equipped with so many
direct desulfurization units. It is worth noting that the
fixed-bed direct desulfurization unit was demonstrated
for the first time in the world approximately 40 years
ago in Japan. The many types of direct desulfurization
units that have been constructed and exist throughout theworld today have followed on the heels of this successful
demonstration. Over many years, Japan has also
continued to research and improve hydrodesulfurization
catalysts for use in desulfurization units, and has provided
technical support for development of the catalyst andoperational technologies of the unit to overseas oilproducing countries with JCCP’s cooperation.
Precisely because KNPC operates so many direct
desulfurization units, it is strongly seeking to optimize
its catalyst selection technology for those units and tofurther increase operational efficiency. KNPC seeks theexpertise of KISR-PRSC in many issues.
It is understood that KISR has consistently andaccurately addressed KNPC’s needs for technical supportand research and development through the years. In
the future, it will probably be expected to improve theevaluation precision of practical catalyst performanceand to cultivate even more advanced catalyst selection
technology as well as other development technologies.
Under this Long-term Researcher Dispatch Program, I
hope to apply my many years of experience in the catalyst
R&D field to providing cooperation and assistance to
KISR in response to such new needs.
Within the cooperative research in the refining field,
Dr. Hamza Albazzaz and I proposed to implement a
research project under a joint framework of KNPC,KISR-PRSC, and the licensor who designed the units.
Spanning a period of three years, the project would
aim to analyze and improve the operation of refinery
units by creating a cold flow reactor model that is large
enough to observe the flow of catalysts, gas, and oil
inside the reactor, and also to examine the impacts ofasphaltene on catalyst activity by constructing a pilot
unit for high-pressure testing which could also be used
for catalyst evaluation. The cost of implementing the30

With Dr. Hamza Albazzaz, Senior Researcher

project was proposed to be borne by KNPC and KPC
as the project beneficiaries. As a result, KPC/KNPC
gave their approval, and agreed to launch the project in
FY2010. I believe that this three-party project would
improve relationships between KNPC and KISR-PRSC
and would create a golden opportunity for KISR-PRSC
researchers to familiarize themselves with actual
units. PRSC’s Dr. Meena Marafi appointed Dr. Hamza
Albazzaz as project leader, but I will also be providing
my full support, as it is an important and large-scale
project.
Recently, there has been another new development.
That is, it has been decided that KPC/KNPC will launch
its own research center this coming spring. The newresearch center is likely to advance along the path ofoil-related studies and applied research. If it does, it
may become the same as PRSC, which also engages in
oil-related studies, but I understand that KISR has plansto shift its focus to basic research to avoid the overlap.
In the case where KISR does choose to pursue basic
research, I am thinking to provide assistance to makecertain that everyone fully understands the importance ofcollecting basic data steadily over time. In considerationof all the above, JCCP can probably expect to receive
requests for cooperation from both the new KPC/KNPC
research center and from KISR, and may need to further
extend its technical cooperation program to adequately
respond to their needs.

JCCP NEWS No. 108 January 2011

TechnicalCooperation

Progress Report on “The Long-term
Researcher Dispatch Program”
1. Program Objective
JCCP launched “The Long-term Researcher
Dispatch Program” in FY2007 as a new initiative
under the International Joint Research Scheme.
Through the program, JCCP sends honorary
university professors and senior corporate
researchers to universities and research institutions
in major oil-producing countries long term, toprovide guidance to local researchers and topromote the advancement and invigoration ofresearch activities in counterpart organizations byhelping them improve research methods and address
new research themes. The program also aims toenhance personal exchanges in the research field
and thereby build and strengthen relationships oftrust between oil-producing countries and Japan.

2. Implementation Status
In FY2007, the year of commencement of the
program, the months between May and Octoberwere busily spent making the necessary preparations,and researchers were actually dispatched overseas
in November. Two researchers were respectively
dispatched to King Fahd University of Petroleum
and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in Kuwait
for a period of three months, from November to
February. The two organizations were selected
as counterpart organizations of the program, as
they have built a solid relationship with JCCP in
the technical cooperation field going back morethan 15 years, through the joint implementationof international research programs, technicalcooperation projects, and periodical symposiums.
In FY2008, three researchers were dispatched to
KFUPM and KISR as before. An overview of theDr. Hideshi Hattori, Professor Emeritus,
Hokkaido University (center), at KFUPM

first two years of the program is presented below.
<Dispatch to KFUPM>
s 2ESEARCHER
Dr. Hideshi Hattori, Professor Emeritus,
Hokkaido University
s 4ERM
Three-month dispatch to KFUPM, between
November 2007 and February 2008
Three-month dispatch to KFUPM, between June2008 and February 2009s &IELD OF RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
Introduction and guidance in new themes incatalyst research(1) Production of clean gasoline composed
primarily of multi-branch alkane throughthe use of zirconium solid acid catalysts
and elucidation of the catalyst action
mechanism(2) Production of high added-value aromatics
through the use of solid base catalysts
and elucidation of the catalyst action
mechanism

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200931

operations of the desulfurization unit at
KNPC

Dr. Hidehiro Higashi, JGC Catalysts and Chemicals Ltd.
(front), at KISR

<Dispatch to KISR>
s 2ESEARCHER
Dr. Hidehiro Higashi, JGC Catalysts andChemicals Ltd.
s 4ERM
3-month dispatch to KISR, between November
2007 and February 2008
3-month dispatch to KISR, between May 2008
and November 2008
s &IELD OF RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
Studies on improving catalyst research methods
and refinery operations(1) Studies and guidance for increasing
assessment performance of pilot tests ondesulfurization catalysts and others(2) Implementation and analysis of a coldflow model experiment for improving theDr. Takeshige Takahashi, Professor Emeritus,
Kagoshima University, at KISR

32

s 2ESEARCHER
Dr. Takeshige Takahashi, Professor Emeritus,
Kagoshima University
s 4ERM
2.5-month dispatch to KISR, between October
2008 and February 2009s &IELD OF RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
Implementation of lecture presentations on
catalyst research and guidance of individual
researchers(1) Implementation of lecture presentations on
the deactivation mechanism of atmosphericresidue hydrodesulfurization catalysts andprevention of catalyst deactivation(2) Individual counseling and guidance:
Individual research issues, development ofyoung researchers, research policies, etc.

3. Summary
During the first two years of the program, threeresearchers have been dispatched to KFUPM in
Saudi Arabia and KISR in Kuwait long term, toprovide research assistance and guidance to local
researchers. Careful consideration was given sothat researchers were not dispatched in the midstof the extremely hot summer season and theIslamic fasting month, but even so, the intensive
weather and differences in customs and the living
environment must have required some getting used
to. Nevertheless, the researchers quickly adapted
to their new environment and cultivated personal
exchanges with researchers, and began carrying out
assistance activities as appropriate to the researchsituation at the counterpart organization. By residingin the host country over a relatively long term, theresearchers were able to apply themselves to diverse
areas of research, including the launch of new
research themes, improvement of research methods,
and implementation of lecture presentations andindividual guidance, and thereby contributed todeveloping the capacities of local researchersand enhancing research in their counterpart

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

organizations. The counterpart organizations haveexpressed strong appreciation of the program as aprime example of interpersonal cooperation.
On March 18, 2009, the researchers reported on
their local activities in a debriefing session heldwith the participation of members from the Ministryof Economy, Trade and Industry, JCCP member
companies, and Japan Petroleum Institute. Based on
the experiences gained through the program during
the past two years as presented in the debriefing
session, JCCP hopes to continue responding to thespecific needs of the counterpart organizations bydispatching highly experienced researchers willingto blend in and offer research assistance to local
researchers.

Debrieﬁng session (March 18), at JCCP Headquarters<by Kazuhisa Okumura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200933

Topics

Progress Report on the“Long-term Researcher Dispatch Program”
1. Background
JCCP launched the Long-term
Researcher Dispatch Program in
FY2007, as part of its research assistanceactivities under the International Joint
Research Scheme. Through the program,
JCCP sends honora r y university
professors and senior researchers fromprivate companies in Japan, who havemade remarkable achievements intheir specialized field, to universities
and research institutions in major oilproducing countries. The researchers
reside in their respective host country
long term, and routinely assist in the
R&D activities of local researchers, in
response to the needs of the counterpart
organization. In addition to providing
guidance, Japanese researchers who aredispatched to oil-producing countries
apply their expertise to improving
research methods, identifying new
and promising research themes, andotherwise promoting the advancement
and vitalization of research activities
within their counterpart organizations.
By providing research assistancein response to the requests of theDr. Hattori in a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of KFUPM, Sept. 2007

counterpart organization, the program is
not only expected to strengthen personal
exchanges in the R&D field, but also
to build and increase the counterpart
organizations’ trust in Japan.
King Fahd University of Petroleum
and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia
and Kuwait Institute for Scientific
Research (KISR) in Kuwait have been
selected as counterpart organizations of
the program. Over many years, the twoorganizations and JCCP have built a solid
relationship through the implementationof joint research projects under the

Dr. Hattori inspecting KFUPM’s research facilities, Sept. 200734

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

international joint research schemeand technical cooperation programs,
and by holding joint symposiums on aregular basis.

2. FY2007 Program(1) Overview
Following meticulous planningand preparation among the Japanese
researchers and their affiliated andcou nt e r pa r t orga n i z at ions, t wo
researchers have been dispatched to
KFUPM and KISR this fiscal year.
They have already commenced theirresearch guidance activities at theircounterpart organization, and arescheduled to reside in Saudi Arabia
and Kuwait, respectively, for a periodof three months, from November to
February.
Dr. Hideshi Hattori, Professor
Emeritus at Hokkaido University, hasbeen asked to work under appointment
with KFUPM. Dr. Hattori is a prominent
researcher in the field of catalytic
research, specializing in the action
mechanisms of solid-base catalysts.
At KFUPM, he is engaged in joint
research on solid-base catalysts withlocal researchers.

Dr. Higashi inspecting KISR’s research facilities, Sept. 2007

KFUPM’s vast campus consistsof educational and research facilities,
residential facilities, a medical center,and various other faculty and student
facilities. Dr. Hattori commutes to his
research laboratory from a guest housein the faculty residence area, which
is only about a 15-minute walk fromthe laboratory. Taking advantage ofthe holiday break in the latter half ofDecember, Dr. Hattori temporarily
returned to Japan to celebrate the New
Year holiday in Japan, and has left once
again to Saudi Arabia to continue his
research until the end of February.
Dr. Hidehiro Higashi from Catalysts
and Chemicals Ind. Co., Ltd. has beenasked to work under appointment with
KISR. Dr. Higashi is a leading researcher
in the development of oil refining
catalysts. In response to a strong request
by KISR, he has commenced researchguidance activities for improving theassessment performance of a pilot
plant. As KISR has no corporate guest
house, Dr. Higashi has a long-term
accommodation arrangement at a hotel
located about 20 minutes by car fromthe institute, and is daily driven to theinstitute.
The two researchers began theirlong-term stay in the Middle East in
early November, when the lingeringsummer heat was still intense. By the
middle of December, however, they

had acclimated themselves to their new
environment, and had begun providing
steady research assistance and guidance
to researchers at their counterpart
organizations.
At the moment, JCCP’s primary goalis the successful completion of the threemonth-long program for this fiscal year.
Hopefully, this particular experience
will be applied to enhancing next fiscal
year’s program, upon hearing the viewsof the researchers, and gaining an
accurate understanding of the researcher
acceptance situation at the counterpart
organizations.
(2) Send-off gathering
Pr ior to the two resea rchers’

departure in November, JCCP organizeda small send-off gathering for them on
October 22. The gathering took place ina fraternity house at Tokai University,and was attended by members fromPetroleum Refining and Reserve
Division at the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry, namely Mr. Shuzo
Ta kada, Director, Mr. Ta kanobu
Yasunaga, Deputy Director, and Mr.
Tsuyoshi Kamijo, in addition to Messrs.
Mikio Kojima, Executive Director, andKatsuo Yokoyama, Managing Director,
from JCCP.
The small party began with a brief
speech by Mr. Kojima. He stated that
this new scheme of cooperation to oilproducing countries has been “madepossible by the generous cooperationof the two distinguished researchers,”
and that he has “strong expectations
for its successful completion.” To that
end, he also promised JCCP’s full
support in all aspects of their long-term
stay in the Middle East. Dr. Hattori
expressed his commitment to the effectthat he intends to “fully apply himself
to research activities” at KFUPM, andhas prepared to “respond flexibly to thesituation and requests of the counterpart
orga n izat ion.” D r. H igash i a lso
articulated his resolve to direct his best
efforts toward the effective applicationof Japan’s world-class hydrogen refining
catalyst technology to the counterpart
organization. Finally, Mr. Takada

Mr. Kojima (right), Executive Director of JCCP, speaking at a send-off gathering forDrs. Hattori and Higashi

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 200835

Brief speech by Dr. Higashi (center)delivered words of encouragement to
the two researchers. Based on his strong
conviction that cultural exchanges are
just as important as technical guidance
and transfers, he expressed his highexpectations of the two researchers’
steady activities at their counterpart
organizations, and wished them ahealthy and fulfilling sojourn. Afterexchanging words of encouragement
and resolve, over lunch the members
engaged in animated conservation,
mainly on topics about cooperation tooil-producing countries.
(3) Letter from Dr. Hattori
After completing the first halfof his appointed period, Dr. Hattori
temporarily returned to Japan on
December 13 to spend the New Yearholiday in Japan (Sapporo, Hokkaido).
He has written to JCCP on the occasionof his return, and reported on the statusof his research at KFUPM so far, as wellas various aspects of his stay in Saudi
Arabia, as follows.
<Research status>
0RIOR TO ASSUMING THE
APPOINTMENT AT +&50- ) VISITED
THE ORGANIZATION IN 3EPTEMBER AND
SPENT TWO DAYS DISCUSSING VARIOUS
MATTERS RELATED TO THE DISPATCH

Mr. Takada (left), Director of the Petroleum Reﬁning and Reserve
Division, METI, giving his best wishes to the two researchers

PROGRAM $URING THAT MEETING THE+&50- SIDE ASKED ME TO PROPOSE A
RESEARCH THEME AND ) RESPONDED BYPROPOSING A THEME CONCERNING SOLID
ACID CATALYSTS AND ANOTHER THEME
CONCERNING SOLID BASE CATALYSTS
BOTH OF WHICH WERE RELATED TOZIRCONIA CATALYSTS 7E ULTIMATELYDECIDED ON BOTH THEMES AND AGREEDON THE PARTICIPATION OF POSTGRADUATECHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND CHEMISTRYSTUDENTS IN OUR EXPERIMENTS
"Y THE END OF THE FIRST ONE AND A
HALF MONTHS OF MY STAY UNTIL THE (AJJI
HOLIDAY WE FINISHED PREPARING 
TYPES OF CATALYSTS AND SUCCESSFULLYLAUNCHED A HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR
)N THE LATTER ONE AND A HALF MONTHS
WHICH WILL BEGIN AFTER .EW 9EARS
REACTION EXPERIMENTS WILL PROBABLYCOMPRISE THE MAIN PART OF OUR
ACTIVITIES "Y ALL MEANS ) HOPE TO
REACH A POINT WHERE WE CAN OBTAIN
SUFFICIENT BASIC DATA TO WRITE A
PAPER
<Personal views on the research andlocal life>+&50-S #ENTER FOR 2EFININGA N D 0ETROCHEM ICAL 2ESEARCH)NSTITUTE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROMRESEARCH LABORATORIES IN *APANESE
UNIVERSITIES PERHAPS PARTLY OWINGTO ITS PROVEN ACHIEVEMENTS IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESSES FOR
PRACTICAL APPLICATION 7HEN ASKED
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT PUBLISHINGAN ACADEMIC PAPER OR ACQUIRING A
PATENT SOME +&50- RESEARCHERSIMMEDIATELY RESPONDED IN FAVOR
OF THE PATENT 4HIS MENTALITY )THINK DIFFERS FROM THAT IN *APANESE
UNIVERSITIES WHERE NOVELTY AND
ORIGINALITY OF INVENTION ARE VALUEDABOVE ALL ) HOPE TO SOMEHOWCONVINCE THE LOCAL RESEARCHERS THATBASIC RESEARCH IS ALSO IMPORTANT
PARTICULARLY IN UNIVERSITIES/FFICIALLY OUR WORK HOURS AREFROM  AM TO  PM 4HE
UNIVERSITY HAS OFFERED ME THE USE
OF AN ON CAMPUS GUEST HOUSE THATIS LARGER THAN  M2 IN TOTAL AREA) CAN OBTAIN FOOD AND OTHER DAILY
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IS ONLY A STONES THROW AWAY SO )BASICALLY WANT FOR NOTHING UNLESS) GET THE URGE TO GO OUT INTO THE
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AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE
AROUND ME KINDLY OFFERS HIS HELP
WHEN NEEDED

<by Kazuhisa Okumura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

36

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

TechnicalCooperation

The 11th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium—Corrosion and Material Behavior in
Petroleum Refining Industry—
JCCP, Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research(KISR) and Kuwait National Petroleum Company(KNPC) jointly sponsored the 11th Kuwait-Japan
Joint Symposium on “Corrosion and Material
Behavior in Petroleum Refining Industry,” onJanuary 19 and 20, 2010, at KISR’s Petroleum
Research and Studies Center (PRSC).
The symposium is implemented on commission by
the Japan Petroleum Institute (JPI), and was held forthe first time in fiscal 1993. It has been held basicallyevery other year after that, but from fiscal 2005, it has
taken root as an annual technical symposium in Kuwait.
Three themes relating to oil refining technologies havebeen taken up in order each year: heavy oil processing
technologies, clean fuel production technologies, andcorrosion and material behavior.
This year’s symposium opened with words ofgreeting from Dr. Mohammad J. Salman, Deputy

Director General for Research Affairs, KISR; Mr.
Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, Deputy Managing
Director, Mina Abdulla Refinery; and Dr. Shukuji
Asakura, Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National
University. Roughly 50 researchers and refineryengineers from Japan and Kuwait attended thesymposium, which featured presentations andactive discussions. The Japanese side gave eight
presentations. On the Kuwaiti side, KISR and KNPC
delivered ten presentations on issues such as trouble
cases in refineries and their countermeasures.
On February 21, the day after the two-day
seminar, the Japanese members visited the Mina
Abdulla Refinery, where they were introduced tothe activities of the refinery’s corrosion inspection
division and toured the refining facilities.
Five researchers and engineers participated in
the symposium as speakers, as shown in the table,

Dr. Yasuyoshi Tomoe delivering a presentation(Jan. 20, 2010)

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 201037

and gave presentations on the results of studies intheir respective areas, as well as cases they haveexperienced in the field and their countermeasures.

Mr. Shigeru Hojo from JPI and K. Okumura from
JCCP provided their cooperation as members of thesymposium secretariat.
<by Kazuhisa Okumura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Speakers

Afﬁliation

Presentation Title

Dr. Shukuji Asakura

Professor Emeritus, Yokohama
National University Graduate
School of Engineering(head of the Japanese group)

Electrochemical Monitoring of Metallic Corrosion by
Square Wave Method
Anti-corrosion Cement Accompanying the Functionof Cathodic Protection

Dr. Tadao Ishihara

Venture Academia Co., Ltd.

CF/SCC Interaction of Low Alloy Steel and StainlessSteel in High Temperature Water

Dr. Yasuyoshi Tomoe

INPEX Corporation

Corrosion and Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas
Production

Mr. Hiroyuki Anada

Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.

Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking Behaviorof 347AP and its Performance in Hydrocracker andHydrotreater
The Effect of Stabilizing Period on Sensitization and
Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking

Mr. Kazunobu Onishi

Nippon Oil Corporation

Corrosion Control in the Overhead System ofAtmospheric Crude Distillation Units
Guidebook of Corrosion Control Technologies for
Facilities in Reﬁnery

Local newspaper article on the symposium

38

JCCP NEWS No. 106 March 2010

TechnicalCooperation

The Tenth Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium

Symposium participants:
Dr. Takeshige Takahashi, Professor Emeritus at Kagoshima University (center);Mr. Farouk Al-Zanki, Chairman, KNPC (left of center);Dr. Naji Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR (right of center)

JCCP and Kuwait Institute for Scientific
Research (KISR) jointly hosted “The Tenth
Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium,” which was heldon January 20 and 21, 2009 in an auditorium at
KISR. The theme of this year’s symposium was“Clean Fuel Production and Heavy Oil Processing
Technologies.”
The symposium has so far been held ninetimes since 1993, under subcontract by Japan
Petroleum Institute (JPI). Since FY2005, it has
been held annually, with this year marking its tenth
implementation.

The symposium opened with words of greetingfrom Mr. Farouk Al-Zanki, Chairman, Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC), and Dr. Naji
Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR.
They expressed their appreciation to all parties
present and their expectations for the success ofthe symposium, stating that “this year’s theme is
one that is especially pertinent to the times, and is
expected to be helpful in increasing research levels
and technical capacities in the oil refining field in
both Kuwait and Japan.” On the Japanese side,
Dr. Koichi Eguchi, Professor at Kyoto University

Symposium venue: KISR auditorium

Opening address: Dr. Koichi Eguchi, Professor,
Kyoto University Graduate School

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200939

Graduate School, gave an opening address as leaderof the group of speakers from Japan. He articulated
his hopes that the symposium will provide a forum
for the transfer of useful information to Kuwaiti
researchers and contribute to strengthening researchcooperation between Kuwait and Japan.
Under the main theme of the symposium,
presentations focused on the sub-themes of “hydrogenproduction and clean fuel oil technologies” and“heavy oil hydrocracking technology for Kuwait
crude,” which are expected to take on increasing
importance in the future, and a new sub-themeof “oil refining and petrochemical integration.”
Close to seventy Kuwaiti participants attended
the symposium, including KISR researchers andengineers from KNPC’s three refineries.

The Japanese side gave five presentations,and the Kuwaiti side four, for a total of ninepresentations. Active discussions and interaction
took place between the speakers and the audience
after each presentation.
The five Japanese speakers included university
professors and corporate researchers who have madesignificant achievements in studies on hydrogenproduction, clean fuel production, and heavy oilprocessing. Their names and the titles of theirpresentations are as shown in the table below.
The next symposium is scheduled to be heldin January 2010 under the theme, “Materials andCorrosion,” as strongly requested by KISR andKNPC.
<by Kazuhisa Okumura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Japanese Speakers and Their Presentation Titles
Name and afﬁliation

Presentation title

Dr. Koichi Eguchi
Professor, Kyoto University Graduate School

Steam Reforming of Dimethyl Ether over Copper-based
Spinel Catalysts

Dr. Mikio Miyake
Professor, Japan Advanced Institute of Science andTechnology

Determination of Individual Components during
Hydrocracking of Heavy Oil by Ultra-high Resolution
Ft-ICR Mass Spectrometry

Mr. Shigeto Hatanaka
Director, Fuel Research Laboratory,
Nippon Oil Corporation

Five Years’ Experience in Sulfur-free Gasoline and Diesel
Production

Dr. Ryuzo Tanaka
Chief Researcher, Advanced Technologies ResearchLaboratory, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

Asphaltene Aggregation and its Impact on Coking
Reactivity

Mr. Naoto Aoyama
General Manager, Global Marketing Division,JGC Corporation

Reﬁnery and Petrochemical Integration Utilizing Heavy
Oil Products

40

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

TechnicalCooperation

The 9th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium

Symposium venue: KISR auditorium

JCCP and Kuwait Institute for
Scientific Research (KISR) jointly
hosted the 9th Kuwait-Japan Joint
Symposium this past January 22 and 23,

2008. The symposium was held in anauditorium at KISR, under the theme of“Heavy Oil Processing Technologies.”
Since FY2005, the symposium has been

Name and afﬁliated organization

held annually, under subcontract byJapan Petroleum Institute (JPI).
Given the high level of interest in
the symposium by Kuwait National

Presentation title

Prof. Sachio Asaoka
The University of Kitakyushu

Hydroreﬁning and hydrogenation catalysts for heavy oil

Prof. Yasuaki Okamoto
Shimane University

Thermal stability of cobalt molybdenum desulfurization
catalysts

Prof. Mikio Miyake
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Heavy oil composition analysis (using FT-ICR MS)

Prof. Takao Masuda
Hokkaido University Graduate School

Heavy oil cracking using zirconia carrier iron oxide

Mr. Mitsuru Yoshita
Junior Chief Researcher, Petroleum Technology Center,
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

Development of heavy oil hydrocracking catalysts

Mr. Asa’ad Ahmad E. Al-Saad,
Deputy Chairman of KNPC

Prof. Sachio Asaoka

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Dr. Naji Mohammed Al-Mutairi,
Director General

41

Petroleum Company (KNPC), Mr.
Farouk Al-Zanki, KNPC Chairman,
was initially scheduled to deliver a
special opening address. However, due
to an urgent circumstance, Mr. Asa’ad
Ahmad E. Al-Saad, Deputy Chairman& Deputy Managing Director of Mina
Al-Ahmadi Refinery, gave an address onbehalf of Mr. Al-Zanki, saying that thisyear’s theme is a highly timely theme,
given today’s situation in Kuwait’s oil
industry.
From the Japanese side, Prof. Sachio
Asaoka, as leader of the group of speakers
from Japan, gave an opening speech on
the significant role of the Kuwait closer
together symposium in bringing Japan42

and in the spirit of cooperation. From
the KISR side, Dr. Naji Mohammed
Al-Mutairi, Director General, thanked
all participants for their attendance, andexpressed his strong hopes to implementa successful symposium.
The theme of “Heavy Oil Processing
Technologies” was selected as a highly
specialized theme directly relating tomeasures for processing Kuwait crude,
which is expected to become even heavier
in the future. The theme attracted strong
interest from the Kuwaiti side, and drew
close to 70 participants to the seminar,
including engineers from KNPC’s threerefineries.
T he sy mp osiu m fe at u r e d 13

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

presentations: 7 presentations, including
2 keynote lectures, by Japanese speakers,
and 6 presentations by Kuwaiti speakers.
The speakers also invited and engaged in
active discussions with the audience.
T he Japa nese sp ea ker s werecomposed of 5 members who haveachieved significant research results inthe field of heavy oil processing catalysts,
including 4 university professors and acorporate researcher.
T he next Kuwa it-Japa n Joi nt
Symposium is scheduled to be heldin January 2009, under the theme,“Desulfurization and New Fuels.”<by Kazuhisa Okumura,
Technical Cooperation Dept.>Topics

Joint Symposium on Fuel Cell Technology
Held in Kuwait
On January 24, JCCP held a Joint
Symposium on Fuel Cell Technology
with Kuwait Institute for Scientific
Research (KISR).
The governments and major oilcompanies of oil-producing countries
in the Middle East region have been
focusing on higher value-added products
and have begun to turn their attention to
new energies as significant elements inthe future of oil.
In Kuwait, there is strong interest in
the fuel cell as a new type of energy, and
JCCP and KISR have been discussing
technical exchange and joint researchon the technology between Kuwait andJapan, since a few years ago. In responseto this trend, JCCP has consulted withJapan Petroleum Institute (JPI), theorganization entrusted to implement
the joint JCCP-Kuwait research andexchange symposium, in regard to
implementing a new symposium on fuelcell technology for Kuwait in FY2007.
Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi, Director
General of KISR, Dr. Nader Al-Awadhi,
Deputy Director Information, and many

Speaker

researchers attended the symposiumfrom KISR.
Dr. Koichi Eguchi, Professor at Kyoto
University, headed the Japanese team,which consisted of four lecturers. Mr.
Hideyuki Urata, First Secretary at the
Embassy of Japan in Kuwait, membersof the JPI secretariat, and Minoru
Horike, General Manager of the JCCP
Technical Cooperation Department,
also attended the symposium.
Dr. Eguchi and Horike gave opening
addresses, followed by a welcome
speech by Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi, before
commencing the actual presentation
session. The Japanese side delivered four
presentations, including Dr. Eguchi’s
keynote lecture, and the Kuwaiti side,
two presentations. The six presentations
covered a broad range of topics, froman overview of the fuel cell, to recent
research status of fuel cells and theirpractical applications, and invited
diverse questions from the participants.
The names of the speakers and the titlesof their presentation are shown below.
In addition to KISR, the co-hostof the symposium, participants from anumber of companies and institutions
in Kuwait also attended the symposium,including Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC), Kuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC), Kuwait University,
the Ministry of Oil, the Ministryof Electricity & Water, and other

Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi, Director General of
KISR, delivering a welcome speechPresentation title

Dr. Koichi Eguchi
Kyoto University

Catalytic production of hydrogen andapplication to fuel cells

Mr. Jun Shiroma
National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology

R&D on PEFC in Japan

Mr. Ayman Al-Qattan
KISR

Planned KISR fuel cell & hydrogentechnology research program

Mr. Akihiko Fukunaga
Nippon Oil Corporation

Development of petroleum fuel powered
PEMFC cogeneration systems forresidential use

Mr. Abdelrahman El Sherbini
KISR

Fuel cell based cogeneration system forcooling and power in buildings

Mr. Takayuki Osaki
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.

Development of the steam reforming
catalyst for fuel cell system

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Local newspaper article of the seminar43

governmental offices. The large turnout
displayed Kuwait’s strong interest infuel cells, and news of the symposium
received large coverage in the next day’s
edition of the local newspaper.
Finally, we would like to take thisopportunity to thank Dr. Abdulhameed
Al-Hashem, Director, PRSC, Dr. Meena

Marafi, Manager, Petroleum Refining
Department, and other members of
KISR, Dr. Eguchi, all speakers, andmembers of the JPI secretariat, for theirsupport and cooperation in preparing
and arranging for this symposium.
<by Minoru Horike,Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Dr. Koichi Eguchi delivering
an opening address

Seminar scene

44

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Topics

The 28th JCCP International Symposium“Innovation of Technology and Management in Oil Downstream:
For Security of Oil Supply”

Panelists and guests of honor

The 28th JCCP International Symposium was heldon January 27 and 28, 2010, under the auspices of the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), andwith the attendance of approximately 350 visitors.

In this year’s symposium, leading authorities fromoil producing and consuming countries were invited
to exchange views on management and technology
innovation toward advanced utilization of oil.

1. Theme and Goal

2. Overview

The theme of this year’s symposium was “Innovationof Technology and Management in Oil Downstream:
For Security of Oil Supply.” Over the medium to longterm, the global balance in oil supply and demand is apt
to tighten, as a result of the increase in oil consumption
particularly in newly emerging economies. Amid thissituation, oil producing and consuming countries must
share the responsibility of mitigating inordinate increases
in oil consumption by promoting advanced utilization ofoil without undermining economic growth.

(1) First Day: Opening Ceremony (January 27)
The symposium opened with an address by Mr.
Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP, and a greeting fromthe guest of honor, Mr. Masaaki Kimura, DirectorGeneral of the Natural Resources and Fuel Department,
METI. These were followed by keynote speeches by
Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director, International
Energy Agency (IEA), and Mr. Mohammed A. Al-Omair,
Executive Director, Refining and NGL Fractionation,
Saudi Aramco.

Symposium venue

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 201045

Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP, reiterated
the theme of this year’s symposium—Innovation ofTechnology and Management in Oil Downstream: For
Security of Oil Supply—and presented a perspective on
the issue. He said that we have spent decades developing
oil utilization technologies and mechanisms to create
today’s affluent society, but oil is a limited resourcethat we must use wisely. The extent to which we canachieve the effective utilization of oil depends on thetechnical and management capabilities of all of us who
work in the oil industry. Mr. Kimura closed his addressby emphasizing the importance of technology andmanagement innovation in handing down the precious
resource to the next generation.

Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP,
giving an opening address

Mr. Masaaki Kimura from METI spoke as follows: Oilproducing countries and Japan have established friendly
relationships over many years as the foundation of oil
security. However, as oil demand is expected to increase
mainly in emerging countries over the medium to longterm, one of the priority issues of the worldwide oil
industry lies in how to address such changes in the global
energy situation. Therefore, in the face of anticipatedchanges in the global oil supply-demand environment,
the theme of this symposium holds great significance,
as it provides an opportunity to explore how technology
and management innovation in the oil downstream sector
could prevent the wasteful use of oil and promote its
effective utilization to the greatest possible extent as
an extremely valuable resource. Moreover, since issues
in the oil downstream sector are common issues to oil
producing and consuming countries alike, forums suchas this symposium, in which various parties assemble
to discuss a common theme, are certain to contributelargely to building consensus and stabilizing the global
oil supply structure. In the end, Mr. Kimura expressed his
expectation that the collective wisdom of oil producing
and consuming countries will expand the possibilitiesof the precious and superior resource called “oil,” forthe future of our society.
(2) Keynote Speeches
Mr. Nobuo Tanaka from IEA gave a keynote speech
as follows: Future increases in demand for oil will
come mainly from non-OECD countries, or in otherwords, from developing countries, and oil demand willcontinue to growth steadily and eventually outpace theproduction capacity of worldwide suppliers. Inevitably,spare production capacity will become tighter than it istoday. Nevertheless, the situation will not cause a sudden
insecurity in oil supply as in past oil crises, but will
constrict oil supplies in a gradual manner. Experts call thisphenomenon “creeping oil crisis*.” Needless to say, thebest way to ensure stable supply of oil while maintaining
economic growth is to realize advanced applications ofoil, conserve energy, and prevent wasteful oil use.

Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of IEA,
giving a keynote speech
Mr. Masaaki Kimura, Director-General of the
Natural Resources and Fuel Department, METI,
giving a speech as a guest of honor46* Creeping oil crisis: an oil crisis that occurs as a result of a
gradual constriction of oil supplies over time

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

Mr. Mohammed A. Al-Omair, Executive Director of
Saudi Aramco, giving a keynote speech

Mr. Mohammed A. Al-Omair from Saudi Aramco also
gave a keynote speech, firstly presenting an overview
of Saudi Aramco’s role in the global oil industry. He
said that Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest reserveof hydrocarbon resources. In order to assure consumers
that oil will continue to be a reliable source of energy,
Saudi Aramco has striven to secure stable supplies ofoil as a leading oil-producing country. Ensuring oil
security requires considerable investment, but Saudi
Aramco has established a consistent system for the
stable supply of oil, from the oilfields to consuming
regions. For example, it has maintained its 12 million
b/d oil production capacity through the developmentof oil resources, acquired the capacity to also supply
oil products by strengthening its refining capabilities,
and invests in Vela International Marine Limited (Saudi
Aramco’s wholly owned shipping subsidiary). Mr.
Al-Omair also spoke about the importance of humanresource development, stating that Saudi Aramco has
been able to continue the difficult and challenging
business of supplying oil, precisely because it isblessed with “people” who constantly pursue higher
levels of technology and management. Based on the
belief that “people” are the most precious asset of thecompany, it has spared no investment in human resource
development. Saudi Aramco’s success today is the resultof this policy. Mr. Al-Omair said that Saudi Aramco willcontinue to contribute to the global stabilization of oil
supplies by directing its efforts to developing humanresources and achieving advanced utilization of oilbased on innovating technologies and management.
(3) First Day: Special Lectures (January 27)
The latter half of the symposium agenda on the firstday featured special lectures by Mr. Mubarak S. Al Ketbi,
Manager, Crude & Condensate Division, Marketing &Refining Directorate, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company(ADNOC); Mr. He Zhoyun, Vice President, Economics& Development Research Institute, SINOPEC; and Mr.
Pramod Kumar Karunakaran, Managing Director/CEO,
Ethylene Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PETRONAS.
Mr. Al Ketbi of ADNOC said that UAE is not only
focusing on the development of renewable energy
systems, but also on the development of nuclear power,
and has plans to invest 40 billion dollars in nuclear
power development by 2017. With the completion of asecond unit at the Ruwais Refinery, clean fuel supplies
will also be available. Mr. Al Ketbi stressed that
UAE will endeavor to secure stable energy supply bycomprehensively developing various types of energy.
Mr. Zhoyun of SINOPEC said that oil consumption
is increasing in China, and particularly the consumptionof automotive fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. The
country is therefore directing its efforts to creating social
systems that promote efficient utilization of oil. For
example, it is focusing on developing alternative energy
and technologies such as coal liquefaction, bioethanol,
biodiesel, hydrogen energy and electric vehicles, and has
also implemented a policy for shifting the mainstream
transportation mode from automobiles to railways bydeveloping inter-city high-speed railways and inner-city
subway networks.
Mr. Karunakaran of PETRONAS spoke about theimportant role of the oil industry. He explained that
PETRONAS commenced operations related to oil
development in 1974, and has increased its corporate
value and developed into a company that contributes
to society by producing petroleum and petrochemical
products from hydrocarbons. Although various difficult
issues lie ahead, such as rising oil prices and intensifying
international competition, Mr. Karunakaran said the oil
industry has a responsibility to continue providing stablesupplies of oil.
(4) Second Day: Discussion Sessions (January 28)(i) Session 1 (morning session) “Management
Innovation”
Under the chairmanship of Mr. Takeshi Kurosaki,
Executive Corporate Officer in Charge of Petroleum
Refining Dept., Japan Energy Corporation, five panelists
delivered presentations on management innovation
at their company. The panelists included Mr. Masoud
Salim Al Msalmy, General Manager, Corporate Support
Division, Oman Refineries & Petrochemicals Company(ORPC); Mr. Hashem Y. Al Refaei, Manager, Marketing
Research & Administration Division, Marketing

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 201047

& Refining Directorate, Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC); Ms. Nina Nurlina Pramono, Vice
President, People Management of Human Resources,
PERTAMINA; Mr. A. O. Oniwon, Group Executive
Director, Refineries & Petrochemicals, Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); and Mr.
Shinji Takasu, General Manager, Refining Technology,
Petroleum Refining Dept., Japan Energy Corporation.
In a summary of the panelists’ presentations,
Mr. Kurosaki noted as follows: In this session, fivepanelists spoke about management innovation in theirrespective companies. Each company bears a largesocial responsibility to ensure stable oil supply, butliberalization and globalization trends have created anenvironment of intense international competition. Unlessthe companies embrace technology and management
innovation and build a competitive corporate culture,they will not be able to fulfill their responsibility. In all
five presentations, “people” were the common key tocreating a competitive company. New technologies andmanagement systems may be developed, but they would
have no effect if “people” do not change. Therefore, it isimportant, above all else, for people to interact with eachother beyond national and corporate boundaries and touse that experience to mutually acquire the wisdom of“human development.”

Session 2 panelists

Mr. Asaad Ahmad Al-Saad, Deputy Chairman & Deputy
Managing Director, Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery, Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC); and Mr. Takashi
Yasuda, Executive Officer, Senior General Manager,
R&D Division, JGC Corporation.
Mr. Tange summarized the presentations as follows:
Today, we listened to presentations on measures
for improving the value of hydrocarbons in four
countries. A new trend seems to be emerging in both
oil producing and consuming countries, to use oil invalue-added applications instead of simply burning it
as fuel. However, comprehensive capacity to manage
diverse technologies is required to continue the trend.
Oil producing and consuming countries may havetheir differences, but they nonetheless share the same
objective of seeking more advanced uses of oil andnatural gas. We hope to develop new oil energy systems
through mutual cooperation.

Session 1 panelists(ii) Session 2 (afternoon session) “Technology
Innovation”
Under the chairmanship of Mr. Sei Tange, Executive
Vice President and CMO, JGC Corporation, four panelists
delivered presentations on technology innovation in theirrespective companies. The panelists included Mr. MarkG. Lawrence, Head of GTL Product Marketing, Qatar
Petroleum Marketing Services (Tasweeq); Mr. Aminallah
Eskandari, Managing Director and Chairman of Board of
Directors, Hormoz Oil Refining Company (NIORDC);

48

Q&A session

3. Summary
In the closing ceremony, Mr. Masataka Sase,
Executive Director of JCCP, summarized the discussions
that took place in this year’s symposium, which focusedon management and technology innovation for security

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

of oil supply. In regard to management innovation, he
indicated that all panelists identified “human resource
development” as the key to innovation and raised strong
awareness that no company can survive the trend of
globalization unless all ranks of personnel, from top
management to site workers, unite their strengths.
With respect to technology innovation, Mr. Sase
said the panelists gave inspiring presentations on thechallenges that are being addressed in their respective
countries to produce high-value products from all typesof hydrocarbon resources, from methane to heavy oil.
However, as each country is working independently
to attain a goal that is common to both oil producing
and consuming countries, Mr. Sase emphasized thesignificance of all countries coming together to learn
from each other in an exchange of information, andcalled on all participants to further strengthen their bondsof mutual cooperation in the future.
In this year’s symposium, the keynote speechdelivered by Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of
IEA, noted that we must prepare to address a “creeping
oil crisis,” which distinctively differs from the oil crisesof the 1970s. JCCP has consistently focused on stable oil
supply as an overriding theme of our annual international
symposiums, and feel that the time has come for oil
producing and consuming countries to cooperate inachieving technology and management innovation basedon their longstanding relationships of trust. For our part,
we will strengthen our commitment to serving as a bridge
between oil producing and consuming countries andcreating opportunities for mutual cooperation.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

The 28th JCCP International Symposium Program“Innovation of Technology and Management in Oil Downstream: For Security of Oil Supply”
Date

Time

Jan. 27 (Wed)14:00 – 15:45

Proceedings
Opening ceremony
Opening address:
Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP
Guest of honor speech:
Mr. Masaaki Kimura, Director-General, Natural Resources and Fuel
Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METI
Keynote speeches:
Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Mr. Mohammed A. Al-Omair, Executive Director, Reﬁning and NGL
Fractionation, Saudi Aramco

15:45 – 17:30

Special lectures(1) Mr. Mubarak S. Al Ketbi, Manager, Crude & Condensate Division,
Marketing & Reﬁning Directorate, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company(ADNOC) (UAE)(2) Mr. He Zhoyun, Vice President, Economics & Development ResearchInstitute, SINOPEC (China)(3) Dr. Pramod Kumar Karunakaran, Managing Director/CEO, Ethylene
Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (PETRONAS) (Malaysia)

Jan. 28 (Thu)

18:00 – 20:00

Reception

9:30 – 12:00

Session 1 “Management Innovation”

13:30 – 16:00

Session 2 “Technology Innovation”

16:00 – 16:10

Closing address: Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 201049

Keynote Speeches
Country

Organization

Name

Title

Japan

International Energy Agency(IEA)

Mr. Nobuo Tanaka

Executive Director

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco

Mr. Mohammed A. Al-Omair

Executive Director, Reﬁning and
NGL Fractionation

Guest Speeches
Country

Organization

Name

Title

UAE

Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC)

Mr. Mubarak S. Al Ketbi

Manager, Crude & Condensate
Division, Marketing & Reﬁning
Directorate

China

SINOPEC

Mr. He Zhoyun

Vice President, Economics &Development Research Institute

Malaysia

Ethylene Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
(PETRONAS)

Mr. Pramod Kumar
Karunakaran

Managing Director/CEO

Session 1: Management Innovation
Chairman: Mr. Takeshi Kurosaki, Executive Corporate Ofﬁcer in Charge of Petroleum Reﬁning
Department, Japan Energy Corporation
Country

Company

Name

Title

Oman

Oman Reﬁneries &Petrochemicals Company(ORPC)Mr. Masoud Salim Al Msalmy

General Manager, Corporate
Support Division

UAE

Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC)

Mr. Hashem Y. Al Refaei

Manager, Marketing Research &Administration Division, Marketing& Reﬁning Directorate

Indonesia

PERTAMINA

Ms. Nina Nurlina Pramono

Vice President, People
Management of Human Resources

Nigeria

Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC)

Mr. A. O. Oniwon

Group Executive Director,
Reﬁneries & Petrochemicals

Japan

Japan Energy Corporation

Mr. Shinji Takasu

General Manager, Reﬁning
Technology, Petroleum Reﬁning
Department

Session 2: Technology Innovation
Chairman: Mr. Sei Tange, Executive Vice President and CMO, JGC Corporation
Country

Company

Name

Title

Qatar

Qatar Petroleum Marketing
Services (Tasweeq)

Mr. Mark G. Lawrence

Head of GTL Product Marketing

Iran

Hormoz Oil Reﬁning
Company (NIORDC)

Mr. Aminallah Eskandari

Managing Director and Chairmanof Board of Directors

KuwaitKuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC)

Mr. Asaad Ahmad Al-Saad

Deputy Chairman & Deputy
Managing Director, Mina
Al-Ahmadi ReﬁneryJapan

JGC Corporation

Mr. Takashi Yasuda

Executive Ofﬁcer, Senior General
Manager, R&D Division

50

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

Topics

The 27th JCCP International Symposium“Future Vision of the Oil Industry:
Creating Value from Hydrocarbons and Approaches to New
Energy Systems”

Participants of the symposium

On January 28 and 29, 2009, JCCP held “The27th JCCP International Symposium” under the
auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry (METI). The two-day event drew anaudience of 372 visitors.

Opening address:
Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP

1. Theme and Goal
The theme of this year’s symposium was “Future
Vision of the Oil Industry: Creating Value from
Hydrocarbons and Approaches to New Energy
Systems.”

Guest of honor speech:
Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General,
Natural Resources and Fuel Department, METIJCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200951

Oil consumption is increasing in newly emerging
economies, and is adding new strains on the global
oil market. Oil-producing and oil-consuming
countries must therefore cooperate in addressing
the common issue of mitigating the increase inoil consumption, by seeking even more advanced
utilization of oil through promotion of energy
conservation, introduction of renewable energies,
and petrochemical integration.
In this year’s symposium, leading engineers from
Middle East and Asian oil-producing countries,
as well as from Japanese oil companies, wereinvited to share the initiatives for effective oilutilization that are implemented in their respective
countries. By providing a forum for mutual sharingof experience, the symposium aimed to create acommon awareness that such personal exchange
of information is vital to the efficient introductionof relevant technologies.

2. Overview(1) First Day: Opening Ceremony (January 28)
The symposium began with an opening address
by Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP. This wasfollowed by a greeting from the guest of honor,
Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General of the
Natural Resources and Fuel Department, METI, anda keynote speech by Mr. Nasser D. Al Mahasher,
General Manager, Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.
Mr. Kimura stressed the need to appreciate more
seriously than ever the true value of oil today, andspoke about the important responsibility of theoil downstream sector in oil-producing and oilconsuming countries. Based on the understandingthat the oil refining industry plays an important rolein converting oil into petroleum and petrochemical
products, Mr. Kimura pointed out that the extent
to which we can achieve effective utilization ofoil depends on how much we are able to develop
advanced oil refining technologies. Therefore, inthis respect, we need to renew our awareness that
we bear an important responsibility to the next
generation.
Mr. Kitagawa of METI stated that creating newvalues in the oil industry is a common issue to52

Keynote speech:
Mr. Nasser D. Al Mahasher, General Manager,
Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.

oil-producing and oil-consuming countries, andexpressed his expectations that fruitful exchangesof views will take place in the symposium.
Mr. Al Mahasher, in his keynote speech, spoke
about increasing the value of oil, summarized asfollows: Saudi Aramco has the responsibility toprovide stable supplies of oil to the world. We havea continuous production capacity of 12 million b/din the upstream sector. In the downstream sector, weare developing integrated petrochemical refineries,
including the PetroRabigh joint venture with
Sumitomo Chemical, to increase the value of oil.
Oil still exists in relative abundance today, but the
precious resource will eventually run dry. Therefore,
Saudi Aramco will continue to make every effort
to maximize the value of our precious oil resource.
Today, we are seeing less implementation of major
projects due to the recent global downturn, but Saudi
Aramco is looking beyond this short-term trend.
We must not lose sight of long-term oil-related
needs and opportunities. Companies that are able
to keep a steady eye on the future are sure to enjoy
even greater success when the global economy
recovers.
Mr. Al Mahasher also used the Japanese
expression “a-un no kokyu,” which roughly
translates into “being in sync with each other without
using gestures or words,” and called on everyone toendure together and successfully emerge from thecurrent difficulties to a bright future in the spirit of“a-un no kokyu.”

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

The 27th JCCP International Symposium Program“Future Vision of the Oil Industry:
Creating Value from hydrocarbons and Approaches to New Energy Systems”
Date

Time

Jan. 28 (Wed)14:00 – 15:00

15:15 – 17:40

Proceedings
Opening ceremony
Opening address:

Mr. Yaichi Kimura, President of JCCP

Guest of honor speech:

Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General of
the Natural Resources and Fuel Department,
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy,
METI

Keynote:Mr. Nasser D. Al Mahasher, General
Manager, Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.

Guest speech(1) Mr. Vikram M. Sampat, Vice President, Petroleum Business,
Reliance Industries Limited (India)(2) Mr. Seiji Takeuchi, General Manager, Planning and Coordination
Ofﬁce, Rabigh Project, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan)(3) Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki, Chairman, FACTS Global Energy(United States)(4) Mr. Abubakr Amer Al-Saiari, Liaison Coordinator, Human Resources,
Qatar Petroleum (Qatar)Jan. 29 (Thu)

18:00 – 20:00

Reception

9:30 – 12:00

Session 1 “Challenge of the Petroleum Industry to Seek Maximum Valuefrom Hydrocarbons—Towards the Best Mix of Future Energy Systems—”

13:30 – 16:00

Session 2 “Challenge of the Petroleum Industry to Seek Maximum Valuefrom Hydrocarbons—Towards Consumer-Producer Cooperation—”

16:00 – 16:10

Closing address: Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP

Keynote Speech
Country

Organization

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.

Name
Mr. Nasser D. Al Mahasher

Title
General Manager

Guest Speeches
Country

Organization

Name
Mr. Vikram M. Sampat

Title

India

Reliance Industries Limited

Japan

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. Mr. Seiji Takeuchi

General Manager, Planning and
Coordination Ofﬁce, Rabigh Project

USA

FACTS Global Energy

Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki

Chairman

Qatar

Qatar Petroleum

Mr. Abubakr Amer Al-Saiari

Liaison Coordinator, Human
Resources

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Vice President

53

(2) First Day: Special Lectures (January 28)
Following Mr. Al Mahasher’s keynote speech,
guest speakers Mr. Vikram M. Sampat, Vice
President, Petroleum Business, Reliance Industries
Limited; Mr. Seiji Takeuchi, General Manager,
Planning and Coordination Office, Rabigh Project,
Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.; Dr. Fereidun
Fesharaki, Chairman, FACTS Global Energy; andMr. Abubakr Amer Al-Saiari, Liaison Coordinator,
Human Resources, Qatar Petroleum, gave special
lectures.
Mr. Sampat stated that maintaining competitive
strength is extremely difficult to do in the turmoilof today’s global economy, and emphasized theimportance of enhancing technological capabilities
and strengthening business management technologies.
Mr. Takeuchi spoke about PetroRabigh, and defined
it as a major project that offers three benefits:large-scale equipment, advanced technologies, andinexpensive feedstock, and that aims to contributeto promoting industries and creating employment in
Saudi Arabia as a worldwide leader in the chemicalindustry. Dr. Fesharaki estimated the fair prices ofcrude oil, and gave note that investments need tobe made extremely carefully, especially since somany countries are pushing forward with projects
for the construction of refineries and cracking units,that by 2010 or so the global market may become
saturated with excessive supplies of oil products.
Lastly, Mr. Al-Saiari articulated the importance ofhuman resource development, emphasizing the needto systematically develop outstanding personnel,
as they are the key to the success of large-scale
projects.

(3) Second Day: Discussion Sessions(January 29)(i) Session 1 (morning session)
Mr. Keizoh Takeuchi, Director and SeniorVice President, Nippon Petroleum Refining Co.,
Ltd., chaired Session 1. The panelists included
Mr. Howard Bevan, Senior Business Planner,
Corporate Planning Department, Qatar Petroleum;
Dr. Jihad M. Mohaidat, Technology Department
Manager, Industries Unit, MASDAR-Abu Dhabi
Future Energy Company; Mr. Ahmad S. Al-Jemaz,
Deputy Managing Director, Shuaiba Refinery,
Kuwait National Petroleum Company; and Mr.
Hiroji Adachi, Executive Officer and General
Manager, Technical Service Department, Nippon
Oil Corporation.
After the panelists delivered their presentations,
Mr. Takeuchi summarized Session 1 discussions asfollows: Oil-producing and oil-consuming countries
are both actively implementing initiatives for theeffective utilization of oil resources. However,in order to bring success to such large projects, aframework of worldwide cooperation based on a
global perspective is essential. In this respect, JCCP
serves an important role: to more strongly than everpromote training, technical cooperation, and humanresource development.

Session 1 panelists: Representing Japan, Kuwait, UAE,
and Qatar (from the left)

Session 2 panelists: Representing Japan, Saudi Arabia,
UAE, China, and Iran (from the left)

54(ii) Session 2 (afternoon session)
Mr. Junjiro Kuramochi, Director and General
Manager, Manufacturing Department, Idemitsu Kosan
Co., Ltd., chaired Session 2. The panelists included
Mr. Seyed Morteza Elahi, Director of Planningand Projects Control, Pars Oil and Gas Company;

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Mr. Chaohui Huang, Section Chief, Comprehensive
Plan Department, SINOPEC Zhenhai Refining &Chemical Company; Mr. Ahmed Omar Abdulla,
Assistant General Manager, Operations, Abu Dhabi
Oil Refining Company (TAKREER); Mr. Hussain A.
Al-Qahtani, Director, Joint Manufacturing Program,
Ras Tanura Integrated Petrochemical Project, Saudi
Aramco; and Mr. Katsumi Teraoka, Executive Chief
Engineer, Manufacturing Department, Idemitsu
Kosan Co., Ltd.

After the panelists delivered their presentations,
Mr. Kuramochi summarized Session 2 discussions,and concluded as follows: When considering thefinite nature of natural resources, it is imperativethat oil-producing and oil-consuming countries
mutually pursue the noble use of oil, by promoting
oil and petrochemical integration, increasing thevalue of oil, and saving energy.

Session 1: Challenge of the Petroleum Industry to Seek Maximum Value from Hydrocarbons—Towards the Best Mix of Future Energy Systems—
Chairman: Mr. Keizoh Takeuchi, Director, Senior Vice President, Nippon Petroleum Reﬁning Co.,Ltd.
Country

Company

Name

Title

Qatar

Qatar Petroleum

Mr. Howard Bevan

Senior Business Planner,
Corporate Planning Department

UAE

MASDAR – Abu Dhabi
Future Energy Company

Dr. Jihad M. Mohaidat

Manager, Technology Department,
Industries Unit

KuwaitShuaiba Reﬁnery, Kuwait
Mr. Ahmad S. Al-Jemaz
National Petroleum Company

Deputy Managing Director

Japan

Nippon Oil Corporation

Executive Ofﬁcer and General
Manager, Technical Service
Department

Mr. Hiroji Adachi

Session 2: Challenge of the Petroleum Industry to Seek Maximum Value from Hydrocarbons—Towards Consumer-Producer Cooperation—
Chairman: Mr. Junjiro Kuramochi, Director and General Manager, Manufacturing Department,
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
Country

CompanyName
Mr. Seyed Morteza Elahi

Title

Iran

Pars Oil and Gas Company

China

SINOPEC Zhenhai Reﬁning & Mr. Chaohui Huang
Chemical Company

Section Chief, Comprehensive Plan
Department

UAE

Abu Dhabi Oil Reﬁning
Company (TAKREER)

Mr. Ahmed Omar Abdulla

Assistant General Manager

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco
Ras Tanura Reﬁnery

Mr. Hussain A. Al-Qahtani

Director, Joint Manufacturing
Program, Integrated Petrochemical
Project

Japan

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

Mr. Katsumi Teraoka

Executive Chief Engineer,
Manufacturing Department

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Director, Planning and Projects
Control55

Summary speech:
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP

3. Summary
In closing the symposium, Mr. Sase summarized
the two days of discussions as follows: In the
Middle East and Asia, there are many plans for theconstruction of new refineries. Through advanced
integration, these refineries are designed under the
principle of pursuing added value to the extreme.
This situation has made me realize anew that adding
value is a common issue for both oil-producing
and oil-consuming countries. From the corporate
perspective, pursuing added value translates intohigher productivity, and from the social perspective,
it means achieving efficient use of petroleum,
reducing environmental burden, and conserving
precious oil resources. Therefore, enhancing thevalue of oil is an important challenge for both oilproducing and oil-consuming countries, one whichmust be addressed through mutual cooperation.

Symposium audience

Mr. Sase then closed the symposium byarticulating JCCP’s commitment to promotepersonnel and technical exchange between oilproducing and oil-consuming countries andcontribute to creating new values of oil.
This year ’s symposium was held amidst
the worldwide financial crisis that began lastSeptember. However, country representatives
agreed that “although projects may see a slight delay
due to the temporary fluctuation in the economy,
it is important to look ahead to achieve advanced
utilization of oil in the long term,” and voiced their
expectations of Japan’s cooperation in developing
human resources and corporate culture as a means
for bringing those projects to success. To respond tothese expectations, JCCP will continue promoting
training and technical cooperation programs in the
future.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

56

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Participants of the symposium

TopicsThe 26th JCCP International Symposium“The Role of the Oil Downstream Sector
from the Perspective of Stable Energy Supply”
On February 6 and 7, 2008, “The 26th
JCCP International Symposium” washeld under the auspices of the Ministryof Economy, Trade and Industry. As the
symposium took place just as the crude
oil price had exceeded 100 dollars per
barrel, it attracted greater attention thanever before, and drew an audience of
close to 300 participants.

Symposium ThemeT h i s y e a r ’s s y m p o s i u m w a s
conducted under the theme, “The Roleof the Oil Downstream Sector from the
Perspective of Stable Energy Supply—
The Necessity and Possibilities ofInternational Collaboration.”
Today, the issue of securing a stableoil supply is a worldwide concern.
The objective of the symposium
was to therefore seek avenues forsecuring a stable supply of oil, throughdiscussions among guests and panelists
from Japan and abroad, on issues andcountermeasures commonly faced in
the oil downstream sector. JCCP hoped
to promote the awareness that “it isimportant for oil-producing and oilconsuming countries to step beyond theirroles, to cooperate in resolving issues
in the oil industry, while sharing theirexperience with each other,” and that“promoting cooperation and deepening
the engagement between oil-producing
and oil-consuming countries is the key
to securing a stable energy supply.”

Symposium Overview(1) Opening Ceremony(February 6, 2008)
On the first day, the symposium
began with an opening address by Mr.
JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Akira Idemitsu, President of JCCP,
followed by a greeting by the guest ofhonor, Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, DirectorGeneral of the Natural Resources andFuel Department, Agency for Natural
Resources and Energy, Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI),
and an introduction of the chairmen
and panelists of Sessions 1 and 2 by
Mr. Mikio Kojima, Executive Directorof JCCP. Following this, Mr. Idemitsu
gave a keynote speech.
In his greeting, Mr. Kitagawa firstwelcomed all the guests from abroad
who had come to Japan to participate in
the symposium. He then spoke about thesignificance of the close relationshipsthat oil-producing countries and Japan’soil downstream sector have built over
the years. Today, the crude oil market isundergoing a great change in response
to increasing global demands for oil, but
57

Guest of honor speech
Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General
Natural Resources and Fuel Department
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METI

Japan nonetheless continues to receive
a stable supply of crude oil, owing
precisely to the strong relationship oftrust it has cultivated with oil-producing
countries. Representing METI, Mr.
Kitagawa also expressed his hopesthat JCCP will continue to implement
activities that respond to the needsof oil-producing countries, and thatthe mutually beneficial relationships
between JCCP and those countries willcontinue to grow even stronger.
Mr. Idemitsu, in his keynote speech,
stressed the importance of oil and thenecessity of ensuring its sustainable supply.
He explained that oil is indispensable toautomobile, airplanes, and other modernmeans of transportation, as well as animportant petrochemical raw material,from which various types of plastics
and chemicals are made. It is a precious
resource that must not be depleted byour generation. Mr. Idemitsu emphasizedthat it is our responsibility to the next
generation, to reconsider the role of theoil downstream sector and ensure a stableoil supply for the future.
(2) Special Lectures(February 6, 2008)
Following Mr. Idemitsu’s keynote
speech, Dr. Ken Koyama, Board
Member of The Institute of Energy
Economics, Japan, and Mr. Waleed H.
Al-Bedaiwi, General Manager, Saudi
Petroleum, Ltd., were asked to give a
special lecture as guest speakers.
After briefly summarizing today’s
global energy situation, Dr. Koyama
discussed the evolving relationshipbetween the Middle East and Asia. He
stated that the Middle East and Asia
are gradually forming an inseparable
relationship, in which they mutually

Special lecture
Dr. Ken Koyama, Board Member
The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

58

Keynote speech
Mr. Akira Idemitsu, President of JCCP

depend upon each other. This is because
the two regions are the growth centersof the world. Asia’s growth could
provide an enormous oil market to
the Middle East, and growth in the
Middle East would allow Asia to importa large supply of oil. In the future,investments are expected to increase inboth directions, from the Middle East toAsia, and vice versa, and bring the tworegions closer to each other.
Mr. Al-Bedaiwi spoke about thesignificant relationship between oilproducing and oil-consuming countries,
likening the relationship to “the twosides of a coin,” which are inseparablefrom the other. He closed his lecture,by articulating Saudi Aramco’s strong
vow to join hands with its partners in
the oil downstream sector, to upholdits responsibility of providing a stablesupply of oil.

Special lecture
Mr. Waleed H. Al-Bedaiwi, General Manager
Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

(3) Discussion Sessions(February 7, 2008)
The second day of the symposiumfeatured Session 1 discussions in themorning and Session 2 discussions
in the afternoon. They arrived at thefollowing conclusions.

1) Session 1
Theme: Management Issues in
the Oil Downstream Sector for
Contributing to Globally Stable
Supply of Energy
The chairman of Session 1, Mr.
Isao Kusakabe, Executive Officer& General Manager, International
Ventures Department, Cosmo Oil Co.,
Ltd., summarized Session 1 discussions
as follows: “Many countries today areexperiencing rapid economic growth, asituation that will make the world evermore oil-dependent in the future. At

26th JCCP International Symposium Program
The Role of the Oil Downstream Sector from the Perspective of Stable Energy Supply
Date
Feb. 6 (Wed)Time
2:00 – 3:00 pm

Proceedings
Opening ceremonyUÊ "«i}Ê>``ÀiÃÃ\Ê
Mr. Akira Idemitsu, President of JCCPUÊ ÕiÃÌÊvÊ ÀÊÃ«iiV \Ê
Mr. Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General, Natural Resources and Fuel
Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METIUÊ ÌÀ`ÕVÌÊvÊÃiÃÃÊV >ÀiÊ>`Ê«>iÃÌÃ\ÊMr. Mikio Kojima, Executive Director of JCCPUÊ iÞÌiÊÃ«iiV \Ê
Mr. Akira Idemitsu, President of JCCP

3:15 – 5:40 pm

Special lecturesUÊÀ°ÊiÊÞ>>Board Member, The Institute of Energy Economics, JapanUÊ À°Ê7>ii`Ê°Ê i`>Ü
General Manager, Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.
UÊ À°Ê-ÕÌ>Êi >À
Director, Marketing & Reﬁning, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC)

Feb. 7 (Thu)

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Reception

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Session I “Management Issues in the Oil Downstream Sector for
Contributing to Globally Stable Supply of Energy”

12:00 – 1:30 pm

Lunch break

1:30 – 4:00 pm

Session II “Technological Issues in the Oil Downstream Sector for
Contributing to Globally Stable Supply of Energy”

4:00 – 4:10 pm

Closing greeting: Mr. Mikio Kojima, Executive Director of JCCP

Special Lectures
Country

Organization

Name

Title

Japan

The Institute of Energy Economics,
Japan

Dr. Ken Koyama

Board Member
Director, Strategy and Industry
Research Unit

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Petroleum, Ltd.

Mr. Waleed H. Al-Bedaiwi

General Manager

UAE

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC)

Mr. Sultan Al-Mehairi

Director, Marketing & Reﬁning(on behalf of Mr. Hashem Y. Al-Refaei, Marketing Research &Administration Manager)

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

59

Session 1 panelists(From the right: Indonesia, Oman,
Qatar, UAE, Japan)

Session 2 panelists(From the right: Iran, Kuwait,
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Japan)

the same time, however, we are facing
a number of serious issues, such as
drastic increases in crude oil prices,
environmental issues that call for
stringent regulations, growing demands
for petroleum products, and the needto seek measures for securing a stableoil supply. Given this situation, urgent
attention must be directed to expanding
and upgrading refinery facilities anddeveloping human resources. As Japanand oil-producing countries share thesame oil downstream issues, we must
harness our efforts to secure a globallystable supply of oil. Relationships of trustthat are born from such collaboration
would also provide greater ‘energy
security.’”2) Session 2
Theme: Technological Issues in
the Oil Downstream Sector for
Contributing to Globally Stable
Supply of Energy
The chairman of Session 2, Mr.
Keiichi Matsumoto, Director & Senior
Executive Officer of Toyo Engineering
Corporation, identified the following
three technical issues from among
various issues confronting the oil

60

downstream sector in each country, as
common issues that have a particularly
large impact on a globally stable supplyof energy.
The first issue is the growing demand
for gasoline and diesel oil, and measures
for satisfying that demand, such asincreasing heavy oil cracking capacity
and adopting deep desulfurization
technologies. In every country, demands
for transportation fuel, such as gasoline
and diesel oil, are increasing, while
demands for heavy oil are decreasing.
For this reason, there is an urgent needto construct and expand the capacities
of facilities that crack heavy oil andconvert it to gasoline and diesel oil.
Desulfurization technologies are alsosought, to produce petroleum productsthat comply with environmental
standards that are becoming more andmore stringent the world over.

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

The second issue is the decrease inheavy oil demand and the increase ofvalue-added petroleum products. As acountermeasure to the decreasing demandfor heavy oil, heavy oil should either be
converted to light oil, by introducing acracking unit, or to higher value-added
products, such as by introducing a
residual oil direct desulfurization unit,
solvent dewaxing unit, or IGCC, toproduce thermal power, steam energy,
electric power, or synthetic gas.
The third issue is safety andenvironmental measures. Ensuringsafety requires the proper maintenancemanagement of facilities, utilization of
appropriate tools, and awareness-raisingof employees. Environmental measures
should not only focus on preventing air
and water pollution, but must also pay
due consideration to other issues, such as
the reduction of industrial waste.

(4) Summary
Lastly, Mr. Kojima summarized
the two days of discussions and poseda thought for everyone to consider. He
stated that the oil downstream sector

Session I:
Chairman:Country

must fulfill an important role in securing
a globally stable supply of energy.
“Therefore,” he asked, “shouldn’t
the players in the downstream sector
mutually cooperate and make active

efforts to serve as a bridge between
oil-producing and oil-consuming
countries?” The symposium came toan end on this thought-provoking note.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda,
Administration Dept.>

Management Issues in the Oil Downstream Sector for Contributing to Globally Stable Supply of Energy
Mr. Isao Kusakabe, Executive Ofﬁcer & General Manager, International Ventures Department,
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.
Company

Name

Title

Indonesia

PT PERTAMINA

Mr. Gigih Prakoso

Manager, Corporate Business
Planning and Development

Qatar

Qatar Petroleum

Dr. Ali Hamed Al-Mulla

Manager, Corporate Environment
and Sustainable Development

Oman

Oman Reﬁnery Company L.L.C.

Mr. Said Waleed Q. Al-Zadjali

Manager, Procurement, Contracts &InventoryUAE

Abu Dhabi Oil Reﬁning Co.
(TAKREER)

Mr. Sultan Saeed Al-Muhairi

Abu Dhabi Reﬁnery Division
ManagerJapan

Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.

Mr. Hirohiko Kato

General Manager, International
Business Dept.

Session II:
Chairman:Country

Technological Issues in the Oil Downstream Sector for Contributing to Globally Stable Supply of Energy
Mr. Keiichi Matsumoto, Director, Senior Executive Ofﬁcer, General Manager, Plant Engineering Center,Toyo Engineering Corporation
Company

Name

Title

Iran

National Iranian Oil Reﬁning and Mr. Amin Allah Eskandari
Distribution Company (NIORDC)

KuwaitKuwait National Petroleum Co.

Mr. Mohammed Ghazi Al-Mutairi Deputy Managing Director,
Mina Abdulla Reﬁnery

Nigeria

Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation

Engr. Onochi A. Anyaoku

Group Executive Director, Reﬁning
and Petrochemicals Directorate

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco

Mr. Ali Alhazmi

Superintendent, Riyadh Reﬁnery
Operation DivisionJapan

Toyo Engineering Corporation

Mr. Tomomichi Tomita

General Manager, Process Systems
Engineering Division

Scene of the Symposium

Director, Reﬁning Affairs

Closing address
Mr. Mikio Kojima, Executive Director of JCCP

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

61

Topics

The 18th Joint GCC-Japan
Environment Symposium—Environment & Water Resources for Our Future—
The 18th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium
was jointly organized with Bahrain Centre for Studies &Research (BCSR), and was held over a three-day period
from February 8 to 10 in Bahrain, under the theme,“Environment & Water Resources for Our Future.”

Background
JCCP has held the Joint GCC-Japan Environment
Symposium annually to provide a forum for informationexchange among environmental experts in the GCC
countries and Japan, and fiscal 2009 marked the 18th
convening of the symposium.

Overview
Some 230 participants from the GCC countries
and Japan, the largest number ever, attended theopening ceremony, which was held on the 8th. They
included such key figures as H.E. Dr. Mohammed J.
K. Alghatam, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of
BCSR; Dr. Abdulla M. Alsadiq, Secretary-General of
BSCR; Dr. Eion Turnbull, Deputy Chief Executive(Refining & Marketing) of the Bahrain Petroleum
Company (BAPCO), which provided special assistancein implementing the symposium by hosting a BAPCOsponsored reception on the evening of February 8; H.E.
Mr. Hideo Sato, Ambassador of Japan to Bahrain; andDr. Junzo Kasahara, Professor Emeritus at the Universityof Tokyo (and leader of the Japanese delegation).
Dr. Alsadiq, Dr. Turnbull, Ambassador Sato and Mr.
Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP, eachgave an opening address.
Dr. Alsadiq thanked the guests for attending the
symposium, and expressed his expectations that the
symposium will provide hints for resolving water
resource and climate change issues in the GCC region.
He noted that, as environmental issues are a large
concern to the GCC countries where water resources
are limited, it is highly meaningful to have Japaneseand GCC experts mutually share their knowledge andexchange views on issues of concern to the region inthis symposium.
Dr. Turnbull emphasized our responsibility toseriously address environmental issues today as leadersin the field, although whether we succeed or not in doing
so can only be judged by the next generation. He said
he was confident that technological innovations thatwill be introduced in the symposium would bring us
new possibilities.
Ambassador Sato noted that this environment
symposium, launched in 1992 as a greening seminar andheld for roughly 20 years since, provides an opportunity
to address the issue of global warming, particularlyin the GCC region where environmental issues havebecome pronounced after the Gulf War. He encouraged

Commemorative photo at the opening ceremony

62

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

all participants to learn and benefit from the knowledgeof the Japanese and GCC experts.
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.
Three keynote lectures followed the opening
speeches. On the Japanese side, Dr. Kasahara gave alecture under the title, “An innovative method for the
4D monitor of storage in CCS (Carbon dioxide Captureand Storage) and oil and gas reservoirs and aquifers.” On
the Bahrain side, lectures were given by Mr. Essa G. AlAnsari, General Manager of Major Engineering Projects
at BAPCO, and Prof. Waleed Al-Zubari, Vice-Presidentof Academic Affairs at Arabian Gulf University.
After the keynote lectures, 19 Japanese GCC experts
gave presentations in four separate discussion sessions.
N February 8
Session 1: Energy and Gas Industry andSustainability
Session 2: Water Resources and Environmental
Protection
N February 9
Session 3: Climate Change and Global Warming
Session 4: Future Perspective for Energy, Water
and Environment
Many of the presentations given by GCC experts
focused on “water” and “the environment.” This isunderstandable, since the symposium was originallydesigned as a greening seminar. However, it also
indicated the GCC countries’ consistently strong interest
and concern in issues related to the environment andwater resources.

A closing ceremony was held on the 9th following
the final discussion session. Dr. Mohammed S.
Al-Ansari, Director of the Publication & Data Warehouse
at BCSR and Chairperson of the Organizing Committeeof the Environment Symposium, and M. Nakamura,Manager of the Technical Cooperation Dept. at JCCP,
officially closed this year’s symposium after thanking
all symposium participants and everyone from BCSR
and BAPCO for their cooperation.
On the 10th, the Japanese delegation visited a
BAPCO refinery, accompanied by many people fromthe Bahrain side. There they visited the Low Sulphur
Diesel Production Control Center among other facilities,
and recognized anew Bahrain’s strong commitment toenvironmental conservation.
On the 7th, the day before the opening of theenvironment symposium, the JCCP Secretariat held apress conference at BCSR to present an overview of
JCCP activities and explain details of the environment
symposium. Dr. Alghatam, Dr. Alsadiq, Dr. Al-Ansari,
Mr. Yukio Ishibiki, Second Secretary of the Japanese
Embassy in Bahrain, and six Japanese lecturers also lent
their presence to the event.

Summary
The participants of the environment symposium engagedin active discussions in the four discussion sessions.
GCC experts took particular note of the presentations on
Japan’s advanced environmental technologies as potential
solutions to their environmental challenges.
Members on the JCCP side hope that this environment
symposium has helped deepen relationships between oilrelated companies and organizations in the GCC region
and JCCP. Moreover, public recognition of JCCP in
the GCC countries has increased, owing to local media
coverage of the press conference and symposium.
<by Makoto Nakamura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Discussion session

Press conference

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

63

The 18th Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium
No.

CountryName

Organization

Session 1: Energy and Gas Industry and Sustainability
Chairpersons: Prof. Hidenori Yahiro, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, Japan
Dr. Mohammed S. Al-Ansari, Bahrain Centre for Studies & Research
1

Saudi Arabia

Mr. Mohammad A. Hajri

Saudi Aramco

2

Japan

Mr. Shigeyuki Funada

Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.

3

Bahrain

Mr. Ijaz Ashraf

The Bahrain Petroleum Company

4

BahrainDr. Tarek Ghalwash

Bahrain Centre for Studies & Research

Session 2: Water Resources and Environmental Protection
Chairpersons: Dr. Muhammad Al-Rashed, Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc ResearchEng. Nassema Al-Marzouqi, Water Distribution Directorate, Bahrain
1

KuwaitDr. Mohammad Al-Murad

Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research

2BahrainDr. Khaled BurashidElectricity & Water Authority

3

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Alaadin A. BukhariKing Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals

4

Oman

Dr. Mahad Said Baawain

Sultan Qaboos University

5

Qatar

Dr. Kamel Mostafa Amer

Ministry of Environment

Session 3: Climate Change and Global Warming
Chairpersons: Dr. Waheeb Al-Naser, University of Bahrain
Dr. Ali Hamad Al-Mulla, Qatar Petroleum
1

UAE

Dr. Sayed A. M. Marzouk

UAE University

2

Japan

Dr. Ken-ichi Fujimoto

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative
Association

3

Japan

Ms. Hikari Egami

JGC Corporation

4

BahrainDr. Mohammed S. Al-Ansari

Bahrain Centre for Studies & Research

5

BahrainDr. Majeed Safar Jasim

University of Bahrain

Session 4: Future Perspective for Energy, Water and Environment
Chairpersons: Eng. Ebrahim Al-Kaabi, Electricity and Water Authority, Bahrain
Dr. Ken-ichi Fujimoto, Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association, Japan
1

Japan

Dr. Kayoko Tsuruga

JGI, Inc.

2

BahrainDr. Waheeb Al-Naser

University of Bahrain

3BahrainDr. Nader Al-Masri

Bahrain Centre for Studies & Research

4

Japan

Prof. Hidenori Yahiro

Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime
University

5

Bahrain

Prof. Ibrahim Abdel Gelil

College of Graduate Studies, Arabian Gulf University

Symposium venue

64

One of the Japanese lecturers: Ms. Hikari Egami,
JGC Corporation

JCCP NEWS No. 107 September 2010

Topics

The 17th Joint GCC-Japan
Environment Symposium(The 4th Joint KISR-JCCP Environment Symposium)

Participants of the symposium

JCCP and Kuwait Institute for Scientific
Research (KISR) jointly held the 17th Joint GCCJapan Environment Symposium (the 4th Joint
KISR-JCCP Environment Symposium) fromFebruary 2 to 4, 2009. The symposium was held in
Kuwait City, under the theme, “Water Resources in
the GCC and Environmental Challenges.”
This symposium has been held annually in a GCC
country as a forum for information exchange among

environmental experts in the GCC countries andJapan, and was held for the 17th time this year.
The opening ceremony was held on the 2nd, withthe attendance of more than 200 people from the
GCC countries and Japan. They included such key
figures as Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director Generalof KISR, Mr. Jamal Al-Nouri, Managing Director –Planning of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)
who provided special assistance in implementing

Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR (left),
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP (right)

Dr. Takeo Kikkawa, Professor at Hitotsubashi University
Graduate School (leader of Japanese delegation)

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

65

Mr. Jamal Al-Nouri, Managing Director – Planning, KPC(left), Dr. Muhammad F. Al-Rashed, Director,
Water Resource Division, KISR (center)

Dr. Al-Mutairi (left), H.E. Mr. Masatoshi Muto,
Ambassador of Japan to Kuwait (right)

the symposium, H.E. Mr. Masatoshi Muto,
Ambassador of Japan to Kuwait, and Dr. Takeo
Kikkawa, Professor at Hitotsubashi University
Graduate School of Commerce and Management(leader of the Japanese delegation). Dr. Al-Mutairi,
Mr. Al-Nouri, H.E. Ambassador Muto and Mr.
Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP, eachgave an opening address.
Dr. Al-Mutairi acknowledged that environmental
issues are of growing concern to the GCC countries
where water resources are limited, and stressed how
important and meaningful it is for experts fromJapan and the GCC countries to exchange viewsand engage in serious discussions on environmental
issues. He also expressed his wish that matters
discussed in this symposium will provide clues toaddressing issues concerning water resources andclimate change in the GCC countries.
Mr. Al-Nouri noted that holding the symposiumin Kuwait this year was well-timed, as it coincidedwith KPC’s company-wide undertaking to addressenvironmental issues, and said that he was looking

forward to the presentations.
H.E. Ambassador Muto explained that Japan
experienced serious public pollutions in the
1960s and 1970s, but has overcome those issues
through its own efforts, and is presently applying
the knowledge it has acquired through thatexperience to the Kuwait Gulf Treatment Projectthat is being implemented jointly with the Kuwait
Ministry of Higher Education. He also expressed
his wish that the symposium will encourage more
Japanese companies and organizations to addressenvironmental issues in Kuwait and other GCC
countries, and produce significant achievements.
Mr. Sase firstly gave a brief introduction of
JCCP, followed by an overview of JCCP technicalcooperation projects and training programs
implemented in Kuwait. He then explained theeffectiveness of Japan’s advanced environmental
technologies in addressing environmental issues
that are becoming of increasing concern in the GCC
countries, and emphasized the importance of thisenvironment symposium.

Symposium venue

Symposium session

66

JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 2008

Press conference at KISR

Japanese delegation at the press conference

The last but not the least item of the opening environmental technologies seemed to attract theceremony was Dr. Kikkawa’s keynote lecture titled strong interest of all GCC experts.
“Energy Conservation and Technological Innovation:
On the 3rd, a closing ceremony was held
Japan’s Contribution to Cool Earth.” The lecture following the completion of the second day offocused on the “Cool Earth 50” initiative, which discussions. Dr. Khaled Hadi, Manager, Hydrology
Japan had proposed in May 2007 as a post-Kyoto Department, representing KISR (on behalf of Dr.
framework. Dr. Kikkawa stated that achieving an Muhammad F. Al-Rashed, Director, Water Resource
appropriate balance between global environmental Division), and Mr. Mitsuyoshi Saito, Councilor forconservation and economic growth is essential JCCP, summarized the two days of discussions andto realizing the “Cool Earth 50” initiative, and proposed twelve recommendations concerning thethat this balance could be effectively achieved by symposium presentations. In closing, Mr. Koichi
promoting energy conservation and technological Io, Deputy General Manager, expressed his deep
innovation such as Carbon Dioxide Capture and appreciation to KISR, KPC and all participants, on
Storage (CCS) and Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) behalf of JCCP.
technologies. Dr. Kikkawa also introduced the “TopOn the 4th, we visited the exhibition center andRunner Program” and “Sector by Sector Approach,” oil field (artificial oil lake created on the Burgan
which are Japan’s unique methods for reducing Oil Field) of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), whichgreenhouse gases toward realization of “Cool Earth appeared to symbolize the deep commitment of50.” He explained that the former is producing steady Kuwait’s oil-related companies and organizations
results in the residential, commercial
and transportation sectors, and thatthe latter is proving effective inindustrial sectors.
Discussion sessions were heldon the 2nd and the 3rd. A total of 18
presentations were given under four
themes: (i) Renewable Energy for
Water Treatment and Desalination;(ii) Clean Development Mechanisms(CDM); (iii) Protection andManagement of Water Resources;and (iv) Oil & Gas Industry andEnvironmental Issues, and were
Local newspaper article on the
Local newspaper article on thefollowed by active discussions.
environment symposium
press conference
Presentations on Japan’s advanced(Arab Times)(Al Watan)
JCCP NEWS No. 100 May 200867

toward the environment.
In this environment symposium, Mr. AlNouri, Managing Director – Planning of KPC,
not only attended the opening ceremony, but also
generously hosted a KPC-sponsored reception on
the evening of the 2nd. We hope that the occasionof this environment symposium has helped deepen
relationships between oil-related companies andorganizations in Kuwait and JCCP.
Prior to the symposium, a press conference washeld at KISR on February 1, with the attendance of
Dr. Al-Rashed, Director, Water Resource Divisionof KISR, Mr. Takanori Yamashita, First Secretary at
the Embassy of Japan in Kuwait, and eight Japanese
lecturers. The JCCP Secretariat gave a statement on
the environment symposium, as well as introduced
an overview of JCCP and JCCP activities in Kuwait.
The local newspapers ran many articles on the press
conference and environment symposium, and helped
increase public recognition of JCCP in Kuwait.
We would like to extend our deepest appreciation
to everyone who has cooperated in the successful
implementation of this symposium.
<by Makoto Nakamura, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

List of speakers
No.

CountryName

Organization

Session 1: Renewable Energy for Water Treatment and Desalination
Chairperson: Dr. Muhammad F. Al-Rashed, Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research (KISR)
Prof. Katsuyuki Fujinawa, Shinshu University
1

KuwaitDr. Essam El-Sayed

Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research (KISR)

2

Japan

Mr. Eiji Wada

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative
Association

3

Japan

Mr. Kei Omura

NTT Data CCS Corporation

4

Japan

Mr. Sueo Nagasawa

Water Re-use Promotion Center

Session 2: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Chairperson: Prof. Morihiro Kurushima, Toyo University
Mr. Mohammad Al-Fodari, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)
5

Japan

Prof. Morihiro Kurushima

Toyo University

6

KuwaitDr. M. M. Oskay

Chevron Company

7

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Mansor Kashir

Saudi Aramco (ARAMCO)

8UAE

Dr. Ali H. Al-Marzouqi

UAE University (UAEU)

Session 3: Protection and Management of Water Resources
Chairperson: Dr. Alaadin Bukhari, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)
Mr. Mohamed Al-Senafy, Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research (KISR)
9

KuwaitDr. Meshan Al-Otaibi

Ministry of Electricity and Water

10

Japan

Prof. Katsuyuki Fujinawa

Shinshu University

11

BahrainDr. Nader Al-Masri

Bahrain Center for Studies & Research (BCSR)

12

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Nassim Al-Abed

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)

13

Oman

Mr. Saleh Said Mohammed
Al-Shoukri

Ministry of Environment and Climate

14

KuwaitDr. Amr Fadlelmawla

Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research (KISR)

Session 4: Oil & Gas Industry and Environmental Issues
Chairperson: Dr. Ali Hamad Al-Mulla, Qatar Petroleum (QP)
Mr. Fahad Al-Dihani, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)
15

KuwaitMr. Fadhel A. Al-Ali

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)

16

Japan

Dr. Kazuo Okamura

Shimizu Corporation

17

Qatar

Mr. Said Abdi Yusuf

Qatar Petroleum (QP)

18

Japan

Mr. Takaaki Izumi

Nippon Oil Research Institute Co., Ltd.

68

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Topics

The 16th Joint GCC-Japan
Environment Symposium(The 4th Joint KFUPM-JCCP Environment Symposium)

Participants of the symposium

T h e 16 t h J o i n t G C C - Ja p a n
Environment Symposium (the 4th
Joint KFUPM-JCCP Environment
Symposium) was held in Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia, from January 28 to 30, 2008,by the joint sponsorship of JCCP andKing Fahd University of Petroleum &Minerals (KFUPM). The main theme ofthe symposium was “GCC Environment
and Sustainable Development.”
The symposium is held annually in a

GCC country under basic environmental
themes, and provides a forum fordiscussions among experts in theenvironment field.
An opening ceremony officiallyopened the symposium on the 28th. It
was attended by H.E. Dr. Khaled bin
Saleh Al-Sultan, Rector of KFUPM,
Dr. Sahel N. Abdul-Jauwad, Vice
Rector of KFUPM, Mr. Isam A. Bayat,
Vice President, Engineering Services,

H.E. Dr. Khaled bin Saleh Al-Sultan, Rector of KFUPM

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi
Aramco), and H.E. Hiroshi Oka, Chargéd’Affaires, Embassy of Japan to Saudi
Arabia, in addition to more than 140
participants. H.E. Dr. Al-Sultan, Mr.
Bayat, H.E. Mr. Oka, and Mr. Katsuo
Yokoyama, Managing Director of JCCP,
each gave an opening address.
H.E . D r. A l- Su lt a n st rong ly
acknowledged that environmental
considerations are essential to the

Mr. Isam A. Bayat, Vice President of Saudi Aramco

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200969

H.E. Hiroshi Oka, Chargé d’Affaires,
Embassy of Japan to Saudi Arabia

sust a i nable development of t he
GCC countries, and expressed highexpectations that the symposium will
discuss topics of particular relevanceto the environment in the region, suchas water resources and climate change.
Mr. Bayat com mented on thetimeliness of holding this environment
symposium in Saudi Arabia, just at atime when Saudi Aramco is making
company-wide effor ts to addressenvironmental issues, and said he waslooking forward to what would be
discussed.
H.E. Mr. Oka stated that Japan and
the GCC countries have a long-standing
relationship in the energy sector, but arelationship of cooperation is rapidly
evolving in the environment sector as
well. He said that he is extremely pleased
to see a strengthening of relationships
between JCCP and the national oil
companies, research institutions, anduniversities in the GCC countries, in

Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama, Managing Director of JCCP

the environment sector.
Mr. Yokoyama, after giving a brief
overview of JCCP technical cooperation
projects in Saudi Arabia, stated that
it was a great pleasure to be able tohold this environment symposiumin the GCC countries each year, andemphasized the fact that environmental
issues cannot be solved by one country’s
efforts alone, but requires global level
initiatives.
Discussion sessions held on the
28th and 29th featured 15 presentations
on fou r topics : (i) Sust a i nable
Environmental Development; (ii) Oil
Industry and Environmental Issues;(iii) Environmental Rehabilitation;and (iv) Research and Development inEnvironment. Active discussions took
place in each session.
On the 29th, a closing ceremony
was held following the completion of
the discussion session. Representing
KFUPM, Dr. Walid A. Abderrahman,

Opening ceremony

70

Professor, Water Resource Management,summarized the two days of sessions,and representing JCCP, Koichi Io,
Deputy General Manager, TechnicalCooperation Department, took theopportunity to thank KFUPM, Saudi
Aramco, and all participants for their
participation in the symposium.
During the two days of discussion
sessions, some participants from the
GCC countries asked whether theJapanese lecturers could also delivera presentation at an environmental
conference to be held in their respective
countries. The participants apparently
found the presentations on Japan’s
advanced environmental technologies
to be highly beneficial.
On the 30th, we visited a coastalmangrove nursery at Saudi Aramco’s
Ras Tanura Refinery. We saw thenursery as an indication of Saudi
Aramco’s strong commitment to theenvironment.

Symposium session

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

In this environment symposium, Mr.
Bayat, Vice President of Saudi Aramco,
not only attended the opening ceremony,
but also hosted a reception for all guests(on the 28th). Taking the opportunityof his generous cooperation, we hope
to further deepen JCCP’s relationshipwith Saudi Aramco.
On January 27, the day prior toholding the symposium, we held apress conference at KFUPM. With theattendance of Dr. Abdul-Jauwad, Vice
Rector of KFUPM, H.E. Mr. Oka,
and five Japanese lecturers, we madean announcement on the environment
symposium scheduled to be held thenext day, and provided an overview
of JCCP activities in Saudi Arabia.
News of the press conference received
coverage in the local newspaper, andcontributed to increasing JCCP’s profile
in Saudi Arabia.
We extend our deepest appreciation
to everyone who has cooperated in
the successful implementation of this
symposium.
<by Koichi Io,
Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Symposium venue

Local newspaper article on thepress conference

List of Speakers
No

Country

Session 1:
Moderator:

Name

Organization

Sustainable Environmental Development
Dr. Kenichi Fujimoto, Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association (KITA) <Japan>

1

Japan

Dr. Takehiko Matsui

Tottori University

2

KuwaitDr. Amr Fadlemawla

Kuwait Institute for Scientiﬁc Research (KISR)

3

BahrainDr. Nader El-Masri

Bahrain Center for Studies & Research (BCSR)

Session 2:
Moderator:

Oil Industry and Environmental Issues
Prof. Abdul Malik Al AlShaikh, King Saud University (KSU) <Saudi Arabia>

4

Japan

Mr. Masayuki Aida

Nippon Oil Corporation

5

UAE

Dr. Muftah H. El-Naas

UAE University (UAEU)

6

Japan

Dr. Masaharu Tasaki

Shimizu Corporation

7

Qatar

Dr. John Kilani

Qatar Petroleum (QP)

Session 3:
Moderator:

Environmental Rehabilitation
Dr. Mohammed Al Ansari, Bahrain Center for Studies and Research (BCSR) <Bahrain>

8

Japan

Dr. Kenichi Fujimoto

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative
Association

9

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Hussein Al-Beshrey

Royal Commission for Jubail

10

Oman

Dr. Andy Yaw Kwarteng

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)

11

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ahmad S. Bajahlan

Royal Commission for Yanbu

Session 4:
Moderator:

Research and Development in EnvironmentProf. Abdulaziz M. Al Bassam, King Saud University (KSU) <Saudi Arabia>

12

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Walid Abderrahman

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals(KFUPM)

13

Japan

Dr. Ryoji Ohba

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

14

Saudi Arabia

Dr. Khaled Al-Damegh

King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology(KACST)

15

Saudi Arabia

Dr. William G. Conner

Saudi Aramco

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200971

Topics

Mr. Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
Visits Kuwait

Mr. Sase visited the KISR Head Office on
February 2 and met with Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi,
Director General.
Mr. Sase firstly thanked Dr. Al-Mutairi for
KISR’s cooperation in the past sixteen Joint GCCJapan Environment Symposiums, noting that
this year marks the seventeenth holding of thesymposium which was begun in 1992, and the fourth
time it has been held at KISR. The symposium has
been duly acknowledged by the six GCC countries,
and this year enjoyed the attendance of more than
210 participants from the six countries combined.
Dr. Al-Mutairi stated that the symposium hasdeveloped into a forum for the exchanging of views
among leading experts on environmental issues

from the six GCC countries. As KISR regards it
as one of its most important symposiums, Dr. AlMutairi expressed his wish to continue creatingsuch opportunities for exchange in cooperation
with JCCP.
The two leaders also talked about KISR’s 27-yearlong relationship with JCCP. Dr. Al-Mutairi stated:
JCCP has invited many management personnel andstaff members from Kuwait to Japan. I appreciate
this, as I believe that personal interaction is anextremely important aspect of technical exchanges.
Thanks to JCCP, many Kuwaitis have begun toshow interest in Japan. At the same time, I thinkthat Japan has also acquired a great asset, as a resultof having made the strategic future investment. Up
to now, the Middle East countries have tended tolook toward the United States and Europe, but fromnow on, we will also turn our eyes to Japan and the
Asian countries, with the realization that Japan has
many distinguished technologies, such as seawater
desalination.
Mr. Sase responded as follows: JCCP is a smallorganization, but one that boasts a considerable
network of personal connections in the Middle East.
Based on this valuable network, we wish to continue
pursuing new areas for technical cooperation and

Dr. Naji M. Al-Mutairi, Director General, KISR
(second from left)

At the KISR Oil Research and Studies Center:
Dr. Abdulhameed Al-Hashem, Director (third from right)

Taking the occasion of “The 17th Joint GCCJapan Environment Symposium,” which was heldat Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR)
on February 2 and 3, 2009 (see article in thisnewsletter), Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Directorof JCCP, visited Kuwait and held policy dialogues
with the top management of KISR and Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC).

1. KISR72

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

deepen our friendly relations with the Middle East
countries. The global economic climate may look
dim, but I am convinced that a bright future awaits
us, if our countries maintain strong bonds of mutual
cooperation. Bearing this mind, JCCP hopes tomaintain its ties with KISR through cooperation intraining and technical development activities.
On the next day, February 3, Mr. Sase visited
KISR’s Oil Research and Studies Center and met
with Dr. Abdulhameed Al-Hashem, Director, Dr.
Meena Marafi, Manager, Petroleum Refining
Department, and Dr. Mamun Absi-Halabi, Principal
Research Scientist.
In FY2007, JCCP launched a program for the
long-term dispatch of Japanese researchers, anddispatched a catalyst expert to the Oil Researchand Studies Center to provide guidance on Japan’scatalyst technologies to local researchers. This fiscal
year, JCCP has asked Dr. Takeshige Takahashi,
Professor Emeritus at Kagoshima University, andDr. Hirohide Higashi, JGC Catalysts & Chemicals
Ltd., to offer their guidance to KISR over respective
periods of one and three months.
Dr. Al-Hashem, Director, stated: JCCP and
KISR began implementing full-scale joint projects
in 1992, and the projects implemented so far
have helped improve technologies at KISR. The
cooperation of Drs. Takahashi and Higashi isparticularly invaluable, and we are grateful to themfor sharing their thirty-some-year experience with
our young researchers.
Mr. Sase expressed his wish to continue thelong-term researcher dispatch program to mutuallycontribute to improving technologies, and asked for
KISR’s continued support.

2. KNPC
Mr. Sase visited the KNPC Head Office on
February 3 and met with Mr. Asa’ad Ahmad E.
Al-Saad, Deputy Chairman & Deputy Managing
Director for Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery, Mr. Ahmad
S. Al-Mudaf, Manager, Human Resources, and Mr.
Ali Abdullah, Team Leader, Career Development.

Mr. Asa’ad Ahmad E. Al-Saad,
Deputy Chairman, KNPC (left)

Mr. Sase opened the meeting by thanking the
KNPC side for the participation by Mr. Ahmad S.
Al-Jemaz, Deputy Managing Director, Shuaiba
Refinery, in the JCCP International Symposium
which was held in Tokyo this January.
Mr. Al-Saad also conveyed the following words
of appreciation to JCCP: KNPC and JCCP haveestablished a long relationship, and have worked
on many projects together over the years. We haveboth learned much from these projects, which I
think were great successes. Over the course of ourrelationship, almost all major members of the KNPC
management have visited Japan and received JCCP
training. Our employees have also benefited from
JCCP courses in terms of capacity development.
Another area of cooperation which has benefited ourorganization is joint researches with JCCP members
companies. I hope to maintain this relationship ofcooperation between our two organizations.
The two leaders then discussed environmental
issues. Mr. Al-Saad explained that GCC oil-producing
countries have begun to pursue environmental
measures in earnest, and over the past several
years, KNPC has also been exploring measures forrecovering and effectively utilizing waste heat. As
this issue is a primary concern in KNPC refineries,
Mr. Al-Saad expressed his strong wish to implementa joint project with Japan on waste heat recovery.
Mr. Sase responded that JCCP would be happy to

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 200973

Mr. Ahmad S. Al-Mudaf, Manager,
Human Resources, KNPC (left)

cooperate with KNPC based on the experience andexpertise which Japan has accumulated from early
efforts to address such issues.
Regarding issues related to future oil refining,
Mr. Al-Saad observed that refineries survive onrefinery margins, but as those margins are becoming
extremely difficult to acquire, it will be necessary
to drastically reduce refining costs. Mr. Sase
shared his view that the role of oil refining will
likely see a change from the conventional one ofsimply producing oil products, to also producing
petrochemical products. He asserted that Kuwait,
as a country that has set its sights on petrochemical
processes from early on, is regarded as a frontrunner in the petrochemical industry, and reported
that JCCP is also working to incorporate the subject
in its programs.
In the area of training programs, Mr. Al-Saadarticulated his appreciation as follows: Two years

ago, JCCP began to propose customized programs in
response to our requests, and owing to this effort, I
think the relationship between our two organizations
has become stronger than ever. Last year, JCCP helda seminar (Customized Program-Overseas (CPO))
in Kuwait, and at this very moment, fifteen humanresource personnel from KNPC are participating in
a JCCP course in Japan (Customized Program-Japan(CPJ)). JCCP courses not only provide technicaltraining, but also offer precious experience inlearning about Japanese corporate culture. I think
everyone wishes to know how Japanese companies
have achieved one of the world’s highest productivity,and I want KNPC personnel to also study and learn
from the Japanese experience.
Mr. Sase stated that providing training in
response to the needs of each country as closely
as possible is one of JCCP’s important policies.
He promised JCCP’s continued effort to enhanceand provide customized programs (CPO/CPJ), andinvited KNPC to make requests.
Mr. Sase’s two-day visit to Kuwait proved to be
extremely productive. It allowed him to personallymeet with a number of leading figures in Kuwait’s
oil downstream sector and obtain their views andrequests of JCCP. Technology-wise, the scope of
their requests relating to oil refining has expanded tothe borderline with the petrochemical industry, whileon a more general scale, their requests go beyond
technical training, to gaining an understanding ofJapanese corporate culture. With a renewed senseof commitment, JCCP will enhance the content
of its courses to better respond to such needs andrequests.
<by Hisayoshi Tanda, Administration Dept.>

74

JCCP NEWS No. 104 June 2009

Topics

Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama,
Managing Director of JCCP,
Visits the Middle East
Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama, Managing Director of JCCP in charge of technical cooperation projects, traveled to the Middle East
twice, between October-end and November 2007, and visited a total of six countries in the region. This was Mr. Yokoyama’s
first visit to the Middle East, since his appointment as managing director in July 2007. He attended important ceremonies,
paid calls on various counterparts to introduce himself and exchange views on future implementation of technical cooperation
projects. Major details of his visits are presented below.

I. Oman, Iran, UAE(October 26 – November 8,
2007)
1. [Oman] Contract Signing
Ceremony with ORC<October 30, 2007>
Mr. Masoud Salim Al-Msalmy,
General Manager of Oman Refinery
Company LLC (ORC), and Mr. Katsuo

Yokoyama signed a memorandumof agreement (MOA) for the joint
implementation of the “Study for
Process and Operational Improvementin Mina Al-Fahar Refinery in Oman”(FY2007 – 2009). The study aims
to enhance process and operational
performance levels at the Mina AlFahar Refinery, so that ORC may better
respond to the increasing demand foroil in Oman. Over many years, JCCP
has continued to introduce Japan’s
oil refining technologies to ORC, asa fundamental part of its technicalcooperation activities, and has built astrong cooperative relationship with
ORC. Based on this proven trackrecord, ORC and JCCP have agreed to
implement the joint study project.
The signing ceremony took place

Greetings by Ambassador Keiji Omori

Greetings by Mr. Tsuyoshi Kamijo, Deputy Director, METI

Exchange of the MOA
Left: Mr. Masoud Salim Al-Msalmy, General Manager of ORC
Right: Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama, Managing Director of JCCP

Exchange of commemorative gifts
Center: Mr. Yasushi Hotta, President, Cosmo Research Institute Inc.
Right: Mr. Msalmy, General Manager of ORC

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 200875

in a reception room at the Grand Hyatt
Hotel in Muscat, Oman. H.E. Keiji
Omori, Ambassador of Japan to Oman,
and Mr. Tsuyoshi Kamijo, Deputy
Director of the Petroleum Refining
and Reserve Division, the Agency for
Natural Resources and Energy, Ministryof Economy, Trade and Industry(METI), honored the ceremony with
their presence, and spoke briefly on the
project’s significant role in strengthening
the friendly relationship between
the two countries and in promoting
personnel exchanges. Mr. Msalmy and
Mr. Yasushi Hotta, President of Cosmo
Research Institute Inc., a participant
company in the project, also delivered
words of gratitude and expectations forthe successful completion of the project,
and thanked all parties concerned
for their cooperation. Mr. Yokoyama
delivered a greeting and extended
his appreciation to all parties. The
local newspaper covered news of theceremony, and contributed to increasing
public recognition of the JCCP technicalcooperation project in Oman.
2. [Oman] Visits to H.E.
Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad
Bin Saif Al-Rumhy,
Minister of Oil and Gas, andSultan Qaboos University<October 31, 2007>
On the day following the signingceremony, Mr. Yokoyama paid a visit

MOA signing ceremony
Senior ORC ofﬁcials, Mr. Nitta, Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Oman,
JCCP members, and members from Cosmo Research Institute Inc.,
with Ambassador Omori and Deputy Director Kamijo

to H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad
Bin Saif Al-Rumhy, Minister of Oil andGas, to thank him for his cooperation
and ask for his continued support of
JCCP activities in Oman. Dr. Al-Rumhy
spoke favorably about his experience inparticipating in a technical cooperation
project implemented by the Petroleum
Energy Center (predecessor of JCCP’s
technical cooperation department)
in 1996, when he was an associate
professor at Sultan Qaboos University.
He welcomed the developments that
JCCP projects have made in Oman sincethen, and expressed his wish to maintainfriendly relations with JCCP.
Dr. Al-Rumhy also explained thatAt the Omani Ministry of Gas and Oil
Right: H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al-Rumhy,
Minister of Gas and Oil76

he has been inviting large numbers ofuniversity students from Japan to Oman
every year since the 1990s, to promotea deeper understanding of Oman. He
wishes to extend this activity not only
to workers in oil and gas companies
in Japan, but to people in many othersectors as well. More recently, Dr.
Al-Rumhy has taken strong interest inJapan’s technologies for reducing CO2
emissions, and appears to have large
expectations of Japan.
Following the visit to the Ministryof Oil and Gas, Mr. Yokoyama visited
Sultan Qaboos University, where he
had the opportunity to meet with H.E.
Dr. Saud Nasser Ali Al-Riyami, Vice

At Sultan Qaboos University
Second from right, front row: H.E. Dr. Saud Nasser Ali Al-Riyami,
Vice Chancellor

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

Chancellor, and verify the progressof a JCCP project that is currently
being implemented jointly with theuniversity.
3. [Iran] Courtesy Call on
Mr. Mohammad Reza
Nematzadeh, Deputy Ministerof Petroleum and President of
National Iranian Oil Reﬁning
and Distribution Company(NIORDC), andVisit to National Iranian Oil
Company (NIOC)<October 29, 2007>
In Iran, Mr. Yokoyama paid acourtesy call on Mr. Mohammad
Reza Nematzadeh, Deputy Minister ofPetroleum and President of NIORDC,
and senior officials of NIORDC.
Mr. Yokoyama discussed JCCP’sachievements in relation to its training
courses and the huge number ofparticipants who have so far participatedin them, as well as exchanged views
with the NIORDC members on future
NIORDC support in implementing
JCCP technical cooperation projects
in Iran. Mr. Nematzadeh responded
in a positive manner, expressing
his intentions of prioritizing humanresource development as an issue ofcompany-wide importance, based on his
previous experience working at National
Petrochemical Company (NPC).
Mr. Yokoyama also visited National
Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), a major

At NIORDC
Right: Mr. Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh,
Deputy Minister of Petroleum andPresident of NIORDCAt NIOC
Left: Mr. S.M.A. Khatibi Tabatabai,Vice Executive Director

producer and distributor of oil and gas
in Iran, and paid a courtesy call on
Mr. S.M.A. Khatibi Tabatabai, Vice
Executive Director for International
Affairs.
4. [UAE] Visit to Mr. Jasem Ali
Al-Sayegh, General Manager of
TAKREER<November 6, 2007>
In UAE, Mr. Yokoyama visited
Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company(TAKREER), to pay his respects to Mr.
Jasem Ali Al-Sayegh, General Manager,
as the new managing director of JCCP,
and to thank him for TAKREER’scooperation in JCCP projects. Mr.
Al-Sayegh expressed his appreciationof JCCP projects and his expectationsof further cooperation from JCCP indeveloping engineers and conducting
joint projects.

5. Visits with Other Senior Ofﬁcials<November 3 – 7, 2007>
In addition to the above figures,
Mr. Yokoyama also met with senior
officials and leaders of other companies
and institutions in Oman and UAE, andexchanged views on their cooperationand implementation of future JCCP
activities. Other gentlemen with whom
Mr. Yokoyama greeted included Mr.
Ahmed Mohammed Al-Haddabi, Acting
CEO of Sohar Refinery Company inOman; H.E. Dr. Hadef Bin Jouan Al
Dhahiri, Vice Chancellor, and H.E.
Dr. Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant
Provost for Research Affairs, of UAE
University; and Mr. Ali Mohd. Al Jaberi,
Division Manager of TAKREER’s
Ruwais Refinery.
T he Sixt h Scientif ic Council
Meeting with UAE University washeld on November 4 and 5, during Mr.
Yokoyama’s visit to UAE. An article on
the details of the meeting is provided in
the Topics section of this newsletter.
<by Wataru Maekawa,Technical Cooperation Dept.>

II. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait(November 15 – 30, 2007)

Presenting a commemorative gift from
JCCP to TAKREER
Left: Mr. Jasem Ali Al-Sayegh,
General Manager

1. Contract Signing Ceremony withKing Abdulaziz City for
Science and Technology(KACST)<November 19, 2007>
H.H. Dr. Tu rk i bin Saud bin
Mohammed Al-Saud, Vice Presidentof KACST, and Mr. Katsuo Yokoyama
signed a memorandum of agreement( MOA) to conduct a project on“Experimental Application of InSAR
Technology in Saudi Arabia to Assess
the Effect of Reservoir Activity on
Surface Subsidence” (FY2007 – 2008).
The signing ceremony took place at thehead office of KACST in the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia.
In FY2006, JCCP conducted apreliminary study on the assessment ofpartial ground deformation (upthrust

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

77

MOA signing ceremony with KACST
Right: H.H. Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud, Vice President
Center right: Dr. Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, President
Center left: H.E. Shigeru Nakamura, Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

and subsidence) in Saudi Arabia,
using InSAR (interferometric synthetic
aperture radar) analysis technology,
which numerically analyzes InSAR
data (microwave data reflected from asatellite) to assess ground deformation.
As KACST has taken a strong interestin the technology, JCCP has promptly
initiated a study for the creation of asystem for technical transfer and dataprocessing, and designed the study
with the objective of developing andtransferring technology that is capableof managing risks to oil facilities andareas caused by ground deformation in
Saudi Arabia.
The signing ceremony was attended
by Dr. Mohammed ibn Ibrahim AlSuwaiyel, President, H.H. Dr. Turki bin
Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud, Vice

Exchange of commemorative gifts
Right: H.H. Dr. Turki bin Saud bin
Mohammed Al-Saud, Vice President
Center: H.E. Shigeru Nakamura,
Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

78

President, and Dr. Tariq A. Alkhalifah,
Director, on the KACST side; and by
H.E. Shigeru Nakamura, Ambassadorof Japan to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Masanori
Tsuruda, First Secretary, and Mr.
Tadanori So, Second Secretary, from theJapanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, as
well as Mr. Hirokazu Kanai, Executive
Director of Nichiyo Engineering
Corporation, and a representative fromCentral Computer Services Co., Ltd.
(CCS), as representatives of participant
companies on the Japan side.
Firstly, Dr. Al-Suwaiyel expressed
his appreciation and his sincere wishes
for the success of the project and for thefurther deepening of the cooperative
relationship between JCCP and KACST.
Dr. Al-Saud also expressed his gratitude
for the implementation of the “extremely

Article featured in the local newspaper:“KACST and JCCP have signed an MOA
for a joint study, with the attendance of
H.E. Ambassador Nakamura”

significant technical project,” andconveyed his expectations of its successful
completion as well as his hopes that it
will lead to the implementation of manyother cooperation projects in the future.
Ambassador Nakamura stressed thesignificance of Saudi-Japan technicalcooperation as declared by then Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit
to Saudi Arabia in spring 2007, andexpressed his hopes for the successful
implementation of the project, as wellas thanked all parties concerned fortheir cooperation. Mr. Yokoyama, after
delivering a few words of greetings as

At the signing ceremony
Center: Dr. Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, President

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

the new managing director of JCCP,
pronounced his commitment to theproject, and thanked KACST for its
continued cooperation over many years.
On behalf of the participant companies,
Mr. Kanai from Nichiyo Engineering
Corporation expressed his firm resolve
to carry out the project with success andsteadily transfer the InSAR technology
to KACST.
After both leaders of the projectsigned the agreement, presentations
were given on example applicationsof the InSAR technology. KACST
reported on an effective applicationof the InSAR technology in capturing
ground deformations caused by anearthquake that had previously struck
the northwestern part of the country.
The representative from CCS used
actual case examples to show how theInSAR technology could be used tocapture deformations of the groundsurface. The ceremony ended on a
successful note, and was covered by
local newspapers. Implementation of the
project is expected to promote further
understanding of JCCP activities in
Saudi Arabia.
2. Visits to JCCP Counterpartsin Saudi Arabia, Qatar, andKuwait(1) King Fahd University ofPetroleum and Minerals(KFUPM)<November 20, 2007>
Mr. Yokoyama met with H.E. Dr.

Attendees of the meeting with KNPC
Center: Mr. Sami F. Al-Rushaid, previous Chairman of KNPC (current Chairman of KOC)
Second from left: Mr. Fahed Fahhad Al-Ajimi, Deputy Managing Director
Third from left: Mr. Asa’ad Ahmad E. Al-Saad, Deputy Chairman

Khaled S. Al-Sultan, Rector, and Dr.
Sahel N. Abdul-Jauwad, Vice Rector,
and thanked KFUPM for its pastcooperation in JCCP activities. The
Rector stated that “the university has
participated in the HS-FCC project, so
investigating the commercialization of
the HS-FCC technology is a welcome
development, from which the university
expects great results.”(2) Saudi Aramco<November 21, 2007>
Mr. Yokoyama met with Mr. Isam A.
Al-Bayat, Vice President, and Dr. Omar
S. Abdul-Hamid, Manager, to thankthem for their long years of cooperationin JCCP activities, and to seek further
development of t he cooperat ive
relationship between Saudi Aramco and
JCCP. Saudi Aramco thanked JCCP for

Exchange of commemorative gifts
Left: H.E. Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan, Rector

its generous support and cooperation,and exchanged views on future technicalcooperation projects.
(3) Kuwait National Petroleum
Company (KNPC)<November 28, 2007>
Mr. Yokoyama first paid a visit
to KNPC and exchanged views ontechnical cooperation projects with Mr.
Sami F. Al-Rushaid, previous Chairmanof KNPC, Mr. Asa’ad Ahmad E. AlSaad, Deputy Chairman, and Mr. Fahed
Fahhad Al-Ajimi, Deputy Managing
Director.
(4) KNPC’s Mina Abdulla
Reﬁnery (MAB)<November 29, 2007>
M r. Yokoya ma met wit h M r.
Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, Deputy

Exchange of commemorative gifts
Left: Mr. Isam A. Al-Bayat, Vice President

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 200879

Attendees of the meeting at KNPC’s Mina Abdulla Reﬁnery
Center: Mr. Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, Deputy Managing
Director
Second from left: Mr. Ousama H. Shammas, Manager

Managing Director, and Mr. Ousama
H. Shammas, Manager, and exchanged
views on the progress, issues, and future
strategies of the “Development Studyof Residue Hydrocracking to Distillate
in KNPC ARD Units (Phase II),” athree-year project that KNPC and JCCP
launched in FY2005.

Attendees of the meeting at KISR
Second from left: Dr. Nader Al-Awadhi, Deputy Director General
Right of Mr. Yokoyama: Ms. Maraﬁ, Manager
Third from right: Dr. Abdulhameed Al-Hashem, PRSC Director(5) Kuwait Institute for ScientiﬁcResearch (KISR)<November 28 & 29, 2007>

M r. Yokoya ma met wit h D r.
Nader Al-Awadhi, Deputy Director
General, and Dr. Abdulhameed AlHashem, Director of the Petroleum
Research & Studies Center (PRSC),
and thanked them for KISR’s long yearsof cooperation in JCCP activities. Drs.
Al-Awadhi and Al-Hashem outlined
future issues that KISR, including
the PRSC, needs to address in the
future, and exchanged views on various
cooperation issues. They also expressed

80

JCCP NEWS No. 99 February 2008

their deep appreciation for the technicalcooperation they have received from
JCCP to date.
A contract signing ceremony with
Qatar Petroleum (QP) was held on
November 26, during Mr. Yokoyama’s
visit to Qatar. An article of the ceremony
is provided in the Technical Cooperation
Section of this newsletter.
<by Takeyoshi Haishima,
Technical Cooperation Dept.>