Bapco has reduced the duration of shutdowns between 30 and 50 per cent, which has saved the company millions of dinars, said Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Dr Abdulhussain Mirza.

"Bapco has saved millions of dinars in reduced lost profit. This has not been achieved at the expense of safety, reliability or quality, all of which are maintained at a high level," Dr Mirza said in his opening remarks at ME Maintenance Conference & Exhibition 2010.

He attributed the introduction of new technology such as chemical cleaning, laser technology, multi-disciplinary planning reviews and phased handover of critical equipment to reduced shutdown durations.

The three-day main conference opens today at the Gulf International Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel.

More than 1,000 participants will discuss for the first time maintenance management to achieve operational excellence.

Those attending include top officials from Saudi Aramco, Energy Australia, Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.

Dr Mirza welcomed the participants and stressed the purpose of the conference was to spread awareness of the importance of consistent maintenance, which can only be achieved by adopting essential safety and best practices as well as latest trends.

"I would strongly suggest that any lack of maintenance eventually results in significant financial losses and human injury, sometimes putting big companies out of business," he added.

"The industry today must endeavour to maintain its facilities to ensure continuous production and minimum down-time as well as equipment integrity and maximum safety.

"Bapco achieved substantial reduction in equipment failure over the past six years, primarily due to adoption of latest predictive maintenance strategies."

Emphasising on the maintenance strategy in the oil and gas industry, he said: "Bapco shutdown performance is now classified as "World Class" by Solomon and Associates, and its processes and procedures as "Pacesetter" by Independent Project Analysis.

"Like most major oil companies, the firm has adopted a proven, structured set of procedures to control the planning and execution of its shutdowns.

"In Bapco's case, this is a seven-phase, gated process with each phase being audited to ensure compliance," Dr Mirza said.

An exhibition will be held on the sidelines of the conference, with more than 70 companies displaying latest technology and products.

Fifty-seven technical papers covering key issues will be submitted during the conference.-TradeArabia News Service