January 12, 2012

The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) outlined the vital role of women in the UAE’s enduring progress and prosperity during a roundtable discussion with an Australian business and professional women delegation held recently at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters. DBWC President Raja Al Gurg was joined by Council members Faiza Al Sayed, Sofi Saleh, Samia Saleh and Maryam Al Noori for the roundtable.

The Australian mission aimed to strengthen relationships and acquire key knowledge on the UAE to disseminate to their colleagues, clients, and associates in Australia and beyond. Raja Al Gurg delivered a presentation on ‘Women in the UAE’ and led talks on existing constitutional and legal protection for women, political participation, women in the workforce, women and Education, businesswomen and entrepreneurs, and women’s organizations. Representatives from the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry were also present to promote and support partnership opportunities.

“Our present and future partners need to know more about the role women are playing across the UAE’s vibrant business and investment landscape. We shared a lot of important insights on the social, political and business climate for women in the UAE and this will help us deepen our ties with our Australian counterparts. We are appreciative of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry for their support in presenting the Emirates as a land of equal and enormous opportunity,” said Al Gurg.

The Australian group was led by Almanar Consultancy headed by Owner and Manager Dr. Fiona Hill. Its members included Kaye Schirrman, Creative Director Hopedell; Kim Edwards, Founder and International Director of Sea English, Academy International; Sarah Patricia Sabey, Owner and Manager of Zacher Antiques; Joanne Skinner, Owner at Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat.

The roundtable follows a series of DBWC initiatives aimed at strengthening ties with the global community of professional and business women. The Council recently participated in the UAE Malaysia Power Ladies Roundtable 2011 where Raja Al Gurg called for unity and cooperation among the businesswomen of the UAE and Malaysia.

PII Technology Selected to Support Australian Natural Gas Pipeline Security

PERTH, AUSTRALIA; July 27, 2010: PII Pipeline Solutions, a GE Oil & Gas and Al Shaheen joint venture, has been selected to help improve the long-term security of two of Australia’s most important natural gas pipelines.

Securing the Dampier-to-Bunbury Pipeline

The 1,400-kilometer Dampier-to-Bunbury Pipeline (DBN) is one of Western Australia’s key energy supply assets. The 26-inch DBN pipeline is owned by Dampier-to-Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) of Perth and delivers gas from the Carnarvon Basin in the North West Shelf to industrial, commercial and residential customers in the city of Perth and the surrounding region.

In the awarded contract, PII is supplying PipeView TM Integrity, its advanced suite of pipeline data monitoring and management software for deployment on the DBN pipeline through Contract Resources, its Australian operational partner on the project.

Michael Bellamy, General Manager - PII Pipeline Solutions said: “We are very pleased to partner with Contract Resources in supporting the energy supply security priorities of DBNGP with our reliable pipeline integrity technology.”

In May 2010, teams from PII’s pipeline data management Center of Excellence in Mission, Kansas, U.S. began implementing the project for the Dampier-to-Bunbury Pipeline. The two software modules include data-loading alignment and condition-assessment applications. 

Designing Custom Solution for Moomba-to-Sydney Gas Pipeline

In addition, PII recently signed a three-year contract to deploy one of its newest pipeline inspection tool - the EmatScan CD - to inspect nine (9), 150-km segments of the Moomba-to-Sydney Gas Pipeline, owned and operated by APA Group, Australia’s largest natural gas infrastructure business.

The Moomba-to-Sydney Gas Pipeline is 2,029 km long and links the Cooper Basin gas fields at Moomba with distribution networks in Sydney and regional New South Wales. The pipeline is one of two pipelines that deliver gas to the Sydney area.

PII will use the new Third Generation EmatScan tool to perform an estimated two inspection runs each year over the three-year contract period for enhanced crack detection and analysis, as part of APA’s pipeline integrity management programme.

PII’s Bellamy added: “Multi-year inspection contracts, like the APA project, allow for a more seamless comparison of data from multiple inspections over a period of time. This approach enables us to support operators with more effective monitoring of potential crack growth rates and devise cost-effective mitigation plans.”

Currently available for 30 and 36-inch lines, PII is developing a customized EmatScan CD to navigate the 34-inch Moomba-to-Sydney line. The tool is scheduled for launch in the Winter 2010-11. PII is leveraging project management and engineering resources from its facility in Stutensee, Germany for the APA program.

PII previously used its pipeline inspection technology for DBNGP and APA inspections. In 2009, APA was one of the world’s first operators to deploy PII’s latest generation of MagneScan MFL inspection tools.