OREANDA-NEWS. April 23, 2013. HRH Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, was given a tour of company operations on his recent visit to Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran. 

The prince was welcomed by Saudi Aramco president and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih and other members of corporate management.

“After 22 years from my first visit as an official, I return again to this huge company, Saudi Aramco, and I find young people who are capable of running one of the most important energy providers in the world — this pleases the heart,” said Prince Saud.

The prince reiterated the support Saudi Aramco enjoys from King Abdullah and from Crown Prince Salman, and how this support has helped the company boost the domestic economy through increased Saudization and the adoption of modern technology.

He also said that this support has helped the company leverage the maximum benefit from the hydrocarbons with which the Kingdom has been blessed.

During his visit, Prince Saud was given the chance to meet many employees, and he expressed his pride at the level of competency he saw. He was pleased with the company’s progress and its aspiration and strategic shift to become a global energy and petrochemical company.

“The technological advancements that have been achieved by Saudi employees will take the company to the highest standards of global competitiveness,” he said.

Prince Saud thanked King Abdullah and the Crown Prince for their support of the company, and he also thanked the company’s employees and Al-Falih for their efforts and contribution to the prosperity and development of the Kingdom.

As Saudi Aramco is the spearhead of the Kingdom’s economy and the largest producer and supplier of oil to the world, the prince used his visit to familiarize himself with the company’s operations.

During the visit, Al-Falih gave Prince Saud an overview of the company’s business, particularly in the Eastern region. Al-Falih emphasized the value of citizenship in Saudi Aramco and its positive impact on the surrounding community.

The prince heard from the CEO that since its inception, Saudi Aramco has pledged to support the national economy and promote ways to achieve the concept of a knowledge-based society, while maintaining a responsible approach to environmental sustainability.

Al-Falih told Prince Saud that the company is working on the production of oil, gas and petrochemicals within the vision and integrated strategy of the development of the national economy, which will be achieved by creating more job opportunities, adapting new technologies and the development of technology.

He noted that the company believed that this can be achieved through building a knowledge-based society that serves as a foundation for preparing young workers who can operate the company generation after generation. Al-Falih also explained the company’s efforts and leadership in research both within the company and at Saudi universities, as well as with the launch of an initiative to enrich two million young Saudi men and women in the sciences and knowledge.

Prince Saud also heard about Saudi Aramco’s strategic plans for the future that will help to generate a significant number of new direct and indirect job opportunities and strengthen the role of the Kingdom as the leader of the energy industry worldwide.

The prince was also briefed on the progress of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and the programs and initiatives it performs in the community, as well as its contribution to the science curricula of public education, in line with producing a knowledge-based economy.

The prince was also updated on Wa’ed, the company’s initiative to help the startup of small- to medium-size enterprises that will help diversify the national economy.

At Oil Supply and Planning and Scheduling (OSPAS), Prince Saud was shown how Saudi Aramco directs the handling and export of crude oil and refined products around the globe and domestically.

The tour included a visit to EXPEC, where the prince was told about the challenges of oil production. He also visited the EXPEC computer center, where he was shown geosteering operations.

The prince also visited the Upstream Professional Development Center, where he listened to explanations regarding reservoir configurations and characteristics, as well as the latest technology in drilling and production that lead to a greater extraction of crude oil and gas.