Aramco Overseas Co. B.V. (AOC) recently held its annual inspection agency meeting to discuss how to partner with inspection companies to face a growing work load. “We have very challenging years ahead of us - in the next three to four years - not only for the projects but also for identifying new sources in the Asian Pacific region: Japan, China, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and everywhere,” AOC managing director Abdalhafidh M. Nagshabandi said in opening the meeting. He called for cooperation in identifying reputable manufacturers and sharing best practices. On his part, AOC inspection supervisor Husam H. Sendi said “The meeting served as an excellent enabler to obtain inspection agencies' input and experience on the potential risk areas and the measures other oil and gas companies and multinational corporations take to counter them.” Representatives from six inspection agencies participated in the meeting, and five inspectors from four agencies were recognized for their commitment to meeting Saudi Aramco's requirements for top-quality materials from the Far East, according to a report carried by Saudi Aramco's web-site. In 2007, the New Inspection Qualification program, recommended the previous year, examined 148 inspectors, of which 73 were qualified, including 31 new inspectors.
