Saudi Arabia Section Hosts YP Technical Symposium

The Saudi Arabia Section’s 2011 Young Professionals (YP) Technical Symposium was held during March at the Plaza Conference Centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Attended by more than 350 YPs and students from local and international companies, the event marked the largest gathering for oil industry YPs in the country.

Symposium Chairperson Msalli A. Al-Otaibi gave opening remarks, which were followed by keynote speeches by Khalid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Aramco president and chief executive officer,
and two other speakers.

Six technical sessions were held, featuring 30 technical papers written and presented by YPs. Session topics included production enhancement and operation; reservoir engineering and management; reservoir characterization and simulation; drilling, workover, and well completion; technologies and innovation; and health, safety, and environment. Six technical courses and a workshop were held in conjunction with the technical sessions.

A highlight of the symposium was the workshop titled “Innovation and Development: Keys of Success.” The workshop had three discussion sessions that focused on challenges faced by YPs and how innovation and development can help overcome them. As part of the technical program, two field trips were organized to the Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling control room and Qurayyah seawater injection plant, the largest injection plant in the world. Both field trips were heavily attended by university students and YPs. A panel discussion, “The New Era of Oil and Gas: Challenges and the Role of Young Professionals,” was held on the final day and focused on the importance of YPs in the industry’s future.