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OPEC basket five-week price trend 2018
36%is the Drilling and Workover Well Control School’s increase in hands-on training and simulation time performance compared to IADC and IWCF well control training providers. See pages 6 and 7.
Saudi Aramco by the numbers
Andrzej Szefler, a doctor with Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, brings a little of Saudi Aramco as he joins 977 top-flight athletes from 50 countries to compete in the “Marathon des Sables” foot race in the South Sahara Desert of Morocco.
see page 8
Aramcon takes on world’s toughest foot race $ 73.94
JUNE 29
75.13 74.53
70.9572.81
JULY 6 JULY 13 JULY 20 JULY 27
see pages 6 and 7
A new state-of-the-art facility recently launched by Saudi Aramco’s Drilling and Workover (D&WO) Training Division has doubled the number of participants the organization can bring in to meet Saudi Aramco’s demand, all while enhancing the learning experience and exceeding international standards in well control training. Here, Mesfer A. Alnutifat takes a turn in the school’s cyberchair simulation. The chair’s features and capabilities allow participants to gain additional confidence in applying safety measures across D&WO well control operations.
cultivating a culture of iktva
see page 3see page 4
Representatives from across Saudi Aramco’s admin areas and business lines come together to see how to better quantify the continuing drive to leverage our supplier spend to generate new jobs and enable exporting from a Saudi industrial base.
Social media use is ubiquitous, a part of virtually everyone’s daily life. As we grow more dependent on its use, the Information Security Department offers some useful tips on how to best protect yourself against potential information loss.
how to safely use social media
a commitmentto well control
August 1, 2018 vol. LXXIII, No. 30 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication for employees
your voice
Imagine that you have valuable family photos or a research document that you have worked on for days stored on your home computer. Then one day, a virus wipes all of the information on the hard drive. How can you avoid such a scenario?
Business continuity provides us with a holistic process to identify possible risks and then plan and prepare to ensure that, in case of a problem, anything that we depend on would be available or can be recovered.
In today’s digitized world, people are in-creasingly dependent on technology and even temporary loss of technology can be a major problem.
That’s where knowledge of the business continuity process can minimize or help to avoid loss of access to important informa-tion. A mobile phone is a good example of technology that we rely on. Most mobile phones contain the most basic, but im-portant, information to us — our contacts.
By applying business continuity best practices, we can ensure important infor-
mation remains available — even during an incident. For example, with mobile phones, a business continuity practice is to make sure your information is encrypted, secured (using PIN number, fingerprint, etc.), device tracking turned on, and con-tacts backed up. This protects contacts, and guarantees accessibility even if the phone is lost.
Another possible solution is to back up contacts to a computer. It seems like a good idea, but what if the computer gets infected with a virus, malware, or the hard drive fails? What if your mobile phone is lost while on vacation or a trip and you do not have your computer?
Based on my business continuity profes-sional and personal experience, one back-up solution is to automate mobile contacts to the internet cloud without the need to manually schedule a backup, install a new application, or pay for a subscription. This can be done by setting up a new account with one of the free internet cloud storage services such as Google or iCloud. You can
back up not just your contacts, but also photos and documents.
Now, assume you have already set up your contacts to be backed up, and the phone is lost. You can access your con-tacts via the internet without the phone by using a service such as Gmail. Or, you can recover all of your latest backed up contacts by using another phone. The ad-vantage of this solution is the speed and ease of recovery, with no need to install special applications or manually manage a backup.
With mobile phones, to ensure you have enough space to back up your important documents and photos without the need for a paid subscription, uncheck auto up-load to cloud services in your phone set-ting. This will prevent filling the limited cloud storage space with unimportant in-formation.
Applying business continuity preparation to technology that we depend on can help give us continuous access to what is im-portant to us when we need it the most.
Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.
by Khaled Otaishan
Dhahran
Ibrahim Q. Al-Buainainnamed executive director of Saudi Aramco Trading Company
Ziad T. Al-Murshednamed executive director of New Business Development
Dhahran — Ibrahim Q. Al-Buainain has been named executive director of Saudi Aramco Trading Company, ef-fective July 1.
Al-Buainain, who has over 28 years of diversified ex-perience in the oil and gas industry, had previously been elevated to general management level, effective Jan. 1, 2016, and served as president and CEO of Saudi Aramco Trading Company — a position he continues to hold.
He had previously been the global head of Transaction Development in New Business Development, charged with executing joint ventures (JVs), mergers and acquisi-tions, and divestitures, as well as other transactions.
Al-Buainain joined Saudi Aramco in 1989 as an oper-ation engineer at Ras Tanura Refinery. In 1995, he was appointed a lead project engineer for the Shaybah pro-gram.
From 1998 to 2004, he worked with the Saudi Aramco JV company S-Oil in South Korea as general manager, responsible for trading and logistical activities for crude oil, refined products, and chemicals.
In 2004, Al-Buainain became a portfolio manager of all Saudi Aramco international JVs, and in 2007, he was named director of the Asia JV Department.
In 2009, he was assigned as a director for the Rabigh Phase-II development project — a JV between Saudi Ar-amco and Sumitomo Chemical of Japan.
From 2011-2013, Al-Buainain was director of the Struc-turing and Venturing Department — responsible for the development and implementation of sustainable and growth-oriented business models. In parallel to this, he was appointed as CEO of Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures.
In 2014, he became president and CEO of Aramco Asia, which supports Saudi Aramco’s corporate strategic objectives in the Asia-Pacific region.
Al-Buainain holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, an MBA in global management, and a mas-ter’s degree in innovation and global leadership from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dhahran — Ziad T. Al-Murshed has been named executive director of New Business Devel-opment for Saudi Aramco, effective June 1. He had been acting in that capacity since April of 2017.
Prior to that, Al-Murshed was the general man-ager and head of Transaction Development with-in New Business Development, responsible for executing joint ventures, mergers and acquisi-tions, and divestitures, as well as third-party and other transactions. He has over 22 years of expe-rience in the industry.
Al-Murshed joined Saudi Aramco in 1991 and started his career in Exploration and Producing as a producing engineer. He then moved to Down-stream in 1998 and assumed several responsibil-ities covering refining, marketing, and joint ven-ture development and coordination.
From 2005 to 2008, Al-Murshed worked at the Ras Tanura Refinery, where he was superinten-dent of operations.
In 2008, he moved to Corporate Planning, where he was responsible for the company’s five-year business plan.
From 2010 to 2012, Al-Murshed was manager of the 550,000 barrel per day Yanbu’ NGL Frac-tionation plant.
In 2012, he was appointed as manager of Busi-ness Analysis Department in Corporate Planning, later becoming the director of Economic and En-ergy Analysis. From 2013 to 2015, he was the director of Strategic Planning.
Al-Murshed holds a bachelor’s degree in chem-ical engineering from Arizona State University, and an MBA from the Sloan School of Manage-ment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo-gy. He is also a graduate of the General Manage-ment Program at Harvard Business School.
Ziad T. Al-MurshedIbrahim Q. Al-Buainain
bringing business continuity to the personal level, one (or more) mobile phone at a time
August 1, 2018
2 company news
KPI Business Plan 2019-2021 workshop details forecasting guidelines and submissionprocedures to admin areas and business lines
Yanbu’ Refinery Department workshop looks to unlock potential uses for Arduino
iktva powers forward to meet its local content goals
Yanbu’ — The Yanbu’ Refinery Depart-ment (YRD), represented by the Innovation Team, recently celebrated Arduino Interna-tional Day, which is an annual event that invites people to share projects and sto-ries, and become more involved with elec-tronics. The event was conducted in line with Operational Excellence (OE) No. 12.5 “Knowledge Management.”
what is Arduino?Arduino is an open-source electronics
platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to interact with the surrounding environment by reading inputs — light on a sensor, a fin-ger on a button, or a Twitter message — and turn it into an output by activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing some-thing online, or in a number of other ways as this technology can be used with almost anything imaginable.
An intensive workshop was conducted,
Dhahran — A workshop detailing the progress and milestones of Saudi Aramco’s ambitious iktva program emphasized to representatives from across company ad-min areas and business lines that monitor-ing and driving supplier performance lies at the core of the program’s success.
Since its launch in late 2015, iktva has made significant progress leveraging Sau-di Aramco supplier spend to generate new jobs and enable exporting from a Saudi in-dustrial base.
Procurement and Supply Chain Man-agement (P&SCM) has been tasked with driving direct reporting organizations to improve their iktva score in support of the program’s key objectives.
“The iktva program has several elements that are fundamental to its success,” said Mohammad A. Al Shammary, P&SCM vice president. “One of these is fostering a high-performance iktva culture within all reporting organizations to enable timely, continuous improvements to their business processes.”
iktva KPIThe workshop focused on key perfor-
mance indicators (KPIs) for iktva set by Saudi Aramco in alignment with the com-pany’s business plan and areas of potential improvement. Its objective was to provide clarity on the 2019-2021 iktva KPI business plan development requirements, processes, and submission procedures.
Abdallah B. Al Thaaly, manager of the In-dustrial Development and Strategic Supply Department — champion of iktva KPIs — thanked those present for their efforts to date.
“There are several responsibilities we have in support of iktva,” he said. “Today is a particularly critical one as it gets to the heart of the program — that is how to ef-fectively monitor and drive suppliers’ iktva performance.
“This is particularly relevant as we head toward 2021, where our focus continues to be Saudi Aramco’s local content objec-tives.”
driving forwardThe workshop focused on two key ways
presented by subject matter expert Eisa Al-Juhani, where the audience was intro-duced to the functionality of Arduino and its micro-component structure.
The workshop was attended by YRD en-gineers interested in technology and Ar-duino. The platform provided an opportu-nity for the employees to interact directly with subject matter experts and with each other as they shared their ideas and sug-gested several uses of the Arduino to be implemented at the company. The goal of the event was to discuss innovative ways to take advantage of Arduino technology.
recognizing a job well doneYRD manager Abdulatif S. Al-Shami
and members of management recognized Al-Juhani for his efforts and for presenting at the YRD workshop. The coordinating team for the event was also recognized, re-ceiving gifts and certificates in appreciation of the workshop’s success.
In general, the workshop and other simi-
lar events at the Yanbu’ Refinery showcase a culture that thrives on using the OE mod-el — all in an effort to become a role model refinery that meets objectives and super-sedes expectations.
Abdallah B. Al Thaaly speaks at a recent workshop held in Dhahran about the responsibilities in supporting Saudi Aramco’s iktva program, including the critical need to effectively monitor and drive suppliers’ iktva performance. “This is particularly relevant as we head toward 2021, where our focus continues to be Saudi Aramco’s local content objectives,” he said. Sebastian Thorp stands to the right. (Photos: Hatim Oweida/MPD)
Engineers from the Yanbu’ Refinery Department interact by sharing their ideas with Arduino subject matter expert Eisa Al-Juhani. The workshop sought to identify potential uses for the technology in the workplace.
by Mohammed A. Darwesh
for business lines to drive forward toward the 2021 goal:
• Implementing and sustaining challeng-ing supplier iktva targets
• Expanding iktva inclusion to further di-versify the local supply chain base.
“We continue to witness iktva steadily gain momentum across the company and throughout our supplier base,” Al Thaaly said. “It’s an impressive achievement given that the program was launched less than three years ago.”
Al Thaaly underlined that central to the success of iktva has been company admin areas and business line representatives — the primary interfaces with Saudi Aramco suppliers.
an important enablerAn important enabler for the iktva pro-
gram is the maximizing of in-Kingdom supplier diversity that can only be achieved with the participation of all Saudi Aramco organizations.
Business lines and admin areas are being
encouraged in the lead up to the 2019-2021 business plan to carefully assess all current contracts and future opportunities and plan to include iktva wherever feasible.
Supply chain analyst Sebastian Thorp gave a detailed presentation on the prog-ress of the iktva program and the impor-tance of monitoring and accurate report-ing.
Business lines are responsible for develop-ing and reporting iktva KPI forecasts during the annual business plan and performance dialog cycles. And throughout the work-shop, business line representatives had the opportunity to field questions.
The number of new “iktva-ized” con-tracts has been escalating year-on-year from 2016.
“P&SCM’s goal is to ensure all business line representatives are aligned and proper-ly equipped to maximize their iktva contri-bution,” Thorp said. “The 2021 corporate iktva target depends on each organization driving forward their supplier’s local con-tent with aggressive, yet realistic, targets.”
The iktva program has several elements that are fundamental to its success. One of these is fostering a high-performance iktva culture within all reporting organizations to enable timely, continuous improvements to their business processes.
— Mohammed A. Al Shammary
”
the arabian sun
3company news
Information Security:let’s catch a phishOutlook phishing test no match for IT employee
the top 3positive performingadmin areas1. Corporate and
Commercial – Law2. Finance, Strategy and
Development Human Relations Development Center
3. Legal Specialties
The Information Security Department extends its gratitude and appreciation to the Wasit Gas Plant Department for its noticeable efforts in scoring 0% negative behavior, along with high pos-itive behavior for the July test. Such ef-forts reflect positively on Saudi Aramco cybersecurity user behavior and elevate the resilience of Saudi Aramco’s core business.
thank you Wasit Gas Plant Department
An email purporting to be a compa-ny-sent warning regarding the possibil-ity of the recipient’s Outlook account being shut down if they didn’t click on a link to archive their previous messages had some company employees scram-bling to respond.
Others, like Firas B. Alomari, just got busy reporting it as a potential phishing attack.
Alomari, who works in the Solutions Quality Assurance Group in the Corpo-rate Business Applications Department of IT, was the first to report the email to [email protected].
Alomari spotted several key indica-tors that the email may have been a phishing attempt, including:
• The email was sent by a suspicious entity (<[email protected]>)
• The tag identifying that the email was from an external source
• The eye-catching subject line (Notifi-cation — Storage Space Limit)
• A message that creates a sense of urgency (claiming to deactivate the ac-count unless archiving is done within 48 hours)
• An embedded link• A fake sender (E-Mail Support
Group).Alomari immediately reported the
message to [email protected].
People are becoming increasingly depen-dent on social media sites to connect with their family members, friends, and others. These sites are also being used to view the latest news, share information with others, and market various products. Therefore, it is important to stay safe when using social media sites.
Here are some tips to help you secure your social media account to stay safe on-line.
• Use complex passwords when creat-ing your social media accounts. A longer password with a mix of special characters should be used to make it harder for an adversary to crack your account.
• Consider what you are writing and sharing on your media accounts. Con-fidential information related to person-al activities, family, and the workplace shouldn’t be made public.
• Consider utilizing multifactor authenti-cation (MFA) whenever this option is avail-able. MFA is an effective tool to protect against identity theft if account details have been compromised.
• Social media sites have configurations regarding user privacy. Make sure to con-figure your privacy settings properly to avoid exposing your details to unwanted people, and control who sees what.
• Do not accept friend requests from
cybersecurity tip of the monthsecure your social media accountsby Nasir Dossari
unknown people on social media sites. It is advisable to check with friends if they have actually sent you friend requests, as their account may already have been com-
promised without their knowledge.• Make sure that your phone and com-
puter are updated with the latest operat-ing system and security patches.
August 1, 2018
4 company news
Management & Professional Development Department
the arabian sun
5company news
by Mallee Al-Howaidi
Well Control SchoolDrilling and Workover transforms warehouse into state-of-the-art facility
Dhahran — A new state-of-the-art facility recently launched by the Drilling and Work-over (D&WO) Training Division has doubled the number of participants the organization can bring in to meet Saudi Aramco’s de-mand, all while enhancing the learning ex-perience and exceeding international stan-dards in well control training.
The D&WO Well Control School, which features advanced well control simulation technology, a beacon in training, and de-velopment and certifications of critical op-erations field personnel, was inaugurated during the company’s Executive Manage-ment Safety Review (EMSR) in Dhahran.
During the review, Quality Assurance ad-viser Dania Ghazi presented an overview of the facility and its features, which was followed by a technical tour of the facility guided by engineering supervisor Suliman M. Azzouni. The tour highlighted features such as the facility’s onshore and offshore simulator halls, high-tech simulators, and vi-sualization wall.
The launch was also highlighted during a quarterly Management Information Sys-tems meeting where Abdul Hameed A. Al-Rushaid, D&WO vice president, welcomed a number of the company’s top management to view firsthand the facility’s remarkable cy-berchair simulation. This included a demon-stration of the chair’s features and capabili-ties that allow participants to gain additional confidence in applying safety measures across D&WO well control operations.
ambitious beginningsD&WO, with assistance from many Sau-
di Aramco organizations, first tackled the well control school project two years ago.
Planned, developed, and implemented over a number of phases, the project trans-formed a warehouse upgrade into a state-of-the art well control school.
A number of phases were covered over that time, including utilities connectivity, IT services, fire protection systems, furnishing, and finally, setting up the drilling simulators’ equipment. By splitting up the project into multiple parallel phases, the completion time for the project was reduced by more than six months.
The in-house developed design support-ed the launch date, and the awarding of a contract for construction toward the end of 2016, with successful completion achieved by March 2018.
training, accreditation, and qualityAdding to its international quality mea-
sures, the D&WO Training Division that oversees this new facility is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Ed-ucation and Training (ACCET). Organizations accredited by ACCET receive their certificate for their attention to detail and strategic or-ganizational commitment to quality training.
D&WO Training rigorously seeks to keep its programs current, relevant, and educa-tionally sound by maintaining ACCET and keeping other accreditations current such as the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC).
D&WO’s in-house well control training has evolved since 2007 when D&WO Training received IADC accreditation to conduct well control courses, certification, and recertifica-tion — all in-house. It not only maintained the international standard of well control training and certification, but also exceeded many aspects, including:
• Increased hands-on training and sim-ulation time performance by at least 36% more than IADC and IWCF well control training providers
• 10% higher certification passing scores• An additional assessment of Saudi Ar-
amco well control policies and procedures.These enhancements contributed to im-
provement in participants’ performance in well control certification exams and in rais-ing awareness and compliance to Saudi Ar-amco safety measures.
Also, the return on investment extends to producing operational case studies from real-life scenarios, which is a research and development catalyst for well control specialist and drilling engineers and a com-munity of professionals net-working and exchanging ideas, challenges, and tested solutions.
a greater intake for trainingUp until the beginning of 2018, the well
control courses and certifications were de-livered at the D&WO Training Center. To-day, the new school adjacent to the center spreads two state-of-the-art classrooms — with space for 24 participants — in a facility that holds four different types of well con-trol simulators and its one-of-a-kind visual-ization wall.
With this new facility, D&WO is doubling its annual intake, accommodating D&WO certification and training demand with a full-time, all year-long running facility. Over the past five years, D&WO has succeeded in cer-tifying more than 2,500 employees to handle all well control situations. It has also assessed more than 500 experienced new-hire fore-men before field deployment as an addition-al quality safety measure to ensure that valid well control certificates meet Saudi Aramco’s additional quality and safety standards.
well control skills and offered courses
Well control training plays a critical role in the development of a competent crew. Be-ing able to respond quickly and successfully to alerts and incidents saves time, money, the environment, and most importantly, the lives of people. Well control certification is the first line of defense Saudi Aramco has against well control situations.
By ensuring that professionals in the field have the proper certifications, D&WO Train-ing helps protect the Kingdom and Sau-di Aramco from any potential well control situations. Judging a professional’s reaction during a well control scenario is priceless. Having a well control certification gives Sau-di Aramco the extra assurance, control, and confidence to run safe operations.
Well control training standards are set by the International Well Control Forum (IWCF), and the training courses are run
Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, senior vice president of Upstream, and other members of Saudi Aramco management listen to a presentation on Drilling and Workover’s new Well Control School in Dhahran from Engineering supervisor Suliman M. Azzouni.
6 cover story August 1, 2018
through IADC in the form of the Wellsharp Program. Organizations willing to conduct courses in-house must acquire accreditation from IADC and certify their instructional personnel in well control to be able to deliv-er the material. This is what D&WO Training acquired in 2007 and maintains to this day.
The well control school offers five well control courses ranging from introductory to advanced levels for drilling engineers and field personnel all the way up to supervisory level. It also offers a stuck pipe prevention course.
Each course is assessed with a combina-tion of exams, in addition to a practical as-sessment where participants must demon-strate the practical and technical skills required to complete the well kill operation. A number of essential leadership and prob-lem solving skills are embedded in these courses, boosting decision making process-es required for critical operations.
the simulatorsThe new facility houses four types of sim-
ulators used to primarily train drilling engi-neers and foremen. They include:
• The DS 20 drilling simulator for single participants
• The DS 500, with additional simulation capabilities
• The DS 5000, which offers a reality sense of field operations
• The DS 5000 with cyberchair and visual wall. With an 18-square-meter screen, the unit known as CyberSIM offers graphical insight that combines training on conven-tional and cyber rig operations. The latest, which is the most advanced simulator in the facility, is attached to the largest visualiza-tion wall installed on a DS 5000 and one the first models of its kind in the world.
The simulators are used to improve effi-cacy at the rig site when doing day-to-day operations such as tripping. These power-ful simulators can save rig time by giving D&WO trainees the valuable practice they need to go from normal drillers to effective ones.
the future outlookThe Well Control School has implement-
ed operational plans of training and certi-fying D&WO employees for the entire year ahead. Additionally, it has started providing opportunities to D&WO field management to simulate and test real operations in a safe and realistic environment through the use of these simulators before commencing drilling. Test data is plugged into the system to run scenarios, and the machine then an-alyzes and runs expected results in audio, video, and data formats, allowing for calcu-lated decision making.
To boost the value of this school, Pinna-cle (the D&WO drilling specialist program) plans within a couple of years to graduate its first batch of well control specialists, among other specialties serving D&WO and representing the organization technically and academically on local, regional, and in-ternational levels while producing valuable research input in the area of well control.
The Well Control School also plans to produce a quarterly publication highlight-ing the latest in well control R&D and other
related topics, applications, and case stud-ies. The publication will serve as a means to communicate professional and specialized knowledge with similar industry learning hubs.
D&WO management’s culture of transpar-ent communications has always supported decisions of its well control committee in establishing policies and procedures related to well control and safety in line with inter-national industry standards.
A committee assigned by D&WO man-agement has a mission to develop Saudi Aramco’s well control policy, equipment standards, training, and certification re-quirements. It interfaces with other opera-tors, drilling contractors, and industry orga-nizations (such as API, IADC, SPE, and DEA, among others) to exchange information en-suring that industry best practices are con-tinually improved and that these improve-ments are incorporated into Saudi Aramco’s D&WO operations. The support extends widely as witnessed in training, develop-ment and certification efforts represented in the recently launched well control school.
Classrooms and high-tech equipment at the new Well Control School in Dhahran have provided an expanded platform upon which to better train company employees. The facility, which was recently inaugurated in Dhahran, has allowed Drilling and Workover to double the number of participants the organization can bring in to train at any one time, thereby meeting Saudi Aramco’s demand while also enhancing the learning experience and exceeding international standards in well control training.
Drilling engineer Munther A. Al Osilan experiences firsthand some of the new Well Control School’s state-of-the-art equipment as he takes a seat in the facility’s cyberchair simulation while instructor Haythem M. Elkamash offers some guidance. The recently inaugurated school provides the latest in technology, training, and certification to better prepare employees how to best handle a wide variety of scenarios that can occur in the field.
A large visualization wall allows an immersive experience for those taking courses and earning certifications at the Well Control School in Dhahran. An initiative undertaken by the Drilling and Workover Training Division, the school was built in two years.
7cover storythe arabian sun
Aramcon tackles world’s toughest foot race
During springtime, the salt plains of southern Morocco’s Sahara Desert glisten to white-hot temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius, and for six days in April, hard-edged “Marathon des Sables” participants daringly race across 251 kilo-meters of its shimmering plains, adjoining sand dunes and rocky jebels.
Covering a distance of six regular mar-athons, the French-named “Marathon of the Sands” is reputed to be the toughest foot race on Earth, and this year’s event saw a Saudi Aramco flag carried from start to finish.
Andrzej Szefler, a doctor with Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Aram-co’s on-site medical facility in Dhahran, joined 977 athletes from 50 countries,
aged between 16 to 79 years, to fulfill a long-held dream by taking part in this year’s competition from April 8-13.
“I heard about the ‘Marathon des Sa-bles’ in 1986 when I was in medical school, and almost signed up to do it three years ago, but decided to go hiking in Ne-pal instead,” he said.
The marathon is a race with six stages and includes a grueling 86 km nonstop section on Day 4 and Day 5, when people have the option to walk overnight.
Racers have to be self-sufficient and car-ry all their equipment with them such as a mattress, sleeping bag, clothes, and food. Organizers only provide tents and water, and the major difficulties include heat and sand.
Szefler displayed a Saudi Aramco flag on
the outside of his pack, and along with the 95% of participants who completed the course, finished the marathon, recording an admirable time of 63 hours, 13 min-utes, and four seconds.
Keeping his mind focused on the 86-km overnight stretch was the biggest chal-lenge for Szefler, but it also proved to be one of the greatest highlights.
“The temperatures are cool when walk-ing in the dark over the dunes, and it is magnificent to see the night-time stars. Walking the salt plain on Day 2 was the scenic highlight, as it is set against a mag-nificent backdrop of mountains,” he said.
In his mid-50s, Szefler said living in Saudi Arabia was a good preparatory environ-ment for the marathon’s heat and sand.
“I started training in January by walking
by Janet Pinheiro the golf course perimeter, and in February, I changed to traversing the sand and hilly areas around the Dhahran community,” he said.
Szefler started running while completing medical school in Poland and has complet-ed 15 marathons in diverse parts of the globe — Poland, Italy, the U.S., and Can-ada.
Fol lowing a foot injury, in 2008 he swapped his running shoes for speed-walking footwear and describes the sport as an “exciting way to keep in shape.”
He encourages people who enjoy ex-treme adventure sports with a challenge to consider the “Marathon des Sables” — providing they prepare both physically and mentally.
“Marathon des Sables” participant Andrzej Szefler proudly carried the Saudi Aramco flag at an ultra-marathon this year, where runners race across 251 kilometers of challenging terrain in Morocco’s Sahara Desert.
Jiddah — The Jiddah Industrial Training Center (JITC) launched “The Biggest Loser Contest” this past Ramadan as part of an initiative designed to help participants lose weight, increase physical activity, and im-prove nutritional habits. Many consider Ra-madan to be a perfect opportunity to start a healthy physical and spiritual life.
Prior to the start of the challenge, Zeyad H. Al Harbi, an Apprenticeship Program for NonEmployee (APNE) participant, delivered a presentation that focused on eating hab-
its, exercise, adequate sleep, and how to avoid stress and other harmful habits.
“A commitment to health and safety is a core value and an integral part of Saudi Aramco’s corporate culture. Our goal is to ensure that apprentices enter the Saudi Ar-amco workforce safe and in good health,” said Peter E. Jones, JITC principal.
One of the prime purposes of the cam-paign was to motivate apprentices to ad-just their dietary and exercise habits so that they eventually lead healthier life-
styles,” said Muaath A. Badwais, JITC Well-ness Program coordinator. “We specifically encouraged apprentices with a higher body mass index (BMI) to participate in the event hoping that this initiative will be a first step toward reducing the risk of chronic disease associated with excess weight.”
safe, practical ways to lose weight
At the beginning of the challenge, JITC fitness instructors Ahmed M. Baqtyan and Sari Al-Thaqafi recorded participants’ weight, height, and BMI. The information was tallied at the end of the challenge for final results.
Participants were provided with practical safety tips to keep in mind while exercis-ing. “This was a perfect time for a refresh-er course on gym and exercise safety. Ap-prentices needed to be aware of the risks and how to prevent common injuries,” said Haroon Usman, JITC safety adviser. “We wanted to assure their safety so that they get the most out of their physical activity while avoiding accidents.”
“Many people choose to consume foods and drink that contain high fructose syrup, excess sodium, and oils that can bring on problems such as heart disease, high cho-lesterol, and obesity,” said Khaalid Dun-
JITC fitness instructor Ahmed M. Baqtyan (right) congratulates APNE Abdurahman Al Khathami and APNE Zeyad H. Al Harbi for winning the “Biggest Loser Contest.” Al Khathami won first place after losing 13 kilograms. Al Harbi came in second place after losing 5 kilograms.
apprentices win big in weight loss challengeston, JITC Wellness Program coordinator. “We wanted to remind apprentices and staff that there are many choices of healthy foods that are very good for breaking the fast.”
Commenting on the experience, Al Harbi said, “I entered this challenge to improve my health and my family is very happy with the dietary changes I made. There may be only one winner, but I think everyone en-joyed the reward of improved health.“
the winner is …The award for the biggest loser went to
APNE Abdurahman Al Khathami, who lost a whopping 13 kilograms during Rama-dan. “At the beginning of the challenge I weighed in at 110 kilos. Today I feel lighter, fitter, and far more active. I’m able to work out better as well, finding time to walk or run at least an hour-and-a-half every day and swim four times a week.
“It’s clear that many apprentices and staff who signed up for the ‘Biggest Loser Chal-lenge’ are taking their health very serious-ly, and many have seen really encouraging results,” said Central Region/Western Re-gion Training Division superintendent Mar-zooq Al-Lehyani “It’s great to see so many apprentices showing so much concern for their health.”
8 community news August 1, 2018
well-beingcaring for your health and wellness
Reem S. Ekhwan
Cardiac Rehabilitation specialist and service leader
Education• Master’s of Science in clinical exercise
physiology/cardiac rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, U.S. (2006)
• Bachelor’s of Science in physical therapy, King Saud University, Riyadh (2000)
Work• 2012-present: Cardiac Rehab service
leader at JHAH• 2012-present: Physical Therapy specialist/
Cardiac Rehab specialist at JHAH• 2006-2011: Senior Physical Therapist/
Physical Therapy service leader at SAMSO• 2001-2006: Physical therapist at SAMSOQuote
“As a cardiac rehab specialist, I help people recover from cardiac diseases and provide them with the tools to improve their risk factors and to adopt a healthy lifestyle to minimize the risk of future cardiac diseases. I find joy when I see my patients getting stronger and adopting a healthier lifestyle.”
Hajj is an extraordinary event, a once in a lifetime requirement for Muslims who are both physically and financially capable of making the trip to complete the Hajj rituals. However, they can be exposed to health issues that can affect their energy and physical abilities to complete Islam’s sacred pilgrimage. For those planning to perform the Hajj, here’s some advice on how to protect yourself and take the nec-essary precautions.
before you leave• The meningococcal vaccination is re-
quired to obtain a Hajj permit. Visit your nearest health care provider to obtain the vaccination.
• Talk to your physician to ensure all vac-cinations are up-to-date.
• Carry all regular medicines with you, especially those for chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. If you have diabetes, make sure you take your blood glucose monitor.
• If you have a chronic disease, carry a medical report of your condition in case you require medical care
beware of heat-related illnessesHeat illnesses occur when the body be-
comes too hot and cannot cool itself, or when a person sweats too much. The four different types of heat illness are:
• Heatstroke: Dry skin, rapid pulse, and dizziness
• Heat exhaustion: Heavy sweating, rap-id breathing, and a fast, weak pulse
• Heat cramps: Muscle pains or spasms • Heat rash: Skin irritation from excessive
sweating.Dehydration and diseases related to hot
weather are common during Hajj. Be sure to drink adequate amounts of clean fresh water (a minimum of 8 cups a day) and use sunblock to provide UV protection.
If possible, stay out of the sun during peak hours. Its rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., so avoid being in di-rect sunlight.
reduce your risk of food poisoning
Diarrhea is a common problem in Hajj as a result of food poisoning. Eating food or drinking beverages from street vendors should be avoided. When drinking bottled water, ensure the seal has not been bro-ken.
Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating. If you are unsure of how well prepared your food is, be safe and throw it out. Food that has been left at room temperature (in the case of food carts, outside temperature) for more than one hour or that has been exposed to heat, dust, or insects can cause diarrhea or other illnesses. Thoroughly cooked food is usually safe but should be served hot and not have been left at room temperature.
Before and after eating or handling food, wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water. If clean water is not available, use antibacterial hand wipes or gel. Avoid undercooked or raw food, including eggs, meat, and sea-food. Avoid food and beverages that are not in properly labeled packages or not sealed, open cans or bottles.
If you suffer from diarrhea, avoid eat-ing foods that contain fiber such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Stick with white bread, white pasta, lean meat, and bananas.
protect yourself from infectionGood hygiene is essential to ward off in-
fection. Follow these simple tips to reduce your risk of infection.
• Use disposable tools when shaving your head
• Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizing gel regularly, espe-cially after coughing, sneezing, bathing, and before eating
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your upper arm. If you use a tissue, dispose of it properly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or
mouth• Cover your mouth and nose when in
crowded places• Do not share with others your personal
hygiene items such as razor blades or scis-sors.
Hajj and diabetesHajj can be demanding, particularly for
those suffering from diabetes. These pre-cautions can help you be prepared.
• Consult your physician and other health-care providers in advance to ensure you maintain normal blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid levels. Also, don’t suffer from any acute illness that could become aggravated and prevent you from complet-ing your Hajj.
• Discuss with a dietitian your nutrition plan and what kind of food and drinks to consume during Hajj. Discuss your foot care program and medication(s) safety with the diabetes educator. It is important you learn how to care about your feet to avoid injuries. If you do injure your foot, go to the nearest medical center. Remember to always keep your feet clean and dry.
• Inform group organizers and your companions that you have diabetes, and explain to them the symptoms and signs of low blood sugar and what to do.
During Hajj, control your blood sugar by:• Consuming your meals and snacks reg-
ularly without skipping any• Taking your diabetes medication(s) as
advised by your physician• Regularly monitoring your blood sugar
to ensure it remains at a normal level• If you experience low blood sugar
more often than usual, visit the nearest emergency center to adjust your medica-tion. Always be ready to treat your low blood sugar by consuming a half cup of fruit juice, regular soft drink (not diet), or a portion of jam or honey. If it is high, re-main calm and measure it again in 15 min-utes. If it is still low, repeat your intake of juice or sugar. You should then be able to consume a healthy snack or sandwich, and resume your Hajj rites.
• Inform your Hajj companions not to feed you any food or drink if you are in a coma due to severe low blood sugar. If you take insulin as part of your diabetes treatment, carry a Glucagon kit so you can receive an injection.
Everyone at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare wishes you a rewarding, safe, and healthy Hajj.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: All health and health-related information contained in this Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Company material is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for a visit with a health-care professional. The advice is intended to offer only a general basis for individuals to discuss their health and medical conditions with their health-care provider. Your health-care provider should be consulted regarding matters concerning the medical condition, treatment, and needs of you and your family.
your guide to a safe and healthy Hajj
At Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) we care about your health, even when you are away from us. To help you enjoy any upcoming adventures, go through our “JHAH Travel Health Check-list.” We hope you tick all the boxes.
• Count the days, and count the pills. Make sure you have a sufficient quantity of any prescription medications you need to take with you.
• Pack a first-aid kit with you, and note all the emergency numbers of the country to which you are traveling
• Avoid undercooked or raw food, in-cluding eggs, meat, and seafood. Avoid salads unless from a reliable restaurant or store, as they may not have been properly washed.
• Avoid food and beverages that are not in properly labeled or in unsealed packag-es, cans, or bottles
• Drink adequate amounts of fluids, mainly water (a minimum of eight cups a day) to avoid dehydration
• Wash your hands with soap and water often to reduce the risk of infection. Carry hand sanitizer to use after handling any-thing and before eating if clean water and soap are not readily available.
• Apply broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen. Look for sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor of 30 or more for all ex-posed skin when spending time outside, even if it’s cloudy.
caring profile
tips for healthy travels
9communitythe arabian sun
Hajj is an extraordinary event for Muslims, but they can be exposed to health issues that can affect their energy and physical ability to complete Islam’s sacred pilgrimage. Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare offers some advice on how to take the necessary precautions.
see page 9
Pia Kokkarinen captured this image of Windsor Castle in the evening hours earlier this summer on her iPhone7 while visiting England on vacation. Kokkarinen is a Government Affairs staff adviser in the Projects Review and Coordination Division. She has been with the company 111/2 years.
night falls on Windsor
Dhahran — After 28 years with Saudi Aramco, Upstream Ventures Special Proj-ects Division principal professional George Yeung has retired.
Born in Hong Kong, Yeung and his wife, Cynthia, have three children — Jason, Jen-nifer and Jordan — and four grandchildren — Riley, Darcy, Preston, and Hunter.
When he was 18, Yeung moved to Can-ada where he graduated with a bachelor’s of applied science degree from Queen’s University, and a master’s degree in petro-leum engineering from the University of Alberta.
In 1974, as a fresh graduate, Yeung started his career as a reservoir engineer in Calgary and worked as an engineering supervisor and owner of an engineering consulting company before joining Saudi Aramco in 1990.
When the Yeung family arrived in Dhahran in April 1990, the children were between the ages of 10 and 14. Jennifer and Jordan attended school in Dhahran, while Jason went to boarding school the same year. All three successfully completed tertiary education in Canada.
challenging projectsYeung said the most rewarding aspect of
his career was the 28 years he spent work-
ing on a wide variety of challenging proj-ects with Saudi Aramco.
“I worked on demanding but profession-ally satisfying projects such as the gas ex-pansion program in 1994,” he said.
Other project highlights for Yeung were the neutral zone concession negotiations and the Kingdom’s gas strategy in 1999, which subsequently led to the natural gas initiative and exploitation of the Kingdom’s vast endowment of unconventional gas re-sources.
Seeing the three major projects con-ceived during the natural gas initiative materialize — the Rabigh Refinery and petrochemical complex and the natural gas liquids recovery plants at Hawiyah and Shaybah — was gratifying for Yeung.
“These projects created significant multi-plier effects to the Kingdom’s overall econ-omy,” he said.
advice: learn from your mistakesAfter mentoring many young profession-
als during his career, Yeung’s advice to any-one in their early career is that it is “OK to make mistakes” but that it is “important to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them again.
“There is no better way to learn than learning from your mistakes,” he advises.
In retirement, Yeung will reside in Cal-gary during the warmer months and spend the remainder of the year in Hong Kong.
With all of his children and grandchildren in Canada, Yeung plans to spend more time with family and to travel to places he
George Yeung retires from Saudi Aramco after 28 years
never had time to visit, such as Alaska, the east coast of Canada and the South Pacific Islands.
Yeung can be contacted on his home phone at 1-403-474-6731 or by email at [email protected].
The Yeung family: George Yeung, and his wife, Cynthia, with their children, Jason, Jennifer, and Jordan (center), who works for Saudi Aramco’s Drilling and Workover organization.
a guide to a safe and healthy Hajj
10the arabian sun
The Arabian Sun is a weekly publication issued free of charge by the Corporate Communication Support Department for Saudi Aramco employees.
Publishing director: Haitham K. Al-JehairanEditors: Jamsheed Din, Todd WilliamsEditorial staff: Musherf Alamri, Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf, Jeff McCoshen, and Shaistha Khan.Designer: Husam Nasr.
Articles and coverage can be requested through the company’s CRM system.Correspondence may be addressed to the editor, North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A.
North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaTelephone (013) 876-0374 Email: [email protected]: 1319-156XArticles may be reproduced provided The Arabian Sun is credited.
