PAPER NEWS Bulletin Feb 76

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AMPTC Chairman Reviews Compagny’s

Activities and Achievements

Dr. Abdul Hadi Taher, Chairman of the Board of the Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Compagny (AMPTC), described the activities and achievements of the Compagny and outlined its future plans of a press conference in Kuwait on january 24, 1976, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the establishment of the AMPTC.

The press conference followed a meeting of the Board of Directors under the chaimanship of Dr. Abdul Hadi Taher and was attented by the following board members :

Mr. Abdul Rahman Al Sultan Deputy Chairman and General Manager - KUWAIT
Mr. Mohammad Guendouz Deputy Chairman - ALGERIA
Shaikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa BAHRAIN
Dr. Hafez Al Takmaji IRAQ
Mr. Saeed Salem EGYPT
Mr. Khattab Omar Al-Dafe’ QATAR
Shaikh Shieba Saeed Al Hamili UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Mr. Faraj Mohammad Sultan LIBYA

In a statement at the press conference Dr. Taher said, " AMPTC, which was established on january 6, 1973, by order of the OAPEC council of ministers, was the first Arab joint project undertaken by OAPEC member countries. According to its incorporation agreement, AMPTC is to carry hydrocarbons (crude oil, oil products and liquefied gas) and to carry out all the activities concerned with such operational directive.

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"In line with its plans for expansion, AMPTC has devised on investment programme which wil enable it to have a fleet composed of tankers of various sizes to carry hydrocarbons from the member countries in which hydrocarbon projects are being developed.

"Under this programme, AMTPC in 1974 ordered the construction of six giant tankers totalling 2,000,000 dwt. to be delivered in 1977 and 1978. These tankers will fly the flags of the Kingdom of Saoudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait, the Libyan Arab Republic, the Republic of Iraq and the Poeple’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

"The middle of 1975 marked an important turning point in the development of the Compagny in that it signalled the commencement of Maritime operations. Last year, Two tankers were bought on the market, one of which is flying the Kuwait flag and the other the Saoudi flag. Two more tankers were purchased to fly the Qatari flag and the Saoudi flag respectively. We hope that by the end of this year AMPTC will have a total of seven tankers totalling 1,650,000 dwt. Each vessel will fly the flag of a member state of OAPEC.

"AMPTC is now preparing to carry out studies and to make contacts with member countries for the further development of its fleet by the addition of petroleum and liquefied gas tankers.

The compagny has paid special attention to the operation of the tankers, which requires qualified and specialised personnel. As a first step, the Board of Directors decided to enlist the help of foreign technical expertise until such time Arab spacialised personnel is available to take over operations. Consequently, AMPTC has exerted tremendous efforts to recruit Arab students for training courses at the Compagny’s expense in such specialised institutions as the Arab Maritime Academy in Alexandria (41 students) or in maritime academies & institutions in the United Kingdom (107 students).

"Its a fact that Arab maritim transport operations are young compared with those of the international petroleum compagnies or other well established independent compagnies. For its part, AMPTC in co-operation with other maritime transport compagnies of member countries of OAPEC began to hold periodic meetings to discuss ways and means of supporting Arab maritime transport operations. Of particular importance were the decisions establishing an AMPTC co-ordination bureau to follow up the decisions and recommendations of the meetings and to implement them and the recommendations concerning the unification of Arab maritime laws and the establishment

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of an arab indemnity and protection (I and P) organization as well as an Arab association for the classification of vessels.

"AMPTC is regarded as a link between the Arab maritime transport compagnies and OAPEC member countries for the discussion of all matters related to maritime transport affairs in Arab countries, AMPTC has received full support and encouragement regarding the aforementioned recommendations.

"I take this opportunity to thank the Council of Ministers and the Secretary-General of OAPEC for the great support they give to AMPTC and other Arab compagnies to help them to attain their objectives."

Asked to comment on the viability of giant vessels, particulary after the re-opening of the suez Canal and the drop in demand for oil, Dr. Taher said that premilinary research had revealed that demand for vessels exceeding 400,00 tons was rather low. Therefore, the Compagny’s interest was confined to tankers of 250,000 and 270,000 dwt. He said he believed that tanker rates were subject to fluctuation and a future rise in the demand for oil would change the picture and bring back the need for supertankers.

Answering a question if the Compagny had timetable for consolidating its tanker fleet, Dr. Taher said operations were proceeding according to the plan outlined by the Council of Ministers of OAPEC which stipulate increasing the capital investment from US $ 500 million to US $ 1,000 million and easing the loon procedures so that sums as high as US 1,000 million would be available. He stessed that financial support from member countries was essential.

Asked where the Compagny’s six giant tankers were to built, Dr. Taher said that two would be constructed in France and the other four would be built in West Germany. The total coast would be US $ 400 million.

On the current trend of producing countries to built their own refineries, Dr. Taher was asked if the producers were considering owning oil-product tankers as well as crude-carriers. He said that investment in tankers had started 18 months ago and that ownership of oil-product vessels would follow the establishment of the first export refinery in the Arabian Gulf or in North Africa. He revealed that the Compagny was considering the purchase of its first liquefied gas carrier.

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IRAQ
CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION
1973, 1974
(thousand b/d)

Compagny
1973
1974

Quantity
% of Total
Quantity

Iraqi Co. for Oil Operation.
1,185
57,7
N. A.

Iraq National Petroleum Co.,
147
7,2
N. A.

Basrah Petroleum Co. Ltd.
722
35,1
N. A.

Total
2,054
100%
1,971

% Change (1973 : 1974) = 4,0 %

Source : Official information directly supplied to OAPEC.
N.A. not available