News

His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance, Minister in Charge of the Oil and Gas Affairs opened the 15th Middle East Corrosion Conference and Exhibition (MECCE) on February 2 (Sunday) at the Gulf International Convention Centre - Gulf Hotel. The conference opening witnessed the participation of a number of engineers, specialists and researchers in the field of corrosion and chemical water treatment, in addition to a large number of representatives from local, regional and global businesses. The event taking place from February 2 to February 5 is being organized by Bahrain Society of Engineers in cooperation with the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) - Dhahran-Saudi Arabia, West Asia and Africa chapters, and in coordination with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA).

The minister, in his opening speech stressed the importance of addressing the phenomenon of corrosion of metals and the resulting adverse economic repercussions through continued development of related techniques, including wear-resistant material and applying corrosion and rust prevention practices.

He said the broad participation enjoyed by the event this year from various companies around the world was proof of its good reputation gained over years; with around 700 participants, 80 exhibiting companies, including local, regional and global - from the U.S., U.K. Canada, Sweden, China, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Finland, India, and elsewhere, as well as 140 scientific papers that will be presented, discussed and debated at the conference this year.

The Minister pointed out that NOGA has been working earnestly and continuously to make Bahrain a global hub for international oil and gas events, with global participation. He underlined the great interest in developing national competencies, which will be able to refine skills through local and international exposure, take advantage of the worksheets presented in the conferences and gain more experience.

The Minister also expressed his appreciation for the organizers of the event, and his gratitude to the key speakers, moderators and delegates, stressing the desire of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to provide all facilities for every such event held in the country, including special oil and gas sector events. He assured the continued support of the government for specialized events that benefit the commercial sector, tourism, and the national economy in general.

Also speaking at the opening session were Ahmad Al Khowaiter, the Conference Chairman, Mr. Tushar Javeri, NACE President, and Mr. Abdullah Al Ghamdi, Director, NACE - Dhahran-Saudi Arabia, West Asia and Africa chapters, and Engineer A. Majeed Al Gassab, President, Bahrain Society of Engineers.

The MECCE is one of the most important international corrosion events held by the organizers in the Middle East since 1979.