Ali Obaid Al-Yabhouni, general manager, Abu Dhabi National Tanker Company (ADNATCO-NGSCO) and UAE governor for OPEC, has called for greater cooperation between National Oil Companies (NOCs), especially those in GCC countries.
Speaking at the World National Oil Companies Congress currently being held in Abu Dhabi, Al-Yabhouni said that while it was commonplace for joint ventures with supermajors, it was rare to see the same thing happening between NOCs.
“We are not seeing cooperation among NOCs,” Al-Yabhouni said. “There are a lot of NOCs who are strong in certain areas and other NOCs may need that technology or expertise.”
“I believe it would be interesting to see more joint ventures between NOCs. We have seen some, Petronas is active in that area, but maybe we should see more, particularly among GCC countries.”
Al-Yabhouni also spoke of ADNATCO-NGSCO’s commitment to the training and development of UAE nationals.
“We have never been better prepared for offering our nationals a career in the hydrocarbons industry,” he said. “Today 30% of our officers are from the UAE and we hope to get that figure up to 60% within a decade.”
