The third in a series of international technical events for the pipeline industry, the multi-track Pipeline Operations and Management Middle East (Pomme) Conference and Exhibition will be held in Bahrain from April 11 to 14, 2016

International pipeline industry experts will meet in Bahrain in April to discuss pipeline management, technologies, and operating developments and issues, as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain prepare for the development of a new oil pipeline between the two countries.

The third in a series of international technical events for the pipeline industry, the multi-track Pipeline Operations and Management Middle East (Pomme) Conference and Exhibition will be held in Bahrain from April 11 to 14, 2016.

The three-and- a-half-day conference – organised by Tiratsoo Technical (a division of Great Southern Press) and Clarion Technical Conferences, in association with Global Webb Energy Consultants – will be held at the Gulf International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Established now as the Gulf region’s definitive, essential congress on pipeline technology and management, the event has drawn more than 1,100 industry professionals from 33 countries.

This major conference brings together experts from within and outside the region to discuss the latest technologies and concepts for maintaining and operating oil and gas pipelines in the most efficient, cost-effective, and professional manner, while taking account of environmental and other concerns of the communities through which they pass.

These issues will be discussed against the background of a new 115 km, 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil pipeline project between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The pipeline will replace an ageing 230,000 bpd pipeline and enable Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) to expand the processing capacity of its 267,000 bpd Sitra refinery. The pipeline is to be operational by 2018.

Saudi Aramco Pipelines Department’s general manager Mohammad Sultan Al Qahtani says the event provides "a great opportunity for us pipeliners to gather and share knowledge. There are many challenges we ought to overcome and it will help a great deal if we can solve them collaboratively."

The event will be held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Bahrain’s Minister of Energy. The event is also supported by Platinum Elite Sponsor Saudi Aramco, and Silver Sponsors Rosen, ClockSpring and Bapco.

The conference will begin on April 11, 2016 with five topical workshops. Dr Mirza will formally open the main technical sessions at the Plenary Session on April 12, and will be accompanied by a major exhibition reflecting the widest interests of the pipeline industry.

The simultaneous tracks for the technical programme of the event will include: Planning, design, construction and materials; Operations and maintenance best practices, repair and rehabilitation; Asset integrity management, inspection and cathodic protection and Automation and control, leak detection.

An associated technical exhibition will be conveniently situated parallel to where the technical papers are presented. The exhibition will feature the leading providers of solutions for best practices in pipeline operations and management.

The exhibition hall will open at 9 am April 12 after the plenary session, and close at 1.30 pm on April 14, and will host the latest developments in the oil and gas sector with leading industry professionals.