BERLIN CAMEL RACES DRAW HUGE CROWD
More than 30,000 curious spectators turned out at the Hoppengarten Race Track in Berlin yesterday to watch 25 camels take part in what the organisers said were the first camel races ever held in northern Europe. Sponsored by the Berlin Government to boost ties between Germany and the UAE and run under the patronage of President HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the races attracted thrice the crowd that usually attends horse racing at the track.
Germany Economy Minister Gunter Rexrodt kicked off the event with a speech describing the UAE as a "neighbouring region" of Europe and calling for closer bilateral relations. Under a blue sky - and in temperatures above 30.0°C (90°F) which the camels probably enjoyed more than the spectators - the 400.0 kg animals delighted the crowd. Trotting at between 25.0 km and 50.0 km per hour round the 2.4 km grass track, the camels ran in eight races carrying young German women as jockeys.
The camels live on Europe's only camel farm in the southern German town of Rotfelden. "They are such beautiful animals," said Monika Reineck, a 40-year-old office worker. "This is a spectacle I just couldn't miss. They are so unpredictable: you never know what might happen. You have to have a good sense of humour to enjoy this."
She was right, for horse races they were not. Two camels sat down on the track in the middle of a warm-up lap and it took 15.0 minutes to get them moving again, while another stopped 2.0 metres from the finish and had to be prodded over the line by its jockey to win the race. The lead would change hands repeatedly during the one-lap races as camels would bolt forward with bursts of super-charged energy for short distances and then slow dramatically.
"It was an incredibly fantastic feeling to ride in front of such a huge crowd," said Fritzi Pappel, who won one race, the German-Arabian Friendship Cup race. (Reuter)
CHINA IN TALKS FOR UAE OIL IMPORTS
China is holding talks with the UAE to start imports of crude oil to meet its rising consumption due to economic growth, a Chinese trade official said yesterday. "There are negotiations between the two countries to boost trade co-operation and reach an agreement for imports of UAE oil. The negotiations about oil supplies could turn into tangible steps in December," the Chinese Commercial Secretary in the UAE, Liu Hanjie, told Al Khaleej Arabic-language daily newspaper. China has sought to buy more oil from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait to bridge the widening gap between its production and demand because of a steady increase in its consumption.
Energy-thirsty China more than doubled its imports of Omani crude in the first five months of 1997, jumping to 34.617 million barrels from 15.153 million barrels. From around 2.5 million barrels per day, bpd, oil demand in the world's most populous nation surged to 3.5 million bpd in 1996 and is projected to reach nearly 4.2 million bpd in the year 2000, according to official figures. Its output, however, has risen slightly from 2.7 million bpd to 2.9 million bpd during the same period and is expected to remain stable in the near future before it starts to decline due to depleting reserves.
China is already the biggest market for UAE fertilisers including ammonia and urea. Its exports to the Arab Gulf states have also grown sharply over the past decade. Liu's figures showed Chinese exports to the Emirates, mostly electronics, toys, watches and other manufactured products, increased by 4.9% of around Dh 1.6 billion ($435.0 million) in the first half of 1997. UAE exports of fertilisers and aluminium to China stood at Dh 88.0 million ($ 23.9 million), leaving a huge surplus for Beijing. (The Agence France-Presse, AFP)
OPENING OF SHARJAH REFINERY RESCHEDULED TO END OF JANUARY
The commissioning of Sharjah's Hamriyah Refinery has been rescheduled and is now expected around the end of January, according to A. R. Campbell, General Manager of the Sharjah Oil Refining Company Limited, SOR. Scheduled for commissioning during October, the project was slowed down by a delay in procurement of certain essential supplies like steel. The absence of a proper electricity connection has also been attributed as reason for the delay. However, a power sub-station is now in place and has been since last month, said Campbell.
The project is being built in phases with the first - the Taylor plant from British Columbia - being in the final stage of installation. On commissioning, the Refinery will have a capacity of 24,000.0 barrels per day, bpd. The original capacity was to be 16,000.0 bpd but the additional 8,000.0 bpd capacity comes from the upgrading of the refinery in-house.
The civil construction work is nearly complete with all the towers, including the condensate tower and the 130.0-feet catcracker tower, having been erected. The sulphur recovery unit has also been put in place and, while the piping and wiring job is going on, the electronic control section is scheduled to be completed next month.
Campbell said that construction work was being carried out in two shifts of 10.0 hours each. Work has also begun on the site where the second refinery will be installed. To be set up adjacent to the first refinery, the second is being shipped from Vancouver in Canada and is likely to be commissioned in October 1998.
A third refinery is also being shipped from Halifax in Canada. Both the second and the third refineries will have their capacities upgraded to 26,000.0 bpd. Campbell said that by early 1999, when all three refineries will be commissioned, the total capacity of the Hamriyah Refinery will be 75,000.0 bpd. The landscape in the vicinity of the refinery has undergone a sea change in the last few months, with huge storage tanks popping up behind the refinery.
Quentin J. Darr, the Construction Manager, said that 35 such tanks with various capacities will be erected. The largest crude storage tank, which will have a floating roof, lies half complete. This tank will have a capacity of 280,000.0 barrels (1.0 barrel = 160.0 litres) and the floating roof, which is made of steel, will help in substantially bringing down the evaporation rate, Darr added.
The construction of the SOR's own jetty, which will have one berth, is also continuing. Separate pipelines are being laid from the jetty to convey feedstock to the refinery and carry the products out as well to waiting tankers. While more than 60.0% of the output from the Hamriyah Refinery will be petrol, which is a high-end product, the Refinery will have a range of products. These include butane, propane, motor gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, kerosene, gas oils, bunker C and asphalt.
A petrochemical unit, which will be built in an extended complex of the Refinery, will manufacture various solvents. The feedstocks to the refinery include condensates, crude oil and special blends. Although the details on the supply of feedstocks are to be worked out, Campbell said that apart from Gulf crude, the Refinery will depend on condensate supplies from local and Gulf suppliers.
On the cost side, he indicated that the total investment in the Refinery project is not likely to exceed $ 250.0 million, which works out to half of what might be needed to build (from scratch) a refinery of this capacity. The project finance has been organised by Credit Lyonnais and an export development bank. The relocation of operational refinery units has not only reduced the cost of the project substantially but, according to Campbell, the Refinery will break even in a far shorter time than a newly-constructed one.
The Hamriyah Refinery will start paying for itself in five years, he added. On the July payroll, there were 700 employees, including 60 engineers, although this number will be pruned eventually to 165. Campbell said that the production capacity may be raised should demand dictate it.
The SOR is a FAL Group company. Under the chairmanship of Abdullah Juma al Sari, the Group has built up diversified interests which include oil trading, shipping, shipbuilding, manufacturing and blending of automobile and marine lubricants, financing, insurance and real estate. (The Khaleej Times )
Arabs spend up to half their income on food and most of their needs for farming products are met from abroad because of poor production, an Arab official said yesterday. "Arab citizens allocate between 25.0% and 50.0% of their income to foodstuffs," said Falah Jabr, head of the Arab Food Industries Union.
"Arab food imports are estimated at $ 35.0 billion a year. We are importing nearly 10.0% of the world's total food trade," Jabr told the United Arab Emirates business weekly 'Al Iqtesadi' ('The Economy'). Arabs also import nearly 20.0% of the world's wheat supplies, 15.0% of its cereals and 60.0% of its livestock, he added.
Jabr estimated total investment by the 22-member Arab League in the farming industry at $ 50.0 billion but said production was growing by only 2.0% a year, while consumption was rising by 6.0% - 7.0%. "The Arab world has one of the longest (collective) coastlines in the world but only a part of this wealth is exploited," he said. "This raises the question of 'food security'." (The Agence France-Presse, AFP)
UAE SEEK SECOND ENTRY IN CUP ON SEPTEMBER 12
The United Arab Emirates open their campaign for a second entry into the World Cup final when they take on Kazakhstan in their first second round qualifier at the Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, on September 12. The draw, issued from the Asian Football Confederation, AFC, office in Kuala Lumpur, has divided the ten second round qualifiers into two groups.
While Asia Cup winners Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China, Iran and Qatar have been placed in Group A, the other teams constituting Group B are Japan, Korea, Uzbekistan, besides Kazakhstan and the UAE. This is the first time that FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, came up with a new format of playing qualifying matches on a home-and-away basis. Kazakhstan seem to have put their failure at qualifying for the XI th Asia Cup behind them with strong performances against Iraq in both their first round qualifiers.
The UAE face their next challenge when they take on 1992 Asia Cup winners Japan at the Zayed Sports City on September 19. Japan, the highest-ranked team in Asia on the FIFA standings, failed to defend their title as Asia's best when they were waylaid by Kuwait 2-0 in the quarter-finals last year.
However, quick as they are at learning from their mistakes, the Japanese have retrooped under the guidance of coach Shu Kamo with impressive performances against Oman during the first round of qualifying. The core of the team is still the one that claimed the 1992 Asia Cup in Hiroshima, led by Olympic captain Masakiyo Maezono, with the strike force led by former Asian Player of the Year, the diminutive Kaza Miura.
After these first two games, coach Lori Sandri's boys travel to Uzbekistan for their match against the hosts at Pakhtakor Stadium on September 27. One of the things that stands in favour of Uzbekistan is that they are the current Asian Games champions, while the other is that they have set aside Asia Cup qualifiers Indonesia and Yemen on their way to an entry into the second round.
The UAE team will then have to take the long route to Seoul for their match against Korea, scheduled for October 4. Korea, who will be trying for a fourth consecutive entry into the World Cup final in France next year, are a charged lot after their shoddy performance at the Asia Cup last year, where they were thrashed 6-2 by Iran in the quarters. They have come a long way since then, coached by Park Jong Hwan - the Asian Coach of the Year.
In addition to this, Hwan has retained more or less the same side that did duty for the country during the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Their away encounter against Kazakhstan comes at the Central Stadium, Almaty, on October 18, while the one against Japan will be played at the National Stadium, Tokyo, on October 26.
The UAE's last two encounters will be played on home turf when they play Uzbekistan and Korea at the Zayed Sports City on November 2 and 9 respectively. The winners of both the groups will automatically book a place in the World Cup, while the second team in each group will play one match at a neutral venue on November 16 to decide the third team qualifier.
The loser of this match will have to play Australia, the winner of the Oceania Group, on a home-and-away basis on November 22 and 29 and only the winner will advance for the Cup final. (The Gulf Today)