related production, but despite relatively low feedstock costs, growth is hampered by proportionately higher delivery charges. Delivery accounts for 39 percent of costs for plastics producers in the Gulf, the biggest single overhead apart from raw materials, and the Mari-Chem conference explored ways of achieving more cost-effective delivery - especially in East Asian waters and along the China coast. The two-day Mari-Chem conference that ended April 26 brought together more than 200 delegates from 35 countries representing the major players in petrochemicals and plastics, as well as logistics, supply-chain, and shipping organizations. They identified privatization and inward foreign investment as potential solutions to managing the export demand and the need to provide facilities for cargo-handling and tanker and container shipping. Held under the patronage of Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Qatar's second deputy premier at the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the conference's speakers included Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi, general manager of Qapco, Homood Al-Tujwairi, vice president of petroleum coordination at SABIC and Dr. Werner Pratorius, president of petrochemical division at BASF. The conference was organized by the London-based Turent Group Ltd. and was the fourth in annual series following previous events in Dubai. Next year's conference will take place in February but the venue has yet to be decided. Turret Group Chairman Richard Hease said: "The 2005 MariChem Middle East conference was by far the most successful to date, providing an ideal opportunity for plastics and petrochemical companies to develop ideas that will help the industry deal as efficiently as possible with the rapid export growth. Delegates were able to identify the way forward and now have a framework on which they can work together to implement mutually beneficial solutions."
