ROPME chief: Gulf oil firms should pay more attention to environment

Secretary General of the Regional Organization forProtection of Marine Environment (ROPME) Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi said Tuesdaydefinition of environment was still unclear in the Gulf and Middle East regions.Addressing the final session of the Second Gulf Petroleum Forum 2014, Al-Awadhicalled on Gulf oil companies to realize the importance of environmental pollutionand to seriously consider the vitality of environment in oil industry.He called for banning entry of oil tankers to the Arabian Gulf area because they weredestroying the environment. “We have to extend pipelines carrying oil to outside theregion,” he suggested, reported the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA.Al-Awadhi said regional oil producing countries should develop environmental-friendly industries.“The Arbian Gulf is like a closed lake and the spread of nuclear power stations nearthe area increases the environmental pressure on it,” he said.