Dolphin unveils major marine protection road map
Company says gasline from Qatar has no impact on marine ecology
Posted: 07 June 2006
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Dolphin Energy Ltd ( DEL) which is involved in the Middle East’s largest gasline project has unveiled a major road map produced from advanced satellite pictures and scanning for the protection of marine ecology in the Southern Gulf waters.
The Company, which is controlled by the Abu Dhabi government, invited reporters in early June to announce the birth of the US-aided road map and a donation of $500,000 for the project, the first of its kind in the highly-polluted Gulf region.
Dubbed the “Coral Conservation Project,” the first stage of the three-year plan has been finalised by Dolphin as a joint project with Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi (EAD), the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Qatar’s Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR) and the US National Coral Reef Institute in Florida, which is acting as consultants.
The landmark project, which was launched in 2005, coincided with other regional, albeit, smaller, initiatives aimed at repairing ecological damage in the oil-rich region onshore, offshore and in air. Experts believe the latest Dolphin initiative was the most important project ever undertaken in recent years as it designates sensitive coral reef areas and allow regulators to define better protection means.
The project follows international reports that the Gulf has become the most polluted seas because of persistent oil spills caused by pipeline and terminal leaks, tanker accidents, military conflicts, and illegal dumping of oil and other sludge by vessels.
“ The production of this map, and all the associated mapping, diving and training activities, represent a first-time cooperation in this region between regulators, companies and NGOs…this cooperation has so far worked very well …we are on time and on budget,” said Ahmed Al Sayegh, Dolphin’s Chairman.
“ The availability of this coral reef map is a vital contribution to biodiversity conservation in this country and the region…as most of you will be aware, Dolphin will be transporting natural gas from Qatar to the UAE after the end of 2006…during 2004, we made extensive efforts to ensure that our export pipeline route from Qatar to the UAE avoided coral reefs, seabird colonies and fish or turtle breeding grounds….now that we know where all these corals are located, it will be a key part of Dolphin’s future environment management programme that this coral is conserved and protected in every possible way for the benefit of future generations.”
Dolphin is 51 per cent controlled by the Abu Dhabi-owned Mubadala company while Total of France and Occidental Petroleum of the US own 24.5 per cent each. The company has just completed the construction of a 48-inch pipeline stretching 364 km under the sea from Qatar’s northern port of Ras Laffan to Tawila in Abu Dhabi.
It will be begin pumping natural gas from the giant Qatari North Field before the end of 2006 at a rate of two billion cubic feet per day, which could rise later to 3.2 billion cubic feet per day, depending on demand in the UAE and neighbouring Oman.
In a statement, Dolphin said the purpose of the coral reef map is to study the distribution, diversity, abundance and health of the coral reefs in the southern Gulf waters. It noted the project would include scientific research, studies, media awareness campaigns and training for environmentalists from the UAE and Qatar.
“ The overall objective of the project is to utilise the collated information to develop a conservation and management plan for the southern Arabian Gulf coral ecosystems.
“ The value of the map is that it will allow resource managers to assess the quantity and quality of the marine resources under their jurisdiction…at the same time, changes in the polygons over successive mapping exercises provide information about a habitat’s quality, ie whether it is healthy and expanding, shrinking and, possibly not in a good health…at the next step, higher resolution imagery will be used to map areas of special interest in greater detail as advanced satellite sensors will be employed.”
EWS chairman Majid Al Mansouri said the project is vital for the protection of the Gulf marine environment, which he warned is deteriorating because of persistent violations. He called the project “a result of a strong partnership between two Gulf countries.”
“ The rate of extinction under the sea is increasing…we need to face the fact that the ‘patient’ is sick and the temperature is rising…we know the illness and it is human behaviour and coastal development pressures,” he said.
EAD said the project has already paid off as its operators have managed to obtain what he called accurate geo-referenced information on the location of coral communities and their associated habitats. “ This development has provided us, perhaps, for the first time, with a reliable baseline map of the coral reef habitats in this area.
“ The availability of this map will help us create a baseline for long-term monitoring, identify and protect essential fish and marine resources habitats, and determine the status of the coral reefs and the marine environment as a whole…in other words, this map will enhance our ability to predict impacts, both natural and anthropogenic, on these important resources, and therefore enable us to better manage them.”
The UAE is among a handful of Arab countries enforcing tough laws that include heavy fines and jail terms against environment offenders as part of its long-term strategy to protect the environment and ensure ecological balance on land, sea and in air.
The Federal Environment Agency (FEA), the UAE’s top environment body, is enforcing such laws in collaboration with the other competent authorities, including one which covers projects that might have negative effects on the environment.
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) means that any project that will be set up in the UAE must get prior approval by FEA to ensure it will not have any adverse impacts on the social and environment life in the UAE in the short, medium and long terms.
“ We obtained prior FEA approval before we launched the Dolphin project…we waited for a long time until we got their approval in line with the EIA law,” Sayegh said.
“ We are now funding this vital project out of our commitment to protection of the environment…it is an open-ended and continuous project and all invite all parties to contribute to it…what we donated is just a preliminary budget as we will continue to support this significant project…it is only in its first stages.”
Posted by Editor Offshore Arabia Magazine
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