MoE and Maersk Oil Celebrate Successful Conclusion of Qatar Whale Shark season

Published by the Qatar News Agency ( QNA ), on 14. January 2014

Doha, January 14 (QNA) – The Ministry of Environment  joined with Maersk Oil Qatar, the Emiri Air Force and the Qatari Coast Guard to celebrate and recognize the collaborative efforts made by all parties during the 2013 Qatar Whale Shark Research Project season.

HE the Minister of Environment, Ahmed bin Amer Al-Humaidi, Brigadier Mashoot Faisal Al-Hajri, Head of Helicopter Wing at the Emiri Air Force and Brigadier Ali Ahmed Al-Mannai, Head of Qatari Coast Gourds, together with Lewis Affleck, Managing Director of Maersk Oil, Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahad Al Thani, Deputy Managing Director of Maersk Oil and members of the research teams were all in attendance.

Speaking at the event, held at Hilton Hotel , HE Al Humaidi said: “Today we recognize the impressive collaboration that has taken place between the Ministry of Environment, the Emiri Air Force, the Coast Guard, Maersk Oil and the various researchers from the Qatar Whale Shark Research Project. This is an important project for the State of Qatar and is a great example of how industry, academia and the state authorities can effectively work together and achieve internationally recognized results, ” he told reporters here Tuesday. 

For his part, Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad Al Thani, said: “The Qatar Whale Shark Research Project is the first joint initiative that Qatars Ministry of the Environment and Maersk Oil have embarked on as part of our collaboration agreement to research Qatars marine biodiversity”.

Elaborating  Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahad Al Thani added,” At Maersk Oil, our strategy has always been to ensure that Qatar gains the maximum possible benefit from the hydrocarbon resources it possesses and to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.”

It is noted that in 2010 the Qatar Ministry of Environment launched a scientific project (the Qatar Whale Shark Research project) to explore the whale shark population in Qatari waters and the reason behind the annual aggregations that take place every year. Very few places on earth can match such a display of marine giants feeding.

Offshore platforms in the Al Shaheen oil field have become artificial reefs and may play an important role for attracting the whale sharks to this area.
Consequently, the Qatar Ministry of Environment and the Maersk Oil Research and Technology Centre have launched a research program that will investigate the importance of the these structures for the marine biodiversity in Qatar. (QNA)

Source: QNA

Please see also the related Document (PDF) :  Qatar Whale Shark Project

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