News & Events

News & Events


AUGUST-2010 PARCO wins Environment Excellence Award 2010 for the 5th consecutive year! PARCO has been awarded the 5th consecutive Annual Environment Excellence Award by the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH). It is a matter of immense pride for every PARCONIAN that PARCO has also been placed amongst the 10 best organizations of Pakistan in Environment Management. A Special Recognition Certificate for outstanding achievement in Environment Management was also awarded to PARCO by NFEH. Mr. Shuja Uddin Ahmed DMD (OPS) received the award from Mr. Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Federal Minister for Environment on August 2, 2010 at a prestigious ceremony. The panel of judges voted unanimously to award the certificate to PARCO for the company`s vision, environment protection policies and practices, and its Corporate Social Responsibility program. NFEH is a non-government, non-profit organization which works in collaboration with United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and is supported by the Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan. The Annual Environment Excellence Awards are designed to recognize and promote organizations which adopt and follow stringent environment-friendly policies, and make outstanding contribution for keeping the environment clean and healthy. This Special Recognition Certificate comes as a result of the five consecutive Annual Environment Excellence Awards received by PARCO. These awards reflect our good management practices, the efforts of our team and our concern for the environment.
JULY-2010 PULSE Best Article Competition PARCO has always encouraged young minds to blossom with bigger and brighter ideas and we want to provide them a medium to express their thoughts and feelings on the Urban, Social and Environmental issues facing the country. The PULSE Best Article Competition is a small step towards this goal. The first Competition of its kind, held amongst PARCO employees` Children was competed in 3 categories, Junior, Secondary and Higher Secondary. The topics included Environment, Education, Health and Hygiene, Road Safety, Academic Achievements, Sports, Poverty Alleviation, etc. Children of different age groups participated in the competition and their articles reflected their keen interest and knowledge on these social issues. A committee comprising of DMD (Ops) Mr. Shujauddin Ahmed, GM (CA) Shah M.Saad Husain and Ms. Saba Ahmed (Corporate Communications) was formed to scrutinize the articles and choose the best article in each category. Subsequently, a certificate and prize distribution ceremony was held to recognize the winning participants. Saleha Qureshi D/o Mr. Abdul Qadir (M&C) was the winner in Junior category. Irma Jafri D/o Mr. Khalid Jafri (Finance) was the winner in Secondary category, and Aisha Islam D/o Mr. Fakhr-ul-Islam (Materials) was the winner in the Higher Secondary Category. Aiman Khan D/o of Mr. Bashir Ahmed Swati (M&C) and Abdul Wasay S/o Mr. Abdul Qayyum Khan (IT), were also given special certificates. Mr. Rasheed Jung (MD) PARCO and Mr. Tariq Rizavi (CEO) PAPCO distributed the certificates and prize money among the winners and participants. Mr. Jung interacted with the children and inquired about their studies and extracurricular activities. The MD also encouraged them to actively participate in such competitions and events.
MAY-2010 SPELLATHON – a joint initiative of PARCO and WWF Pakistan Pak-Arab Refinery Limited along with WWF Pakistan is conducting the Spellathon Project in schools that are being supported by PARCO in its CSR Program. Spellathon is a fun educational activity for raising the awareness of students on key environmental challenges, endangered species, the importance of nature and also the unique biodiversity of Pakistan etc. Spellathon is being conducted by WWF Pakistan for the past 18 years, but was only limited to private English medium schools. It is the first time that PARCO took the initiative to take this activity to more than 34 Government schools that are being supported by PARCO under its Schools & Clinics Program. Besides, it is also the first time that Spellathon is being conducted in our national language Urdu, to make it more understandable to around 10,000 students receiving education in these 34 Government Urdu medium schools. In the past few years, PARCO`s Schools and Clinics Support Program has gained immense popularity amongst our neighboring communities, and has received a lot of appreciation. These institutions have been provided assistance by PARCO in infrastructure development and equipment to help them provide basic health and education facilities to the communities. Our Spellathon Project is another step in education and community involvement, especially for students of schools supported by PARCO. For the Spellathon Project a set of nine carefully crafted, innovative and colorful booklets were designed and compiled for students from grade 1 to 10. These booklets contain short stories on nature, environment, and endangered species. Besides basic information on Personal Hygiene, Cleanliness and Road Safety are also included in each booklet. Around 10,000 booklets have been printed for distribution under the spellathon project. The PARCO - WWF Spellathon Project is a two phased activity. In phase 1, books have been distributed in institutions from Karachi till Machike. Teachers have been trained on how to use these books to educate the children and will conduct quizzes to test the childrens` knowledge. Both teachers and children are very enthusiastic about this project and participation has been excellent. Phase 2 of this project will be in August after the summer holidays. Schools will be re-visited by PARCO`s CSR Team, and the top 3 best performing students of each grade in the Spellathon quiz will be awarded prizes. Our Spellathon Project is another important step towards our dream of responsible youth for Society.
APRIL-2010 Signing of CBA Agreement 2009 -2011 A cooperative relationship between the management of a company and the Collective Bargaining Agents or the Union is essential for the success and growth of an organization. The Union-Management relationship at PARCO has always been cordial with both parties striving for the success of the Company. No matter how warm and friendly Management-Union relations are, signing of the CBA Agreement is usually an immense challenge. However, at PARCO, this milestone was achieved quite smoothly despite several rounds of negotiations. On April 16, 2010 the CBA Agreement for the period ending July 2011 was signed. The ceremony was attended by PARCO’s senior management in addition to the members of both the negotiation teams. Managing Director, PARCO, Mr. M. Rasheed Jung, who graced the ceremony with his presence, appreciated the efforts of both the Union and the Management in reaching consensus. Elaborating on the current business environment, he highlighted the financial restraints that the Company is facing because of factors beyond its control e.g. the circular debt, high foreign exchange rates, high prices of crude oil, etc. Mr. Shah M. Saad Husain, General Manager Corporate Affairs thanked the management for its support while also lauding the efforts of the CBA and Management teams during the negotiations. Mr. Niaz Ahmed, General Secretary CBA, in his vote of thanks, vowed to continue to work for the prosperity of PARCO. He thanked PARCO Management for its cooperation.
April 2010 PARCO AND TCF SIGN AGREEMENT FOR NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL CAMPUS AT QASBA GUJRAT MUZAFFARGARH Education is critical for the survival of an individual, a community, a nation. The fate of any nation`s progress and prosperity, depends upon the education of its youth. Sustainable development requires education for the masses, especially the underprivileged. This is a debt due from the present to our future generations. One doesn’t need fancy highbrow traditions or money to impart quality education, what one really needs is a desire to make a difference and fulfill every child`s right for education and a fair chance to achieve his or her dreams. TCF is pursuing this objective. TCF is a professionally managed, non-profit organization set up in 1995 and is now one of Pakistan's leading NGOs in the field of formal education with over 600 purpose-built schools and an enrollment above 90,000 students in deprived locations nationwide. TCF boasts of a 50% female ratio in almost every campus, and maintains a female only Faculty of 4,150. Apart from following the regular curriculum, TCF focuses on the character building of students to equip them with high moral values and confidence. PARCO, as part of its CSR initiatives, has developed enduring social partnerships with organizations involved in the upliftment of the underprivileged and needy. One such partnership organization is TCF. PARCO, along with TCF, has already established two purpose built Primary schools at Yousuf Goth, Karachi and Muzaffargarh, where 521 underprivileged children are receiving quality education free of cost. Besides this, PARCO also supports TCF in other activities, such as its fund raising walk “ILMATHON”. Continuing its partnership with TCF, PARCO has now signed on 14th April 2010, an agreement with TCF for the construction of a Secondary School Campus at Qasba Gujrat, Muzaffargarh near PARCO`s Mid-Country Refinery. This initiative will benefit the TCF Primary Campus students as well as children from other adjacent primary schools to pursue further education.The new TCF-PARCO Secondary Campus will be a purpose built and fully furnished school with classrooms, Library, Computer and Science labs, playground etc. along with all basic amenities. it will impart quality secondary education to around 280 students, molding their future as educated and responsible citizens of Pakistan.

March 2010 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS FROM NED UNIVERSITY VISIT PS-1, KORANGI A Group of 70 Students along with 2 Faculty Members from NED Chemical Engineering Department visited PARCO, PS-1 Korangi on March 22nd 2010. Upon arrival, the students were greeted by the Manager HR, Ms. Sharon Dias on behalf of PARCO, followed by brief presentations about the Company and its functions. Lt. Col. Retd. Hanifullah Jung, Manager Security, gave a briefing on the PARCO Security management and various aspects to be considered during the plant visit, followed by instructions from Mr. Mohammad Tahir, HSE Engineer, on HSE related aspects. Mr. Mirza Mohammad Nayyar from HR Department gave a presentation on the overall corporate outlook of PARCO, brief energy statistics, petroleum Supply Chain including Refining, Storage, Marketing and PARCO`s state-of-the-art Telecom/SCADA system. Mr. Nayyar also briefed the students on the excellent facilities being provided to employees at the Mid-Country Refinery coupled with the HR practices in the company. Afterwards, Mr. Asghar Ali Syed, Manager C&ES presented a brief history of the PARCO pipelines system, oil movement refinery and various other technical aspects. The students and the faculty members were then divided into 3 groups for a visit to the Plant area, Master Control Center and crude oil Decanting facility. Students and the faculty members showed keen interest in the facilities and their functions. Mr. Sohail Suleman, Station Incharge explained in detail the pipeline and the Telecom/SCADA system. The opportunity to see their studies in practical action was an over whelming and impressive learning experience for the students. The faculty members appreciated PARCO management for the well organized visit.

March 2010 PARCO – A Hot Selling Brand at IBA Career Fair 2010 The relationship between PARCO and various leading academic institutions has been going from strength to strength. The Company enjoys excellent relations with most leading academic institutions such as IBA, LUMS, NED, UET etc. With the objective of talent acquisition in view, PARCO HR embarked upon a series of rapport building initiatives including company presentations, career/job fairs, campus tests, students’ visits to PARCO facilities etc. The initiatives have worked wonders with PARCO’s various recruitment and internship campaigns. The Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, the oldest business school in the country and half-a-century old institution decided to organize its first ever career fair through its Career Development Society, Alumni Society and HR Club on March 6, 2010 at the IBA Main Campus, Karachi University. The objective of this day-long event was to facilitate interaction between employers and graduating batches of IBA. PARCO, in collaboration with PAPCO, participated in the Career Fair by taking a premium class booth. PARCO HR team that represented the Company at the Career Fair comprised of Ms. Sharon Dias – Manager HR, Mr. Mirza Mohammad Nayyar – Senior Management Executive, Ms. Elizabeth Pinto – Management Executive and Management Trainees - Ms. Qarnain Ibrahim and Mr. Hammad N. D. Khan. Mr. Rayomand Ghadiali – Chief Financial Officer, represented PAPCO in the fair. Our booth was one of the busiest stalls in the fair. The Company’s image in the eyes of the students of this prestigious institution can be judged from the fact that approximately 550 students applied for PARCO’s Management Trainee and Internship programs in a span of about five hours. The Career Fair not only provided us a good opportunity to find the finest future management talent in a highly conducive environment but also provided students a chance to have counseling sessions, find answers to their queries and plan their career accordingly.

February 2010 FEDERAL SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND DIRECTOR GENERAL (OIL) VISIT PARCO The Federal Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Resources (P&NR), Mr. Kamran Lashari and Mr. Sabar Hussain, Director General (Oil) visited Corporate Headquarters, Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and Pak-Arab Pipeline Company infrastructure facility on February 22nd, 2010. Mr. Muhammad Rasheed Jung, MD, PARCO gave a presentation on the ongoing activities of PARCO and future plans. He assured that PARCO is continuing to expand and make investments and would be the first refinery in the country to produce environment friendly Euro II fuels. After the presentation, the Secretary Petroleum and Natural Resources stated that he was very pleased to meet the PARCO Management Team whose commitment and dedication had made PARCO the flagship of the Oil and Gas sector. PARCO has not only made a significant contribution to the country’s economy and development, it is also a very good example of a successful Public-Private partnership. It is a successful Joint Venture model which can be replicated by other sectors. He further commended the new Asphalt Project which PARCO is setting up that will provide international quality asphalt in the country, reducing imports and saving foreign exchange. After completing the presentation and discussions at the Corporate Headquarters, Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources along with D.G. (Oil) visited Pumping Station - 1, Korangi, Plant Area, including the Master Control Center. He was briefed about the operational control aspects of the PARCO Pipeline System. After the Plant area visit, Secretary Petroleum, D.G. (Oil) and PARCO and PAPCO Management moved towards PAPCO’s White Oil Terminal Station - 1 at Port Qasim. At Port Qasim Station the Secretary, Petroleum & Natural Resources was given a brief presentation regarding the operational aspects of the White Oil Pipeline (WOP). Thereafter, he visited the Plant area including the Control building. During the discussions, safety and security aspects of the WOP were discussed. While appreciating the house keeping and professional approach and excellent teamwork in operating the system, he advised out-of-the-box thinking for routine and non-routine problems in improving the operational efficiency. Secretary Petroleum appreciated the leadership role of PARCO in not only putting up the most modern state-of-the-art refinery and extensive pipeline network in Pakistan, but also in developing a culture of environment friendly projects and practices. He believed that the Khalifa Coastal Refinery Project, which is the largest single Foreign Direct Investment in Pakistan and has a potential to bring a tremendous turn around in the economic development of the country, should be expedited on a fast track.

January 2010 ANOTHER MILESTONE OF DHDS PROJECT ACHIEVED: ERECTION OF REACTOR Another milestone of DHDS Project has been successfully achieved in January, 2010. The reactor form Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) – KOREA having weight of 125 Tons has been successfully installed as per schedule using the 300 Tons Manitowoc Ringer as a main Crane & 150 tons crawler as a Tailing crane. Reactor is one of the critical and long lead equipment of DHDS Project. Hydro-treating reaction is carried out in the reactor. This reactor is with 2 beds of catalyst and one inter-bed quench. The reactor vessel is designed to allow maximum utilization of catalyst. Before installation of the Reactor, proper HSE check was conducted before allowing the lifting procedure to avoid any harmful incidents. Diesel Hydrodesulphurization (DHDS) project aims at meeting the International standards by reducing sulphur content in HSD, and is yet another contribution towards protecting the environment.

November 2009 PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS FROM KARACHI UNIVERSITY VISIT KORANGI, PUMPING STATION-1 A group of 38 students from Karachi University, belonging to MS final year Petroleum Technology discipline, accompanied by 2 faculty members visited PS-1, Korangi on November 12, 2009. The students were greeted and given safety / security instructions. Presentations were conducted by the HSE, Human Resource and Coordination and Engineering Services departments explaining in detail, the oil movement through PARCO pipeline system and the role of different pumping stations and terminals in the operations. The students were also presented with a corporate outlook of the company, covering the four major functions i.e. Transportation, Refining, Strategic Storage and Marketing, the different affiliations and partnerships of the company, and the company’s HR policies and opportunities. After the presentation, refreshments were served. Students as well as teachers showed their keen interest while visiting the plant area and the Master Control Center and raised different queries related to the pipeline system. The Station In-charge explained in detail the role and significance of the PARCO pipeline systems. The opportunity to see the impressive infrastructure and engineering facilities closely was a wonderful learning experience for students as also expressed by the teachers.

October 2009 PARCO COMPLETES TWELVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF AAA PACRA RATING Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) has completed twelve consecutive years of AAA financial rating by the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA). The rating agency has maintained the long-term and short-term entity rating of PARCO at "AAA" (triple A) and "Al+" (A one plus) respectively for an unprecedented twelfth year running. PARCO was the first company to be rated AAA by PACRA in the country. The ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk and an exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. These ratings reflect PARCO's low business risk stemming from the company's relatively strong margins which are highest amongst peers. The company's diversified operations keep it ahead of other industry players as well as insulate it from business risk arising out of the cyclical nature of the industry.


October 2009 ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN BY PARCO WITH NATIONAL HIGHWAY AND MOTORWAY POLICE As a leader in the petroleum industry, we encourage Safety at all levels. In line with this concept, PARCO stresses on complying with personal and road safety. Therefore, PARCO joined hands with National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) to run campaigns on Road Safety where a booklet by the name of “Safar Asaan” in Urdu language (attached) will be distributed on national highways to motorists. In this Road Safety project, PARCO has assisted NH&MP by printing 10,000 safety booklets. The booklets will also be distributed in areas that are proximal to our installations and stations, so that our adjoining communities are aware of PARCO’s initiative in safe driving. This activity is an effective tool towards promoting personal and road safety for the nation at large, where PARCO's message of safe driving will urge drivers to follow useful instructions in order to avoid accidents. A formal ceremony was carried out on 8th October, 2009, at National Highway Toll Plaza, Karachi, where Mr. Abdur Rashid, GM KCR Project handed over the Road Safety booklet to Dr. Aftab Pathan, (DIG – NH&MP). After that, both officials jointly distributed the booklets to motorists travelling on the National Highway. Approximately 100 booklets were distributed by NH&MP representatives themselves during this first session.


October 2009 KHALIFA COASTAL REFINERY INVESTMENT The 121st Board of Directors Meeting of the Pak Arab Refinery Limited, a Pakistan-Abu Dhabi joint venture, was held on October 5, 2009. Mr. Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources, chaired the meeting. Declaring a dividend of Rs 3 billion, the Chairman and Directors lauded the efforts of the PARCO team and appreciated the performance of the company despite the difficult business environment, especially in the petroleum sector. The Board also approved investment in the new Khalifa Coastal Refinery Project which is to be set up near Hub. This decision of the Board is reflective of the confidence of international investors, particularly the brotherly Emirate of Abu Dhabi.


March 2009 6.0 MILLION MANHOURS WITHOUT LOST TIME ACCIDENT A new record number of man-hours without a lost time accident are good business for any company. PARCO’s MCR reached a milestone 6 million man-hours without LTA on 22nd March, 2009. The occasion was marked with festivities. The entrance to the refinery was adorned by buntings carrying the PARCO colours. Banners congratulated the employees on their efforts in sustaining their excellent HSE performance. Folk dancers expressed the felicitations felt by the employees as everyone gathered on the first floor of the refinery building.


March 2009 COMMISSIONING OF STATION CONTROL SYSTEM ZAMZAMA CONDENSATE FACILITY AT PS-2, BUBAK Station Instrument / Control System of ZCP (Zamzama Condensate Project) was successfully commissioned during the month of March 2009. Condensate Injection Pumps ZCP-01, Oil Water System Pumps P03, P04 and P05 has been commissioned to operate from HMI / PLC Panel in Control Room. ESD Control System, Ultrasonic Flow Meters, Flow Control Valve, MOVs, Radar Tank Gauging System, Field Alarms and misc. Instrumentation Fire Alarm System consisting of UV/IR Flame Detectors etc. commissioned through PLC/HMI. All the Pumps and MOVs are now operative on remote control from HMI sceen in Control Room and all parameters are displayed on HMI screen for safe and efficient operation of Zamzama Condensate Facilities.


March 2009 INTERSTATION CRICKET TOURNAMENT AT PS-3, SHIKARPUR This spring brought new excitement to Pumping Station 3, Shikarpur, when it hosted the Inter-station cricket tournament in the newly developed cricket ground. Four teams were selected from different stations, gathered and provided some exciting cricket to all present there. The tournament also provided opportunity to assess the talent of players for the forth coming PARCO Inter-departmental tournament at Mid Country Refinery. The final was contested between the combined teams from PS-1, TS-1, WOTS-1 and PS-2, PS-3. after winning the toss PS-1 batted first and scored 72 runs in 12 overs, which was chased by the host team and reached the target in 10 overs for the loss of just four wickets. DMD (Ops) distributed the trophy and praised the high standard of sportsmanship of all players. Manager S&T thanked all the distinguished guests for their presence.


March 2009 MD Delivers a Lecture on Coastal Refinery Mr. Rasheed Jung, Managing Director, PARCO, was invited by PIP to deliver a lecture on Coastal Refinery to all its member companies on March 20, 2009. Large number of attendees from all member companies of PIP was present to attend this informative session. Mr. Jung apprised the audience about the salient features of the Coastal Refinery including demand and supply forecast of petroleum products till 2013 for the country. Mr. Jung explained the importance of Khalifa Coastal Refinery, benefits of this Mega Project and Project Facilities. He emphasized that this project and other projects of similar nature are very essential for our economic and industrial development as well as to meet the deficit of petroleum products in the demand and supply gap.


February 2009 13th Bi-Annual Sales Conference The 13th Bi-Annual Sales Conference of Marketing & Commercial Division was held on the 12th & 13th February, 2009 at Hotel Beach Luxury, Karachi. Managing Director, PARCO Mr. M.Rasheed Jung, DMD-F&CA Mr. Feroz J. Cowasjee DMD-Operations Mr. Shuja Uddin Ahmed graced the occasion by attending the Sales Conference. The participants included GM (M&C), Manager (M&C), Section Heads, Regional Sales In charges and Group Heads of M&C Division. The two day Sales Conference included presentations and discussion by Group Coordinators and Regional Sales In charges of M&C Division. All the sessions were highly productive and participants freely exchanged their views and ideas on sales activities, pricing, brand management and sales promotion support.


February 2009 PARCO COMPLETES’ DOUBLE HAT-TRICK By WINNING ‘BEST OFFICE GARDEN TROPHY FOR SIXTH TIME The well laid out and finely trimmed lawns of the Corporate Headquarters at PS-1 heralded the advent of spring with multi colored flowers of various types blooming in the morning sunlight. As per tradition Horticultural Society of Pakistan organized the ‘58th Pakistan Flower Show- 2009’ at the Sea View park on 26th February 2009. True to its tradition PARCO completed its second Hat-trick by winning the ‘Best Office Garden Trophy’ for the sixth consecutive year. In recognition of this, a ‘Gold Medal’ was awarded to PARCO for the second time. PARCO participated in the said competition for the first time in 2003, where we secured second position. Due to concerted efforts of the team of supervisor and gardeners, PARCO won the first price in the 2004 competition. Ever since they have never looked back. This by itself speaks volumes of the devotion and dedication which is second nature to all Parconians. Col. Munawer Hussain (Retd), Manager Administration, received the coveted ‘Trophy and the Gold Medal’ on behalf of PARCO from Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Chief Justice, Sindh High Court of Sindh, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Later, in appreciation of the efforts of all concerned, Mr. Rasheed Jung, Managing Director PARCO distributed cash prizes and sweets amongst all the gardeners of PS-I.


February 2009 PARCO participate in ILMATHON – a fund raising walk by TCF A fund raising walk ‘ILMATHON’ was organized by The Citizen’s Foundation held on Feb 8, 2009 at Area 51, DHA Karachi. The Citizen’s Foundation is a professionally managed non profit organization set up in 1995 by a group of citizens concerned with the dismal state of education in Pakistan. It is now one of Pakistan’s leading organizations in the field of formal educations. TCF accommodated the underprivileged children who cannot afford education on their own. PARCONIANS joined hands with TCF to participate in the walk with high spirits, almost every department was presented by its representative there. The walk started at 1600 Hrs. and ended at 1715 Hrs. followed with an entertaining Mela which was thoroughly enjoyed by all the participants.


January 2009 Pak-Arab Refinery goes live with SAP ERP PARCO’s main strengths are first its Human Resource and second it’s State of the Art Operations Technology. Management recognized that competitive advantage could only be obtained if the Human Resource had timely, accurate and effective information to take decisions in an increasingly competitive and complex Business and Economic Environment and fully sweat its Technology and Assets to maximize Share Holder Value.