Assets in offshore oil and gas operations are most vulnerable to corrosion due to its continuous exposure to water and moisture. Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) appearing in pipelines, responsible for 40-60% of maintenance and repair costs, is hard to detect from the insulation protecting the pipes. Being equipped with the right techniques and tools has become vital for companies in order to avoid breakdown in operations.

Fleming Gulf is organizing the Corrosion Under Insulation Forum in Al Khobar - Saudi Arabia with an aim to bring together global corrosion experts under one roof and look at the new technological breakthroughs in CUI. The forum to be held on 7 - 8 September 2014 will look at topics like ensuring successful plant design to subdue CUI, applications of Thermal Spray Aluminum (TSA) for long term protection, CUI management in NGL fractionation plants, CUI detection/monitoring techniques for cross country oil & gas underground pipeline networks and detailed evaluation on mitigating Corrosion Under Pipe Support (CUPS).

Ali Morshed, Corrosion Engineering Specialist at Saudi Aramco has joined the speaker panel and will be sharing his lessons on CUI from UK’s North Sea offshore industry. Through this case study he will look at all the vulnerabilities that led to the problems and provide insights on how it could have been avoided through proper training. With more than 11 years of experience working in the UK Offshore Sector and various international projects in Africa and Asia, Morshed's inputs will shed light on the importance of CUI education. Other organizations speaking at the forum include ADGAS, MiCorr Inc., SW Materials And Corrosion Ltd., Pak - Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and American Society of Non - Destructive Testing (Saudi Arabia Section).

The forum is endorsed by The Institute of Materials Finishing - IMF. Originally founded in 1925, IMF deals with all technologies of surface finishing on a wide variety of materials. The forum will serve as an excellent opportunity for delegates to share insights with their peers and also learn from their experiences aiding in making the current practices in play more effective.