Milaha’s H1 2015 net profit increases by 26%

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) Q.S.C. today announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Milaha delivered a net profit of QAR 651 million for the first half of 2015, a 26% increase in profitability compared to the first half of 2014.
 

Key financial highlights:

• Operating revenues increased by 22% to QAR 1.51 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2015, up from QR 1.24 billion for the same period in 2014
  
• Operating profit  increased by 31% to QAR 442 million for the half year ended June 30, 2015, up from QR 337 million for the same period in 2014
  
• Net profit  increased by 26% to QAR 651 million for the half year ended June 30, 2015, up from QR 518 million for the same period in 2014
  
• Earnings per share increased to QAR 5.73 for the half year ended June 30, 2015, up from QR 4.56 for the same period in 2014

Milaha Maritime & Logistics’ revenue grew by 27% and net profit by 119%, mainly driven by our port and container shipping businesses. The ramp up in project activity in Qatar lead to increased trade volumes continues to positively impact this segment.

Milaha Gas & Petrochem’s revenue grew by 26% and net profit by 29%, on the back of stronger performance from its fully owned and operated product tankers and gas carriers, as well as investments in associates and LNG JVs.  

Milaha Offshore’s revenue grew by 41% and net profit by 151% despite weak market conditions driven by the steep decline in oil prices and the cutbacks on capital spending by oil majors. The offshore management team continues to take steps towards a long term strategy of fleet renewal and geographic expansion, while optimizing utilization and operating efficiency under the current difficult conditions.

Milaha Trading’s revenue grew by 24% and net profit by 108% on the back of strong equipment sales driven largely by the ongoing projects in Qatar.
 
Despite outperforming the Qatar Exchange index, the performance of the actively traded investment portfolio of Milaha Capital experienced a decline, resulting in an 8% drop in net profit in comparison to the same period in 2014.   

“We continue to execute on our long term strategy and, as a result, we have continued to deliver strong financial performance in a challenging business environment. Our seasoned management team remains focused and committed to growing the various Milaha segments, with a particular emphasis on gas transportation, container shipping, offshore, warehousing and logistics,” said Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of Milaha.

He then added, “Over five years ago, Milaha embarked on a transformation that reinvented the way it conducts business. I am pleased that our hard work and unwavering commitment to improvement and growth is paying off and we see that reflected in our financial results as well as in our growing recognition locally, regionally and internationally.”  
                                                       
The company will conduct an investor conference call on Monday, August 3rd, 2015 at 3 pm Doha time, to further discuss its results.  The conference call may be accessed by telephone by dialing +44 (0) 1452 569 335 (UK and International) and entering the Conference ID: 87852931.  Further information can be found on our website www.milaha.com.

الدوحة، ٢٧ يوليو ٢٠١٥

إرتفاع أرباح شركة ملاحة بنسبة ٢٦٪ في النصف الأول من عام ٢٠١٥ 

اعلنت اليوم شركة الملاحة القطرية (ملاحة) ش.م.ق. نتائجها المالية عن فترة الستة الاشهر المنتهية في ٣٠ يونيو ٢٠١٥ حيث حققت الشركة صافي ربح قدره ٦٥١ مليون ريال قطري بزيادة قدرها ٢٦٪ مقارنة مع نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤.

المؤشرات المالية الرئيسية

• زادت الايرادات التشغيلية بمعدل ٢٢٪ حيث بلغت ١.٥١ مليار ريال قطري خلال فترة الستة اشهر المنتهية في ٣٠ يونيو ٢٠١٥ مقارنة بمبلغ ١٫٢٤ مليار ريال قطري عن نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤.
  
• زادت الارباح التشغيلية بمعدل ٣١٪ حيث بلغت ٤٤٢ مليون ريال قطري عن النصف الاول من هذا العام والمنتهي بتاريخ ٣٠ يونيو ٢٠١٥ مقارنة بمبلغ ٣٣٧ مليون ريال قطري عن نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤ .
  
• زاد صافي الربح بمعدل ٢٦٪ حيث بلغ ٦٥١ مليون ريال قطري عن النصف الاول من هذا العام والمنتهي بتاريخ ٣٠ يونيو ٢٠١٥ مقارنة بمبلغ ٥١٨ مليون ريال قطري عن نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤.
  
• بلغ العائد على السهم ٥٫٧٣ ريال قطري عن النصف الاول من عام ٢٠١٥ مقارنة بمبلغ ٤٫٥٦ ريال قطري عن نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤.

لقد نمت ايرادات قطاع ملاحة للبحرية واللوجستية بمعدل ٢٧٪ وزاد صافي ربح هذا القطاع بمعدل ١١٩٪. ترجع هذه الزيادة الى نمو اعمال الميناء ونقل الحاوياتمدفوعة بالنمو المستمر في انشطة المشاريع بدولة قطر مما ادى الى زيادة في حجم التجارة واثر بصورة ايجابية على نشاط هذا القطاع.

لقد نمت ايرادات قطاع ملاحة للغاز والبتروكيماويات بمعدل ٢٦٪ وزاد صافي ربح هذا القطاع بمعدل ٢٩٪. يعزى هذا النمو الى ناقلات المنتجات والغاز المملوكة للمجوعة بالكامل وكذلك استثمارات المجموعة في الشركات الزميلة والشركات المشتركة لنقل الغاز الطبيعي المسال.

نمت ايرادات قطاع ملاحة للخدمات البحرية بمعدل ٤١٪ وزاد صافي ربح هذا القطاع بمعدل ١٥١٪ رغم احوال السوق السيئة والناتجة عن تدهور اسعار النفط ولجوء شركات النفط الى خفض انفاقها الرأسمالي. لقد استمر فريق ادارة قطاع الخدمات البحرية في تطبيق استراتيجية طويلة الاجل تهدف إلى تجديد الاسطول البحري والتوسع جغرافياً مع السعي في نفس الوقت للوصول لمستوى كفاءة تشغيل مثالية في ظل الظروف الصعبة الحالية.

نمت ايرادات قطاع ملاحة للتجارة بمعدل ٢٤٪ وزاد صافي الربح بمعدل ١٠٨٪ . تعزى هذه الزيادة الى المبيعات القوية للمعدات وذلك بسبب استمرار نمو المشاريع بدولة قطر.

رغم ان اداء قطاع ملاحة كابيتال قد تفوق على اداء بورصة قطر الا ان اداء محفظة الاستثمارات قد ادى الى هبوط ارباح القطاع بمعدل ٨٪ في صافي الربح مقارنة مع نفس الفترة من عام ٢٠١٤.

وقال سعادة الشيخ علي بن جاسم ال ثاني، رئيس مجلس إدارة ملاحة: "في إطار إستكمال تنفيذ استراتيجيتنا الطويلة الأمد، نتابع اداءنا المالي القوي بالرغم من التحديات الكثيرة في أسواق اليوم. و يبقى فريق ادارتنا المتمرس ملتزماً بتحقيق معدلات نمو في قطاعات ملاحة المختلفة مع التركيز على نقل الغاز و شحن الحاويات والخدمات البحرية و اللوجستية والمستودعات."
و أضاف سعادة الشيخ علي بن جاسم ال ثاني: "منذ خمسة اعوام، بدأت ملاحة مسيرة تحول غيرت مفاهيم إدارة و تنفيذ الأعمال، وأنا سعيد لرؤية نتائج عملنا الجاد والتزامنا القوي كما تظهر ذلك نتائجنا المالية و التقدير المتزايد لملاحة على الصعيد المحلي والإقليمي والدولي."

ستقوم الشركة بعقد مكالمة جماعية في يوم الإثنين الثالث من أغسطس من عام ٢٠١٥ لمناقشة البيانات المالية لهذه الفترة. سيتم إجراء هذه المكالمة في تمام الساعة الثالثة من بعد الظهر بتوقيت الدوحة, ويمكن الوصول إلى المكالمة عبر الاتصال بالرقم التالي: +44 (0) 1452 569 335من المملكة المتحدة وباقي دول العالم) وإدخال الرمز التعريفي الخاص بالمكالمة:87852931. لمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة موقع ملاحة: www.milaha.com

Second-generation strand woven bamboo technology allows any type of timber to be used

ADVANCED materials scientists have developed a technique to make softwood tougher than hardwood, and build in UV and termite protection.
The Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science & Technology in South Australia is working with the Australian company 3RT to advance the concept of strand woven bamboo (itself an Australian invention), which is now a common flooring material around the world.
3RT was formed to commercialise the research and the South Australian Government has provided $1 million to help the company develop a trial plant at Mount Gambier in the southeast of South Australia.
The process - known as lignocellulose manufacturing technology – glues together offcuts of wood and then compresses them to create a new product that is denser, harder and more durable than the original and has greater aesthetic appeal.
Strand woven bamboo, which was commercialised in China in 2006, achieves 2900 on the Janka Hardness Scale, compared with 1910 for jarrah and 1180 for hard maple or natural bamboo.
The second-generation technology can attain the same with virtually any type of timber and allows for cost-effective manufacturing in high-labor cost countries.
“It is truly unique because it can transform timber waste or young plantation timber into products with both the visual appeal and the technical properties of tropical hardwood,” said 3RT’s managing director, Peter Torreele. “In addition, the products are termite resistant and fire retardant.”
These extra properties come courtesy of the nantotechnology and polymer science skills of Prof David Lewis and his colleagues at Flinders. The same techniques allow them to create treated pine without the use of copper chromium arsenate. Importantly, the resin used in the new manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly.
“The different process and different woods demanded a different resin to the what’s commonly used with bamboo and we were able to develop our technology around a water-based alternative,” Prof Lewis said.
Prof Lewis was an advisor to the company behind the first-generation technology and immediately could see the potential to do more.
“We had ideas to do it differently technically and to design a new manufacturing process around it that would be economical in Australia,” he said. “We’ve come up with a range of manufacturing options where you don’t need as many people to do it and it’s more efficient and gives better quality control.”
The potential is to use small logs, rejects and early clearings from plantations to create hard timber products, rather than chipping them to create less useful chipboard, particleboard or MDF. The key to strand woven technology is that there is fibre the entire length of the product, which provides both the mechanical properties and the aesthetics.
Negotiations are underway with potential partners, with a view to commercial production beginning next year. There is already significant international interest, with companies from around the world sending wood samples for testing as part of the development process.

KYOTO MARATHON 2016, A REFRESHING WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE FORMER JAPANESE CAPITAL

(Dubai, 28, July 2015) - The city of Kyoto and Kyoto Athletic Association brings you the fifth installment of the Kyoto Marathonin 2016. This marathon is a wonderful opportunity to experience the enriching Japanese culture and explore the scenic beauty of the city while contributing to a noble cause in the healthiest way possible.The city of Kyoto is the former capital of Japan and is known for its splendid temples and infrastructure stretching back to 1200 years ago. Also with the Middle-Eastern tourism reflecting positive inclination towards the Japanese culture, Kyoto Marathon opens up ideal avenues to visit the region.

Kyoto has a rich tapestry of attractions, shopping and cultural experiences suitable for urban lifestyle travellers that enjoy the juxtaposition between traditional and modern worlds that only Kyoto can provide. Museums dedicated to “anime” or Japanese animation stand side by side a working Japanese Edo samurai period working film studio, karaoke boxes and vibrant night entertainment comfortably exists in a city where exclusive maiko performances and tea ceremony and can be enjoyed.

The marathon is scheduled to happen on 21st of February 2016 and bookings for the same will start from 28th July 2015. The Kyoto Marathon is one of Japan’s major mass-participation marathon, attracting 16,000 runners, 15,000 staff and over 500,000 spectators every year.The marathon, which spans over a stretch of 42.195kms covers various parts of the Kyoto city. The revenues earned from the marathon would be forwarded towards the ‘Assistance for Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake’ fund.

MEYLE shock absorbers for safe and continuous driving pleasure

§  Workshops benefit from a comprehensive range of superior-quality spares to cater for a wide array of vehicle applications

§  Significantly extended service life thanks to additional polishing and thicker anti-corrosion coating

§  Tailor-made accessory kits help maximise repair efficiency

Hamburg, 28 July 2015. Shock absorbers are exposed to extraordinary levels of strain. Defects may go unnoticed at first, and can develop to become extremely hazardous. This is why Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG offers under its MEYLE brand a range of premium-grade spare parts designed to resist even the highest levels of wear. To achieve this, the company's in-house engineers have made reliable corrosion protection one of their prime concerns. The current range of shock absorbers features around 600 items.

Shock absorbers have a lot to cope with: potholes, bumpy roads, heavy loads or towing, not to mention environmental factors including dirt, humidity or road salt – all of which combine to accelerate shock absorber wear and tear. Therefore, the part's impact on the overall car system is dramatic. Only when shock absorbers are functioning properly are they able to reduce braking distances, ensure excellent roadholding when cornering and trouble-free operation of state-of-the-art driver assistance systems such as ABS, ESP or TCS.

To help workshops offer premium-quality and safe spare parts Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG supplies a comprehensive range of MEYLE shock absorbers engineered to resist early part wear. Special features include a thicker anti-corrosion coating specially designed to protect the part against abrasive conditions and excessive strain. Tests have shown that the MEYLE piston rod is by far the least vulnerable to corrosion among all competitor products tested. Post-process polishing of the piston rod surface helps reduce the number and depth of micro fissures, thereby improving overall sealing performance. MEYLE shock absorbers are easily distinguished by the high-quality MEYLE embossing on the shock absorber tube.

Additionally, Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG offers rubber buffer and dust cap kits optimally geared to each shock absorber, complemented by a wide range of coil springs and strut mounts, thereby allowing workshops to replace wear and tear parts of the suspension and damping systems relying exclusively on high-grade MEYLE products.

The benefit for drivers: Even when exposed to the highest levels of dynamic stress, MEYLE shock absorbers ensure uncompromising driving pleasure – when braking, accelerating, cornering or driving under rough road conditions.

Light Middle East turns focus on innovation and energy conservation with sponsorship of UNESCO International Year of Light

Bigger and brighter than ever before, Light Middle East 2015 - the region's premier international showcase for lighting design and technology - will turn the focus on transformational new developments in the lighting world with its sponsorship of the UNESCO International Year of Light.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL), to raise awareness of how light-based technologies provide sustainable solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health.

Light Middle East 2015 is a Gold Sponsor for the IYL in the same year that marks the 1000th anniversary of the ground-breaking seven volume treatise on optics by Al-Haytham, who is considered a pivotal figure in the history of optics and the ‘Father of modern Optics’.

Born in 968 in present day Iraq, Al-Haytham was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light. His ideas influenced European scholars including those of the Renaissance that brought Europe out of the Dark Ages.

“Ibn Al-Haytham is a revolutionary scientist from 1,000 years ago whose life and work has been underappreciated, yet they have more relevance today than ever before,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Light Middle East.

“It’s a privilege for Light Middle East to partner with such an internationally significant occasion such as the UNESCO International Year of Light, as we draw on Al-Haytham’s example and shine new light on cooperation and sustainability.

“Light Middle East, as the leading international trade and networking platform for lighting design and technology serving the wider region, also has an important role to play in shaping the future of the industry in the Middle East,” added Pauwels.

Light Middle East 2015 will take place from 6-8 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  

The three-day event will feature more than 350 exhibitors from 27 countries representing over 430 brands, and returns with popular features such as the Future Zone – a special section that spotlights the world’s leading trends, technologies and concepts of lighting technology.

Headline exhibitors returning in 2015 following their successful outing last year include Platinum Sponsor Cinmar; Gold Sponsor Huda Lighting; British manufacturer acdc; Austrian company Xal; Targetti from Italy, and UAE-based Speclight Associates, the regional sales agency of premier international names such as Hess Licht+Form, Blight and Hydrel.

Said Sawaf, Agency Principal at Speclight Associates, said: “With Dubai being the hub of architectural lighting design in the region, we thought Light Middle East would be a great opportunity to further penetrate the market with the variety of specification-grade brands that we represent.

“Light Middle East is important for the Middle East's lighting design industry since the regional construction market is going through a process of evolution; it’s really maturing.  What that means is that it’s becoming more professional, more serious and much more demanding.”

Other popular features at Light Middle East 2015 include the Light Middle East Conference on 7-8 October, highlighting key issues impacting the regional lighting industry, while the prestigious Light Middle East Awards will celebrate the region’s most outstanding lighting projects and designers.