His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Shell Joint Ventures (BSJV) Board of Directors graced the BSJV inaugural joint Hari Raya celebration at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Brunei yesterday.
The hosting of the event by BSJV companies comprised Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP), Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd (Brunei LNG), Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd (BSM) along with Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd (BGC), Shell Deepwater Borneo (SDB) and Shell Exploration and Production Brunei (SEPB).
His Royal Highness was greeted upon arrival by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah and Shell Country Chair of Shell Companies in Brunei Darussalam and Managing Director of BSP Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis.
Cabinet ministers, foreign dignitaries, senior officials from the government and private sectors, academic officials and non-governmental organisations along with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Brunei LNG Adeleye Falade, Managing Director of BSM Alexirwan Omar, Managing Director of BGC Captain Abdul Mateen Abdurrahman Liew, Managing Director of SDB Dougal Grant and General Manager of SEPB Abdullah bin Haji Ibrahim were also present.
Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis in her opening remarks noted that Aidilfitri embodies the spirit of togetherness, and the joint celebration commemorates the unity embodied by the Shell or Shell-affiliated group of companies in the Sultanate.
“I am proud that the presence of the companies here today represents an end-to-end energy partnership, from upstream to downstream as well as mobility and shipping, that have created value for Brunei for almost a century.”
The collaboration, she added, has only strengthened in the last decades and hoped the building of the strong partnership continues to sustain their mission to safely deliver reliable energy supply that Brunei and the world needs, for a prosperous and thriving future for all.
The event hosted under the banner ‘Muhibah Raya’ aims to foster closer relationships and togetherness, embodying the spirit of unity and goodwill, while also reflecting the scale of impact and contributions of the oil and gas industry to the nation’s economy and ecosystem.
Before leaving the event, His Royal Highness toured the ‘open houses’ in the form of booths showcasing the organisations’ participation in their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
BSP demonstrates its commitment towards national development that extends beyond its oil and gas activities where its Seria Energy Lab cultivates science literacy by advocating the latest STEM competencies and its impact with the energy sector. Also shared at their booth were updates on Shell LiveWIRE Brunei and their latest collaboration with Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE), IBTE Shield programme.
The demonstration was summarised by the recently launched volunteer programme BSPCares, a combined effort to generate more manpower support for activities impacting community members.
Brunei LNG meanwhile affirmed its dedication to propelling national growth through various initiatives that go beyond its core business as a liquefied natural gas plant.
Through the contribution of skills and resources to provide lasting benefits to the society and the environment, Brunei LNG aims to create a positive presence and legacy in the communities they operate in. As the main sponsor and co-organiser of the biennial Crown Prince Creative, Innovative Product and Technological Advancement (CIPTA) Award in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), Brunei LNG remains committed to inspiring youth, fostering creativity and innovation. Their flagship programme, ‘EmployAbility’ looks toward increasing employment and enhancing the capabilities of the local Bruneian workforce, aligning with Brunei Vision 2035.
Meanwhile, BSM displayed its social investment initiatives, focusing on nurturing strong relationships with the youth and the community where these initiatives are designed to foster meaningful impacts in their everyday lives.
BGC meanwhile showcased some of their social investment programmes including their flagship ‘Project Amali’ and ‘Clean Rivers, Clean Seas’.
SDB presented their Gift to the Nation – an artificial intelligence (AI) lab at UTB, promoting advancements in technology and AI research while SEPB highlighted their ‘Waste Not, Save More’ sustainability project in 15 public schools, a collaboration with Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam and Big BWN Project. – Lyna Mohamad
