Queen Beatrix visits BSP

HER Majesty Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands visited the Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) Co Sdn Bhd Head Office yesterday as part of her two-day official state visit to the Sultanate to enhance bilateral relations.

The visiting Dutch monarch arrived in the morning by helicopter with Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah.

Welcoming the Royals at the event were Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohammad Yasmin Hj Umar, Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Abu Bakar, and BSP Managing Director Ken Marnoch.

Upon arrival at the BSP Head Office, Her Majesty the Queen was greeted by 150 children from Panaga School who waved Brunei and Dutch flags.

During the visit, the delegation was shown an overview of Brunei Shell Joint Venture (BSJV) companies and their contribution towards the country.

Her Majesty also took the opportunity to have a live video conference with staff on offshore platform Champion from BSP's Atrium. She showed her concern by asking them on their feelings of being away from their families.

The visit concluded with an aerial tour of the Heart of Borneo to showcase the country's rich biodiversity.

Other attendees at the event included the Queen's delegation from the Netherlands and senior government officials from both countries.

The two-day state visit is Her Majesty's first official visit to Brunei since both countries established diplomatic relations in 1984, said BSP in a press release.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam visited Netherlands in January 2011, where he toured the Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) Headquarters to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the partnership between the Brunei Government and RDS.

The close relations between the Brunei Government and RDS were maintained through shared values of commitment and diligence, said BSP.

In January 23 last year, the Government of His Majesty, RDS and BSP signed the Production and Investment Agreement which focuses on mechanisms to support, sustain and increase the production of oil and gas by BSP.

Both the Netherlands and Brunei continue to promote diversity in non-oil-and-gas sectors and are looking to expand economic relations. In addition to further enhancing bilateral relations during His Majesty's visit to Netherlands in 2011, His Majesty also looked into new fields of cooperation apart from the one with RDS, such as water, environment, agriculture, training and education.

Currently, there are more than 300 Dutch citizens residing in the country, mostly working with BSP and other companies in the oil and gas sector.The Brunei Times