Winds from Maghreb - Report of Algeria
Back row from left to right :Nettah Mohammed, Henni Abderrezak, Benreguia Hadj
Front row from left to right : Bouteraa Fatima Zohra, Ouali Ryad, Reporter Shuji Miyai
In 2004, MOL built the LNG carrier Lalla Fatma N' Soumer with Sonatrach, Hyproc Shipping Company (Hyproc, Sonatrach's wholly owned subsidiary, a shipping company that operates LNG carriers and LPG carriers), and ITOCHU Corporation, and began working with Hyproc on ship operation and management. This issue's report is from Shuji Miyai, who is responsible for management of the Lalla Fatma N' Soumer with Hyproc, and provides technical marine expertise to the Hyproc staff.
The world's second largest LNG export nation: Algeria.
The Hyproc shipping company to which I am assigned has an office in Arzew City next to Oran City, the second largest city of Algeria. Oran City is located about 500 kilometers east of the Straits of Gibraltar and is famous as the port from which Ingrid Bergman's character departed Marseilles and transferred to a train to Morocco in the movie "Casablanca."
Lalla Fatma N' Soumer, at its first call in Algeria's Bethioua terminal.
Sonatrac President Mohamed Meziane, and Algerian Minister for Energy and Mining Chekib Khelil attend the initial ceremony.
Algeria is the world's second largest LNG export nation after Indonesia, and it has an LNG terminal in Arzew city and Skikda city near the republic of Tunisia. In addition, Algeria transfers natural gas via several offshore pipelines to Spain and Italy. The world's first commercial export of LNG started with a vessel that departed from Arzew City in 1964. The parent company of Hyproc, Sonatrach, develops petroleum and gas fields and produces and sells crude oil, natural gas and LNG. I am responsible for management of the LNG carrier and a broad range of other duties, such as general ship management, seafarer allocation and management, and technical communication between the LNG carrier and local staff. Hyproc (and in its earlier incarnation of CNAN) has operated carriers for LNG and other purposes for more than three decades. LNG carriers which they owned and operated, were built more than 20 years ago, before the Lalla Fatma N' Soumer was launched, so the crew needed retraining. We established a full training schedule at MOL's training center in Japan, at factory of ship building and ship equipment companies, training took place at a machinery maker and onboard an MOL-operated LNG carrier.
Climbing the stairs of rebirth
Sonatrac's office building under construction in Oran City.
Independence from France, achieved in 1962, was a remarkable breakthrough. However, the country fell into civil war starting in early 1990. The resulting "lost decade" produced economical and political anarchy. Up until the tumult, many Japanese and foreigners remained in Algeria to assist in plant construction. But most of them left Algeria when anarchy ensued.

The appeasement policy of the present president of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was elected in 1999, produced positive results, and as public order was restored, the nation's economy moved toward recovery. I visited Hyproc for the first time in 2002. Before arriving, I tried searching the Internet for background on Algeria, but much of the information stemmed from before 1990 and was outdated. Today, more than 400,000 Internet sites provide up-to-date information. When I visited Algeria in 2002, I heard about attacks, sometimes directly, and used my vehicle's hazard flasher as I departed for the airport with seven or eight gendarmerie, or military police officers (the term gendarmerie is a holdover from French colonial days.) To this day, a gendarmerie still accompanies my car as I commute to my office. But the gendarmerie is actually not needed because public order has been restored to a remarkable degree.
Daily scenes of Algerian life
Dish antennas dot the residential landscape like mushrooms.
Dish antennas sprout like mushrooms from the balconies of local apartments, and air-conditioners are widespread. The demand for electricity has skyrocketed, and summertime power failures are everyday events. Cell phones are common, but Internet LAN service only recently was launched. Such infrastructure is under construction in everywhere of the city. Roads and public buildings, as well as stores and private houses, have undergone remodeling. As a result, the city is increasingly sophisticated. The city's development has been dramatic, and if buildings from the colonial era can be scrubbed to their original shine, the cityscape will once again be attractive.

Grocery stores selling meats and breads stand side by side with stores selling clothes, home electric appliances and precious metals, offer an abundance and variety of goods. Most products, however, are imported. While the nation profits from the higher prices of crude oil and gas experienced in recent years, our staff also worry about increases in the prices of import products.
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Last year, tourists from Europe and the United States resumed their visits to Algeria, making sure to see world-class treasures such as the fine-grain sand of the Sahara desert, Tassili-n-Ajer, and the Roman ruins of Timgad. In the future, more foreign tourists will make trips to the nation, and as a result, it will change more rapidly than ever. Close to Europe, Algeria has the advantage of a vast, desert terrain that experts believe holds a huge store of gas and crude oil. From both economic and tourist perspectives, it is a very attractive nation.

The professional attitude of the Hyproc staff is serious and dedicated, and we look forward to the launching LNG carriers in 2007-08. I am confident that Hyproc soon will be one of our most important customers.
Gratitude to Itochu staff for my life in Algeria
A rainbow appears in the sky of Oran City.
There are no Japanese restaurants in Algeria. Also, it is hard to buy Japanese foods. Even though I was sent some food from Japan, it often stayed at customs for months, and its freshness expired. Therefore, I express my heartfelt thanks to the staff of our partner, Itochu who know Algeria well, and of IHI who have done many favors for me.