Tag: Engro

  • ‘Banging sounds’ heard underwater in search for missing Titanic submersible 

    ‘Banging sounds’ heard underwater in search for missing Titanic submersible 

    In a frantic search for the missing OceanGate Titan submarine, a Canadian maritime surveillance aircraft is reported by Al-Jazeera to have detected ‘banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes.’ 

    On Sunday, the submersible went missing in the North Atlantic Ocean 100 minutes into its voyage to see the wreck of the Titanic. Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman Dawood are onboard the vessel.

    The United States Coast Guard said that one of the Canadian aircrafts involved in the search for the deep-sea vessel has detected “underwater noises in the search area”. 

    Remotely operated vehicles  (ROVs) were then relocated “in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises”, the coastguard said on Wednesday, Al-Jazeera reports.

    So far, the ROVs have “yielded negative results”, said the coastguard in a tweet. Still, they are continuing their search.

    Rolling Stone magazine, citing internal US government communications, was the first to report the news of what was described as “banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes”. 

    The magazine cited an internal email sent to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials. “Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard,” the magazine reported.

    The oxygen supply on OceanGate’s Titan will run out by Thursday morning, according to officials. 

    A foreseeable tragedy?

    The former director of marine operations for OceanGate, David Lochridge, had previously raised safety concerns about Titan before being fired from his position.

    Lochridge’s concerns about the safety of the missing submersible are still contained in a response he filed to the lawsuit that OceanGate brought against him for breaching a non-disclosure agreement.

    Lochridge wrote an engineering report in 2018 that said the craft under development needed more testing and that passengers might be endangered when it reached “extreme depths”. 

    According to his claim, he learned the vessel was built to withstand a certified pressure of 1,300 meters, although OceanGate planned to take passengers to 4,000 meters, CBS news reports.

  • CPEC Authority chief Gen Asim Bajwa resigns

    CPEC Authority chief Gen Asim Bajwa resigns

    Lieutenant General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Tuesday resigned from his position as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority’s chief, as he thanked the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan for their support.

    Bajwa took to Twitter and said, “I bow my head before Allah Almighty for giving me an opportunity to raise and steer the important institution of CPEC Authority as one window for all CPEC projects, charting the future direction.”

    Bajwa further tweeted that he wished the best for Khalid Mansoor, who has replaced him as the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on CPEC Affairs.

    He said Mansoor was fully equipped to take CPEC forward. “CPEC is a lifeline for Pakistan; it will transform us into a progressive and fully developed country.”

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar thanked Bajwa for his services in moving CPEC forward and playing a vital role in broadening the project’s scope.

    The federal minister welcomed Mansoor to the team as SAPM for CPEC Affairs.

    According to Engro website, Khalid Mansoor was the Chief Executive of The Hub Power Company Limited (Hubco) since May 20, 2013.

    He holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering with Distinction and honors. Mansoor is also the Chairman of Laraib Energy Limited, a subsidiary of (Hubco).

    He has over 32 years of experience and expertise in the Energy & Petrochemical Sectors in leading roles for mega-size Projects Development, Execution, Management and Operations.

  • Pakistani billionaire announces Rs1 billion for COVID-19 battle

    As Pakistan wages war on the coronavirus pandemic, chairperson of Dawood Hercules Corporation — parent organisation of Pakistani multinational conglomerate Engro Corporation — and billionaire Hussain Dawood has announced pledging a contribution in services, kind and cash of Rs1 billion for a short, medium and long-term basis, on behalf of Dawood Hercules, Engro and his family.

    “We are committed to help solve some of the most pressing issues of our time and it is incumbent upon us to serve our nation best when it needs us most.  These are our fundamental values that continue to be at the core of what we strive to achieve,” Hussain said in a press release issued Thursday

    “We must work on several fronts concurrently. The need of the hour is to target on reducing the spread and impact of this virus,” he emphasised.

    The group further said it would focus on disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics, protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic, enabling patient care and facilities; and to bolster livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society.

    The company also welcomed the efforts by the government and other organisations who have stepped up to this challenge.

    The contribution comes a day after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan announced a relief fund to fight the coronavirus epidemic and urged everyone to donate.

    “Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 has been set up to help us fight this pandemic. I want everyone to donate towards this fund which will be used to take care of all those who have been made destitute by the lockdown,” he had tweeted.

  • Coronavirus: PSL matches likely to be shifted from Karachi as another two infected

    Coronavirus: PSL matches likely to be shifted from Karachi as another two infected

    Sindh Health Department is mulling over a proposal to issue an advisory for the public and requesting a ban on public events in Karachi, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), after nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the port city on Monday, followed by another two in Sindh on Tuesday.

    According to Geo, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are in touch with the Sindh government regarding the fate of the PSL matches that are to be held in Karachi over the next two weeks.

    “PCB officials are in constant touch with the Sindh government and attending all the meetings regarding PSL matches in the city,” a PCB spokesperson was quoted as saying.

    The spokesperson further said that the board would follow the Sindh government’s directives. “However, for now, the matches are still scheduled for Karachi.”

    As per the details of the two cases surfacing Tuesday, the first case of the novel coronavirus emerged in Hyderabad. The patient had reportedly come to Pakistan from Doha via Syria. The second case of the virus emerged in Karachi, putting the total tally of cases in the port city at 15.

    The total number of infections in Pakistan has now reached 18.

    ENGRO SHUTS DOWN KARACHI HARBOUR FRONT OFFICES:

    Engro Corporation shut down its offices in the HarbourFront building on Tuesday after an employee was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. 

    Engro is a Pakistani multinational conglomerate company with subsidiaries involved in production of fertilizers, foods, chemicals, energy and petrochemicals. Its major subsidiaries, Engro Fertilizers, is one of the largest fertilizer manufacturers in the world.

    A statement from the corporation stated that at 1 pm on Tuesday, an employee who worked at the eighth-floor office of the building was diagnosed with the coronavirus. 

    The statement further said that the employee was last in the office for a few hours on Friday, March 6, 2020. The organisation said it had decided to shut its offices for three days “on medical advice from our doctor and in consultation with relevant experts”. 

    “Only as a precautionary measure, all Engro offices at the HarbourFront building shall remain closed over the next three days, with business to resume on Monday, March 16, 2020,” read the statement. 

    The organisation told its employees to work from home for the next three days and stated that upon their return, they will be screened for the novel infection.

    Meanwhile, Sindh education secretary has dismissed rumours claiming that the provincial government was mulling plans to extend school holidays across the province as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.

    Earlier in the day, it had been reported that the provincial health department will send a recommendation to Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah for schools to remain shut for a longer period.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Khalid Shah said the Sindh government was not considering any recommendations seeking an extension in school holidays. “All educational institutions in Sindh will re-open on March 16,” he said.

    The decision was taken during a meeting of the health department held on Tuesday morning under the chair of the province’s health minister.