Sharjah-based Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Gulf Publishing Company, a leading independent media company with focus on the global energy industry.

HFZA, the second largest hub for petrochemical, oil and gas of the UAE, said the GPC team flew in specially from Houston, US, to Sharjah for the occasion.

The deal is aimed at promoting the authority, and its investors at the global level using the company’s print and online platform and maintain its brand awareness on an international level, it stated.

In turn, the Sharjah free zone will assist the GPC to carry out activities that will improve and expand its global reach, it added.

Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, the director of the HFZA and the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, signed the agreement with Andy McDowell, Vice-President of the GPC, in the presence of Rakesh Ranjan, Chief Development Officer, HFZA, Catherine Watkins, Publisher of Hydrocarbon Processing, and other senior officials.

Expressing delight at the deal, Al Mazrouei said: "We ar looking forward to collaborating with them to achieve our strategic goal of becoming one of the most attractive and well-known hubs for the petrochemical, oil and gas sector."

The GPC will publish a special report on the HFZA showcasing its strength in the petrochemical, chemical, tank storage, oil and gas sectors.

This report will be distributed along with GPC’s leading publications, Hydrocarbon Processing, Pipeline & Gas Journal, World Oil and Gas Processing during the year.

The authority will host a strategic planning exercise event early next year in Hamriyah Free Zone with the GPC and its petrochemical, oil and gas investors to expand marketing, brand awareness and networking activities, he added.-TradeArabia News Service