QAPCO Chooses INTTRA Link: The First Major Ocean Freight

March 27, 2006

Doha, State of Qatar, March 27, 2006 – QATAR Petrochemical Company Ltd. (QAPCO) in March 2006 became the first major Middle Eastern company to connect to INTTRA via its INTTRA Link, EDI-based platform, embracing e-commerce for its ocean shipments and breaking ground for others in its industry to follow suit.

QAPCO is a leading polyethylene exporter in Qatar, one of the fastest growing economies in the region.  INTTRA is the world’s leading e-commerce platform for the ocean industry.

The polyethylene manufacturer decided to take advantage of INTTRA’s e-commerce facilities “to automate our shipping activities such as bookings, shipping instructions, vessel confirmation, on-line tracking, etc . . .,” according to Abdulrahman Al-Abdulla, QAPCO Marketing Manager.  “Since INTTRA is promoted by some of the major shipping lines dealing with QAPCO we felt it would be beneficial to have a single platform.”

He says QAPCO anticipates being able to quickly and efficiently relay data and information. “A single window will make it easier and less time-consuming for the user. Also since all major ocean shipping lines are integrating their shipping operations through e-commerce lately, we feel this is the best way to move forward,” he said.

Al-Abdulla says that e-commerce is still “a burgeoning sector in the Gulf Region” and expects that other companies will join QAPCO in embracing electronic data flow. “We do believe e-commerce will grow in the near future and more companies will benefit from this venture,” he said.

 Tom Stage Petersen, VP of Marketing for United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), a leading ocean carrier in the Middle East and shareholder and member line of INTTRA, says UASC has been supporting efforts to expand INTTRA’s use among shippers and exporters in the Middle East. “We’re pleased that QAPCO has selected INTTRA as the portal to electronically interact with its portfolio of container service providers and sees the INTTRA portal as an efficient and seamless way of interacting with their container transportation service providers,” he said.

Paul Stephen, INTTRA’s Managing Director, Indian Ocean Region, says INTTRA helps companies of all sizes create EDI links to the platform. “Shipping lines have achieved good usage of INTTRA Desktop and online e-commerce products among shippers and forwarders in the region. By being an early adopter of INTTRA’s EDI-based INTTRA Link, QAPCO has become an e-commerce leader in the Middle East,” said Stephen.

He said the company has also been very diligent in insuring that they were able to do the job properly, thereby paving the way for others to follow suit. According to Stephen, “INTTRA has been working hard with a number of major exporters in the Arabian Gulf area for more than a year to outline the benefits of e-commerce. QAPCO will join others who gain access to the same benefits from INTTRA’s products.”

“Our customers in the region have embraced INTTRA’s solutions with the result that the region today is one of our fastest-growing markets worldwide. We have increased our presence throughout the region in order to support our customers with the expertise crucial to succeed in transforming manual business to e-business. As the first ocean industry portal, we recognize the challenges exporters face in aligning booking and shipping processes across multiple carriers, and we use our strong carrier relationships to guide customers to a successful implementation of INTTRA’s products, which are fast becoming the industry standard,” said Michael Nielsen, INTTRA’s Senior Vice President for Global Commercial Sales.

About INTTRA

INTTRA, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., is a leading global provider of e-commerce solutions to ocean carriers and their customers. INTTRA professionals work with customers to streamline and standardize their shipping processes, applying their e-commerce knowledge of the shipping industry for customers in markets worldwide.

INTTRA’s e-commerce platform offers a comprehensive range of e-commerce tools, including: Tender, Sailing Schedules, Booking, Shipping Instructions, Bill of Lading, Track & Trace, and Reports. Accessing the INTTRA platform is simple, using any combination of their channel solutions: INTTRA-Link (EDI-based, system-to-system connection), INTTRA-Desktop (off-line PC application), or INTTRA-Act (web-based application).

INTTRA’s carrier network includes, Aliança, ANL, CMA CGM, CSAV, CSAV NORASIA, DAL, Deutsche Afrika-Linien, FESCO, Hamburg Süd, Hapag-Lloyd, “K” Line, Libra, Maersk Line, MCC Transport Pte Ltd., MISC,  Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., NYK Line, Safmarine, Senator Lines and United Arab Shipping Company. The INTTRA carrier network represents over 61% of the world's ocean container capacity.

For further information visit www.inttra.com.  Or contact Andy Barrons, INTTRA Vice President of Marketing, at 973.263.5100 or email him at: andy.barrons@inttra.com.

About QAPCO

QATAR Petrochemical Company LTD (QAPCO) was established in 1974 as a joint multinational venture that’s now owned by Qatar Industries (IQ) (80%) and Total Petrochemicals (20%). QAPCO commenced production in 1981 to become the Middle East’s largest producer of Low-Density polyethylene (LDPE) with present capacity 400KMT per annum, along with 525 KMT of Ethylene and 70 KMT of Sulphur. QAPCO’s renowned Lotrene brand of LDPE products are being marketed by the company’s global marketing network to over 75 countries, serving over 4000 customers. Through its commitment to growth and excellence, and upon completion of its expansion projects QAPCO will not only become the leading LDPE producer in the Middle East, but a major global player with a portfolio mix that's well diversified and balanced.