The region's most authoritative forum on energy security - the 10th Middle East Energy Security Forum commenced today at Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai. The forum aims to focus on the new geo-politics of energy in the Middle East, assessment of safety and security in maritime and critical infrastructure and emphasis on advance threat preparedness within the region.

Organized by Fleming Gulf - one of the leading providers of business intelligence through industry specific conferences, webinars and skills enhancement training courses, the 10th edition of this highly attended forum features modules that capture the latest strategies & technologies that can effectively mitigate threats in the energy sector that is tailored for security professionals and presented by leading security professionals.

The forum kicked-off with an interactive pre-conference workshop on Monday 15th September - 'Emergency preparedness and crisis management planning' and 'Conducting Security Vulnerability Assessment' allowed participants to practice hands-on activities and exercises to strengthen their core skills in the field of energy security.

Day 2 of the forum will open with the keynote address by Mehmet Kinaci, Strategic Analyst, at NATO, who will share his vision on the 'Role of Government security forces in ensuring the safety of oil and gas critical assets', setting the tone for the rest of the day. Among the key topics and panel discussion that will follow through the day, 'Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights', 'Preparing an Counter- Terrorism and Threat Response Plan Objectives' and 'Security of Industrial Control Systems and the challenges to National Critical Infrastructure' will highlight the proceedings.

The last and final day of the forum will majorly focus on Maritime Security. Harry Harper, Ports Security Officer at Abu Dhabi Ports Company will talk about 'ISPS Code' that developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Other dignitaries who will be speaking on the third day are Nasser Al-Buhairi, Chief Security Officer-Maritime Security at Kuwait Oil Company; Rob Poppe, Regional Security Manager, Saudi Arabia at KBR; Ben Van Heuvelen, Managing Editor and Vice President at Iraq Oil Report; Ben Murrell, Company Security Manager at Transocean and many more.

The 10th MEESEC forum aims to bring experts to examine the security landscape within the energy sector and demonstrate inventive approaches towards physical security management, risk mitigation, intelligence strategies and operational security. The forum is supported by ASIS International and Emirates International Maritime Academy (EIMA). Event Sponsors also include BBC Monitoring and Hart.