Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), the national operator responsible for the exploration, development and production of Kuwait’s hydrocarbon resources, has achieved ISO 22301:2019 certification for its Business Continuity Management System following an independent assessment by SGS.
Certification to ISO 22301 provides independent confirmation that KOC has established a structured and continually improving framework to prepare its people, operations and communications for events that could disrupt critical activities.
Certification Scope
The certification covers KOC’s Business Continuity Management System as applied to preparation and support, including communications, for resilience-related activities across Kuwait Oil Company.
This scope supports how KOC prepares for potential disruption, including business impact analysis, risk assessment, continuity strategies, plans and exercises designed to maintain and recover prioritized activities.
About Kuwait Oil Company
Kuwait Oil Company is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and is responsible for the exploration, drilling, development and production of crude oil and natural gas within the State of Kuwait.
Headquartered in Ahmadi, KOC operates across Kuwait’s onshore and offshore fields and plays a central role in the country’s energy sector and national economy.
About ISO 22301
ISO 22301 is the international standard for Business Continuity Management Systems. It provides requirements for organizations to establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a documented system designed to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive incidents.
The standard focuses on understanding critical activities, assessing the potential impact of disruption and establishing appropriate strategies and plans. It also emphasizes leadership commitment, clear responsibilities, structured communication, testing and continual improvement to ensure continuity arrangements are effective in practice.
Benefits to the Business
Certification to ISO 22301 provides practical value across KOC’s operations, including:
- Stronger operational resilience: Defined priorities, recovery objectives and continuity strategies provide a structured basis for decision-making during disruption.
- Better risk management: Business impact analysis and risk assessment help identify dependencies, vulnerabilities and the potential consequences of interruption.
- Coordinated communications: Defined alerting, escalation and stakeholder communication arrangements support a clear and coordinated response during incidents.
- Clearer governance and accountability: Documented roles, responsibilities and competence requirements establish clear ownership of business continuity.
- Increased stakeholder confidence: Independent third-party certification provides assurance that continuity arrangements have been assessed against an internationally recognized benchmark.
- Continual improvement: Exercising, internal audits, management reviews and corrective actions help keep the system effective as the operating environment and risk landscape evolve.
Together, these outcomes support the reliability and resilience of operations that Kuwait’s energy sector and national economy depend on.
Part of a Broader Partnership with SGS
The ISO 22301 certification builds on a wider collaboration between Kuwait Oil Company and SGS. In December 2024, SGS was appointed to deliver certification and pre-assessment auditing services against 12 ISO management system standards across Kuwait’s major oil sector organizations. The program is designed to support international standards, operational excellence, sustainability and regulatory compliance across the industry.
The standards covered by the program address areas including quality, environment, occupational health and safety, information security, energy management, risk management, social responsibility, IT service management, customer satisfaction, competence management, business continuity and oil and gas sector-specific quality management.
We congratulate Kuwait Oil Company on achieving ISO 22301 certification. This achievement reflects KOC’s strong commitment to preparedness, resilience and continual improvement.
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About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of over 100,000 dedicated professionals. With more than 145 years of service excellence, we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.
Our brand promise – when you need to be sure – underscores our commitment to trust, integrity and reliability, enabling businesses to thrive with confidence. We proudly deliver our expert services through the SGS name and a portfolio of trusted specialized brands, including Applied Technical Services, Brightsight, Bluesign and Nutrasource.
SGS is publicly traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker symbol SGSN (ISIN CH1256740924, Reuters SGSN.S, Bloomberg SGSN SW).
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