What led you to participate at ADIPEC this year?
We serve several sectors, with oil and gas being one of the main industries that we provide for. This is why ADIPEC is a critical event for us to attend. This is our first year to exhibit, but we have been participating every year by being the logistics provider for the event.
What is your involvement with the oil and gas industry in the region?
To take Abu Dhabi as an example, we service mostly the ADNOC group of companies as owners of the oil and gas projects. However, sometimes we service directly the EPC companies that are executing these projects. We do customs clearance as well as overland transportation on our own assets. Also, we specialise in the oversized and overweight type of cargo which we bring from anywhere in the world to the Abu Dhabi site in a door-to-door solution. We also have a significant port handling capacity.
Where are your key centres located within the GCC?
It is mostly between Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. For the oil and gas industry, a lot of the oversized cargo comes through Mina Zayed port also in Abu Dhabi. We mostly transport oil and gas pipes, rigs, spare parts for rigs and refineries, and big steel modules for onshore and offshore projects. Also, our sister company TriStar is specialised in the movement of liquid bulk over land and by sea.
Among the top global logistics players in the world, Agility is the only one that has roots in the GCC countries, with the essence coming from our corporate headquarters in Kuwait. The region is a main focus for us, and we are stronger than our global competitors because we originated from the region itself. Particularly, we have a strong presence in Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
What are you looking to achieve from your participation at ADIPEC 2016?
All the stakeholders in the industry are present. In addition to network, it is also an opportunity to see the latest trends, enabling us to develop more efficient solutions that can better address the challenges of our customers.
During the event, we are focusing on our oil and gas solutions. This includes our capability when it comes to heavy lift transport for the overweight and oversized cargo. Also, we are highlighting our marine logistics services, given that lately the bigger number of oil and gas projects in Abu Dhabi is offshore. We have been involved in a number of these offshore projects providing marine logistics solutions.
Is this is a good time to expand your presence in the region?
At this time of downturn, we see it as a part of a cycle. We have been in the region for the last 40-50 years and we are here to stay. We take this as an opportunity to invest. In Abu Dhabi, we are looking to invest 100mn AED ($27.2mn) in 2017 in general expansion, a big part of which is for the oil and gas industry. We are determined and committed to this economy. In addition, we are optimistic that this is just a temporary downturn. We are optimistic for the outlook and believe that the market will pick up again in the second half of 2017 in terms of the oil prices as well as the number of projects.
