Oman’s first factory specialising in the manufacture of cleaning and inspection tools and products for pipelines has opened in Sohar with the support of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
LiN SCAN Oman is a joint venture between UAE-based LiN SCAN International and local community contractor Shaher United Trading and Contracting Company, a 100% Omani firm, which offers services including electrical engineering, plumbing and excavation.
The opening of the factory in the Sohar Industrial Estate will enable the manufacture of such tools, accessories and pipeline intelligent inspection spare parts for the first time in Oman.
LiN SCAN International has been serving the oil and gas industry worldwide providing in-line inspection and integrity support services for more than a decade. It possesses a huge fleet of cleaning, gauging and intelligent equipment designed for the cleaning and inspection of pipelines. All of it is designed and fabricated in-house and covers the full range of pipeline diameters.
The factory will be supplying its equipment not just to Oman but also to neighbouring countries, according to a company release. It will lead to In-Country Value (ICV) opportunities through the employment of Omanis, the transfer of technology and the production of vital equipment in the Sultanate.
A number of PDO representatives attended the official inauguration of the plant.
“This is a great ICV manufacturing milestone in Oman. PDO and other operators, both at home and abroad, can now procure vital equipment cleaning, maintenance and inspection from a local manufacturer working to international standards and specifications,” Abdul-Amir Al Ajmi, external affairs and value creation director at PDO, said.
“Additionally, this manufacture will create work opportunities for Omanis,” Ajmi said.
‘Pipeline Intelligent Inspection and Pigging Technology’ is one of 53 oil and gas industry ICV opportunities which were identified in the ICV blueprint strategy conference at the end of the 2013.
PDO has been leading on the development and implementation of such a service and has been working hard to realise other opportunities, such as casing/cementing accessories, the provision of carbon steel pipes, and the manufacture of valves, among many.
