What brought about the the joint venture (JV) between Nortech Group and Dhabi Consultancy LLC?
After identifying a gap in the market, Abu Dhabi seemed to be the perfect location to establish a regional head office to service the emirate and, progressively, the Gulf region. Dhabi Contracting initially acted as our agent, and we started to collaborate on a sub-contracting basis. We recognised that our relationship was working, and we established a JV. In short, we proved that it would work in concept, before we committed fully.
As a fairly new EPC contractor catering to the Gulf’s oil and gas industry, what are Dhabi Nortech’s business objectives in the short term?
Our short-term objectives are simply to establish ourselves in the market and to be recognised – by both the owner-operators and the EPC supply chain – as a viable and preferred solution. Dhabi Nortech’s medium- to long-term objective would be to become a truly local EPC contractor of choice.
What’s your opinion of the standard of engineering work in the regional oil and gas industry?
The Middle East consists of vast amounts of onshore desert regions, whereas the UK is primarily offshore in the North Sea. These factors bring different requirements and hazards, but the standards are the same. If anything, our knowledge gained in the UK can add value for our Middle East clients. Coming from the North Sea, which has been operating in a mature brown field extension phase for a number of years, we’re used to working on older facilities, repairing and upgrading them to make them fit-for-purpose again. That’s where the Middle East is now, so we can apply that experience.
With some of the world’s biggest engineering contractors already deeply entrenched in this market – and bearing in mind the low oil price, which has made competition more intense than ever – how does your company plan to thrive here?
It’s Dhabi Nortech’s aim to exist as a truly local solution. Our integrated management procedures and systems, coupled with our flexible and responsive approach, allow us to be commercially competitive, even in the current climate.
What projects has Dhabi Nortech been working on in Abu Dhabi, and which oil and gas industry customers are you dealing with in this region at present?
So far, we’ve been working with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) group of companies, such as GASCO, and have undertaken a number of FEED studies for projects at Ruwais. These projects – where we have been involved in the early technical aspects – are now starting to come through the pipeline as EPC contract opportunities.
