Infrastructure MENA

Technology Showcase at AlMansoori Open House Day

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:49:00 +0100

AlMansoori Specialized Engineering, the Abu Dhabi based oilfield service company, opened the doors across all its service and industry companies at its annual Open House Day. Taking place at its Mussaffah base on Thursday 24 March, AlMansoori employees, including the CEO Nabil Alalawi, joined more than 1,000 clients and contacts for what is fast becoming a staple event in the regional energy calendar.

Having announced the signing of several joint venture agreements in 2010, the new offerings with US based Key Energy, Canadian Rodgers Technology, UK Camcon Oil and Australia's Neptune were all be present throughout the day to introduce the unique services these partnerships bring to the AlMansoori portfolio.

Key Energy and Rodgers Technology were announced in March of last year, both bring a range of new offerings; Key Energy in workover rigs, pumping/cementing, fracturing and acidizing and Rodgers Technology has brought a new concept of hydraulic workover rig, which can be used for a range of workover services including underbalanced and directional drilling, live well intervention, completion and well control services and ESP pump replacements. The flexible unit can work on multi-well pads with mobile capacity, be utilised onshore or offshore and is capable of working at depths up to 25,000ft.

Australian based Neptune appointed AlMansoori as its sole supplier in the Middle East in Q4 of 2010, highlighting the synergy between MSE's experience and reputation in the region and Neptune's offshore services, particularly in inspection, repair and maintenance. It's final partnership of the year was with the UK's Camcon Oil, which selected AlMansoori to help support with the sale, support and installation of its products in the region, primarily its new Digital Intelligent Artificial Lift (DIAL) solution, APOLLO which provides operators with unprecedented control and precision over gas injection with a minimising of gas usage and a maximising of oil extraction.

Alalawi said: "It is fantastic to be able to showcase our diverse and ever expanding range of services at our annual Open House. This event has grown to become something of a tradition for AlMansoori and it is an excellent way of saying thank you to our clients, providing an informal networking environment and showcasing the world-class standards we strive to uphold.

"Last year was a very positive one for the company, with a number of strategic joint ventures, including with US company Key Energy. So far, 2011 has been very busy and we look forward to seeing what developments the remainder of the year brings."

Oilcareers.com joins forces with Air Energi for O&G Survey

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:46:00 +0100

Salaries in the global oil and gas industry are to increase throughout 2011 according to a joint report from OilCareers.com, the international job board for the oil and gas industry, in association with partner Air Energi, a global provider of manpower solutions to the energy sector.

Focusing on employment and salary trends in the energy sector throughout 2011 the report, entitled ‘The Global Oil & Gas Workforce Survey: Expectations for hires and pay rates in the oil and gas industry H1 2011', addresses the issues that affected the oil and gas industry across 2010 and what they mean for the first half of 2011.

The report predicts that, globally, salaries will increase throughout 2011, with the number of hires across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Australasia, Caspian, Europe and the Middle East also remaining strong. With activity set to rise in the oil and gas sector many companies are expected to focus recruitment on the individual - ensuring that the right talent is in the right place for the right price.

For the Middle East market, diversification of the energy sector is still paramount. Recruitment is predicted to increase 60 percent with 20 percent of the industry to expect an increase in salary to boot.

The UAE has been cited as a ‘project activity hub for 2011,' with numerous expansion projects and a push in production and downstream processes. Therefore, the prediction for an employee's bank balance is positive; with zero salary decreases anticipated in the first half of 2011.

Mark Guest, managing director of OilCareers.com, said: "The global oil and gas industry garnered a lot of experience and understanding throughout 2010 and with the number of hires increasing by over 60 percent in core regions such as the Middle East, Europe and Americas, ensuring that the talent pool is positioned correctly is a vital component in the stabilisation of the industry going forwards.

"It is a pleasure to be working with Air Energi and launch our first joint report in 2011. This is a partnership which has come as a result of long term mutual respect and an interest in the increased confidence and optimism of the global energy sector."

Ian Langley, group chairman of Air Energi, added: "Some 2.5 million people are currently employed in the energy sector, producing 88.5 million barrels of oil per day and responsible for $490 billion in global exploration and production budget in 2011. In spite of these massive numbers or perhaps because of them, as we embark on what looks to be a very busy year, the focus has once again come down to the individual. The Air Energi-OilCareers.com Survey provides an indication of the optimism that 2011 holds and the focus that is consistently being placed on good talent being recruited into the right position."

Aggreko Expands in SA with Service Centre in Durban

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:42:00 +0100

Aggreko, the world leader in the provision of temporary power and temperature control services, opened its second South Africa service centre in Durban yesterday (Thursday). The new facility is situated in Riverside Business Park on Prince Umhlangane Road and will enable Aggreko to meet demand for rental power and temperature control in the KwaZulu-Natal area.

Aggreko CEO Rupert Soames formally inaugurated the depot with over 100 guests in attendance, including former South African rugby union international Pieter Muller. James Shepherd, Managing Director, Aggreko South & East Africa, focussed on how important the new depot would be for Aggreko's increased activity in the region: "South Africa, and Africa as a whole, has been an increasingly important region for Aggreko. Aggreko has made a significant investment in its business in South Africa over the past few years, which is a sign of our continuing commitment to the developing economy of the country."

The service centre will primarily serve the shipping and manufacturing sectors around Durban, but will also bring Aggreko's turn-key rental packages to the oil and gas, mining, construction and events industries. A key benefit of such packages is in helping companies deal with power outages and load shedding, guaranteeing their power supplies and reducing the risk of power reduction penalties.

Aggreko has been active in the region for over 15 years, and operates a continent-wide training programme to ensure projects are staffed with local employees. Through the company's continued investment and social responsibility programs, Aggreko is committed to creating jobs and bringing benefits to the communities in which it operates. As a part of this commitment, Aggreko presented donations totaling R50,000 to three local charities during the service centre launch. The benefiting charities were: the Vukani Community Project, the South African Rugby Legends Association and the National Sea Rescue Institute.

Awareness of the company and its services in South Africa reached new heights in 2010, as it became the sole provider of power to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Martin Foster, Country Manager, South Africa, commented on the location of the company's new facility: "The new facility is ideally located to service the ports and shipping industry in Durban and Richards Bay. In addition, we are well positioned to service the numerous industrial areas of the greater Kwa Zulu-Natal area. We will be continuing to ensure that we employ and train locally as much as possible, as we are committed to being a part of South Africa's future growth and development."

Golden Rules for Marine Transfer Launched

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:10:00 +0000

Expert in marine personnel transfer Reflex Marine has joined forces with Seacor Marine and Sparrows Offshore to create a set of 10 “Golden Rules” for the safe transit of employees in the offshore oil and gas industry.

The Golden Rules, which were developed following a process of detailed consultation, incorporate the experience and learning of the three companies derived from millions of safe crane transfers performed over more than 10 years. It is hoped they will become recognised as a global standard in transfer best practice.

The Golden Rules are:

·      Understand your risks
·      Be familiar with your conditions
·      Know your vessel
·      Know your cranes
·      Know your transfer device
·      Be familiar with your crews
·      Plan your lift
·      If in doubt – stop
·      Recognise complex operations
·      Emergency planning

Reflex Marine CEO Philip Strong said: “Marine personnel transfer is one of the safest forms of offshore transit there is, but, while the helicopter industry has internationally recognised procedures, the marine industry currently does not. We, and our industry partners, felt it was time to share our best practice with the industry, to make crane transfers even more safe and to unify procedures globally. One of the most important issues is awareness of risks, as unless data is collated and shared, operators may be simply unaware of the issues they may face.

"It should also be recognised that each transfer situation is unique and should be assessed on its own merit. Prevailing weather and sea conditions need to be checked, a thorough understanding of the vessel, cranes and transfer device is essential, crews need to be properly trained, competent and adequately equipped.

"Thorough planning and clear communication to avoid collision and snagging hazards are important. Trial runs without passengers are an excellent way to build confidence where there are any doubts about safety.

"Finally, although there are hazards associated with crane transfers, they can also save lives, as they are an essential tool for managing emergencies and performing evacuations. Crane transfers should be integrated into emergency planning, with performance drills to confirm competence of personnel.

The Golden Rules video will be released to the public in April, links will be available on the websites of Reflex Marine and the other sponsoring companies. The video will be released on an ‘open-source’ basis, to benefit all in the industry who perform such operations, regardless of supplier preferences.

Said Strong: "Our industry has a very good safety record, but by creating a widely applied guidance and standards across the globe we believe we can make it even safer. Between us we have produced a set of rules which we believe will do that."

Macquarie NexGen Global Infrastructure Corporation

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:54:00 +0000

NexGen Financial Limited Partnership ("NexGen") announced today that it is proposing separate meetings of the Class A and Class B shareholders of Macquarie NexGen Global Infrastructure Corporation (TSX Stock Symbol "MNF") to consider the merger of MNF into NexGen Canadian Balanced Growth Tax Managed Fund (the "NexGen Fund"), an open-end mutual fund managed by NexGen.

The merger is being proposed to address the economic inefficiencies of operating MNF which has significantly decreased in size primarily due to redemptions since its initial public offering. The proposed merger is expected to provide shareholders of MNF with the following benefits:

* Lower Costs - As a result of the size of the NexGen Fund (approximately $118 million) and the corporate structure of MNF, the management expense ratio (being the total costs divided by the average net asset value) of the NexGen Fund is substantially less than that of MNF. Accordingly, shareholders of MNF are anticipated to realize significant cost savings.

* Enhanced Liquidity - An investor in the NexGen Fund is entitled to redeem all or any portion of his shares daily at the applicable net asset value (with no discount). Accordingly, shareholders of MNF will experience enhanced liquidity in respect of their investment and no discount to the net asset value per share will be applied on redemption.

* Continued Distributions - Shareholders of MNF will receive shares of the Return of Capital Class of the NexGen Fund in exchange for their shares of MNF. Currently, such NexGen Fund shares receive a fixed monthly dividend at a rate of $0.75 annually ($0.0625 per security monthly or 7.5% annually) per security (based upon a $10 net asset value per share) compared to a fixed monthly dividend at a rate of $0.36 annually ($0.03 per security monthly or 3.6% annually) for MNF. The distribution is comprised of return of capital for tax purposes. At December 31, 2010, the net asset value per share of the NexGen Fund was $9.45.

Additional details respecting the differences between MNF and the NexGen Fund are contained in the management information circular.

The board of directors of MNF has approved the proposed merger. Details regarding the proposed merger will be contained in a management information circular which is expected to be mailed to MNF shareholders in early February. The circular will be available on www.sedar.com and posted on NexGen's website.

In addition to the approval of the MNF's shareholders, the merger is also subject to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals. Under the merger proposal, shareholders of MNF will receive shares of the NexGen Fund, the number to be based upon the relative net asset values of the MNF and NexGen Fund shares.

The proposed merger is expected to be a deferred taxable transaction for shareholders of MNF. Shareholders of MNF are encouraged to read the circular in its entirety and consult with their advisors regarding the proposed merger. The meeting date is on March 28, 2011 with an effective share exchange date of April 15, 2011.

"Given MNF assets have dropped to $23 million, it is no long cost effective to maintain MNF as a TSX listed security. We believe the proposed merger is the best way to provide existing investors with a similar investment which provides tax efficient monthly income and liquidity" said Laurie Munro, President and Chief Executive Officer of NexGen Financial Limited Partnership.

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RBG Middle East Reinforces its Commitment to the Region

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:10:00 +0000

RBG, the leading provider of fabric maintenance, construction support and related services to the international oil, gas and petrochemical industries, has reinforced its commitment to the region through the re-launch of the company as RBG Middle East.

Formerly trading as SRQ, the company has now taken full control of its business and is in the process of fuelling expansion throughout the Middle East (‘ME') region after a very successful 2010.

As the industry matures and activity continues to increase the shutdown/turnaround and maintenance market has become a focus. With its specialist suite of services, which includes specialist cleaning, mechanical and inspection, RBG Middle East is ideally placed to react to the industry's ever increasing demand.

Graeme Shirreffs, Director at RBG Middle East, said: "Ensuring that equipment and facilities are operating at optimal efficiency is vital as activity and demand picks up. For RBG, this is an excellent position to be in, as the company specialises in maintenance and service support."

2010 saw a number of high profile contract wins across the region including a high pressure water jetting contract with Occidental in Oman and several contract awards in Qatar with Qatargas, Oryx, QChem and Rasgas.

Shirreffs continued: "2010 was a strong year for RBG in the ME following increased awareness of the company's portfolio of services throughout the region. Following excellent growth in the Qatar market RBG Middle East is looking to enhance its footprint and make its mark on the wider ME region. It is an exciting time for the company and we are looking forward to a prosperous 2011."

About RBG

RBG was formed in 2005 through the merger of Mach-ten, MacGregor Energy Services and Rigblast Group. Headquartered in Aberdeen, UK, we operate in the UK and internationally and employ over 4,500 people. Our facilities and offices are located in principal areas of energy exploration and production activity, including Azerbaijan, Italy, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Trinidad & Tobago, the UK and the USA. For more information, please visit www.rbg-group.com.

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Spain Opens New High-Speed Rail, Now Best in Europe

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Spain is joining the ranks of several other countries by laying more high-speed capable track, paving the way for reduced travel time and improved infrastructure.

Last week in Madrid, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos opened a high-speed railroad linking Madrid, the Spanish capital and largest city, and Valencia, the country's third-largest city after Barcelona. The new track means Spain holds the crown of Europe's biggest high-speed rail network, underlining the extent to which infrastructure spending has been at the heart of the country's boom-and-bust economy.

The 242-mile link between Madrid and Valencia extended Spain's high-speed rail lines to slightly more than 1,240 miles. France has 1,178 miles and Germany has about 800 miles.

To achieve Europe's current high-speed rail gold standard hasn't been cheap, with the projecting currently surpassing $15.7 billion, including the construction of a handful of new railway stations - adding to Spain's acute budgetary difficulties, which have recently unsettled investors and sent its borrowing costs soaring.

Spain is also in cahoots with France over a new rail line that will split the Pyrenees mountains, a move that will eventually lead to a cross-border, high-speed rail link connecting Paris, Barcelona and Madrid.

China currently possesses the most significant investment in high-speed rail which will increase further when it plans to cover 8,125 miles by 2012 and 10,000 miles by 2020. Overall China will have 42 high-speed routes. In comparison, across the Atlantic President Obama has insisted the US will improve on its ailing rail infrastructure. However despite planned high-speed rail networks in California, the US will still lag well behind China and Europe.

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Total Plans Petrochemical Plant in Qatar

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Total, the French oil giant has entered into talks with Qatar regarding a petrochemical plant a spokesman for Total said last week.

The talks are in relation to a petrochemical complex that Qatar is planning to build in Ras Laffan, where it has also been working with ExxonMobil. The project was initially valued at US$6 billion.

"We are in discussions with Qatar about the project. But they are still in a very early stage," a Total spokesman said.

According to Reuters, two industry sources have claimed that Exxon Mobil has pulled out of the Ras Laffan project. But the company has denied the reports and repeated its statement from August when it said it was still working with Qatar. However, Total Petrochemicals' senior vice president for Asia and the Middle East, Graeme Burnett, was quoted as saying in ICIS news that Exxon Mobil, Total's US rival, has exited the project. If Exxon does pull out of the project, it will be the third time a US company has pulled out of an energy project in the Gulf region this year.

"ExxonMobil has exited the cracker project in Qatar, and we've always told media that we are interested in doing another project in Qatar," he was quoted as saying in the article published last week.

The proposed complex in Ras Laffan includes a 1.6 million tonnes per year (tpy) steam cracker and associated units including two 650 tpy polyethylene plants and a 700 tpy ethylene glycol facility.

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Qatar to Invest US$6 Billion on World Cup Infra

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:16:00 +0000

Despite possessing a strong World Cup pedigree and infrastructure, the US' bid was beaten by Qatar, who will host the 2022 competition despite having no current, recognizable infrastructure in place.

However FIFA, the governing body responsible for selecting the host countries, did take into consideration Qatar's economy, which is expected to grow by 15.5 percent this year and soar by 21 percent in 2011.

Qatar - a country smaller than Connecticut with a population of less than one million - will need to invest US6 billion and have to build from the roots up, investing heavily in new stadia and accompanying infrastructure like hotels and rail.

Top of the agenda will be rejuvenating three existing stadiums and building nine more, including a proposed 86,000 capacity Lusail Stadium which is expected to be completed by 2019 and is scheduled to host the opening and final matches. The 12 stadiums will be spread across seven cities. Due to Qatar's rising economy and population the country has already been investing billions on rail, air and road links.

By 2017, a new metro system that connects to each stadium should be in place.
The country is also set to invest heavily in its hotel and tourism infrastructure to cope with an influx of approximately 400,000 fans. The country currently has around 50,000 hotel rooms but bid leaders have promised that 95,000 will be available come 2022.

The biggest challenge to Qatar's bid was highlighted when FIFA officials toured the potential stadia sights and expressed concern about the intense Middle-East heat (the World Cup would fall within Qatar's two hottest months) and how it would affect players and fans. However bid organizers said that all the stadiums will be climate-controlled and zero carbon emitting to combat what could be temperatures as high as 50 degrees centigrade. Qatar also confirmed training facilities and fan areas would also be cooled with solar-powered air conditioning.

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New UK Head of Emirates Appointed

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:56:00 +0000

Emirates Airline has announced the appointment of Laurie Berryman as the award-winning carrier's new Vice President for UK and Ireland.

Mr Berryman is promoted from his current position of Area Manager - UK North, and replaces Conrad Clifford.

The move is a highlight of a 20 year career with Emirates for Mr Berryman, 59, who joined the airline in 1990 ahead of Emirates' inaugural Manchester-Dubai service.

Since then Emirates has grown from operating just from Manchester and London Gatwick, to the country's largest non-UK long haul operator with 98 flights a week from six gateways. Mr Berryman has overseen subsequent launches from Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Worldwide, said: "Laurie has been a driving force in developing Emirates' hugely successful operations in the UK regions.

"Our services to and from Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Newcastle are a cornerstone of the Emirates growth story in the UK and Laurie has done much to bring the airline to a whole new audience - he has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the UK market.

"The UK remains Emirates' largest market outside of Dubai and Laurie is ideally placed to continue our growth in a fiercely competitive market."

As well as managing Emirates' regional services from the UK, he has overseen the growth of the airline's European Call Centre in Wilmslow which employs over 300 people. He will be relocating from Emirates' office in Wilmslow to the airline's UK head office in Cromwell Road, West London.

Mr Berryman said: "Behind our strong brand in the UK is also a great team of people dedicated to delivering excellent customer service - I will be immensely proud to lead them.

"Even through the toughest of times we have been able to grow our services and I look forward to continuing to build on that success."

Mr Berryman was previously with British Airways and British Caledonian Airways. He has a degree in economic history and politics from the University of Kent and is married with two sons.

About Emirates

Emirates operates 98 non-stop flights per week from the UK to Dubai and beyond to a global network of over 100 destinations across six continents. The airline flies five times a day from London Heathrow (two of the services operated with an A380), three times daily from London Gatwick, double daily from Birmingham and Manchester (with one of the services operated with an A380) and daily from Newcastle and Glasgow.

So far this year, Emirates has launched new services to Tokyo, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid and Dakar in Senegal.

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates Airline has received more than 400 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. Onboard passengers can enjoy state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, meals produced by leading chefs and some of the finest wines available. Advance seat selection is complimentary on all flights, and Emirates offers generous baggage allowances for First Class, Business Class and Economy Class passengers of 50kgs, 40kgs and 30kgs respectively.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com/uk

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Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Aim to Increase Natural Gas Production

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:42:00 +0000

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait aim to reduce the amount of oil it uses to generate power by utilizing natural gas instead, according to two nations' state oil companies.

"We are picking up gas exploration," Ahmad Al Sa'adi, vice president of gas operations at Saudi Aramco, said today at a conference in Doha, Qatar. "Any liquid fuel we are burning comes at the expense of our exports."

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are currently both hampered in producing natural gas by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries limits the amount of gas that can be extracted. Any gas that is currently collected is as a by-product of oil exploration.

Kuwait intends to seek gas fields within its borders and also import. Currently Kuwait uses an average of 200,000 to 300,000 barrels of oil and refined products each day to generate power.

"Our plan is to use less oil than gas," he said. "If worst comes to worst, we would continue to use the more expensive fuel," said Farouq al Zanki, chief executive officer, Kuwait Petroleum Corp at a gas supply conference in Qatar.

Saudi Arabia's domestic oil and gas use is growing faster than its economy, according to Bloomberg. Oil and gas is rising at an average of 5.9 percent annually in the past five years, the kingdom's central bank governor Muhammad al Jasser said in September. The Saudi economy, excluding oil, may expand 4.5 percent in 2010 according to the International Monetary Fund, compared with 3.3 percent in 2009.

"What is really making the difference is that domestic demand is growing," Al Sa'adi said.

Kuwait is currently producing 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas a day, which is one billion cubic feet of gas a day less than it needs, according to Sami al Rushaid, Kuwait Oil Co chairman. Kuwait currently pumps three million barrels a day.

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NFT cranes Soaring High in the Middle East at the BIG5

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Abu Dhabi-based NFT have over 30 years' experience in supplying tower cranes, and the name is synonymous with many of the iconic mega project developments rising from the ground in the Gulf region over the last 10 years. Indeed, the firm holds the impressive accolade of being the largest crane supplier and rental company in the world and key crane contractor to a number of government project.

With this solid platform and thanks to a strong partnership with Potain, NFT have worked on some of the most innovative developments in the GCC such as the ADNOC headquarters in Abu Dhabi, the Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman Woman University in Saudi Arabia, Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Abu Dhabi, the Peal Doha in Qatar and most famously providing the PEGA hoists in the tallest skyscraper on the planet: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The mastermind behind NFT is its Managing Director, Mr. Nabil Al Zahlawi, who has experienced first-hand the highs and lows of the Gulf's construction development over the last 30 years. Having successfully negotiated three recessions in his career, Nabil is perfectly placed to lead the company through the current economic difficulties that have hit the Middle East.

At a time when many construction companies are making redundancies and downsizing their operations, NFT is bucking this trend - especially in terms of sourcing new markets. Saudi Arabia is one such example, as Nabil explains: "The market in Saudi is extremely important. We recently signed a huge contract with the Saudi bin Laden family to supply 100 pieces of our equipment to the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) project."

Whilst many crane operators are struggling to service and adapt to client demands, NFT has had no such issues. "Nobody has seen a project like Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman Woman University," says Nabil. "It's not just massive in size. Building a complete university in two years when you normally spend 10 years on it is a big challenge, but we like this type of project as we can supply lots of cranes."

NFT's efficient supply arm has also been a contributing factor in its expansion within the rental market, says Nabil. "I feel more positive about rental because it will solve financing problems for contractors." This flexibility in a difficult market is a unique selling point for NFT.

This has been a huge advantage for the loyal NFT team during the BIG5 Exhibition, held at Dubai's World trade Center this November. Led by the firm's charismatic head of Business Development Hansraj Bhatia, they have been assisting partners and new clients throughout the event - a fact that Nabil is quick to recognize. "I thank my valuable human resources in NFT; we will continue to keep up the same spirit of success and service to our clients."

After a successful BIG5 and 2010, NFT are going from strength to strength.

For more information please visit www.nftcrane.com or contact (+9712) 4037555 E-mail: nftuae@emirates.net.ae

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Big 5: Construction Industry Optimistic with Announcements

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Many of the 2,500 exhibitors taking part in The Big 5 2010, the region's largest event for the building and construction industry currently taking at the Dubai World Trade Centre, have been utilising the event to introduce new technologies and partnerships to the market.

UK based Dyson is exhibiting at the event for the first time and has chosen the platform to launch its environmental hand dryer Airblade^TM to the Middle East market. The revolutionary technology channels unheated air through an anti bacterial filter at 400mph to literally scrape water from hands in 10 seconds, much like windscreen wipers.

Mike Saunders from Dyson said: "This is the first time we have exhibited at The Big 5, where we'll be launching the fast, efficient Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryer. We saw the event as an excellent opportunity to introduce the Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryer into the Middle East market and to communicate our new partnership with locally based Jumbo Electronics."

Another company utilising The Big 5 to debut its new product is Italy's Levitiles, who has unveiled its brand new decorated crystal Venezia Arte. This is an extremely high-resolution cold decoration system, which uses an exclusive inkjet printing system to deliver outstanding colour and decorative effects and a finished product with unique technical characteristics and performance. The addition of precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum assures an original metallic appearance. Together with the transparency of the glass, this gives the installed material an appealing opalescent look in both the smooth and textured versions.

Local companies are also utilising The Big 5 to communicate big business during the event, with a number of UAE exhibitors proudly showcasing their new technologies to the international audience. FrameCAD Solutions has launched its new FL650 Floor Rollforming Line, which is used in the production of optimised engineered fast track flooring systems. Gulf Extrusions is showcasing its latest line of profiles, which range from architectural sections to components for the automotive industry. The company is also showcasing various other customized products aimed at meeting the growing global demand for light, versatile and recyclable materials across multiple industries.

Andy White, event director of The Big 5, said: "We have been very impressed with the number of deals being announced, partnerships formed and new technologies and products that have been introduced to the market here this week. The Big 5 has firmly established itself as an unrivalled platform for regional and international companies to gain direct access to networking and the establishing of relationships that can lead to business in the future."

The Big 5 2010 will run until the 25 November at DWTC. For further information, please visit www.thebig5exhibition.com.

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Middle East is Attractive to Global Construction Industry

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:01:00 +0000

The global construction market is seeing the Middle East as the place to increase business and start new business according to The Big 5 2010's technical conference chairman, Stephen Oehme, consultant and regional director of Hyder Consulting.

His opening statement, which discussed the ‘phenomenal market' in the region with 1,300 projects worth $418bn in the UAE alone, highlighted the fact that the Middle East is ‘very attractive' to the global industry as the market moves out of the recession.

This was further supported in the conference's first session with Husein Odeh, general manager of Turner International, which focussed on the ‘Outlook for the construction market coming out of a recession.' Mr Odeh said:

"The cost of construction is back to where it should be, this is a good indicator for the recovery of the industry. You have to go back to fundamentals; you have to have a solid business plan, which many developers did not have during the boom period. If you invest in the quality of the building it will pay off in the long term."

Odeh highlighted the important lessons that the industry has learnt as a result of the recent recession, most importantly that planning is key: "Anyone with money thought he could be a developer, so did not think to put a team together. Buildings were created out of nothing and the developers did not have the credibility. Market demands were not addressed, long term goals were not clear."

His presentation showed that the GCC's economy is now looking strong, with an expected GDP increase of between two and five percent in the coming year, with markets such as the UAE and Kuwait, which dropped into negative GDP during the recession, increase to around four percent.

The Big 5 2010 conference will continue tomorrow, with the event running until Thursday 25 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

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Africa Getting Connected with Telecoms

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:08:00 +0000

A telecoms committee has been recently formed to urge African Countries to focus their attention to broadband deployment and telecom services to rural communities. Africa is still experiencing strong growth in telecommunication, broadband, non-voice services, rural expansion and efficiency strategies which have all been identified as the main opportunities for continued expansion within Africa.

Despite a global recession Africa's telecoms industry will post an increasing number of mobile subscribers and data usage, it seems that the telecoms industry could single handily support the continued growth within Africa, but this needs to be supported by not only industry heads but also the government. The report conducted by Ernst and Young's Global Telecommunication Centre, indicates that the Internet penetration level in the continent is a paltry 5.4 percent, with only 12 countries having a penetration rate of more than 1 percent.

The committee who will meet at the NGT Africa summit will be made up of the biggest Telecom companies on the Continent, which include Zain, MTN, Africell, Safaricom, Vodafone and France Telecom. They have announced their belief that voice services would remain the largest contributor to telecom operators' revenue in the medium term, and data and value added services would also continue to grow within rural areas.

Summit organiser William Austin stated, "Even though the African telecommunications industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, up to 85 percent of the population in some countries still doesn't have access to basic wireless communications. In the past, these remote and rural locations have proven too difficult to serve for most operators, but as technology evolves, this untapped market is gradually starting to become more attractive and economically viable to the service providers in the region."

Now that sub-sea cables have landed on mainland Africa, the continent has access to broadband and various other services that can be delivered via high speed internet. However, several key challenges still remain before subscribers can enjoy a reliable, safe and affordable service from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and operators in the region. Before this African countries in the eastern region were dependent on satellite as a backhaul mechanism.

The NGT Africa Committee also believe that the continent will witness increased consolidation and mergers; markets that have five or more operators are likely to see more mergers as players compete for access to lucrative markets. The future of telecoms within Africa looks positive but it will face many challenges such as inadequate regulatory frameworks, political instability and slow rate of market liberalization. Ethiopia, Somalia and Zimbabwe are still considered virgin markets and it is these areas that will present some of the greatest risks as well as the greatest opportunities.

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Leading Figures Discuss Oil Uncertainty in MENA

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:40:00 +0000

With territorial ownership being put forward in all four corners of the globe, including Great Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands and more recently Japan's claim to the Kuril Islands, Great British and Argentinean armed forces are on standby for inevitable confrontation. Argentina dispute Great Britain's claim to the Islands they call Islas Malvinas and Russia dispute Japan's claim to the Kuril Islands.

In November of 2009 the Japanese government reiterated the accusation that "the Russian Federation is illegally occupying four northern islands."

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded by labelling a document issued by Tokyo as "unacceptable." The document identifying the alleged "illegal occupation by Russia" of the Kuril Islands, stating: "We consider it necessary to stress that the Southern Kuril Islands are an inseparable part of the Russian Federation territory on legal grounds based on the WW2 results in accordance with the legally binding agreements and treaties between the ally states, as well as the UN Charter that was ratified by Japan."

Last month then-Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada spoke of the Kurils being "illegally occupied by Russia."

In light of this instability major oil giants are sending their top decision makers which includes, Eon's John Roper, Head of Middle East, Jura Energy's Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, Chief Geologist and Shells, Martjin Van Lieshout, Manager of Production to the Oil & Gas Summit in Dubai on the 12th - 14th April. Here topics from upstream solutions to downstream management will be discussed along with the current territorial issues facing many oil chasing countries.

Japan is concerned by the holding of Russia's Vostok-2010 military drills on Iturup Island, the largest of the disputed South Kuril Islands, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.

A British company has begun drilling for oil in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands, despite strong opposition from Argentina. Argentina claims sovereignty and has imposed shipping restrictions. UK Defence Minister Bill Rammell said the government had a "legitimate right" to build an oil industry in its waters.

Before the financial crisis gripped the globe in late 2007, countries that had disputed territorial claims to land off their regional borders tentatively agreed to disagree. It's only now, in recent months, with fears of a double dip recession panicking nations into looking further afield, to find new ways to kick start their own flagging economies, have opposing governments made their territorial claims louder and more aggressive.

At the Oil & Gas Summit government officials along with major players from the world biggest energy companies (as stated above) and industry experts will negotiate cost effective, safe and market leading solutions to the successful extraction of sought after, hotly disputed and depleting natural resources their country may possibly own.

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GCC States Rank Among Worst in the World for CO2 Emissions

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Amid warnings that the MENA region is likely to be most susceptible to climate change, a recent report outlining the global rankings of CO2 emissions from energy use has indicated that Gulf nations are among the worst in the world.

Research carried out by British risk analysts firm Maplecroft has produced the ranking, which cites the UAE as the highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and Saudi Arabia as the sixth highest.

The index is intended to raise awareness of such issues and to help companies identify their risk exposures, as well as identify nations that may be subject to regulation of CO2 emissions in the future. The rankings are based on each country's cumulative greenhouse gas emissions since 1900, on total national emissions and - most heavily - on current per capita emissions.

According to Maplecroft, the poor performance of the UAE and Saudi Arabia was based predominantly on the countries' mammoth reliance on fossil fuels and also for the energy intensive water desalination plants. The report indicated that desalination accounts for 50 percent of all CO2 emissions in Saudi Arabia. A statement from the firm said that: "Maplecroft recognises that desalination is a positive way to address water security but high emissions underline the need to find more energy efficient innovations."

The UAE dropped 15 places from last year's ranking, due to a huge 25 percent rise in total carbon output in the two years ending 2008 - the most recently available data - and a 20 percent increase in per capita emissions. Both UAE and Saudi Arabia are ranked as being at ‘extreme' risk by the report. Kuwait, Qatar, Iran and Bahrain all ranked as ‘high' risk nations, lying 12th, 17th 26th and 31st respectively in the index of 183 countries. Oman had the lowest rates of CO2 emissions of all the GCC member states and Afghanistan rated as the lowest of all MENA countries.

"As the world moves towards a low carbon economy, more rigorous environmental policies may leave companies exposed to costly operating expenses and new investment requirements," said Fiona Place, Head of Maps and Indices at Maplecroft. "Energy intensive sectors, such as the extractive sector and logistics, will be particularly vulnerable, but all areas of business need to monitor the associated risks."

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Middle East Oil News Round-Up

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:20:00 +0000

Oil Company Spending Highest Since 2008

In a report by Reuters, oil and natural gas companies are likely to eclipse $380 billion in investment in production projects. A consultant for Wood Mackenzie suggested that this increase in spending was driven by spending on drilling on shale gas in the US.

The anticipated rises will are estimated at 5.3 percent, an increase from 2009 of $19 billion.

"The most spectacular recovery has been in the US, where total spend should return close to peak levels by 2011," the consultant said. "This is primarily due to restored confidence and an impressive renewal of activity in unconventional resources, particularly shale gas."

"Record growth in capital spending is already under way in Australia, where new project approvals and major gas developments will see capital expenditure grow three-fold by 2013," Wood Mackenzie said. "In Iraq, upstream investment is likely to climb rapidly to $10bn in the next three years."

Major oil and gas companies have been utilizing the US with new, unconventional methods of drilling for shale gas, primarily drilling horizontally for thousands of feet and fracturing rock with water, sand and chemicals.

One of the beneficiaries to this new expertise in shale extraction is Chevron Corp, who agreed this week to purchase Atlas Energy for $3.2 billion - a strategic move which enables the second-largest US oil company access to the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania.

Refiners Increase Production in Middle East

Prices for Middle-Eastern crude rose for a second day as demand increased for middle distillates above benchmarks.

Murban, produced by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, for January loading rose 1 cent to a premium of 21 cents a barrel to its official selling price, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Qatar Marine rose 3 cents to a premium of 18 cents to its official price, according to Bloomberg.

Oman crude for immediate loading gained 83 cents, or 1 percent, to $86.90 a barrel, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the highest since May 4 when prices reached $87.40, the most this year. Dubai for January rose 83 cents, or 1 percent, to $86.61. Murban increased 1 percent to $88.10.

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IT Innovation Ripe in the Middle East

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:51:00 +0000

Dell CIO Robin Johnson recently announced his belief in the strength of the Middle East's position when it comes to IT innovation, but how realistic is this viewpoint?

'Agility', 'business services' and 'cloud' stand as the ABC of the new CIO lexicon. How do we turn these latest buzzwords into actionable imperatives to produce new business capability for Middle East markets? Which of tomorrow's IT-led initiatives will produce real business advantage? How do we drive the necessary changes to strategy, to operations, and to services to benefit from them?

First the CIO MENA committees, who will be meeting at the CIO MENA summit at the end of November, believe we must identify those technologies and business service trends that could be assimilated into the CIO strategy to help drive new levels of competitive advantage and business value. They also discussed exploring how the changing role of the CIO could best serve the business. No longer solely about capacity, infrastructure or operations, new business demands could push the boundaries as Chief Innovation Officer, Customer Insight Officer or Cloud Interface Officer.

"The role of IT in the next decade must have a shift in its paradigm from focusing on IT to focusing on people. The next decades will even witness further enhancements and many additional technological innovations on top of what exists today," commented representatives from BP - Farhan Mazhar, CIO Middle East & Pakistan, Landmark Group - Kirit Shah, CIO, GE Corporate - Neil Dyke, Corporate CIO EMEA, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank - Lee North, SVP IT, Dubai Holding - Imad Choucair, CIO and Zain Group - Lynne Dorward, Group Chief Regulatory Officer.

It's no coincidence that the smartest run businesses today also boast a strong competency in business intelligence (BI). BI and analytic software is helping organizations of all shapes and sizes to not only ride out the recession but also position themselves strongly when a recovery happens. Strong demand and growth for BI is being driven by enterprises that have begun to maximize cost savings, identify revenue opportunities, mitigate risk and align business performance across all major industry sectors. BI systems are also getting "bigger, faster and smarter" to meet the demands of an increasingly dynamic and competitive business environment. Often the companies that react quickest to threats and opportunities are the ones that make it to the front page.

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Saudi Aramco Hikes December Crude Prices to Asia

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:30:00 +0000

Saudi Aramco, the world's largest state-owned oil company, has hiked its prices on crude destined for Asia for December. The increase is the third rise in as many months for the oil giant.

Arab Super Light crude saw the biggest increase, with Saudi Aramco raising it by $1.45 a barrel to a $3.35 premium over the average of Oman and Dubai grades.

The price increases in Asia weren't an indicative trend in the west, as light and medium crude exported to the US lowered by 5 cents a barrel in December. The total increase of Aramco crude exports to the US dropped from 20 percent in 2008 to 14 percent this year. The surplus crude was made up in China, which bought on average more than 1 million barrels of Saudi crude a day last year, an increase on the previous year.

Saudi Arabia was the fourth-biggest exporter of crude to the US last year, dropping from second place in 2008, data from the US Energy Information Administration show. Canada, Mexico and Venezuela all shipped more crude to the US, the data show.

The price of Extra Light and Arab Heavy crudes remained unchanged.

According to Bloomberg, Crude oil for December delivery rose 0.6 percent on the New York Mercantile Exchange during October to $81.43 a barrel at the close of trading on 29 October. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said this week that crude-importing countries are happy with prices between $70 and $90 a barrel, a broader range than the $70-to-$80 spread that he said on March 30 was "as close to perfect as possible."

As well as price cuts to the US, Aramco announced cut prices to all crude types heading to the Mediterranean, and on most oil types to Northwest Europe.

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