Oil & Gas Services in Abu Dhabi

ENG. Salah Salem Bin Omair Al Shamsi

Chairman, Liwa

We are mainly catering to the oil and gas sector, which is my area of expertise and knowledge. I have 15 years of experience in the sector and have acquired great knowledge on the topic. The oil and gas sector is very difficult to enter because it requires many contacts. What we are trying to do is specialize in this sector by providing niche services. We cater to all types of requirements in equipment, minerals, industry, and construction—anything related to oil and gas development. We are focused on meeting these diverse needs, whether companies require contractors, consultants, chemicals, or equipment suppliers. We know and cater to the demands of the sector. The oil and gas sector in Abu Dhabi is stable. It is large and expanding, and there is always limited competition due to the nature of highly technical requirements and specifications. Unless a company knows what it is doing and is specifying the requirement of the client, it is difficult to provide a service. It is crucial to provide high-quality services.

Pierre Leretz

President, Regional Division Manager, Process Automation Division, ABB (India, Middle East & Africa Region)

ABB has known this region for a very long time. Where the oil and gas industry is concerned, the first consideration is to be in a country where you have customers. Dubai, for example, is not the place to be. To be taken seriously, you have to be present in Abu Dhabi. The Emirate has shown admirable resilience over the years. It has also shown a conservative approach to growth, and has proven to be stable. In sum, Abu Dhabi is the place to come to if you have long-term plans and desire visibility in the oil and gas sector. Additionally, from a communications standpoint, it is a good place to be. Take Saudi Arabia, for instance, which is the biggest market for oil and gas, representing 50% of the total GCC market. We don’t base ourselves there because you can only serve the Saudi market, as you still face significant constraints regarding visas, entering the country, and other related topics.

Rick G. LeMonnier

Managing Director, Rick G. LeMonnier

As a company, our main activity is selling top-of-the-range oil field supplies. Examples include WKM or Cameron’s Demco line. These are high-end products and generally come from the US. We also have an anti-slip product from Australia named the Vigilante Slip. We pursue the best products in the market. Our salespeople visit clients and ascertain their particular needs, whereupon we provide optimum solutions. Ours is a very mature market, which is why one must stay ahead of technology and create new niche products. Basically, it just comes down to your customers needing such things as high-impact gloves. Today, these are the industry standard. Abu Dhabi is a very stable market; this is one of the main reasons why we are based here. We are so well established today, and there is such amazing infrastructure here, which can easily access different regions.

Ibrahim Al-Alawi

CEO, AlMansoori

Over the last couple of years, the UAE has started to expand its production capacity, and this has already impacted us. A few years ago, we were seeing a large amount of our business coming from outside the UAE, but then, when Abu Dhabi started expanding its capacity, there was an increase in demand for our services. Our external revenues started to decrease as our local activity increased. This is going to impact us because, as much as we try to expand externally, we are experiencing an increase in local demand. This is stretching our resources, and it is not only Abu Dhabi that is seeing expansion, but everyone else in the region as well. Our competitors are facing the same challenges. It is not just about having the equipment, but also having the right people. Finding qualified, quality people is a challenge. Since the Arab Spring, there have been many restrictions on which nationalities can get visas in the GCC countries, and that is a challenge for us.