Fabtech Inter national recently completed the construction of the world’s biggest onshore rig at its Jebel Ali Free Zone facilities in Dubai, providing evidence of the type of industrial capability in the Middle East.

The rig was built in collaboration with Houston-based National Oilwell, said Chairman of Fabtech International Ltd Dr Harry Moraes. The rig, designed by the US Company, was shipped to Kuwait Drilling Company which had commissioned its construction.
National Oilwell is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of comprehensive systems and components used in oil and gas drilling and production, as well as in providing supply chain integration services to the upstream oil and gas industry.
Dr Moraes said the 3,000HP rig, having a 162 ft mast and 49 ft substructure, was also one of the biggest rigs of any kind to be built anywhere in the world and it was completed in a record period of four months.
“The rig consumed high-grade material and has eight mud tanks, five generator sets and three mud pumps. Normally 3 to 5 mud tanks and 3 generator sets are used,” said Dr Moraes. “It also has one of the biggest Top Drives,” he added.
“The rig is suitable for both oil and gas, is faster in drilling and can go deeper than any of its kind; it is one of the heaviest onshore rigs in the world. It can be easily transported; the components are “box on box” and can be reassembled on site.”
Dr Moraes said “innovative technology” had been adopted in its construction.
Mr Majed Mohammed Hamdan, National Oilwell’s sales and service Manager, Middle East, said the rig was equipped with advanced instrumentation and safety systems. The hook load capacity was 1.5 million pounds, the height from ground to the top 211 ft and the mud system capacity 3,500 barrels.
“This is the second land rig built for National Oilwell, after one supplied for Petroleum Development Oman last September,” said Dr Moraes.
“We have also refurbished 17 land rigs and are the only one in this Gulf to undertake complete construction of the rig.”
Rigs are built in the US, Canada, Russia, China, Norway, the UK and France, but many of the yards in the West are finding it unfeasible to continue in the business because labour costs run high, particularly as it takes several months to complete projects. The rising cost of land for production facilities is also a deterrent.
“Very soon we will be the only one doing this,” said Dr Moraes, who hails from the sub-continent of India and has spent a major part of his life in Dubai.
“Building rigs is a challenging proposition and requires sound engineering technology. We work round the clock to accomplish the objective on hand within the specified timeframe.”
Fabtech’s facilities at Jebel Ali cover 206,000 sq m, the largest manufacturing spread in the free zone.
Fabtech also specialises in full-system fuel tanks and has been contracted to build some of these (portable and stationary) for an Iraqi party.
The company is also building ship loading and unloading systems for Korea, Iraq and Iran and pressure vessels for Russia and Canada.
The ongoing projects include high-pressure pipes for sour gas ordered by parties from several countries including the US.
The company is also engaged in welding and laying rails for container cranes and the manufacture of EOT cranes on an average of one per day.
Currently Fabtech has orders for building 37 such cranes for delivery to markets including France. Other equipment it supplies includes exploration cranes, several of which it is currently manufacturing for export to Turkey, France and Kuwait.
“We’re now negotiating for crane orders from Singapore,” said Moraes. The Fabtech chief said his facility had been booked up to 2008, but would accept special or strategic jobs.
Products that Fabtech manufactures for the oil field industry include Degassers, Mud Tanks, Day Tanks, Dolleys, Mud Agitators, Primary Agitators, Pressure Manifolds, Stand Pipe Manifolds, Pipe Spools, Dosing Units, Shale Shakers, BOP handling systems, Explosion-proof Gas Extractor Systems, Piping and Accessories for Oil Drilling, Production Rigs and Platforms.
The company also manufactures a range of items for the food and chemical industry and cement plants as well as several kinds of cranes and other material handling equipment.
It also offers support services such as feasibility studies, technical consultancy and machinery installation.
About future projects, Dr. Moraes said Fabtech was diversifying into the manufacture of air conditioning systems that would not need electricity.
“It’s new German technology. We’ve signed a deal with the designer from a research organization. Work on the portable cooling systems will begin in April,” he remarked.
Fabtech will also be manufacturing cryogenic vessels, the first of their kind in the Gulf, and steel gratings for offshore use, later in the year. Both these projects will be sited at another location, in the south side of the Jebel Ali Free Zone. The three projects will involve an outlay of Dh 60 million ($ 16.3 million).
“I’m always pursuing new ideas. I want to be ahead of the competition,” said Dr. Moraes.