A Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Co General Manager Ahmed Tamim talks to OGN about the leading role played by the company in the oil sector and the scope of work of its new regional division.

Could you tell us about the company and the key role it plays in the oil industry?
Mr Tamim: Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Company (MOISS) has been serving the oil industry since 1971.  MOISS is one of the leading oilfield supplies and services companies in UAE.
With over 30 years of experience and operating on a quality system on certified ISO 9001-2000 and 14001 standards, MOISS provides expert services throughout the UAE and Middle East. 
The head office of MOISS is in Abu Dhabi and we have branches/showrooms in Dubai, Sharjah and Jebel Ali in the UAE. 
In addition, we have well-established offices in Yemen, Qatar, Saudi, Oman, Libya, Bahrain, Pakistan, Syria and Iran. 
To serve our esteemed clients in a better way, we are establishing a warehouse in the free zone area in Iran. 
Our Abu Dhabi office acts as a regional base for a number of well known international oilfield companies.

Could you tell us more about the excellent warehousing facilities?
Mr Tamim: The Central Regional warehouse facilities are by far best in the UAE.  Our Mussafah Workshop and Supply Base provide facilities to store and handle any type of products, with 4,200 sq m Of steel frame covered warehousing plus 20,000 sq m open storage and air conditioned stores for heat sensitive materials.
Also, the supply base has its own deep water jetty, complete with potable water and fuel bunkering services.  Our own transport fleet, with extensive range of material handling equipment, supports the operation.  In addition, we have a warehouse facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone area.

You have a good tie-up with Furmanite, Could you tell us about that?
Mr Tamim: Furmanite International is UK-based company with a worldwide network of subsidiaries and associates, providing specialized engineering services and related products to meet different plants start up, commissioning, maintenance and turnaround requirements of the process industries.
The company has over 76 years experience in Under Pressure Leak Sealing service and has progressively developed additional specialist services.
Throughout the world, Furmanite has a dependable reputation for solving customer's problems by the cost effective application of on-site services.
Industries using Furmanite services include Power Stations, Desalination Plants, Oil & Gas Production (onshore and offshore), and Refining, Petrochemical, Pulp and Paper, Marine, Pipeline Transmission and many other industries.
Furmanite International has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Co on May 1990.  

When was AMPS established?
Mr Tamim: In January, 2000, our company established Al Masaood Pressure Services (AMPS) division and bought the share of Furmanite in the Joint Venture to become the 100 per cent owner under a License Agreement with Furmanite International.  Since then, AMPS has succeeded in establishing very efficient teams of well trained and equipped specialist field service technicians capable of responding to our customer's needs, 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year.

Could you tell us about the role of AMPS?
Mr Tamim: AMPS, with the support of Al Masaood OISS Co facilities and regional network, has full local resources, with expatriate staff and setup to provide the following services:
1. On-line, Under Pressure Leak Sealing.
2. On-Line Safety Relief Valve Testing.
3. On-site Machining.
4. Hot Tapping & On-Line Plugging.
5. Composite Repair.
6. On-Line Valve Maintenance Services.
7. Controlled Bolting Services.
8. Pipe Freezing (pipeline isolation method).
9. Valve Refurbishment.
In addition to the above, AMPS has a reliable network and backup from our principals, Furmanite International Limited in UK, be it, Engineering Consultancy, Products or Services. All that will be offered using the strong base in UAE to support other branches in other countries.

Could you reveal about Under Pressure Leak Sealing?
Mr Tamim: Furmanite International has developed more than 22 types of sealing compounds/ materials to carry out leak sealing under pressure, for most products, hydrocarbon/chemical.  The techniques employed are the result of 75 years expertise and with the accumulated experience and knowledge of over 1,300 technicians currently sealing various types of leaks around the world.
Sealing leaks on-line and under pressure creates a host of benefits.  Our techniques not only avoid a plant shutdown and permit production throughout, but also avoid wastage of energy and products while enhancing plant safety. 
Noise levels, pollution and erosion damage can also be significantly reduced.
AMPS can deal with virtually every type of leak problem, be it a leaking flange, valve gland, heat exchanger joint, screwed coupling, pipe union or pin-holed pipe.  Furmanite have the capability to seal leaks of steam, water, hydrocarbons and gas - including 300 types of chemicals - at temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 600ºC and at pressures from vacuum to 350 kg/cm2.

Could you tell us On-line Safety & Relief Valve Testing?
Mr Tamim: Developed and patented worldwide at the beginning by Furmanite International, the revolutionary system tests Safety & Relief Valves on-line either under normal operating conditions (hot testing) or under no pressure (cold testing).
The method principle is to apply a force to the valve spindle to overcome the spring tension of the valve.  This is achieved using a hydraulic power pack in conjunction with an electronic force transducer linked to an electronic recorder, which traces the force applied.
The recorded data together with knowledge of the valve seat area and the line pressure of the valve in question enables the set pressure to be calculated.
This method, tests the valves with no interruption to plant production, thus achieving considerable cost savings and operational advantages.  Additionally, for safety reasons, the valve would be free to pop throughout the test operation, should it be an actual requirement as there will be no gagging.
It can be also used for cold testing by considering a zero line pressure when carrying the test. This cold testing enables identification of only valves which have indicated the need of overhaul, if carried out immediately after the shutdown.  Cold testing could also keep a footprint record of any valve performance after a complete overhauling.

Could you tell us about On-site Machining?
Mr Tamim: On-site Machining service provides industries with fast, economical solutions to maintenance/machining problems.
Using standard portable machines designed and manufactured to appropriate national and international standards and/or using a special machine designed specifically for a job need, AMPS highly skilled technicians provide complete in-situ machining services.
The wide range of machining capabilities include, flange facing up to seven m Diameter, Laser Aligned Self-Leveling Mills suitable for turbine casing or crane pedestal, Portable Boring Bars with linear bearings to 3.5 m diameter, Stud Drilling, Thread Cutting, Pipe Cutting, Weld Preparation, Journal Turning and Tyre Grinding.
Facing different applications, day by day, AMPS On-Site Machining Technicians accumulated very high technical capabilities to provide engineering methods to support different set-ups, design of jigs, fixtures, modification of machine's parts etc.

What about Hot Tapping & On-Line Plugging?
Mr Tamim: Hot Tapping is a technique employed by AMPS for making a connection to piping or vessels while the existing system is under pressure.
AMPS holds a complete series of Hot Tapping equipment suitable for working on pipeline pressure up to 100 bar g at 38ºC or upto 48 bar g at 370ºC.  Tapping sizes range from 6mm to 1000mm and can be either size on size tap or tank taps, e.g. a 300mm tap on a 15-metre diameter vessel.
Applying the API Standards, ASME Codes, AMPS Engineers are capable of designing all types of Hot Tapping fittings such as; split bolted/welded tees, branch's nozzles, weld-lets, lock-in bars, plugging tees etc.

Can you tell us about Composite Repair?
Mr Tamim: Strong, lightweight and non-corroding. The benefits of composite technology are significant. Furmanite has broadened its on-site and on-line services to include composite material, for highly effective permanent repairs.

What about Permanent Pipe Repair?
Mr Tamim: Restoring both axial strength and hoop strength to damaged pipelines, composites provide a rapid-response solution.
Pipe Rehabilitation
Being lightweight, composites impose very little additional loading on pipes. This makes them ideal for extensive rehabilitation projects where corrosion has set in.
Caisson Rehabilitation
Avoiding the need for costly and disruptive hot-work, composites offer a cost-effective and long lasting method of caisson rehabilitation.
Flare Line Repair and Strengthening
Furmanite has engineers with every necessary skill, including abseiling, enabling even complex repairs to be undertaken with very little disruption.
Complex Geometry
Flexibility and the ability to form a repair in-situ, these two properties that make composites ideal for use on complex installations. They can be elbows, tee joints and flanges without the need for expensive pre-fabrication.
Small-bore Pipe Repairs
Small-bore pipes often do not possess the structural integrity of larger pipelines. Conventional steel clamp solutions may be too heavy. Again, composites' lightweight properties provide a viable alternative.
Nozzle Repair
Repairs using composites are specially designed to ignore the original strength contribution of the existing structure. Thus although the repair becomes a part of the structure, its strength is independent of it. For potentially weak points, therefore, such as a nozzle junction, composites are ideal.  

Could you tell us more about On-line Valve Maintenance Services?
Mr Tamim: AMPS is specialised in carrying out flushing/lubricating/sealing of most types of valves, with out having to stop the production. There are two service options: Short term (repair maintenance) and Long term (preventive maintenance).
Short Term (repair maintenance)
We will flush a valve with our Liquid Flush and then inject Our High Performance Synthetic Valve Sealant. This will most time seal the valve until a planned shutdown where the valve can be repaired or replaced. This short-term service is a last resort and only used to avoid an unplanned shutdown.
Long term (preventative maintenance)
A tailor-made preventative service programmed based on the customer's need according to operating environment and frequency of valve operation. All our service jobs are fully documented from the start to finish, which assist in tracking and planning future repair works.

What about Controlled Bolting Services?
Mr Tamim: AMPS offer a variety of engineered bolting techniques comprising of:
Bolt Tensioning, an accurate method of tightening threaded fasteners using advanced hydraulic technology. 
Torque Tightening, using a range of the latest hydraulic torque wrenches and
Bolt Stress Measurement by mechanical or ultrasonic means.

Could you reveal the company’s scope of work in Pipe Freezing?
Mr Tamim: Pipe freezing is acknowledged fast, safe and highly cost-effective method for the temporary isolation of piping systems to enable maintenance operations or pipe work modification to be carried out.  AMPS has accumulated strong experience and built up good materials having been successfully doing pipe freezing since 1996 on all over the Middle East countries.

Mr Tamim, what are the goals of AMPS?
Mr Tamim: AMPS will continue to utilise all our group resources to remain the top customers on-site specialist engineering service company and to maintain the high levels of trust and respect we currently enjoy from our existing customer base. We will continue to invest in expertise, equipments and facilities thought out the region in order to develop and extend our coverage.