The Abu-Dhabi headquartered oilfield services company says that even though the business activity within the Middle East specifically has managed to sustain itself compared to the rest of the world, the industry is beginning to feel the pinch

Almansoori Specialized Engineering, one of the leading oilfield services companies in the Middle East, says it remains in a very strong position to provide the highest quality services to the oil and gas industry despite the current challenging conditions.

"Throughout our 38-year history, our focus has been on providing solutions and services of the highest possible standard for the oil and gas industry in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and it will remain so. Our commitment to this region remains strong and we are proud of our Abu Dhabi heritage. As the international oil and gas industry turns its attention ever more to our part of the world, we see great opportunities for new business and we will look to exploit these," says Ibrahim AlAlawi, deputy CEO, AlMansoori Specialized Engineering.

Admitting that compared to recent years, 2015 was undoubtedly difficult for the oil and gas industry, AlAlawi says: "Although the Middle East saw high levels of activity in comparison to other regions of the world, the downturn in oil price has meant that many of the region’s oil and gas companies are experiencing challenging times, and in this respect AlMansoori is no different."

However, the current climate also creates opportunities, he adds. "Many operators are continuing to invest and are committed to big projects. Abu Dhabi is adding one rig a month, and this is set to continue into 2017. The situation is similar in Saudi Arabia, and in Kuwait the level of activity is even greater. Our company continues to grow, and there are a number of exciting projects underway which provide scope for business. A CO2 injection project in Abu Dhabi is just one example of where AlMansoori is well placed to supply the well monitoring tools needed.

TACKLING CHALLENGES

According to him, even though the business activity within the Middle East specifically has managed to sustain itself compared to the rest of the world, the industry is beginning to feel the pinch and cost reductions are now at the forefront.

"The current market creates an increased pressure on service companies to review their prices. Whereas over the last few years there had been a welcome shift away from price as the sole determining factor in awarding contracts, towards the total value proposition, that trend is now being reversed and the focus once more becomes about the bottom line. It would be concerning and disappointing if the momentum towards favouring the value proposition was lost forever," AlAlawi says.

"Companies operating in the energy industry are facing the same challenges they had when the price of oil was higher; in particular the difficulty of recruiting skilled manpower, with oil and gas professionals continuing to demand high salaries in the region.

"Now, companies also face the challenge of how to continue growing with less revenue, and how to reduce costs without impairing the quality of service. This has made a lot of companies think outside the box, including AlMansoori," AlAlawi says.

Towards this, the company has created the slogan ‘B the change’ for 2016, to encourage its people to change the way they think and work, to see how AlMansoori can provide more value with less revenue, he explains.

He further points out that the current low oil price has forced clients to look closely at their costs and how they can reduce overheads. However if there is a silver lining to the downturn, it is perhaps that it is encouraging more industry collaboration – a theme highlighted at Adipec last November. For AlMansoori, this is resulting in the creation of new alliances and relationships.

"While the company has always collaborated with international companies to introduce new products and technology into the region, a new development is that we are now being approached by other services companies – international, regional and local – to explore possibilities of working together to deliver services at the reduced prices demanded by the market. There has been a lot of discussion around collaboration within the industry and we are certainly beginning to see this theme carried out in the Middle East region," he reveals.

ONGOING EXPANSION

The Abu Dhabi-headquartered company recently commissioned a new production testing and stimulation vessel, the MV Al Nisr DP-II, in the Arabian Gulf and will be launching a second vessel this year. The pumping and stimulation system on board the MV Al Nisr DP-II has been configured to the latest international standards for automated mixing and pumping operations for a wide range of fluid volumes to efficiently enable various operations requirements.

As part of its ongoing expansion, the new vessel; with its range of unique capabilities, AlMansoori says it will substantially reinforce its capacity to offer Production Testing and Well Stimulation services of the highest quality and an enhanced level of operations efficiency.

The oil production/testing capability of the vessel can accommodate up to 15 000 barrels per day (bpd) with re-injection using oil re-injection pumps. The gas production/testing capability of MV Al Nisr DP II can reach 70 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd). The vessel has the ability to test single or multi-well developments and to allow full-scale production tests to be performed at remote offshore locations with the minimum of down time.

The company started up workover services in Bahrain during 2015. "We currently have one rig working but expected to have a fleet of seven rigs by the end of 2016," says AlAlawi.

AlMansoori continues to provide high quality oilfield services to the oil and gas market and one area the company is adamant it will not be making cutbacks in is Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ), AlAlawi says.

"Given that our people are central to the delivery of quality, we do everything we can to keep our employees happy and engaged and we have no plans to cut back on training. Health and safety comes at a cost, but that cost is a necessary one. As the saying goes, ‘If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident’," he says.

Founded in 1977, AlMansoori Specialized Engineering currently operates in 26 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, East and South East Asia and has more than 3,000 engineering and technical personnel on its rolls.

With a net investment of more than $350 million and a network of branches and offices in the key oil and gas markets, AlMansoori’s commitment to oilfield services has resulted in the development of capabilities across: Production Testing and Early Production Facilities; Drill Stem Testing; Coiled Tubing & Stimulation; Slickline and Completion activities; Safety Services; Workover Drilling; Logging , Tubing Conveyed Perforating; Tubular and Rig Inspection; Directional Drilling; Safety & Technical Training; Manpower Supply; Oilfield Manufacturing and Strategic Joint Ventures and Sponsorship & Representation of companies.