Bahrain is proving to be an extremely good base for regional business in the oil, gas and associated industries for Avenn WLL, according to managing director Art Vennings.

Vennings, a qualified engineer and technical sales manager with more than thirty years' experience in the oil and gas sectors in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is particularly upbeat about business prospects in the GCC for a company which represents in the Middle East many leading international high quality product manufacturers.

''There is growth potential, both in Bahrain and in the wider regional markets,'' he explained. In Bahrain, through its respective representations, Avenn's clients include Bapco, Banagas, Banoco, Garmco, GPIC, Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Ministry of Works, the Fire Service and Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY), while regionally major clients include Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) operating companies Adma-Opco and Adco, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Qatar Petroleum and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).

Avenn enjoys considerable support from both Al Qahtani Maritime (Oilfield Division) & Al-Mutlaq Est. for Trading & Cont. (Petroleum Division) for its Saudi regional business, plus Al Shoumoukh International Services (SISCO) for its UAE interests.

In the four years since the company has been in Bahrain, Avenn has benefited from the country's central geographical location in the Gulf, its strong links with Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, the ease with which a business can be started, a sophisticated and efficient banking system and helpful government departments.

Avenn's business philosophy of personalised service has also helped the company establish some very healthy accounts in the region. In Vennings' own words, the company serves a 'niche market' for the range of products it represents. Beyond this, however, is the fact that Avenn's principals have a permanent presence in the Gulf, something that some major overseas suppliers cannot offer.

''Avenn tries to give top quality service, and that is really the key to our success,'' said Vennings. ''We are on the ground to get the jobs done,'' he added.

Avenn's representation list reads like a 'who's who' of leading edge product manufacturers for industries including oil and gas, aluminium, telecommunications, fire services, shipbuilding and repair facilities and sewerage and drainage, and they are described as follows:

BW Technologies Ltd - Canada

BW manufactures a variety of gas monitors for oxygen as well as toxic and combustible gases. The monitors come in three basic styles.

The original style uses solar power and can therefore operate in remote areas. It can also radio a warning signal up to six km back to a central receiver, thus avoiding the necessity of hard wiring a signal back to the control room.

The second type feature fixed systems which are placed throughout a plant and send a signal via instrumentation wire back to the central control room facility. BW Technologies uses industry-standard instrumentation signals for this and the low power design makes it possible to provide intrinsically safe systems which help to decrease cost, as well as being more accessible for maintenance.

The third grouping features portable instruments from BW for use in a variety of roles. They include multiple and single gas monitors, including Toxyclip, the first maintenance-free monitor in the market, a feature which has revolutionised personal gas monitoring.

Customers in Bahrain who have benefited from BW Technologies' products include Bapco, Bahrain Atomisers, GPIC, Alba, the Ministry of Works (Sewerage Department) and the Fire Service.

Certified Oilfield Rentals Ltd & LLC (COR) - Singapore - Abu Dhabi - Saudi Arabia

COR is a global leader in drilling equipment rental and is totally committed to expansion in the Middle East and Far East.

The company spent more than $5 million last year on new equipment and tubulars to enhance its stocks. COR now plans to purchase additional standard equipment used in these regions as well as introducing high specification equipment currently used worldwide and demand for which is growing in the Middle East and Far East.

One of COR's main objectives is to encourage more customer dialogue and input as to the type of equipment required for its projects, and to give the customer the satisfaction of knowing that the right equipment is available for their needs. COR prides itself on its customer relationships, and the ability to establish long-term working partnerships within the industry based on trust and proven performance.

Regional customers for COR's services include most major operators and drilling contractors.

Marubeni - Itochu Steel Inc - Japan

Marubeni - Itochu Steel Inc (MISI) is a 50:50 joint venture between the leading Japanese corporations of Marubeni and Itochu. MISI was established last October to market a full range of steel products, including tubular products for the oil and gas industry, OCTG (casing, tubing and drill pipe) and line pipe.

In addition to a technical representation by Avenn in the Middle East, MISI has overseas offices worldwide to keep in close and regular contact with its customers. The company also has corporate offices in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Egypt and has supplied OCTG and line pipe to leading operators and contractors such as Saudi Aramco, Adma-Opco, Adco, KOC, QP, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Dubai Petroleum Company and Occidental.

NDT Equipment Services Ltd - UK NDT offers a full range of NDT and inspection equipment, from consumable items such as calibration blocks, probes and leads through to ultrasonic equipment and real-time x-ray systems. It also supplies a comprehensive range of fully refurbished equipment including ultrasonic flaw detectors, isotope containers and x-ray units.

NDT can offer short or long-term hire of ultrasonic flaw detectors, long-range ultrasonic systems, topside and subsea thickness meters, video probes, x-ray units, isotope containers, eddy current equipment and coating inspection equipment. NDT also manufactures a comprehensive array of automatic and semi automatic inspection equipment to suit customer needs. From small immersion tanks to complete mechanical handling units for plate or pipe mills, single channel systems to 100-plus channels. Through NDT's sister company DMG Control Systems, it can supply a full range of panel and process meters to complete design and build control panels and process rigs. DMG also supplies site services to look after process control and instrumentation needs from site calibration.

In addition to the foregoing NDT supplies the services of High Tec Ultrasonics and E-Mats with its systems of Guided Wave and Magna-Scan. NDT holds on-line contracts with Saudi Aramco and has worked with Sabic, PDO, Adnoc and Adco. These services are state-of-the-art innovative inspection systems.

Scientific International Inc - USA

The company manufactures the only lightweight field refacing tool which can accurately reface the dual shouldered range of premium rotary connections now on the market, and it also offers sealed internal television inspection systems and corrosion protection systems.

With more than 30 years of experience, Scientific International is dedicated to the further development of methods, management, quality and equipment related to oilfields. It also specialises in consulting services, technical sales and operation training, equipment appraisal services, R&D, equipment development, prototyping and construction.

The Scientific International equipment is utilised by major operators, drilling contractors, inspection and rental companies alike, in Bahrain the Sewerage and Drainage Department of the Ministry of Works have recently completed a successful survey utilising Scientific International equipment.

Thread Guard Technology (TGT) - Germany

This company is the leading manufacturer of OCTG thread protectors, line pipe bevel end protectors and pipe packaging systems. The TGT products are approved and specified by the oil and gas industry throughout the world and are designed to safeguard and protect OCTG tubulars against harsh elements, handling and storage conditions normally encountered in the industry.

All TGT products are manufactured from polymers and steel, both of which can be fully recycled, and in many cases, reclaimed serviceable products can be returned to the end-user for re-use.

TGT supplies its products to all major manufacturers of OCTG, with customers ranging from the European, North & South American and Japanese mills to the specialised premium thread producers throughout the world.

Avenn has been instrumental in obtaining Saudi Aramco approval for the TGT products, and Saudi Aramco now singularly specifies the TGT pipe packaging system PPS/M for all its chrome & CRA tubulars.

Other regional Avenn clients for the TGT products include Ados, UES, PDO, Arabian Metals, Adma-Opco, plus internationally Marubeni-Itochu and NKKT out of Japan.

Boreal Laser - Canada

Boreal Laser develops, manufactures, markets and supports the GasFinder laser-based toxic and hazardous gas detectors which are used in a variety of open path (ambient, environmental and safety), stack, vent and process monitoring applications.

Portable GasFinders are light, battery-operated, easy to set up and use. Multiple path/point GasFinder MC systems can monitor up to eight paths or points with a single analyser. Both portable and fixed GasFinders are self-calibrating, robust, reliable and maintenance-free. GasFinders benefits also include fast response, lack of interference from other gases, and low cost of ownership.

GasFinders are currently available for hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, ethylene and acetylene. Typical applications include refineries (especially HF alkylation), petrochemical and chemical plants, gas production and processing.

Fast Engineering Ltd - Northern Ireland

Fast Engineering Ltd manufactures the award-winning range of FASTANK emergency liquid storage containers. These are used by major oil companies, chemical companies, spill contractors and environmental organisations worldwide.

The small packaged weight and volume of the FASTANK range enables them to be hand carried yet once on site the tanks can be assembled tool-free in minutes to contain up to 10,000 litres of liquid. Applications include emergency containment, oil-water separation and decontamination for personnel, equipment and animals.

Customers include Adnoc, Saudi Aramco, Bapco, GPIC and the Fire Service.

Dasic International - UK

The company is a world-leading oil dispersant manufacturer of the proven and widely-approved Slickgone range of products. Slickgone dispersants are formulated for high effectiveness but with extremely low toxicity, requiring the very lowest of application rates when sprayed onto the sea.

Slikgone NS is approved by UK, French, Norwegian and Middle East (ROPME) approval authorities. It is also approved by a number of other countries including Australia and Singapore. Dasic's customer base for this product is located in Europe, Middle East, Far East, Australasia and South America.

Idesco Oy - Finland

Idesco-Oy develops, markets and manufactures tags, cards and reader modules based on Radio Frequency Identification technology.

Both the technology and the products are based on secure and fast, low frequency, inductive data transfer between the reader and the tag. All products are designed to meet the needs of customers, integrators and OEM manufacturers in a wide range of applications, which include access control, factory automation, and asset marketing, ticketing and hazardous environments. Regional interest in the Idesco product range is with both personnel and equipment identification/control.