UAE divisions of Scottish engineering firms team up for new projects

UAE branches of Flowline Specialists and Motive Offshore have agreed to join forces in order to collaborate on projects in the Middle East and North Africa.

In a joint statement, the two companies said that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during last week’s Connect Oil, Gas & Beyond event in Abu Dhabi, organized by the Energy Industry Council.

Under the MOU, Flowline Specialists FZE and Motive FZC, the United Arab Emirates arms of Oldmeldrum-based Flowline Specialists and Banff-headquartered Group, will cooperate on specific projects in the Middle East and North Africa.

The agreement between the companies formalizes a working partnership that has existed between the two UAE branches. Flowline Specialists FZE and Motive FZC will now jointly bid on projects in the region, which will, according to the companies, provide a more cost-effective and streamlined procurement process for clients through a single point of contact.

Both companies offer a range of complementary modular back deck equipment operated by their own personnel including spoolers, tensioners, reel drive systems, winches, and shears.

Apart from working in the Middle East oil and gas sector where significant investments are still being made by operators, the duo intends to work in the renewables sector.

Namely, the companies are relying on data provided by a recent report by Siemens which stated that expected growth in renewable energy in the region would mean an increase in energy production from renewable sources in the coming decades. The renewables expansion is in line with plans of national governments in the Middle East to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels.

Flowline Specialists designs, engineers and manufactures a range of cable and pipe handling and deployment equipment for use in the global energy industry while the Motive Offshore Group specializes in the manufacture and rental of high capacity winches, umbilical deployment equipment, and specialized subsea equipment.

Graeme Chalmers, Flowline Specialists FZE group operations manager, said: “Establishing an MOU between the Middle East divisions of our two companies was a natural step, having already worked together on a number of projects. We are currently jointly bidding on various cable lay projects across the region, and with different governments intending to grow their renewable energy sectors, many more future opportunities exist.”

Eddie Moore, manager at Motive FZC, added: “Over the last two years, the businesses have benefitted from working together across the GCC region and the MOU strengthens our position further.”