Lamnalco is proud to be a sponsor of Middle East Workboats 2009. The Middle East Workboats exhibition and conference will take place from 5th - 7th October at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Public Works and Chairman of the National Transport Authority.
Building on the enormous success of its debut in 2008, the 2009 event reflects the opportunities that exist in the Middle East. The exhibition, is taking place in Abu Dhabi – the hub of the Middle East’s buoyant workboat market. Workboats include tugs, ferries, supply vessels; police, fire, patrol, pilot, rescue and oil spill boats; along with, dredgers, barges and floating cranes, among others with more than 2,000 such vessels estimated to be docked or repaired in the Middle East.
Demand for tugs and other support vessels for the region's offshore oil and gas industry remains a vibrant market showing no major sign of diminishing. Offshore supply vessels deliver everything from drill pipe to drinking water to oil and gas drilling rigs and platforms at sea. Shallow water production - like that of the Middle East - is the largest offshore market.
In a testament to the vibrancy of workboat business in the Middle East, the market is also escaping the worst of the credit crunch. Sharjah-based Lamnalco, recently successfully arranged a $125 million loan facility with international banks to refinance its fleet of tugs and offshore supply vessels and fund a global vessel acquisition programme.
Billions of dollars of investment have also been poured into marine and shoreline projects in the Gulf such as Dubai's Palms and World developments but also Reem Island, Saadiyat Island and Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. All will need a variety of workboats from police and rescue boats to passenger ferries, fire boats and even waste disposal vessels.
Shoreline projects are reaching maturity along the UAE coast and there is a growing need for the right type emergency boats to provide the sophisticated maritime firefighting and rescue services expected of modern cities as well as the kind of vessels needed to service these new, maritime communities.
Middle East Workboats will feature over 150 international companies including workboat builders, repairers and component manufacturers. Running alongside the exhibition will be a high level conference programme featuring leading experts covering topics such as the state of the industry, piracy & safety issues, crewing & manning and design, construction & technology.
Founded in 1963, Lamnalco Group specialises in providing turnkey marine terminal support solutions to the global oil and gas industry. With a Group owned fleet of over 100 terminal/offshore tugs and support craft, Lamnalco is amongst the leading marine terminal operators in the world - with a commanding position in the markets of the Middle East and West Africa and a growing presence in Australia and Eastern Europe.
Technical Presentation
On Monday, 5th October, Lamnalco will be opening a seminar on a key regional industry area; Piracy. The seminar entitled ‘Piracy: Causality and Effect’ has the following synopsis: ‘The causes of Piracy are as diverse and disparate as the effects they produce. This presentation will aim to generate discussion on the approaches being made, individually and collectively at a local, regional and international level to combat Piracy and its root causes.’ The seminar will utilise Lamnalco’s experience both in the Middle East and West Africa through several case studies to perpetuate an active seminar on the issue. The Presentation will commence at 1445hrs.
On Wednesday, 7th October, Lamnalco will participate in the Design, construction and safety seminar. This session will focus on the evolution of workboat design, the challenges to be faced and the technological advances being made on a range of vessels from tugs, anchor handlers, crew boats to water transport. The Presentation will commence at 1000hrs.
Register to visit Middle East Workboats at www.middleeastworkboats.com
