FMC metering station in Iraq

Unaoil Iraq, working with FMC, its technical partner, liaised closely with the Missan Oil Company for the installation of a metering station in the Missan oil field.

Unaoil also arranged for the clearance and transportation from Um Qassr port to the MOC site.

The Unaoil Group at the Iraq Mega Projects conference in Istanbul

From 26th to 28th October 2010 the Unaoil Group sent a delegation to the Iraq Mega Projects conference and exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey.

The event provided a good opportunity to learn more about the business prospects in Iraq as well as to meet industry participants.

The conference was attended by many companies active in the oil industry. Many of these were interested in EPC contractors and were looking fora capable company with a strong presence in Iraq to assist them on the ground. The exhibition provided a good opportunity to elaborate upon Unaoil's local content capability as well as to discuss upcoming projects in Iraq with industry partners. Also two of our Iraqi team members were interviewed for radio and television.

Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project

Unaoil Engineering and Construction (UnaE&C) is currently constructing the on-shore component of the Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project.

The Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project (ICOEEP) is perhaps the most important strategic project in the Iraqi Ministry of Oil's Master Plan. The Crude Export Facility of Southern Iraq currently exports approximately 1.8 MMBOPD from the KAAOT and ABOT offshore terminals. The oil is transported from onshore facilities to the offshore terminals through two 48 inch export pipelines for ABOT and one 42 inch and two 32 inch pipelines for KAAOT. The KAAOT terminal has previously suffered damage and so the majority of the oil is exported through the ABOT terminal. The current export facilities and pipelines were built in the 1960s and 1970s and designed for a 20 year life, with the proper maintenance.

The Ministry of Oil Master Plan 2007 has the objective of developing further offshore loading facilities to enable export capability of 4.5 MMBOPD (excluding exports from KAAOT) within 5 years. The 4.5 MMBOPD export capacity will be made up of 1.8 MMBOPD from ABOT and 2.7 MMBOPD from the new facilities. New facilities include Phase 1 (two 48" pipelines and two SPMs), Phase 2 (additional SPM and Control, Metering & Manifold Platform) plus a future pipeline and SPM. Phase 1 and Phase 2 together are targeted to achieve 1.8 MMBOPD

The scope of Unaoil's responsibilities include:

• 2 x 48" ONSHORE pipelines from FAO terminal to new beach valve station
• Installation of FOC (Fibre Optic Cables) & Telecommunication equipment
• Installation of SCADA, ESD, FDS and other control systems at FAO & the BVS

Provision of Rolls Royce gas generators to SOC Iraq

During 2009 Unaoil successfully supplied, installed and commissioned 3 off brand new Rolls Royce Avon 1535 Gas Generators to SOC Iraq. The project was executed ahead of schedule and allowed SOC to increase its oil output. Our ability to train local Iraqi engineers on Rolls Royce’ leading technology was critical to the success of this project as was our local capability to provide secure facilities at site.

At a time when many Western companies are starting to consider returning to Iraq, Unaoil are ahead of the field and as part of this contract had a highly skilled, fully trained ex-pat team based in Iraq. They worked closely with the Unaoil in-country Iraqi experts.

This project once again demonstrated Unaoil’s unique capability to supply innovative technical and commercial solutions in the most challenging of environments ahead of schedule and exceeding the customer’s expectations.

Local infrastructure support for Rolls-Royce in Azerbaijan

Rolls Royce’s supply of 32 RB211 gas turbines to the BP $13 billion investment in the offshore development of the Azeri – Chirag – Guneshli oil fields was supported by Unaoil Azerbaijan, continuing our long standing relationship with Rolls Royce.

Unaoil Azerbaijan provided Rolls Royce with local infrastructure support in Azerbaijan which included;

• Supply of all local staff (employed by Unaoil) to support all installation & commissioning activities (52 staff in total)
• Provision and set-up of local office facilities
• Sourcing/rental of apartments for Rolls-Royce staff
• Renting and / or purchase of vehicles
• Management of entry permits and visas for all Rolls-Royce staff

The Unaoil Iraq team met Baroness Nicholson in Basra

Senior members of Unaoil's team in Iraq met with Baroness Nicholson in Basra at a two-day workshop organised by the Iraqi Business Bureau. The March 2011 meeting's purpose was to promote investment in the Oil and Gas industry in Iraq.

Unaoil was represented by Rafia Kasim Al Jarah, Unaoil's Resident Manager in Basra and Loay Kader Al Quraishi, Projects Manager. Baroness Nicholson is the Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council and is a great supporter of the business community in Iraq.

The Unaoil Group at the Iraq Mega Projects conference in Istanbul

From 25th to 28th November 2010 the Unaoil group attended the first International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition held in Basrah, Iraq.

Unaoil's stand was visited by several leading organisations, including representatives from SOC, MOC, SGC, SCOP, South Refineries, Oil Products Distribution Co., the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Oil, ABB, Clyde Union Pumps, Lukoil, Petrofac, Siemens, TBI, and TMK among others. The conference also provided a good opportunity for informal discussions with industry partners about upcoming projects in Iraq.

On the whole the exhibition was considered a success and our Iraqi team is intending to participate in the 2011 event.

Provision of production chemicals in Iraq

Unaoil’s involvement with Production Chemicals began in 2004 when we started supplying the Iraqi South Oil Company with desperately needed Emulsion Breaker (Demulsifier).

By 2006 Unaoil had established Unachem which employed a dedicated and experienced team of locals and ex-pats. Combining this with the Group’s existing resources and infrastructure, we were able to cover all the skills and resources required of an independent Production Chemical company while at the same time providing on-site support to clients in Iraq.

The integration of local capability with leading technology meant that by 2008, Unachem had engineered and prequalified several products including Demulsifiers and Corrosion Inhibitors, set up a blending and logistics facility in Ajman (UAE) and secured a revolving US$10m structured facility with BNP Paribas to support its production chemical business. Between 2006 and 2008 we secured greater than 90% of the production chemical market in Southern Iraq, delivered 40,000 drums of Demulsifier to SOC and were amongst the pioneers in qualifying and winning large contracts for the supply of Corrosion Inhibitor for SOC’s water injection facilities.

Our Group had several technical partners who provided innovative chemistry, lab support and QA/QC standards. We leveraged this platform to devise and refine products that were tailored for the Southern Iraq oilfields. One of our technical partners, Weatherford International, went on to purchase Unachem in 2008 and Unaoil remains their commercial advisors for all their Production Chemicals business for several countries in the Middle East.

Provision of a qualified workforce for the Adriatic LNG Project

The Adriatic LNG Project consists of an offshore Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) receiving and regasification terminal – the first of its kind globally. Primary components of the project are a concrete Gravity Based Structure (GBS), four 9% nickel steel LNG storage tanks, topsides regasification facilities, marine equipment, mooring dolphins, and export pipeline. The completed terminal facility was towed to the Adriatic Sea and installed approximately 17 km east-northeast of Porto Levante, Italy. The terminal will be connected to a pre-installed pipeline, linking it to the northern Italy gas grid.

The Project owner is Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, whose main shareholders are ExxonMobil, Qatar Gas, and Edison Gas.

GETR provided a workforce totalling approximately 400 staff for the work executed in Spain and the carry-over works offshore Italy. This workforce comprised of:

• E&I technicians
• Mechanical technicians
• Welders and fitters
• HSE supervisors
• Project Team Management

For each of these specialised areas experienced supervisors were also provided and strict pass-rates applied. In fact, given its strong focus on training and partnering with leading providers, GETR ended up executing key elements of the scope on a bonus structure linked to minimum failure rates. Our positive experience on this project has led to a significant amount of follow on work with the project managers, Aker Kvaerner, both on a man-day rate basis, as well as undertaking complete scopes of work as a nominated sub-contractor.