Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), the specialised entity accountable for establishing and managing ports in the Kingdom to the highest levels of efficiency and making sure their value-add to the economy, and the National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), a part of Senaat Abu Dhabi, has signed a hand-over ceremony of the land allotted by Mawani to NPCC for commencing the construction of a modern-day fabrication yard in Saudi Arabia at Ras Al Khair Port.

In presence of HE Ibrahim Ismail Mohamed Alhosani, Councilor of the UAE Embassy in Riyadh; and Eng. Mohammed Al-Shammary, Vice president of Saudi Aramcos Procurement and Supply Chain Management, the agreement was signed by Eng. Ahmed Al Dhaheri, CEO of NPCC, and Capt. Abdulla bin Saeed Al Shahrani, Director of Ras Al Khair Port, Mawani, as well as a number of high-profile officials of Saudi Aramco, Mawani and NPCC.

The ceremony was held on the sidelines of the iktva (in-Kingdom Total Value-Add) Forum and Exhibition 2020, organised by Saudi Aramco at the Dhahran Expo Centre in Dammam. NPCC is the Platinum Sponsor of the key event.

The hand-over of the land follows an agreement signed between NPCC and Saudi Aramco in 2018 to construct a completely integrated fabrication yard and marine base in Ras Al Khair, at an investment valued at SAR 160 million, to be built over 450,000 square metres, the fabrication yard will create over 2,000 jobs.

Saudi Arabia is presently undergoing a profound transformation throughout all essential financial sectors, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to give a boost to economic diversification, while focusing on developing the manufacturing skills of Saudi establishments led by Saudi professionals, stated Eng. Ahmed Al Dhaheri. We are honoured to play a part in aiding the ambitious plans with the improvement of the new fabrication yard in Saudi Arabia. This has since long been a major area of focus for us, particularly since we have numerous robust partnerships with main national companies and institutions, such as Saudi Aramco.

We thank Mawani for their support in allocating land for establishing our dedicated fabrication yard in the Kingdom. We constantly attempt to make bigger our operations in Saudi Arabia to meet the growing demand for our services throughout the country as well as to give a boost to local capabilities, in line with iktvas objectives. The new fabrication yard similarly underlines our unwavering commitment to the Kingdom. It displays our tireless efforts to develop our operations in Saudi Arabia, which provides promising opportunities. We have a strong partnership with Saudi Aramco, underpinned by numerous contracts that consist of enforcing its programmes to develop offshore fields in the Arabian Gulf.

Capt. Abdulla bin Saeed Al Shahrani said: We are delighted to hand over the allocated land to NPCC, which has proven its dedication to make investments in the Kingdom and develop the infrastructure and services of the Kingdoms energy sector. We thank NPCCs management for the project, as the Ras Al Khair fabrication yard will have a positive impact to the economy - from improving local manufacturing skills to providing Saudis with access to rewarding job opportunities. We are optimistic about continuing our constructive collaboration with NPCC to similarly speed up the growth of the sector and local economy.

NPCC is constructing on its efforts as a pioneering EPC major in the Kingdoms energy sector. Complementing its robust presence in the Kingdom, NPCC has a long-standing partnership, spanning three decades, with Saudi Aramco.

Going beyond offering EPC services, NPCCs in-Kingdom contributions involve providing chances to improve the skills and knowledge of Saudi employees. Operating under Saudi management, NPCCs Dammam-based office has about 25 Saudi employees while the wider NPCC family consists of more than 155 Saudis working throughout a number of fields and units - from project and asset management to engineering and marine operations. NPCC plans to enlarge the number of Saudi employees to 300 by end-2020.

NPCC currently signed agreements with the Inspection Technology and Quality Assurance National Institute (ITQAN), National Transport & Contracting Company (NTCC) and the Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP) to recruit more trained Saudi professionals. As part of its recently-launched recruitment campaign, NPCC conducted 150 interviews, leading to hiring 30 engineers, with 32 more on the waiting list.

NPCC has signed a long-term agreement with Saudi Aramco for offshore projects, that led to NPCC winning 12 main projects that are valued at around SAR 10 billion (US$2.71 billion) and covering engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication, installment and operation activities.