Abu Dhabi-listed AD Ports Group Inks 25-Year Deal with Singapore’s Crystal Offshore

Under the agreement’s terms, a 20,000-square-meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base. WAM
Under the agreement’s terms, a 20,000-square-meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base. WAM
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Abu Dhabi-listed AD Ports Group Inks 25-Year Deal with Singapore’s Crystal Offshore

Under the agreement’s terms, a 20,000-square-meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base. WAM
Under the agreement’s terms, a 20,000-square-meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base. WAM

AD Ports Group has signed a 25-year agreement with Singapore based Crystal Offshore, a recognized one-stop Logistics Solution provider to the Marine & Offshore Industry.

Under the agreement’s terms, a 20,000-square-meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base, featuring office facilities and fabrication workshops to provide advanced repairs and refits to jack-up rigs as well as marine and offshore vessels.

Saif Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer, Ports Cluster – AD Ports Group, said: “Our partnership with one of the world’s leading solution providers in the marine and offshore industry, will add significant value to Khalifa Port’s customers and greatly expand the numerous services it offers to cater to the wide base of the marine industry.”

“As we look towards the future, we will continue our drive to further diversify the service offerings in our ports in the UAE and abroad. We aim to achieve this by forging strong partnerships such as the one we are entering into with Crystal Offshore, ensuring that we remain the global port operator of choice for our customers.”

CEO of Crystal Offshore Sujith Sekharan hailed the partnership with AD Ports Group with a view to deliver services to the oil and gas industry in the Middle East region.

“We have a strong track record with contractors in the region, and with this long-term partnership we anticipate significant and fast growth of our market share, greatly assisted by the geographical proximity and excellent infrastructure that Khalifa Port has to offer. We share the vision of AD Ports Group and look forward to complementing one another through our expertise and capabilities,” he said.

The new shipyard fabrication facility situated within Khalifa Port will cater for drilling rigs and marine assets as well as deep water vessels such as FPSO and semi submersibles.



BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Iraq and British oil giant BP are set to finalize a deal by early February to develop four oil fields in Kirkuk and curb gas flaring, Iraqi authorities announced Wednesday.

The mega-project in northern Iraq will include plans to recover flared gas to boost the country's electricity production, they said.

Gas flaring refers to the polluting practice of burning off excess gas during oil drilling. It is cheaper than capturing the associated gas.

The Iraqi government and BP signed a new memorandum of understanding in London late Tuesday, as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and other senior ministers visit Britain to seal various trade and investment deals.

"The objective is to enhance production and achieve optimal targeted rates of oil and gas output," Sudani's office said in a statement.

Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani told AFP after the new accord was signed that the project would increase the four oil fields' production to up to 500,000 barrels per day from about 350,000 bpd.

"The agreement commits both parties to sign a contract in the first week of February," he said.

Ghani noted the project will also target gas flaring.

Iraq has the third highest global rate of gas flaring, after Russia and Iran, having flared about 18 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, according to the World Bank.

The Iraqi government has made eliminating the practice one of its priorities, with plans to curb 80 percent of flared gas by 2026 and to eliminate releases by 2028.

"It's not just a question of investing and increasing oil production... but also gas exploitation. We can no longer tolerate gas flaring, whatever the quantity," Ghani added.

"We need this gas, which Iraq currently imports from neighboring Iran. The government is making serious efforts to put an end to these imports."

Iraq is ultra-dependent on Iranian gas, which covers almost a third of Iraq's energy needs.

However, Teheran regularly cuts off its supply, exacerbating the power shortages that punctuate the daily lives of 45 million Iraqis.

BP is one of the biggest foreign players in Iraq's oil sector, with a history of producing oil in the country dating back to the 1920s when it was still under British mandate.

According to the World Bank, Iraq has 145 billion barrels of proven oil reserves -- among the largest in the world -- amounting to 96 years' worth of production at the current rate.