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McDermott Int’l Plans to Establish Highly-Developed Facilities in KSA

Aramco’s Marine Project. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Aramco’s Marine Project. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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McDermott Int’l Plans to Establish Highly-Developed Facilities in KSA

Aramco’s Marine Project. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Aramco’s Marine Project. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Houston-based McDermott International announced the construction of new highly-developed facilities in Saudi Arabia to support its operations in the Middle East, as well as support Aramco’s In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program.

McDermott continues to develop infrastructure in the fields of wind energy and other renewable energies in the kingdom.

McDermott President and CEO David Dickson stated that the two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed between McDermott and Aramco, support Vision 2030 and Aramco's initiative to enhance its added value and presence inside the Kingdom. He added that this complies with the initiatives launched in Saudi Arabia and the ability to provide local solutions to meet the needs of the modern business environment.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dickson expected that the two new facilities, set to be built in Ras al-Kheir, will enhance McDermott's manufacturing capacity in the Middle East from 8 million hours to 16 million hours a year, which will provide better service in the Middle East and other regions.

Dickson emphasized that McDermott is committed to using the local Saudi competencies to operate its facilities and develop their expertise, adding that he looks forward to recruiting and developing qualified Saudi talent at a high level in the Kingdom.

He stressed that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in meeting the world's energy needs in the foreseeable future.

Dickson also expects McDermott to play a key role in developing some of the infrastructure in wind and other renewable energy markets because of its growing importance and compatibility with many of the manufacturing, installation and project implementation needs.

He stressed that the oil and gas will remain at the heart of the work of McDermott, but there are other opportunities to expand the scope of its work beyond that.

"We are fully committed to supporting Aramco's added value within the Kingdom, and although we have come a long way in this area, we need to do more, and we are focusing on doing so," Dickson concluded.

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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."