Dubai: The Arab Oil and Gas Show saw a proliferation of Chinese exhibitors looking to capitalise on a spill-over of contracts for the planned $5 billion (Dh18.3 billion) investment by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) to raise output capacity by 2016.
"It is clear that there are massive development plans in the Gulf, particularly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq," said Hadi Shuka, business development manager at Dolphin Heat Transfer, one of the exhibitors at the show which opened yesterday.
"For these plans to materialise there has to be massive investment in various technology, equipment and services in the energy sector. The Arab Oil and Gas show provides an excellent platform for us to help address this demand as the dedicated trade show will enable us ot establish contacts and introduce our company and our products to potential customers in the region," Shuka said.
The exhibition showcases products, technology and services for the energy value chain.
An increase in service contracts for projects to increase output by 3.5 million barrels per day is driving a surge in demand for the latest equipment, technology and expertise.
"There are numerous oil and gas contracts that are expected to be tendered within two years, creating an increase in demand for equipment, technology, services and expertise," Anselm Godinho, managing director of International Conferences and Exhibitions (IC&E).
"International suppliers and contractors seeking to capitalise on the robust market outlook are therefore eager to showcase and demonstrate their innovations and capabilities to potential buyers in the region."
According to Helen Zu, who works in the sales department of Nantong Tank Container Co Ltd, the company operates in the Middle East selling transport tanks to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman and the UAE.
"About 20 per cent of our business is in the Middle East. We hope we can sell more containers to the UAE. This market is a development market for our containers and we are seeing higher demand in the Middle East for oil and gas transportation. I think this year we will increase by 10 per cent in this area," Zu said.
Shandon Yuanzheng Petroleum Equipment Co Ltd is yet to establish its presence in the UAE, and the company's trade manager Xu Wan Jian said it was their first time here.
"We're hoping the exhibition will establish some future clients. The Middle East is a very big market. In the future we hope to have many clients here," Xu said.
However, for Zeng Xianjian, country manager, China National Logging Corporation which has a presence in 26 countries, the exhibition is a lot smaller than he expected.
"This is our first time in the UAE and we have plans to explore the marketing in the UAE. [The exhibition] doesn't meet our expectations because there's not so many oil companies."
