A comprehensive range of industrial services for the UAE

UAE

Raghu Veer Singh, CEO of Altrad Services - UAE and Iraq, talks to The Energy Year about the strong fundamentals underpinning the UAE’s EPC market and the competitive advantages that can be obtained through long-term partnerships, market experience, and innovation. Altrad Adyard is an oil and gas EPC contractor that offers fabrication, operations, maintenance and offshore services.

How does the integrated service offering under ONE Altrad aim to create more value for the UAE’s energy industry?
ONE Altrad’s combined service offering creates a dynamic solution for the evolving supply chains within the UAE’s energy industry by providing a comprehensive range of industrial services and solutions from one bespoke platform.
ONE Altrad offers a wide array of services, including smart solutions for retrofit and brownfield projects, along with offshore EPC, maintenance and decommissioning services, together with our renowned in-house valve and motor overhauling services. Having key processes in-house allows for seamless project execution and reduces the need for multiple contact points, resulting in a predictable and commercially competitive offering for our key customers.

How does ONE Altrad use long-term partnerships to deliver innovative solutions?
We have established long-term maintenance and service contracts with major companies such as ADNOC and DUSUP within the UAE. These partnerships ensure consistent service quality and reliability, and they continue to evolve as our clients value the vast range of services provided by Altrad, designed and developed within the UAE.
ONE Altrad focuses on delivering innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and safety. Our core services include advanced retrofit solutions, specifically for complex and challenging offshore assets.

What are the key strategic strengths of Altrad UAE?
Altrad UAE has extensive experience in the oil and gas, power, water and nuclear sectors. With this expertise, we can handle complex projects and provide high-quality services tailored to the specific needs of these sectors, and we have the ability to scale our service offerings dynamically to meet the requirements of the evolving energy market in the UAE in a safe and reliable manner.
With facilities across the UAE, including major yards in Mussafah, Gayathi, ICAD III [Industrial City of Abu Dhabi III] and Fujairah, ONE Altrad can efficiently support projects in various locations. This strategic presence helps in timely project delivery and cost optimisation for our clients, which translates to predictable delivery solutions for all stakeholders.

What is the advantage for Adyard in becoming integrated into a large company such as Altrad when delivering to the UAE market?
The advantage of being part of Altrad is that we can develop and deploy new assets within the region quickly. As a smaller business unit, we can adapt to changes rapidly. Altrad’s flat organisational structure enables us to obtain approvals and make adjustments to our strategy swiftly, which sets us apart from our competitors. Additionally, our experienced human capital positions us as a strong offshore partner in the UAE’s growing market.
We have digitised our supply chain and engineering operations for more efficient procurement, and we have invested in automation at our fabrication yards. These improvements allow us to support key clients such as ADNOC at all levels of growth. We are an integral part of their local supply chain and in-house services, as was demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic when we continued servicing equipment that they couldn’t acquire from OEMs due to border closures at our valve, pump and motor refurbishment workshops.

In which business segments do you expect to see the most growth?
The company is split 50-40 between maintenance and EPC. Our core business is the yard, providing engineering and offshore fabrication solutions. In 2025, we expect a 15-20% increase in both our yard and offshore fabrication activities compared to 2024.
I anticipate the EPC market will continue to grow at least at the same rate year-on-year, driven by the ongoing expansion of Zirku and Das islands. In Zirku, we have begun servicing ADNOC on the upgrading of crude oil storage tanks and electrical systems, and the installation of 18 boat landings to improve accessibility and capacity of the offshore platforms at Upper Zakum field. We also supported ADNOC Onshore to achieve oil on deadline in the Mandous field.
Beyond oil and gas, we are aligned with the UAE’s energy transition. We have been involved with the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant since early construction and now provide maintenance and support services for every outage. I believe nuclear energy presents an untapped market. We look forward to applying our oil and gas and global nuclear expertise from within the Altrad group to this exciting new energy sector.

How important are Emiratisation programmes for EPC companies?
We are committed to developing our human capital. The EPC market is evolving rapidly, and ADNOC is seeking international-quality talent locally. Companies will need a significant amount of local talent.
We understand that combining an expatriate workforce with a local workforce is essential for a sustainable business model. That’s why we keep investing in ICV [in-country value] with Emirati talent through training campaigns and apprenticeship programmes. We have seen several cases where Emirati women whom we trained were later recruited by ADNOC, which shows the quality of our training.
Emiratisation is vital because projects such as the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant have a 50-year timeline, and oil and gas projects also have long life cycles. If we continue to address human capital challenges with the right Emirati talent, the EPC market will continue to grow.

What are Fujairah’s most dynamic sectors, and what growth do you expect from the Emirate?
Fujairah is a great market with a lot of potential. It is poised to become the next oil and gas hub, not only because of its geographical location and strong investors, such as ADNOC, but also due to its strategic role in distribution. We have dedicated teams for Fujairah and the Northern Emirates. They make up around 20-30% of our workforce and have secured many pipeline and tank refurbishment contracts.
Beyond bunkering and storage facilities – key assets for Fujairah – if the government supports the development of downstream derivatives, a completely new ecosystem will emerge. In terms of visibility and growth, we expect Fujairah to grow by 15-20%, and that is a conservative estimate.

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