A sound reference for industrial maintenance in Kuwait

Kuwait

Samina Mullick, managing director and partner of Al Kulaib International Trading, talks to The Energy Year about entering the market for rig transportation services and the company’s prospects in the civil works and renewables segments. Al Kulaib International Trading is a Kuwaiti contracting company specialising in oil and gas and power projects.

What are some recent additions to Al Kulaib’s project portfolio?
We are currently working with KNPC, KIPIC [Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company] and KOC on mechanical, steel structure and piping projects. We’ve been collaborating with Mitsubishi as a maintenance contractor for a long time, handling maintenance at their substation and supporting their testing, engineering and manpower needs.
With KIPIC, we have a standalone maintenance contract for the Al Zour Refinery, valued at KWD 5 million [USD 16.3 million]. Recently, we have bid for a desalination project and have won a KWD 2.9-million [USD 9.4-million] flow line project. We tend to avoid projects exceeding KWD 5 million [USD 16.3 million], but my goal is to take on bigger projects and potentially scale up to KWD 25 million [USD 81.3 million].

How do you intend to develop the company’s capabilities for civil works?
We excel in electrical and mechanical work and have completed several projects for the K-companies, but now I want to build up our civil engineering team. To secure contracts with the K-companies, you need experience and you need to be approved by them. If you are not approved, you can only participate in their projects as a subcontractor, so my focus over the next year will be to get approved for civil works so we can bid directly.

Al Kulaib has added rig transportation to its portfolio of services. What has been the impact on your business?
We recently started offering transportation services for workover rigs. This includes remote operations, and we’ve recently completed our second rig move with Sinopec. The first move was in May 2023 and was a significant achievement for us. Rigs are constantly being moved in Kuwait, so transportation services can become a steady revenue stream for us.

How much of your portfolio is dedicated to oil and gas?
Around 90% of our business is oil and gas, primarily with the K-companies. Our portfolio is split roughly 50-50 between procurement and construction, with a few maintenance contracts. We want to focus more on procurement, as the business offers better margins and is generally easier to manage.

The company is preparing to expand into Saudi Arabia. Can you provide an update on your progress?
We have concluded the necessary paperwork and are about 70% ready to begin operations in Saudi Arabia. We plan to enter the market alone, but if we secure large projects that we can’t handle ourselves, we will partner with local firms.

Does the company have any plans to offer services to the renewables sector?
Renewable energy is an emerging market that has great potential and is highly important for the future of Kuwait. We don’t have specific expertise in renewables but we have highly capable mechanical and electrical engineers, so we have a foundation to start building a team. Within one or two years, we should be able to begin looking at opportunities in the renewables sector.

What else is Al Kulaib planning for the next five years?
There are a few mega-projects in the pipeline for the next five years, such as KIPIC’s petrochemicals complex. We can participate as subcontractors and I hope to grow our capabilities so we can secure business as the principal contractor.

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