Misfer Al Bidaiwi(left), Vice-President, Qatar Shell GTL; with Saleh Al Jaidah (second left), Director, Petrotec; inaugurating the Dry Gas Seal Repair and Testing Centre, a joint venture of Petrotec and Flowserve. Abdul Aziz Al Ansari, Head of Tawteen; J
Petrotec, a 100 percent Qatari-owned company and the American multinational Flowserve, jointly opened a dry gas seal repair and testing facility at the Petrotec Service and Technology Centre (STC), Street 39 - Salwa Industrial Area.
Dry gas seals are an integral part of compressors used in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries in Qatar. The new facility will expand Petrotec’s existing wet seal repair and testing facility in Qatar and brings local compressor seal commissioning, inspection and repair capabilities to Qatar.
The facility will give Qatar’s oil and gas companies access to faster seal delivery, local inventory, on-site inspection and testing services, and immediate repair capabilities. Previously, companies had to send compressor seals outside Qatar for testing and servicing, which led to increased downtime and shipping expenses. Now, Flowserve and Petrotec can bring these services direct to customer’s doorstep which reduces turnaround time.
The event was held in the presence of Misfer Al-Bidaiwi, Vice President of Pearl GTL at Qatar Shell, Jacques Azibert, CEO of North Oil Company, Abdulaziz Al Ansari, Head of Tawteen at Qatar Petroleum, in addition to other management staff from Flowserve, Petrotec and other major oil and gas companies in Qatar.
Established in 1989, Petrotec is one of the largest providers of products and services to the energy sector in Qatar. With approximately 600 employees representing 31 nationalities, Petrotec represents a key selection of world leading manufacturers and service companies in Qatar.
Petrotec has strengthened its position in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (“MRO”) market in Qatar by adding this new dry gas seal repair facility to its long list of service workshops. The new facility has been built in partnership with Flowserve.
Flowserve Corporation is an American multinational corporation and one of the largest suppliers of industrial and environmental machinery including pumps, valves, mechanical seals and services to the oil, gas, power, chemical and other industries. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, Flowserve has over 18,000 employees in more than 55 countries.
Flowserve sells products and offers aftermarket services to engineering and construction firms, original equipment manufacturers, distributors and end users. Petrotec has been an authorized distributor of Flowserve pumps and mechanical seals in Qatar since 2003, providing customers with a full range of products and aftermarket services.
P.K. Viswanath, General Manager - Sales at Petrotec said: “I would specifically like to thank Qatar Shell. It was their initiative much before the localisation program (Tawteen) started. Qatar Shell had the vision to look at localising activities in Qatar. I would like to thank Qatar Shell for giving Petrotec the opportunity to localise this activity.”
Misfer Al-Bidaiwi, Vice President of Pearl GTL at Qatar Shell said: “I am so proud that we made another step on our way to Tawteen. Tawteen (Localisation) is extremely important for us as Qatar Shell and for us as Qataris and for the industry. I am also proud that we have such a service of Flowserve and Petrotec in Qatar. I would really like to thank Petrotec and Flowserve for the service they have provided all these years to the oil and gas industry here in Qatar.”
“From Qatar Shell’s perspective, this makes a big difference” Al-Bidaiwi added. He also said, in relation to repairing a dry gas seal in the case of an emergency compressor shutdown, the repair will now take “not months, not weeks, but days”.
Tom Diez, Vice President Global Distribution at Flowserve said: “Petrotec is a pioneer in the relationship between Flowserve and its distributors because Petrotec had the first wet seals repair and testing facility for a third party company outside of Flowserve’s extensive existing network of facilities. Once again, this new facility is the first time Flowserve has ever partnered with a distribution channel for a dry gas seal repair facility in the world.” Fred Meeke, Vice President Sales EMEA at Flowserve added: “I would like to thank Petrotec for supporting Flowserve in additional things such as training in addition to their commitment to Internet of Things and our wireless data capture system. These are signs of a fantastic and progressive relationship that we have with Petrotec”.
Salah Al-Jaidah, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Petrotec Group said: “This newly established dry gas seal facility demonstrates Petrotec’s willingness to localise key services in Qatar, which previously were sourced from other countries in the GCC or other parts of the world.”
