The GCC rotating machinery market is expected to reach US$15bn by 2025. (Image source: RoTIC Symposium 2025)

The Middle East Rotating Machinery Technology & Innovation Symposium (RoTIC Symposium) opened on 22 September at the Grand Hyatt Exhibition Center in Dubai

Running until September 24, the three-day event brings together over 3,500 professionals, innovators, and technical experts from more than 30 countries, representing industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, marine, and power generation.

The GCC rotating machinery market is expected to reach US$15bn by 2025, driven predominantly by the oil and gas sector, which accounts for over 60% of regional demand. Globally, the rotating equipment market in oil and gas is forecast to grow to US$42bn by 2027, highlighting the sector’s crucial role in industrial development.

“The Middle East is not just a hub for energy; it is becoming the global nerve centre for innovation in industrial technologies,” said Samuel Benedict, director of Aldrich International, organisers of the event. “With strong demand for rotating machinery and a growing emphasis on sustainability and efficiency, RoTIC Symposium 2025 serves as a powerful platform to connect ideas, technologies, and partnerships that will define the next era of industrial growth.”

This year’s symposium highlights energy-efficient designs, predictive maintenance, hybrid and electric solutions, and integration with carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) systems. These innovations are helping industries progress toward Net-Zero targets while enhancing productivity and reliability.

Event highlights

The technical conference programme features sessions on turbomachinery, pumps, compressors, and sealing technologies, including real-time condition monitoring, vibration analysis, digital twins, advanced sealing solutions, and predictive analytics. Alongside the conference, the exhibition showcases cutting-edge solutions from global manufacturers, creating opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and new business development.

With discussions spanning oil and gas processing, renewable power, marine propulsion, and aerospace engines, RoTIC Symposium 2025 is positioned as the largest and most influential rotating machinery gathering in the Middle East.

The event provides an essential forum for industry leaders to exchange knowledge, present innovations, and build strategic connections that will shape the future of industrial efficiency and sustainability.

Prakash Gururajan, director of strategy, Tracerco. (Image source: Tracerco)

Global oil and gas service company Tracerco has opened a new office in Dammam, strengthening its presence in Saudi Arabia, expanding support for customers in the region, and aligning with the Saudi Vision 2030

The new office in the Novotel Business Park will enable Tracerco to consolidate its business development, project coordination, and customer engagement across all business units – including Process Diagnostics, Subsea Technologies, Measurement Instruments, Reservoir Diagnostics, and Radiation Monitors. It will serve the upstream and refining sectors, alongside petrochemical leaders and local joint ventures, as well as serving as a platform to scale its Fuel Integrity services and its Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) tracer diagnostics portfolio.

Prakash Gururajan, director of strategy, Tracerco, said, “Saudi Arabia is a key market for Tracerco globally. By establishing this new office, we are well placed to support our customers in maximising efficiency, derisking operations, and addressing national priorities such as fuel integrity enforcement and carbon management. This is about building a sustainable presence that creates long-term value for both our customers and the wider economy.

“Tracerco is creating a collaborative culture in the new office, empowering a streamlined but highly accountable team to drive customer success. Local employees will have direct ownership of client outcomes, supported by seamless integration with Tracerco’s global offices in the UK, US, and UAE. This combination of local execution and global expertise will position Saudi Arabia as a hub for multi-business unit collaboration across Tracerco’s portfolio.”

Over the next five years, the company’s goal is to build a self-sufficient Saudi entity, with local talent and infrastructure fully embedded into Tracerco’s global network.

Mohanad Yakout, senior markets analyst at Scope Markets. (Image source: Scope Markets)

The oil market landscape for Q4 2025 is looking highly volatile, with rising oil exports from Iraq exacerbating oversupply concerns, says Mohanad Yakout, senior markets analyst at Scope Markets

Oil prices are hovering around US$67 as the IEA warns of a ‘looming oversupply’ outweighing geopolitical tensions in Russia and the Middle East.

Adding to pressures including the unwinding of OPEC + production cuts and higher non-OPEC production is the prospect of rising oil exports from Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer. The country has increased oil exports under the OPEC+ agreement, according to state oil marketing organisation SOMO, as reported by Reuters. It expects September's exports to range from 3.4-3.45 mn bpd, up from around 3.38mn bpd in August.

Baghdad is also reported to have come to a preliminary agreement with the Kurdistan region to resume pipeline oil exports from the Kurdistan region through Turkey, amounting to around 230,000 bpd, after a two-year hiatus.

“This shift comes as part of Iraq’s broader effort to boost production after a relaxation of some commitments under the OPEC+ agreement and to strengthen the country’s financial revenue,” comments Yakout.

“However, despite the clear benefits of this move in terms of revenue generation and improved financial liquidity, multiple risks loom over the global oil market as the end of 2025 approaches. First, there's the risk of oversupply, especially if the Kurdistan pipeline returns to full capacity without alignment with global demand, which is expected to remain relatively weak due to global economic conditions and the accelerating shift toward renewable energy and electric vehicles.

“Second, there are logistical, legal, and political risks related to the ongoing dispute between Baghdad and Erbil over export contracts, revenue sharing, or obligations to foreign companies. Any delays or sudden stoppages could disrupt pipeline flows and undermine investor and market confidence.

“Third, price volatility remains a major concern. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East or the imposition of sanctions on supplies from countries like Russia could trigger sharp market swings, especially if news is conflicting or if the implementation of agreements faces obstacles.”

Yakout concludes that the oil landscape for Q4 2025 looks highly volatile.

“While the increase in exports offers an opportunity to bolster Iraq’s financial position and improve revenues, the success of this strategy depends on legal and political stability, infrastructure reliability, alignment with global supply and demand, and effective risk management. If these factors are handled properly, Iraq stands to gain significantly, but if markets are caught off guard by any serious disruptions, prices could fall, and market tensions may rise.”

he contractor now operates a fleet of 64 units, enhancing its capacity for high-resolution land seismic acquisition in complex terrain. (Image source: Sercel)

Sercel has supplied a new set of high-performance land seismic acquisition and source solutions to a major North African geophysical contractor, boosting its ability to conduct large-scale 3D surveys in complex terrain

As part of the contract, Sercel supplied 75,000 DSU1-508 digital sensors, increasing the contractor’s total installed base to more than 350,000, along with 24 new Nomad 90 Neo broadband vibrators to equip an additional land seismic crew.

To optimise survey performance, Sercel has also provided the contractor with its Nomad Connect Asset Optimization service, providing real-time insights into fleet performance and a complete overview of vibrator configurations, as well as the Vibrator Auto-Guidance functionality which enhances operational accuracy and productivity in the field.

These additional features, combined with the unique DSU1-508 single-sensor design and high-performance MEMS technology, ensure that the contractor is equipped with the most advanced broadband seismic acquisition solutions available to deliver the highest-quality seismic data in challenging environments.

Jérôme Denigot, CEO of Sercel, said, “We are pleased to continue building on our long-standing collaboration with this major North African customer. From project planning to delivery and field support, our team remains committed to providing the most advanced geophysical technology and services available. This latest milestone confirms Sercel’s position as the preferred technology partner for complex, large-scale seismic acquisition projects and highlights the growing demand for field-proven solutions that meet the evolving challenges of onshore exploration in North Africa and beyond.”