In an exclusive interview with Oil Review Middle East, Maurits van Tol, CEO of Catalyst Technologies at Johnson Matthey, discusses the importance and benefits of cross-sector partnerships in the energy transition.

He explains how such partnerships can help to de-risk energy transition projects, given the challenges of scaling up the new technologies involved, and provide increased bankability for the customer. He notes that an integrated proposal saves a lot of money for the companies involved over the lifetime of the project, and that by working together it is cheaper and faster to develop proposals.

Highlighting Johson Matthey’s sustainable fuel partnership which involves four parties, he says, “What we see is a 10% cost reduction, and we are 15% faster already in developing proposals for our customers. This is only the beginning; as we work together we can only get better and faster. That’s a real benefit for our customers.”

Maurits van Tol also highlights the interconnection between policy regulation, infrastructure and market conditions in creating an enabling business environment, and underlines the importance of trust and cultural fit between partners.

“No matter how good the business case looks on paper, if there is no trust and more of a win-lose than win-win with any of the partners, it’s not going to work,” he says.

It is important to ensure a good cultural fit at the front-end stage of the project, he advises.

Visit Johnson Matthey at ADIPEC @Hall 5, Stand #5240.

Joseph El Bitar, Vice President and General Manager, Hexagon, discusses the company’s presence at ADIPEC, where it showcased autonomous technologies and smart digital reality solutions that enhance operational efficiency, improve safety and support the global transition to cleaner energy, under the theme “Two worlds, one sustainable reality".

Alexander Van Veldhoven, Group Chief Strategy Officer at Bapco Energies, explains how Bapco Energies is diversifying its portfolio and exploring low carbon options throughout the value chain for a sustainable energy future, in line with the Kingdom’s national energy strategy. “Transformation is at the heart of everything we do,” he says. As well as emission reduction initiatives, the company is broadening the scope of its traditional oil and gas operations into energy transition and renewables, pursuing exciting opportunities in wind and solar.
Van Veldhoven also outlines how the company is leveraging big data and digitalisation as an integral part of its day to day operations, and is looking to explore further opportunities with AI, big data and new technologies.
“It’s the start of a new era and we want to be part of that,” he says, adding that Bapco Energies is keen to develop new partnerships and capitalise on opportunities to raise brand awareness

Friedrich Portner, Chief Commercial Officer, Maritime Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group, explains how SAFEEN Group has grown to be an industry leader in maritime services, having identified offshore shipping, marine services and drydocking and repair as focus areas. At the same time, it has experienced accelerated growth by acquiring vessels and creating joint ventures with partners. The company sees the offshore sector as an area of strong growth potential, given the limited supply and increasing demand. Given its roots in the Middle East, it is focusing geographically on the Middle East and GCC, which is currently booming and seeing significant investments. It is also looking at Africa and emerging markets such as Asia and Southeast Asia. The company is now investing in technology and sustainability in line with industry trends, recently launching SAFEEN Green, a remotely-operated vehicle for inspection and surveys, and is also investing in e-tugs.

Kevin Brilz, Technical Sales Manager Middle East at Fishbones and a self-confessed ‘completions technology nerd’, describes how he came to join the company after researching and being impressed by its unique completions technology, which can be enabled across different types of formation. He is highly optimistic about the growth prospects for Fishbones, seeing great results from the implementation of the company’s technology across many dynamic fields through many different countries. With its highly diverse workforce, the company is well placed for further international expansion, he says.