Industry

Haytham Yehia, general manager, Middle East and Central Asia Region, Shell Lubricants. (Image source: Shell Lubricants)

Haytham Yehia, general manager for Middle East and Central Asia Region for Shell Lubricants, discusses the outlook for the lubricants market in the region and the impact of sustainability considerations

What is the outlook for the base oil and lubricants market in the GCC region, and are there any trends you would highlight?

The GCC region offers a dynamic and evolving landscape for the lubricants market. The growth we’re seeing across both industrial and consumer sectors is not just driven by economic activity, it’s driven by a deep shift in how industries are approaching efficiency and performance. In the UAE, the rise in construction and infrastructure projects is fuelling demand, while Iraq’s oil and gas sector is seeing a resurgence, pushing growth in the lubricants market.

But it’s not just about volume, it’s about the shift towards higher-performing, synthetic lubricants. As more modern engines and industrial equipment are introduced, the need for advanced lubrication solutions becomes critical. At Shell, we’re focused on meeting these demands with products designed for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s innovations. Markets like the UAE, Iraq, and Oman are at the forefront of this transformation, and the trends we’re seeing here will set the stage for the broader region.

To what extent is sustainability a factor impacting the lubricants market?

Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. At Shell, we believe that our role in the market goes beyond providing lubrication solutions, it’s about supporting a sustainable future. Our introduction of the Shell PANOLIN range in the Middle East is a testament to that commitment, addressing the uptick in demand for more sustainable products, especially in sectors such as construction, agriculture, renewable power, hydropower and offshore wind sectors. These biodegradable lubricants provide high performance lubrication while also having the ability to degrade naturally. Biodegradable lubricants help to contribute to a more sustainable future, offering greater protection for wildlife and ecosystems in the event that they come into contact with the environment, in comparison to conventional lubricants. This enables our customers to reduce the risks of operating in sensitive environments.

The portfolio includes biodegradable lubricants for hydraulics, gears, universal tractor transmission oils, engine oils (HDEO), turbine oils, and greases for machine lubrication, including leading OEM-approved products. They are designed with the future in mind, delivering high performance while minimising environmental impact.

How is the carbon-neutral lubricants market developing, and what is the role of these products in reducing emissions and promoting sustainable practices across industries?

The move towards carbon-neutral lubricants is a powerful shift that’s changing the way industries operate. In the Middle East, industries are beginning to embrace carbon-neutral solutions, not just to meet regulatory requirements but as proactive lever in reducing their emissions. At Shell, our carbon-neutral lubricants, alongside initiatives such as our sustainable packaging innovations at the Oman plant, are tangible solutions for businesses to help reduce their environmental impact while maintaining operational efficiency.

Carbon neutrality is about more than just compensating emissions, it’s about designing products and solutions that actively help our customers avoid and reduce their carbon footprints. As industries shift towards more sustainable practices, the role we want to play is to provide our customers products and services that help make their transition possible, and our continued innovation in this space helps ensure we stay ahead of the curve.

How is EV adoption impacting the lubricants market in the region?

The shift to electric vehicles brings both new opportunities and challenges. While traditional lubricants like engine oils are in lower demand for EVs, the need for specialised fluids is increasing. These include transmission fluids, greases, and thermal management fluids, which play a critical role in enhancing the efficiency, longevity, and safety of EV batteries and other key components.
EVs also shift the focus from friction management to thermal management, with cooling fluids becoming more important. In fact, EVs typically use double the amount of coolant compared to internal combustion engines, highlighting the growing importance of thermal management in electric mobility.

While regions like China, Europe, and the US lead in EV adoption, the Middle East, particularly countries like the UAE, is making significant investments in EV infrastructure. This is already beginning to influence demand for EV-specific lubricants. As the UAE targets net-zero emissions by 2050, addressing emissions from transport will be key to achieving this goal.

At Shell, we’re dedicated to advancing reliable, scalable solutions that support the growth of EVs. We’re leveraging our global expertise in advanced fluids to work with OEMs and co-engineering partners to optimise EV performance and efficiency. Our immersion cooling technology, for example, plays a crucial role in managing battery temperatures, ensuring safety and prolonging battery life.

Capt Ammar Al Shaiba, Maritime & Shipping Cluster CEO, AD Ports Group. (Image source: AD Ports Group)

In an exclusive interview with Oil Review Middle East, Capt. Ammar Al Shaiba, Maritime & Shipping Cluster CEO at AD Ports Group, discusses business development, the innovation and technology driving sustainability initiatives and the company's focus at ADIPEC

How do you view the market for your services currently, and what is your strategy for developing your business in the region?

As the largest diversified provider of maritime services in the region, SAFEEN Group has a very wide customer base. Our portfolio of business lines covers key areas including shipping & transhipment, offshore & subsea, shipbuilding & dry-docking as well as marine services including ferry and water taxi operations. We offer long-standing expertise coupled with synergistic and comprehensive capabilities. We have undergone substantial growth in the last five years regionally and globally in terms of services and our fleet which we intend to capitalise on going forward.

To what extent are sustainability concerns a focus for your business, and what measures have you taken to help your clients operate sustainably, e.g. using low-carbon fuels?

We are committed to sustainable actions and driving the decarbonisation agenda, which includes ongoing research and development into solutions that help to reduce our carbon footprint, while simultaneously providing smarter solutions for our partners. For example, to meet our GHG emissions reduction target we are investing heavily in our fleet. We have successfully trialled an all-electric harbour tug which offers operational efficiency while emitting zero emissions from tank to propellor. We also have a state-of-the-art remotely operated unmanned vessel (USV) which operates on 100% renewable electric power or biofuel, SAFEEN Green has 10% of the emissions of a conventional vessel guaranteeing a significantly reduced carbon footprint, something which we are very proud of.

How important is it for you to invest in the latest technologies, and to what extent are advances in AI and digitalisation having an impact on your business?

Research, innovation and data backed decisions are the driving forces of our phenomenal growth. We monitor trends and encourage R&D within the business frequently partnering with entities to generate bespoke solutions and applications. Harnessing the power of emerging technologies allows us to evolve and remain competitive. We are currently experimenting with the use of AI and robotics across our business, particularly in relation to autonomous vessels.

What will be your focus at ADIPEC, and how do you hope to benefit from participating?

We will be highlighting our end-to-end capabilities, particularly in the offshore and subsea domain, catering to oil & gas and EPC projects in the region, southeast Asia and southern Africa. We will also showcase our vessels and services and look forward to the networking opportunities ADIPEC brings and the prospect of knowledge sharing, particularly in relation to innovation and technology.

Mark Moffat, CEO of IFS. (Image source: IFS)

Mark Moffat, CEO of IFS,  gave an inspiring opening address at the IFS Unleashed event on the power of Industrial AI, underlining the company’s ambition to become the undisputed leader in industrial software

Taking place in Orlando Florida from 15-17 October, the event hosted by the leading provider of Industrial AI and enterprise software brings together the most innovative and forward-thinking businesses and leaders from across the world, attracting thousands of users, technology leaders and executives to unlock the transformative power of Industrial AI.

“The next industrial revolution is being powered by industrial AI, and Industrial AI is ifs.ai,” said Moffat.

“We are seeing an exponential impact in the computing power and innovation that is impacting every single aspect of enterprise technologies and software, which has seen vast innovations happening at scale and lightning speed, which is literally going to change the face of industry and business and companies in this room as we know it today.”

Moffat pointed out that according to Goldman, between 2-4% of developed economies will spend one to two trillion dollars in the foreseeable future on AI capabilities, while Accenture has estimated it will add 14 trillion to the global economy in the next 10 years. This represents a gigantic opportunity which should be grabbed with both hands, he said.

New vision

“We’re setting a new and evolved vision for IFS. Our vision is to become the undisputed category leaders in industrial software, the number one brand,” he said.

All the businesses and customers it serves will benefit from this ambition, which will see IFS build on its depth of knowledge and understanding of the six core industries it serves, powered by the IFS cloud platform which manages the company white data that will be needed to unlock value.

“It’s supported by an AI mission that never been more relevant than it is today, creating a class-leading AI platform that helps our customers manage their mission-critical assets, workflows and people in a responsible way,” continued Moffat.

“We’ve already been doing this for a long time; we have a market-leading scheduling and optimisation engine that has demonstrated productivity improvements and the carbon reduction that comes with that. This AI engine can be used to optimise any arrangement of plants and assets and field resources right across the industrial software value chain. We’ve also got an operational intelligence platform that delivers phenomenal AI capability, ingesting vast amounts of time series data from some of the biggest natural resources companies in the world.” He gave the example of Basra Energy, where a real-time video feed from a refinery is used to determine basic AI algorithms enabling the adjustment of production processes to reduce methane and carbon emissions.

Underlining the importance of collaboration and partnership Moffat said, “Driving transformation isn’t easy. It requires courage, teaming and collaboration, and we get that from our partners together, being stronger, better and faster. We innovate more and we bring our customers more choice.”

He said that the company is significantly upping its investment in R&D, with over 30% of its manpower today invested in products. “It’s enabled us to accelerate rapidly our investment in AI,” he said, noting that the company is working on over 300 high value use cases which will deliver real ROI to businesses, using its proven value engineering capability.

He added that IFS has been strengthened by recent acquisitions, mostly recently acquiring Copperleaf Technologies, a leader in asset investment planning, which helps companies make smarter capital investment decisions.

Moffat also highlighted the company’s focus on responsibility and sustainability in leading this new industrial revolution, in particular in its commitment to drive sustainable outcomes from industrial AI.

“This also makes good business sense, as the type of actions that reduce carbon also allow the optimisation of processes, improving productivity, increasing uptime and reducing fuel consumption.”

He added that among the new products being developed is a new sustainability module, which will help customers track and manage sustainability KPIs.

Moffat concluded by urging the audience to take full advantage of the learning and networking opportunities over the three days of IFS Unleashed. “Don’t waste this opportunity,” he said. “You need an AI business plan. And if you already have an AI business plan, you can improve it. We can help you do that this week. Let’s go, and let’s go get unleashed.”

At IFS Unleashed, the 2,500 attendees will hear from multiple IFS customers across different industries as they showcase practical applications of IFS Cloud, IFS.ai and Industrial AI in action, including BAE Systems, Continental Resources, Ericsson, Exelon, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kimberly-Clark, Konica Minolta, LATAM Airlines, Mars, Nestle, Tomra, and Xcel Energy. Immersive, real-world demonstrations will show how AI, machine learning, virtual reality, and automation solve industry challenges and drive efficiency.

IFS will also provide early insight into the forthcoming IFS Cloud 24R2 product release – including the latest AI, sustainability and industry-specific capabilities – and customer case studies. The event also features an exhibition of 50+ partners and customers, with dedicated Industry Zones demonstrating the impact of AI on industry.

Emissions are set to almost halve by 2050. (Image source: DNV)

DNV has released its 'Energy Transition Outlook', which notes that 2024 will go down as the year of peak energy emissions

Energy-related emissions are at the cusp of a prolonged period of decline for the first time since the industrial revolution. Emissions are set to almost halve by 2050, but this is a long way short of requirements of the Paris Agreement. The Outlook forecasts the planet will warm by 2.2 °C by end of the century.

The peaking of emissions is largely due to plunging costs of solar and batteries which are accelerating the exit of coal from the energy mix and stunting the growth of oil. Annual solar installations increased 80% last year as it beat coal on cost in many regions. Cheaper batteries, which dropped 14% in cost last year, are also making the 24-hour delivery of solar power and electric vehicles more affordable. The uptake of oil was limited as electrical vehicles sales grew by 50%. In China, where both of these trends were especially pronounced, peak gasoline is now in the past.

China is dominating much of the global action on decarbonisation at present, particularly in the production and export of clean technology. It accounted for 58% of global solar installations and 63% of new electrical vehicle purchases last year. And whilst it remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and emitter of CO2, its dependence on fossil fuels is set to fall rapidly as it continues to install solar and wind. China is the dominating exporter of green technologies although international tariffs are making their goods more expensive in some territories.

“Solar PV and batteries are driving the energy transition, growing even faster than we previously forecasted,” said Remi Eriksen, group president and CEO of DNV. “Emissions peaking is a milestone for humanity. But we must now focus on how quickly emissions decline and use the available tools to accelerate the energy transition. Worryingly, our forecasted decline is very far from the trajectory required to meet the Paris Agreement targets. In particular, the hard-to-electrify sectors need a renewed policy push.”

Striking shifts in energy mix

The success of solar and batteries is not replicated in the hard-to-abate sectors, where essential technologies are scaling slowly. DNV has revised the long-term forecast for hydrogen and its derivatives down by 20% (from 5% to 4% of final energy demand in 2050) since last year. And although DNV has revised up its carbon capture and storage forecast, only 2% of global emissions will be captured by CCS in 2040 and 6% in 2050. A global carbon price would accelerate the uptake of these technologies.

Wind remains an important driver of the energy transition, contributing to 28% of electricity generation by 2050. In the same timeframe, offshore wind will experience 12% annual growth rate although the current headwinds impacting the industry are weighing on growth.

Despite these challenges, the peaking of emissions is a sign that the energy transition is progressing. The energy mix is moving from a roughly 80/20 mix in favour of fossil fuels today, to one which is split equally between fossil and non-fossil fuels by 2050. In the same timeframe, electricity use will double, which is also at the driver of energy demand only increasing 10%.

“There is a growing mismatch between short term geopolitical and economic priorities versus the need to accelerate the energy transition. There is a compelling green dividend on offer which should give policymakers the courage to not only double down on renewable technologies, but to tackle the expensive and difficult hard-to-electrify sectors with firm resolve,” added Eriksen

The Outlook also examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the energy transition. AI will have a profound impact on many aspects of the energy system, particularly for the transmission and distribution of power. And although data points are currently sparse, DNV does not forecast that the energy footprint of AI will alter the overall direction of the transition. It will account for 2% of electricity demand by 2050.

*CO2 emissions from the combustion of coal, oil and gas