Leveraging cutting-edge technologies for sustainable growth

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.