Hani Attia, general manager of KSA and Bahrain at John Crane. (Image source: John Crane)

Hani Attia, general manager KSA and Bahrain at John Crane, spoke to Oil Review Middle East on the occasion of the conference on “Sealing the Future: Innovation and Reliability in Turbomachinery,” hosted by Aramco

Oil Review Middle East (ORME): Can you briefly tell us about your T93AX and SENSE Turbo solutions and their applications? How do you view the market for these solutions in Saudi Arabia and the region?

Hani Attia (HA): John Crane’s Type 93AX is our next-generation coaxial separation seal, specifically engineered to safeguard dry gas seals in turbomachinery by preventing oil ingress and maintaining non-contacting operation, even during upset or failure scenarios. With a robust design capable of handling up to 70 bar and high rotational speeds, it achieves a significant reduction up to 80% in nitrogen consumption compared to conventional designs, thereby lowering operating costs and emissions. Its bi-directional capability, extended ten-year design life, and ability to remain functional under separation gas loss or dry gas seal failure set a new benchmark for reliability and safety in compressors used across oil and gas, LNG, refining and petrochemicals.

Complementing this hardware innovation, our SENSE Turbo solution embeds sensors directly within the dry gas seal to deliver continuous, high-fidelity monitoring of temperature, leakage, contamination and vibration. By providing early warning insights and real-time diagnostics, SENSE Turbo enables predictive intervention, extends mean time between repairs, and reduces unnecessary maintenance costs one case study demonstrated it prevented eight days of unplanned downtime, avoiding millions of dollars in lost production.

Together, these technologies are transforming turbomachinery reliability in Saudi Arabia and the wider region, where major operators in Saudi such as Aramco are actively pursuing localisation, digitalisation, and life-extension programmes. While traditional time-based maintenance remains common, the adoption of predictive monitoring and asset management is accelerating as customers seek to optimise efficiency, cut costs, and enhance safety. In this context, John Crane is collaborating closely with our customers delivering advanced sealing solutions, deploying SENSE Turbo on critical assets, and building local service capabilities to drive innovation, improve uptime, and support the Kingdom’s sustainability and Vision 2030 goals.

ORME: How can predictive monitoring and asset management solutions help to increase operational efficiency, reduce downtime and lower maintenance costs in the oil and gas sector? To extent are these solutions being deployed, or is there still a reliance on traditional methods?

HA: Predictive monitoring turns real-time machine and seal health data into early-warning insights, so teams fix the right issue at the right time. The result is fewer emergency shutdowns, longer mean time between maintenance, better spares planning and lower lifecycle cost per MW of compression. Asset-management frameworks then lock in those gains by standardising work processes, closing the loop from alert → root-cause → action → proven outcome.

Deployment is accelerating across the region, especially on critical compressors and pumps, but many plants still blend traditional time-based maintenance with digital programmes. The near-term opportunity is pragmatic hybridisation; start with the most consequential assets, prove value quickly, and scale.

ORME: How is John Crane collaborating with Aramco to drive innovation and raise performance in the oil and gas sector?

HA: We work with Aramco on three fronts:
1. Application engineering & upgrades: tailoring sealing solutions (including T93AX families and dry-gas-seal enhancements) to site conditions, aiming for higher reliability, lower emissions and safer operation.
2. Digital reliability: deploying SENSE-enabled monitoring on priority turbomachinery to provide early-warning diagnostics, accelerate troubleshooting and shorten turnaround windows.
3. Localisation & capability building: partnering through our KSA footprint to localise services, strengthen spare-parts responsiveness, and upskill local talent via training and joint problem-solving.
This integrated approach, engineered hardware plus digital insights, delivered locally, helps Aramco and the wider Saudi ecosystem improve uptime, reduce maintenance cost and support sustainability objectives.

The agreement will foster collaboration in key sectors such as energy, logistics, infrastructure, and other related industrial sectors. (Image source: ENOC Group)

ENOC Group has signed an agreement with DP World and the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), a leading provider of end-to-end supply chain solutions, to jointly explore global and local opportunities across key sectors such as energy, logistics, infrastructure, and other related industrial sectors

The agreement establishes a framework to co-operate on developing strategic projects that support Dubai’s economic growth, energy diversification, and infrastructure development, combining DP World’s global logistics network, PCFC’s regulatory and infrastructure capabilities, and ENOC’s expertise across the energy value chain.

H.E. Nasser Abdulla Al Neyadi, CEO of PCFC and group chief security officer at DP World, said, “At the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, we are proud to collaborate strategically with ENOC and DP World in alignment with the vision of our leadership and Dubai’s ambition to reinforce its role as a global hub for trade, energy, and logistics. This partnership is a big step toward greater integration of our economic and logistics ecosystems, advancing sustainability, and unlocking new horizons for investment and development locally and internationally, in support of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33”.

Hussain Sultan Lootah, acting group CEO, ENOC, said, “This strategic partnership with DP World and PCFC reinforces ENOC’s unwavering commitment to driving operational excellence, energy resilience, and sustainable growth. By jointly exploring transformative opportunities across the energy and logistics value chains, we are proud to support Dubai’s vision to lead on the global stage as a hub for innovation, integration, and sustainable development.”

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.