ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 22. Two tugboats of KazMunayGas (Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company) subsidiary Kazmortransflot, “Talas” and "Emba,” are ready to begin work in the Persian Gulf, a source at KazMunayGas told Trend.
As part of expanding cooperation between KazMunayGas and Abu Dhabi Ports Group (UAE), subsidiaries of the two companies—Kazmortransflot and OFCO Offshore International—entered into a three-year contract for the lease of Kazakhstan tugboats.
These vessels with Kazakh crews made a long 52-day journey from the Caspian Sea through Russian waterways, Turkish straits, the Suez Canal, and the Gulf of Aden, covering more than 5,000 nautical miles (about 9,500 km) and arriving in the Persian Gulf.
The tugboats will be used in offshore projects in the Abu Dhabi region (Al Gallan and Das islands) in the Emirates. In addition, a third tugboat, the "Irgiz", is scheduled to be sent to the Persian Gulf in the near future.
In general, leasing tugboats allows the Kazakh national shipping company Kazmortransflot to enter the Persian Gulf marine services market, increase profitability, and gain new experience.
At the beginning of this year, KazMunayGas and Abu Dhabi Ports Company signed a strategic partnership agreement. Within the framework of this agreement, a joint venture is being created that will be actively involved in investment projects in Kazakhstan starting this year. KazMunayGas hopes to use the experience of Abu Dhabi Ports in servicing projects for the development of offshore oil and gas fields and transport and logistics projects in Kazakhstan.
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADP) is the port, industrial, and logistics operator of the United Arab Emirates and is one of the region's largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major businesses covering key sectors of Abu Dhabi's diversified economy. ADP operates several clusters covering ports, industrial cities, free zones, maritime, logistics, and digital technologies.
KazmorTransflot is a 100 percent subsidiary of KazMunayGas and is a national sea carrier. The company owns the largest and most modern fleet in the Republic of Kazakhstan: tankers, tugboats, as well as vessels for transporting large cargo and barges for various purposes. The main routes for sea transportation of oil are routes in the waters of the Caspian Sea and routes in the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas.