Tehran, Iran, May 5
By Mehdi Sepahvand, Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
A British oil company says it recognize Iran as a future market.
"We see Iran as a future market for us," Simon Read, project sales manager for the British Smith Flow Control (SFC) told Trend on the sidelines of Iran's 20th International Oil, Gas, Refining, and Petrochemical Exhibition May 5.
SFC is a company of manufacturers and designers of trapped-key valve interlocks.
"We currently work with Arsam Energy Pars and our target markets are oil, gas, and petrochemical markets," Read said.
Iran's Arsam Energy Pars is active in engineering and procurement of oil and gas, hydro power, etc.
"We have been working with Iran through the almost 30 years Smith Flow Control has been there", Read said.
According to Read, SFC is a world leader in designing and manufacturing trapped-key valve interlocks.
He explained that the safety products are fixed to any valve or mechanical device and prevent people making mistakes. "They're to prevent human error. They make sure that an operator or a maintenance person goes through a safe sequence of operations," he said.
There are three main reasons people use interlocks: protects human life, protects the plant, and protects the environment.
Commenting on SFC's cooperation with other regional countries, Read said his company works with agents such as BP in Azerbaijan and TCO in Kazakhstan.
"The product has been used in Iran in various plants. We tend to make a larger development marketing program for Iran, he pointed out. "We see Iran as a future market for us," he asserted.
Read is optimistic about further cooperation with Iranian markets, saying that all existing and future plants are opportunities for SFC.
"We have a new product called an 'easy drive', which is a portable valve actuator which we see as being a very good product for this market here," he said.
"I think, and everyone possibly agrees that the sanctions will be lifted in the future, and I think that would benefit both UK companies and Iranian companies as well," he said in regards to economic sanctions with Iran and their impact on cooperation in the oil sector.
Iran is expected to reach a comprehensive agreement on its nuclear program with the group 5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) by July 1. In return for limiting Iran's nuclear program, the agreement will prepare the ground for the removal of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Edited by CN
Mehdi Sepahvand is Trend Agency's journalist in Iran, follow him on Twitter: @mehdisepahvand