Twenty-eight technicians from Shell Iraq will call North East England home for the next 16 weeks as they complete a specialist training programme at Middlesbrough-based TTE Technical Training Group.

The trainees, who will be accompanied by a supervisor from Shell, are a mix of electrical, instrumentation and process professionals, who are completing an upskilling course, which will be delivered by TTE using its uniquely equipped workshops and training systems.

As part of the course, the group will complete industry-focused English Language lessons and take part in an outward bound trip. During their stay in the UK, the technicians will reside in high quality accommodation in Hartlepool and supported by TTE’s Pastoral Care team.

TTE regularly welcomes technicians and engineers from international companies to its UK training centre in Middlesbrough. The organisation provides comprehensive technical training, upskilling and reskilling through practical training underpinned by internationally-respected vocational qualifications.

Steve Grant, Managing Director at TTE, said:

“From our North East England base we have generated an international reputation in the oil and gas industry for being able to deliver world-class training, which is in line with the standards of multinational operators.

“It is important for individuals operating in industry to continuously add to, and refresh their skills set in order to ensure they remain up to date with any advances in best practice. By enlisting TTE to upskills its employees, Shell will be certain that its technicians are operating as efficiently, and safely as possible.”
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Posithread was established in 1986 to manufacture and grind carbide inserts specifically for the threading market. Posithread utilises the unique technology in the manufacture of formed Electro Plated Diamond Wheels, allowing us the flexibility to mass produce standard and bespoke threading inserts within fine tolerances.

Over the last ten years Posithread has expanded, introducing new threading product lines and now incorporates the manufacture of Oilfield Premium Threads under License to: VAM, JFE, TENARIS, NIPPON STEEL

Posithread inserts are designed and manufactured on site by a staff of highly trained grinding technicians, utilising state-of-the-art 5 axis profile grinders as well as creep feed technology, and 25 years of amassed Profile Grinding techniques.

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Please feel free to contact us for your Oil and Gas threading inserts requirements, tender pricing, or general enquires. Our contact Email : Contact@Iraq-UK-Gateway.co.uk


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Frontier Pitts, a British manufacturer of security gates and barriers, has recently completed the supply and installation of anti-terrorist security equipment at the Rumaila oilfield in Southern Iraq.

The project consisted of 25 Terra Manual Barriers and 18 Terra Sliding Cantilevered Gates, which have been successfully impact tested in accordance with the British Standards PAS 68 specification.

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The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has attended the ceremony of opening Standard Chartered bank first branch in Erbil, attracted by financing opportunities for large government infrastructure projects planned in the autonomous region.

Mr. Barzani outlined the need for an improved banking sector in Kurdistan. He said,

“I believe the time has come for us to seriously examine international financial practices and carefully consider how modern banking can help families and businesses to manage their wealth … I have no doubt that the presence of Standard Chartered will help us move forward in this regard.”

The bank is one of a small number of foreign lenders with operations in Iraq, which is experiencing rapid oil-fuelled economic growth. Standard Chartered opened its country head office and first branch last November in Baghdad's banking district, on a street lined with blast walls and patrolled by guards with Kalashnikov rifles.

Mr. V. Shankar, the Standard Chartered CEO for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, said the company comes “with glitter in our eyes” and stated his optimism for the bank’s activity in the Region.

Kurdistan is relatively peaceful by contrast, and the autonomous region's main cities are full of cranes and construction sites. The bank also plans to open another branch in the southern oil hub of Basra later in 2014.

Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Iraq Gavin Wishart told Reuters that the business environment in Kurdistan was "progressive" and described the pace of development as "encouraging".

The British Consulate announced its intention to open an office in Basra province in order to grant Visa for the people of Basra.

The Governor of Basra, Majid al-Nasrawi, hosted the British Consul to Iraq, Adelaide Weslaak, at his official office at Basra Governorate on Thursday.

Basra Governorate reported in a statement after the meeting that he is happy due to the results of the meeting which tackled the means of promoting bilateral relations and the participation of the British companies in reconstruction of Basra since the province have a huge projects to be implemented within 2014 plan.”

”The governor revealed the intention to start a flight line between Basra and London to facilitate the travel of the delegations and the passengers,” the statement concluded.

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The University of Leicester is breaking new ground in international collaboration by working with Soran University in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to establish an International Centre for Natural Resources Research.

The Centre will bring together researchers from both universities, to work on research in the fields of sustainability, crop production and food security monitoring, geographic information systems and water resources, amongst others. The Centre will also contribute to the development of degree course curricula and best practice in teaching within Soran University. The Centre will be housed in the new Faculty of Science building at Soran University, located in the Zagros Mountains – the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq.


Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the University of Leicester’s Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, said: “This is a hugely important bilateral agreement. Soran University is a new University in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which is rapidly developing now that the long history of armed conflicts in the region is over.

“From our side, we are committed to supporting University staff and students in Soran in their professional development. Our aim is to build mentoring partnerships between staff, deliver block courses locally to contribute to higher education in the region, to deliver staff development activities, and to develop joint research projects together.”

The objective of the Centre is to create a world-class research environment with a focus on the development of sustainable natural resources. One issue the Centre hopes to tackle directly is the challenge Kurdistan faces in effectively managing its natural resource infrastructure – in particular the management of water supply and quality against the background of rapid development of the region’s infrastructure and tourism facilities.

A split PhD scheme has also been agreed. PhD students from Soran can spend one year of initial research training at Leicester and complete their PhD in Soran whilst being jointly supervised by members of staff from both organisations throughout the PhD. The degree is awarded by Soran University. Such split PhDs are a priority for the Ministry of Higher Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Ultimately, it is the intention of both partners to expand the scope of the collaboration to a partnership in other subject areas including English, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Management and Molecular Biosciences.

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Basra governor Majid Al-Nasrawi has announced that the province is ready to receive and welcome foreign companies and investors.

"Basra has become a magnet for foreign companies as a result of it being a safe working environment, Yesterday, Secretary of State of Canada with the Canadian ambassador visited Basra and today the British ‎Deputy Ambassador Mark Bryson-Richardson is here."


The governor of Basra Majid Al-Nasrawi, confirmed last week in his speech to the investment Conference in Basra, that "Basra is ready to welcome all foreign companies and investors and we are ready to provide all the support needed for the delegates" .


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Britain's Standard Chartered bank will open its first branch in Iraqi Kurdistan early next month, attracted by financing opportunities for large government infrastructure projects planned in the autonomous region.

The bank is one of a small number of foreign lenders with operations in Iraq, which is experiencing rapid oil-fuelled economic growth, but also its worst upsurge in violence in at least five years.

Standard Chartered opened its country head office and first branch last November in Baghdad's banking district, on a street lined with blast walls and patrolled by guards with Kalashnikov rifles.

Kurdistan is relatively peaceful by contrast, and the autonomous region's main cities are full of cranes and construction sites.

The bank also plans to open another branch in the southern oil hub of Basra later in 2014.

Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Iraq Gavin Wishart told Reuters that the business environment in Kurdistan was "progressive" and described the pace of development as "encouraging".

Security concerns and a complex regulatory and political environment have put some international firms off doing business there. HSBC is trying to exit Iraq by selling its stake in Dar Es Salaam Investment Bank.

"We hope that as the financial services sector develops, we can be the partner of choice in that area," Britain's Ambassador to Iraq Simon Collis said at a news conference during his visit to the Kurdish capital Arbil on Thursday.

Iraq's federal government and the Kurdish region are in dispute over how to exploit the country's vast hydrocarbon reserves and how share the proceeds.


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Baroness Nicholson was personally appointed by the Prime Minister to act on behalf of the British Government to increase trade and economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and Iraq.

Speaking in Baghdad, the British Ambassador to Iraq, Simon Collis welcomed the appointment;

“I am delighted to hear that Baroness Nicholson has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Iraq.

The United Kingdom is committed to expanding its trade and economic relations with Iraq . Baroness Nicholson brings a wealth of experience of working in Iraq through her role as the Executive Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council. Her appointment as Trade Envoy represents a further strengthening of the commercial relationship between our two countries”.

Speaking in London, Baroness Nicholson said;

“It is an honour and a privilege for me to accept this appointment from the Prime Minister. Iraq has a vibrant and booming economy, and is a huge supporter of British Industry and Commerce. We must ensure that the UK understands this and makes the best of the enormous opportunities Iraq offers us” .


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The British Embassy in Baghdad announced on Monday , that Iraqi Airways signed an agreement for the purchase of five aircraft type " Bombardier Aerospace ."

“The Iraqi Airways signed a memorandum intends to get five CS300 aircrafts type Bombardier Aerospace designed by the Department facility in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom ,” The deputy British ambassador to Baghdad , Marc Bryson Richardson said in a statement for " Shafaq News”.

He added that the option given to the Iraqi lines is to get 11 additional aircrafts of the same type.

Richardson pointed out that the contract will ensure that Iraqi Airways will continue to benefit from the technological expertise in the UK.

The head of Bombardier Aerospace for Commercial Airplanes, Mike Erkamun said that CS300 aircrafts is ideally suited to expand the operations of Iraqi Airways .

“The aircrafts provides the right mix of performance in addition to the terms of providing comfort for travelers and this would enhance the continued success achieved by these aircraft in the competitive market increasingly,” he added.

The figures indicate that the Iraqi state-owned Airways will own 50 civilian aircraft at the end of 2014.

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The first branch of a British bank in Iraq will be officially opened by the country's prime minister today in what is being billed as a significant milestone in its recovery.

The branch of multinational banking and financial services company Standard Chartered will be opened in the capital Baghdad at an official ceremony attended by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

The ceremony, which will also be attended by British Ambassador to Iraq Simon Collis, marks the arrival of the first of three Standard Chartered branches in Iraq, with another in Erbil to follow by the end of this year, then one in Basra next year.

The bank, which has its headquarters in London, has over 1,700 branches in more than 70 countries and is the first UK-based bank to open a branch in Iraq.

The move is a bid to meet increasing demands from global clients in the country from areas including oil, telecoms and infrastructure.

It is being billed as a milestone in the development of Iraq following years of conflict, but comes amid a growing surge of terror attacks that have swept across the country since April, including reports of a double suicide bombing at a military base north of Baghdad last night.

At today's opening ceremony, Mr Al-Maliki and Mr Collis will be at the Standard Chartered branch in Arrasat in Baghdad, along with the governor of Iraq's Central Bank Dr Abdulbasit Turki, and the chairman of its National Investment Commission, Dr Sami Al-Araji.

Standard Chartered has had a representative office in Erbil since 2006 but today's opening brings its first branch office, capable of full client banking, to Iraq.

The bank will help the Iraqi Government, its ministries, and the Iraqi Central Bank in a specialist advisory role, as well as helping Iraqi public sector banks, private banks, and local corporate companies.

A team of Iraqi staff have already joined the bank's team of experts and will continue to grow as the bank develops more services in Iraq.

The bank has said it hopes that its presence will make a difference to the country's economy and international reputation.

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The British Consul General in Erbil, Hugh Evans, has toldRudaw that businesses should use Kurdistan as a gateway for the rest of Iraq.

He added:

“We realize there are political problems in the energy industry (with Baghdad threatening oil companies working in the south that they cannot work in Kurdistan too), and we want the two sides to make a long-term energy settlement. BP is working in Kirkuk; it is a private company, they make their own decisions based on their commercial interests and we respect that.“

The Consul General said it is a core part of the UK’s strategy to broaden and deepen relations with Iraqi Kurdistan:

“We want the UK to be a partner of choice for Kurdistan. Britain is open for business, and we want to encourage Kurds to look at the UK. It is a two-way process.“

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On 24 September the UK Prime Ministers Trade Envoy, Lord Marland and the Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) Interior Minister, Abdul-Karim Sinjari officially opened the new UK Visa Application Centre in Erbil.

The opening of the centre marks the first time that Iraqis in Kurdistan are able to apply for a UK visa from Erbil and further strengthens UK-Iraq relations.

In his speech at the opening of the new centre Lord Marland said:

"The new Visa Application Centre in Erbil reflects a further strengthening of the relationship between the UK and Iraq.

The ability to travel between countries is key to any prosperous relationship. In the past, If Iraqis in Kurdistan wanted to visit the UK for business, tourism or to simply meet with friends and family they had to travel to Baghdad or outside the region to obtain a visa.’’

Lord Marland was visiting Kurdistan as part of a programme that included attending the Erbil International Trade Fair.

All applications for a UK visa must be made online through the UK Visas website UK Visas Website Applicants must then make an appointment at the Erbil Visa Application Centre which is operated by Gulf Bridge at Visa Info Services

Applicants must pay an application fee of $375 per person in addition to the visa fee which varies depending on the type of visa being applied for. Visas currently take around 15 working days to be processed.

Further guidance on the visa application process is available on the UKBA website. UKBA

Source: Gov.UK

Reef Subsea Dredging and Excavation (D&E) has secured a number of substantial contracts in the Middle-East and Asia Pacific as the company continues to grow its global footprint.

The Middle-East contracts will involve two teams from the company’s UK workforce managing subsea excavation work in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The work in the Al Khafji field in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of Technip and Khafji Joint Operations (KJO), is a shore approach cable excavation in shallow waters. Specialist personnel will also be deployed for the post-lay burial of the 165mm composite cable.

The second contract is the first project for Reef Subsea in Iraqi waters working with Leighton Offshore as part of the Iraqi Crude Oil Expansion programme (ICOEEP). The work involves post lay burial of a fibre optic cable in excess of 50km in length in Iraq’s largest producing oil field.

Reef Subsea’s specialist controlled flow excavation tools, the T4000 (pictured) and Twin R2000, will be deployed for both projects, as these can work effectively on live cables and pipelines without compromising the subsea assets integrity. The company has two sets of equipment based in Abu Dhabi for operations in the UAE and surrounding areas.

Niels-Henrik Brodtkorb, Managing Director, Reef Subsea Dredging and Excavation, commented:

“These substantial contract wins in the Middle East and Asia allows us to demonstrate the capabilities of our versatile subsea excavation tools.

“Our employees are highly skilled at operating these tools and bring a huge amount of experience to operations in these global industry projects.

“Increasing our presence and equipment capabilities across the world will allow us to further strengthen our reputation as a leader in subsea dredging and excavation.”

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Energy-focused health and safety specialist Cresent has become the largest Control of Work (CoW) provider in Iraq after winning a contract worth $1.7 million with Russian oil company, LUKOIL Mid-East Ltd.

The contract will involve Aberdeen-based Cresent delivering an electronic version of its flagship CoW system WorkSafe® across the second phase of the West Qurna Field. The firm will supply the software in Arabic, English and Russian.

Cresent will also be tasked with delivering training for LUKOIL personnel in the run-up to the system going live in November this year. A support and maintenance contract for a three-year period following the system launch is in place.

The new project comes less than a year after Cresent rolled out a similar contract at the nearby Rumaila field. Managing director Tracie Watson (pictured) says Cresent’s previous experience in training Iraqi contractors will ensure that LUKOIL has a smooth transition onto the new system.

She adds:

“Our challenge in terms of Rumaila was to successfully manage a complete change of mind set in relation to the attitude towards Control of Work and therefore to encourage a safer working environment.

“We are confident that the implementation of the LUKOIL system will be as successful as previous contracts delivered in the region. This new contract builds on the package of work that we have already successfully delivered elsewhere in Iraq.

“However, the system that LUKOIL will be implementing does involve some additional functionality as it will require the integration of WorkSafe® into another software package and LUKOIL’s on-site CCTV system.

“While off the shelf versions are available, one of the most significant features of WorkSafe® is that it allows for bespoke versions to be created. This ensures that Cresent can respond to the needs of the client and their business objectives, regardless of location or the complexity of the operational need.

“This contract consolidates Cresent’s position as the largest CoW provider in Iraq. The Middle East market performed exceptionally well for Cresent over the past two years and we believe the region will continue to deliver significant results for the foreseeable future.“

The launch of the pioneering WorkSafe® system, which is also available in a paper-based format, has been a key milestone in Cresent’s recent history. The CoW system, which enables operators to make significant safety improvements, has been translated into 10 different languages, and is used on both onshore and offshore assets around the globe.

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