Thursday 4 November 2010

Malaysia wants to be Asia's oil field services, equipment hub

By Kamarul Yunus
Published: 2010/11/04

MALAYSIA aims to become an oil field services and equipment (OFSE) hub for Asia, leveraging on its strategic location at the centre of the Asia Pacific region and adjacent to the international shipping lanes.

Under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), three entry point projects (EPPs) have been identified to attain the target.

As outlined under the National Key Economic Activity (NKEA) for oil, gas and energy sector, the three EPPs are to attract multinational companies (MNCs) to bring a sizeable share of their global operations to Malaysia, the ETP report said.

The projects are also geared at consolidating domestic fabrications, developing engineering, procurement and installation capabilities and capacity through strategic partnerships and joint ventures.

The global OFSE market is valued at RM800 billion and has undergone rapid growth of 25 per cent an annum in recent years.

With a burgeoning domestic oil and gas industry, proximity to oil fields and a cost-competitive workforce, Malaysia is well-placed to become Asia's OFSE hub.

In addition, by increasing competitive pressures in the domestic market, there is potential for Malaysian companies to first become domestic champions and subsequently regional champions as it captures a larger share of the regional market.

Under the sector's NKEA, the target is to attract 10 to 20 major international companies in the OFSE industry, bringing about 10 per cent of their business operations to Malaysia.

"This translates to around 40 per cent of their regional activities and would mean positioning Malaysia as a cost-competitive base for engineering, procurement and construction as well as strategic base for installation activities in the Asia Pacific region," the report noted.

If the goal is met, the OFSE industry will have considerable impact, creating over 20,000 jobs and almost RM6.1 billion of incremental gross national income (GNI) by 2020.

A permanent government body to be known as Oil Field Services Unit (OFSU) will be set up. It will be responsible for overseeing the oil field services industry's growth and development.

Comprising 20 people, with at least 10 of whom will have the oil and gas industry experience, OFSU will be fully operational within the next six months.

Among others, its responsibilities are to make recommendations on how to restructure the domestic industry to create a more competitive environment and position the industry and its companies for growth, and to promote the Malaysian OFSE industry and companies to overseas firms and investors.

OFSU will require only minimal funding of RM5 million a year to cover its operating expenses. However, the success of the EPP is contingent on attracting foreign players to set up operations here, which would require estimated funding totalling RM6.8 billion. This comprises of RM6.3 billion in private investment and RM500 million in public investment.

On the whole, the ETP has identified 12 EPPs and two business opportunities within the NKEA for oil, gas and energy sector.

"These EPPs will contribute RM47.1 billion to GNI to meet the 2020 targets. An additional RM61.2 billion will come from business opportunities and baseline growth," the report said.

Thus, the NKEA expects to deliver a RM131.4 billion GNI impact and create an additional 52,300 jobs in this sector.

A significant proportion of these jobs will be highly-skilled jobs, with an estimated 21,000 or 40 per cent for qualified professionals such as engineers and geologies, with monthly salaries in the range of RM5,000 to RM10,000.

The incremental GNI includes RM23.1 billion of GNI from the multiplier effect created by EPPs from other sectors.

The largest sources of the multiplier effect on the oil, gas and energy NKEA are palm oil, tourism and electronics and electrical NKEAs, for example, an increase in usage of energy due to an increase in tourists visiting Malaysia.

The oil, gas and energy NKEA is targeting a 5 per cent annual growth for the sector from 2010 to 2020. This is an ambitious goal, particularly against a backdrop of the natural 2 per cent decline of oil and gas production.


Read more: Malaysia wants to be Asia's oil field services, equipment hub http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/ogas/Article/index_html#ixzz14J1VBcRc

Comment: This news is positive for the oil and gas sector of Malaysia. It is also good for Coastal.

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