The international oil and gas services provider Petrofac has announced the opening of its latest operations centre in Dubai.

Coming on the back of long-standing cooperation between the firm and the state-owned oil Dubai Petroleum Establishment (DPE), the Dubai Petroleum Training Centre (DPTC) is geared towards equipping professionals with skills relevant to the modern industry.

As such, the centre includes a mobile helicopter, underwater training facilities and a rigging and lifting frame, in addition to several classrooms and seminar rooms.

Opening the centre, Abdulaziz Mohammed, manager of external affairs at the Dubai Petroleum Establishment, welcomed this latest initiative as part of the long-term goal of increasing the proportion of nationals within the oil and gas industry.

"For DPE this is the first small step in a larger programme to provide the basis for young Emirates to join us in DPE in one of the most important global industries," he said.

At present, Dubai obtains 75 per cent of its energy from gas resources, with Shell having recently signed a deal to supply some 650,000 tonnes of LNG per year to the country.

Oil & Gas Directory: Training & Development