Healthy oil and gas industry in Trinidad and Tobago continues to bring success and expansion opportunities to local businesses.

WRITTEN BY JESS SHANAHAN

SUCCESS & EXPANSION FOR OIL AND GAS

www.littlegatepublishing.com

INLAND OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

001 868 677 2093IOCLTT.COM

INLAND OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

Pollonais said: “Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd was established following my exit from a drilling contracting company. I sold my shares and decided to go into

business with my two sons, Scot and Jason.”Family businesses are built on strong foundations but Inland &

Offshore Contractors Ltd started modestly. In the beginning the company was a small oilfield service company with just a couple of trucks. Of this, Pollonais said: “Since then we have evolved into a company with 40 boats and a fleet of various types of trucks and trailers for moving oilfield equipment around Trinidad and Tobago.

“We also have a pumping and hydro-blasting department that supplies high-pressure and high-volume pumps.”

Marine transportThe marine department of Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd

supplies crew boats and platform supply vessels for transporting personnel, fuel, water and equipment to offshore platforms in the waters around Trinidad and Tobago. This, like the rest of the business, has grown substantially since the company was founded.

On top of the initial growth, the business is still adding more and more to its fleet. Pollonais said: “Recently we added our second DP1 vessel, the ‘Atlantic Spirit’, which we took delivery of in December 2013.”

Inland transportThe trucking department includes flatbed and tractor trucks,

trailers and hydraulic cranes, which work with the companies that operate land rigs. Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd aims to help these companies move their oilfield equipment around. This is done using cranes with a capacity from 7 tons up to 60 tons as well as with a mobile crane with a capacity of 18 tons.

Pumping and hydro-blastingPollonais talked about the pumping and hydro-blasting

department, he said: “We have high-volume pumping services from 1500 GPM to 4,500 GPM which provide pumping and high-pressure water blasting services. These work with offshore rigs and other inland facilities.”

The state of the oil industryUnlike some parts of the world, this industry is enjoying

continued growth. This, of course, is great news for Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd. Pollonais said: “At the moment the industry presents no major obstacles to our business, we are enjoying continued success.

“Our market comprises the local and foreign companies that operate within our country’s oil and gas industry. This industry is very active at the moment and will continue to be for the near future. We have contracts for our vessels with most of the major players such as Petrotrin — which is our national oil company — BPTT, BHP Billiton, and Baker Hughes. Our Trucking department has an existing contract with EOG Resources too.”

The opportunities aren’t limited to Trinidad and Tobago, there’s so much going on in the area that the Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd is looking at further expansion.

Pollonais said: “There is a high level of activity occurring in the Suriname/Guyana region, and we are seeing growth opportunities.”

Good news for employees and customers alike

The continued development within the business means good things for both those working for Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd

INLAND OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

Continued development is important for any business and Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd is no different. The business is involved in inland and marine transport, and also offers pumping and hydro-blasting across Trinidad and Tobago — as well as the wider Caribbean area. We spoke to managing director Phillip Pollonais about the business and its growth since it began in 1996.

INLAND OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

and those it serves as customers.There are around 320 employees working for the company, most

of those in the marine department. As well as administrative and managerial staff, the company has its own electricians and mechanics too. There’s even a vehicular body repair department that keeps the fleet in full working order.

Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd has a variety of policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of staff and the efficiency of operations undertaken by them.

Pollonais spoke to us about standards for staff, he said: “All applicants have to meet certain basic requirements — especially with regard to positions in our operational departments — to ensure that they are capable of the tasks they are assigned. Once on board, all employees are made aware of our HSE policies before they begin work. They are also guided by our company’s policies and procedures that are set to ensure that our standards are maintained.”

Staff are also encouraged to develop their skills and to learn new ones. Pollonais said: “Our company’s success is attributed to the commitment and skill of all of our employees so we give full support to their personal development. We work with them to aid in their career advancement and we encourage employees to continue learning because it increases the effectiveness of not only themselves but the organization as a whole.”

Even with growth and development, Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd is very aware of the needs of each and every one of its customers.

Pollonais said: “We are always attentive to the needs of our clients

and work with them to assist in the success of their operations. All

our contracts have varying requirements that have to be upheld and,

of course, there is also a legal requirement to uphold proper safety

standards, so we operate with proper standards as being mandatory,

this is not an option for us. We pay a lot of attention to Quality

Control and Safety, for which our quality control and management

systems are enforced.”

As one of the major players in this market, Inland & Offshore

Contractors Ltd has a number of strategies in place to ensure things

continue that way. Of this, Pollonais said: “This we can attribute

our success to the dedication of our management and staff in the

provision of quality service and equipment. We believe in continuous

improvement so we are always upgrading our asset base and seeking

ways to better ourselves.”

What’s next for Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd?

We talked in detail with Pollonais about the development of the

business and plans for the future. He said: “One of our goals has

been the expansion of our marine market to areas like Suriname

and Guyana where there is a lot of opportunity for business and

investment going on. This is a goal that is coming to realisation.

“Presently our newest vessel, the ‘Atlantic Spirit’, is on a job

in Suriname and just prior to this we have had jobs in Venezuela

for some of our other vessels. We believe that the upgrade of our

fleet has contributed to this and so we would like to begin building

INLAND OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

another brand new vessel in the near future — a 220 ft, DP2 boat. “We have also made some upgrades in our trucking department

and plan to add newer units to the fleet as this year we are seeing a considerable increase in demand for our services.”

These developments will no doubt change things for Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd but Pollonais is confident that the business will grow and continue to be a success. He said: “Our entry into the Guyana/Suriname market would enable access to a wider range of clients, providing obvious benefits to our company so we are very thankful for the jobs that have occurred.

“Some of our newer vessels have not yet landed long term contracts and we hope that access to a wider market would grant this. This would enable more growth for our company. Of course newer and better equipment would work towards achieving this goal and would give us a greater competitive edge in the market.”

The investment into newer vessels and better equipment is helping Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd to keep up with market trends as well as access and serve more potential customers.

This is a necessary to the continued growth of the business as Pollonais is aware. He said: “Newer and better equipment would help in keeping up with the ever-changing market, so investment in increasing and improving our asset base is a necessity. We also keep ourselves informed as to the latest developments in the market to ensure we are on track with its trends.”

The stability of the industry means this kind of investment is so important when it comes to the development of Inland & Offshore Contractors Ltd and the services it provides to its customers.

“We are always attentive to the needs of our clients and work with them to assist in the success of their operations. All our contracts have varying requirements that have to be upheld and, of course, there is also a legal requirement to uphold proper safety standards, so we operate with proper standards as being mandatory, this is not an option for us. We pay a lot of attention to Quality Control and Safety, for which our quality control and management systems are enforced.” Phillip Pollonais, Managing Director