UTEC has been awarded geophysical survey contracts in Saudi Arabia in conjunction with it’s in Kingdom partner, Zamil Offshore, the company said January 2018.

UTEC has also appointed Bill Hickie as business unit director of its Middle East and Caspian operations.

Previously, with UTEC in the role of global director of business development for the Eastern Hemisphere, Bill has developed strong relationships in the region and provides continuity for UTEC’s clients as he moves into this new role. Bill has over 12 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, working internationally with companies including Ceona and Subsea 7.

The contracts, which include multiple work-sites, are for geophysical surveys in the Safiniyah, Marjan and Zuluf fields, offshore Saudi Arabia. UTEC will utilize the Zamil 51 offshore support vessel using a combination of multibeam and side scan sonar survey techniques. The projects will be executed out in January and February of 2018.

“Having spent the past year with UTEC, Bill has been instrumental in driving business strategy and growth in the Middle East and these contract awards are a fantastic achievement and a great start to 2018,” Stuart Cameron, UTEC's CEO, said.