Offshore Magazine interview: EVP Iain Eddie on offshore Middle East trends in engineering, digital twins and sustainability

The offshore energy market in the Middle East is changing, driven by capacity constraints, supply chain challenges, and the need to extend the life of aging assets while lowering emissions.

In this exclusive Offshore Magazine interview, our EVP of EMEA & APAC, Iain Eddie, shares how Kent is addressing these challenges head-on through smarter engineering, digital innovation, and sustainable project delivery.

From modular design and data-centric brownfield execution to AI-powered digital twins and predictive analytics, Iain discusses how Kent is helping operators across the Gulf deliver safer, faster, and lower-carbon projects.

Read an excerpt from the article below:

As offshore oil and gas activity intensifies across the Middle East, engineering teams face mounting pressure to deliver safe, efficient and scalable solutions in complex environments.

Ahead of ADIPEC 2025, Offshore spoke with Iain Eddie, EVP of EMEA & APAC at Kent Plc, to explore how modular design, supply chain discipline and data-driven strategies are helping operators navigate aging infrastructure, resource constraints and evolving regulatory demands. The conversation also highlighted lessons learned from recent offshore projects and technologies shaping the region’s energy future.

Offshore: What are the most pressing engineering challenges facing offshore oil and gas projects in the Middle East today, and how is Kent addressing them?

Eddie: The Gulf is running at full tilt. The first challenge is meeting capacity, by ensuring that we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time. The capacity is also reliant on ensuring that we still meet national objectives for local content and supplier development. The demand signal across the region is intense, which constrains specialist engineering resources and creates competition for experienced construction and commissioning talent. Kent has leaned into this with a blended model: we attract and grow capability locally through graduate and academy programs, while flexing global delivery from centers of excellence to keep quality high and costs predictable.

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