Meet Paul Miles, Practice Head Energy Services MENAI and Senior Principal Maritime Civil Engineer | Dubai, UAE
At ABL people are our business, and our people are our business. Our teams are constantly expanding, into more locations, in expertise and in sectors of influence, so that our people can truly drive safety and sustainability across our energy and oceans.
Each week we introduce you to another member of our staff, for you to meet the energy behind change…
Paul Miles, Practice Head Energy Services MENAI and Senior Principal Maritime Civil Engineer
What inspired you to go into the field you are in and how did you end up with ABL?
In 1997 I met a surveyor from LOC who attended on a quay wall damage caused by a ship impact – I was working for the Port’s consultant and we had just refurbished the quay! That first job inspired me to join LOC, now ABL, in 1999 in the London office.
Since then I have attended dozens of similar cases and worked on many amazing energy projects with talented colleagues.
What is something exciting that you are working on at the moment?
Recently we have been working on the first commercial wind farm in the UAE – this was a pilot project of 23 x onshore WTGs. ABL were awarded the MWS for the components shipped from China to UAE where they were offloaded, then transhipped by barges to the sites (two were offshore islands).
What are the key challenges your customers are facing at the moment and how do you help them overcome these?
Clients are faced with very tight and sometimes over optimistic schedules for projects or operations. This is challenging for them and us as we still need to undertake our scope and role so we need to be able to deliver this in a compressed schedule whilst obviously maintaining our recognised quality.
In your opinion, what do you think the future looks like for your industry?
The future looks exciting and challenging. MENA region is obviously heavily invested in hydrocarbon production and energy but there is a real surge and emphasis towards energy transition and renewables, especially with UAE hosting COP28.
The pace of change is astounding and essential to meet the necessary targets. Alongside our new subsidiaries, ABL Group is well placed to support the traditional oil & gas sector, their energy transition and the renewables sector, so I am excited to be part of this essential journey.
What do you enjoy in your spare time?
Mostly sport related – all human powered – so open water swimming, mountain biking, trail/dune running (often with my dog!), table tennis, tennis and padel. Also, plenty of travel to spend time with family & friends.
Find out more about ABL Group’s energy transition services.