World Trade Centre raises prospects for Hull engineers in Libya

With Libya set to become one of the major energy powerhouses of the future, Hull-based Towne Lifting and Testing is now planning to have a permanent presence there.

The company, based on Dairycoates Industrial Estate, supplies lifting and securing equipment such as overhead cranes and hoists and provides associated expertise, which Libya needs as it further develops its resources.

Managing director Chris Towne said that the partnership with World Trade Centre Hull & Humber had helped his company negotiate the obstacles towards achieving a successful trade relationship, building on existing contracts in the country.

 “Long-distant business relationships don’t work with Libya, but the help we have had from the World Trade Centre and its partners means we are now well placed to press ahead following encouraging early developments,” he said.

Towne Lifting and Testing worked with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) at the World Trade Centre, on the Passport to Export programme, which supports firms wanting to break into new markets.

This led to a meeting at the British Embassy in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, with a senior UKTI oil and gas specialist, teleconferences at World Trade Centre Hull & Humber with other key people in the sector and a place on a trade mission to Libya.

 World Trade Centre partner Language is Everything produced a catalogue specifically for the mission while language training has been accessed through the Regional Language Network.

 Mr Towne added: “The oil and gas sectors account for 95 per cent of Libya’s export revenues and present a great opportunity for our products and expertise.

“Libyan investment in exploration and development should total $42bn in the next five years and there are already 50 international oil companies in the market.”

 UKTI trade advisor Mike Hayes said that despite English being Libya’s unofficial second language, having literature translated and learning a taste of Arabic could sharpen a company's competitive edge.

 "Chris has shown himself to be committed to preparing himself for the environment," he said. Towne Lifting and Testing set out in 1946 supplying the fishing industry and subsequently worked with mining and shipbuilding industries.

 “We lost our core customer base three times and have had to continually evolve in order not to be left behind,” said Mr Towne, whose firm employs 125 and has branches in Fleetwood, Gateshead and Middlesbrough and with a customer base that includes the offshore sector. As well as in Libya, Towne staff have recently worked in Europe, Cameroon, The Bahamas and Russia. Tony Howard, chair of World Trade Centre Hull & Humber, said that Towne was a good example of a local company utilising a range of the centre’s services. “With the expertise available under one roof, we can make the path to new markets smoother and much less daunting.”