I will advise you on conducting business in Libya, registering with the Ministry of Economy, and reviewing potential Libyan partners. All foreign companies must have a Libyan representative or partner, and the future success of your entire Libyan operation depends on this decision.
Additionally, I can assist you with:
1) Registration with the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC)
2) Obtaining vendor numbers with local oil companies
3) Obtaining temporary import licenses for capital equipment
4) Customs clearance at the ports
5) Business/Residence visas for employees & consultants
6) Desert passes
7) Local purchasing advice
8) Contract negotiations (my expertise)
9) Negotiating lease agreements for office space
10) General business etiquette
I lived in Tripoli, Libya for nearly 10 years where I managed a large, family-owned well-servicing company founded by my grandfather in 1967.
From 2003 to 2011, I served as Vice President of Operations for an business group with operations in the U.S., Malta, Libya, and the UK.
Field operations were carried out by 400+ employees located at six Sahara Desert basecamps. The company provided well servicing, equipment rentals, basecamp rental & construction, fluid services, oilfield trucking, water management, and engineering services.
As a Sr. V.P., my areas of responsibility in Libya included managing business development and operations for the rig division, rental equipment division, fluid management division, tubulars division, construction division and engineering and technical services division.
Responsibilities included leading department managers in the EH&S, expatriate HR, foreign procurement, fleet & facility maintenance, equipment maintenance, camp catering & supply, basecamp construction, transportation, sales and marketing departments, government affairs, and the contracts department, as well as subsidiary company performance. Customers included Marathon Oil, Conoco Phillips, Amerada Hess, Waha Oil, Zueitina Oil, Harouge Oil, AGOCO, Repsol, OXY, BP, OMV, SHELL, Wintershall, Woodside, RWE-DEA, Petro Canada, Sonatrach, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Weatherford, and Baker.
Operating in the Libyan oil sector requires maintaining relationships with local government officials, tribal leaders, and leadership at the Libyan National Oil Company and their affiliated companies.
My customers were located in 22 countries and while living in Tripoli, I made 108 international trips to forge steady, reliable, and profitable customer relationships.
The Libyan market is challenging and most American companies who entered the market between 2003 and 2011 failed. Fortunately, I had the benefit of working inside a successful organization that operated there for many years. This experience helped me understand the local oilfield, its people, and how to manage successfully in the Libyan market.