MEA UAE Business Awards 2017

32 MEA MARKETS / UAE BUSINESS AWARDS 2017 , Ecocoast Contracting LLC provides specialist marine contracting and coastal protection services to developers, contractors, operators and governments across theMiddle East, Africa and Asia. We invited Lachlan Jackson, Managing Director, to find out more about the business and the services it offers. Best Marine Contracting & Coastal Protection Service - Middle East Ecocoast provides specialist marine contracting and coastal protection services to developers, contractors, operators and governments across the GCC with core focus on the United Arab Emirates. Offering a complete turnkey solution, Ecocoast’s services cover the full lifecycle of a marine or coastal project from development and protection, marine infrastructure, to operation and maintenance, and each of its services is both innovative and unique, as Lachlan outlines. “Here at Ecocoast, we are at the forefront of designing, constructing and installing practical, environmentally friendly, alternative marine structures and materials, in order to reduce the impact on marine or coastal environments. We use our coastal and marine expertise to fully understand each unique marine environment, and our practical experience to design and construct a holistic solution, best suited to the environment and our clients’ specific needs. Our manufacturing division, Ecobarrier, produces marine protection and demarcation barriers globally, primarily working with contractors, dredging companies, municipalities, defense authorities, and hospitality and leisure clients. Ecobarrier has been manufacturing marine barriers for coastal and marine protection, demarcation, navigation and security applications for over a year.” Offering the very highest standard of services and solutions is at the forefront of the business’ approach, as Lachlan is eager to emphasise. “The pursuit of excellence is what drives our business culture at Ecocoast, creating an environment that fosters innovation and creativity. We have our clients’ interests at the core of our business, and are committed to delivering them world-class, high quality, sustainable marine solutions. Being efficient and effective in our job as well as improving client experiences is our main focus for this year. We aim to take our clients on a journey of discovery through different touch communication initiatives, showing them that we care and value them. In one of our client’s words “Ecobarrier is at the forefront of manufacturing marine barriers based on expert knowledge using the latest technologies” (Managing Director, Sun Marina). This statement emphasizes we are on the right track, as we navigate our new goals, creating strong and positive momentum at Ecocoast.” Overall, Ecocoast has been a pioneer in the coastal protection market for over 10 years. The market has changed a lot over the years, and as such, the business has had to adapt around these developments. In the early 70s, the UAE’s economy was mainly dependent on oil products. This is no longer the case. The sources of revenue now come from travel and tourism, real estate and construction, including services. Dubai is currently attracting more than 14 million tourists a year, and the goal is to reach 20 million by 2020. According to the 2016 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index, the UAE leads in infrastructure, transportation and urbanization among the world’s emerging markets. The UAE’s annual average population growth rate is 2.3 percent - one of the highest in the world. As a result, the UAE has poured significant resources into large- scale coastal development initiatives over the years. Six percent of coastline was added to Dubai in the last 6 years, giving the business many opportunities to be part of the continuous growth of the country. However, introducing innovative approaches to new and traditional problems is not always easy. Even in a highly developed country like the UAE, design and construction structures and materials are very UA170045 often based on standards that have developed and evolved from many engineering, and research and development facilities. As such, Ecocoast remains dedicated to changing the face of the market and maintaining its commitment to excellence, as Lachlan concludes. “Ultimately, our core business is coastal protection. We aim to protect our coastline and marine environment from the effects of development and global warming. We work for example a lot with non- traditional construction materials, such as sand-filled geotextile containers, which have a lower environmental footprint than the more traditional materials, such as rock and concrete. Sand-filled geotextile containers have been used as alternative construction elements in coastal engineering for more than 50 years, and have proven to be a cost-effective, durable, easy to install and highly flexible method for a variety of construction projects. They are however relatively new in the region. In certain instances, these sand-filled structures have the dual benefit of providing coastal protection as well as a habitat for marine life through the growth of soft corals and seagrass, as they essentially turn into artificial reefs with increased biodiversity and productivity. They can