A new joint venture between two major companies in technology and oil sectors has been established to set up a sophisticated center for conducting nondestructive tests in the oil sector.

Following their agreement, a National Center for Nondestructive Testing (NCNT) will be built and it is expected to be operational by 2015. A major advantage of the project is that it will ensure quality and save time and money. It is a testing process using high-tech equipment on utilities without affecting their future use and structure.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Saudi Arabian Oil Company ( Saudi Aramco ) yesterday inked the deal to establish a center in cooperation between the two organizations.

 KACST President Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel and Saudi Aramco Chairman and CEO Khaled Al-Faleh signed the deal in the presence of a number of officials on both sides.

Al-Suwaiyel said the agreement aimed to develop and create sophisticated high-tech devices for multiple nondestructive power tests, and promote and encourage national acceptance for the nondestructive testing service. This will also help attract and encourage the Kingdom’s scientific talent.

 The agreement also aims to create a database that will include specialists in this field and represent the Kingdom in the Union of Nondestructive Testing Center established in 1998, in addition to achieving economic self-dependence in the long term.

The Saudi Aramco CEO said the center, the first of its kind in the region, would be completed by 2015.

It is designed to be the cornerstone in supporting the national industry and infrastructure in the Kingdom as any advanced country around the world in this area. “The idea of nondestructive testing is based on testing products without affecting their future use, ensuring quality, and saving time and money.

The agreement came within the framework of the expansion being witnessed by the Kingdom in infrastructure projects and industries, which has prompted the urgent need for a national center for nondestructive testing equipped with the latest technologies and equipment, national cadres and highly trained personnel to man and support the different products in the industrial and construction sector, and infrastructure and power plants, in addition to the towers of steel structures, railway trains, aircraft, ships, and oil tankers.

 The center will be manned mainly by Saudi Aramco personnel with highly skilled, world-class consultancy teams with in-depth experience of working with customers across a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, aviation, space, industrial, utilities and nuclear.

The center will serve not only Saudi Arabia’s needs but also other Gulf countries.

The nondestructive testing is meant to inspect equipment, pipes or utilities without breaking them and retain the structure intact.

This needs electronic devices, X-ray and ultrasound equipment, and specialists.