NMDC Chief Says Safety Is Where AI Shows Clearest Results on Energy Projects

Zaghloul said the group now runs more than 70 AI agents across its operations. One example is AMAN, an AI camera system used in NMDC's fabrication yards and on its offshore vessels. Gulf News reported that it analyses live video to detect hazards, such as workers without protective equipment or risks from suspended loads, so that teams can step in before an accident happens.

He argued that companies should tie each digital investment to results that can be measured on site. On cost and productivity, he said applying AI across a whole project, from design and procurement through construction and vessel operations, helps teams spot delays and errors earlier. That means less rework and a better chance of keeping projects on budget and schedule.

Over the next five years, Zaghloul expects AI to move out of trials and into routine use across the energy supply chain. He listed predictive maintenance, automated inspection of underwater and onsite structures, better sourcing of materials and equipment, and real-time health, safety and environmental monitoring as the main uses.

He described rolling out AI across an organisation of more than 35,000 people as a matter of culture and governance as much as technology. "Technology does not replace engineering judgment, it sharpens it," he said. Adoption works best when it is not imposed from the top, he added, and staff such as dredge masters, project managers and yard engineers take up tools once they see them make tasks like planning heavy lifts safer or simplifying purchasing.

Zaghloul called for closer collaboration between energy producers, engineering and marine contractors, global technology companies, and UAE universities and research bodies. He said UAE firms need to build solutions with partners and train Emirati engineers and data specialists if they want to create technology rather than only use it.

His comments fit a theme that ran through ADIPEC this year, as Gulf energy companies moved from talking about AI pilots to reporting operational figures.