UK-based oil and gas engineering company Amec Foster Wheeler is expanding its UAE operations as it prioritises the Middle East as a key area for growth.

“In the wake of the acquisition of Foster Wheeler, the combined company has made the UAE its hub for Middle East operations. As a result staff numbers and office space are being increased,” a spokesperson for the company told MEED.

US-based Amec first announced it was acquiring its UK-based rival Foster Wheeler in February 2014, and the deal was completed in November the same year.

The company currently employs more than 700 employees in the UAE, which support more than 2,000 workers across the Middle East.

A ceremony to mark expansion of the company’s Abu Dhabi offices was held on 29 September.

On 8 September, Amec Foster Wheeler’s regional president for the Middle East, Roberto Penno, told MEED the company will double the number of staff it employs in Saudi Arabia over the next three years.

The company currently has 450 workers in Saudi Arabia.