MaK Middle East LLC, a Caterpillar company established in Dubai in 2017, continues to deliver on its client-first product support approach. Alan Naisby, Managing Director of MaK Middle East and MaK Asia, clarified saying, “Our goal is always to satisfy MaK vessel owners, regardless of the age of their engines, as we believe a positive ownership experience will result in the repeat selection of a MaK powered vessel. With a large number of MaK powered vessels in the MENA region exceeding 25 years of age, MaK Middle East, the factory direct parts and service arm of parent Caterpillar Motoren is now pleased to announce the next level of ‘Legacy’ engine support.”
Naisby expanded on this by saying, “We have made further investments in MaK Middle East to bolster technical support and parts inventory for ‘Legacy’ engines in order to meet regional customer expectations.”

Supporting the whole MaK population
While the M25 is the most popular MaK engine in the region, with two 8 or 9 cylinder engines in Offshore PSV’s and a single 9 cylinder engine in tankers among the most common applications, there are also M32 engines in higher horsepower Offshore vessels and tankers, M43 engines in cargo applications and the DF46 fitted in cruise ships. Scattered across the region, however, are also vessels with MaK engines dating back to the 1980’s and 1990’s including 332, 452, 453, 551, 552, and 601 models.
Naisby further stated, “As a Caterpillar company and an affiliate of the manufacturer of MaK engines, MaK Middle East has a unique ability to refer to our factory product drawings to support the service needs of customers with older MaK engines. In tandem with this reference library, our service engineers through daily exposure to MaK and only MaK engines of all models, have built up a familiarity and expertise that cannot be gained by only occasional exposure to MaK ‘Legacy’ engines. In summary we have deep expertise in what have become low volume, rarely seen engines.”

Financial strength
Despite MaK Middle East’s short existence, the company has made investments as part of Caterpillar’s strategic goal of doubling its Manufacturing, Energy & Transportation Services revenue by 2026. To date the company has invested in assets and skills in Dubai to establish its parts and service capability including engine and turbocharger machine tools, inventory, experienced technicians and engineers, and their factory training. Naisby said, “The support of our parent corporation, Caterpillar, has been instrumental in supporting our investment in this region.”
He further added, “Caterpillar’s support has also been of significant benefit to our operations, as it has provided us with the strong starting point of greater recognition, something which start-up organizations aren’t usually privileged to have. The ability to make strategic investments to achieve long-term returns has undeniably been a key contributing factor in establishing MaK Middle East’s presence in the MENA region and supporting our MaK customer base.”
This latest string of investment in parts inventory for ‘Legacy’ engines in Dubai Maritime City (DMC) and the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) has already begun to provide added value to customers. This has been achieved by offering immediate availability of older parts to ensure customer satisfaction following service engineer onboard troubleshooting and root cause diagnosis.

Strong UAE footprint and regional reach
MaK Middle East’s thorough understanding of its customers’ needs and strong customer relations can be attributed to the company’s willingness to make itself easily accessible. Providing value to local MaK powered vessel owners, as well as European cargo customers transitioning through the Middle East and using the Fujairah anchorage, the company’s launch of its Fujairah branch effectively expanded its service reach within the UAE.
Moreover, its registration in the Sharjah Ports of Hamriyah Freezone, Al Khalid and Khor Fakkan, has enabled premium service delivery in those facilities. Naisby explained that, “The growing number of parts and service customers in the UAE and broader MENA region prompted the decision to increase our resident service engineer team in the UAE.”
He further added, “By transferring Caterpillar employees from the UK and Singapore operations into our Middle East hub, we were able to elevate our technical service offering and have been able to strategically build on this success as we look towards the future.” Inaugurated last year, MaK Middle East’s DMC service workshop operation has been central in its ability to reach customers and deliver to them the company’s technical proficiency.

Any MaK powered vessel, anywhere, anytime
Naisby explained, “Minimizing engine downtime and maximizing vessel availability continue to be the main operational challenge faced by our customers. Boosting reliability and efficiency of our engines, and the innovative solution-oriented mindset of our technical service team, play large roles in this equation and result in our clients being able to meet tight charter requirements and tight sailing schedules.”
He further added, “With Caterpillar’s financial strength, the strategic investments we have made in parts inventories, service teams, and facilities, are aimed at supporting all operators of MaK powered vessels regardless of age and location in the UAE, and beyond in the broader MENA region.
The UAE continues to flourish as an international business hub and its similar elevation in maritime stature is attracting justified investment. To ensure that this trend continues, our support for the whole MaK population provides tremendous advantages for our clients, and in turn, supports our business and the entire local maritime landscape.”

MaK Middle East: