OREANDA-NEWS. August 05, 2014. The EBRD and Unibank are providing a USD 10 million loan to Dalgidj LLC, an Azerbaijani oil-service company, for the expansion of the company’s activities.

The loan will be used for the acquisition of a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and the construction of a new warehouse.

Dalgidj, a local private company, offers services such as diving inspections and underwater technical operations, which includes underwater welding and cutting at depths of up to 60 metres and ROV operations at depths of up to 1000 meters in the Caspian Sea. The company provides these services to large oil companies which are active in the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian Sea.

Strict technical and environmental requirements for offshore exploration are leading to an increased demand for underwater technical operations. Companies engaged in these activities are also facing strict requirements and strong competition. In these conditions professional staff and modern equipment are crucial for enterprises to succeed.

Neil McKain, EBRD Head of Office in Azerbaijan, said: “We welcome this signing because it allows us to support the growth of a strong local company. It illustrates how Azerbaijani enterprises are benefiting from offshore explorations and we are impressed by their successful efforts to meet highest international standards.”

Director of Dalgidj, Ilgar Sadigov, said: "We are grateful to the EBRD and Unibank for their long-term cooperation with us, which contributed to our achievements and helped us provide better services. We hope to deepen our cooperation with EBRD and to continue participating in big projects.”

“Companies such as Dalgidj are the ones that drive the real sector of our economy and its modernisation”, said Jalal Gasimov, CEO of Unibank. “Thus, it is always a priority for us to support this sort of innovative company, especially considering that the project will create many jobs for skilled specialists. Our decision to finance this project is also an indication of the high level of cooperation between the EBRD and Unibank. It must be noted that, as of today, this will be the largest project the EBRD has ever co-financed with any local bank in Azerbaijan. I would like to invite other businesses to take advantage of this very beneficial funding facility.”

The loan comes under the EBRD’s Medium-Sized Co-financing Facility which was established with local banks to meet the financing needs of successful medium-sized private companies in early transition countries.