US contractor KBR is further growing its business in Singapore at a time when many others involved in the offshore industry are shifting their regional operations to neighbouring Malaysia.

Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, KBR will develop the Singapore office into its Asia Pacific Regional Centre of Excellence for KBR Consulting, Digitalisation, LNG & Asset Management, Differentiated Infrastructure and its Government Services business, KBRwyle.

KBR has a strategic alliance with IBM for digitalisation.

KBR's Singapore team for almost five decades has carried out oil and gas projects worldwide including shallow-water, deep-water, subsea, LNG, gas-to-liquids, TL, refining, petrochemicals, chemicals, EPC, maintenance services, floating solutions and programme management.

As KBR looks to grow into new areas and enhance its customer base, Singapore continues to be a key location for its global project delivery and an important base to develop its people to cover growth markets in the region. The company said it looks forward to establishing Singapore as the Centre of Excellence for its new business areas in the near term, which is also time critical to bring value to its global business.

"We are seeing changes in clients' needs and expectations in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region and we plan to move up the value chain at our Singapore office with the support from EDB," said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, Asia Pacific and EMEA.

"We must continue to innovate and evolve our business model across the full spectrum of our business, Technology & Consulting, Engineering and Construction and our Government Services (KBRwyle) to stay relevant and grow our businesses in the region.

"KBR will continue to strengthen our Singapore team to attain the right and differentiated skills to position ourselves for the future," Ibrahim said.