Drake & Scull's management shakeup follows a second-quarter loss. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
Drake & Scull's management shakeup follows a second-quarter loss. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

Drake & Scull removes CEO, narrows second quarter loss



The troubled contractor Drake & Scull International (DSI) said on Monday it had removed its chief executive as it announced a narrowing of its second-quarter loss, which still missed analysts' expectations due to higher provisions.

The board of directors decided to end the tenure of Wael Allan as the chief executive, a post he assumed in October after the long-standing chief executive Khaldoun Tabari stepped down.

Net loss attributable to equity owners in the three months ending in June reached Dh182.7 million compared with Dh207.6m in the year-earlier period. The net loss brings the company’s accumulated losses to Dh1.89 billion as of June 30.

Revenue fell 18 per cent to Dh660.3m from Dh805.5m a year earlier.

The company made Dh68m in one-off provisions and impairment charges in the second quarter.

“The provisions recorded in the quarter characterises the strategic direction of the group aimed at mitigating all contingent exposures to set a solid foundation for sustainable growth and profitability post completion of the capital restructuring programme,” the company said.

Under the programme, the company is proposing to write off 75 per cent of its shares to extinguish losses of Dh1.71bn, followed by a Dh500m capital injection by Tabarak Investments, currently the biggest investor in DSI and which is likely to own around 50 per cent of the company after the restructuring. Tabarak Investment recently also extended an interest-free loan of up to Dh100m to the company, which will be used for working capital requirements to speed up the delivery of projects.

“The results of the quarter should be viewed within the context of our turnaround plan and the capital restructuring programme and are consistent with our financial targets set out at the outset of the fiscal year,” said Feras Kalthoum, the acting chief financial officer. “Our efforts to complete the capital and debt restructuring of the group, coupled with continued balancing of our portfolio to mitigate any contingent exposure that may impact our future profitability, will soon reflect positively on our financial performance and top line targets.”

NBAD Securities had projected a net loss of Dh28m for the second quarter.

“What you can look forward to is the loss write-off and the capital increase that is going to be completed by the end of the third quarter,” said Sanyalak Manibhandu, the head of research at NBAD Securities.

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The company’s current liabilities of the company exceeded its assets by Dh1bn as of end of June, a condition that indicates “that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the Group's ability to continue as a going concern”, said the auditor PwC.

Also at the end of June, trade and other receivables stood at Dh175m and the company was owed Dh1.3bn from customers.

DSI said that its sale of non-core assets, including One Palm investment in Dubai, will also help to improve the company’s liquidity.

“The funds [from the sale] along with the fresh equity infusion from Tabarak Investment will help restore the liquidity of the group, enabling DSI to successfully execute its projects backlog and improve productivity across all operating segments,” the company said.

It has an order backlog of Dh6.6bn and is in talks to win more projects, which could be announced during the second half of the year.

DSI shares closed down 3.17 per cent to Dh0.366 in Dubai yesterday.

Separately, DSI said it would elect a new Board of Directors during its upcoming General Assembly scheduled for later this year as part of its capital restructuring plan.

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

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Name: ARDH Collective
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Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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TCL INFO

Teams:
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Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

The specs

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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
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  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson

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Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents

Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University

As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families

Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too

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