Al-Hassan Engineering Company was established in mid-1998 by the Al-Hassan Group, which is owned by the local Salman family and has interests in a range of industries including electrical equipment, building materials and textiles.

Some 40 per cent of the company's seed capital was offered to the public in July 1998. The group's chairman, Hassan Ali Salman, and managing director, Maqbool Ali Salman, each own a 20 per cent stake in the company.

Al-Hassan Electricals Company, the flagship of the group, owns the remaining 20 per cent. Of the company's RO 6.7 million ($17.4 million) seed capital, RO 5.1 million ($13.2 million) was used to purchase a 99 per cent stake in the existing Al-Hassan Trading & Contracting Company (ATC).

The rest has been used to upgrade the firm in anticipation of contracts connected with schemes in liquefied natural gas (LNG), aluminum, petrochemicals and fertilisers.ATC was established in 1981 and engages in civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation engineering plus telecommunications and design engineering.

In 1991, it obtained a major breakthrough with state oil firm Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) by becoming the first fully Omani-owned company to be awarded the four-year South Oman mechanical services contract.

The contract, worth RO 20 million ($52 million), was renewed in 1995. ATC has executed contracts for PDO worth more than RO 30 million ($78 million).