Iran Returns to the Market
With Iranian export sanctions about to be lifted, what effect will this potential influx of hydrocarbons have on the already pressurised price of oil? In July, Iran signed an historic…
Middle East
Rio: The “Marvellous City”
The endless beauty of its people and its setting put Rio de Janeiro as one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Rio Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de…
Libya’s missing barrels
The Brent oil price continues to slide as Libyan oil is expected to gradually return to the market after two key export terminals, which had been blocked for almost a year by…
Gaining a Regional Perspective
What has happened in recent years in the Caspian region, how has it changed – and what is preventing companies from operating here? In 2010, the international scientific consortium Geology Without…
Mountains and the sea: Muscat
Muscat is indeed a unique city, surrounded by high barren mountains and for centuries almost inaccessible except by sea. Even the modern air traveller cannot fail to be impressed, as…
Looking Back to Predict the Future
Conventional exploration continues to be very successful, but 2014 is a make or break year for frontier deepwater exploration. One can learn a lot from looking at even the recent past.…
Torres del Paine – The Patagonian Diamond.
Patagonia plays host to numerous geological marvels, including the famous Torres del Paine granite intrusion – a stunning spot in a fantastic wilderness. The screams of a group of Guanacos…
Internal OPEC Rivalry Ahead?
With the world’s fifth-largest petroleum reserves, Iraq has – at least on paper – considerable potential for boosting production. If its goals are reached, it will bring the country’s production to…
Kirkuk. A Silent Giant Oilfield
The giant Kirkuk field, discovered in 1927, has had a very chequered history and requires imaginative reservoir engineering methods to return it to optimum productivity. The Kirkuk oilfield is partly…
The End of an Era – or More of the Same?
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who died in January 2015, had effectively ruled Saudi Arabia since 1996. During that time he introduced some tentative reforms but basically continued the ‘status…
The Petroleum Geology of Iraq
A comprehensive, up-to-date appraisal of the reservoir rocks, source rocks, seals and traps that control Iraq’s petroleum resources is reviewed by Munim Al-Rawi, an expert in the regional petroleum geology…
Petroleum systems in Jordan
Jordan is located within the producing sedimentary basin in the North-West Arabian Plate. Exploration was initiated in the country in 1947 by the Iraqi Petroleum Company, yet to date only…