Australia’s New Oil Heavyweight
Australia has a surprising new heavyweight in oil production – the western flank of the Cooper-Eromanga Basin. il production from this arid and remote region 800 km north of Adelaide…
Middle East
Broadband Seismic Technology and Beyond, Part II: Exorcizing Seismic Ghosts
“I wouldn’t describe myself as lacking in confidence, but I would just say that – the ghosts you chase you never catch“ John Malkovich (1953– ) American actor, producer and…
Kuwait: A trading city
Kuwait City, a gleaming metropolis of designer shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, has evolved dramatically in the last couple of decades. As the capital of the state of Kuwait, it…
Oil Exploration in Yemen
Yemen is a land of physical contrasts, bounded by mountains, desert and sea. It includes the Socotra archipelago and various islands in the Red Sea. At the heart of the…
Thriving on Challenges
Intisaar Al Kindy, the first Omani Exploration Director of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) for forty years, drifted into geology almost by accident – but it proved to be a lucky…
Once Upon a Red Line – the Iraq Petroleum Company Story
A consortium of four oil majors (today’s BP, Shell, Total and ExxonMobil) and oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) was designed to explore and extract oil in…
Bahrain: 80 Years and Still Producing
For such a small country, Bahrain certainly knows how to make an impression on the world. It is currently celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first discovery of oil in…
The Arab Spring and the Oil Industry
What has been the impact of recent political developments in North Africa on the oil and gas industry? The challenges facing the oil and gas industry in North Africa in…
The Search for Oil in Oman
A discovery at Yibal in April 1962 marked the end of a long and frustrating search for commerical oil in the Sultanate of Oman. The country is now 24th in…
The Great Burgan Field, Kuwait
Second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar, the supergiant Burgan field in Kuwait was discovered by a series of wells drilled during 1938-1952. Sitting on a huge structural anticline and occupying…
From Pirates to Prada
As the United Arab Emirates celebrates its 40th anniversary, we take a look at the making of modern Dubai. With its glittering seven-star hotels, gravity-defying architecture and shopping malls complete…
All Eyes on the Middle East
The Middle east has been a cornerstone of the oil and gas industry for over a hundred years. Oil was first found in the area in Iran in 1908, while…