Shaping the Future of Geoscience in the Middle East
The Middle East plays a pivotal role in the oil industry, and so GEO 2012, the 10th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, promises to be an exciting event, with…
Middle East
The Abu Dhabi Oil Discoveries
In the 1930s Abu Dhabi was a poor fishing village on the edge of the desert, but the discovery of oil has revolutionised the Emirate. It is thought to possess…
The King of Giant Fields
Since the petroleum industry began in the mid-nineteenth century, numerous oil fields have been discovered and over 70,000 oil fields are still in use. Nonetheless, not all fields were created…
Why So Much Oil in the Middle East?
In terms of oil reserves, the Middle East is second to none. This “oil miracle” of the world has been shaped by a set of favorable factors, some global and…
Iraq’s overwhelming problems
According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy (2009), Iraq’s estimated oil reserves are now 115Bb, only surpassed by Saudi Arabia and Iran on a world-wide basis. Others present…
Kurdistan: Safe and Secure, with Billion Barrel Prospects
Where in the world can you still find undrilled billion barrel prospects? Iraqi Kurdistan is one answer. But what is it like to work in an area thought by many…
The Qatar Oil Discoveries
In January 1940 (now 70 years ago), with the discovery of the onshore Dukhan oil field, Qatar joined the Middle East’s oil club. In 1960 (50 years ago), Qatar’s first…
Paleozoic Tight Gas Plays in Jordan
Compared to the other Middle Eastern countries, Jordan does not have a significant position in terms of conventional oil and gas resources. According toOil & Gas Journal (21 December 2009),…
The First Oil Discoveries in the Middle East
Flashbacks on the first discoveries of oil fields in the Middle East. 1908 (May 26): Masjid Sulaiman field (Masjid Sulaiman-1 well), southwest Zagros basin, Iran (Persia) by the Concessions Syndicate…
Iraq: Resource Base
The Iraq Petroleum conference of September 2007 in Dubai and the Iraq Energy Expo & Conference of December 2008 in Baghdad were attended by many international oil companies. In April…
Oil and Gas Available in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has just launched its very first licensing round. Three blocks with 6 proven oil and gas fields are up for grabs in the Amy Darya Basin next to Turkmenistan.…
Oil from Babylon to Iraq
Iraq, which has been on the mass media’s spotlight and international focus in recent years, has a record of oil and bitumen dating back to the earliest human civilizations more…