EAGE NEWSLETTER

MIDDLE EAST

Issue 1 2014

Looking forward to an eventful year in 2014

Gladys Gonzalez EAGE president 2013-2014

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ladys Gonzalez, EAGE president writes: Having reached more than ‘half-time’ in my term of office, I would like to look back at the activities of the past months as well as look forward. First I would like to thank the team in our Dubai office for their service and above all you, our members, for your engagement and participation. As we start 2014, I am delighted to report that our Association has moved from strength to strength during the past year. With more than 17,000 members we are well positioned for a very successful 2014. We enjoy an enviable position as part of the global geoscience and energy community, and as a result EAGE is weathering well the economic storms that continue to plague most of Europe and many other parts of the world. During my term of office I am dedicated to channelling my energies into the leadership of EAGE, with the theme of ‘Making a difference on a global scale – narrowing the gap’. This refers to the need to narrow the gap between geoscience and engineering disciplines; professional development across the regions; academic and industry efforts to develop emerging technologies to address society’s needs; for young professionals and women in career development; professional degrees and professional occupation; and active and inactive members. I also would like to continue to work with sister and local societies to explore where our Association can make a difference in narrowing gaps. To that end, planned initiatives include

multi-disciplinary conferences, workshops and programmes in partnership with other geoscience and engineering societies. In the Middle East, we return to our cooperation with AAPG and SEG for GEO 2014 on 9-12 March 2014 in Manama; we will organize for the fourth time the ‘Tar Mats Workshop’ with the SPE on 1-4 June 2014 in Dubai; we are again cooperating with AAPG and SPE for the ‘Second Shale Gas Workshop’ on 21-14 September 2014 in Dubai; and there is much more ‘the details of which can be found in this newsletter. My visit in 2013 started in UAE participating in the opening ceremony of the Second International Conference of Engineering Geophysics held in Al Ain, a remarkable event for its societal impact. This is the second year which EAGE has been an integral part in the organization of the conference and we look forward to working closely with the Al Ain Municipality and UAE University to further develop the concepts around this international conference. I also visited other impressive countries in the region including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where I was honoured to be the guest keynote speaker at the Dhahran Geoscience Society monthly meeting. In January, I returned to the Middle East for the 7th IPTC (organized together with AAPG, SEG and the SPE) in Qatar and am planning to be in Bahrain in March for the forthcoming GEO event. All the locations I have had the privilege to visit during my time in the Middle East have exciting events and developments within the geoscience and engineering community. Furthermore, we have a series of excellent conferences in the year ahead. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our Annual Meeting at the Amsterdam RAI in June. It will be the largest multi-disciplinary geoscience and engineering oriented event of its kind in the world. This is Read more on page 2 ➤

GEO 2014 will be best show in town

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here’s a lot to look forward to at this year’s GEO 2014 event being held in Manama on 9-12 March with the theme ‘Taking Geoscience Beyond the Conventional’. Inaugurated in 1994, the GEO exhibition is the premier showcase of oil and gas exploration technology and services in the Middle East, attracting NOCs, IOCs and major operating companies. The GEO conference offers industry professionals and students the largest geosciences technical programme in the region. It is organized and developed by AAPG, EAGE and SEG. Additional support comes from the Dhahran Geoscience Society (DGS), the Bahrain Geoscience Society (BGS), the Geological Society of Oman (GSO), Emirates Society of Geoscientists (ESG) and the Qatar Geological Society (QGS), in cooperation with a committee of national and international oil company representatives. The diverse combination of local and international expertise ensures that the programme is highly technical, with leading edge science brought together from around the world and mixed with local knowledge from the region’s leading geoscientists. Alongside the conference programme will be the Read more on page 2 ➤

What's inside Passive seismic workshop in Lisbon

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Experience the Energy in Amsterdam

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Uncertainty short course

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Industry News

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And more...

EAGE UPDATE

Eventful year ahead in 2014 Continued from p.1.

EAGE president Gladys Gonzalez with Aiman Bakhorji, DGS president 2013-2014, and Ibrahim Assa’adan, executive director exploration, Saudi Aramco.

not only reflected in the scope of topics to be covered in the technical programme, currently in preparation, but in the tremendous interest once again being shown by exhibitors. As mentioned earlier we have some excellent workshops coming up in the Middle East region.

In 2014 we will be offering more than 10 workshops over the course of the year. Popular workshops such as the Passive Seismic Workshop and the Exploration Workshop will run again, but also new workshops are on the schedule. I would like to highlight the High Performance Computing for Upstream Workshop, the Borehole Geology Workshop and the Basin and Petroleum System Modeling Workshop. The EET 8 tour by Enru Liu was launched during the Annual Meeting in London in 2013 and will continue in 2014 taking in the Middle East as part of the schedule. Also in the education area we have the Education Days, one week filled with courses. At the moment we offer them in London, Aberdeen, Moscow, Stavanger, Abu Dhabi and Dhahran.

In 2013, EAGE entered the world of 2.0 and started to communicate via social media. We see that more and more members communicate through social media, and we wish to interact with them in creating, sharing and/ or exchanging information and ideas. Also the Middle East region has its own LinkedIn group, where you can discuss topics and ask questions – so if you haven’t already, join this group right away! May I just finish by wishing our members in the Middle East Region and the many others who participate in our local events, or take an interest in our geoscience and engineering community, all the best for 2014. I hope to see you at one of our events either in the Middle East or somewhere else in the world.

GEO 2014 will be best show in town Continued from p.1.

exhibition showcasing a diverse collection of exploration products, services, technology and tech-

EAGE Newsletter Middle East Publications & Communications Manager Marcel Van Loon (ml@eage.org) Regional Manager Middle East Raymond Cahill (rcl@eage.org) Publications Coordinator Marjolein van Kraanen (mws@eage.org) Account Manager Advertising Peter Leitner (plr@eage.org) Production Co Productions bv (contact@coproductions.nl) EAGE Middle East Office EAGE Middle East FZ-LLC Dubai Knowledge Village Block 13 Office F-25 PO Box 501711 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel.: +971 4 369 3897 Fax: +971 4 360 4702 E-mail: middle_east@eage.org Website: www.eage.org Submission of articles (mws@eage.org) Newsletter on the Web (www.eage.org)

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niques; senior level panel discussions; extensive poster presentations; workshops, and field trips. Four post-event field trips and eight pre-event short courses are scheduled. EAGE will be offering two short courses, one on Explorational Rock Physics and Seismic Reservoir Prediction presented by Dr Per Avseth and Prof Dr Tor Arne Johansen, the other on Fundamentals of Seismic Acquisition and Processing presented by Jeffrey D. Johnson. At the prestigious EAGE Geo-Quiz students can put their geoscience knowledge to the test against fellow students. The winning team will receive a travel grant to EAGE’s Annual Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to compete in the EAGE Geo-Quiz finals. More information and registration available soon on www.eage.org/students! The GEO Steering Committee will again be collaborating with universities and students for the Young Professionals and Student Activities Program (YPSS). This includes a short course on the

Fundamentals of Oil & Gas covering upstream, mid-stream and downstream sectors of the industry aimed at non-technical people within E&P, refining and service companies, as well as professional advisers. Participants will gain insight into current issues, industry terminology, how money flows through the entire business chain, how different parts of the business interact with each other and other companies, as well as with external investors. The risks involved and the magnitude of financial exposure versus rewards will also be discussed. There will be a CV writing workshop where attendees will learn how to evaluate their own skills and achievements and use this information to write an effective CV, as well as learn the key skills for successful job interviews. The YPSS programme will end with a networking ‘Meet and Greet’ cocktail reception where participants can engage with the industry community and meet with like-minded students and young professionals.

EAGE invites you to register prior to the GEO 2014 Conference & Exhibition for one of the EAGE short courses on offer! Both courses take place at The Gulf Hotel Bahrain, on 8-9 March 2014, 09:00 – 17:00 hrs. Please visit www.geo2014.com for more information. Short Course: Explorational Rock Physics and Seismic Reservoir Prediction Instructors: Per Avseth, Tullow Oil, and Tor Arne Johansen, University of Oslo Short Course: Fundamentals of Seismic Acquisition and Processing Instructor: Jeffrey D. Johnson, NExT/Schlumberger

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 1 2014

EAGE UPDATE

Latest passive seismic workshop to meet in Lisbon

Tramcar in Lisbon.

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ortugal’s magnificent capital city of Lisbon is due to host the Fifth EAGE Workshop on Passive Seismic being held from 28 September to 1 October 2014. It will be an opportunity to see how far this increasingly significant reservoir monitoring technology has evolved in its value to E&P decision-makers. Workshop organizers say that there will be some positive changes to the format in this year’s event. The idea is to stimulate discussion in formal and informal settings but also to generate tangible outcomes by taking the opportunity of having so many experts on passive seismic data issues in one venue. The challenge will be to find

answers and identify knowledge gaps in areas such as induced seismicity, fracture generation and mechanics, and integrated interpretation. After an introduction to the topic of the day by invited speakers, participants will split up into different workgroups to discuss specific questions related to the topic. The results of these discussions will be summarized and distributed to all participants. It is hoped that this format will provide some detailed suggestions to researchers, operators, service companies and regulators on how to advance the responsible application of passive seismic technology. Questions to be considered during the event will include: • Induced seismicity: how to serve public and company interests? • What measurements are necessary to gain a more reliable picture? • Fracture generation and fracture mechanics: how is microseismic data integrated into fracture models?

• What does microseismic data tell us about qualitative and quantitative changes of permeability? • Integrated interpretation: What data is necessary/valuable to validate and constrain certain interpretations of microseismic data? What decision should be driven by microseismic data? Alongside the invited speakers and discussion sessions there will be extended poster sessions. In the Call for Papers, the technical committee invites 300 word abstracts focusing on the key topics of the workshop; Induced Seismicity, Fracture Generation and Mechanics, and Integrated Interpretation via the EAGE website by 31 March 2014. Authors are encouraged to address the impact of their work on the perceived value to the end user of passive seismic technologies. We look forward to seeing you in Lisbon.

Field trip will be a highlight of Borehole Geology Workshop in Dubai

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lans to include a fascinating field trip are well underway for the EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop ‘Optimising the Use of Your Borehole Image Data’ which will be held in Dubai this October.

The workshop will open with a field trip, on Monday 13 October 2014, to Ras Al Khaimah in the Abu Dhabi region, which has some of the most prolific onshore and offshore oil and gas producing zones. The objective will be to gain an understanding of the field scale stratigraphy, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and structure. It will also be an opportunity to make direct comparisons between borehole image logs and outcrop to get a better understanding of the interpretation of image log features, their lateral continuity and influence away from the borehole on reservoir heterogeneity and quality. This fieldtrip will visit Wadi Rahabah and Wadi Dhayah in Ras Al Khaimah where time equivalents of these zones are found in spectacular outcrops

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

of seismic scale. The outcrops provide excellent opportunities for observations to be made of field-scale cross-sections that can help to refine sequence stratigraphic and facies models. This in turn aids in the interpretation of reservoir geometry distribution and continuity in the subsurface. Outcrops in Wadi Rahabah are time equivalent to the Lower Cretaceous, Upper Thamama Group. Here an understanding and appreciation of reservoir heterogeneity (sedimentary and structural controls) and the scale of bedding, stylolites, lithofacies and fauna can be observed and discussed. At Wadi Dhayah outcrops of Shuaiba Formation are observed in the wadi floor, which are overlain by shales, marls and carbonates in the Nahr Umr and Mauddud Formations. The Nahr Umr and Mauddud are repeated by thrust faulting, with the entire Lower Cretaceous section overlain by an overthrusted Jurassic carbonate sequence. The Shuaiba Formation is similar to that observed in the subsurface with facies characterized by fine-

ISSUE 1 2014

Outcrops to be visited.

grained dasyclad algae, foraminiferal packstonewackestones; caprotinid and caprinid rudists and oysters, as well as abundant Lithocodium-Bacinella algae, foraminifera and shell debris. For further information on the EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop please visit the event website at www.eage.org.

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EAGE UPDATE

Make sure you experience the energy at Amsterdam ’14

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ow can the broad experience of geoscientists help the world to meet its future energy needs? The answer lies in the theme of this year’s 76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam from 16-19 June 2014: ‘Experiencing the Energy’ or, how the multi-disciplinary approach to oil and gas exploration and production fostered by EAGE can contribute to meeting future energy needs. Fossil fuels are set to continue having a major role to play in the global energy mix for decades to come simply by virtue of the enormous investment needed for any alternatives to scale up to meet the demand. ‘Experience’ will play an essential role in providing the solutions. A major priority is to build on the experience of our current workforce and share this experience with new generations of professionals who need to be brought up to speed as rapidly as possible. It is already very clear that skills shortages could be a major issue in the years to come, which is why we put such an emphasis on the Student Programme and associated activities to encourage new recruits into the industry. Amsterdam ‘14 is the largest and most comprehensive geoscience event of its kind in the world. The six-day programme includes a large conference, technical exhibition, workshops, short courses and field trips presenting the latest developments in geophysics, geology and reservoir/petroleum engineering. In addition there is an extensive programme for students. One highlight at the annual meetings is the EAGE Forum, in which a panel of distinguished experts from industry, academia and international agencies in the energy field will hold an open discussion on ‘Doing More With Less’. Other highlights include the Executive Sessions on ‘Exploration Frontiers – Where Next for Exploration?’ on vertical movements of the crust and exploration significance and ‘Can Resource Plays Be Sweet Spotted? Expert speakers from oil companies, service companies, universities and institutes will participate in discussions which are open to all conference delegates. Following last year’s success, EAGE will again offer a special session for ‘Women in Geoscience and Engineering’. The session will feature a thought-provoking speaker followed by open discussions. For the first time this year EAGE will organize a session specially focused on Young

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Professionals. We invite all young professionals to attend the session, which will have an invited speaker and discussions. For both sessions please refer for more detailed information to the website, which will be updated regularly. ‘Create your Energy’ is the theme of this year’s extensive Student Programme. The highlights include activities and contests in the Student Court, an area dedicated for students, as well as student short courses, workshops, poster presentations, trial interviews, exhibition tours, and much more. Student delegates can expect to meet two motivational speakers in the Student Court. Roel Snieder, Center for Wave Phenomena, Colorado School of Mines, will speak on ‘Leading the added-value life’, and Salomon Kroonenberg, pro-

fessor emeritus, Department of Geotechnology, Delft University of Technology, will talk on ‘Trust your guts as you trust your model’ explaining why you should always stay alert at the outcomes of your models. Once again the Geo-Quiz will be a highlight, this is the occasion when students from around the world’s geoscience education centres pit their wits against each other to win some fabulous prizes! Amsterdam ‘14 will be a perfect opportunity to catch up with the latest science and technology developments in relevant disciplines, but also an opportunity to meet colleagues from around the world in a superb setting. Please visit www.eage.org/events/amsterdam-2014 to register and keep informed about this key event.

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comes from metamorphosed quart sandstone ............ techtonics is the movement of parts of the earth’s crust change form ............ solution is gases and water vapor escaping from magma ............ metamorphism is a localized low grade metamorphism ............ metamorphism is associated with mountain building. the name comes from a Greek word meaning “to split”

See answer p. 7

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 1 2014

ew N The new paradigm in land seismic acquisition

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EAGE UPDATE

Short course on uncertainty will start second Dubai integrated reservoir modelling conference

Dario Grana of Wyoming University will present the short course.

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short course on ‘Uncertainty Quantification’ will kick off the Second Integrated Reservoir Modelling Conference on 16 November 2014 in Dubai. This course ties in perfectly with the underlying theme of the conference which is ‘Uncertainty Management: Are we Doing it Right?’. The short course will take place on Sunday, 16 November 2014; 08:00–17:00 hrs. Registration will open on the event website on 1 July 2014; please register early as space is limited. Uncertainty is a topic experiencing a great deal of interest within the E&P industry borne out by the number of publications and conferences being held on the subject. It is a complex subject, with various companies adopting different approaches, often depending upon the internal company culture. The short course will present some integrated reservoir modelling workflows demonstrating a set of techniques to create three-dimensional numerical earth models in terms of elastic, petrophysical and dynamic properties of the rocks at different time steps during exploration and production. The course focuses on the quantification of uncertainty in the data, in the physical models and in the predictions in reservoir modelling workflows. Uncertainty propagation from the measured data, through the physical models, to the model predictions, will be studied with reviews of seismic data inversion, static reservoir characterization, structural modelling, dynamic fluid simulation, time-lapse monitoring and history matching. Topics covered include uncertainty in the spatial and time domain, structure, complexity and dimensionality. The link between uncertainty quantification and decision-making will be introduced through decision-making the-

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ory. Lectures will include demonstrations of the methodologies on real case applications. The course will be led by Dario Grana, assistant professor of rock physics and reservoir characterization in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at University of Wyoming, Grana graduated in mathematics at University of Pavia (Italy) in 2005 and in applied mathematics at University of Milano Bicocca (Italy) in 2006. He worked four years on reservoir characterization at Eni Exploration and Production in Milan. He then completed his PhD in

summer 2013. His main research interests are rock physics, seismic reservoir characterization, geostatistics and inverse problems for reservoir modelling. The conference will be held on 16−19 November 2014 at The Address, Dubai Marina, Dubai. There are four main issues to address when discussing uncertainties in the context of Integrated reservoir modelling: their identification, evaluation, impact and management. The Call for Papers is currently open with a closing date of 1 May 2014. To submit an ab-

Geophysics at Stanford University during the

stract, please visit www.eage.org.

Last chance to present a paper at the ‘High Performance Computing for Upstream’ workshop in Crete

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or the first time EAGE is hosting a workshop on ‘High Performance Computing for Upstream’ from 7-10 September 2014, on the beautiful island of Crete. The objective of the workshop is to present current advancements, and discuss future developments, in high performance computing as its relates to applications in the upstream oil and gas industry. There are approximately two months left to make your abstract submissions via the EAGE website www.eage.org as the Call for Papers closes on 31 March 2014. Abstracts of two to four pages, with the option of including one figure to support the work, are invited in relation to the following topics:

• Seismic imaging and inversion (RTM, FWI, acoustic, elastic) • Seismic processing and modeling (acoustic, elastic) • Electromagnetic modeling and inversion • Joint inversion of geophysical and engineering data

Ancient Crete view.

• Reservoir modeling and simulation • Finite difference and finite elements algorithms • HPC case histories and field studies • System architectures for exascale computing • Bottlenecks in applications when anticipating exascale computing • Data intensive computing (high performance I/O and file systems) • Next generation programming models and languages • Performance analysis and optimization • Upstream data visualization (distributed and remote visualization) • Fabrics for upstream HPC • Energy efficient computing For any further information please write to our email address middle_east@eage.org. We hope to see you in Crete as a presenter or as an interested participant!

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 1 2014

EAGE UPDATE

Second EAGE Forum for Students and Young Professionals, all set for Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat

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tudents and young professionals in the Middle East have a lot to look forward to this year as the successful EAGE Forum for Students and Young Professionals returns. The forum entitled, ‘Empowering & Developing Young Talents,’ will be held at the prestigious Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat. Dr Hesham El-Kaliouby, assistant professor, Earth Sciences Department is a Co-Chair in the steering committee for the event. When asked about the inaugural forum, he said: ‘The students’ experience was amazing as they were given the opportunity to interact with their peers from different universities in the GCC countries. Students learned a lot from oil industry experts and young professionals who shared their successful stories through panel discussions, and from the lectures presented by keynote speakers which were about skill and career development.’ This year the forum in its second edition (7−9 December 2014) will involve sessions which apply to both students and young professionals in the first five years of their career. Here is a sneak peek of a few of our planned sessions.

‘Mentoring Young Talents’ − The professional world in general, oil and gas in particular, can be tough to navigate. A mentoring programme can make it easier only if mentoring is applied properly with a clear mentor/mentee relationship. This session will explore the often misunderstood process of mentoring and the value a good mentoring programme can provide to both individuals and their employers. The session will

Crossword solution ACROSS 4 Slate 5 Anthracite 8 Marble 10 Pressure 11 Heat 12 Gneiss 14 Foliated

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EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

Al Jalali Fort, Muscat.

outline realistic outcome expectations for the mentor and the mentee by presenting real-life mentoring stories whilst discussing the challenges and successes. ‘Building Bridges between Academia & Industry to better adapt the development of Young Talents‘ − The objective of this session is to hold a discussion with, and hear the opinions of, academia, industry, students and young professionals on subjects such as: • The industry’s needs from academia as well as academia’s needs from industry • Is the Gulf Region co-operating enough with academia? • Is the industry too sensitive with data when it is asked to release purely for academic use? • Are there enough internship opportunities in the Gulf region? • Do teaching methods need to be adapted to allow students and young professionals to meet the expectations of the oil and gas industry? Through this session we can see how academia and industry collaborate to come up with the best approach to diminish the gap between the two entities. ‘Executive Managers Panel: Staff Retention’ − The increasing number of young professional applicants to join oil and gas companies around the world creates significant challenges for those

ISSUE 1 2014

companies to integrate and train the new generation of oil and gas professionals. On top of that, rapid change in the industry requires young professionals to have wider technical and soft skill-sets to perform the complex tasks required of them every day. To excel in the industry and distinguish themselves among their peers, young professionals must take charge of their own development and always be prepared for future opportunities and challenges.  ‘How do we manage the sometimes tricky task of getting people both to where they want to be and where their employer needs them to be?’ – This panel discussion will include top regional executives from the full spectrum of oil and gas companies and will focus on the processes they feel are important in ensuring the adequate development of their staff, including the concepts of employee and employer responsibility, performance evaluation, fairness, diversity and mobility.  The panel will also examine the increasing importance of career self-guidance and the internal and external factors young professionals need to consider when looking at their long-term career path. More details on the other planned sessions are available online. Finally, we are calling for posters for the Best Poster Competition. The theme is ‘Geoscience!’ The abstract submission deadline is 1 August 2014 and the call is for both students and young professionals’ work. Please visit the event website for further information www.eage.org.

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EAGE UPDATE

A lot to talk about at this year’s Third EAGE Exploration Workshop

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he EAGE Exploration Workshop which was launched five years ago continues to feature in the EAGE Middle East calendar. This year, the third workshop in the series will be held from 6-9 April under the intriguing theme of ‘Moving Forward by Exploring Differently’. Abu Dhabi will be the host for this established event and welcomes experts from oil companies, service companies and academia to interact and debate on the technical challenges facing explorationists in the Gulf region ranging from data integration, play and prospect evaluation, exploration technology and integration as well as new frontiers, creativity and innovation.

Exploration geologists, specialist geologists, data managers, geomaticians, geophysicists, seismic interpreters and related disciplines are are all invited to attend this workshop where there will be plenty of dedicated time for discussions, debates and to brainstorm issues presented during each session. The objective is to give everyone the opportunity to interact, exchange ideas and to engage in finding practical solutions to issues in the field of exploration. Registration is now open, closing on 31 March 2014. Don’t miss out on what promises to be a stimulating workshop! Sign up and find out more at: www.eage.org/events/exploration-2014.

Abu Dhabi skyline.

Dhahran 2013 Education Days excelled as an unconventional learning experience

Participants focus on unconventionals.

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AGE, in its continued successful partnership with the Dhahran Geoscience Society (DGS), jointly hosted a two-day short course in Saudi Arabia on ‘Shale Gas Geomechanics: The key to successful production from shale’. The event was held on 10−11 November at the Carlton Al Moaibed Hotel in Al Khobar. This was a perfect location for the needs of our Education Days with the right mix of facilities and Middle Eastern hospitality. DGS president Aiman Bakhorji was instrumental in organizing this learning event with a focus on unconventionals,

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with short courses by DGS, EAGE, AAPG and SEG. He has been leading the way in encouraging new and exciting engagements for DGS during his term as president. The course, attended by 33 professionals and three students, was led by Dr Hamed Soroush He is an internationally recognized geomechanics expert with more than 16 years’ experience in different applications of rock mechanics who has conducted more than 100 consulting and research projects worldwide. Over the two days participants were able to gain an introduction to geomechanics, look at

the theories and background to geomechanical modelling, and then move onto the specific geomechanic applications for shale gas, including wellbore stability, hydraulic fracturing, maximizing production from natural fractures, compacting and subsidence, to name just a few key areas. There was certainly plenty of enthusiasm and animated discussion with the course participants having many questions and scenarios ready for Dr Soroush’s expert opinion. Dr Soroush said: ‘I have no doubt that Education Days is a brilliant idea for transferring neat and cutting edge knowledge from one side of the world to another and from one company to another. It helps to spread knowledge and experience through the auspices of a huge technical association like EAGE where members have such a variety of backgrounds and expertise.’ With such a big attendance, DGS had its work cut out to ensure everything ran smoothly. However, the team worked seamlessly in arranging all the necessities to make it one of the best courses run as part of the Education Days Dhahran. Watch out for more exciting short courses that will be made available thanks to the continued partnership of DGS and EAGE in the coming months by visiting our Education website www.learninggeoscience.org.

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 1 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Adnoc reviews options as super major partnership agreements expire

Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, CEO of ADCO

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he day 11 January may go down as an historic moment for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). This was the day when the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) oil concession came to an end closing out its longstanding partnerships with some of the world’s biggest oil companies.

Adnoc previously held a 60% controlling stake in Adco, with ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, BP and Partex Oil and Gas sharing the remainder. Now Adnoc owns 100% of the interests in the concession leaving the industry wondering about future operations. One scenario may be that Adnoc decides to invite some of its major Asian customers to participate in running the fields in the decades to come. This makes sense in that most of the oil produced is destined for Asia. However the western super majors will also be bidding for the new concession with history, experience and technical expertise on their side. Abu Dhabi signed the 75-year agreements with western oil companies in January 1939. The government acquired a 60% in the early 1970s and Adco was formed in 1978.

Collectively, the Adco fields produce around 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), with most of the output coming from five fields: Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa, Sahil and Shah. All fields are linked to the storage and shipping facilities located at Jabel Dhana, where tankers load Murban crude for export. The old partners still receive an equity share of Murban from the fields. Adnoc has decided to sell these volumes through one-year term contracts with the oil majors while it decides which companies will become its partners in the Adco concession. At a close-out ceremony Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, CEO of ADCO, thanked the international consortium saying that it reflected a successful partnership and cooperation despite the numerous global challenges, including oil prices/supplies fluctuations, through the years,

Oryx reports on Kurdistan drilling

Aramco establishes Boston research centre

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ryx Petroleum has updated its drilling activities at Banan and Demir Dagh in the Hawler licence area in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. BAN-1 well, the company’s fourth exploration well in the Banan Prospect is targeting light oil potential in the Lower Jurassic and Triassic, and medium oil potential in the Cretaceous and Upper Jurassic. Netherland, Sewell & Associates (NSAI) estimates that the Banan Prospect contains 196 mmbbl of best estimate unrisked gross (100%) prospective resources. NSAI`s estimate excludes a significant portion of the Banan Prospect that was outside the Hawler license area boundaries prior a boundary extension. Logging data, core analysis and observations during drilling in the Cretaceous confirm the presence of hydrocarbons and similar reservoir properties as observed at Demir Dagh. Logging data and observations during drilling, including free oil on the shakers and cuttings, also confirm the presence of hydrocarbons in the Upper and Lower Jurassic. The first well in the Demir Dagh appraisal programme (DD-3) was spudded in mid-No-

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

Map of Oryx licence area.

vember and is expected to reach a total depth of 4115 m in Q2 2014. The well is being drilled down flank of the anticline approximately three km to the southeast of the DD-2 discovery well and will test the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic reservoirs. The DD-3 well is on schedule, having reached a depth of approximately 1600 m in the uppermost Cretaceous. Drilling experience to date with DD-3 has been consistent with the drilling of the DD-2 discovery well.  Oryx Petroleum is the operator and has a 65% participating and working interest in the Hawler license area. 

ISSUE 1 2014

he inauguration of a new Aramco Research Centere in Cambridge, Mass., near Boston, has marks another step in the company’s strategic commitment to build a global research and development presence, and to expand its worldwide research network and capabilities. Saudi Aramco president and CEO Khalid A. AlFalih at the launch said: ‘To provide the energy the world needs our challenge is not simply to develop more energy supplies, but also to make them cleaner, more cost-effective and more efficient. That means revolutionary, game-changing technologies. We see innovation and increasing knowledge intensity as the next opportunity for transformative growth and prosperity, since it will unlock new possibilities and affect every human endeavour. ‘ In the past 18 months, the company has made substantial progress in its global R&D programme, opening new research centres at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; and internationally in Delft, The Netherlands; Paris; Daejeon, Korea; and, in the near future, Beijing. The two other US-based centres will be officially inaugurated next year in Houston and Detroit

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Integrated With Middle East E&P For over four decades Supporting the E&P value chain from exploration and asset evaluation to field development and production optimization, CGG offers industry-leading products and services combined with imaging expertise of the mature fields and emerging plays in the Middle East. For over 40 years, we have developed relationships with National Oil Companies and strategic partners to create solutions to the unique imaging challenges of the region. • Reservoir modeling technology and services from Robertson, Jason and Hampson-Russell • Broadband seismic acquisition and imaging solutions such as UltraSeis™ and EmphaSeis™ for reservoir development and high-resolution reservoir modeling • Local resources and technology centers with geophysicists and geologists that understand the area’s basins, fields and specific reservoirs Contact: middleeast@cgg.com

cgg.com

• Integrated solutions from seismic and potential fields data acquisition and advanced imaging to enhanced interpretation of geophysical and geological datasets • Regional joint ventures and strategic partnerships with Argas, Ardiseis, Seabed Geosolutions and Baker Hughes to support conventional and unconventional resource development

INDUSTRY NEWS

CGG to continue processing at Muscat centre

Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO of CGG.

P

etroleum Development Oman (PDO) has awarded CGG a continuing contract to provide seismic imaging services at its dedicated centre in Muscat, Oman. CGG has been operating the PDO dedicated centre since 1994 and the contract will run for another four years from January 2014. The centre provides the full range of subsurface imaging services for PDO’s onshore data and specializes in large, high-density wide-azimuth projects. As part

of this contract CGG will also expand its onsite training facilities and increase its support to Sultan Qaboos University. Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO, CGG, said: ‘CGG is delighted that PDO has confirmed its confidence in our advanced subsurface imaging technology, expertise and service excellence by extending this contract on the eve of the dedicated centre’s 20th anniversary. Throughout this time we have consistently shown our commitment to developing the people and seismic industry of Oman and have transformed the traditional contractorclient relationship into a highly collaborative and integrated partnership with PDO. The renewal of this dedicated centre contract and the success of our expanding open centre operation confirm our leading position in the Oman subsurface imaging market.’

Halliburton’s reservoir research centre opens in Dhahran

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alliburton has opened its new Unconventional and Reservoir Productivity Technology Centre at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) located in Dhahran Techno-Valley. The new centre is designed to enable Halliburton to provide state-ofthe-art research and development solutions for conventional and unconventional reservoirs addressing challenges both in

the Kingdom and regionally. It also provides a base to build strong relationships with local universities like KFUPM to develop technology which is expected to lead to employment and training opportunities for Saudi technicians and university graduates. Halliburton provides a wide range of products and services to Saudi Aramco and currently employs more than 3000 people in the Kingdom.

Syria exploration deal with Russians reported The Syrian Oil Ministry is said to have signed a deal with Russian oil and gas company Soyuzneftegaz to explore in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Syria’s state news agency. The report did not say where the deal was signed, though it said the

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

exploration will take place off the Syrian coast. Earlier this year, Syrian Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas discussed with the ambassadors of China and Russia the possibility of exploring for oil and gas off Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

ISSUE 1 2014

Marathon find in Kurdistan

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arathon Oil says its Mirawa-1 exploration well has discovered multiple stacked oil and natural gas producing zones at the company’s operated Harir Block in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Approximately 40 miles northeast of Erbil, the Mirawa-1 well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 14,000 ft. Oil and natural gas shows were noted over an extensive gross interval of both Jurassic and Triassic reservoirs from 5800 ft to total depth. An extensive drill-stem testing programme was conducted. Equipment-constrained flow tests established from multiple zones in the Jurassic of high quality oil (39º-45º API) totalled in excess of 11,000 bpd. Additionally, multiple non-associated gas zones in the Triassic flowed at rates totalling approximately 72 mmcfd together with associated condensate from one zone at a rate of 1700 bpd. The Mirawa-1 well will be suspended for potential future use as a producing well. Following completion of operations, the drilling rig was due to be moved to the Jisik-1 prospect nine miles northwest of Mirawa-1. The Jisik-1 well will test a similar prospective structure to Mirawa. Marathon Oil is the operator with a 45% working interest in the Harir block. Total holds a 35% working interest, and the Kurdistan Regional Government holds a 20% carried interest.

Exploration acreage award in Egypt’s Western Desert

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ana Petroleum has signed concession agreements for the West Dakhla 1 and 2 areas in the Egyptian Western Desert. The blocks were awarded through the GANOPE Bid Round 2010. In the initial three year exploration phase an aero-magnetic survey and 500 km of 2D seismic are expected to be undertaken Dana’s Egypt managing director Paul Barnett said: ‘These two concessions in the Western Desert are a welcome addition to the exploration portfolio. This, along with the award of the South Wadi Dara block in the Gulf of Suez we announced at the end of 2013, will help us build our exploration activities in Egypt.’

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INDUSTRY NEWS / CALENDAR

First Oman well fails to locate commercial hydrocarbons

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asirah Oil a jointly-controlled entity of Lime Petroleum, has suspended for safety reasons, its first exploration well, Masirah North North #1 (MNN#1) in Block 50 Oman for further evaluation. The MNN #1 well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 1000 m below mean sea level. Mud losses in two carbonate sections of the well prevented the operator from reaching its planned target depth. A comprehensive data acquisition, coring and logging programme of the formations that were drilled was completed on 21 December 2013. Data analysis indicated presence of non-commercial hydrocarbons. Datasets acquired from the coring and logging programs are now being utilized to refine the geological understanding of the area. In addition, the information acquired has assisted all partners in the Oman Block 50 project to identify the next drilling location.

Hibiscus Petroleum’s managing director, Dr Kenneth Pereira, said, ‘Whilst we are disappointed with the final result of the MNN #1 drilling programme, we are proud that as a young company, with a small technical team, we have demonstrated our ability to conduct a safe drilling operation, in a remote offshore area of a foreign country without HSE issues.’ Hibiscus Petroleum acquired a 35% stake in Lime for $55 million as its qualifying acquisition in April 2012 due to its portfolio of assets and access to RVD. The Block 50 Oman concession, in which Lime has a 64% participating interest, is estimated to have risked resources of almost 390 million barrels of oil based on the Q4 2011 study by an independent petroleum sub-surface consultant, Aker Geo of Norway. Masirah’s other shareholder is Petroci Holding, the national oil company of Ivory Coast, which has a 36% participating interest in Block 50 Oman.

EAGE Middle East Event Calendar February 2014

June 2014

October 2014

16-19 February 2014

1-4 June 2014

13-15 October 2014

EAGE/SPE • Workshop on Subsalt Imaging - The Challenges of Subsalt Exploration and Imaging in Deep Water of the Middle East and North Africa

SPE/EAGE • Workshop on Tar Mats and Heavy Oil

EAGE • Borehole Geology Workshop Optimising the Use of Your Borehole Image Data

Limassol, Cyprus | www.eage.org

EAGE • 76th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2014 – Amsterdam ‘14 Experience the Energy

March 2014

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

16-19 June 2014 19-22 October 2014

9-12 March 2014

Amsterdam, the Netherlands | www.eage.org

AAPG/EAGE/SEG • GEO 2014 - 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition

7-10 September 2014

Manama, Bahrain | www.geo2014.com

April 2014

September 2014

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

EAGE • Workshop on High Performance Computing for Upstream Crete, Greece | www.eage.org

6-9 April 2014

EAGE • Third East Exploration Workshop - Moving Forward by Exploring Differently Abu Dhabi, UAE | www.eage.org

May 2014

EAGE • First EAGE Basin & Petroleum Systems Modeling Workshop - Advances in Basin & Petroleum Systems Modeling in Risk & Resource Assessment

21-24 September 2014

EAGE/SPE/AAPG • Second Shale Gas Workshop in the Middle East - Moving forward to the next level Dubai, United Arab Emirates | www.eage.org

November 2014 16-19 November 2014

EAGE • Second EAGE Integrated Reservoir Modelling Conference Uncertainty Management: Are we Doing it Right? Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

December 2014 7-9 December 2014

11-14 May 2014

28 September - 1 October 2014

EAGE • Workshop on Geomechanics in the Oil & Gas Industry - Enhancing the Value of your Field

EAGE • Fifth EAGE Passive Seismic Workshop - From Wish List to To-Do List

EAGE • Second EAGE Forum for Students & Young Professionals Empowering & Developing Young Talents

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

Lisbon, Portugal | www.eage.org

Muscat, Oman | www.eage.org

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EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 1 2014