EAGE Newsletter Middle East Issue 2 2015 by EAGE

EAGE NEWSLETTER

MIDDLE EAST

Issue 2 2015

Stronger together is the message for success

Mohammed Alfaraj EAGE president 2015-2016

r Mohammed Alfaraj, president EAGE, writes: It is a special honour for me to be able to address you, my fellow EAGE members in the Middle East region, as new president of this most prestigious association serving a worldwide membership. I can speak from personal experience in testifying to the great strides EAGE has made from its office in Dubai in playing an increasingly significant role in our local geoscience community. The services it offers in education, knowledge sharing and promotion of new technology and ideas have great tangible value. In addition, the professional networking made possible by the global reach of the EAGE’s membership and activities is a huge benefit in itself. Nor should we forget the increasing focus on fostering the next generation of professional geoscientists and engineers.

Trivia Question Which of the following factors do NOT contribute to abnormal formation pressures? A B C D

Hydrostatic pressure Clay diagenesis Osmosis Permafrost

My personal journey with EAGE’s professional organization began by helping to initiate a number of regional and international events, including the first-ever workshop on Passive Seismic, which I chaired in 2006 in Dubai. I am proud to say that the workshop has been run on a biennial basis ever since, the latest being in 2014 in Lisbon, Portugal. I was also involved in the introduction of the first Subsalt Imaging Workshop in Cairo in 2009 (now organized jointly with the SPE) and the biennial Borehole Seismic workshop which I chaired in 2011 and 2013 in Istanbul and Malta, respectively. Later I served as a member of the Middle East Regional Council of the EAGE from 2010 to 2013, as an EAGE Board Advisor representing the Middle East from 2011 to 2013, and as an EAGE Board member for more than two years. We are very fortunate to host a wide range of well-established EAGE-related events tailored to address the specific regional issues of geoscientists and engineers operating in the Middle East. Joint workshops with sister societies are also on the agenda, including three with AAPG addressing Tight Reservoirs, Hydrocarbon Seals in the Middle East, and Shale Gas, and two with SPE on Subsalt Imaging and Geosteering. Another collaboration is the major GEO conference and exhibition, organized and developed by the EAGE, AAPG and SEG with support from local regional societies. The IPTC is planned for December in Doha and promises to be another major occasion for the oil and gas industry. Popular workshops such as Rock Physics are running again and in 2016 we already have another 14 events on schedule for you. I would like to highlight the workshops on Oil & Gas Business Analytics, and Broadband Seismic, as well as the Middle East Boot Camp. This last event is the first of its kind, aimed at

Answer on p. 4 Read more on page 2 ➤

GEO 2016 all set to deliver a top event

he stage is already getting set for the 12th GEO 2016 conference and exhibition in Manama, Bahrain on 7–10 March 2016. For 22 years this has been a premier forum for the Middle East’s petroleum geosciences community and includes an extensive exhibition at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre with more than 150 stands. The technical programme for the over 4000 likely to attend offers the best regional opportunity to discuss leading edge geoscience science with experts from around the world. In addition there will be senior level panel discussions, extensive poster presentations, workshops, short courses and field trips designed to offer participants further opportunities to learn and integrate. Following on from the success of GEO 2014, the Young Professionals and Students Support (YPSS) committee will be working with the three sister societies, AAPG, EAGE and SEG, to make the GEO 2016 a memorable experience for students. This includes Read more on page 2 ➤

What's inside Call for award nominations

Boot Camp for Middle East

Fastrack

Industry News And more …

EAGE UPDATE

Stronger together is the message for success Continued from p.1.

providing young industry professionals and students invaluable experience by working in real field conditions and being exposed to industrygrade geophysical operations. This will not be the easiest of years to be Association president given the current difficulties in the oil and gas sector. ‘Stronger together: stabilizing, enhancing, and expanding the EAGE’ is the mantra I am adopting for my year in office. This includes implementing some major changes in the internal organization to better equip us for the challenges ahead. Our responsibilities are now divided into Development, Operations (which includes events and publications), and Regions. I am confident that the Association will function more effectively as a result and deliver improved service to members and more costeffective events. Our continued success depends on teamwork to achieve the goals that we have set for the Association as dictated by the current circumstances. In practice, my aim will be to engage the Board, management and staff, the membership

as well as relevant non-EAGE entities in order to meet objectives. There is still plenty of work ahead. One of my priorities is the completion of a formal Governance document, which will be complemented with two more guiding documents by the end of the year – a Code of Conduct as well as a set of Norms. I would like to steer towards a protocol for the handling of intellectual property matters, while the Association’s Bylaws and Constitution will be subject to some revisions, hopefully by early next year. I am looking forward to addressing the Association’s global role taking account of the special needs of each region. One ambition is to increase the membership by about 5% from the current mark of 19,000 to above the 20,000 mark for the first time. We are also determined to have more geoscience and engineering societies from around the world affiliated with us to leverage our rich geoscientific and engineering

GEO 2016 all set to deliver top event Continued from p. 1

EAGE Newsletter Middle East Executive Director Marcel Van Loon (ml@eage.org) Regional Manager Middle East Raymond Cahill (rcl@eage.org) Account Manager Corporate Relations Daan van Ommen (don@eage.org) 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

offerings; we have set a minimum target of four new affiliates that we would like to add over the course of one year. In this respect I believe that our efforts to reach out to the geoscience and engineering community in the Middle East provide a model for how we can bring in new members and affiliates around the world into our EAGE family. The forthcoming opening of the EAGE office in Bogota, Colombia signals our intention to better serve the South American continent, and our first geoscience workshop in Tanzania, East Africa in November is a stepping stone to establishing a solid foothold in the African continent. 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 in your endeavours. I hope to see you at one of our events, either in the Middle East or somewhere else in the world.

several competitions, ‘free of charge’ technical and soft skill short courses, a panel session on ‘Factors of Success in the Oil and Gas Industry, a student poster session, and a number of networking opportunities with industry professionals. EAGE will be bringing once again the GeoQuiz in which participants stand a chance of winning travel grants to next year’s 78th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Vienna, Austria.

The GEO conference under the leadership of conference chairman Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Mubadala Petroleum, is organised by AAPG, EAGE, and SEG, with 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 in cooperation with a committee of national and international oil company representatives. For more information please refer to the website http://geo2016.com/.

Submission of articles lm@eage.org Newsletter on the Web (www.eage.org)

GEO 2014 attracted 4098 trade visitors and conference delegates.

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ISSUE 2 2015

EAGE UPDATE

Why not nominate someone for an EAGE Award in 2016

Award winners at the Opening Ceremony of EAGE Annual Meeting in Madrid in June.

reat achievements should not go unnoticed and EAGE finds it important that peers have the chance to recognize contributions that individuals make to the profession. The EAGE Awards Committee would like to encourage you to nominate a deserving colleague or co-worker for an award to be presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Vienna. EAGE is privileged and proud to have many outstanding practitioners, scientists and technologists working in the geoscientific and engineering disciplines among its members. There is a wealth of technical leadership in single or multi-disciplinary functions, spanning both industry and academia. We feel that, as a professional association, it is vital to recognise and honour the scientific advances, technical achievements and outstanding community service made by our members.

Consequently, EAGE presents a number of awards each year for highly significant contributions to a particular scientific discipline, or to the Association, or both. As the greatest achievements are not limited to those by EAGE members, this year the nominations for the prestigious Desiderius Erasmus award, like the best paper awards, will be open to any geoscientist or engineer in recognition of his/her outstanding and lasting achievements in the field of resource exploration and development. A lifetime of achievements is not needed for every award: all EAGE young professionals are eligible for nomination to the Arie van Weelden award. Awards will also be given for the best papers published in EAGE journals, and for the best oral and poster papers presented at the 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Madrid.

You will find a link to the nomination form on the EAGE homepage (www.eage.org), where it should take only a couple of minutes to bring a nominee to the committee’s attention. There you will find a specification for each award: simply select the award best suited to your candidate and complete a brief web form. For the nominee to reach the shortlist, a follow-up contact will be made to gather further information including your summary of the candidate’s case for recognition, a CV and publication list (as appropriate), and at least one independent letter of support from someone familiar with the candidate’s work. All documentation will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. In order to allow appropriate consideration for this year’s awards the Awards Committee must receive completed nomination packages for the Vienna cycle by 31 October 2015. After this deadline, nominations will be considered for the following cycle but you don’t need to wait for the deadline to make a nomination, so feel free to nominate at any time throughout the year. EAGE has a growing global presence in geoscience and engineering and would like its awards to reflect the breadth and scope of the Association. We therefore encourage members from all over the world to nominate candidates.

Time to rock in Istanbul

t doesn’t seem that long ago since the first EAGE workshop dedicated to rock physics was held in Dubai. That meeting was in January 2012. Now following a second event in Oman last year, the third workshop is set to take place in Istanbul from 15-18 November 2015. Rock physics is clearly becoming an important focus in geoscience applications for E&P oil and gas operations. With the theme ‘From Rocks to Basin: Applying rock physics in prospect evaluation and reservoir characterization’, attendees at the Third EAGE Workshop on Rock Physics are in for a treat. They can look forward to two and a

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half days of presentations covering all the key issues, such as: the role of rock physics in exploration and in reservoir appraisal and production; digital rock physics and lab experiments; integration of rock physics, basin modelling and seismic interpretation; rock physics and quantitative interpretation (QI) applied to unconventionals; and applied rock physics templates

workshop will feature invited speaker Dr Jalal Khazanehdari, global technical & business manager, seismic reservoir characterisation, Schlumberger. Prior to the workshop, a one-day short course on deep-water slope channel reservoirs is being offered by Prof Bryan T. Cronin. The course focuses on the range of deep-

The workshop will kick-off with an opening address from Ibrahim Assa’adan, vice president, exploration, Saudi Aramco followed by a technical keynote presentation from Prof Bryan T. Cronin, a world-renowned expert in deep-water E&P. The final day of the

water slope channels in nature, and goes through the facies and facies associations that define them. Registration is now open online. Please visit the event website on www.eage.org for more information and to register.

ISSUE 2 2015

EAGE UPDATE

Workshop returns to review field developments in southern Iraq

ll the major operators in the region will be presenting at EAGE’s 3rd Workshop on Iraq, one of the most popular and well-supported events in the Middle East. The technical programme on the theme ‘Field Development of the Giant Oil Fields of Southern Iraq’ has now been completed and can be accessed online. We expect representatives from all the major oil and service companies along with academia will join together once again to discuss the challenges they are facing in Southern Iraq. The event takes place over three days from 16-18 November 2015 in Dubai. On day one we will focus on Sequence Stratigraphy and Geological Models of Carbonates and Clas-

tics, including presentations on the Mishrif, Zubair and Mauddud formations from BP, Eni, Shell, ExxonMobil and PetroChina. Day two will move on to Field Development and Emerging Technologies, including water flooding and reservoir modelling. Presentations will include Dr Richard Jones from GeoSpatial talking on ‘Improved Multi-Scale Fracture Models based on Quantitative Analysis of Outcrop Analogues’ and Dr Al-Saeedi (Schlumberger) on ‘The Utilization of Borehole Images for Sampling Optimization in Heterogeneous Carbonate Reservoirs of South Iraq’. We will conclude with a session focusing on Regional Studies, Petroleum Systems and Basin Modelling, which will open with an in-

EAGE to coordinate Basra conference technical programme

Participants at Basra conference.

AGE is honoured to have been appointed as the official technical programme coordinator for the 6th Basra Oil & Gas International Conference & Exhibition. Since the inaugural event in 2010, the event, with official support from the Ministry of Oil, has become the largest show of its kind in Iraq adding to Basra’s claim to be the ‘Iraq Oil Capital’. The event on 3-6 February next year offers an opportunity for delegates to hear keynote speeches from officials of state companies and ministries, such as the Ministry of Oil and State Company for Oil Projects, in addition to senior level managers of the international and local oil and gas industry The exhibition provides an interactive business platform for seniorlevel decision-making buyers to network with over hundreds of local and international professionals offering the latest technologies, solutions and products. Registration is now open. You can visit the event website for more details at www.basraoilgas.com.

teresting study by Dr Thamer Al-Ameri (Baghdad University) on ‘Biomarkers Techniques for Petroleum System Types Assessments of Iraqi Oil Fields’. In addition to the oral presentations we have 10 posters, which will be presented over the first two days, extended discussion at the end of each and dedicated breakout sessions to discuss key issues facing operators within Iraq, such as water flood management in carbonate reservoirs and reservoir modelling challenges in giant fields. Early registration is open until 30 September 2015, with rates increasing by €100 after this date until registration closes on 6 November 2015.

Workshop to take a ‘broader view’

iddle East oil professionals can get up to date on the latest developments in the emerging technology of broadband seismic by participating in a workshop to take place on 16-17 November at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi. The EAGE Workshop on Broadband Seismic, under the theme of ‘A Broader View for the Middle East’, explores further how a significant number of worldwide broadband seismic surveys have demonstrated the benefits of expanding the seismic spectrum by more than six octaves of bandwidth. However, the verdict for full broadband acquisition is not straightforward for some geographical regions, especially in the Middle East. The two-day workshop will address topics related to extending the bandwidth for acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data. A number of case studies will illustrate the benefits of increasing vertical and lateral resolution from high channel count broadband recordings. Keynote speaker will be Julien Meunier, CGG geophysical adviser. For further details on this workshop please contact the EAGE Middle East office on +971 4 369 3897 or via email at middle_east@eage.org.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi will host the Broadband Seismic Workshop.

Trivia answer A - Hydrostatic pressure

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EAGE UPDATE

ADIPEC out to make an even bigger splash!

rganisers are hoping that the 18th edition of ADIPEC on 9-12 November 2015 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) will surpass the record number of participants in 2014. Then, more than 2000 exhibitors, 85,000 visitors, and 7000 delegates attended the event Major national and international oil companies have once again confirmed their participation, including the Bahrain Petroleum Company, the China National Petroleum Corporation, the Korea National Oil Corporation, the Kuwait Oil Company, Qatar Petroleum, Saudi Aramco, as well as BP, ExxonMobil, the Japan Oil Development Co, Ltd., Oxy, Partex Oil and Gas, Shell, Statoil and Total. This year will feature the launch of the Offshore & Marine exhibition area, allowing companies to showcase products, services and solutions for the maritime and offshore industry in an actual marine environment. Located in a purpose-built zone on the waterfront at ADNEC, the new exhibition area will be complemented by a dedicated Offshore & Marine Conference, running across all four days of ADIPEC 2015. ADIPEC 2015 will also extend the exhibition show floor to include an additional hall and an outdoor zone dedicated to heavy machinery. One of the world’s largest-scale conference programmes, organised by SPE, will cover technical and non-technical issues in the oil and gas in-

dustry with panel sessions every day of the event. Also returning to ADIPEC 2015 will be the ADIPEC Awards, which celebrate innovation, best practice, and excellence in energy for people, companies, projects and initiatives in the oil and gas industry across the Middle East and North African region. Challenging the perception that the oil and gas industry is a male-dominated environment, the official ADIPEC Women in Industry series will give attendees the opportunity of meeting with peers and discussing the future role of women in the energy arena, with an industry topical panel discussion and lunch plus a full day gathering on 8 November. Now entering its third year, Young ADIPEC, the programme designed to engage the younger generation in the oil and gas industry is expanding its reach with the creation of a Young Ambassador for each school that takes part in the programme. The programme will also feature interactive sessions to help students learn more about the energy sector and develop key skills. ADNEC is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), organised by dmg events, and supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy and the Abu Dhabi Chamber. To register for the event please visit the website http://www.adipec.com/

Kuwait City to host seismic reservoir characterization workshop

uwait City on 31 January to 3 February next year is the place to be if you are searching for all the latest information on seismic reservoir characterization (SRC). That’s when EAGE is organizing a workshop to bring together a diverse group of experts actively involved in SRC, including oil companies and service companies, to share their recent technological progress, experience and results, exchange ideas and to address some of the fundamental questions. Although the technical sessions will be built around SRC and the many challenges that remain unanswered, there will also be an opportunity for presentation and discussion on any recent or ongoing technology development related to SRC. The technical committee is inviting participants to share case studies where their SRC work impacted the prospect evaluation and field development by delineating faults, geological features, or detecting changes in the reservoir due to injection, production or other uses. A comparison between various technologies showing the added benefits would be highly desirable. Authors should submit a short abstract for consideration by 16 October 2015. A full list of topics can be found on the workshop website.

SPE and EAGE together again for geosteering and well placement workshop

nother world-class topical workshop is being organised by EAGE and SPE, this time on Geosteering and Well Placement. Slated for 8-10 February 2016 in Dubai, the workshop aims to bring together specialists such as asset managers, drillers, completion and reservoir engineers, and technology managers. The workshop takes place over two days of informal discussions prompted by selected keynote presentations and discussions. The first day will feature a training course led by Dr Jean-Michel Denichou, domain head, well placement and geology and discipline career leader, well placement

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ISSUE 2 2015

at Schlumberger, assisted by Dr Nigel Clegg, StrataSteer3D/Geosteering geologist, Halliburton. Speakers are invited to submit abstracts for the sessions on Well placement: state of the art; Pushing the limits of well placement; Well placement: a multi-disciplinary field; Think outside the box—where do we go next?; and Value generation: why well placement should be standard practice. To submit abstracts or for more information, please visit http://www.spe. org/events/14jdu4/

EAGE UPDATE

First Boot Camp lands in the Middle East

AGE is proud to announce that the first Middle East Boot Camp will be held in Al Ain on 30 October - 3 November 2015 (Week 1) and 4-8 November 2015 (Week 2) respectively. Following the success of the format in Europe, the event promises to provide a sustainable opportunity for the ongoing development of young professionals in the region.

Students conducting fieldwork in Al Jaww Plain.

The objective of the First EAGE Middle East Land Acquisition Boot Camp 2015 is to enable MSc and PhD students, as well as young industry professionals, to gain invaluable experience by working in real field conditions. The Boot Camp aims to expose participants to industry-grade geophysical operations, which involve reflection seismic acquisition and processing. A field camp in a selected location in the vicinity of Al Ain city will be chosen. Then, over a four-day period, the students will experience full immersion in a range of onsite geological and geophysical operations. The camp also promises to be a great experience for students who have never been in the field or had the chance to experience actual working conditions before. It will provide an opportunity for them to put classroom theory into practice, together with young industry professionals, who will become their colleagues in near future. The bringing together of students and young professionals also aims to offer students a different perspective on how the industry operates. Young professionals with only a few years of experience on the job will be able to learn how to lead teams in the field under a lecturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; supervision. They will meet other young professionals from different companies and hopefully inspire a new generation of professionals to develop their careers in geosciences. EAGE would like to thank ADNOC, The Petroleum Institute and Schlumberger for their generous support and commitment to this academic project. We would also like to give thanks to Al Hosn Gas for their contribution as a platinum sponsor. For information on the programme or how to be involved, please contact our Middle East office.

Course to focus on role of geomechanics in passive seismic

AGE expects a big audience for Drs Shawn Maxwell and Dr Mark Mack of Calgarybased Itasca IMaGE when they deliver their one-day Geomechanics short course on Sunday 31 January 2016 as a preliminary to the 6th Passive Seismic Workshop taking place in Muscat, Oman. Over the last decade microseismic has grown into a global technology for reservoir monitoring, particularly imaging hydraulic fracture networks in unconventional reservoirs. Microseismic interpretation has evolved from qualitative interference of the hydraulic fracture geometry towards quantitative interpretation of the microseismically deforming fracture network. Observed microseismicity represents the geomechanical response of the rock masses to injec-

tion and provides unique observations to understand the reservoir dynamics. The course will highlight the practical use of microseismicity to improve hydraulic fracture design and also to describe the geomechanical controls on fracture growth and conditions necessary for the generation of microseismicity. Fundamentals of geomechanics, fracture mechanics and seismic source theory will be reviewed and discussed in a framework for the interpretation of microseismicity. Because the course is likely to be extremely popular, we advise that you register your interest in attending early via middle_east@eage.org. Full details on the course and biographies for the instructors can be found on the 6th Passive Seismic Workshop website.

Muscat landscape.

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EAGE UPDATE

Qatar looks forward to hosting IPTC

he International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) is set to return to Doha, from 6–9 December 2015, with Qatar Petroleum as host organisation and Shell as co-host organisation. Patron of the event is HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar. The event now in its ninth edition continues to attract major international attention. Organisers say the event themed ‘Technology and Partnerships for a Sustainable Energy Future’ received 1282 paper proposals from 284 companies in 56 countries. Once again organised by AAPG, EAGE, SEG and SPE, more than 5000 participants from 120 countries are expected to attend. Two CEO plenary sessions will see top executives from Qatar Petroleum, KPC, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Saudi Aramco, ADMA-OPCO, GE Oil & Gas MENAT, Maersk Oil & Gas, Medco Energi International, and CGG, discuss the need for partnerships involving business, government, and civil society, and explore collaborative strategies for making current energy sources cleaner and more efficient, and producing and distribut-

A keynote session at IPTC.

ing energy in potentially new ways. Along with five interactive panel sessions on topical issues, more than 350 technical presentations will be presented during the 62 technical sessions scheduled over three days. Adding new flavours to IPTC, the technical programme will include additional sessions such as ‘Ask the Expert’, Society Presidents‘, ‘IPTC Project Awards Finalist Sessions’ and the ‘Project Case Study’. For the first time IPTC will also feature the top 10 rated papers from the sponsoring societies. Several programmes and activities will be tak-

ing place alongside the main event including the International University Students Week, International Young Professionals Competition, science teachers’ workshop, non-technical seminars, training courses, field trips, and the Excellence in Project Integration Awards. EAGE will be offering a short course on ‘Seismic Multiple Removal Techniques: Past, Present and Future’ presented by Eric Verschuur. For details on this and all the event details including registration, please visit the EAGE website or www.iptcnet.org/2015/doha.

Ideal workshop environment at Crown Plaza Hotel.

AGE and AAPG are joining forces to stage a three-day workshop on ‘Hydrocarbon Seals of the Middle East’. The venue chosen is the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Oman on 18-20 January 2016. The aim is to share knowledge, case studies, techniques and workflows pertaining to the understanding and prediction of seals in Middle East oil and gas E&P. The workshop plans to follow a ‘seal assessment workflow’ moving from the regional scale, to seal prediction and look-back analysis, to integrity assessment, under-explored non-traditional seal concepts and, lastly, seal risking.

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Seals are a fundamental element of any hydrocarbon accumulation, and can control trap integrity, migration and charge volumes; the lateral and vertical distribution of hydrocarbons in a trap; percent fill (or spill from) of a reservoir; and the flow of hydrocarbons from the trap during production. As such the long term economic success, or failure, of an exploration to development project is very dependent on seal understanding. It means that consideration of hydrocarbon seals should have a high priority early on in any subsurface evaluation programme. Surprisingly, seals often remain the least studied and integrated element of the petroleum system and are also subject to lasting dogmas (e.g., the thicker the seal the greater its capacity to seal). The quantification, assessment, understanding and prediction of hydrocarbon seals before drilling is key to safe and successful exploring and is typically a multi-disciplinary task requiring geosciences and engineering to collaborate on both dynamic and static data. In many areas of the Middle East our approach to understanding seals varies and it is now time to come together, share what we think and what we know.. That’s why the upcoming workshop should enhance our collective understanding of our hydrocarbon seals. Please come along, join in and share your knowledge.

EAGE UPDATE

The answer lies in the stones Gary Aillud liked to collect stones when he was a boy in the UK. Lo and behold, today he is an operations geology specialist with ADCO. Here he explains how his career developed and what it entails.

interesting involve the identification and introduction of strategic new technology, technical support and peer review for the asset team across all aspects of the geosciences, especially sedimentology, static model development and well site operations.

Very quickly, what was your academic route into the oil business? I did a BSc in geology at the University of Portsmouth in the UK followed by a PhD at the University of Plymouth in mixed carbonate-clastic sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy. My first job was with Robertson Research in the UK.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

What made you choose geology? I was lucky enough to study geology and geography at secondary school and they were my two favorite subjects. My mother will tell you that I used to collect stones from a very early age, so I was born to follow the path of geology! Was the oil industry always going to be your career? Actually, no. When I finished my undergraduate degree I had a complete fascination with sedimentology and palaeontology. I applied to do a PhD with view to having a career in academic research and teaching. I always vowed at university that working on an oil rig would be the last thing in the world I would do. Since then , the best part of eight years of my industry experience has been working offshore! Role and responsibilities at ADCO: what are they? I am based in the Technical Centre at ADCO. Amongst our many roles, some of the more

I think the most rewarding aspect of work is seeing a project come to fruition and realise that it has a positive impact, not just on business but also the work that colleagues are involved in. Any disappointments or regrets? I don’t believe that it’s worth having regrets. Look for the positives in every experience and use them to move forward. Disappointments! Well I am a long suffering Tottenham Hotspur FC fan, so I have had more than enough of them! What are the specific challenges for the team you work with? In the Technical Centre where I am based our biggest challenges revolve around identifying cost and efficiency improvement in the way the company works in order to maximise oil recovery and successful reservoir management. This is all the more important under the current low oil price conditions. The oil industry has many critics: what do you say to them? From an outsider looking in I think it is always very easy to criticise. The industry’s biggest challenge in this respect is education. Industry and the scientific community as a whole need to clearly explain the roles they play. Criticism commonly comes from not have a complete understanding. The shale controversy in the UK

Gary Aillud out in the field.

is a recent example of this. If the public is accurately informed, the resistance would significantly reduce. Industry and politicians need to trust that people are perfectly capable of making informed decision armed with the correct information. Where do you hope to be in 10 years’ time? I have always hated this question at interviews and still never know what to say. The boring answer is significant progress in my career, whichever path it takes. Failing that, retired on a beach somewhere! Outside work, what do you like to do? I love to watch and participate in sport, although my participation seems to be ever reducing these days! I also love travelling and have recently come back from Japan which was one of the most amazing places I have visited. Music is something that has always been important to me as it is the one thing that can provide an escape.

Call for borehole geology experts

f borehole geology is your interest or expertise, then you should be preparing a visit next year to the island of Malta. That’s where the Second EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop is due to be held in October 2016 following a successful first event last year in Dubai. The call for papers is out with a deadline of 29 February 2016, easy to remember since it is Leap Day!

According to the organising committee, the subject matter of the workshop will continue to be around the acquisition and interpretation of borehole images, with a special focus on the four topics: the role of borehole images in the development of static images; novel acquisition, processing and interpretation techniques; integrated workflows for multi-disciplinary results; and application of image logs in well placement.

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EAGE NEWS / INTERVIEW

Young Omani professional making her way in the oil business Aisha Al-Bulushi is already a high achiever at 28 years old. She is a graduate in geophysics from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman and did a Masters in Petroleum Geophysics at Imperial College, London before joining Petroleum Development Oman in 2011. She has also been chair of AAPG Middle East YPSS. This year she organized and ran the AAPG Imperial Barrel Award competition as well as the first AAPG-ME Young Professionals and Student Summit. She is currently chairing the Geo 2016 YPSS Committee. We asked her about her experiences so far. Tell us a little about growing up in Oman. My parents had to leave school at a young age but they always appreciated the value of knowledge for us. At high school I dreamed of becoming a doctor like many other good students. However, my mom thought I wouldn’t cope with seeing sick people! So when I went to university I looked around for a good major in science. Geophysics was the most attractive and a mysterious word to me at that time. I spent time finding out about it, and finally decided that I want to become a geophysicist.

How did you find being a student in London? I had a very memorable time and all the credit goes to my international group of friends. Because of them I had so much fun and enjoyed the busy life of the city and the many various activities in London especially shopping! It was a special experience to be an independent lady in a big city. Everyone will ask: is becoming a career professional any different for a woman in Oman? Not at all. Actually I am proud to be a woman in Oman. There is so much respect and support from society and in the workplace, and there are many examples of leading women in both private and government sectors. What does work as a reservoir geophysicist entail? It requires a very good understanding of the basics in geophysics and some knowledge in geology. The work also requires good time management to deliver the projects, and good communication skills to market the work.

Geological ‘flight’ ahead for students

n October this year students in the Middle East can look forward to a brilliant new Student Lecture Tour on Digital Geology with the intriguing title of ‘Flight Simulator for Petroleum Engineers’. The presenter of this lecture tour is Hon Prof Dr Michael Poppelreiter, sponsored by Shell. With an emphasis on ‘simulation’ the lecture promises to shine a spotlight on the energy industry that may initially appear complex to students. It will not only provide an overview of the journey of finding, developing and producing energy from the subsurface, but will engage students in an interactive serious game with videos and team decisions. At the end, the team that works best in managing their budget, works well together and makes sound business decisions based on the ex-

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ercises, will be awarded a technical excellence award. Dates of the tour schedule are as follows: 20 Oct The Petroleum Institute (Abu Dhabi) 21 Oct American University of Sharjah (Sharjah) 21 Oct Heriot-Watt University (Dubai) 25 Oct Sultan Qaboos University (Muscat) 26 Oct German University of Technology (Muscat) 27 Oct King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran) 28 Oct King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Thuwal) 29 Oct United Arab Emirates University (Al Ain)

Universities interested in hosting the lecture should contact middle_east@eage.org.

ISSUE 2 2015

How do you see your career path in the business? I do see myself in a leadership role in the near future, Insha’Allah, which is a dream. I am getting all the inspiration from my managers who have faith in my abilities. They provide all the support and advice to sharpen my skills. What are the benefits of being involved in student and young professional organizations? Being able to network with experienced and young professionals from around the world. Also building communication and leadership skills and, most importantly, earn the appreciation of my employer. What have you got planned for Geo2016? Many things. Student competitions, poster sessions, a tour around the company booths, short courses, Meet and Greet and a fun evening out. What are your proudest achievements so far in your young professional life? Organizing the first AAPG-ME Young Professional and Student Summit this year in Muscat. Do you ever wish you had followed a different vocation? Never, because I am very happy and satisfied with what I have now and it is better than what I have ever dreamed of. What do you like to do in your spare time? I like watching Indian movies and Indian dance shows. I also enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes.

EAGE NEWS / INDUSTRY NEWS

Vienna is popular choice for 2016 Annual Meeting

he return of the Annual Meeting to Vienna in 2016 is being widely welcomed by EAGE members. It will be the fourth time that the city has hosted in the last 20 years, and every occasion has exceeded expectations. The theme for next year, ‘Efficient Use of Technology – Unlocking Potential’ invites the geoscience and engineering community to discuss ways to meet the challenges of the low oil price environment and its impact on the oil and gas upstream sector worldwide. The programme for 2016 in cooperation with SPE EUROPEC is the largest and most comprehensive multi-disciplinary geoscience event of

Exhibition hall at EAGE Annual Meeting.

its kind in the world. It includes the conference with over 1000 technical oral and poster presentations; a major exhibition showcasing latest developments in geophysics, geology and reservoir/petroleum engineering; workshops; field trips; short courses course; a comprehensive programme for students; plus the highly anticipated conference evening and other social events. The event venue will once again be Reed Messe Wien, one of the largest convention centres in Europe with a great inner city location. It is very well connected to the public transport system; two underground stations are only minutes from the main entrances. Hotels are within walking distance of the venue and located in the city centre. For those unfamiliar with the city, besides being the capital, Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria. The former home of the Habsburg Court and its various empires, the city still has the trappings of the imperial capital it once was. Visitors can wander along narrow, medieval alleyways or across imperial squares, view the Schönbrunn or Imperial Palace (Hofburg) in the footsteps of Sissi and Emperor Franz Josef, and marvel at the majestic architecture along the Ring Boulevard. The city’s musical heritage is also legendary, associated with Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Strauss father and son, Brahms and, in the modern era, Schönberg. With so many compelling reasons to put Vienna 2016 on the calendar for next year, make sure to keep updated on the website (www.eage.org/events/ vienna-2016). Note that the Call for Abstracts is open now.

Study reveals tell-tale signs of hydrocarbons in Lebanon

frontier oil and gas province could be emerging in Lebanon. This is the conclusion from a regional oil and gas prospectivity study carried out by NEOS Geosolutions, a US multi-measurement subsurface measurement company. The findings are encouraging, according to Arthur Nazarian, Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water. He said: ‘This neoBASIN project has put the topic of onshore oil and gas exploration on the top of our national agenda once again. As an indication of the importance in which we hold this project, the Ministry will begin undertaking all of the necessary procedures to ensure the development of a vibrant onshore exploration sector.’ The results came from a neoBASIN study by NEOS to evaluate the prospectivity of a 6000 km2 area encompassing the onshore northern half of the country and the transition zone (TZ) along the Mediterranean coastline. Insights from the neo-

BASIN interpretation are said to have revealed tell-tale signs of a highly prospective hydrocarbon system including hydrocarbon-generating source rock and oil seeps; large structural traps, with several containing resistivity anomalies; and multiple ‘stacked’ play types throughout the project area. Jim Hollis, NEOS president and CEO, said: ‘After completing an extensive interpretation of the geoscience datasets we acquired, we identified many indicators of a hydrocarbon system. Given that only seven wells have ever been drilled in Lebanon, I believe the potential upside from additional exploration – including drilling – is huge. It has been a pleasure to work with the Lebanon Ministry of Energy and Water, the Lebanon Petroleum Administration (LPA), and Petroserv, our local partner, on this hallmark project.’ Hollis said the company would be developing plans to acquire additional data, including seismic over the most promising structures to

further de-risk the opportunity and to secure the capital needed to drill the most promising locations.

Graphic of survey coverage in Lebanon.

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 2 2015

INDUSTRY NEWS

Saudi Aramco launches Middle East’s first carbon sequestration project

Hawiyah gas recovery plant.

audi Aramco has launched the Middle East’s first carbon capture and enhanced oil recovery pilot project demonstrating its commitment to environmental stewardship. In the pilot project, 40 million standard ft3 of CO2 will be captured at the Hawiyah gas recovery plant and then piped 85 km to the ‘Uthmaniyah field. There, it will be injected — and sequestered or stored — into flooded oil reservoirs under high pressure to enhance oil recovery, making it a win-win solution. The project aims to enhance oil recovery beyond the more common method of water flooding, and is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Amin H. Nasser, Saudi Aramco acting president and CEO, said: ‘This breakthrough initiative demonstrates that we, as an industry leader, are part of the solution to proactively address global environmental challenges. Saudi Aramco is carrying out extensive research to enable us to lower our carbon footprint while continuing to supply the energy the world needs.’ Led by Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC-Advanced Research Centre, the company’s carbon management technology road map includes many focus areas with a main goal of developing the required technologies to reduce CO2 emissions. The pilot project is the latest in the company’s list of efforts, injecting 800,000 tons of CO2 every year into flooded oil reservoirs. It includes an elaborate monitoring and surveillance programme to collect data and evaluate its performance and build public confidence in the Kingdom’s, and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s, first CO2 sequestration project. Two observation wells will measure how much of the 800,000 tons of injected CO2 will remain sequestered in the reservoir. It is estimated that as much as 40% of it will be permanently sequestered. Monitoring will take place with a range of methods, including seismic monitoring, electromagnetic surveys, borehole and surface gravity, and inter-well tracer tests. Near the ‘Uthmaniyah field, where the CO2 will be injected, a new standalone high pressure production trap, a new compressor and associated facilities for handling high concentrated CO2 production streams have been built. Over the next three to five years, the pilot project will be studied by field engineers and researchers, and lessons learned from this project will be used at facilities and fields around the Kingdom.

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 2 2015

Diversity challenges discussed in Kuwait

uwait Oil Company (KOC) representatives recently participated in the Professional Women Network (PWN) conference held under the patronage of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation with the theme ‘Diversity Challenges’. The event featured keynote speeches by KPC CEO Nizar Al-Adsani and vice president of operations at KUFPEC, Hosnia Hashem, who founded PWN while at KOC and serves as the event’s chairperson. A discussion panel of senior officials from four K-Companies served as the highlight of the event, and participants were able to ask questions and share their concerns directly with senior management. Panelists included KPC CEO Nizar Al-Adsani, KOC CEO Hashem Hashem, KNPC CEO Mohammad Al-Mutairi, and KUFPEC CEO Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah. PWN aims to implement strategies for the advancement of female workers throughout the K-Companies by applying a series of activities to enhance self-empowerment, improve work conditions and create leadership skills for female employees. The strategies include mentoring programmes, sharing the experiences of senior employees, and improving the networking opportunities for professional women within the K-Companies. The conference was preceded with a workshop on the challenges women face in the oil sector. Some participants at workshop.

Seabed seismic contracts boost Fugro-CGG joint venture

eabed Geosolutions, the Fugro-CGG joint venture, is scheduled to mobilise for a seabed seismic survey in the GhashaButini field following a variation order signed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) with CGG The survey will take around 12 months and has a value of around $125 million. The recent successful completion of the Hail-Shuweihat survey promoted the variation order, which confirms ADNOC’s confidence in Seabed Geosolutions’ ability to operate safely and efficiently, the joint venture says. Seabed Geosolutions is also mobilising a $55 million ocean bottom cable survey contract in Asia Pacific. A joint venture statement said that in the current challenging market, with severe pressure on oil companies’ E&P spend, the new contracts highlight how Seabed Geosolutions’ seabed seismic services enable its clients to collect seismic data for mature exploration, field development and enhanced production in areas with potential for low cost oil and gas production. Seabed Geosolutions was formed in February 2013 as a joint venture between Fugro and CGG. It collects geophysical data on the seabed through an array of imaging technologies for oil and gas companies, with a focus on the development and production phases of oil and gas fields.

INDUSTRY NEWS / CALENDAR

Discovery strengthens Eni’s commitment to operations in Egypt

gyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Sherif Ismail, and Eni’s CEO, Claudio Descalzi, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Egypt, Ibrahim Mahlab, and the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, have signed an update to the Heads of Agreement signed last March, following the significant gas discovery made by Eni in the Nile Delta concession. The gas find is in the Nooros exploration pros-

pect, in the Abu Madi West licence of the Nile Delta, 120 km north-east of Alexandria. Preliminary estimates of the discovery account for a potential of 15 billion m3 of gas in place with upside, plus associated condensates. Exploration success came from the Nidoco NW2 Dir NFW well, which reached a total depth of 3600 m and encountered a 60 m thick gasbearing sandstone interval of Messianian age

with excellent petrophysical properties, in addition to other gas layers in the overlying Pliocene section. The discovery will be put into production in two months’ time through a tie-in to the existing Abu Madi gas treatment plant, located 25 km south-east. Eni says the success is the result of the company’s new strategy.

EAGE Middle East Event Calendar September 2015 06-10 September 2015 EAGE • 21st European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics – Near Surface Geoscience 2015 Turin, Italy | www.eage.org

13-16 September 2015 EAGE • Second EAGE Workshop on High Performance Computing for Upstream Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

October 2015

15-18 November 2015 EAGE • Third EAGE Workshop on Rock Physics

31 Jan – 03 Feb 2016 EAGE • EAGE/SPE Workshop on Subsalt Imaging

Istanbul, Turkey | www.eage.org

Dead Sea, Jordan | www.eage.org

16-17 November 2015 EAGE • EAGE Workshop on Broadband Seismic

31 Jan – 03 Feb 2016 EAGE • Sixth EAGE Workshop on Passive Seismic

Abu Dhabi, UAE | www.eage.org

Muscat, Oman | www.eage.org

Basra, Iraq | www.eage.org

17-19 November 2015 EAGE • First EAGE Eastern Africa Petroleum Geoscience Forum

Abu Dhabi, UAE | www.eage.org

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | www.eage.org

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

November 2015 01-04 November 2015 EAGE • Third EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

03-06 February 2016 6th Basra Oil & Gas International Conference & Exhibition

Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

04-06 October 2015 EAGE • Third EAGE/AAPG Workshop on Tight Reservoirs in the Middle East

12-13 October 2015 EAGE • First EAGE Workshop on Oil & Gas Business Analytics

February 2016

16-18 November 2015 EAGE • Third EAGE Workshop on Iraq

08-10 February 2016 SPE/EAGE • SPE/EAGE Workshop on Geosteering and Well Placement Dubai, UAE | www.eage.org

December 2015

March 2016

06-09 December 2015 EAGE/AAPG/SEG/SPE • 9th International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC)

07-10 March 2016 Geo 2016 – 12th Middle East Geosciences Conference & Exhibition

Doha, Qatar | www.eage.org

Manama, Bahrain | http://geo2016.com/

January 2016

April 2016

18-20 January 2016 EAGE • First AAPG/EAGE Workshop on Hydrocarbon Seals of the Middle East Muscat, Oman | www.eage.org

SPE/EAGE • Second SPE/EAGE Workshop on Reservoir Lifecycle Management Abu Dhabi, UAE | www.eage.org

May 2016

31 Jan – 03 Feb 2016 EAGE • EAGE Workshop on Seismic Reservoir Characterisation

30 May – 02 June 2016 EAGE • 78th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2016

Kuwait City, Kuwait | www.eage.org

Vienna, Austria | www.eage.org

EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 2 2015