Maersk oil inaugurates USD 100 million

Maersk Oil’s Research and Technology Centre will develop technology for its renowned ultra-long horizontal wells to improve oil recovery and design carbonate Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects. These topics hold the key to unlocking the vast potential of oil fields including Al Shaheen, Qatar’s largest offshore field, which is operated by Maersk Oil. Maersk Oil will also conduct research that gives further insight into Qatar’s marine ecosystem to help reduce its environmental footprint and ensure sustainable operations. Following the inauguration, the dignitaries were given a tour of the facilities to showcase the research being undertaken by Maersk Oil’s research team. The group visited the digital core lab which uses advanced scanning equipment to help researchers identify improved oil recovery potential of reservoir rocks. The tour also included a presentation on the use of ’drone’ technology developed and patented by Maersk Oil to understand from where oil is produced in long horizontal wells. The visit concluded with a presentation on the Qatar Whale Shark Research Project initiated by the Ministry of Environment and supported by Maersk Oil. Offshore employees on Maersk Oil platforms are actively involved in monitoring whale sharks that often amass in the Al Shaheen area during the summer months. Maersk Oil is a medium-sized international oil and gas company with operated production of about 700,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from fields in the Danish and UK North Sea, offshore Qatar, in Algeria and in Kazakhstan. Maersk Oil exploration activities are ongoing offshore Norway, Angola, Brazil, the US Gulf of Mexico and Oman. Maersk Oil and its subsidiary companies are part of the Danish A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. Maersk Oil was established in 1962, when it was awarded a concession for oil and gas exploration and production in Denmark. Meawhile in 1992, Maersk Oil was given the exploration and production rights to the Al Shaheen field. The field was deemed uneconomical and abandoned but Maersk Oil saw potential to turn this tight reservoir into a commercial success. First oil was produced within just two years and, together with Qatar Petroleum, Maersk Oil has now produced over one billion barrels of oil. The latest USD 6 billion field development plan is considered one of the world’s most complex offshore projects and included the installation of 15 new platforms, 300 km pipelines and 160 new wells. The development was delivered on time and budget.