Dammam 7

DHAHRAN, August 04, 2010 –  Saudi Aramco on July 28 signed several contracts with local and international contractors for the detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the Yanbu‘ Export Refinery Project at Yanbu‘ Industrial City.

The newly incorporated Red Sea Refining Co. will be responsible for the execution and operation of the project.

EPC contracts for the major process units were awarded to:

•  Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) — coker package.
•  Saudi Services (Saudi Arabia) — high voltage electrical package.
•  SK Engineering and Construction Co. (South Korea) — crude package.
•  Dayim Punj Lloyd (Saudi Arabia) — offsite pipelines package.
•  Daelim (South Korea) — gasoline and hydrocracker packages.
•  Rajeh H. Al-Marri (Saudi Arabia) — onsite pipeline relocation package.
•  ENPPI (Egypt) — tank farm package.

The Project Management Team said several remaining packages will be awarded over

Waleed Al-Obaid operates freeze drying equipment on nano-clay samples as part of work being done by the Advanced Materials Group at R&DC.

DHAHRAN, August 11, 2010 –  The Research and Development Center (R&DC) is working on a new generation of materials that can address Saudi Aramco’s production and operational challenges.

“We are pioneering research on advanced and nano-structured materials for specific oil and gas applications,” said R&DC Upstream Program director Abdullah M. Al-Houtan. “We want to develop materials that will enhance reliability and improve efficiency safely and cost-effectively.”

Al-Houtan said materials science has been an ongoing human endeavor for thousands of years. “It has a long history under the name metallurgy, which is essentially material science for metals,” he said. “Most recently, material science has focused on nano-materials and nano-technology

HOUSTON, July 14, 2010 –  Saudi Aramco and Aramco Services Co. (ASC) continue to show leadership in developing industry standards that are helping promote operational efficiency and safety throughout the world.

ASC engineering specialist Joseph Thorp was recently honored at an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee meeting in Rome for his leadership in developing American Petroleum Institute (API) standards within ISO. In particular, he co-developed API/ISO machinery standards for the oil, gas and petrochemical industries that have become the most referenced around the globe.

ISO is the world’s largest developer and publisher of international standards, with a network of more than 160 member countries. Industry groups, such as API, cooperate with ISO to develop and draft standards related to their areas of interest.

Thorp is chair of

DHAHRAN, July 21, 2010 –  New Business Development hosted a two-day forum for international executives and technical staff responsible for the development of the High Severity Fluid Catalytic Cracking (HS-FCC) technology.

Representatives came from Japan’s Nippon Oil Corp. (NOC), France’s Axens, U.S.-based Shaw Group, and Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). With Saudi Aramco, these entities form a consortium working on the technology.

HS-FCC is a breakthrough in the refining and petrochemicals industry thanks to a unique downflow FCC. The advanced technology allows refineries to produce petrochemicals from heavy oils by converting refinery gas-oils into products suitable for integrated petrochemical processes.

The configuration produces more

DHAHRAN, July 14, 2010 –  The EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) has achieved the industry’s first field test of reservoir nanoagents — a milestone for the Resbots™ program. In June, EXPEC ARC reservoir engineers demonstrated for the first time that specialized nanoagents can be injected and produced under live field conditions in an observation well.

Three years ago, EXPEC ARC technologists originated the concept of sending nano-sized detectors through the reservoir to gather in-situ data

LONDON, July 21, 2010 –  A virtual world created to position Saudi Aramco as a top lifestyle choice as well as a great place to work was nominated July 7 for the prestigious CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development) Recruitment Marketing Awards.
Held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London, the black-tie event sought to honor the best and brightest talent in recruitment marketing for 2010.

Nominated in the category of Best Digital Recruitment, “The World of Saudi Aramco” is a four-sided, interactive experience and is a component of the EU Jobs website of Aramco Overseas Co. UK (AOC UK) Ltd. It was created in collaboration with digital creative agency Pink Squid.

CIPD is the largest human resources (HR) organization in Europe, with its awards in their 30th year. The Best Digital

March 2010: Chevron is the only large international energy company with a continuous upstream presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spanning more than seven decades. We are engaged in a wide range of petroleum-related interests in the kingdom, and we work closely with Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company, as well as with private firms.

We put special emphasis on projects that provide high level employment opportunities, professional training and exposure to new technology.

The company conducts exploration and production activities in the onshore Partitioned Zone (PZ) on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The PZ is located between Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait. Petroleum and mineral resources in the PZ are jointly shared by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC (CPChem) has

n the front row, Majid Al-Sani, third from left; Mohammad Al-Zahrani, fifth from left; W.K. Ki, sixth; Saud Bukhari, seventh; and Khalid Alhammad, ninth, are joined by other Daewoo and Vela staff for the naming of the “Virgo Star.”

OKPO, Republic of Korea, July 07, 2010 –  Vela International Marine Ltd.’s Virgo Star, the second vessel of four very large crude carriers ordered from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, entered service June 23 after a naming ceremony at the South Korean shipyard.

Mohammad G. Al-Zahrani, Saudi Aramco’s executive director of Safety and Industrial Security, presided over the ceremony.

Among the more than 55 guests were Daewoo Shipbuilding senior executive vice president W.K. Ki; Saud Bukhari, Vela’s Technical and Support Department manager; Majid Al-Sani, Vela’s Tanker Construction manager; and Khalid Alhammad,

LONDON, July 07, 2010 –  “One of the major challenges our industry is facing is the shortage in skilled professionals,” said Huda Ghoson, general manager of Training and Development, in her opening remarks at the World National Oil Congress held June 23 in London.

In her speech titled “Workforce Development: An Enduring Legacy,” Ghoson called upon organizations to redouble their efforts to make the oil and gas industry attractive to young people.

She went on to address four challenges. “The world is more sensitive than ever before … to the impact the oil industry can have on our fragile natural environment,” said Ghoson of pressing environmental issues. She said Saudi Aramco has long been a leader in environmental stewardship.

The second challenge relates to oil resources and the fact that oil demand

PARIS, Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) announced today the acquisition of Geoservices—a privately owned French oilfield services company specialized in mud logging, slickline and production surveillance operations. The total value of the transaction, including net debt, is $1,070 million.

Geoservices, founded in 1958, employs approximately 5000 people active in more than 50 countries worldwide. The company is the leading mud-logging company, and has invested heavily in the development of new technology for exploration and appraisal well activities, particularly in the emerging deepwater market.

“The addition of mud logging technology to the Schlumberger portfolio is an important step in the development of higher-performance drilling systems”, commented Andrew Gould, Chairman and CEO, Schlumberger Limited. “The combination of Schlumberger real-time downhole formation sampling measurements with Geoservices’ drilling mud analysis will help customers better identify and react to drilling hazards, while the combination of mud logging with Schlumberger formation