1. Syria Accelerates Its Upstream Ambitions

    ...banon unilaterally claimed its EEZ in a letter to the United Nations in 2011, but Syria – not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – rejected this in 2014. Last month, Lebanon’s cabinet finally approved its maritime border with Cyprus, 18 years after Beirut and Ni...

    Volume: 68
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 21 Nov 2025
  2. Total’s Libya Expansion: Done & Dusted?

    ...ich remains split between two rival governments and several key players who eye ultimate power. The seemingly unending political chaos since the 2011 overthrow of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi has taken its toll on Libya’s oil and gas infrastructure, with leaks frequently knocking out huge ch...

    Volume: 65
    Issue: 46
    Published at Fri, 18 Nov 2022
  3. Kuwait’s Oil Sector Faces More Turbulence With Shake-Up Proposal

    ...me since any oil minister enjoyed such a tenure. Since 2011, Kuwait has had nine oil ministers. If the minister also ran KPC, such turnover would be highly disruptive. With the government resigning earlier this month (MEES, 12 November) and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah tasked on 24 November wi...

    Volume: 64
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 26 Nov 2021
  4. Gulf Offshore Drilling At 10-Year Low As Saudi, Abu Dhabi Stall On Contracts

    ...The number of active offshore rigs in the Gulf has fallen to the lowest level since January 2011. Excluding Iran, for which accurate data is not available, just 25 drilling rigs were active in the region in October, according to Baker Hughes data. Of these, just 10 were active off Saudi Ar...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 20 Nov 2020
  5. KRG Eyes Major Boost As Exxon/DNO Firm Up Baeshiqa Light Oil Find

    ...e south is the Banan field, where Oryx is currently producing from the 27°API Tertiary and the 22°API Cretaceous – neither exactly “light.” NORTHERN IRAQ: KEY OIL & GAS INFRASTRUCTURE   CONTENTIOUS GEOGRAPHY               The initial 2011 award of Baeshiqa to ExxonMobil and it...

    Volume: 62
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 22 Nov 2019
  6. Qatar Sending More LNG To Europe

    ...aller Asian economies and the return of Europe. Qatar has been increasingly dependent on Asian markets in recent years. Asia accounted for nearly 75% of the 76.8mn tons of Qatari LNG imported globally in 2018. This has come as volumes to Europe have cratered, nearly halving from 21.4mn tons in 2011 to...

    Volume: 62
    Issue: 44
    Published at Fri, 01 Nov 2019
  7. Eni Grows North African Presence

    ...d of this year and “restart exploration activities” next year (MEES, 12 October). Eni is Libya’s top producer, with net 1.62bn cfd of gas and 87,000 b/d of oil output in 2017. It managed to continue production in Libya throughout the 2011 revolution, albeit offshore....

    Volume: 61
    Issue: 44
    Published at Fri, 02 Nov 2018
  8. GCC Debt Smashes All Records

    ...pects growth will then improve in the next two years, with regional growth expected to average 1.9% in 2018, followed by 2.7% in 2019, this still falls substantially short of levels seen prior to the oil price drop in 2014 and the 4.5% average seen before 2011.  The IMF in its latest Middle East re...

    Volume: 60
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 24 Nov 2017
  9. Saudi Rig Count Rebounds As Focus Turns Offshore

    ...azil’s offshore rig count remained at 10 in October, less than a quarter of peak 2011-13 levels, but it is due to rise after a slew of recent rewards. Brazil awarded six of eight deepwater ‘pre-salt’ blocks on offer last month: three to Anglo-Dutch major Shell, BP took two, and ExxonMobil one, in the cl...

    Volume: 60
    Issue: 45
    Published at Fri, 10 Nov 2017
  10. Libya: Wintershall Output Down, Dispute Continues

    ...mething close to capacity. The combined capacity of the fields has fallen to 80,000 b/d from 100,000 b/d prior to the 2011 Revolution, but only in 2012 did they manage to produce at this level. Production resumed on 16 September 2016 after a 10-month outage, but with only the NC-96 field operational, pr...

    Volume: 60
    Issue: 44
    Published at Fri, 03 Nov 2017
  11. Dana Gas Positive On UAE, Egypt, But Kurdish Receivables A Major Concern

    ...rect from the Khor Mor plant through local contractors.” As part of their 3Q financial statements, Dana Gas states that Pearl invoiced the KRG for 200mn cfd of “excess gas” for the period January 2011 to May 2015, totalling $1.498bn. Dana Gas’s 40% share is worth $599.2mn. However, the KRG’s cu...

    Volume: 58
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 20 Nov 2015
  12. Libya: Little Sign Of Optimism In Operators’ Q3 Results

    ...pically produced 100,000 b/d prior to Libya’s 2011 revolution. But, despite a lack of fighting or incidents in the vicinity of the fields themselves, port and/or pipeline closures have meant that output has been only sporadic in recent months, and with the exception of a brief period in October, has been at...

    Volume: 58
    Issue: 45
    Published at Fri, 06 Nov 2015
  13. Gulfsands, Vitol Subsidiary In MENA Tie-Up

    ...REGIONAL Gulfsands, Vitol Subsidiary In MENA Tie-Up UK minnow Gulfsands Petroleum looks to finally emerge from dormancy after sanctions halted its Syria operations, its only producing assets in late 2011. On 19 November, Gulfsands announced that it has entered into a strategic pa...

    Volume: 57
    Issue: 48
    Published at Fri, 28 Nov 2014
  14. Egypt Secures Saudi Power Loans

    ...rning additional diesel and fuel oil in power plants to keep pace with rising peak electricity demand. The loans are the latest GCC move to stabilize in a country severely impacted by the Arab Spring of 2011. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE provided $12bn of aid, including oil products, after the ou...

    Volume: 57
    Issue: 45
    Published at Fri, 07 Nov 2014
  15. Egypt’s Gas Crunch: Is A Quick Fix Possible?

    ...reements within two weeks, he added, and amend another seven. These numbers have caused some confusion in the industry. EGPC in October said it had approved the 11 licences awarded in November 2012 (MEES, 16 November 2012) following its most recent bidround, which was launched in 2011. Ganope said in...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 48
    Published at Fri, 29 Nov 2013
  16. Cepsa Boosts Asia Portfolio

    ...ployees. We believe that Coastal provides a tremendous foundation for furthering our E&P strategy." IPIC completed the takeover of Cepsa in 2011 when it acquired Total’s 49% stake (MEES, 8 August 2011)....

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 47
    Published at Fri, 22 Nov 2013
  17. Analysis: Oxy Mideast Pullback Spurred By Risk-Averse US Investors

    ...ansition of power from father to son and there is no threat to the country’s leadership. Minor protests in Oman in 2011 posed scant threat to the country’s leadership, as well. In the UAE, where the only perceptible repercussion of the “Arab Spring” has been an outpouring of foreign aid to ailing regional al...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 45
    Published at Fri, 08 Nov 2013
  18. Legal And Operational Challenges Complicate RWE Dea Sale

    ...vourably to imported gas. Therefore I believe there is room for compromise,” said Mr Schlichter. Egypt’s energy sector has been suffering from tardy government decision making, a result of the political upheaval following the removal of Mubarrak in 2011 and the subsequent military coup against Pr...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 44
    Published at Fri, 01 Nov 2013
  19. Mubadala In Asia, Africa Push As Questions Mount Over Middle East Assets

    ...20. Oxy and Mubadala also partners at the Mukhaizna development in Oman’s Block 53. Mukhaizna has plateaued at about 120,000 b/d, and Oxy (operator) continues to struggle to maintain this level – despite a prior plan to plateau production at 150,000 b/d by 2011 (MEES, 8 March). Some of Mubadala’s pa...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 44
    Published at Fri, 01 Nov 2013
  20. Saudi Mulls London Arbitration Center

    ...ternational bank creditors, have largely been fought in London, the Cayman Islands, New York, and other jurisdictions (MEES, 31 October 2011). After three years of legal wrangling with the two parties, international banks are still owed over $12bn.  There is a reluctance to fight claims in Saudi courts by in...

    Volume: 55
    Issue: 49
    Published at Fri, 30 Nov 2012