Fahud
Encyclopedia
Fahud is a permanent oil camp and oil field in the middle of the central plain area of Oman
, named after the nearby Jebel Fahud believed to mean "Leopard Mountain" from the time when wild leopards used to roam the area. The main oil camp is owned by Petroleum Development Oman
(PDO), the national oil company.
Oil operations commenced in 1954 when a PDO survey party arrived at the jebel and began surveying it. The first well at Jebel Fahud was completed at 12,235 feet in May 1957. Unfortunately, it was a dry hole except for a very small quantity of gas and oil.
Three of the PDO partners decided to withdraw from the Omani concession, leaving Shell (85%) and Partex (15%) to take it over and resume exploration. Only a few hundred yards from the original test well site, a second test well was sunk at Fahud and, in 1964, found oil in commercial quantities.
Today, Fahud is the central base of PDO's operations in the interior of Oman; the company's main offices are in Mina Al Fahal
in Muscat
. Many contracting companies also have camps for their workers and equipment at Fahud. Some meteorological data: 1 June 2008 at 15 pm local hour it was recorded 54.5 degrees Celsius, a new record for Fahud.
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, named after the nearby Jebel Fahud believed to mean "Leopard Mountain" from the time when wild leopards used to roam the area. The main oil camp is owned by Petroleum Development Oman
Petroleum Development Oman
Petroleum Development of Oman is the foremost exploration and production company in the Sultanate. It accounts for more than 90% of the country's crude-oil production and nearly all of its natural-gas supply...
(PDO), the national oil company.
Oil operations commenced in 1954 when a PDO survey party arrived at the jebel and began surveying it. The first well at Jebel Fahud was completed at 12,235 feet in May 1957. Unfortunately, it was a dry hole except for a very small quantity of gas and oil.
Three of the PDO partners decided to withdraw from the Omani concession, leaving Shell (85%) and Partex (15%) to take it over and resume exploration. Only a few hundred yards from the original test well site, a second test well was sunk at Fahud and, in 1964, found oil in commercial quantities.
Today, Fahud is the central base of PDO's operations in the interior of Oman; the company's main offices are in Mina Al Fahal
Mina al Fahal
Mina al Fahal is a coastal area in the northeast of Oman, near to the country's capital, Muscat. It was renamed from Saih al Maleh as the petroleum processing plant was developed. It is a key area for the country's petroleum operations. Petroleum Development Oman is based at Mina al Fahal, and...
in Muscat
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
. Many contracting companies also have camps for their workers and equipment at Fahud. Some meteorological data: 1 June 2008 at 15 pm local hour it was recorded 54.5 degrees Celsius, a new record for Fahud.