OREANDA-NEWS. April 03, 2014. With a theme of “Taking Geoscience beyond the Conventional,” Geo 2014 offered a glimpse into the future of the oil and gas industry as participants shared their ideas and views on the role emerging technologies and science will play in the ongoing challenge of meeting the energy requirements of the world.

Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition included 3,300 participants from 50 countries representing more than 150 exhibiting companies, universities, scientific organizations and associations.

As platinum sponsor, Saudi Aramco played a prominent role in the success of the four-day event, beginning with the opening ceremony during which Amin H. Nasser, senior vice president of Upstream, urged participants to challenge the limits of conventional wisdom in their work.

Nasser highlighted the story of esteemed exploration geologist Max Steineke “who had the determination to pursue a hunch he had back in 1938” that led to the eventual discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia. With drilling about to be halted after several unsuccessful tries, Steineke persuaded the drilling crew to dig deeper and eventually, Dammam No. 7 delivered in a way that changed the course of the oil and gas industry in the world.

“I wanted to share the story because it captures the imagination to succeed by pushing boundaries and challenging conventions — in other words, the spirit for discovery,” said Nasser.
Nasser acknowledged some of the challenges that lie ahead for the industry, not the least of which is what he called “the great crew change” as it is anticipated that over the next two years, more than 50 percent of the world’s experienced workforce will be eligible to retire.

Nasser said it is essential to ensure the transfer of knowledge and skills of those experts to the younger generation to help shorten the learning curve while, at the same time, also developing and retaining new talent. He noted the advent of Saudi Aramco’s Upstream Professional Development Center (UPDC), which recently added a new component, Unconventional Gas, to its array of disciplines to help meet the need for professionals with expertise in the exploration and production of shale and tight gas and oil reservoirs.

“Now is the time to dig deeper with more mentoring and promoting best practices,” said Nasser.

Internal research and various partnership research programs, he said, are other key initiatives Saudi Aramco has undertaken that have already led to significant achievements with the promise of many more to come. Managing and enhancing the flood of data that emerges from that research, he said, will be crucial in the ongoing pursuit of reservoir optimization.

“The need for high impact, breakthrough R&D has never been more urgent,” he said.

Nasser expressed confidence in the industry as a whole to think like Steineke and break the paradigms to make way for advancements in the years ahead.

“It is fascinating to watch you unlock the mysteries of what lies beneath the surface,” said Nasser. “I am confident that as you push the boundaries of convention, our future energy picture will be one of abundance and sustainability.”

Nasser also participated in a plenary session with Paul Kibsgaard, CEO of Schlumberger, and Matthias Bichsel, director of projects and technology with Royal Dutch Shell, which featured a lively discussion on emerging technologies and trends in the geoscience realm.

On the second day of the conference, Nasser toured the exhibit area, including a guided tour of the Saudi Aramco booth, with HE Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance, Minister in Charge of Oil and Gas Affairs and Chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority for the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Ibraheem Assa’adan, Saudi Aramco’s executive director of Exploration, served as the executive committee chairman for the conference. In addition to the plenary session and five executive level panel discussions, the conference featured more than 120 individual presentations, the display of more than 100 posters, short courses and field trips.

“This conference and exhibition provides the upstream industry with a front window where the latest technologies and applications can be demonstrated to the wider geoscience community,” said Assa’adan.