AES has recently begun working in Oman, servicing one of our top clients from the USA. One of the first things that always happens when you tell someone you are going to or working in Oman is, “Where is Oman?”
Oman is a peaceful and secure nation that borders Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and The Emirates. It is home to friendly people that pride themselves on hospitality. The capital city of Muscat is a very modern city, by any standard, and boasts world-class hotels and shopping.
Our AES legal and procurement teams laid the groundwork for the business in Oman, paving the way for operations to service our customer. After some challenges due to logistics and weather, a delayed spud was done on July 21, 2021. The well was successfully drilled to TD, made possible through local support for logistics and commodities. Leveraging economies of scale, logistics capability, and local knowledge, I would say that it’s been successful so far, beginning our customer’s exploration campaign.
In my career with drilling fluids, I have had the opportunity to work worldwide in many different countries. They all have something that makes them unique, challenging, and memorable. But, there must be something to Oman, as this is my third posting here. The first time was as a relatively green mud engineer in 1998-1999, then in operations from 2006-2009. Now, I am sitting here in Muscat, doing it all over again, and happy to be here in 2021.
So why write this? Simple. While you may not know Oman, if you hear about what is going on here, know that while it may not be USA or Canada, it is an excellent place to do business and not a bad place to be.
Blog Author: Randall Adamson, Business Development & Technical Specialist
