West Bukha field delivers first oil offshore Oman

UAE-based operator RAK Petroleum has started production from the West Bukha field in Oman's Block 8 located offshore in the Strait of Hormuz, the first offshore oilfield to come on stream in the Sultanate.
About 10,000 barrels of light crude and 30 mm cfpd of associated gas flowed from two wells produced through a recently installed six-slot unmanned platform located in 90 metres of water.

West Bukha, shared by Oman and Iran some 25 km from the Musandam Peninsula, was first discovered in 1976 but was believed to be a gas condensate field and abandoned as non-commercial.
"With the start-up of West Bukha, we are pleased to celebrate two significant milestones," said Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of RAK Petroleum's Board of Directors. It is the group's first important development project.

Drilling of appraisal wells between 2006 and 2008, including an extended horizontal section, by RAK Petroleum demonstrated significant oil productivity from the Mishriff-Maudud and Thamama reservoirs, leading to the development of the field.
Oman has also begun pumping gas from the West Bukha field to be processed by the UAE's Ras Al-Khaimah Gas Commission (RAK Gas) through a subsea pipeline that links with Oman's Bukha field, which was developed in 1994 that could now reach up to 10 to 15 mm cfpd of non-associated gas.

"While the internal field structure is complex, we believe that West Bukha has additional untapped potential which we will continue to appraise and exploit in close consultation with Oman's Ministry of Oil and Gas and our partners," said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani.
RAK Petroleum Oman, operates Block 8 with LG International and Heritage Oil. RAK Petroleum PLC operates eight other blocks located in Oman and UAE, six are in the exploration phase and two are undergoing appraisal for possible redevelopment.