Oman 2015 Strategic Roundtable

The Oil & Gas Year, in partnership with Oman’s Ministry of Oil and Gas and the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL), conducted its third strategic roundtable for Oman in Muscat on May 4, 2015. The event was sponsored by Occidental of Oman and Halliburton.

Led by His Excellency Salim Al Aufi, the undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas, participants in the Strategic Roundtable discussed issues such as competition, the need for transparency in tendering processes and the importance of increasing Omani participation in the oil and gas industry. BP Oman president Yousuf Al Ojaili, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) managing director Raoul Restucci, vice-president and general manager of Occidental of Oman Robert Swain, Halliburton Oman managing director Zeinoun Klink and Al Shawamikh Oil Services CEO Dr Hamoud Al Tobi were among the participants. An audience of representatives from local services companies was also provided the opportunity to ask questions to the panel regarding the theme of the event: the development of local services companies.

In response to Oman sliding 13 places down the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index to position 46, H.E. Salim Al Aufi said, “The higher education and training on offer in Oman must align further with the demands of the oil and gas industry.” Galfar Engineering & Contracting CEO Hans Erlings spoke about the difficulties of Omanising labour-intensive positions within the engineering and construction sectors.

Hamoud Al Tobi, CEO of Alshawamikh Oil Services, a government established and PDO-supported super-local community contractor, said, “It is important for local communities to reap the benefits of oil and gas revenue while creating competitive Omani firms.”

The strategic roundtable will be published in The Oil & Gas Year Oman 2015, which is due to be launched in August 2015.

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