Columbia University Delegation Tours Eastern Province

Author: Aramco ExPats
Released 21 March 2004

Delegation
Photograph by Aramco ExPats

March 15, 2004 marked the commencement of the Columbia University Faculty visit to Saudi Aramco hosted by the National Council on U.S. – Arab Relations Study to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Aramco host was Abdulaziz F. Al-Khayyal, Senior Vice President, Refining, Marketing and International. Escorts from National Council on U.S. – Arab Relations were Dr. John Duke Anthony and Mr. Neal Lendenmann.

Attendees from Columbia University were Dr. Lisa Anderson, Dean, School of International and Public Affairs; Dr. David H. Cohen, Vice President Emeritus, Arts and Sciences; Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Professor, Psychiatry; Mr. Jonathan Fallet, Program Coordinator, Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy Mr. Hurst K. Groves, Director, Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy; Dr. Michael A. Heller, Lawrence A. Wien Professor of Real Estate Law; Dr. David Nissen, Director, Program in International Energy Management and Policy; Dr. Jean-Francois Seznec, Adjunct Professor of International Affairs; Dr. Gary Sick, Adjunct Professor of International Affairs and Senior Research Scholar; Dr. David Long, retired Foreign Service Officer, professor and author; and Ms. Shirley Neff, Senior Advisor, Goldwyn International Strategies, LLC.

After spending a few days in Riyadh, the delegation arrived at the King Fahad International Airport Monday, March 15th and were shuttled to Le Gulf Meridien hotel in Al-Khobar.

Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibit
Photograph by Aramco ExPats

Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibit

Bright and early Tuesday morning the Columbia University guests were received by Nasser Al-Nafisse, Manager, Public Relations Department, Saudi Aramco at the Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibit. The Saudi Aramco Exhibit is Saudi Arabia’s first major science museum featuring the history of Aramco, oil and gas operations, and the history of Arabic-Islamic technology. The exhibit is a fascinating journey through history from petroleum’s origins in the ancient seas, through underground rock formations and desert drilling operations, into refineries and marine shipping terminals. The Saudi Aramco Exhibit was established in the 1950s with the latest upgrade completed in 2000. It now incorporates state-of-the-art technology that provides automated and computerized exhibits for hands-on learning about the perpetual and fast-paced development in the oil and gas industry.

While at the Saudi Aramco Exhibit, guests were given an overview of Saudi Aramco, then watched a magnificent 3-D film entitled Saudi Aramco – Energy to the World. The film can be presented in 16 different languages. Following the film, guests received a tour of the exhibit. The group observed a simulation of Saudi Aramco’s state-of-the-art Operations Control Center and stepped into a life-size model of a shipping vessel’s control room to experience the exhilaration of discovering, harnessing and distributing energy to the world.

Dammam Oil Well Number 7 - 1938
Photograph Courtesy of Saudi Aramco

Dammam Oil Well Number 7

Later that morning, guests were taken to Dammam Number 7, where, in 1938, American owned Standard Oil Company of California (SoCal) made the first oil discovery in Saudi Arabia marking the first in what would become many spectacular accomplishments in the history of Saudi-U.S. cooperation in oil exploration. It took five years of pain-staking work under extreme desert conditions before the well now known as Dammam Number 7 hit oil in commercial quantities. However, the discovery of oil transformed Dhahran from a desert oil camp in the 1940s to a modern city, and is now the site of Saudi Aramco’s headquarters.

EXPEC and OSPAS

While in Dhahran, guests were given a tour of Saudi Aramco’s Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center (EXPEC) by Mahmoud Al-Abdul-baqi, Vice President, Exploration and Saad Al-Turaiki, Executive Director, Petroleum and Development.

EXPEC houses Saudi Aramco’s four 3-D visualization facilities. These facilities process seismic data to map the layers of rock found deep beneath the earth’s surface. Careful analysis of the data will show porous layers of rock where oil and gas get trapped and can provide engineers with beneficial data prior to drilling. Geologists also use the data to identify new oil and gas reservoirs as well as extend the producing life of existing reservoirs.

The delegation continued their tour at the Saudi Aramco’s Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling Center (OSPAS). It is here that Saudi Aramco monitors and controls the entire Kingdom’s oil and gas production, distribution, refining and shipping.

Abdullah S. Jum’ah

The guests met Abdullah Jum’ah, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Aramco and a member of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors. Mr. Jum’ah was appointed President of the company in 1995.

Born in Al-Khobar in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 1941, Mr. Jum'ah studied at the American University in Cairo and then at the American University of Beirut, where he was awarded a BA in Political Science in 1968. He joined Saudi Aramco's Government Affairs organization in April 1968 and in 1972 was assigned to Public Relations as general supervisor of publications and promoted to department manager in 1975. Jum'ah completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard in 1976. His career with the company then took him to Power Systems where he was closely involved with the development of the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company (SCECO) in the Eastern Province. He was elected Vice President, Power Systems, in 1981 and subsequently served as Vice President, Employee Relations and Training, Vice President, Government Affairs, and Senior Vice President, Industrial Relations, with responsibility for the corporation's Medical Services, Community Services, and Employee Relations and Training. In October 1991 he was named Senior Vice President, International Operations. A year later he was promoted to Executive Vice President, International Operations, responsible for all international sales and marketing, the development and coordination of joint ventures abroad, and for overseeing the operations of Vela International Marine Ltd. and other subsidiary companies. In 1994, Jum'ah was appointed a member of Saudi Aramco's Board of Directors.

Shaybah
Photograph by Aramco ExPats

Shaybah

After a delightful lunch hosted by Abdulaziz F. Al-Khayyl, Senior Vice President, Refining, Marketing and International the delegation departed from the Saudi Aramco hanger in Dammam for Shaybah. Shaybah oilfield is set in the heart of Rub Al-Khali, the biggest sand desert in the world and known as the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia. Guests were greeted by Falah Al-Mutairi, Manager, Shaybah Producing Department.

The largest oil development of the past twenty years, the Shaybah oilfield is capable of pumping half a million barrels of oil a day and came on stream two years ago. There are some fascinating facts about Shaybah. It is located 250 miles from the nearest township. Thirty million cubic meters of sand were moved during its construction. An airport capable of taking big jets, 500 miles of pipes, a new road across drifting sand dunes, and residential quarters for 750 workers, were all built in a little over 18 months.

The group received a presentation on Shaybah History and watched an informative film, Shaybah Now Energy for the Millennium, showing the development of the oilfield and its daily operations. They were then driven up a very tall sand dune to a reception area which has been created in the form of an Arabian tent overlooking the Shaybah facility. From this higher viewpoint it was possible to appreciate the peace and serenity of the spectacular red desert and the magnificent views from the top of the dune were simply stunning. During a wonderful dinner, guests watched the sunset over the sand dunes from the tent.

Aramco Expats