7 billion barrels of oil found in new Abu Dhabi reserves; UAE in 6th position in global oil reserves

News Network
November 5, 2019

Abu Dhabi, Nov 5: The UAE’s Supreme Petroleum Council on Monday announced a new pricing mechanism for ADNOC Murban crude, which will be listed on “an exchange,” and also announced a major increases in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas reserves.

During the meeting held at ADNOC headquarters, the Council revealed the discovery of new hydrocarbon reserves estimated at 7 billion barrels of crude oil and 58 trillion standard cubic feet of conventional gas, putting the UAE in the sixth place in terms of global oil and gas reserves, with a total reserves of 105 billion barrels and 273 trillion cubic feet of conventional gas.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, has said that support of the UAE’s leadership is enabling ADNOC to accelerate the pace of its ongoing transformation into a more commercially-driven and customer-focused integrated energy company with global reach.

Speaking following the Supreme Petroleum Council, SPC, meeting, Dr. Al Jaber, said, "Following the leadership’s wise directives, ADNOC is adopting more creative strategies and more flexible business models, while shaping value-add partnership opportunities to remain resilient and meet operational and financial targets in today’s unpredictable energy markets, as we deliver our 2030 strategy."

The SPC meeting was presided over by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Vice-Chairman of the SPC.

Sheikh Mohamed highlighted ADNOC’s ongoing transformation into a more performance-led and commercially-driven organisation and emphasised the central role ADNOC plays in enabling the UAE’s economic ambitions. He expressed the SPC’s recognition of ADNOC’s efforts to drive foreign investment into the UAE through its approach to strategic partnerships and investments.

He noted ADNOC has recruited over 3,200 Emirati nationals with advanced qualifications since 2016 and is set to employ an additional 1,258 by the end of 2019, including over 600 ADNOC scholars. He also acknowledged ADNOC’s plans to recruit more than 3,000 additional Emirati nationals over the next few years.

Murban crude to be traded on an exchange

Commenting on the SPC’s decision to list ADNOC’s Murban crude on an exchange, Dr. Al Jaber said, "The forward-looking decision and market-orientated foresight of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the SPC, to list Murban on an internationally recognised exchange and improve the terms of sale of ADNOC’s Murban Crude, is another significant step in our transformation.

The initiative will enable our customers and other market participants to better price, manage and trade their purchases of Murban. This historic and strategic move cements the UAE, Abu Dhabi and ADNOC’s role in the international oil and gas sector.

He noted, "Murban is recognised the world over for its intrinsic chemical qualities, consistent and stable production volumes, large number of international buyers, and numerous long-term concession and production partners. These landmark changes, the SPC has approved, will make Murban an even more attractive crude to the global market."

MURBAN

Murban is the main onshore crude grade of Abu Dhabi and is produced by ADNOC Onshore – a subsidiary of ADNOC – via the ADNOC Onshore Murban Concession. The Murban concession produces approximately 1.7 mmbpd of Murban crude oil. ADNOC is a 60 percent equity shareholder in the Murban concession, with the remaining 40 percent shareholding held by the other concession partners, BP, Total, INPEX of Japan, GS Caltex of Korea, CNPC and ZhenHua of China.

Increase in reserves

Speaking about the increase in hydrocarbon reserves, Dr. Al Jaber said, "We are very pleased and honoured to have enabled the UAE to move from the seventh to the sixth-largest oil and gas reserves in both global rankings. These achievements underscore ADNOC’s drive to ensure we remain a trusted, reliable and responsible supplier of energy to the world for decades to come.

Crucially, the discovery of substantial unconventional recoverable gas resources, for the first time, marks an important milestone in the development of the UAE’s unconventional resources as we execute our integrated gas strategy."

He added, "The significant discoveries and increase in reserves increase are testament to the hard work, innovation, and dedication of the ADNOC family who are ensuring that we continue to thrive and stay ahead of the world’s growing demand for energy. Building on this success, we are expanding our strategic partnerships and leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and world-class expertise to efficiently expedite further exploration of Abu Dhabi’s huge untapped resources while also driving new commercial opportunities, for the benefit of the UAE."

The council’s announcement was made yesterday during its meeting chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The council also announced the discovery of 160 trillion standard cubic feet of unconventional gas resources. These discoveries are the first of its kind in the region, marking the beginning of a new phase in the development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

The SPC is the highest governing body of the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabi. The Council formulates, approves, and oversees the implementation of Abu Dhabi's petroleum policy and follows up its implementation across all areas of the petroleum industry to ensure that the set goals are achieved.

After the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed reviewed the progress of ADNOC’s development and expansion projects at its headquarters, as well as its other works, such as a water fountain.

He was then briefed about the new facilities of ADNOC’s headquarters and toured a tunnel linking the building’s staff parking area and the main entrance to its northern and southern lobbies.

During the tour, he also viewed the modern lighting on the green areas surrounding the building, as well as its new plaza area and the drilling heads and valves used in several oil fields, which all combine the modernity and originality of ADNOC.

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Agencies
June 9,2020

Dubai, Jun 9: Dubai's Emirates airline has begun laying off employees to reduce cost and save cash as the carrier looks to rightsize its workforce.

"We at Emirates have been doing everything possible to retain the talented people that make up our workforce for as long as we can. However, given the significant impact that the pandemic has had on our business, we simply cannot sustain excess resources and have to rightsize our workforce in line with our reduced operations. After reviewing all scenarios and options, we deeply regret that we have to let some of our people go," the spokesperson said in the statement.

Citing sources, Reuters and Bloomberg earlier reported that a majority of those being made redundant are cabin crew workers as well as a minority of its engineers and pilots, including those flew the Airbus A380.

"This was a very difficult decision and not one that we took lightly. The company is doing everything possible to protect the workforce wherever we can. Where we are forced to take tough decisions we will treat people with fairness and respect. We will work with impacted employees to provide them with all possible support," said the statement.

The spokesperson, however, didn't disclose how many employees are being made redundant in this latest round of rightsizing the workforce.

Emirates on Sunday confirmed that it extended the period of reduced pay for its staff for another three months till September. It had previously reduced basic wages by 25 to 50 per cent for three months from April, with junior employees exempted.

The airline had employed around 60,000 people at the end of its 2019-20 financial year.

Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said the announced job cuts at Emirates will likely not be the last given the unprecedented damage that Covid-19 has had not just on air travel, but on the entire aviation industry as a whole.

"Emirates' massive international network means that job reductions were always a last resort option as the company staves off cash burn and expenses at a time when revenues are dried up. While Emirates SkyCargo is enjoying a resurgence in activities, the reality is that this income will never offset the lost money from passenger operations," he added.

"Whilst some salary reduction schemes have prevented bigger job cuts for now, the absence of a cure or medicinal suppressant of Covid-19 means that air travel is unlikely to even reach pre-9/11 levels within 3-5 years, let alone pre-Covid-19 levels in that same time period. For that reason, Emirates' reduction in headcount is necessary to stay competitive, agile and be ready for when air travel can resume with a degree of normalcy that we have been accustomed to for decades," said Ahmad.

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News Network
May 4,2020

Dubai, May 4: An Indian salesman in the UAE has won a whopping 10 million dirhams at an Abu Dhabi draw, a media report said.

Dileep Kumar Ellikkottil Parameswaran, from Kerala’s Thrissur, works with an auto spare parts company in Ajman and earns 5,000 dirhams (USD 1,361) a month, Gulf News reported on Sunday.

Parameswaran, who won the 10 million dirhams (USD 2.7 million) prize at the Big Ticket draw in Abu Dhabi, will spend a big part of the money to repay a loan of 700,000 dirhams (USD 190,574 ), according to the report.

He said that a good part of the prize money will be spent on the education of his two children.

Parameswaran, who has been a resident of the UAE for 17 years, lives in Ajman along with his family.

Big Ticket is the largest and longest-running monthly raffle draw for cash prizes and dream luxury cars in Abu Dhabi.

A live monthly draw is organized at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on 3rd of each month.

Tickets are sold for 500 dirhams (USD 136).

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Agencies
May 14,2020

Dubai, May 14: As many as 242 beggars of different nationalities have been nabbed by the Dubai Police since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Among those arrested, 143 were men, 21 were women and 78 were hawkers, said the police. "An anti-begging campaign was launched, especially to find beggar hotspots, to combat the negative phenomenon," said Colonel Ali Salem Al Shamsi, director of the anti-infiltrators department at the Dubai Police.

"Strict warnings have been issued to beggars to refrain from exploiting the sentiments of people during Ramadan," he added.

Col Al Shamsi also called on the public to stop helping them with money. "The public must direct those in dire straits through proper channels in order to get support from charitable institutions."

Col Al Shamsi also urged residents to report begging activities by calling 901 or through the Dubai Police app's 'Police Eye' feature.

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