Kuwait seeks Calgary’s help

CALGARY — State-owned Kuwait Oil Co. is looking to enlist the knowledge and expertise of Calgary-based firms to help in the development of its heavy-oil reserves with a goal of producing a total of 900,000 barrels per day by 2020, a senior KOC official told the Calgary Herald on Wednesday.

Output from the proposed development will be on par with Saudi Aramco’s Manifa offshore project, billed as the single-largest heavy-oil venture in the world.


“We are on the learning curve and are in Calgary to get a better grip of the heavy-oil industry,” said Ali al-Shammari, the deputy managing director for finance. “Unless we seek the experience of the industry here, we will not be able to reach our target.”

On offer for oil-service firms are term contracts to assist KOC in the application of new drilling technologies, the provision of rigs, geo-sciences and sub-surface know-how, compressors and submersible pumps, and trained and experienced manpower.

CanWest News Service