Al Shaheen

Location and Overview

The Al Shaheen Oil Field is located off the northeast coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, approximately 80-180 kilometers north of Doha.

• It is situated in Block 5 of the Qatar peninsula and is one of the world's biggest and most complex oil fields.

History and Discovery

• The oil field was formally discovered in 1992 by Maersk Oil, although an earlier well, North West Deep-2, drilled by Shell in 1974, had briefly encountered the Shaheen reservoir.
• Appraisal wells were drilled in 1994 using horizontal drilling techniques, and regular oil production began the same year.

Operations and Ownership

• Until July 2017, the field was operated by Maersk Oil Qatar AS under a production sharing agreement with QatarEnergy. In June 2016, QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies established North Oil Company (NOC), which took over the field's operations on July 14, 2017. NOC is a joint venture with QatarEnergy holding 70% and TotalEnergies holding 30%.

Production and Reserves

• The Al Shaheen oil field currently produces over 300,000 barrels of oil per day, which accounts for approximately 45% of Qatar's total oil production. The field produces around 100 million barrels of oil annually.
• The field has proven oil reserves of more than 15 billion barrels.

Infrastructure and Facilities

• The field comprises 33 platforms and more than 300 production and water injection wells. It is connected by 20 pipelines, including multi-phase, water injection, produced water, and gas pipelines.
• The field uses advanced technology, including horizontal well drilling and extended-reach drilling (ERD). Notably, the ERD well BD-04A set a record for the longest borehole in 2008.
• Production facilities include subsea export pipelines, single-point mooring loading buoys, new process facilities, and STAR-type wellhead platforms. The crude is stored in two of the world’s largest double-hulled floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessels, FSO Asia and FSO Africa.

Development Phases and Projects

• Early Developments: By 1996, 50 wells had been drilled, and three facilities were established. Further expansions in 2001 and 2004 increased the number of wells and facilities, with production reaching 200,000 barrels per day by 2004.
• Gallaf Project: Launched in November 2018, this project is being developed in three phases. Phase one was completed in November 2020, and it includes the installation of new wellhead platforms (WHPs) and other infrastructure. The project involves contractors such as Heerema, Ampelmann, PTSC Mechanical and Construction, and Sembcorp.
• Project Ru’ya: Announced in 2024, this is the third phase of Al Shaheen’s development since NOC took over. It involves $6 billion in EPC contracts to increase production by about 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The project aims to develop more than 550 million barrels of oil over a period of five years, with first oil expected in 2027.

Geology

• The oil and gas producing formations are the Kharaib, Shuaiba, and Nahr Umr Formations (Early Cretaceous). The field is characterized by low permeability, limited thickness, and geological complexity.

Associated Gas Production

• The Al Shaheen field also produces associated gas, estimated at about 6.2 million cubic meters per day. The gas is either exported through the North Field Alpha facilities, consumed on-site for power and heat generation, or flared.

Contractors and Technology

• Several contractors have been involved in the development and maintenance of the field, including Siemens, CiTECH, Ramboll, Heerema, Ampelmann, PTSC Mechanical and Construction, and Sembcorp. Advanced technologies such as 2D and 3D seismic data acquisition, horizontal well drilling, and power and automation systems from ABB have been utilized.

Records and Achievements

• The field has set several records, including the longest drilling well record at 30,055 feet and the fastest 24-hour drilling record at 7,501 feet. The ERD well BD-04A set a world record for the longest borehole in 2008.

Sustainability and Future Plans

• North Oil Company has been focusing on sustainable development, including the implementation of a GHG Reduction Strategy and the initiation of a Digital Twin program to optimize integrated production and offshore activities.
• Future plans include continued expansion under Project Ru’ya and other development phases to maintain and increase production capacity.