PDO signs MoU for three major community projects

July 25, 2005

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has announced that it is to finance three social projects as part of 48” pipeline capacity increase project from Saih Rawl to Sur

On Sunday 24th July, at PDO’s Head Office, three Memoranda of Understanding were signed for the projects in Al Kamil & Al Wafi , Bidiyah and another in Al-Qabil.

The Al Kamil &Al Wafi project is for the extension to the health centre there, which includes the provision of a delivery room and ante-natal unit. The agreement for the provision of the extension was signed by the Director-General of Health Services Mohammed al Farsi and the PDO External Affairs & Communications Manager Abdul-Amir al Ajmi.

A second Memorandum was signed by H.E Sheikh Khalifa bin Hilal al Alawi, the Wali of Bidiyah for a project to restore and maintain five falajs in the Bidiyah area.

A third Memorandum was signed for maintenance support in al-Qabil. Some 48 citizens living on the Right of Way of the pipeline will benefit from this project. The Deputy Wali of Al-Qabil, Sheikh Abdullah bin Saad Al-Junaibi, signed the documents.

Mr al Ajmi commented: “PDO has a long and proud record of supporting communities in the areas of our operations. We not only help communities by providing jobs and training and helping local companies to share in the work, but we also invest directly in communities by providing services that will greatly benefit the people there.

“The people in Al Kamil & Al Wafi can look forward to better health service provision and the communities in Bidiya will be able to take advantage of improved water supply.

"PDO remains committed to the communities with which we work.”

Shell EPM appoints Raoul Restucci as Executive Vice President for Middle East, Russia and CIS.

July 09, 2005

Shell has announced the appointment of Raoul Restucci as the Executive Vice President for Middle East, Russia and CIS, of Shell Exploration & Production Middle East (EPM), following the retirement of Ron van den Berg, Executive Vice President for EPM and Shell Country Chairman for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Formerly the Executive Vice President for Shell Exploration & Production for the Americas, Restucci has served Shell in many senior positions. He was appointed as President and CEO of Shell Exploration & Production Company based in Houston in 2001, prior to which he was the Regional Business Director for the South East Asia Region. Restucci's association with the Middle East region began in 1986, when he worked as head of Economics and Planning with Qatar Petroleum and later as Petroleum Engineering Manager at Al Furat Petroleum Company in Syria.

"This is an exciting time to work in the EPM region as a number of projects in different countries are progressing well, and new opportunities are springing up," said Restucci. "The region forms a key element in Shell's strategy for Exploration and Production. We have seen a huge potential in countries like Egypt, Syria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Libya and Kazakhstan, to name a few. Delivering high quality service and seizing the growing opportunities will drive our strategy for the region."

Interestingly, Restucci started his career in Shell International in 1980, following his graduation from Nottingham University in the UK with a degree in mining engineering. After working in The Hague in production technology, he held several positions in Brunei in the areas of well-site operations, production engineering and economics, before moving to Qatar Petroleum where he worked till 1991. Prior to his stint in Syria, Restucci returned to The Hague to assume responsibility for EP liaison in the South American Directorate for Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.

Restucci and his wife, Kim, who have three children, have now made Dubai their home, since assuming his new post on May 15, 2005.