• FIRST WORD
  ...from Aman Amanpour,President,Shell Chemicals Arabia LLC..



• COVER STORY-SAUDI ARABIA SRAK's FIRST WELL,AN EXCUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SAUDI ARAMCO'S KHALID AL FALIH
  Khalid Al-Falih is Senior Vice President for Industrial Relations and a Member of the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco. He is also Chairman of the South Rub Al-Khali Company Limited (SRAK), a joint venture between Shell, Saudi Aramco and Total. He talks to ‘Shell in the Middle East’ about his background and his career path which led him to the work he does today…



• THE DRILLING BEGINS IN THE RUB AL-KHALI
  The South Rub Al-Khali Company Limited (SRAK), a joint venture between Shell (40 per cent), and Saudi Aramco and Total (each with 30 per cent), was awarded exploration rights for gas and associated liquids in two Contract Areas, totalling 210,000 square kilometres, in November 2003 in the southern part of Saudi Arabia's famous Empty Quarter. Drilling began on 9th July of this year, and ‘Shell in the Middle East’ went deep into the Rub Al-Khali to visit the rig and report on the progress which is being made in this tough environment both above and below the ground...



• TRACKING THE PROGRESS OF OMAN’S NEW TRAIN
  In December 2005 Oman’s third LNG train, owned by Qalhat LNG, went into production. Built alongside Oman LNG’s two existing LNG production trains, Qalhat LNG’s train was built using Shell technology and has a nameplate capacity of 3.3 million tonnes per annum of LNG. The Qalhat LNG train now forms part of the three-train complex which is operated by Oman LNG, a company in which Shell holds a 30 per cent shareholding. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ talks to Harib Al Kitani, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qalhat LNG...



• PREPARING FOR TAKE-OFF
  Business for Shell Aviation in Oman has grown considerably over the last two years, reflecting the growing economic development which is taking place throughout all sectors of the Sultanate and supported by the development of Oman’s tourist industry. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ talks to Redha Al-Lawati, Aviation Manager for Shell Oman Marketing…



• OPERATION WESTERN DESERT
  Shell’s exploration activities for oil and gas in Egypt’s Western Desert are in full swing, in both Shell Egypt’s more mature licensed development areas and in two new concessions, the West Sitra and North East Abu Gharadig concessions. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ travels deep into the desert to visit three of Shell Egypt’s new well sites and Shell’s joint venture partner BAPETCO’s Obaiyed and Badr El-Din gas processing facilities to talk to the people on the ground...



• CO2 - FROM TREAT TO VALUABLE ASSET
  Shell is working with partners to develop projects in the region to capture and sequester CO2 emissions from its many oil and power production facilities, so reducing emissions to the atmosphere. It is also hoped that this will lead to the development of an integrated regional project which will capture CO2 from power plant emissions and reuse it to improve production in the region’s oil fields. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ finds out more...



• LAYING DOWN THE TOUGHEST STANDARDS IN THE SIRTE BASIN
  To ensure that the seismic operations in Shell’s concession areas in Libya’s Sirte Basin are being carried out to the highest standards, Shell Libya has Quality Control representatives working alongside its contractors during operations. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ travelled to Libya, to BGP base camp 8624, to meet four of these representatives, the mine and ordnance clearing contractor and the man in charge of heading up the HSE Audit...



• JUST THE PLACE FOR A FINE NIGHT'S SLEEP
  3 Stars Foam Factory is the largest manufacturer of mattresses in the UAE - and the second largest in the GCC .The company also makes polyurethane foam using Shell polyol. ‘Shell in the Middle East’ talks to Ali Ahmad, the company’s GM, about the business of providing a good night’s sleep...



• MIDDLE EAST NEWS
  News highlights from around the region....
  
  
• SHELL WORLD NEWS
  From around the world of Shell...



• MIDDLE EAST DIRECTORY OF SHELL COMPANIES AND JOINT VENTURES



• SHELL PEOPLE
  Magda Nour El Din is Head of Geological Services at Shell Egypt. She talks to ‘Shell in the Middle East’ about her roots and her career...