Oman’s oil well fire begins to see improvement
Petroleum Development Oman reported on Monday, August 27, that for the first time there has been a breakthrough in extinguishing the fire in an oil well that broke out almost than three weeks ago on August 7.
According to AFP news agency, firefighters managed to “cut away the blow-out preventer from the top of the well head, which is the first stage in the removal of the damaged well head prior to cutting and killing the well.”
Expert firefighters from Houston-based Will Well Control arrived at the scene shortly after the fire broke out and have since been tried to control the blaze.
The fire burst out following a leak in the oil well situated 120 kilometers northwest of Haima, in central Oman. The leak occurred when MB Petroleum was carrying out well-pulling hoist operations for PDO on a new well, yet the cause of the blaze still remains unknown.
Petroleum Development Oman is the country’s largest oil company which produces almost 90 percent of Oman’s total oil output. The government owns 60 percent of the company, Royal Dutch Shell holds a 34 percent stake, Total Fina Elf four percent, and the remaining two percent is held by Partex.
Oman is a non-OPEC member whose total crude production stands at approximately 930,000 barrels of oil per day. — (Mena Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
