Petroleum Development Oman has inaugurated the region's first integrated virtual oilfield 
operations facility. The facility, known as the Fahud Collaboration Centre uses state of the art IT technology to create a computer-controlled environment in which petroleum and well engineers, process engineers and operations staff from both the interior and the coast can work on the same field at the same time in different locations.

The Fahud Collaboration Centre consists of several specially equipped rooms at PDO's production facilities at Fahud and at its headquarters in Mina Al Fahal. Typically, up to two dozen people both in the interior and on the coast are involved in the FCC at any one time.

Mr Saif Al Hinai Oil North Director said that “The Fahud Collaboration Centre is a major centerpiece of our 'smart fields' technology program.” He added that “It allows us to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the increasing availability of real time data to take quick decisions to optimise long and short term field performance.”

Engineering and Operations Director Suleiman Al Tobi said that "Throughout PDO's operations we are seizing the opportunities offered by new technology to make our operations 'smarter.”

(Sourced from MENAFN - Khaleej Times)