The El Bunduq oilfield is one of the industry's more unusual production sites and its usefulness extends beyond simply being a source of crude.
Situated on the maritime border of Abu Dhabi and Qatar, the field is an example of successful cooperation in the Arabian Gulf that precedes the GCC.
"One of our roles is to connect the oil industries, Adnoc [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] and Qatar Petroleum, and they use Bunduq as a tool to communicate," said Yuji Shiozawa, the general manager at the Bunduq Oil Production Company. The field's platforms have been pumping oil since 1975 with the proceeds split evenly between its joint owners.
"Sometimes they say, 'You are our embassy here,'" added Ahmed Al Jabbar, a Qatari working as the administration manager at Bunduq at the company's Abu Dhabi office.
The firm is dominated by three Japanese oil companies - Cosmo Oil, JX Nippon and Mitsui - with BP holding a 3 per cent minority stake. Unusually for oil production in the emirate, Adnoc does not hold a stake in the concession. It is only involved in facilitating the export of the crude, estimated at 16,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2009, from its offshore hub on Das Island, to where the oil is transferred by pipeline.
Japanese companies are well represented in Abu Dhabi's offshore sector with Inpex holding a stake in the main offshore concessions via its subsidiary Jodco.
The Japanese are also familiar with the challenges posed by offshore production and maturing fields in particular.
El Bunduq is a case in point. Crude production has declined from an estimated peak of 50,000 bpd and the field is now emitting more water than oil.
The reservoir's gas, which is rich in sulphur and dangerous to handle, is reinjected into the field alongside water to maintain wellhead pressure. But as production drops, further enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods are needed and are currently being evaluated.
El Bunduq offers Abu Dhabi a test-bed for EOR techniques that can be applied to larger fields.
"People think the Gulf area is easy to exploit but that is not true," said Mr Shiozawa.
fneuhof@thenational.ae
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.