Summer 2009

A periodical of Saudi Aramco

Travel Dimensi ns

A t the picturesque fishing village of al-Qurm in north Muscat, Oman, it would appear, from this photo, that over-
fishing is likely a major problem, with a large number of boats casting their nets and lures into a very small pond.
However, appearances can be deceiving. In fact, this photograph, shot in the mid-afternoon light by Saudi Aramco
consulting engineer Graham R. Lobley was taken at low tide. In early evening, the fishermen went out to
sea after the water level rose, Lobley explained. He shot the picture
while relaxing at a clifftop hotel that offered panoramic views of the >> Submit unique or visually arresting
travel photos to Dimensions magazine
city, the mountains beyond and a mangrove creek network that has as high-resolution digital images (at
been designated as a national park. He used a Canon 400D camera least 300 dots per inch). E-mail images
less than 9 megabytes to richard.
with a wide-angle lens, in both JPEG and RAW formats. ■ snedeker@aramco.com.
 Summer 2009

2 Twin of Aramco’s first plane takes off

Weather has always been a Saudi Aramco
concern, such as in 1947-48 when two company
vehicles got stuck in rain-caused mud on the
Dhahran-Ras Tanura road (above). See story
and photos starting on Page 20.
12 Geologists are No. 1: These specialists really rock
20 Weather: Making peace with Mother Nature
30 News Dimensions: Al-Falih urges common sense
Inside Back Cover The Way We Were: Water is life
Back Cover Scrapbook: Joy of candy

Inside
Back
2 12 20 30 Cover

Back
Cover About the cover: As an enormous wall of dust approached Saudi Aramco’s ‘Udhailiyah community in Saudi Arabia’s
Eastern Province on March 10 this year, company engineer Doug Horn and his wife, Daphne Hope, rushed with their
camera equipment to a good vantage point to photograph the phenomenon. Horn, who works in Exploration and
Producing, said the looming dust storm reminded him of a giant sand-storm in the movie “Return of the Mummy.”
Horn said it took 38 minutes for the “swirling cloud of sand” to engulf the entire community. Because unexpected
weather events can wreak havoc on Saudi Aramco operations and pose hazards to people, the company closely
tracks the weather and actively plans for emergency response.

About the back cover: Any time a child finds candy is a moment of joy and wonder. Saudi Aramco employee
Atheer Al-Sadah snapped a charming photograph of his niece in just such a moment, and the effect is wondrous.

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, also known as Saudi Aramco Dimensions is published periodically Design:
Saudi Aramco, was established by Royal Decree for the affiliates, customers and employees of the Herring Design, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
in November 1988 to succeed the original U.S. Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). Printing:
concessionary company, Aramco. The Aramco Sarawat Designers and Printers, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia
concession dates back to 1933. Khalid A. Al-Falih
President and Chief Executive Officer All editorial correspondence should be addressed to:
Beginning in 1973, under terms of an agreement The Editor, Saudi Aramco Dimensions
Khaled A. Al-Buraik
with the four Aramco shareholders, the Saudi Public Relations Department,
Vice President, Saudi Aramco Affairs
Government began acquiring an ownership Saudi Aramco Box 5000
Emad M. Al-Dughaither Dhahran 31311
interest. By 1980, with retroactive financial effect
Manager (A), Public Relations Department Saudi Arabia
to 1976, the Government’s beneficial interest
in Aramco increased to 100 percent when it paid Editor: ISSN 1319-0520
for substantially all of Aramco’s assets. Rick Snedeker Copyright © 2009 Aramco Services Company
SUMMER 2009
Contributing to this issue:
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Council for Petroleum and
Graham R. Lobley, Margot Rawlings, Atheer Al-Sadah, Printed on recycled paper
Mineral Affairs determines policies and oversees
Larry Siegel, Douglas J. Horn, Mark Kennedy and www.saudiaramco.com
operations of the Kingdom’s oil and gas industries.
Rick Snedeker
Saudi Aramco’s Board of Directors is chaired by
HE Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and
Mineral Resources.
 Last
The
Fairchild
Twin of historic
Aramco plane flies
into wild blue yonder
BY MARK KENNEDY

DHAHRAN — I called the number I

had for the United States, and a
woman answered the phone. I told
her I was trying to reach Jack Ady.
“He’s my husband. May I ask
who’s calling?”
“This is Mark Kennedy with
Saudi Aramco Public Relations
Department. I’m calling from
Saudi Arabia.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Saudi Arabia … Goodness gracious,” she
said. “Let me get him. He’s just in the other room.”
I heard the phone being jostled. Soon it was picked
up and a soft, gravelly voice came through the earpiece.
“Hello, this is Jack.”
I explained who I was and that I had heard he was
selling a 1929 Fairchild 71 airplane. I asked if he still
rvey Field had the plane.
Alice Ady at Ha
At left: Jack and Sn ohomish,
their home in “Yeah, I still have it. It’s been sitting in my barn
airfield next to d States .
the Un ite
Washington, in 19 29 Fairchild 71. for almost twenty years. I took it out for the first
ck Ad y’s
Above inset: Ja

Summer 2009 3
 At left: The Fairchild’s
crew in 1935, from left,
Joe Mountain, pilot;
Dick Kerr, navigator/
geologist; and Russ
Gerow, camera and
mechanic. Mountain and
Gerow arrived in the fall
of 1934, at the start of
the second field season.
This photo was shot by
famed geologist Max
Steineke. Kerr later
become a full-time
Aramco employee.

Fairchild 71 Spec
ifications
GENER
Type: 5-8 seat A L
Manufacturer: utility aircraft
Fairchild Aircra
Farmingdale,
Long Island, N ft Co.,
United States ew York,
Date: 1929
time in I don’t know how long and cleaned it up a bit for Number Built:
Cost: $18,90 90
0.00 (S
the picture you may have seen in the advertisement.” price of $6,500 ocal paid a liquidation
plus accessor
It was January, 2008. The weather in Dhahran was a ies)
little cool, but beautiful. I knew it was near freezing and P OW E R P L A N
Pratt & Whitn T
wet where Jack Ady lived in Snohomish, Washington, ey Wasp 420-
horsepower,
9-cylinder, air-c
because I used to live not far from there. I would learn ooled radial en
gine
later that Jack and his wife lived in a farm house on the
DIMENSIONS
edge of Harvey Field, the local airstrip, which suited Length: 33 fe
et, 2 inches
Jack’s passion for flying. I could picture Jack and his Height: 9 feet
, 6 inches
wife all snug and warm in their house while rain Wingspan: 50
feet
slashed against the windows.
WEIGHTS AND
I had been given the assignment of locating an exist- C A PA C I T I E S
Empty Weight:
2,732 pounds
ing Fairchild 71 like the one the company had special- Useful Load:
2,768 pounds
ly built and shipped to Egypt and then flown to Saudi Maximum
Arabia in 1934. The plane — the company’s first — Gross Weight:
5,500 pounds
was a critical tool for conducting aerial surveys of the Fuel Capacity
: 148 gallons
Oil Capacity:
newly acquired concession area during the 1934-35 12 gallons
field season.
PERFORMANC
E
Seventy-five years later, in 2008, only four 1929 Maximum Spee
d: 134 mph
Fairchild 71s were still registered with the Federal Cruise Speed:
108 mph
Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S. Of those Landing Spee
d: 55 mph
Rate of Climb:
four, only one was owned by a private individual — 875 fpm at se
Service Ceiling a level
and I had him on the phone. Better yet, the plane Cruising Radi : 15,000 feet
us (the maxim
was still for sale. aircraft can tr um distance th
avel away from at an
“Jack, do you mind if I ask you a few questions point of origin and back to its
without refuel
ing): 325 mile
about your airplane?” s

4 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

Above: The Fairchild is
transported by boat, date and destination
unknown. Above right: Dammam Well No. 1
stands sentinel in the desert. Right: From left,
Charles Rocheville and Robert P. “Bert” Miller
pose in front of the Fairchild, “their pet and
darling,” 1934.

The beginning
There was one in my building, in fact, and the times I

I
walked by it I couldn’t help slowing as my eyes lingered
n 2008, Saudi Aramco celebrated the
on the black-and-white image for a moment before passing
75th anniversary of the signing of the historic con-
on. The photos tug at you. So I understood the desire to
cession agreement between Standard Oil Company
bring it back somehow. And now that I was actively
of California (Socal) and the Saudi Arabian government.
searching for its twin, I wanted to know more about
The signing of that agreement launched the formation of
the Fairchild 71.
the company and the discovery of massive crude oil
reserves previously unimaginable.
There were many ideas about how to mark the anniver-
sary of the concession signing. One thought that emerged
Chasing a mirage

from brainstorming sessions was to purchase an existing
1929 Fairchild 71 and completely restore it, providing the
company with an exact replica of the original that could
be put on display. It was my job to see if I could find one
that wasn’t already part of a museum collection elsewhere.
Walk down the corridors of any Saudi Aramco office
building and you are bound to encounter a framed photo
of the company’s Fairchild 71 hanging on one of the walls.
I
n a darkened editing room at the Saudi Aramco
Media Production Unit, Sean Reid, a company film
director and script writer, queued up the video he
was working on. He entered a few keystrokes on the com-
puter and the large Sony monitor lit up with 70 year-old
grainy, slightly staccato, black-and-white images of the
Saudi Arabian desert and the original Fairchild 71.

Summer 2009 5
 Left: Camels were used to
transport supplies to
remote field camps.
When the Fairchild
arrived, below, it often
did double duty trans-
porting men and sup-
plies in and out of the
desert locations.

The film seemed from another time

entirely, helped by the subtle, whirring clack-clack-clack-
clack sound of a reel-to-reel film projector that Sean had
added to the soundtrack.
Sean was creating a series of historical videos that
included archival footage of the Fairchild 71. As a pilot
himself, Sean had a personal appreciation for these old
bits of film. We sat and watched what he had assembled.
It was great stuff, giving the viewer a few tantalizing
glimpses into a time just far enough into the past that it
still seemed familiar, yet completely removed from
our own.
Making the scenes particularly haunting was that they Inspired by the film, I visited the company’s
contained glimpses not only of the Fairchild but the leg- Photography Unit, where I asked to see all the pictures of
endary men who flew it. There, on the screen, were Dick the plane in the collection of historic still photos. Shots of
Kerr, Joe Mountain and Russ Gerow, young men in their its fragile structure pitched against a backdrop of open,
30s who flew and maintained the plane and took several dune-covered desert, tend to evoke a visceral sentimentali-
thousand photographs from its special window, as they ty, a certain wistfulness for those early days of discovery.
“walked” the plane out of a makeshift hangar in Jubail But there were surprisingly few photos. When I asked if
and prepared it for take-off. In another scene, the plane there were any more, I was told that they had given me
made a landing at the field camp of geologists Schuyler B. everything they had. I looked at the dates of the photos.
“Krug” Henry and Arthur Brown, who, playing to the They were all from 1934 and 1935. After 1935, the pho-
camera, boyishly wrestled each other into the sand. tographic record abruptly stops; there are no more pic-
This footage offered a rare look at the plane and the tures of the Fairchild.
people as they were in 1935, so young and vital and ready Hmmm.
for adventure, which only increased the sense of the I checked the company archives. There are documents
inescapable void of time and space, and the knowledge relating to the purchase of the plane. There are documents
that they are now forever beyond our reach. requesting and receiving government approval to use the

6 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

 Above: This 1935 photo of
the Fairchild and a Saudi
man performing sunset
prayers in the desert near
El-Hafar was used as the
basis for the illustrated
cover, right, of the Standard
Oil Bulletin, published in
September 1936 (Image copy-
righted by Chevron Corp. and
used with permission.). This edi-
tion of the Bulletin carried an
article on Standard Oil Co.’s Saudi
Arabian oil exploration efforts.

plane for company busi-

ness in the concession
area. There are several
extensions of those
approvals. But there are
no documents concerning
the boxy, modestly
appointed plane’s final dis-
position. Regarding what
ultimately became of the Arabia was sped forward exponentially by
Fairchild, the archives are the use of that little workhorse of a plane. The specially
eerily silent. modified aircraft and its pilots, Kerr and Mountain,
It seemed odd that a company asset like the Fairchild were once central characters in the cast of early Aramco
would, after 1935, just vanish from the record. I found it pioneers that included other names that reach out from
strange because for a brief but crucial period between the dust of Saudi Aramco history, names that possess a
1934 and 1935, the search for oil in the Kingdom of Saudi timeless, almost mythic quality, such as: Max Steineke,

Summer 2009 7
Bert Miller, Krug Henry, Khamis bin Rimthan, J.W. “Soak”
Hoover and Tom Barger. “… their pet and darling …”
These were the right men at the right place at the right

I
time with the right stuff. They presided over pivotal moments
n his book Discovery!, about the early days of
that helped propel the Kingdom into prosperity, modernity
Aramco, Wallace Stegner wrote that, by 1935,
and global influence. And without the Fairchild 71, it would
“Some of the fun had gone. The Fairchild, once their
have taken many more years to decipher the geology of
pet and darling, was folded up and stuffed in a shed, no
the Eastern Province.
longer needed. Its motor, packed in a crate labeled A-1,
I spent a few more months looking into the matter. I
was shipped off to the United States for rebuilding, the
got in touch with the archivist at Chevron, who now
first thing ever exported from the al-Khobar pier.”
manages the old records of the California Arabian
This is confirmed in a company letter from Lloyd
Standard Oil Co. (Casoc), Aramco’s second incarnation.
Hamilton to Bill Lenahan, dated Nov. 23, 1935. It states,
Nothing. I even contacted Nestor John Sander in the
“I have just learned in a recent conference in San
United States. Sander, who at 94 is the oldest living for-
Francisco it was decided on account of the already
mer company employee, actually knew and worked with
advanced geological field season not to send a pilot to
Dick Kerr. Though still incredibly lucid, he had no knowl-
Saudi Arabia at the present time. There is a probability,
edge of what happened to the plane. Trying to find out
however, that the plane will be used during the season of
what happened to the company’s Fairchild was beginning
1936/37. Meanwhile the plane is to be stored in a hangar
to feel a bit like chasing a mirage.
to reduce deterioration to a minimum.”
But the Fairchild was never used again. And its fate
after 1935 is shrouded in mystery. Speculation about its
final days in the company’s service ranges from deteriora-
tion in a Casoc reclamation yard to a few more
years of service for another company some-
where in Sudan. It seems certain that the plane

Left: Russ Gerow prepares to pull the Fairchild out

of its hangar in Jubail. Below right: Improvising in
the field, a truck bed is used as a tool box and a
step ladder, providing Gerow access to the Fairchild’s
motor for a bit of servicing. Below left: Gerow’s U.S.
mechanic’s licence in 1938.

8 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

 Simple plane, lution
high-tech so
T oday, Saudi
Aramco uses high-
ly sophisticated
technology to explore for petroleum, manage reser-
voirs, operate facilities and execute projects of colos-
NC13902, serial number 801,
emerged from the factory into the eager
hands of Kerr and Rocheville. They had just enough
time to take it up for a quick test flight before the
real adventure began.
sal proportions. In 1934 and 1935, the Fairchild 71 Though it was a good plane, only 90 Fairchild 71s
was a high-tech solution to the massive challenge of were manufactured, making it rare enough that, today,
the day – photographing, surveying and exploring a just finding one to potentially purchase for the compa-
concession area covering 320,000 square miles. ny proved quite difficult. Of course, being rare is what
The Concession Agreement was signed on May makes the remaining
29, 1933. Article 3 of the subsequent Letter
Agreement, was ultimately modified to allow the
use of a plane for aerial reconnaissance of the
concession area. By September, Socal had
entered into a contract with Continental Air Map
Co. to perform the work. The contract covered
the period from March 1934 to June 1935.
Dick Kerr, the Continental Air Map Co.’s
general manager and representative to lead the
team in Saudi Arabia, chose
to purchase a 1929 Fairchild
71 for several reasons: it
was small and light; it was
reliable; its wings folded
back on top of the fuse-
lage, making it easy to
store and transport; it was
designed with aerial pho-
tography in mind by the
same person who invent- Above: The impressive Fairchild K-4 aeri-
al camera. Left: Several thousand photos
ed the Fairchild K-4 aeri-
were taken from the Fairchild, whose
al camera that was shadow crosses the desert floor in this
used in conjunction with image shot from
the plane. the plane.
Kerr had a pretty good idea of what
the job would require. He and his original co-pilot and
mechanic, Charles Rocheville, requested a few modifi- Fairchild 71s so special to collectors of antique
cations to the plane’s original specs: special 24- by aircraft. But even back in 1934, there was the sense
18-inch balloon tires (inflated to 16 pounds per that the company’s Fairchild 71 was special. It was
square inch) for operating in deep sand; a larger fuel just a simple plane, but it was more than that, too.
tank that added an additional 175 miles to its cruis- It represented unlimited possibility.
ing radius for a max of 500 (but reduced seating from And for those of us who today belong to the enter-
8 to 4); and a hatch in the floor of the fuselage for prise that is Saudi Aramco, we can see photographs
taking vertical photographs, plus removable side win- of the Fairchild 71 and be reminded of a time when
dows from which oblique photos could be taken. one person could make a difference, of a time when
The plane was built at Fairchild’s Kreider-Reisner there was still a sense of mystery and anticipation
Aircraft Division at Hagerstown, Maryland. And on about what the land might reveal — which, after all
Feb. 5, 1934, a dark blue and orange 1929 Fairchild these years, is still the reason we get up and go
71 with U.S. Department of Commerce number to work.
 Value and meaning
Above: Jack used his
Fairchild as a skydiving for generations
plane for a year before
he and Alice began

restoring it. was transported to Dhahran
when the company’s geological
operations were moved there from Jubail. But for all any-
one really knows, it could still be parked in its makeshift
hangar in Jubail.
What I ultimately discovered is that today nothing
remains of the Fairchild 71 except a handful of written
references, some photos and about five minutes of
archival footage. But what does remain is a strong sense
of nostalgia for that antique plane and the bygone era of
Aramco’s golden age of exploration.
I
spoke with Jack Ady several times about his
Fairchild. And although I could tell it was hard for
him to talk about selling his plane, Jack was a good
sport and answered all of my questions with humor and
enthusiasm. He felt good about the possibility that his
plane might be purchased and restored by a company for
which it would have value and meaning for generations
to come.
Jack told me that in his younger days, he was a pilot
and a sky diver. In 1964, he won the national sky diving

10 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

 Left: Jack and Alice Ady ultimately sold their beloved The editor of this publication agreed, and I got the green
Fairchild 71 to an aircraft museum owner in Port Townsend,
light to write a story and contact Jack to see if he had any
Washington. But they still enjoy the company of fellow
pilots at Harvey Field. Below: Jack and Alice’s Fairchild photos of the plane possibly gathering dust in his attic.
after they completed the restoration work. When I reached Jack by phone, he sounded uncharacteristi-
cally subdued.
“Yeah, I got some pictures,” he said. “But I don’t have
championships, and he did it jumping out of a 1929 the Fairchild anymore.”
Fairchild 71. That was the day he fell in love with “You don’t?”
that particular Fairchild. In 1973, the plane came up “Nope. I had to sell it.”
for sale and Jack had to have it. So, he scraped “Jack, you don’t sound too good,” I said. “Are you
together the money and bought it. doing okay?”
Jack continued to use the Fairchild as a skydiving “Well, I don’t know if I told you but I got the diabetes
plane and operated a little skydiving business with it pretty bad. I always thought it would go to my feet or
out of Harvey Field next to his house. A year later, he something, because of, you know, the circulation problems
quit the business, and he and his wife, Alice, set about associated with it. But it went to my heart instead. I had
restoring the plane to the best of their ability. Jack flew some complications a
the plane for his own while back and I lost
personal enjoy- function in one-half
ment until age got of my heart.”
the best of him “Wow, Jack. I’m
and he packed it sorry to hear that.”
away in his barn. “Oh, it’s all
As Saudi right,” he said.
Aramco’s 75th “But,when that
Anniversary plan- happened I got to
ning progressed, it thinking that if
eventually was decided something bad
to mark the milestone were to happen I
in other ways, includ- couldn’t leave my
ing a Grand Celebration wife with all the bills
event in May 2008. we got. And I realized we
That event was made needed to buy our cemetery plots and make all those kinds
even more memorable by the of arrangements. Well, there was this guy who’d had his eye
presence of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King on my plane for a while, and he talked me into letting it go
Abdullah ibn ’Abd al-’Aziz Al Saud, whose visit reprised a for sixty thousand dollars.”
historic 1939 visit to the Eastern Province by his father, I remembered that Jack had originally had a higher ask-
King ’Abd al-Aziz. ing price, so I asked him about that.
“Well, with this whole economic crisis, times are tough
around here. I felt lucky to get the sixty thousand. You
Quite a sight know what surprised me, though?”
“What’s that?”

O
n Jan. 1, a new year began. The company’s
75th anniversary had successfully come and
gone. But I still thought about Jack and his
Fairchild 71. And I still thought about the mystery of the
company’s Fairchild. It occurred to me that, whatever the
fate of Jack Ady’s rare plane, how we managed to find the
last available Fairchild would still make a good story.
“The plane was in good enough shape that the guy
actually flew it out of here. It was quite a sight.” Jack
paused. “You know, in all the years I had it, I was always
the one to fly it. So that was the first time in 35 years that
I saw it in the air.” I imagined him shaking his head slowly
as he said again, “Yep. Quite a sight.” ■

Summer 2009 11
Geology’s role in Saudi Aramco’s
75+ years of success
O
il is a near-magical resource — and geoscientists are
the professionals who point to where the genie in the
petroleum bottle is likely buried under eons of rock.
Once the genie is coaxed out of its bottle, it offers far
more than three wishes. Besides serving as the basis for
gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, naphtha and petrochemicals, a
wide assortment of other products derive from petroleum,
including fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, plastics, synthetic
rubbers and hundreds more basic building blocks of
consumer goods.
And Saudi Aramco is always searching for more.
Recently, the company’s Research and Development
Center (R&DC) held an “Idea Factory” and asked
12 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
scientists to consider nontraditional uses for hydrocar-
bons, and they came up with a wealth of ideas — from
developing carbon fibers to chemical compounds for medi-
cines. Indeed, because of oil’s exceedingly variable nature,
Saudi Aramco’s hydrocarbon future appears very bright
and continues to evolve.
The foundation for this future is composed of technolo-
gies and processes that Saudi Aramco has developed over a
period of 75 years to make the most effective use of hydro-
carbons. Oil rigs on land and sea, vast pipelines, impressive
gas-oil separation plants (GOSPs), glittering refineries and
majestic tankers are all tangible examples of how we
produce, process and transport hydrocarbon products.
But the hydrocarbon business never stands still.
Cutting-edge technology is the prime mover in this
business, and Saudi Aramco is a leader. One can’t stand

in front of the OSPAS (Oil Supply Planning and
Scheduling) Department’s enormous video wall and
not feel a sense of awe at how this operation
manages Saudi Aramco’s business. Similarly,
Saudi Aramco research and development
continue to make impressive leaps with
nanotechnology, carbon management and even
biotechnology.
But there would be none of these operations — or
Saudi Aramco, for that matter — if intrepid rock
hunters hadn’t used their skill and experience to
find likely places to drill for black gold. These
hunters, known originally as geologists, are
among the first heroes in Saudi Arabia’s discov-
ery of this rich resource that would have a pro-
found effect on the progress and prosperity of the
entire world. These individuals’ dedication and pow-
erful understanding of geological formations made it
At left: Vertical spires
reach skyward in a com-
plex rock formation near
Madain Salih in western
Saudi Arabia. At right: Birds
rest on an offshore rock outcrop
in the Red Sea along the Kingdom's
western shoreline.
By Larry Siegel
possible for Saudi Aramco to discover and manage the
world’s largest reserves of oil.
And that story continues and will continue for
decades to come. Just a point to make for the
skeptics who believe the world is running out
of oil.
Recipe for oil and gas
he actual petroleum and hydrocarbon story
T begins a very long time ago; from as little as
hundred million years ago to more than
400 million years. For oil and gas to be created
is almost a matter of chance. Conditions must
be perfect with just the right combination of
At top is a representation of a drillbit, used to drill well
holes through solid rock. Bottom: A microscopic view of a
reservoir rock, including solid grains and pore spaces, where
petroleum is trapped.
Summer 2009 13
organic matter, combined with the proper type of rock that
will contain the hydrocarbons. And then the temperature
window must be between 80 and 140 degrees centigrade
(176-284 degrees Fahrenheit).
Most fortunately for Saudi Arabia, the country’s primor-
dial landscape eons ago was perfectly designed to collect
vast amounts of organic materials, generally algae,
Geologist, geoscientist, geodesist …
The number of specialists working together to find
hydrocarbons has grown exponentially from the earli-
est days. Here’s a list of key specialties.
• Seismic Acquisition Specialist: Plans, controls
and runs a 2-D or 3-D seismic crew.
• Seismic Processor: Uses mathematics and com-
puters to develop a time-related image of
the subsurface.
• Seismic Interpreter: Analyzes pat-
terns in a seismic image and trans-
lates them into a 3-D model of the
subsurface.
• Potential Field Specialist: Uses
gravity, magnetic and electric fields
to identify subsurface properties.
• Well Log Analyst: Measures and interprets the
physical properties of rocks along the walls of a
borehole.
• Petroleum Geologist: A generalist involved in all
aspects of oil discovery and production.
• Well Site Geologist: Studies rock cuttings from
wells to understand rock formations in order to
provide information on how to best drill the well.
• Driller: In charge of the drilling operations. Must
constantly monitor the operation and be prepared
to counter any problems.
• Application Support and Trainer: Specializes in
exploration software applications and trains others
how to use them.
• Geoscience Software Developer: Produces
software that aids the search for hydrocarbons.
• Surveyor: Determines terrestrial or three-dimen-
sional space position of points, distances and
angles to accurately map areas and position
well locations.
• Cartographer: Reproducers of maps that represent
the Earth on flat surfaces.
14 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
Once geoscientists
locate prospective
areas, derricks such
as this one are
rigged up to drill for
hydrocarbons in the
potential reservoirs.
furnishing every-
thing necessary
for the recipe to
produce oil and
gas. Contrary to
popular belief, the
probability is that the remains of dinosaurs were not
among the ingredients of the oil-and- gas soup.
This harvesting of organic material took place when
Saudi Arabia was in a very different place and, in the
earlier stages, was part of one huge land mass known as
Gondwana. In fact, Saudi Arabia once occupied a place on
this planet where Antarctica is now and eventually
migrated to its current location. All the ingredients
were present: In addition to the massive amounts of
organic material, there were also the perfect geological
structures for the hydrocarbon traps, an impervious
seal and the heat needed to cook it all, capture and pre-
serve it. This is why geologists refer to where the organic
matter cooks for eons as “The Kitchen.”
It turns out that the ancient land that became Saudi
Arabia was a hydrocarbon chef’s dream, with multiple
“kitchens” ideal for slow-cooking carbonate and shale
stew. After many millions of years, the timer went off and
the baked goods were ready. Voila! Hydrocarbons!
Just as a pound cake may take 30 minutes and a turkey
four or more hours, different hydrocarbon source rocks
are also subject to different cooking times and different
cooking temperatures, and geoscientists use the age and
the type of organisms buried in the source rock to get a
good picture of what type of hydrocarbon — oil and/or
gas — may have been generated and trapped. The trick
has always been how to find them.
Hydrocarbons and Saudi Arabia
B
y now, everyone knows the story of the discovery of
petroleum in Saudi Arabia. Those special people called
geologists had discovered oil in Egypt, Iran, Iraq and
Bahrain. In fact, it was by looking across to the Eastern
Province of Saudi Arabia from Bahrain in the early 1930s
that these geologists saw a geological structure very
similar to the one in Bahrain that was being drilled for
 underground pressure cooker “the kitchen” is that they
often tasted and sniffed their way through promising
landscapes. For example, if the dirt was crunchy, that
indicated quartz and the quantity present. By “tasting”
the rock, the geologist could often tell how sandy or sha-
ley it was, important indicators of both reservoir and seal
qualities. Likewise, by “smelling” the rock, the geologist
could often interpret the presence of hydrocarbons.
Everywhere geologists searched, they took precise notes
and made excellent maps of the area, delineating all
the unique rock formations. They collected rock
specimens and fossils. In the end, it was by
understanding how hydrocarbons were formed
and the presence of promising geological fea-
tures that gave the geologist a “best guess”
Saudi Aramco has a long list of former geologist about where to drill. This was, and still is, the
employees who were instrumental in the company's
continuing success. Above: Standard Oil Co. of riskiest part of the operation to find hydrocarbons.
California geologists on a pre-Aramco surveying trip in the Many, many “dry” wells were drilled. But enough
Kingdom in 1934: Felix Dreyfus, H.I. Burchfiel, Robert P. Miller,
producing wells were discovered to make the explo-
R.C. Kerr and Chas Roscheville. At right: Other former
company geologists. ration worthwhile.

petroleum. Known as an anticline, it consists of

arch-shaped layers of rock that jut up from the
The hydrocarbon hunt today
hat a difference three quarters of a century
land — in this case, very near the Arabian Gulf.
This classical structure forms ideal hydrocarbon
traps if it includes porous rocks that could con-
tain the oil. It seemed like a good bet to see if Saudi
W make. Exploration today makes use of a
whole host of experts
(see sidebar on the
different types of
Arabia would be a promising place to drill.
professionals
Of course, it was. It took Max Steinke and his
team tedious, backbreaking months to strike pay-
dirt. They drilled well after well with little suc-
cess until on the seventh try, what looked like
another bust at first, ultimately became
“Prosperity Well” — the foundation of the
vast Saudi oil empire.
Steinke and his fellow geologists at the time
were hardy and adventurous. They faced harsh
obstacles that could be life-threatening. They worked
through blazing heat and blinding sand storms as they
explored nearly uninhabited areas. Their goal was to find
promising oil shows, reservoir rocks and anticlines, that
might indicate the presence of oil thousands of feet
underground.
Maybe one of the reasons geologists called the

At right, Ali I. Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s minister of Petroleum and

Natural Resources and a professional geologist, shown at right
in the 1970s, earned a bachelor-of-science degree in geology
from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, in the United States, and
a master’s in geology from Stanford University, also in America.
Al-Naimi was also Saudi Aramco’s first Saudi president and CEO.
engaged in exploration). Today’s geo-scientists have the
same goals as the earlier geologists and surveyors, which is
the accumulation and assessment of data. However, that’s
where comparisons end. Today, the methods of collecting
data and analyzing it, and the strict process followed, are
light years ahead of the old ways.
There is still a requirement for the thorough under-
standing of how rocks are formed and deformed, but the
amount of information that can be obtained today would
be overwhelming to humans without high-speed comput-
ers and sophisticated programs, which are often developed
in-house in Saudi Aramco. In fact, geo-scientists must deal
with terabytes of data — enormous volumes, in other
A Saudi Aramco employee
views microscopic rocks sam-
ples to gauge porosity, the
amount of space available for
storing oil.
words — to find the nuggets
of information that make for
a successful hunt (See sidebar
on today’s sophisticated
methods of gathering data).
The next step in the hunt
for hydrocarbons is for profes-
sionals from different disci-
plines to share data and
defend opinions. This is a vital
process because, as a portfolio of prospects is developed,
there is a thorough risk assessment, and only prospects with
the highest potential go to the final step, which is drilling.
16 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
The ultimate technical authorities are a highly experi-
enced group known as the SPOT Team (see sidebar, To drill
or not to drill, Page 17). They diligently look at all of the
data and how it was arrived at by other professionals. If
they feel that the information is incomplete or off target,
they ask for more research and assessment to be done. Then
all the relevant information is combined and the potential
for discovery and the risks involved are concluded.
The purpose of this very intense assessment of input is
to lower the number of unprofitable wells. According Ali
Al-Hauwaj, manager of the Area Exploration Department,
today we have a better than 50/100 chance that anytime a
well is drilled, it will find oil or gas. That is a phenomenal
average compared to past efforts, and it even impresses
geoscientists today.
“It is a combination of the expertise of our profession-
als and the fact that Saudi Arabia has enormous,
undiscovered resources.”
The business of exploration
ntil recently, Saudi Aramco explored specific operating
U areas within Saudi Arabia. Today, exploration covers
the entire Kingdom and extends to the Arabian Gulf
and the Red Sea.
According to Al-Hauwaj, “We are at the highest level of
exploration operation ever, covering more territory than ever.”
“It is interesting to note that some of the areas Saudi
Aramco is now exploring are vastly different geologically
from the traditional exploration areas in the Kingdom,”
Above, a microscopic sliver of mineral chlorite, magnified by
an electron microscope, appears as giant layers of material.
Microscopic minerals and fossils give geologists big clues to the
properties of potential oil reservoirs.
Saudi Aramco searches for oil on
land and in the sea. This jack-up rig
can move from place to place in the
Arabian Gulf to drill for oil and gas
in the most promising places.

To drill or not to drill

E xploration’s SPOT (Strategic Planning and Optimization
Team) provides a final level of security for drilling proj-
ects. How does the company decide where to drill for
Enter SPOT. The team consists of five experienced
geo-scientists who each have more than two decades of
worldwide exploration experience. They include team
new oil? Taking into account that each project may cost leaders Martin Dickens, Roger Price, Bill Stone, Marty
more than 10 million dollars and take up to 10 years to be Robinson and Stig-Arne Kristoffersen.
productive, there is a lot of pressure to make the right deci- Their job is to review each interpreter’s recommenda-
sions. That’s one of the reasons why Exploration crunches a tions on where to drill. “This is not a judgmental exercise on
remarkable amount of data from a wide variety of sophisticated any individual’s professional ability,” says Martin. “We are
methods of searching for oil and gas. merely assessing the probability of his or her prospect
Ultimately, turning data into useable information is up successfully discovering a sufficient volume of new
to the various exploration teams that are assigned to dif- hydrocarbons to replace and add hydrocarbons in line
ferent geographical areas in Saudi Arabia. Interpreters on with our business-plan goals. Our objective also is to
these teams find prospective drilling locations and put serve as facilitators dur-
A microscope is a more
together all of their findings and conclusions about the via- useful tool than a traditional
ing the review. We often
bility of the site to test for oil and gas in economic volumes. pickax and sextant in modern make suggestions about
geology. Technology is leading the modifying or gathering
This is then assembled into a well proposal on why that specific
way to the future in hydrocarbon
drilling location should be added to Exploration’s portfolio of prospects. exploration. some additional data in

Summer 2009 17

Exploration goes hi-tech
Early geoscientists relied on a few hand-held tools to
get the job done. Today there is a wide range of high-
tech data acquisition techniques that gather data for
the exploration of hydrocarbons.
• Satellite imagery and air photos for surface
geology mapping.
• Aero magnetic and gravity surveys and/or a surface
magnetic survey with a gravity survey for regional
basin and mega-structure mapping.
• Ship-borne magnetic and gravity surveys for regional
basin and mega structure mapping in the offshore.
• 2D and 3D seismic surveys (the most important tool
for structural and reservoir mapping in the oil indus-
try). There are many types of seismic surveys in
different terrains such as marine, transitional and
land (including deserts, swamps, forests and hills
areas). In land surveys, vibroseis (making
vibrations) is common in Saudi Arabia,
however dynamite is used in other parts
of the world. For a marine environment,
an air-gun serves best. Detailed imaging
requires high-density data.
• 4D seismic (time lapse) survey for
reservoir management and production
optimization.
• Wireline logging for down-hole formation evaluation
is extremely important after exploratory well drilling.
Type of logs: Gamma ray, neutron density, resistivity,
porosity, cement bond, caliper, FMI and pressure, to
name just a few.
• Production test (DST-Drill Stem Test) for hydrocarbon
properties evaluation.
• Conventional cores and sidewall core for analysis
and mineralogy study in core labs. They are subject-
ed to porosity and permeability analysis as well as
searching for fossils for dating and environment.
order to improve the overall probability of success for the prospect.
Remember, our job is to discover new sources of oil and gas, so we
can’t do our job if we reject prospects. We strive to review prospects
with an optimistic eye.”
In fact, the primary job of SPOT is to ensure the company has as
18 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
much verified data as possible before the first well is drilled on a
prospect. “Our job,” says Martin, “is to associate an unbiased level
of risk or probability of success to each prospect. We evaluate the
hydrocarbon system, look at the geological data and put a risk value
to each element of the prospect. We’re looking for both the chance
of success of finding oil or gas and what the reservoir capacity
might be. Because we are not attached to any of the prospect-
generating divisions, we can risk all prospects without any pressure
or bias being involved. Additionally all of the statistical methodology
in risking a prospect is also designed to exclude bias, which is a
very important criterion.”
After the data is reviewed, the prospect is added into
Exploration’s portfolio of prospects that contain both low and high
probability of success. To help them, the team uses an in-house-
developed software system called PAL (Prospects and Leads). PAL
takes each prospect’s data and ranks it in order of probability of
success and expected volumes of hydrocarbons. Computer simula-
tions are performed in PAL for each prospect in order to assign
potential discoverable hydrocarbon volumes, and the team provides
a report for each summarizing the risk elements with recommenda-
tions for management.
The PAL database is also linked to a Drill Scheduler
software developed by SPOT and ECC. This software
enables the drilling schedule portfolio to be planned by
directly accessing the PAL database for decision-mak-
ing. For example, when a current well has to be
replaced by another location, the software updates
expected discovered/risked volumes of oil or gas for that
year on the fly so that the effect of any alteration to the
planned schedule can be seen instantaneously. The Drill
Scheduler application is used for the daily well operations meeting
with senior management.
However, even with all the data, SPOT relies on personal experi-
ence and a broad view of some of the industry’s stark realities. “The
inescapable fact is that the risk is highest during the earliest stages
of exploration”, says Marty. “Therefore, a place like the offshore Red
Sea is high risk by definition since we haven’t begun to drill there
yet, while the risk is lower if we drill in an area that has been histor-
ically productive.”
However, high risk may not be a bad thing. “The prospects with
the highest level of risk may also have some of the largest reserves.
Our objective is to add up all the possibilities and work hard to focus
on the prospects with the highest potential to find reserves for the
company. The probability is that we’ll drill some dry holes in the
beginning, but ultimately we’ll be successful.”
And a big reason for that success is that Saudi Aramco relies on
a combination of its people’s expertise and experience, combined
with the latest tools and a great deal of computing power to sift
through mountains of input.
 The Red Sea: Saudi Aramco’s new frontier
G eologically, the western coastal region of Saudi Arabia, bordering
the Red Sea, is very different from the Eastern Province.
The western region poses unique challenges, including ultra-
deep water (more than 2 kilometers deep in many places), high
temperatures and heat flow in the rocks, undersea volcanoes, newly
created oceanic basalts in some central portions of the Red Sea,
extremely complex geology, a thick salt sequence up to 7,000 feet
thick below the seafloor that acts like a lens which can severely
distort the seismic image, and a unique geologic style (extensional
tectonics). In addition, the Red Sea has more than 180,000 square
km. of area with almost no well control for the exploration team to
calibrate their interpretations.
The Red Sea Exploration Team was formed in 2006 and has
currently acquired over 22,000 km. of 2-D seismic data in the Red
Sea. The team has also acquired almost 200,000 sq. km. of airborne
Below left: A Saudi Aramco vessel plies the waters of the Red
Sea, where the company is exploring for new undersea hydro-
carbon deposits. Below right: Toothy barracuda in the Red Sea,
which is rich with sea life
Al-Hauwaj said. “In fact, exploring the Red Sea is just like
going to another country. It is a vastly different area for us
(see sidebar on Red Sea exploration).”
Discoveries are continually being made. “The company
have a target set each year for both oil and gas,” said
Al-Hauwaj. And we always beat that target. In gas, we
often beat it by a factor of two.” The company has also
been successful in adding the targeted oil reserves, and
in some cases exceeding our goals. The fact is that oil
gravity and magnetics data, and is also using a satellite seep study.
By recognizing the localities of these seeps and their repeatability
over time, explorationists can narrow down which are likely to be
from a geological source on the seafloor.
Ultimately, the plan is to drill exploration wells in the Red Sea,
but there is much work to be done first. The premier technology to
be used is the acquisition of a rich or wide azimuth marine 3D
seismic survey over one or more prioritized areas of the Red Sea.
In conjunction with wide azimuth 3D data and satellite seep studies,
several new and cutting-edge technologies have either been initiated
or are being evaluated for possible use: seafloor heat flow studies,
seafloor piston core sampling for geochemical analysis, full tensor
gradiometry, and marine Electro-Magnetic methods are the primary
examples. In addition, the Area Exploration Department will acquire
seafloor bathymetry of the Saudi side of the Red Sea to help under-
stand the overall tectonic framework of the Red Sea area.
The Red Sea represents a truly high-risk and potentially high-
reward area to explore, and Saudi Aramco has committed major
resources to thoroughly evaluate this exciting and challenging part
of the Kingdom.
continues to be found in quantity, but Saudi Aramco
remains conservative in its estimate of total reserves.
When asked if Saudi Aramco was nearing the end of
its profitable exploration, Hauwaj laughed. “We are now
discovering new sources of oil and gas in areas where
we’ve been producing hydrocarbons for decades. We have
at least twenty, thirty or more years of exploration ahead
in the Kingdom.” ■
Summer 2009 19
20 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
SANDSTORM PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS J. HORN
 For Saudi Aramco, Mother Nature is a critical
project-management concern
WRITTEN BY MARGOT RAWLINGS

It’s the day after the first heavy

winter rains, and the world feels
cleansed and fresh. The color has
returned, the leaves are
green and the roof tiles
are terracotta once more
in the familiar, seasonal
rhythms of weather.
T
he desert flora will be erupting in its intermittent
splendor and the fragile ecology will survive
another cycle. It feels like a new beginning for us
all. Right now, I worry that my children are dressed
warmly enough for the cold winds on
the school playground, and while I’m
procrastinating about washing the
A Saudi Aramco employee checks the
WeatherNow Web site on the company’s
intranet system. The site provides
Kingdom-wide weather reports and data.

Summer 2009 21
In the pursuit of operational excellence, Saudi Aramco
has developed a meteorological system that continuously
delivers accurate weather and air-quality information
across the Kingdom in real-time.
Weather can cause all kinds of problems,
such as safety issues related to wind
(photo at left), and electrical power
transmission flaws caused by airborne
dust and sand (below).
SANDSTORM PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS J. HORN

22 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

resultant mud crust off my car, I remind myself how short-
lived this season will be — and how soon we will once
more be immersed in the Peninsula’s relentless, searing heat.
It doesn’t matter where you live on Earth, no one and
nothing escapes the weather — we just adjust to its differing
extremes. We all understand the effect of Saudi Arabia’s cli-
mate on us personally, but the weather plays a significant but
less self-evident role in most of Saudi Aramco’s operations.
For example, high ambient air temperatures cause energy
loss during overhead power transmission. Pilots of both air-
craft and ships watch the wind to ensure smooth navigation
with optimal fuel use. Similarly, heavy-lift crane operations
are instantly suspended if the winds exceed threshold safety
values. During emergency drills, the wind direction must be
known to safely evacuate personnel. Indeed, wind direction is
constantly monitored throughout the company.
Saudi Aramco has been monitoring the weather since the
1930s. In those days, daily readings were taken manually and
written up in notebooks. The first automation came with the
introduction of a timer-based mechanical drum that tracked
temperature swings throughout the day. It wasn’t until the
early 1980s that data gathering became “semi-automated” in
Summer 2009 23
response to the company’s need to monitor its emissions
within the air-quality standards set by the Kingdom’s
Presidency for Meteorology and Environment.
At that time, the data was recorded in stand-alone data
files, connected to an electronic data logger at each remote
station. These files needed to be physically gathered from the
field on floppy discs, driven back to Dhahran and manually
consolidated into spreadsheets for analysis.
The next advance was to use onsite modems and long-
distance phone calls to retrieve the data at regular intervals.
Although more convenient than site visits, this system was
prone to technical problems. During this era of semi-automated
consolidation of data for the annual environmental reports
took several months. Responding to ad hoc data requests
from facility planners, engineers and others was a significant
challenge due to the collation, quality assurance and refor-
matting required.
Modern-day assessment of the weather has come a long
way from the days of drum recorders and floppy discs. In
the pursuit of operational excellence, Saudi Aramco has
developed a meteorological system that continuously deliv-
ers accurate weather and air-quality information across the Saudi Aramco specialists moni-
Kingdom in real-time. tor the weather to insure safety
and efficiency for company
In a search for full automation, the Environmental operations in the air and sea,
Protection Department (EPD) approached the e-Map Division and on land.
of Information Technology in 2002. The goal was to replace
the isolated “data pockets” with a single database and exploit
the on-demand data reporting capabilities of the Internet.
EPD sought to leverage the data to ease their annual report-
ing requirements, and also to allow easy access to other
organizations. For e-Map Division and Information Technology
(IT), the data was a vital part of several real-time emergency-
response applications that were being developed. The stage
for innovation was set.
Peter O’Regan, an IT expert from e-Map Division, and
Daniel Beard, an environmental specialist from EPD, led
the project.
As Beard explains, “Like all creative projects, this system
has evolved gradually to capitalize on improvements in the

24 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

A

‘Hot and sticky’ isn’t the half of it

HUMIDITY:
desert by definition receives less than 10 inches of rain each
year. Here in Saudi Arabia, we tend to average around one to
two inches. Granted, some years we receive four inches, but in
other years precipitation is negligible, and that situation hasn’t altered
since records began.
The prevailing wind direction is consistently northwest, and temperature. If no more water vapor
its form and force are largely influenced by global pressure could be supported then relative
systems such as the Himalayan monsoon system centered humidity will be 100 percent.
over the Asian subcontinent. For the most part, the location See, it’s complicated. Be patient.
of that wind system is semi-permanent, but it does move Here’s a more accurate way to asses
around a little depending on what is happening with how nasty it might be outside on that
the weather system to the north and August morning.
south of our location. A shift north The more accurate measure of
may draw in warm humid humidity is the “dew point," which
warm air from the takes into account the air temperature.
south and if The dew point is the temperature the
air needs to be cooled to at that point
in time to achieve a relative humidity of
100%. At this point, the air cannot hold
any more water in gas form. If the air were to be cooled even
more, water vapor would have to come out of the atmosphere
in the liquid form, usually as fog or rain.
The higher the dew point rises, the greater the amount of
the low-pressure system moves south, moisture in the air. This directly effects how "comfortable" it
we see drier northerly winds. But this fea- will feel outside. At a relative humidity of
ture of our climate is there year after year and is 100% the dew point temperature always equals the tempera-
closely aligned to global trends and known weath- ture. The greater the difference between temperature and
er systems. One of the unavoidable features of the dew point, the lower the relative humidity.
local climate is humidity. We all know what humidity Unlike relative humidity, if dew point increases it is only
is, right? Well, actually, probably not. Humidity is because the amount of moisture in the air increases. If rela-
quite a difficult concept to grasp. We are all probably tive humidity changes it can be because of temperature
familiar with the term usually used by television weather changes or moisture changes, or both
presenters — “relative humidity” — so let’s start there. So how does dew point feel? On a 90°F day the
When we get up on a hot-and-sticky summer’s morning, following apply:
and the temperature is 90° Fahrenheit (F) and the relative
humidity is reported as 90 percent, we can feel the water RELATIVE
DEW POINT HUMAN PERCEPTION
vapor in the air. So why when the temperature rises to 100°F HUMIDITY

and the reported relative humidity drops to 70 percent do 75˚F+ Extremely uncomfortable, 62%
oppressive
we not feel any less sticky? Well, because the rising tempera-
70˚-74˚F Very humid, quite 52%-60%
ture has increased the air’s ability to support water vapor. uncomfortable
Therefore the rise in temperature has not reduced the 65˚-69˚F Somewhat uncomfortable for 44%-52%
water vapor in the air; it has just expanded the air’s ability to most people at upper limit
support more. So we still feel that oppressive mist around us. 60˚-64˚F Ok for most, but everyone 37%-46%
Oh, and we feel unpleasantly hot because we cool ourselves perceives humidity at upper
limit
by sweating, and when the air’s water-vapor content is high
55˚-59˚F Comfortable 31%-41%
this system doesn’t work as efficiently.
50˚-54˚F Very comfortable 31%-37%
Relative humidity is a measure of how much water is in
49˚F or lower Starting to feel a bit dry 30%
the air versus how much water could be in the air at that to some

Summer 2009 25
company’s IT infrastructure and data networking. We tried
several technology approaches that worked fine initially but
encountered problems as more stations were added or server
configurations were changed. The system needed to be totally
scalable, redundant and self-monitoring to eliminate data loss
and ensure 24/7 availability. Working closely with experts
from several corporate IT organizations, we have achieved
this goal and created a very reliable and innovative system
that serves many operational and reporting needs.”
Having devised
In a land where rainfall is exceedingly the system for reli-
sparse, water is precious, as in this
agricultural irrigation system in the
ably collecting and
Eastern Province city of Hofuf below. storing the data, the
next step was to leverage the data and make it accessible to
staff within EPD, the Air Quality and Meteorology Unit, and
across the company. The Web was the logical tool for on-
demand reporting. Although access to the air-quality data is
restricted, the weather data is fully accessible online through
Saudi Aramco’s WeatherNow Web site. The first screen dis-
plays a choice of company sites either from a drop-down
menu or by clicking on a point on a map. The current weather
conditions at that site are displayed, and the screen refreshes
automatically every minute. The site is visited by 500 and
1,000 employees each day.
For those looking for a little more detail, the site also
allows the visitor to query and download the entire weather
I
n an emergency, every second counts
and complex decisions are made under
pressure. Decision makers need facts: what is damaged,
and what is still at risk? Do we have people working or living
downwind? What is the safest approach route for emergency
services? Where are the safest sites for our field command or
patient triage?
During industrial emergencies such as gas leaks or fires,
the wind direction and speed is closely monitored to avoid
exposure to spreading fire or lethal gases such as H2S. The
wind direction must be monitored in real-time to manage the
ongoing situation.
“Traditionally, when we were alerted to an emergency,
someone would step out of the control room, look at a wind
sock, make a judgment about wind direction and speed and
report back. It led to inevitable inconsistencies and some
The Web-based Corporate Emergency errors. This
Responder Tool allows commanders to approach posed
quickly assess emergency situations. significant risks for
emergency services,”
explains Abdulla N. Helal, North Ghawar Producing Department
Manager.
Seeking to improve this situation, NGPD partnered with
the e-Map Division of IT’s Corporate Applications Department
and the Corporate Emergency Responder Tool (CERT) was
born. This highly secure, Web-based application provides
decision makers with a “zoomable” satellite image overlaid
with digital maps created by Saudi Aramco’s own Surveying
Services Division. The digital map displays the roads, build-
ings, utilities, and the thousands of oil and gas wells of Saudi
Aramco’s reservoirs, as well as live data streaming from the
weather stations and gas sensors is dynamically displayed
over the base map giving it tactical value.
The data from the weather stations is automatically inter-
preted and delivered directly to the control room computer
screens. It’s presented both graphically and in written words,
THE CORPORATE
RESPONDER TOOL
EMERGENCY
so there is no room for misunderstan-
ding. “CERT is a very innovative system
that integrates many data sources and
systems into one intuitive graphical
interface. The searchable, dynamic
maps help emergency commanders to
quickly establish the facts of the situa-
tion and coordinate a tightly integrated
response,” Helal explained.
Along with live weather and gas
sensor readings, CERT provides quick
links to information such as well-flow
information, including historical data,
and rig locations and movements cap-
tured every night. All critical valve and
pipeline information including Flowlines
and Trunklines is also readily available.
These data help to
remotely pinpoint possi-
ble causes for an event
and, therefore, help
determine appropriate
solutions.
An integral part of
CERT is a gas dispersion
model created by Aramco’s Loss Prevention
Department. In the case of a well blow-out,
CERT generates “exposure zones” that graphi-
cally show how far the gas could travel in a
worst-case scenario and what could be directly
impacted. The map display helps to quickly
position road-blocks and safely evacuate per-
sonnel from the danger areas. The CERT display
is closely monitored on large plasma screens in
multiple Emergency Control Centers amid the
constant radio updates. The CERT map provides a common
operating picture during a stressful time.
“CERT is far more than a computer application. It shows
what can be achieved when organizational boundaries are
discarded, and we all focus purely on a shared cause — safety.
We have made a unique and truly corporate tool that is used
across all producing facilities and control centers. It was built
entirely in-house using the combined talent of young pro-
grammers and the experience of operations staff. Best of all,
CERT leverages existing IT hardware and software licenses,
plus the hard work and high-quality data from many organiza-
tions. And at the core of it all are those towering weather
stations,” says Peter O’Regan, e-Map Division’s Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) expert and the architect of CERT.
Summer 2009 27
history for most company locations. With a single mouse
click, this data can be directly exported to Exel for graphing
and trend analysis.
“Information Technology continues to work closely with
EPD and all Producing organizations to create a comprehen-
sive real-time weather network. Instead of scattered, stand-
alone weather stations within the Plants, we now have a rich,
corporate database that feeds many critical applications —
every minute, 24 hours a day. This was all achieved by tap-
ping into existing in-house expertise and leveraging the exist-
ing technology infrastructure. It is an ideal outcome,” said
Khalid A. Al-Arfaj, the Administrator of IT’s e-Map Division
So whether Saudi Aramco employees or dependents are
evaluating the safest location for a new facility; arranging a
crane lift; or planning the best time to plant roses at home,
visit http://weathernow. ■

Below, a rain drainage system along the East-West Pipeline in

1992. At right, an aerial view of the Manifa oil field project in
the Arabian Gulf, where weather can impact work safety.
Below right, a Saudi Aramco jet takes off in remote Shaybah,
where the searing Empty Quarter heat can affect lift.

28 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

S
audi Aramco’s immediate past president and CEO,
Abdallah S. Jum'ah, once said, “Environmental
accountability today stands as one of the most impor-
tant measures by which a company is regarded. If an organiza-
tion is not active in safeguarding the Earth's natural resources,
its best efforts in all other business areas are diminished.
Indeed, the very perception of corporate attitudes toward envi-
ronmental protection carries significant weight in the public's
trust of that company.”
In 1981, the Kingdom entrusted the Presidency of
Meteorology and Environment (PME) with control of pollu-
tion and protection of the environment in Saudi Arabia.
Through the General Environmental Law and its Rules for
Implementation, PME aims to, among other things, preserve,
protect and develop the environment and safeguard it from
pollution, as well as protect public health from activities and
acts that harm the environment.
In recent decades, the nation’s industrial expansion and
population growth has increased pressure on the environment.
As the nation’s largest industry, Saudi Aramco has always been
very aware of its responsibility to maintain the highest environ-
mental standards.
The company’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD)
is charged with the task of monitoring air quality, reporting on
compliance and advising facility management on ways to “clean
up” their operations. The original weather stations in the Air
Quality and Meteorology Monitoring Network (AMMNET)
were erected by EPD to assist in that task. Each station records
parameters such as sulfur dioxide, inhalable particulates, ozone,
nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.
Facility emissions are monitored at their source using stack
testing and continuous emission and process-control monitoring.
Sophisticated numerical air-dispersion techniques supported by
At left, an air-quality monitoring
device. Below, Saudi Aramco
employees check company
weather equipment and log the
information in comprehensive
reports.
COMPLIANCE MONITORING,
trend analysis and design data
data from AMMNET enable EPD
to estimate ground-level concen-
trations of pollutants at various
distances from a potential emissions
source even before a facility is built or
modified. Such predictive modelling is
used to determine the type of facility
controls needed to comply with appli-
cable air-quality standards.
“From time to time, a facility may
breach the air-quality standards, but its
picked up immediately and reported.
We work with plant management to find
solutions to the problem, and as a result
the company has developed many
innovative technologies to clean up its
operations,” explains Earl K. Fosdik,
environmental projects manager.
But not all emissions can be pin-
pointed to a single source, and solu-
tions are not always clear-cut. For
these substances, EPD monitors for
shifting trends. One such substance is
ozone. Although ozone in the upper
atmosphere protects the planet from
damaging ultraviolet rays, at ground
level it is an unwanted pollutant that
can affect human and plant health.
AMMNET and EPD have also pro-
vided another service to the company
— design data. The design of the Shaybah heating, ventilation
and air conditioning system is an example. “The vendor origi-
nally expected that air temperatures onsite would regularly
reach 60 degrees. Our monitoring at the time showed that
50 degrees was a more accurate average. Consequently, the
design was downscaled, and this saved the company millions of
dollars,” explains Daniel Baird, supervisor of Industrial Relations
Respiratory Care Unit.
Air-quality compliance monitoring, trend analysis and design
data were the initial uses for the AMMNET system. But it was
inevitable that the rest of the company would realize the value
of using the data collected from the weather towers, and
demand unsurprisingly increased rapidly.
Although the air-quality data remains confi-
dential, the weather data is now freely
available, reducing the cumbersome and
time-consuming request process originally
required through EPD. Dan Baird is pleased
to see the data more widely used. “Promoting
the data was always a double-edged sword
because we simply didn’t have the resources
to dedicate to a whole lot of requests. Now
that we have WeatherNow, anyone can get
the weather data they need for their decision
making, and we are freed up to concentrate
on our core responsibilities.”
Summer 2009 29
News Dimensi ns
AL-FALIH: PRAGMATISM AND Though Khurais is the largest single crude-oil incre-
COOPERATION KEYS TO ment ever commissioned, at 1.2 million bpd, it is only
SECURITY part of the story, Al-Falih said. In the next decade, the
By Louis J. Aboud company will account for more than half the grassroots
crude-oil production capacity brought online worldwide

W ASHINGTON, D.C. — Saudi Aramco president

and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih spoke May 5-6 to
audiences in Washington, D.C.,
and, between now and 2015, one of every three barrels
of firm commitments to new refinery capacity.
“Major investments such as
about the need for corporate these allow us to play a central
responsibility in this time of role in helping to meet the
economic uncertainty, and the world’s demand for energy
wisdom of collaborative and and constitute what I consider
pragmatic approaches to energy taking charge by taking
security and the environment. responsibility,” Al-Falih told
He also emphasized Saudi the audience of more than
Aramco’s role in meeting U.S. 400, including 22 SAMDS
and global energy demand. participants.
His visit coincided with the Turning to economic chal-
Saudi Aramco Management lenges and the energy and
Development Seminar environmental debate, Al-Falih
(SAMDS), held in Washington told energy policy experts and
each year. Al-Falih addressed a government officials at CSIS
dinner May 5 in honor of the that a collaborative, pragmatic
SAMDS participants at the approach was needed for
National Portrait Gallery’s long-term, global energy
Kogod Auditorium, part of the security and environmental
Smithsonian Institution. stewardship.
He also met with govern- One of the most significant
Saudi Aramco president and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih
ment officials, energy analysts speaks at the National Portrait Gallery at Washington, lessons from this economic
and industry and media repre- D.C. Al-Falih noted that in just a few weeks, with the crisis, Al-Falih said, is the
completion of the Khurais oil field program, the company
sentatives at the Center for would reach a crude-oil production capacity of 12 million reminder that the world has
Strategic and International barrels per day. become highly integrated and
Studies (CSIS) on May 6 for a mutually dependent. In the
discussion on energy and the environment. energy industry, that means that the strategies and
At the Portrait Gallery, Al-Falih emphasized the theme actions of even a single major supplier or consumer have
of “responsibility” and said the global petroleum industry widespread implications.
must be responsible to its many stakeholders. For Saudi “The economic cost to the world will be considerable
Aramco, he said, that means ensuring that Saudi Aramco if the industry is not well-prepared for future growth in
remains the most reliable supplier of energy to the world. consumption: We all know that potential supply-demand
Al-Falih detailed the company’s current oil and gas imbalances have the potential to trigger another cycle of
expansion program, noting that in just a few weeks, steep price rises and debilitating market volatility. That, in
with the completion of the Khurais oil field program, it turn, would spell trouble for the green shoots of a nascent
would reach a crude-oil production capacity of 12 mil- economic recovery,” Al-Falih said.
lion barrels per day (bpd).

30 Saudi Aramco Dimensions

SAUDI ARAMCO BOARD GOOD AS NEW
OKS 2010-2014 PLAN
Below: Saudi Aramco’s Riyadh Refinery and related contractor
personnel recently conducted a mega test and inspection of

H OUSTON, TEXAS — The annual spring meeting

of Saudi Aramco’s Board of Directors was held
April 30-May 1 in Houston, Texas, presided over by
the refinery complex. There were no lost-time injuries in the
T&I, which took 39 days and involved 1,000 regular employees,
5,000 contractor employees and 800 pieces of equipment.
Safety was the main focus of the planning team.
chairman H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum
and Mineral Resources.
The Board approved the company’s proposed 2010-
2014 Business Plan to continue its investments along
the entire petroleum value chain, both in-Kingdom and
in key overseas markets.
During the meeting, the board received an assessment
of international oil and energy markets, progress and
status reports on the company’s many projects, and
projections for the global economy in the short- and
long-term.
The changing dynamics in the global economy and
petroleum markets posed new challenges, and the board
urged employees to rise to the challenges that lie ahead.
The company’s pragmatic approach to implementing
its strategies and
“We continue to invest conducting its
operations against
because we take a
the backdrop of a
long-term view and are challenging econom-
not swayed by the ic environment
volatility of short-term was highlighted by
market conditions,’’ Khalid A. Al-Falih,
president and CEO.
— KHALID A. AL-FALIH,
PRESIDENT AND CEO “Despite the current
slowdown in global
economic activity,” Al-Falih said, “the company’s
emphasis will remain on investing for the long-term and
maintaining its leading role as the world’s most
reliable supplier of energy.
“We continue to invest because we take a long-term
view and are not swayed by the volatility of short-term
market conditions,’’ Al-Falih added. “We have a huge
responsibility to our stakeholders throughout the
Kingdom and around the globe, and we will continue
to meet our commitments to them.’’
Above: Riyadh Refinery and contractor personnel participated
in safety meetings during the T&I, reflecting the major
emphasis given to safety in the project.

Summer 2009 31
News Dimensi ns
VOLUNTEERS RESTORE
MANGROVE SWAMP
T ARUT BAY — More than 500 volunteers, including
150 orphans from local schools, joined president
and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih and executive management
on April 9 to plant around 10,000 mangroves for a
campaign that literally brought volunteers back to
their roots.
“This is the third time I’ve come,” said 16-year-old
Khaled, son of company employee Abdullah Al-Marry,
who came with his family. “We planted 15 seedlings this
year … and we had a lot of fun.”
The “Save the Mangroves” campaign first started as
an awareness drive in the 1970s, when the mangrove
population of the Arabian Gulf had gone down due to
pollution, landfills, dredging and the increased demand
for wood. By 1990, the campaign included efforts to
bring back the former staple of the Arabian Gulf
coastline.
“During the first campaign, 100 seedlings were
planted at Abu Ali Bay,” said Abdullah A. Al-Qarni,
long-time supporter of the annual campaigns. “They
were left for a while, and after 10 years they had become
1,000 plants — they reproduced on their own.”
This experience demonstrated that the salt-tolerant
mangroves could be introduced to areas where they did
not previously exist and — with 50,000 mangroves
Volunteers dig holes for planting mangrove seedlings on the
Arabian Gulf shoreline.
planted to date — it has become an environmental success.
It is also popular with volunteers.
“I saw the ones we planted years before, and I can tell
the difference; they’ve grown,” said 15-year-old Abdullah
Abdulaziz Al-Thawadi, an orphan who frequently partic-
ipates. “I will be coming again next year.”
Mangroves are known to stabilize the shoreline, espe-
cially during storms, and provide nursing grounds for
commercial fish and shrimp.
MATERIALS SUPPLY HONORED
L ONDON — Saudi Aramco received two honors
May 12 — the prestigious Procurement Leader
Award and the Innovation Award — from the Procure-
ment Leaders Network during a ceremony at the historic
Banqueting House.
Esam A. Mousli, Saudi Aramco’s vice president of
Materials Supply, accepted the awards on behalf of
the company.
The Procurement Award went to Mousli in recognition
of his achievements in managing a supply-chain organiza-
tion with a total procurement value of more than $30 bil-
lion in 2008 while leading a series of strategic initiatives
designed to transform Materials Supply from a service
provider to a manager of best-in-class supply-chain services.
The Innovation Award recognized one of Materials
Supply’s key strategic initiatives: the Electronic Contract-
ing Network (ECN). Phase II of the Contract Room
concept has transformed the way the company procures
its contracts, significantly reducing lead
time by supplying one hub for procure-
ment information and re-engineering
60 business procedures.
It was the first time the Procurement
Leaders Network opened its awards to
companies outside Europe. The awards
recognize the best and most innovative
procurement and supply-chain projects
among the world’s top companies during
the previous 12 months. Saudi Aramco
had initiatives short-listed in five of eight
award categories.

Esam A. Mousli accepts the Procurement Leader Award from
representatives of the Procurement Leaders Network at a cer-
emony in London.
The awards are judged by a panel of nine judges, all
senior procurement and supply-chain leaders.
ECO-FRIENDLY PIPING
audi Aramco project teams from the Oil and Gas
S Upstream Pipelines Division (O&GUPD) and the
Offshore Projects Division (OPD) working at Berri and
Abu Ali Island recently accomplished two environmentally
significant feats.
The first was the completion of Saudi Aramco’s longest
underground pipeline sections installed using Horizontal
Directional Drilling (HDD) methods. The 3,200-meter
sections of 24-inch crude pipeline and 30-inch water-
injection pipeline were installed as deep as 32 meters
beneath the seabed between Abu Ali Island and the end of
Berri Causeway, using state-of-the-art drilling equipment.
The other major accomplishment was the first use by
Saudi Aramco of HDD technology in the installation of a
pipeline running from the shoreline into the sea. The
30-inch water-injection pipeline contained an under-
ground section that stretched from the edge of Abu Ali
Island to an exit point more than 1,500 meters into the
Berri offshore oil field.
HDD has a significant advantage over conventional
practices in that it avoids the environmental impact asso-
ciated with dredging offshore. That was an important
factor at Berri and Abu Ali Island because of the sensitive
nature of the local marine environment, where several
endangered species of coral are found.
HDD also had the added cost advantage over dredging
at Berri due to shallow local seabed conditions. Extensive
access dredging would have been required just to reach
the pipeline dredging zone.
HDD is a sophisticated engineering technique that
enables the laying of underground sections of pipeline
without the need to trench or dredge the pipe route. The
first stage of the process involves drilling a pilot hole
between two ground entry points. Electronic position-
ing/steering instrumentation is used to guide the drill head
along the specified path.
Once the pilot hole is completed, a series of reaming
passes are made using progressively larger tools to expand
the hole to the required size. The final stage involves
pulling the new pipeline through the newly formed tunnel.
The HDD work at Berri and Abu Ali was undertaken
by Drilltec and Digital Connection Co. Ltd. through main
contractors Global Al-Rushaid Offshore Co. Ltd. and
Al-Robaya Est.

At right: From left are Thaha Abdul Salam, contractor, rig

support; Yasser Ahmed, Project Management safety adviser;
Salah Zahrah, Project Management site superintendent; Gerd
Nuihs, contractor driller; Ali K. Al-Uthaibi, Project Manage-
ment project engineer; Ziad Gazzoul, drilling supervisor; and
Veneer Capunitan, contractor supervisor. Bottom Right: The
horizontal drilling machine is guided from the steering cabin,
while casing is being pushed underground during a horizon-
tal directional drilling operation. Bottom left: Contractor and
Saudi Aramco personnel, including Project Management
project engineer Abdulaziz Al-Hulail and site superintendent
Barry Simm, step up to the trench after the pulling of pipe
is completed.
found. That moves the ori- AL-KHALDI ENDS
gins of vascular land plants 38-YEAR CAREER
from the Silurian Period,
which began some 443.7
million years ago, into the
Late Ordovician (455 mil-
D HAHRAN — Executive director of
Northern Area Gas Operations
(NAGO) Faysal H. Al-Khaldi, recently
lion years ago). Miller said retired after a long, dedicated career with
the present-day Arabian Saudi Aramco.
Peninsula was located Al-Khaldi joined the company in 1971
along the northern margin through the Industrial Training Center, and
of an ancient Southern in 1977, he became senior mechanic before
Faysal H. Al-Khaldi
Hemisphere landmass going on out-of-Kingdom training to earn
called Gondwana. his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineer-
The research suggests that the development of vascular ing from New Mexico State University in 1981.
plants evolved earlier than previously thought and that He returned as an engineer and took on several assign-
they may have subsequently migrated out of Gondwana ments with Southern Area Operations Engineering,
and colonized other continents. Qurayyah Seawater Operations Engineering, Southern
Miller noted that the palynology of Saudi Arabia has Area Production Engineering and Shedgum Producing
been a subject of thorough investigation starting in the Engineering. Other key assignments during his long career:
1990s with an international team of researchers. So far, • 1984: Maintenance engineer for Qurayyah
three volumes on the palynology of Saudi Arabia have Seawater Maintenance
been published, and he said the current research likely will • 1985: Foreman of oil and gas operations for
be published in an upcoming fourth volume. ADGOSP-3 and Khurais Facility Unit.
• 1992: General supervisor of Southern Area
Producing Engineering
• 1993: Manager of Ras Tanura Producing
• 1995: Manager of Safaniya Producing Maintenance
• 1996: Manager of Safaniya Producing Operations
• 1999: Manager of Safaniya Onshore Producing
• 2000 (May-September): Executive director of
Safety and Industrial Security
• 2000 (October): Acting manager of Exploration and
Producing Facilities Technology Department, to
which he was appointed manager in February 2001.
• 2002-2003: Manager of North Ghawar Producing
• 2003: Executive director of Southern Area
Oil Operations
• 2008: Executive director of Northern Area Gas
Operations, the position from which he retired.
Al-Khaldi took part in several leadership training pro-
Saudi Aramco’s John Melvin, left, and Merrell A. Miller were grams throughout his career, including the Global Busi-
part of a team whose research on drilling cores resulted in ness Program in 1997 and the President’s Leadership
new information on the origins of plant life.
Challenge in 2001.

Summer 2009 35
News Dimensi ns
AL-SULAIM RETIRES
AFTER 33 YEARS
D HAHRAN — Capping a 33-year career with Saudi
Aramco, executives joined recently to bid farewell to
outgoing executive director of Industrial Services Amer A.
Al-Sulaim.
The Industrial Services organization is composed of
Saudi Aramco’s Transportation, Marine, Aviation, Roads
and Heavy Equipment, and Mechanical Shops Services
departments, and Al-Sulaim was challenged with finding
ways to significantly increase Saudization while maintain-
ing outstanding services.
Al-Sulaim’s career with the company began in 1976
after he graduated from the University of Petroleum and
Minerals with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
After a three-year stint with the Central Area Projects
Division, Al-Sulaim went to work on a master’s degree in
construction management from the University of Wash-
ington in the United States. Upon his return in 1981, he
resumed work with his former division and later with the
Industrial Projects Division before being named superin-
tendent of the Vendor Inspection Division in 1986. In
1988, he took charge of the ‘Udhailiyah Producing Main-
tenance Division and became manager of Pipelines Proj-
ects Department in 1992.
In 1993, he became quality director for the Engineering
and Operations Services business line and founded the
Saudi Association for Quality Management. From 1996-
36 Saudi Aramco Dimensions
Amer A. Al-Sulaim opens the Marine Contractors Forum in
December 2007. Over the years, Al-Sulaim founded associa-
tions for aviation, marine, materials and heavy equipment to
encourage people involved in those businesses to work more
closely to resolve tough challenges.
2001, Al-Sulaim served as manager of the Marine and
Mechanical Shops Services departments. He then was
named general manager of Training and Career Develop-
ment before his appointment as executive director of
Industrial Services.
On the leadership side, Al-Sulaim helped start and
shape quality, excellence, team-building and Saudization
initiatives that changed the corporate culture from com-
mand-and-control to a collaborative and vision-focused
culture — things that permeate the quality culture of
every Saudi Aramco department today.
He founded four more associations in the areas of avia-
tion, marine, materials and heavy equipment to encourage
people involved in those businesses to work more closely
together to resolve tough challenges. He’s had his hand in
the outsourcing of non-core service and maintenance
work and ensuring that contractors are able to provide
services meeting the company’s expectations of quality. ■
DIVERSITY
Far left: Daughters of local Saudi
Aramco employees perform the
Chinese Long Nail Dance on May 14
in Dhahran during the “Treasures of
Dhahran” dinner, organized by the
Dhahran Women’s Group (DWG) to
celebrate the community’s ethnic
diversity. The event provided an
opportunity for 300 DWG members
to showcase the culinary and per-
formance arts of their respective
countries. Left: Three local girls
provide some of the iconic style
and color of India’s Bollywood in
a dance performance.
The Way We Were

Road E FUTURE
H
TO T

The Flying
S audi Aramco workers and contractors lay a ribbon of asphalt in the empty desert of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern
Province in 1952, building the first modern roadway connecting the company’s main Dhahran camp with the
then-tiny community of Dammam on the Arabian Gulf. Today, Dammam is a sprawling metropolis and home
to several hundred thousand people, and the multiple roadways connecting Dammam and Dhahran are lined with an
unbroken string of homes, businesses and industries. Fast-moving trucks and automobiles now command the road,
where donkey-drawn carts once controlled the leisurely pace of transport. (Photo by Fred Porrett) ■
Saudi Aramco Dimensions
Public Relations Department
East Administration Building, Room 2210-B
Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco Scrapbook

Treasure

S audi Aramco employee Atheer I.

Al-Sadah shot this charming portrait
of his wife’s sister, Mariam Abdulla, then
3 years old, as part of a mobile-phone pho-
tography project in 2006. Al-Sadah said he
had difficulty finding an appropriate subject
and location to shoot with the camera on his
N73 Nokia phone, until he became fascinated
by the idea of juxtaposing the gritty materials
at a construction site near his home and his
smooth-cheeked sister-in-law. “I believe there
is a kind of dialectic between the hard build-
ing block and the smile on Mariam’s baby
face” — a melding of seemingly contradictory
qualities. “I called this picture, ‘a little piece of
happiness,’” Al-Sadah explained. By enlisting
Mariam in a little game of “Find the Candy,”
he was able to capture this timeless image of
youth and wonder. The 3.2 megapixel
camera, with autofocus and digital
zoom up to 20x, utilizes an excellent
Tessar lens manufactured by Carl Zeiss
Optics. An award-winning amateur
photographer, Al-Sadah is a planning
and program analyst with the Exploration
and Producing business line.

>> Submit photos for Saudi Aramco Scrapbook (on

disk, as photo print or via e-mail) to Rick
Snedeker, Saudi Aramco, East Administration
Building, Room 2210-B, Dhahran 31311, Saudi
Arabia. Glossy prints should be 8x10 inches if
possible and digitals at least 300 dpi and 8x10-
inch size. E-mail: richard.snedeker @ aramco.com