AAPG and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) are opening a joint office in Dubai UAE to facilitate services to members in the Middle East, India and North Africa.
The AAPG office, located in Bahrain, Manama, since 2008, is moving to Dubai.
The joint office will offer a point of collaboration for conferences, workshops, lectures and short-courses to advance the disciplines of geology and geophysics.
“The inauguration of the joint office in Dubai will create synergies to efficiently serve the professional needs of the upstream industry in the region,” said Alan Wegener, AAPG’s director of global development and operations.
“The impact of the efficiencies and energy created in this venture may well be felt globally,” he aded, “as we provide new and additional projects, products and services to the professional E&P community.”
“Both AAPG and SEG see this as a long-term partnership that will benefit the entire industry,” says Terrence Todd, SEG director for global relations and meetings.
“We envision SEG Global Inc., Middle East as collaborating broadly with constituents and partner societies to deliver superior and innovative products and services that meet business needs,” Todd said, “while at the same time fulfilling the overall mission of the Society.”
AAPG, in coordination with EAGE, SEG and affiliated societies in the Middle East, hosted in March the premier biannual earth science conference of the region – GEO 2012. The conference theme was “Shaping the Future of Geoscience in the Middle East,” which was addressed extensively in the plenary session by executives from national oil companies in the region, IOCs and service companies.
The event was inaugurated by his excellency, Minister of Oil of Bahrain, which was followed by opening remarks by the presidents of AAPG (Paul Weimer), SEG and EAGE.
There were 224 papers presented in 56 sessions, covering a wide scope of interests ranging from reservoir geology all the way to geoscience education and training. The conference was accompanied by a glamorous exhibition comprising 129 international exhibitors who covered a very wide scope of petroleum and industrial services.
The conference was attended by more than 1,000 delegates and over 300 students and faculty members who came from 40-plus countries.
The conference also boasted seven short courses and two geological field trips in Abu Dhabi and Oman.
The AAPG Middle East Region Council organized several key activities during the conference that addressed topical issues related to the geoscience community in the region.
♦ The Imperial Barrel Award competition was held one day before the GEO 2012 conference. Six universities from the region competed for the award, and the final results were announced in a reception attended by Middle East Council members, top executives from oil companies, universities faculties, award sponsors and oil industry professionals from the region as well as AAPG President Paul Weimer and AAPG Executive Director David Curtiss.
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals from Saudi Arabia won the first place award and will represent the region in the global IBA competition at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Long Beach, Calif. in April. Kuwait University, and Institute of Petroleum of UAE placed second and third, respectively.
♦ Other meetings held during the conference were successful sessions between members of the Middle East Region Council and the visiting president and executive director of AAPG, to discuss issues of interest for promoting AAPG and geoscience in the Middle East.
♦ The Middle East Region Council also hosted another meeting with top executives from the region to solicit their input for a shared vision for the future geoscience in the region and the role that AAPG could play to cater for the geoscience community in the Middle East.
♦ The AAPG Middle East Council also organized a reception for its members when it announced the opening of an AAPG office in Dubai. A “Meet and Greet” was a novel idea implemented during this conference that brought together companies management officers with students and young professionals.
Subjects such as career options, future challenges for geoscience and industry trends were discussed as well.
GEO 2012 was surely the event of choice when it comes to keeping abreast of development in geoscience in the richest petroleum province of the world.