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Anglo-Egyptian Oilfields

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oil production in Egypt[1][2][3][4]
Year Barrels
<1911 0
1911 21,000
1912 214,000
1913 98,000
1914 753,000
1915 212,000
1916 404,000
1917 943,000
1918 1,935,000
1919 1,517,000
1920 1,042,000
1921 1,255,000
1922 1,188,000
1923 1,054,000
1924 1,122,000
1925 1,226,000
1926 1,188,000
1927 1,267,000
1928 1,842,000
1929 1,868,000
1930 1,996,000
1931 2,038,000
1932 1,895,000
1933 1,663,000
1934 1,546,000
1935 1,301,000
1936 1,278,000
1937 1,196,000
1938 1,581,000
1939 4,666,000
1940 6,505,000
1941 8,546,000
1942 8.275,000
1943 8,953,000
1944 9,416,000
1945 9,406,000
1946 9,070,000
1947 8,627,000

Anglo-Egyptian Oilfields Limited was an oil company registered in London, England on 6 July 1911 with a capital of £676,000 (£226,000 Anglo-Saxon Petroleum (Royal Dutch Shell), £450,000 Red Sea Oilfields Ltd)[5][6] with oilfields in Egypt. It was a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell.[7]

Egypt was the first oil producing country in the Middle East, even before Iran, but production was quite insignificant compared to the region's major oil producing countries.[1]

In July 1961 the government of the United Arab Republic acquired a 50% shareholding in the company. It was renamed as the Al Nasr Oilfields Company on 4 January 1962, and was converted into a United Arab Republic Company.[8] It seems to have been nationalised in 1964, and news reports cite Gamal Abdel Nasser's seizing in 1964[9] while Skinner's Oil and petroleum year book suggests 1951 control.[10]

The oilfields utilised were the Hurghada and the Ras Gharib, on the western shore of the Red Sea. It also held a joint leases in the Sinai Peninsula.[11][12] It had a refinery at Suez.[13]

Oil fields

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exclusive

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The Gemsah field (27°39′N 33°35′E / 27.650°N 33.583°E / 27.650; 33.583 (Gemsah oil field)) was discovered in 1908 and yielded light oil of 41° API gravity, but the total amount was only 1,442,098 barrels over its lifetime.[14]: 38 

The Hurghada field (27°15′N 33°47′E / 27.250°N 33.783°E / 27.250; 33.783 (Hurghada oil field)) was discovered in 1913, production peaked in 1931 (1,800,000bbl). Produced 302,200bbl in 1951 from 23 pumping wells and there were 5 shut-in wells. The oil was relatively heavy (22° - 30° API)[14]: 47 

The Ras Gharib field (28°22′N 33°4′E / 28.367°N 33.067°E / 28.367; 33.067 (Ras Gharib oil field)) was discovered in 1938[a]. In 1951 8,036,900bbl were produced from 14 flowing, 70 pumping, 17 gas-lift and 26 shut-in wells.[14]: 78 

jointly with Socony-Vacuum

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The Asl field (29°28′N 32°51′E / 29.467°N 32.850°E / 29.467; 32.850 (Asl oil field)) was discovered in 1948. Linked to Sudr terminal by 6-inch and 10-inch pipeline. 22° API oil.[14]: 15 

The Ras Matarma field (29°32′N 32°49′E / 29.533°N 32.817°E / 29.533; 32.817 (Ras Matarma oil field)) was discovered in 1948.[14]: 78 

The Sudr field (29°36′N 32°45′E / 29.600°N 32.750°E / 29.600; 32.750 (Sudr oil field)) in 1951 produced 3,726,400bbl of 19°-23° API gravity from 8 flowing, 1 pumping and 6 shut-in wells. Connected to Sudr anchorage by a 6-inch and a 10-inch pipe line.[14]: 89 

On the Nebwi Lease (29°19′N 32°52′E / 29.317°N 32.867°E / 29.317; 32.867 (Nebwi lease)) seven dry holes were drilled and #7 abandoned at a depth of 5,292ft on Nov 11, 1950, presumably the last hole drilled on the lease.[14]: 70 

Other facilities

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The Suez refinery (29°58′N 32°31′E / 29.967°N 32.517°E / 29.967; 32.517 (Suez refineries)) 1.5 miles southwest of the Suez town center was co-located with the government refinery located 3 miles southwest of the center. A twin 12-inch products pipeline (28,000 - 40,000 tons per month) from the Shell jetties at Suez led to a tank farm and pumping station (30°4′N 32°23′E / 30.067°N 32.383°E / 30.067; 32.383 (Agrud tank farm)) near Agrud and from there 75 miles of 6-inch pipe to the Ghamra terminal (30°5′N 31°17′E / 30.083°N 31.283°E / 30.083; 31.283 (Ghamra pipeline terminal)) east of Cairo.[14]: 89 [14]: 39 [14]: 6  There was also the Nifisha terminal (30°34′N 32°15′E / 30.567°N 32.250°E / 30.567; 32.250 (Nifisha terminal)) connected to Agrud.[14]: 70 

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Well statistics

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Wells completed
Year Hurghada Gharib Sudr Asl Matarma Wildcats
Oil Dry Feet Oil Dry Feet Oil Dry Feet Oil Dry Feet Oil Dry Feet Oil Dry Feet
1944[16] 0 3 8,424 19 0 44,650 none none 0 0 0
1945[16] 0 0 0 12 0 28,620 0 3[b] 17,733
1946[17] 0 0 0 6 0 15,355 1 9 52,086
1947[18] 0 0 0 6 0 15,933 3 0 21,388 0 6[c] 33,049
1948[19] 1 2 10,091 3 0 10,090 6 2 21,291 2[d] 4[e] 37,404
1949[20] 0 4 14,721 1 0 ? 1 2 15,859 4 2 26,581 1 2 12,669 0 0 0
1958[21]
1959[22]
1960[23]

Production statistics

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Oil production by field (tons)[24]
Year Gemsah Hurghada
1911 1,220 0
1912 27,454
1913 12,586
1914 91,009 10,964
Oil production by field (barrels)
Hurghada Gharib
1937[25] [f]1,141,356
1938[25] [g]1,019,520 512,988
Oil production by field (x 1000 barrels)[26]: 174 
Year Gemsah Hurghada Durba Gharib Sudr Asl Matarma
1910 12[h]
1911 9
1912 213
1913 98 [h]
1914 682 79
1915 113 119
1916 83 312
1917 52 883
1918 38 1,887 [h]
1919 32 1,517
1920 21 994
1921 34 1,231
1922 23 1,158 5
1923 5 1,043 2
1924 5 1,111 3
1925 9 1,215 7
1926 5 1,174 7
1927 1 1,255 8
1928 1,859 6
1929 1,898 4
1930 1,980 3
1931 2,005 6
1932 1,870 1
1933 1,644 1
1934 1,523 1
1935 1,250 3
1936 1,266
1937 1,178 6
1938 1,053 2 525[h]
1939 894 1 3,775
1940 751 4 5,769
1941 662 3 7,841
1942 3 577 1 7,542
1943 486 1 8,447
1944 486 1 8,932
1945 437 2 8.932
1946 2 375 8,527
1947 351 9,300 118
1948 341 9,323 3,494
1949 317 8,402 5,448 1,671
1950 22 265 7,945 4,250 3,844
1951 301 8,026 3,727 4,245
1952 274 8,366 2,341 5,456
1953 268 8,492 2,127 5,615
1954 261 8,810 2,153 2,404 105
1955 250 8,392 2,189 1,147 127
1956 2 260 7,155 1,809 983 113
1957 13 211 7,692 2,035 1,089 100
1958 222 7,030 1.228 1,040 78
1959 226 6,441 1,103 1,046 98

The Egyptian Oil Industry

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Government

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The Abu Durba field (28°38′N 33°20′E / 28.633°N 33.333°E / 28.633; 33.333 (Abu Durba oil field)) was operated by the government.[14]: 5 

South Mediterranean Oil Co

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The South Mediterranean Oil Co, Ltd. was a joint-venture of Standard Oil of California and Texaco (see also: Caltex). The company began prospecting in Egypt in 1938. It had ca. 240 exploratory permits covering 5 million acres and was conducting field geology and geophysical exploration. Had (at least) one large rig and several smaller units. Drilled Khatatba No. 1 to 7,000ft 25 miles northwest of Cairo and found nothing and shortly thereafter in May 1945 announced its withdrawal from Egypt. The assets were bought by AEO, Socony-Vacuum and Standard Oil Co of Egypt (subsidiary of Standard of NJ) in the fall of 1945.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "WOrld Crude Oil Production, by Countries, by Years". World Oil. Vol. 88, no. 8. 31 January 1938. p. 29.
  2. ^ Minerals Yearbook 1940. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines. 1940. p. 1029.
  3. ^ Minerals Yearbook 1944. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines. 1944. p. 1166.
  4. ^ Minerals Yearbook 1947. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines. 1947. p. 975.
  5. ^ Skinner, Walter E. (1910), Oil and petroleum year book : incorporating the Oil and petroleum manual, Walter E. Skinner, retrieved 24 January 2016 page 67 of the 1962 edition
  6. ^ F. C. Gerretson (1957). History of the Royal Dutch. Vol. 3. p. 242.
  7. ^ http://wiki.openoil.net/index.php?title=History_of_Egyptian_oil_and_gas_industry[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "History of Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation – FundingUniverse".
  9. ^ "Nasser Seizes Oilfields". The Canberra Times. 26 March 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 24 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Skinner, Walter E. (1910), Oil and petroleum year book : incorporating the Oil and petroleum manual, Walter E. Skinner, retrieved 24 January 2016
  11. ^ "New Egyptian Oil Well Tested". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 15 January 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 24 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Egypt's New Oil Find". The Argus. Melbourne. 29 January 1949. p. 11. Retrieved 24 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Petroleumgewinnung am Golf von Suez". Oesterreichische Monatsschrift für den Orient. Vol. 39, no. 5. May 1913. p. 79.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Annotated Gazetteer of the Middle East Oil Industry (Report). Central Intelligence Agency.
  15. ^ "Drilling Operations to Test New Egyptian Oil Field". The Oil and Gas Journal. Vol. 37, no. 9. 14 July 1938. p. 32.
  16. ^ a b "1. Annual World Oil Atlas - Data on Drilling in Egypt". World Oil. 20 May 1946. p. 309.
  17. ^ "World Oil's 2nd Annual World Oil Atlas - Recent Drilling Operations in Egypt". World Oil. 30 June 1947. p. 299.
  18. ^ "World Oil's 3rd Annual World Oil Atlas - Drilling in Egypt". World Oil. July 1948. p. 283.
  19. ^ "World Oil's 4th International Operations Issue - Drilling in Egypt". World Oil. 15 July 1949. p. 216.
  20. ^ "World Oil's 5th International Operations Issue - Drilling and Geological Data on Egypt Fields". World Oil. 02 July 1950. p. 196. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "World Oil's 14th International Outlook Issue - Crude Oil Production and Development Drilling in Egypt in 1958, by Companies and Fields". World Oil. 15 August 1959. p. 172.
  22. ^ "World Oil's 15th International Outlook Issue - Crude Oil Production and Development Drilling in Egypt in 1959, by Companies and Fields". World Oil. 15 August 1960. p. 177.
  23. ^ "World Oil's 16th International Outlook Issue - Crude Oil Production and Development Drilling in Egypt in 1960, by Companies and Fields". World Oil. 15 August 1961. p. 141.
  24. ^ "Year's Work in Egyptian Fields". The Oil and Gas Journal. Vol. 13, no. 35. 4 February 1915. p. 29.
  25. ^ a b "Production of Oil in Egypt in 1938". Transactions of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers: 550. 1939.
  26. ^ The Petroleum Resources of Libya, Algeria and Egypt (Report). Energy Information Administration. 16 March 1984.
  27. ^ "South Mediterranean is Withdrawing From Egypt". The Oil and Gas Journal. Vol. 44, no. 20. 22 September 1945. p. 166.
  1. ^ A test well started in December 1937 struck oil at 2,500ft on April 12, 1938. AEO had also drilled a 1,275ft and a 3,745ft dry hole in 1921-1925 5km south of the new discovery.[15]
  2. ^
    • Ayun Musa No. 1 (AEO+Socony) 5,451ft 9 miles SE of Suez in July 1945
    • Ayun Musa No. 2 5,808ft in January 1946
    • Gharib North No. 2 (AEO) 6,474ft 10 miles NW of Gharib field in Nov 1945
  3. ^
    • Abu Sultan No. 1 (AEO) W Side Great Bitter Lake 2,456ft on Sep 6
    • Attaka No. 1 (AEO) 9 miles NW of SUez 3,938ft on Mar 15
    • Abu Rudeis No. 1 (SOofE) 19 miles S of Abu Zanima 7,895ft on Mar 28
    • Nebwi No. 1 (AEO+Socony) 47 miles S of Suez 8,360ft on Aug 30
    • Hamra No. 1 (???) 25 miles E of Suez 4,790ft on Jul 12
    • Abu Reash No. 2 (SOofE) 6 miles NW of Great Pyramids 5,610ft on Jan 31
  4. ^
    • Asl No. 2 (AEO+Socony) Sinai 3,910ft in February; 1,500bpd 22-gravity
    • Matarma No. 2 (AEO+Socony) Sinai 3,649ft in November; shut-in 18-gravity
  5. ^
    • Matarma No. 1 (AEO+Socony) SInai 6,093 in August
    • Lagia No. 1 (SOofE) Sinai 3,995ft in February
    • Lagia No. 2 (SOofE) Sinai 8,382ft in November
    • Tawila No. 2 (SOofE) Sinai 11,375ft in May
  6. ^ converted by source from long tons using a factor of 6.98
  7. ^ Cumulative at end of 1938: 31,207,754bbl
  8. ^ a b c d Year of Discovery
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