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bp and Shell have signed agreements with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) to evaluate hydrocarbon redevelopment prospects in some of Libya’s major oilfields

Under the MoU signed by bp, the company will evaluate redevelopment opportunities in the mature giant Sarir and Messla oilfields in Libya’s Sirte basin, including the exploration potential of adjacent areas, and look at the wider unconventional oil and gas potential within the country.

The agreement provides a framework for bp to assess a range of technical data and to work with the NOC to evaluate opportunities and determine the feasibility of future development and exploration programmes.

William Lin, bp executive vice president gas & low carbon energy, said: “This agreement reflects our strong interest in deepening our partnership with NOC and supporting the future of Libya’s energy sector. We hope to apply bp’s experience from redeveloping and managing giant oil fields around the world to help optimise the performance of these world-class assets. We look forward to conducting thorough studies, working closely with NOC, to evaluate the resource potential of this promising region.”

The Sarir and Messla oilfields are among Libya’s largest, offering scope for a significant potential addition to bp’s Libya portfolio, according to a bp statement.

bp has confirmed its intention to resume operations in Libya and reopen its office in the capital, Tripoli, within the last quarter of 2025. bp resumed exploration in the onshore areas of Libya in 2023 after a 10-year joatis. along with a number of other international oil companies.

The MoU was signed at a ceremony in London, when Eng. Masoud Suleman, chairman of the NOC, welcomed bp’s return to operations in Libya and the expansion of the partnership between the two parties. He called for the cooperation between the NOC and bp to include training technical and leadership staff in Libya’s oil sector.

The NOC has also reached an agreement with Shell for the company to evaluate hydrocarbon prospects and conduct a comprehensive technical and economic feasibility study to develop the al-Atshan field and other fields fully owned by the NOC.

Libya is currently producing around 1.2mn bpd but is looking to bump this up to 2mn bpd by 2028. However, progress has been hampered by political unrest and factionalism in the aftermath of the civil war, and the existence of two rival governments. Libya is keen to attract international companies to redevelop its oil and gas sector, and there is significant international interest in its largely untapped hydrocarbon potential, as demonstrated by the number of bids submitted following the launch of its international bid round earlier this year, results of which are expected in around November. This offers 22 blocks for exploration and development (11 Offshore and 11 Onshore) including areas with undeveloped discoveries estimated to contain a minimum of 2.0 Bboe in hydrocarbon resources.

The compressor market is set to grow significantly, fuelled by industrial expansion, energy efficiency, technological advancements and sustainability initiatives

According to a new report from Future Market Insights, the global industrial air compressor market size is projected to grow from US$3.6bn in 2025 to US$ 7.7bn by 2035, registering a CAGR of 7.9%.

In the oil and gas sector, a substantial increase in investments for brownfield and greenfield projects, coupled with planned cross-country pipeline projects, is expected to create positive prospects for growth in demand over the coming years, the report says. In the Middle East and Africa, the expansion of oil and gas, mining, and infrastructure projects is creating new market opportunities.

"The industrial air compressor market is undergoing a transformation, driven by energy efficiency, automation, and sustainability goals. As industries focus on reducing their operational carbon footprint, the shift towards oil-free and variable- speed compressors will define the future of this sector. The expansion of manufacturing activities worldwide, coupled with government incentives for energy- efficient equipment, will ensure steady growth over the next decade," said Nikhil Kaitwade, associate vice president at Future Market Insights (FMI).

New compressor products and services illustrate some of the above highlighted trends. Ingersoll Rand for example has introduced Ecoplant, an advanced compressor controls platform which adjusts compressed air systems dynamically in response to real- time demand changes, using continuous monitoring. This helps to reduce energy costs and the associated carbon emissions through optimised efficiency, as well as to identify any maintenance concerns that need addressing.

Meanwhile AERZEN, which offers advanced solutions for the most demanding applications, has launched two new series: double-stage, oil-free screw compressors (DS series) and single-stage, oil-injected air compressors with permanent magnet motors (SI series). The DS series compressors can provide energy savings of up to 12% compared with the best-performing compressor models currently available in the market.

Burckhardt Compression has launched UP! Detect – an advanced condition monitoring system that offers cost-effective early failure detection. It uses advanced AI algorithms to detect anomalies in the data that warn maintenance personnel on-site of potential issues in the compressor’s components as well as offering actionable suggestions and recommendations. Its new module ‘Predictive Intelligence’ for PROGNOST NT supports operators of reciprocating compressors by reliably predicting the remaining useful lifetime of key components of their assets and the best time for routine maintenance. AI-based predictive algorithms and real- time data are used to maximise equipment availability and reduce Total Cost of Ownership.

See the latest issue of OIl Review Middle East to find out more: https://oilreviewmiddleeast.com/magazines/orme_2025_06_13/spread/?page=14

Abu Dhabi-based petrochemicals company Borouge is collaborating with Honeywell to conduct a proof of concept for AI-powered autonomous operations, which is  is set to deliver the petrochemical industry’s first AI-driven control room designed for full-scale, real-time operation

The initiative aims to deploy the proof-of-concept technologies to enhance Borouge’s operations across its Ruwais facilities in the UAE. Autonomous operations will enable Borouge to optimise production, reduce energy use, and enhance safety while reducing costs at what will be the single largest petrochemical site in the world. Both companies will leverage their expertise in process technology and autonomous control capabilities to identify new opportunities to deploy Agentic AI solutions and advanced machine learning algorithms.

The project is a key component of Borouge's companywide AIDT programme, which is projected to generate US$575mn in value this year. In 2024, Borouge’s portfolio of over 200 AIDT initiatives—spanning operations, health and safety, sales, sustainability, and product innovation—generated $573mn in value

Borouge has already installed the world’s largest Real-Time Optimisation (RTO) system across three large-scale ethane crackers and 20 furnaces. The initiative analyses over 2,500 parameters per minute, enabling instant data-driven decisions, significantly enhancing productivity, optimising energy consumption and reducing emissions. The unique system minimises ethane dumping and optimises resource use, in line with Borouge's commitment to sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Borouge has invested in its state-of-the-art Innovation Centre located in Abu Dhabi and is now using advanced AI-powered tools to accelerate innovation, enabling the company to bring new grades of advanced polymers to market quicker. In collaboration with ADNOC AI Lab, Borouge has completed its first “Polymer Optimisation” programme, achieving a 97% accuracy, enabling Borouge to reduce its development timeline from months to weeks.

Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, chief executive officer of Borouge, said, “Borouge's AI, Digitalisation, and Technology (AIDT) transformation programme is setting new standards in operations, innovation and business performance. By collaborating with global AI leaders such as Honeywell, we are accelerating growth, driving efficiency, and enhancing shareholder value. This project further strengthens Borouge’s competitive edge as we continue to deliver on our ambitious AIDT roadmap.”

George Bou Mitri, president of Honeywell Industrial Automation, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central Asia, said, “By integrating AI and automation technologies into core operations, we are helping unlock new levels of efficiency, safety, and performance. This agreement shows how advanced technologies, applied with purpose, can reshape industrial operations at scale.”

Mohamed Zouari, general manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at global AI and data cloud company Snowflake, argues that the future of oil and gas hinges on integrating AI and data throughout the value chain

Energy, the driver of the global economy, is undergoing one of the largest shifts of our time, propelled by hundreds of trillions of dollars in global investment over the next 25 years. The Middle East, home to the world's lowest-cost producers and the largest reserves, is positioned at the heart of this transformation. According to OPEC, the region is forecast to provide nearly 60% of global oil exports by 2050.

Against this backdrop, Middle Eastern nations are embedding digital transformation in their national strategies. The UAE’s forward-thinking initiatives, like Masdar City, alongside Saudi Arabia’s giga projects under Vision 2030, illustrate the regional ambition to lead in innovation. With oil exports comprising about 30% of the UAE’s GDP alone, the stakes are high. Data and AI are emerging as vital tools in this evolution, enabling companies to modernise infrastructure, generate real-time insights, and align operational decisions with long-term business objectives. As energy companies navigate this landscape, data and AI are becoming critical enablers for growth, operational excellence, long-term resilience and informed strategy across the oil and gas value chain.

Navigating the digital age

While the opportunity is immense, oil and gas companies face several critical challenges on the path to transformation.

One major obstacle is the need to digitise ageing infrastructure. Decades-old grids and oil wells must now integrate with millions of IoT-enabled assets like wind turbines and solar panels, creating an influx of zettabytes of operational and information technology data that requires efficient ingestion, cleaning, and analysis to drive smarter, faster decision-making.

Extreme weather, geopolitical dynamics, and the variability of renewable energy sources are contributing to more volatile commodity markets. Stable long-term contracts signed with countries like China, Japan, and India offer some security, but sophisticated data analytics are crucial to managing financial exposure and mitigating risks. Enhanced by AI and ML, predictive models can now draw on both internal and external data sources to forecast price fluctuations and demand trends more accurately, helping companies navigate volatile markets with greater confidence.

Corporations now demand rigorous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, while consumers seek intuitive, tech-driven home energy systems. Energy service providers – from utilities to oil and gas firms – must be agile, transparent, and responsive or risk falling behind.

Compounding these challenges is the overwhelming volume of unstructured data, which now represents 90% of all data according to Snowflake’s Data Trends Report. Without a centralised, secure, and scalable data infrastructure, energy companies will struggle to extract actionable insights.

AI and data strategies in practice

Modern AI and data strategies are offering new pathways to navigate this complex environment. Organisations are moving beyond traditional data management toward platforms that can unify siloed information, enable seamless collaboration across ecosystems, and deliver near real-time insights at scale.

At the core of this transformation is the ability to bring together operational, financial, and customer data into a unified environment. By doing so, oil and gas companies gain a single source of truth that supports more informed decision-making across their entire value chain – from field operations to trading desks to customer-facing platforms.

AI is also fundamentally reshaping how companies approach forecasting, maintenance, and customer engagement. Machine learning models are increasingly used to detect anomalies in equipment performance, allowing for predictive maintenance that minimises costly downtime. In trading operations, AI-driven models help forecast commodity prices with greater accuracy, enabling companies to optimise their portfolios and manage risk proactively.

For personalised customer engagement, companies can leverage real-time customer data and generative AI capabilities to deliver tailored recommendations and intuitive energy management solutions, improving satisfaction and loyalty in a highly competitive market.

Organisations that focus on building robust data foundations are better positioned to drive tangible outcomes, from optimising asset utilisation to accelerating sustainability initiatives. Snowflake’s research shows that 92% of early adopters have already realised a return on their AI investments, and 98% plan to increase AI spending in 2025.

With AI’s contribution to regional economies forecast to grow between 20% and 34%, AI is becoming a blueprint for the next generation of energy operations. The ability to seamlessly integrate and analyse vast, diverse data sets in real time is becoming a decisive competitive advantage.

The next chapter

By embracing AI and modern data strategies, oil and gas companies can digitise operations, manage volatility, anticipate customer needs, and chart a course for long-term resilience and growth – a necessary shift as fragmented data infrastructures and talent shortages remain real hurdles.

In a world increasingly defined by energy transition, those who invest early in scalable data and AI capabilities will not just survive – they will lead. The region’s commitment to digital innovation positions it well to remain a global energy powerhouse well into the future.

Oil Review Middle East hosted a very well-attended webinar on 20 November on the future of offshore operations, in association with SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group

The webinar explored the latest trends and challenges in the rapidly evolving world of offshore operations, focusing on groundbreaking innovations that are driving sustainable and efficient practices. In particular, it highlighted SAFEEN Green – a revolutionary unmanned surface vessel (USV), setting new benchmarks for sustainable and efficient maritime operations.

Erik Tonne, MD and head of Market Analysis at Clarksons, gave an overview of the offshore market, highlighting that current oil price levels are supportive for offshore developments, and global offshore capex is increasing strongly. The Middle East region will see significant capex increase over the coming years, with the need for rigs and vessels likely to remain high. Offshore wind is also seeing increased spending. Global rig activity is growing, while the subsea EPC backlog has never been higher, with regional EPC contracts seeing very high activity. Tonne forecast that demand for subsea vessels and other support vessels will continue to increase.

Tareq Abdulla Al Marzooqi, CEO SAFEEN Subsea, AD Ports Group, introduced SAFEEN Subsea, a joint venture with NMDC, which offers reliable and innovative survey, subsea and offshore solutions to support major offshore and EPC projects across the region. He highlighted the company’s commitment to sustainability, internationalisation and local content, and how it is a hub for innovations and new ideas, taking conceptual designs and converting them to commercial projects. A key project is SAFEEN Green, which offers an optimised inspection and survey solution.

Tareq Al Marzooqi and Ronald J Kraft, CTO, Sovereign Global Solutions ME and RC Dock Engineering BV. outlined the benefits and capabilities of SAFEEN Green as compared with commercial vessels, in terms of safety, efficiency, profitability and sustainability. It is 30-40% more efficient through the use of advanced technologies, provides a safer working environment given it is operated 24/7 remotely from a control centre, and offers swappable payload capacity. Vessels are containerised and can be transported easily to other regions. In terms of fuel consumption, the vessel is environment-friendly and highly competitive, reducing emissions by 90% compared with conventional vessels, with the ability to operate on 100% biofuel.

As for future plans, SAFEEN Green 2.0 is under development, which will be capable of carrying two inspection work-class ROVs simultaneously. A priority will be to collect data to create functional AI models for vessels and operations, with the first agent-controlled payload systems in prospect by around 2027.

To view the webinar, go to https://alaincharles.zoom.us/rec/share/mNHjZhAhQzn1sPzmFWZCgrq7_SckfLRcSb4w81I7aVlokO9sgHM_zVeOqgN3DgJS.bO4OIRqNeFP09SPu?startTime=1732095689000

Sven Kristian Hartvig, chief technology officer, RESMAN Energy Technology explains how the company’s advanced tracer technology is being used for CCS monitoring in Abu Dhabi’s saline aquifers

The UAE has launched its first initiative to inject CO₂ into deep saline aquifers for permanent geological sequestration. This inaugural industrial-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project involves storing captured CO₂ emissions in deep saline aquifers, leveraging a geological solution suited to the region’s unique subsurface characteristics. One of the central innovations lies in its leak-detection capabilities, integrating RESMAN’s chemical tracer technology deployed for the first time in the UAE to monitor storage integrity and swiftly pinpoint any leaks.

A comprehensive monitoring framework with Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) capabilities provides the sensitivity, diagnostic capability, and economic viability required for large-scale CCS deployment. The system is built to last—operational for 30 years post-injection, covering every phase from active storage to long-term verification, delivering real-time insights to verify caprock integrity, quantify leaks, and trace their sources.

The monitoring solution

The monitoring solution centers on RESMAN’s High Integrity Detection System (HIDS), deployed across a network of shallow soil sampling boreholes surrounding the injection site. The system’s defining technical characteristic is its 0.1 parts per trillion (ppt) tracer detection threshold for CO₂ leakage events, enabled by capillary adsorption tubes (CAT) that undergo scheduled retrieval and laboratory analysis.

Tracer monitoring delivers multi-layered verification of storage integrity through three core functions. Continuous surface soil monitoring assesses caprock integrity and simultaneously verifying integrity of legacy wells for leaks to the atmosphere. During post-injection phases, the system maintains active surveillance of stored CO2 utilising the same principles. Advanced diagnostics provide precise leakage quantification and source identification, particularly crucial for multi-injector configurations, where determining CO₂ migration origins is essential.

Shallow boreholes positioned near injection wells monitor any effects the CO₂ injection might have on the geological structure, through surface gas and tracer detection across all operational phases. Radially distributed soil monitoring arrays track potential caprock breaches, with diagnostic algorithms distinguishing between multiple potential leakage sources. The 30-year monitoring protocol spans active injection through post-operational stewardship.

Implementation involves scheduled tracer injection into the CO₂ stream with periodic CAT sample retrieval for laboratory analysis. The system's integrated architecture correlates surface measurements with downhole data, providing leak quantification and source identification capabilities that surpass conventional pressure-based monitoring methods.

The system’s 0.1 ppt tracer detection sensitivity permits early identification of containment breaches at scales previously undetectable. Economic efficiency is achieved through optimized tracer volumes that reduce material requirements without compromising monitoring fidelity. The technology’s eighteen-year track record in continuous monitoring applications demonstrates long-term reliability under field conditions. These attributes collectively ensure compliance with stringent MMV requirements for industrial-scale CCS deployments.

Project implications

This initiative establishes several important technical precedents for regional CCS development. It demonstrates the viability of saline aquifers as secure storage reservoirs while providing a practical template for long-term MMV framework implementation. The cost-efficiency of the monitoring solution addresses a key barrier to CCS scalability in the Middle East. Furthermore, the project’s thirty-year monitoring horizon sets a benchmark for stewardship accountability in geological carbon storage.

This article is based on two recently published scientific papers:
SPE-222348-MS: Chemical Tracer for Soil CCS Monitoring Application: Monitoring CO2 Storage in Saline Aquifers Using Advanced Chemical Tracer and Detection Technology
SPE222367 -MS: Falaha CCS Project - Pioneering Low Carbon Solutions with CO2 Sequestration in Deep Carbonate Saline Aquifers

RESMAN delivers proven tracer-based MMV technology for CCS projects, with over 18 years of continuous carbon storage monitoring experience. For more information, please visit www.resmanenergy.com