Muscat, Oman,22 April 2008 - His Excellency Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Khasibi, Secretary General of the Ministry of National Economy, was the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony yesterday of the Oil & Gas West Asia (OGWA) 2008 Exhibition and Conference, which is the biggest event in Oman for the region's vibrant oil & gas industry.

The official inauguration was graced by many ministry officials, ambassadors and other dignitaries from the diplomatic community, top management and senior executives of leading oil & gas companies, and other industry professionals. The inauguration began with the official opening of the SPE EOR Conference at OGWA, which is being held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, and then continued at the Oman International Exhibition Centre next door for the formal opening of the OGWA 2008 exhibition.

The chief guest and distinguished visitors then toured the exhibition, which features over 150 companies showcasing a wide range of products, equipment, technologies and services for the oil & gas industry. Open to all industry professionals until April 23, the timings of the OGWA 2008 exhibition are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.

"We are pleased to invite everyone connected with the oil & gas industry to come to the exhibition and to attend the conference to check out the latest products now available in the market as well as to be updated on the EOR technologies now being employed to boost production," said C.J. Paul, general manager of Omanexpo LLC, the company organising the biennial event since 1998.

Now in its sixth edition, OGWA 2008 is the biggest event so far in terms of number of exhibiting companies, exhibition space covered, and the total number of countries represented. The SPE EOR Conference, which is held in conjunction with the exhibition and is organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), has also successfully attracted a large number of delegates from within the region and from other parts of the world.

The conference brings together global experts in all forms of EOR techniques to present, share, and discus their experiences in the area. The technical program covers the latest advances in thermal, gas, and chemical EOR methods; EOR selection criteria; surveillance techniques for locating remaining oil; and drivers and challenges in implementing EOR. Several field pilots and case studies will also be part of the discussions, thus making the conference a great opportunity for practicing engineers and geoscientists involved in E&P work.

For the OGWA 2008 exhibition, many national oil & gas companies in the GCC - namely, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Oman LNG, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Qatar Petroleum, the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and the Bahrain National Gas Company - will showcase their ongoing major projects as well as achievements over the years. The three-day exhibition also features the major stands of international energy firms including BG Oman, BP Oman, Dolphin Energy, Occidental of Oman, Petrofac, PTTEP Oman., Schlumberger, and Total.

Other major  Omani participants include Abraj Energy, Al Sulaimi, Development Services, Gulf Services & Industrial Supplies, Hi-Tech Services & Supplies, International Business Development, MB Holding, Oman Gas, Oman National Engineering & Investment,, Oman Oil Industry Supplies & Services, Oman Oilfields Supply Center, Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals, Riyam Engineering & Services, Seven Seas Petroleum, Shaksy Group, the Shanfari Group, Technical Supplies International, and Vanguard Engineering & Oilfield Services.

Other major companies from Oman that have a strong presence in the exhibition are Advanced Power Switchgear, Al Baha International, Al Farahidy Technology & Information, Al-Ghalbi Trading & Services, Al Ibram, Amran, Bahwan Projects and Telecoms, Bhatia Brothers & Partners, Desert Piping, Elaf International, ELCO International Engineering, Exterran, Falcon Oilfield Services, Geotrak, Gulf Coast Oil & Gas Services, Haimo Technologies, International Maritime College, Khimji Ramdas, Knowledge Reservoir, Mudhaheer, Newrest Wacasco, Safeway Engineering & Services, and Special Oilfield Services.

The OGWA 2008 exhibition also prominently features many international companies. The more than 20 countries represented in the event include Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, UK and USA.

Overseas exhibitors include Saudi companies such as Al Khafji Joint Operations, Arabian Pipes, Expro, Globetech, Jubail Energy Services, Middle East Specialized Cables, and Saudi Steel Pipe.Among UAE exhibitors are Asia Bolt Industries, Bredero Shaw Middle East, Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, GAC, Honghua Golden Coast, Intertek, Rampco International Technical Services, MTL Instruments, Sharaf Shipping, VEGA, and Weicon Middle East.

Other well known partricipants include Atlas Copco, Barton Firtop, Boltcap21., Cortem , Embassy of Poland, Hy-Lok, Lufkin Industries, MSP/DRILEX, Nokia Siemens Networks, Paglierani, Paramount, Pars Hassas, PCM, Sadid Industrial, Safwan Petroleum Technologies, Sentry International, Skema, Sunir, UTP Schweissmaterial, and Weatherford.

Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Oil & Gas, OGWA 2008 is officially supported by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) as well as BG Oman and ADNOC as the platinum sponsors and BP Oman and the Oman International Exhibition Centre as the gold sponsors. The co-sponsors are Oman LNG, Seven Seas Petroleum, Sharaf Shipping Agency, and Weatherford.

The SPE EOR Conference at OGWA is supported by PDO and Saudi Aramco as platinum sponsors as well as Occidental of Oman and Schlumberger as silver sponsors.  Conference co-sponsors are ADMA-OPCO, Calsep, MB Holding, Oman Gas Company, Partex Oil and Gas, Petrofac, Shell, Weatherford and Zakum Development Company (ZADCO).

The event also has the support of leading media companies including Pipeline Magazine as the official publication, MEED as the strategic partner, and Oil Review Middle East as the official magazine. The media partners of the event are Arab Oil & Gas Magazine, Argus Media, Business Today, Gulf Oil & Gas.com, Marine BizTV, Oil and Gas Insight, Oil & Gas News, theenergyinfo.com, Upstream, Times of Oman and Al Shabiba.

-Ends-

For more information on the OGWA 2008 Exhibition and Conference, visit www.ogwaexpo.com and www.spe.org/08ogwa, or call Omanexpo LLC at +968-24660124.

© Press Release 2008