Dove has a preference for operated licenses. In Yemen, Dove has an enviable track record of performance to date. Through the discovery and development of the Sharyoof and Bayoot fields, Dove has overcome many challenges through the application of experience and technology. Over the last 10 years, Dove has built up a wide inventory of skill and experience. The current challenge is to utilise these skills in new ventures throughout the Middle East.

Dove Energy Technical Competencies

Dove in house skills include: Project Management Subsurface Description Seismic interpretation Reservoir Management Facilities Management Drilling and well planning Completions and work over Well testing HSEQ

 Sharyoof Field Development

Dove performed a fast-track development of the Sharyoof Field allowing first production at year end 2001, just 10 months after project approval. A Central Processing Facility was installed, connected via a new build pipeline to existing export infrastructure at Masila. The principles of design for the new facility included technical simplicity, safety and environmental responsibility, high uptime and low cost. Sound design and operation principles have allowed a production uptime of over 99.7% to be achieved. The facilities have been designed with ease of upgrade in mind and additional injection and gross fluid capacity equipment have been installed at low incremental cost and minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

Subsurface Management

Dove currently manages its subsurface resources in 2 locations, Aberdeen (UK) and Sana’a (Yemen). Over the last 2-3 years, more subsurface work has been conducted in Yemen as the skills have been acquired by local staff. The continued presence in the UK provides access to and management of a wide variety of specialist skills such as seismic processing, structural geology and image and dip-log analysis.

Currently, the workload is shared as follows. The producing fields are managed in Yemen where all the necessary hardware and software is available to perform the work. This work includes ownership of the reservoir models, model revisions and updates, well-site geology and well test analysis. Work direction and peer reviews are provided in the UK. Seismic acquisition planning, processing and interpretation is also performed in Aberdeen. Regular staff secondments from Yemen to Aberdeen take place to enhance the skill sets of the “local” staff. 

The most up to date subsurface software is applied including the Landmark UNIX and Kingdom PC based suite of seismic, well data and mapping software, Eclipse simulation software and Petrel 3D modeling applications for reservoir visualization and well planning.

Facilities Management

Dove pay particular attention to the maintenance of plant and equipment as this contributes to the high production uptime of over 99.7% achieved at the Sharyoof Field facilities. Maintaining equipment such as diesel generators and pumps in harsh desert type environments requires strong expertise in the areas of planned and periodic maintenance and Dove has employed skilled mechanics, electricians and instrument technicians to build up a strong maintenance team at the CPF. The work of the maintenance team is supported by the Maisy maintenance and procurement software which integrates maintenance programmes with warehouse spares monitoring and the requisition and ordering of all new purchases. Operation of the facilities through a close knit team of Yemeni and ex-pat Operators complete the management of the Sharyoof CPF operation.

Drilling and Well Construction

Dove Energy has drilled 39 exploration and development wells on Block 53 successfully since 1998. The wells have been drilled with no mechanical failures and match the performance of the best drilling practices in country. The Sharyoof field has currently 18 active producers with all wells completed with Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs). There are also 11 injection wells providing over 190,000 barrels per day of water injection to the field. The Bayoot field consists of 8 production wells again completed with ESPs.

Dove has worked closely with the pump companies to achieve good run lives in sand producing environments through the application of abrasion resistant pump technology. Work-overs to change-out electrical submersible pumps and side-track existing wells are performed routinely. Dove also performed the first gravel pack sand control completion in Yemen. Management of the drilling process is a key in house asset.

To date, a single exploration well has been drilled in Block 73, onshore Yemen.

Dove is currently managing the drilling project in Tunisia onshore Block El-Fahs on behalf of the joint venture.

Health Safety and Environmental

Dove Energy has exercised high standards with respect to its responsibilities to the Yemen workforce, and Environment. A dedicated Yemeni Health, Safety and Environmental Co-ordinator is based in the Dove Energy Sana’a office and a permanent Safety Officer is based in the Sharyoof CPF. Regular internal and external HSE Audits are performed in order to ensure compliance with international standards.

Yemeni workforce

Dove in Yemen has recruited its workforce preferentially from Yemen and have implemented personnel training and development programmes to enhance the competency of its technical and administration staff. Three years into the Sharyoof Field Development Dove Energy had achieved a Yemeni workforce making up over 85% of the total employee base in Yemen.