ZEINOUN KLINK
From “Give me gas" to “What can you offer from a downstream perspective.

BIOGRAPHY
Prior to his current position, Zeinoun Klink was Halliburton's managing director of Oman. Klink joined Halliburton in 2010 as senior region manager for MENA and Eurasia, covering sales and services of drill bits, coring, and hole enlargement product service lines. Before joining Halliburton, he was with Baker Hughes for over 15 years in many roles, from vice president of Middle East & Asia Pacific for Hughes Christensen to managing director of the Libya geo-market. He has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering and a master's in petroleum engineering from the University of Houston.
How do things currently stand in Oman's oil and gas market?
As Oman is diversifying toward more gas, the challenges become much more significant. We have seen a shift in the government, from “Give me gas" to “What can you offer from a downstream perspective." That utilization of gas will open up an additional market in the Sultanate and the region at large. On the oil side, production challenges are increasing. Most oil comes from mature fields that have been producing for a while beyond their peak, and technology is needed to boost productivity. That is where enhanced oil recovery (EOR) comes in. Production contribution from EOR projects is improving, with a potential for continuous growth in the near future. One big topic is maximizing reservoir contact area by using intelligent well placement and completions. Geosteering technologies, coupled with sub-surface insight, is a key enabler of this goal. It gives us a 3D overview of real-time drilling, enabling optimal well placement in the thinnest reservoirs and access to productive rocks to enhance recovery.
What are new ways to help achieve the Ministry of Industry's goal to produce 1 million bpd?
There are a few ways to do this. The first involves drilling more wells, which means increasing infill activities or looking for new areas to develop. The second is geosteering to maximize the recovery from existing reservoirs, which will become increasingly utilized across Oman. The third aspect of involves the productivity side. Innovative completion and stimulation technologies are increasingly used to improve productivity. We are also cognizant of mitigating major productivity impairment challenges, especially in sandstone reservoirs, due to both increased water and sand production. Another area that is pushing the production envelope is steam injection in heavy oil fields, with a lot of focus on improving the sweep efficiency of existing and future steam flood patterns.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Future foreign policy
Friends to all, enemy to none
In championing the late Sultan Qaboos' non-interference foreign policy, the new ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, is determined to work for friendship and peace, justice and harmony, and coexistence and positive constructive dialogue.
read articleInterview
David Kalife, CEO, Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO)
Despite Oman's fuel market slowing down, OOMCO increased its sales volume of lubricants by 36% in 2019 and is constructing a greenfield bunker terminal at the Port of Duqm. The company has transformed while growing its expertise in Marketing and Digital.
read articleInterview
Azzan Al Busaidi, CEO, Ithraa
Azzan Al Busaidi is an expert in competitiveness and economic growth. He was appointed CEO of Ithraa in 2019 after 17 years spent covering managerial roles in the organization. Al Busaidi was previously Ithraa's director general of planning and studies and is a strong advocate of the potential of digitization. He holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde and a BSc in Economics from Sultan Qaboos University.
read articleInterview
Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion & Former Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Private Omani companies will be able to benefit greatly from the Fourth Industrial Revolution by enhancing their local value-added strategies and upskilling the workforce.
read articleInterview
Tahir Bin Salim Bin Abdullah Al Amri, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman (CBO)
The Central Bank of Oman's job is to ensure there is adequate liquidity in the system and that banks remain robust and resilient to meet the credit requirements of all segments without undermining financial stability.
read articleB2B
Capital markets
CMA and MSM are supporting Vision 2040 by providing financing to government companies that intend to go public, financing expansion of existing and new IPOs, and widening the investors base in Oman by enhancing and developing the investment funds and insurance industries.
read articleInterview
Khalid Al Balushi, CEO, Khazaen Economic City
International investors and business owners can benefit from Khazaen Economic City's strategic location and its close proximity to the main gateways of the country to import, process, manufacture, distribute locally, and export their goods and services.
read articleFocus: Port 4.0
Destined for greatness
Investments in world-class infrastructure have generated huge rewards for Oman. The goal now is to leverage technology as a disruptive enabler, build human capacity across the public and private logistics sectors, and drive operational efficiencies to build an integrated logistics business environment that is benchmarked against the world's best.
read articleFocus: Gap in tourism services
All bases covered
An amalgamation of local companies and unique experiences in Oman has created an original flavor that is further differentiating Oman's tourism offering from other countries and in the process attracting scores of tourists from all across the world.
read articleB2B
Engineering design
Renardet Engineering Consultants and Design Unit Engineering are recognized experts in their fields. While the former is an international company strongly committed to excellent engineering consultancy services and environmental practices, the latter is an Oman-based team of architects and engineers that incorporates local culture and traditions.
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Construction materials
Oman's construction sector is facing a host of challenges, but Hempel Paints and Al Maha Ceramics are confident that a mix of forward-thinking business models, unique products, and strong government initiatives will help them through turbulent times and generate positive returns in the long run.
read articleInterview
Salim Razvi, CEO, Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA)
Focusing on higher education institutional accreditation, program accreditation, and the updating and maintaining of the Oman Qualifications Framework, OAAA is helping further advance higher education in the Sultanate.
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