Bad weather halts Oman oil, gas production

Bad weather halts Oman oil, gas production

By Saleh al-Shaibany

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Oman halted its oil and gas production due to bad weather as Cyclone Phet hit the small oil-producing country's coast, but no facilities were damaged, DPO and Oman LNG spokesmen said on Friday.

"We won't load any oil because no ship is able to anchor at our facility due to rough seas," a spokesman for state-controlled Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, said.

"The last load to ships was yesterday (Thursday)" Said al-Busaidy told Reuters.

In the first quarter of 2010, crude oil and condensates exports stood at 731,000 barrels per day, according to official government data.

The latest storm path forecast shows Phet heading close to Sur, where Oman's three LNG production facilities, known as trains, are located.

Oman LNG already shut down one LNG train on Thursday night, said Oman LNG spokesman Nasser al-Kindy.

"We are now in the process of shutting down the rest as a precaution. We do not expect to miss out on any cargo delivery," he said, adding that no LNG facilities have been damaged.

Qalhat LNG, which supplies Spain and Japan, would also be shutting down its trains, he said.

Oman's LNG trains have total capacity to produce over 10 million tonnes per year (tpy) of LNG, though in reality Oman produces closer to 8 million tpy of LNG.

Phet, downgraded to a Category 2 storm, hit eastern Oman on Thursday with winds up to 120 kmh and heavy rains of up to 331 mm, the state television said.

The station said heavy rains were expected on Friday in Muscat, located near the port of Mina al-Fahal, where Oman's crude is exported. Busaidy said the port had not been damaged.

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