MUSCAT: A delegation of government undersecretaries and senior officials on Monday made a fact-finding visit to the headquarters of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in Muscat.
The eminent group included representatives from all ministries and was led by Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.
A senior PDO management team, headed by managing director Raoul Restucci, gave an overview of the company’s performance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) programme.
During the three-hour official engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fahal headquarter building and the hi-tech Lekhwair Collaborative Work Environment, which enables seamless, real-time communication between staff at the Coast and their colleagues in the field.
They also saw the PDO Knowledge World attraction — the Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre, EcOman Centre and Planetarium — which has recently registered its one millionth visitor.
Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, a former Oil North Director at PDO and current member of the PDO Board, said: “PDO is a success story by any standards and my colleagues were pleased to hear about the Company’s key achievements as well as some of its challenges.”
“This visit is a proud moment for the Company and its staff, as it gives them an opportunity to share accomplishments as well as disappointments. At the same time, and most importantly, it was a chance to hear from key stakeholders about areas where PDO can improve and progress.
“Finally, the team was enthused by the determination of PDO, as a leading exploration and production company in the oil and gas sector, to stay committed to the prosperity and growth of our beloved nation and all its citizens,” he added.
Restucci said: “We were honoured to welcome the delegation of undersecretaries and senior officials as it was a great opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest and share information. We communicated some of our notable achievements and strategic priorities, not least our ICV programme, which we forecast will have created more than 21,000 job and training opportunities for young Omanis with our contractors by the end of this year.”
“We would like to thank our distinguished guests for the high level of support for, and interest in, PDO as we tackle the challenges thrown up by the current volatile oil price environment.”
“Our staff and our contractors are fully aware of the important role they play in helping to support Oman’s development under the wise leadership of His Majesty and it is a source of great pride to them. This latest visit will encourage and inspire all of our employees to work even harder so the nation’s progress can be sustained,” he added.
The visit is the latest in an extensive programme of engagement by PDO in the past year with a range of its key stakeholders. Last month, the Council of Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, made a first-ever visit to Petroleum Development Oman .
Other recent guests have included Majlis A’Shura members, foreign and Omani ambassadors, the Tanzanian Prime Minister, The Honourable Mizengo Peter Pinda, and Princess Astrid of Belgium.
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