Chinese oilfield services group, OPAL ink MoU to support training of Omanis

Well-known Chinese oil and gas services provider Kerui Group has agreed to support the training of around 30 young Omanis in key oilfield related technical and nontechnical disciplines at its training facilities located in Shandong province in China.

An agreement to this effect was signed by Xian Yang, Chairman of Kerui Group with Dr Amer al Rawas, Chairman of the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL) at the Grand Hyatt Muscat on Monday.

The signing took place under the auspices of His Excellency Hamad bin Khamis al Amri, Labour Affairs Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Manpower.

Also in attendance was Mohsen bin Khamis al Balushi, Adviser at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as well as members of a high-level Chinese government and business delegation headed by the Deputy Governor of Shandong province.

High-level executives representing key oil and gas companies, contractors and service providers were present as well.

In comments to journalists soon after the MoU signing, Hamad bin Khamis al Amri, Labour Affairs Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Manpower, said, “Under this agreement, Kerui Group commits to training 30 Omani oilfield personnel at its high-tech facilities in China. This is a commendable example of growing bilateral cooperation between Oman and China. We hope there will be more such opportunities for our nationals to be acquainted with Chinese oil and gas technologies through such training arrangements.”

Commending Kerui on its initiative, Dr Amer al Rawas, Chairman of OPAL said the MoU exemplified the keen interest demonstrated by OPAL members, notably Kerui, in equipping Omanis with the right skills and competencies through training programmes. As a result of Kerui’s initiative, 30 Omanis will have the opportunity to travel to China to attend three months of training in intensive oil and gas disciplines.

“This training programme is illustrative of an energetic effort by OPAL to develop the skills of Omani oilfield personnel with active support from its members. The stage is set for the delivery of more such programmes to bring our cadres up to speed in terms of the skills and knowhow they require in order to excel in this industry,” he said.

According to Xian Yang, Chairman of Kerui Group, the corporation has a presence in more than 80 countries around the world with Oman emerging as an increasingly important market for the Group in the Middle East.

“Over the past seven years we have worked to promote sales through the introduction of a full range of drilling equipment, technical and maintenance skills, and training delivery programmes that meet the specific requirements of our customers. We are also researching and developing a second generation of smart tools in preparation for their introduction into the Omani market.”

Under the agreement, OPAL will be responsible for selecting 30 Omani oilfield candidates who will undergo 12 weeks of training in oilfieldrelated areas at Kerui Group’s Victor International Petroleum Training Institute in Shandong province, China.