Iraqi Kurdistan All in the Timing

History of Oil
Musa Island ensured that, when the
Mubarak field was discovered in 1972,
its oil would be shared with Iran. This
oilfield was found about 35 km east of
the island by the Buttes Gas and Oil
Company operating through Crescent
Petroleum. Initially, the field went
on stream at high rates, and other
wells tested even higher, but by 1983
production had slumped to 6,400 bopd
and to 5,900 bopd two years later.
Drawing Lines on the Sea
Oil exploration gave rise to several
disputes between the rulers over their
maritime boundaries. Kuwait was in an
awkward position: bordered by Saudi
Arabia and Iraq, and facing Iran. This led
to arguments over maritime boundaries
that would fetter oil exploration and
development. A dispute between Saudi
Arabia and Bahrain over the Fasht Bu
Saafa oilfield was settled in 1958 with
the former extracting the oil and the
latter sharing the proceeds. Qatar and
Abu Dhabi argued over Halul Island
until two British experts determined
that it belonged to the former and the
Al Bunduq oilfield was to be shared
between them. Dubai and Abu Dhabi
were at loggerheads for many years over
their maritime boundary, particularly
when the Fateh field was discovered,
until the matter was settled in 1968.
During the 1930s, an ongoing
dispute between Qatar and Bahrain
over the Hawar Islands was exacerbated
The Zakum Central Supercomplex in 1979.
by the prospect of finding oil in the
area. The British representative ruled
against Qatar and, when it came to
delimiting the maritime boundaries in
1947, the UK government confirmed
his decision. The dispute was eventually
Dubai Khazzan No.1 being towed to its site in the Fateh oilfield in August 1969.
BP Archive
settled by international arbitration
in 2001: Bahrain retained the Hawar
Islands and Qatar kept Zubarah, part of
the mainland to which Bahrain had laid
a claim.
More about strategic gain than oil
prospects, the dispute between the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran
over the Abu Musa and Tunb islands
was the most serious territorial issue.
In 1971, on the eve of the inauguration
of the UAE, Iranian forces occupied the
islands and claimed them for the Shah.
The two Arabian claimants – Sharjah
and Ras al-Khaimah – became part
of the UAE, which took up the claim
on their behalf; but it is unresolved
and remains a contentious issue in the
region today.
Quentin Morton’s book, The
Petroleum Gulf: The Discovery and
Development of Offshore Oil in the
United Arab Emirates, is to be published
in 2016 by the UAE National Archives.
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Dr Alan Heward and Peter
Morton for their assistance.
BP Archive
52 GEOExPro November 2015