Just a few local sheepherders were present on the hillsides. No infrastructure was present within the petroleum sector in the early days. DNO had already been successful in Yemen, and was familiar with land based oil exploration in remote areas.
Contrary to Norway, oil has been part of Iraq’s history since ancient Assyria was the cradle of civilisation. The story tells that the great Babylonian King Hammurabi (1792-1750BC) established what was later known as the asphalt civilisation and built roads linking Babylon to other cities in the Mesopotamian Empire. They were paved with crude oil (called bitumen).
In today’s Kurdistan, there are several remains of these magnificent cities and their cultures, but little is yet known and much historical research is yet to be carried out.
Recruited locally
DNO recruited key personnel from Kurdistan to manage the local office in Erbil late in 2004. The General Manager, Tariq Chalabi, was from Erbil and had a lot of experience from earlier positions with the Ministry of oil in Baghdad. Ahmad Abdulkader Nuraddin was recruited to manage all local procurement and Niveen Issaq was recruited to fill the secretary function.
Ahmad Nuraddin, who is now the deputy General Manager and responsible for engineering tasks, recalls the early days of DNO in Kurdistan: “It was a difficult task because we had very few resources. We worked and travelled a lot. Our seismic crews were set up in an area near to the Gully of Zakho, and worked in Tawke with its surrounding areas and anything they needed had to be brought in from Turkey or Dubai. The KRG was very supportive and cooperation went smoothly, I would say they rolled out the red carpet for us!”
Given priority
A Management Committee, with members from KRG and DNO, was established. DNO would later make valuable contact with local business networks. The fact that DNO in Kurdistan was, and still is, managed by Kurds at our local office in Erbil, has proven to be of vital importance in this respect.
“We were given priority whether it was by KRG, head of security or local providers of goods and services. I believe that sharing language, culture and history helps a lot,” says Nuraddin.