Key leaders from the oil and gas sector, including Oman Oil Marketing Company’s CEO David Kalife, came together to discuss and find solutions to support the industry’s growth and technical challenges during the third Oman Downstream Exhibition and Conference (ODEC) in Muscat.

Held under the patronage of His Excellency Hamad bin Khamis Al Amri, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Manpower for Labour Affairs, the conference focused on market trends, developments, projects, technology and innovation to drive the Sultanate’s refining and petrochemical potential. 98 exhibiting companies and 35 conference speakers took part in the three-day event, which was sponsored by Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO).

Kalife sat on an Investment Panel that covered various issues including the challenges and opportunities of investing in Oman, investment facilitation efforts between the government, public and private sector, global insights into investing in Oman’s downstream industry, and how the Sultanate’s new gas discoveries are appealing to the global market.

“The conference was a great opportunity for networking, sharing knowledge, expertise, and best practices in the oil and gas sector. We presented our latest technical strategies that support the Sultanate in creating high-value downstream revenue streams and value chains. Introducing cutting-edge technologies is central to our strategy and we are currently looking at various ways to introduce smart services at our stations. Innovating to energize the customer journey by providing convenient and innovative products and services will remain a top priority at OOMCO,” he said.

The event served as a platform for leaders and engineers to demonstrate advanced solutions for refining and petrochemical projects. They also showcased tools to help drive the rapid expansion of Oman’s refining and petrochemical complexes. Topics covered at the event included how to optimise and reconfigure refineries to allow for co-processing and alternative fuel production and how to transform naphtha and diesel into more valuable products.

OOMCO’s digital journey was highlighted and cutting-edge technology was shown to reduce operating costs, maximise performance and increase efficiency, ultimately allowing OOMCO to elevate the customer experience. For example, relocating service stations or changing product offerings at existing stations by using analytics and finding out where demand is highest for various products.