World’s biggest oil fields: Ranking the top five
Offshore Technology profiles the largest offshore fields by remaining reserves.
1. Marjan Complex
The Marjan Complex, located off Saudi Arabia’s east coast, is comprised of the Marjan, Maharah, Lawhah and Hamur offshore fields.
The field is operated by Saudi Aramco, the world leader in oil production and one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world.
2. Safaniya
The Safaniya field is also owned by Saudi Aramco and is located 200km north of the city of Dhahran in the Persian Gulf.
Safaniya was discovered in 1951 and has been in production since 1957.
3. North Field Expansion
The North Field Expansion located offshore Qatar is anticipated to come online in 2023 which is the third-largest field by remaining resources.
Qatar Petroleum is the operator of the field, with 100% operating interest in the expansion project.
4. Zuluf
The Zuluf field is another Saudi Aramco-owned project, located approximately 40km off Saudi Arabia’s northeast coast in about 40 metres of water. Zuluf has yet to reach the midpoint of its field life, having recovered 34% of its total recoverable reserves.
5. Upper Zakum
Located approximately 84km off the north-west shore of Abu Dhabi, the Upper Zakum oil field is the world’s second-largest offshore oil field in the world by recoverable resources and the fifth-largest by remaining reserves.