Spending time away from home and family can be difficult. For Petrofac colleagues on the Duqm Refinery project in Oman, that’s what they have had to do for extended periods since work began in 2018.

“When you look at five years as a percentage of your life, you realise what you’ve personally invested in the project,” says Tarek Khazbak, Project Controls Manager. “I know that we can all feel pride at what we have achieved in Duqm.”

Colleagues have poured their energy into the project with the collective goal of turning an empty patch of land on the edge of the Arabian Sea into what it is now: a giant, state-of-the-art oil refinery that effectively runs as its own small town. When looking at this accomplishment in the short time frame that it has been achieved, you would be forgiven for thinking that every second of colleagues’ lives on site revolved around work.

They spoke to us about the ‘work hard, play hard’ spirit on the Duqm Refinery project, where people from many different backgrounds and cultures formed a second family that socialised and kept active together…albeit with a healthy dose of competition.

THE VILLAGE IN THE DESERT

Located in the centre of Duqm town and about a 20-minute drive away from the refinery is the Renaissance Village where colleagues stay. It is a business and workforce accommodation complex with a capacity of 17,000. Facilities here include two gyms, an indoor swimming pool, grocery store, barber shop, and coffee and shisha shops.

“There have been times where this complex has been full,” says Charbel Diab, Site Director. “At times here there have been over 30 nationalities living in one place. Other organisations and projects stay at the same complex too and the British and American army were also based here briefly. We all interact well together.”

KEEPING FIT TOGETHER

With good facilities at the accommodation complex for sporting activities, colleagues organised football, basketball, cricket and volleyball matches, planned via WhatsApp group chats that included members of the client team.

Colleagues even organised a basketball tournament, with different companies represented. Eddy Anouzi, Commissioning and Maintenance Manager explains, “There were eight teams, including Petrofac, Samsung, OQ8, and our other EPC contractor TRD. This tournament is a sore subject for us because Petrofac were runners-up and didn’t win!”

There is a bowling alley nearby where colleagues regularly play together on Thursday night. “We have had many funny moments bowling together where certain colleagues have not been able to stay out of the gutter,” says Eddy. “We also challenge each other to table football here, which of course gets competitive and includes some joking and teasing of each other’s skills.”

Contrary to other regions in the Middle East, parts of Oman, including Duqm, have mostly pleasant weather all year round due to sea breezes brought in by the Indian Ocean. Walking and cycling are common activities, with colleagues regularly walking together to the beach 5km from the complex. As relaxing as this sounds, you can trust the team in Duqm to make it interesting, “We time ourselves and have competitions to beat our own and each other’s personal records just by walking,” says Monzer Chammas, Deputy Project Director.

WORLD CUP FEVER  

The whole world seemed engrossed in the FIFA Men’s World Cup that took place in Qatar in 2022 and colleagues in Duqm were caught up in it too. “Getting together and watching matches was great for socialising after long working days,” says Tarek Khazbak. The team devised a plan for perfect football viewing, as Charbel Diab describes: “We hired a space on site for the whole tournament. We put a big screen in there and we rented a popcorn machine from the complex and people brought snacks to share too. To create the World Cup atmosphere in this space our Recreation Manager, Charbel Hayek, printed and hung flags for all countries taking part.”

The World Cup being hosted in the Middle East for the first time worked well for colleagues in Duqm. “Games were on at a perfect time for us,” says Elie Karam, Deputy Maintenance Manager. “People supported different teams so there was a lot of friendly teasing but the three most popular teams were Brazil, Germany or Argentina. All the Messi fans were celebrating loudly in the end.”

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF FOOD

The different cultures on site has been reflected in the food provided in the mess hall at the complex. As well as a broad continental offering, different cuisines cater to the larger communities, including Indian, Filipino and Korean. There are also local dishes served – a mess hall favourite for colleagues being Mulukhia, a green soup made from jute leaves cooked in a broth. This dish is different depending on the Arab region.

Away from the complex, there are restaurants that also provide international cuisines, including burgers and southern fried chicken. There are also street food vendors, where colleagues buy snacks such as Man’oushe Za’atar, a flatbread topped with aromatic herb and spice blends. “Local businesses in Duqm have benefitted because of the refinery and its workers, with more and more opening nearby in the last two-three years,” says Monzer Chammas.

On weekends and special occasions such as birthdays, colleagues enjoy meals at one of the several hotels built in the last five years in Duqm, with the Crowne Plaza by the tourist beach a popular choice. Tarek Khazbak reflects: “Celebrating birthdays is a tradition in most cultures and it has been important for us on this project to take time, connect and make a big deal about it for each other.”

One certainty on site is that whatever the occasion – whether a birthday or celebration of a project milestone – there is going to be a cake.

Colleagues in Duqm celebrating Oman National Day

MAKING TIME TO CELEBRATE

Staff celebrate every Omani national day together on site in the main office. In the past, flags have been put up around the site and Omani colleagues wear the local shoal and headdress and all colleagues listen to Omani music together. Elie Karam adds: “This day usually includes speeches from our Omani colleagues about the country, culture and what this project means to Oman.”

“What I found on this project is that people have not had limitations or borders,” says Charbel Diab. “We participate in each other’s traditions; we celebrate Eid with all colleagues, we put trees and lighting up for Christmas, and we get together for special occasions such as India Independence Day. In my experience, this openness isn’t limited to the feeling on just our site in Duqm but all of Oman where different cultures are embraced.”