Crude Oil Production and Grades

The majority of Oman's oil production is crude. Oils extracted in the country are highly varied, ranging from light to heavy and sweet to very sour

The Blending Process

Oman's key fields produce different grades, and these are commingled (blended) at the central processing facilities before being pumped via pipeline to the main export terminal, near Muscat. This blending is done to create a consistent, marketable product.

Oman Export Blend (The Benchmark)The final commingled product that is exported and traded on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) is known as the Oman Export Blend.

Here is how the concepts of sweet and sour crude apply to the oil produced in Oman:

Sour Crude Oil in Oman

• Dominant Type: Sour crude is the predominant type produced and exported by Oman.

• Export Benchmark: The internationally traded product, the Oman Export Blend, is classified as a Medium, Sour Crude.

  • Sulfur Content: Typically ranges from about 1.2% to 1.4% by weight, which is above the 0.5% threshold for sour classification.

  • API Gravity (Density): The blend is medium density, averaging around 33 to 34 degrees API.

• Production: The largest volume of oil extracted in Oman comes from complex, heavy, and sour fields. To maintain production, the country heavily relies on advanced techniques like Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), which is often necessary for these challenging sour and heavy reserves.

Sweet Crude Oil in Oman

• Production: Oman does produce some lighter, higher-quality hydrocarbons, though the volumes are much smaller compared to the sour crude.

• Condensates: The main source of "sweet" components comes from Condensates—very light, low-sulfur liquids separated from natural gas production (like from the Khazzan field). These liquids have a very high API gravity and very low sulfur content.3

• Blending Role: These light, sweet condensates and any lighter crude grades are typically blended with the heavier, sour crudes to improve the overall quality (raise the API gravity and reduce the sulfur content) of the final Oman Export Blend, making it a more consistent and marketable product for global refiners, especially those in Asia.

In summary: Oman's commercially exported crude is universally known as Sour, but the country's petroleum portfolio contains a mix of Sour Crude (the vast majority) and highly valuable Sweet Condensates that are combined to create the consistent Oman Export Blend.