KHURSANIYAH, 15 April 2007 — As impressive as this massive combined oil and gas facility is from an engineering or construction standpoint, the logistical support is equally impressive.
What was trackless desert 13 months ago now is home to a workforce expected to peak at about 30,000 contractor employees. They don’t live in tents; they live in modern structures with the comforts of home — beds and refrigerators, air conditioners and hot showers.
“This is the finest accommodation of any construction site in the world,” said Zaki Hallaq, SAE manager of Consolidated Contractors Co. for the Khursaniyah Gas Project.
He noted that when European inspectors visited the camp, one commented that the medical facilities for the temporary city were better than healthcare facilities for many European towns.
The transportation network also may be better than those of many cities around the world, with more than 300 buses shuttling workers to and from worksites throughout the day. On weekends, the buses transport workers to cities for shopping and sightseeing tours.
Fifteen languages are spoken in the camp, and dining halls provide more than 60,000 meals each day to please palates from the Far East, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Australia and the Americas.
Recreation facilities include playing fields for soccer and cricket, gymnasiums and fitness equipment and common areas where old friends and new friends can enjoy conversation over a cup of coffee or tea. Employees get laundry service several times weekly.
This fledgling city, complete with fire protection, clinics and security, has its own governing council, composed of company officials of the several entities working together at Saudi Arabia’s largest construction site. Together, they sort out the challenges presented by any municipality, from sewage treatment and trash collection to the traffic congestion created by hundreds of buses and company vehicles, and the steady stream of 2,500 trucks arriving on site daily.
“It’s important to make sure the workers are comfortable,” Hallaq said. “The training goes better, and the employees are more motivated on the job.”
At the end of this project, the city of Khursaniyah will cease to exist. The land will be returned to its original state, and the housing dismantled to be reassembled at the site of the next Saudi Aramco mega-project.
What will remain is the Khursaniyah Oil and Gas Production Facility — a tribute to the thousands of men who made this incredible complex rise from the sands — and who once lived there.