Bought by the Hashoo Group in 1995, Orient Petroleum has invested in innovative techniques to increase production.

Part of the Hashoo Group of companies, Orient Petroleum has been operating in Pakistan since 1979, when it formed part of Occidental Petroleum. Orient was granted concessions for the Dhurnal, Bhangali and Ratana oil fields – some of Pakistan’s highest producing fields at the time – and was bought by the Hashoo Group in 1995. Since then the company has continued to produce oil, gas and liquefied petroleum gas from these fields and has gone on to make a number of new discoveries in the country. Orient has also formed successful joint ventures with some of the larger players in Pakistan, such as state-owned Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, the country’s largest producer, Petronas, Zaver Petroleum Corporation and Bow Energy Resources.

Hasan Ali Hashwani President of Orient Petroleum

As a mid-sized company, Orient Petroleum prides itself on its flexibility and rapid decision-making, as well as its innovative approaches, and has used its size to increase its efficiency and cost effectiveness. Company President Hasan Ali Hashwani, states: “We are able to make quick operational decisions. We want to maximize the return on our investments and move quickly to bring our oil and gas to market, and in this way we capitalize on the flexibility that being a mid-sized company entails.” Under the Hashoo Group, Orient has used enhanced oil recovery methods to continue to produce from its original fields, increasing its shares in Dhurnal and Ratana, and has made seven new discoveries on its own in two new blocks in the Sindh province. Again, Orient Petroleum’s innovative techniques led to their success there. Mr. Hashwani comments, “By employing new technology from our Houston office, we were able to establish a new producing horizon in the Southern Indus Basin sands.”

Encouraged by their success in Pakistan and urged on by ever-increasing global prices for oil, the company is now planning its expansion beyond Pakistan’s borders. Senior Vice-President Anwar Moin, says that the company is attracted by the potential in the Middle East and Central and East Africa where new opportunities are opening up. He states: “We feel that we have a very strong base in Pakistan, which is where we have built up the company, but now it is time to expand overseas to add to our asset base. With high international oil prices, it is now quite an attractive time to go and explore these areas.”