Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids Country Notes

Yemen

Proved recoverable reserves (crude oil and NGLs, million tonnes)	384
Production (crude oil and NGLs, million tonnes, 2005)	19.8
R/P ratio (years)	19.3
Year of first commercial production	1986

After many years of fruitless searching, exploration in the 1980s and 1990s brought a degree of success, with the discovery of a number of fields in the Marib area, many yielding very light crudes. Oil discoveries have been made in two other areas of the country (Shabwa and Masila) and Yemen has evolved into a fairly substantial producer and exporter of crude.

The level of proved recoverable reserves quoted by OAPEC has remained at 4 billion barrels for the past 13 years. Oil & Gas Journal gave the same level for end-2005 but has reduced its estimate to 3 billion as at end-2006. BP, in its Statistical Review of World Energy, 2006, quotes 2 900 million barrels. For the purposes of the present Survey, the latest assessment by World Oil - 2 970 million barrels - has been adopted.

Total output in 2005 was 422 000 b/d (including 22 000 b/d of NGLs). About three-quarters of Yemen's crude production is exported, largely to Singapore, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other Asia/Pacific destinations.