The Wafra field lies in the western part of the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The field was discovered in 1953 by the American Independent Oil Company and Pacific Western Oil Company on the basis of corehole and seismic information. It is unique in being operated jointly under separate concessions from two countries, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, granted to American Independent Oil Company and Getty Oil Company (formerly Pacific Western Oil Company) respectively. It is northwest - southeast trending anticlinal fold, and produces from four main zones, two in the Eocene and two in the Cretaceous. produces from four main zones, two in the Eocene and two in the Cretaceous. Accumulated production to July 31, 1967 was 584,254,067 barrels of oil.
The Wafra field is located in the west central part of the Kuwait- Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone, some 50 airline miles south and slightly west of Kuwait City, Kuwait. It is about 30 miles inland and the oil produced is moved by pipeline northeast 35 miles to Mena Abdulla (Aminoil) and 30 miles east and slightly north to Mena Saud (Getty), for processing and loading to tankers. (Fig. 1) Wafra field is unique in being in territory jointly owned by two separate countries, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and has been developed under two concessions by two companies, although at present most of the field operations are carried out by a Joint Operations Committee. It is also the only field on the southwest side of the Arabian Gulf producing from the Eocene, and although far from being of the caliber of its two giant neighbors, Burgan in Kuwait and Ghawar in Saudi Arabia, it has many interesting features. This paper is a brief description of the stratigraphy, structure, and production of the Wafra field.
The Neutral Zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia was established in late 1922, giving each country an undivided one half interest at a time when the only oil production in the region was some distance away in Iran. However, investigations in Kuwait to the north led to the discovery and early development of the great Burgan field in 1938–1940, and renewed development after World War II. This stimulated negotiations on the Neutral Zone which resulted in the awarding of a concession of the Kuwait one-half share of oil and gas to a group of American companies, called "Aminoil", in June 1948, and the Saudi Arabia portion to Pacific Western Oil Company (now Getty Oil Company) in January, 1949.
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