Saudi students dive into oil engineering

An ongoing summer camp offers oil engineering technology training and an immersive cultural experience for students from Saudi Arabia in China, the first of its kind organized by two leading oil companies in the two countries.

The camp — jointly organized by Offshore Oil Engineering Co under the China National Offshore Oil Corp and Saudi Arabian Oil Co — has been providing offshore oil engineering technologies and management expertise to Saudi students in China since late July.

Twelve Saudi students from Beijing University of Science and Technology, China University of Petroleum (East China) and Harbin Institute of Technology joined the camp in Qingdao, Shandong province. They traveled to Tianjin to continue their studies until Wednesday.

During their three weeks, the students had a comprehensive learning experience in offshore petroleum engineering.

They had the opportunity to explore offshore oil engineering equipment manufacturing bases in Qingdao and Tianjin, as well as to observe the advancements and changes in China's marine oil and gas industry, the organizers said.

The training aims to deepen the students' understanding of Chinese traditional culture, promote cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and Saudi Arabia, as well as to foster stronger friendships between the people of both countries.

Alshahrani Dhafer Abdullah M, 33, a postgraduate student majoring in engineering management at Beijing University of Science and Technology, made a presentation sharing his experience in China at a seminar last week. "I have been attracted by the profound history of China and plan to work in China after I complete my studies," he said.

He has studied and worked in Britain and Saudi Arabia, and now has five sisters and brothers working and studying in China — in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

He said he made a good friend — an engineer surnamed Dong — who thought of Offshore Oil Engineering as his home. Many engineers in the company feel the same way, he added.

Butt Adel Abdullah Q, 23, an undergraduate majoring in mechanical engineering at Beijing University of Science and Technology, said: "After studying at the camp, I've enhanced my appreciation of the Chinese people's hard-working spirit and gained more interest in technological cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia."