July 28, 2026 • 3 min read
Delivering at scale in Oman: From a single tree to first gas
To see a project go from absolutely nothing to something is one of the most rewarding things.
Senior Vice President for our Lower Gulf and Central Asia region, Patrick Tranter oversees some of our most complex gas projects. But his journey began at home, as a graduate project controls engineer in the United Kingdom.
“I started with Worley as a graduate,” Patrick explains. “I’ve been fortunate enough to grow and develop within the same organization.”
Inspired by his uncle’s stories of global projects and travel, his journey has since taken him from the UK to South Africa, and eventually to Oman, where he has now lived for more than 11 years.
For Patrick, project delivery doesn’t start with charts or contracts; it starts with people. Or, in one particular case, a single tree in the middle of the desert.
Designing for the whole, not the part
Early on, in what would come to be one of the defining projects in Patrick’s career, he remembers visiting a site with no roads, no facilities, just a single tree. It was there that he and his team started to map out where the processing facility, camp and infrastructure for a major gas development would one day stand.
Years later, he stood in the same spot, surrounded by a fully operational facility delivering gas to global markets. That facility is now a major BP‑operated gas development in Oman. A long‑running, multi‑phase project delivered in partnership with the Omani government.
“To see a project go from absolutely nothing to something is one of the most rewarding things,” he says.
The scale is immense: remote desert construction, multiple delivery centers across multiple countries and teams made up of nearly 30 nationalities.
But for Patrick, the challenge wasn’t just technical complexity. It was mindset.
Turning complexity into collaboration
The project faced its share of obstacles, including the disruption of COVID during construction. Materials, people and logistics were all affected, but the team’s response made the difference.
Designing to deliver effectively meant shifting the focus away from isolated scopes towards the full project lifecycle: from concept through to construction and first gas.
Engineering, procurement and construction weren’t treated as separate steps, but as one integrated system, all working backwards from the same goal: safe, reliable production.
“We didn’t have a culture of saying, ‘That’s a roadblock, it can’t be done’,” Patrick says. “It was always, ‘We’ll find a way somehow’.”
That problem solving mindset extended across disciplines, locations and cultures. Driving collaboration, communication and shared accountability that kept delivery moving forward.
Impact beyond the fence line
The impact of the project extends well beyond energy supply. Gas produced in Oman is converted to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and exported to global markets, helping meet up to 35 percent of the country’s total gas demand. Meanwhile, revenue reinvested by the Omani government supports infrastructure, education and national development.
Patrick sees this connection clearly. New roads, schools and utilities aren’t abstract outcomes; they’re visible reminders that the work delivered on site translates into real-world progress. At the same time, gas plays a critical role as a transition fuel, supporting energy demand with a lower carbon intensity pathway as the world moves toward renewables.
Building capability for what’s next
For Patrick, success isn’t just delivering one project well. It’s capturing lessons learned and sharing them across the broader team. Speed to market, end‑to‑end delivery and strong culture are now essential differentiators.
“You can have the best systems in the world,” he says, “but if you don’t have the right people and the right culture, you’ll still fail.”
Patrick’s story reflects what we do best: bringing diverse people together to deliver complex projects safely, collaboratively and with lasting impact – from the first conversation in an empty desert, to first gas and beyond.
