Editing Petroleum Development Oman (section)

===Consolidation===
All through the 1970s, PD(O) strove to maintain its production and replace its reserves while developing its professionalism. Some significant discoveries early in the decade contributed to that objective: [[Ghaba North]] in 1972, followed by [[Saih Nihayda]], [[Saih Rawl]], [[Qarn Alam]] and [[Habur, Oman|Habur]]. All five fields were on stream by 1975, the crude oil being transported via a new {{convert|20|in|mm|adj=on}} pipeline to the main pipeline 75 kilometers east of Fahud. Thanks in part to these new sources of oil, production averaged {{convert|281778|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} (bpd) in 1972 and {{convert|341000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} in 1976/76.

The first half of the 1970s was important for other reasons as well. On 1 January 1974 the Government of Oman acquired a 25% shareholding in the Petroleum Development (Oman); six months later the shareholding was increased to 60%, backdated to the beginning of the year. As a result, the foreign interest in PD(O) was now made up of the Shell (34%), Compagnie Française des Petroles (4%) and Partex (2%). These shareholdings have remained unchanged to the present day. The company, however, underwent a change six years later. On 15 May 1980, it was registered by Royal Decree as a limited liability company under the name Petroleum Development Oman — now without parentheses in its name. Its current [[nautilus]] logo was also introduced then.