The Al Shaheen oilfield is a whale shark safe haven.
The heavily guarded oilfield, which is located 90km off Qatar’s coast, has seen hundreds of giant beauties seek refuge in its shadows.
Experts believe it and neighbouring platforms have become artificial reefs for the species.
Maersk Oil has since played a critical role in tracking the whale sharks’ pattern.
Surveys into their behaviour around the Al Shaheen field began in April 2011.
Nearly 400 different whale sharks have since been identified in the area.
The Al Shaheen field was originally deemed economically defunct. Previous parties abandoned exploration plans citing its extremely tight reservoirs stretched across vast distances as too difficult to exploit.
However, Maersk Oil has since leveraged the field’s potential. It launched the Maersk Oil Research & Technology Centre, which is dedicated to developing new applications for the field.