Last year was a difficult year for Yemen. While the situation in its neighboring Gulf States had calmed somewhat from the most active days of the Arab Spring in 2011, Yemen was still forced to contend with a host of challenges that continuously threatened to endanger both its domestic stability and regional security.

But if sources are to be believed, Yemen – and its stuttering oil and gas sector – may just be turning a corner. “I have to admit, this year things have been fairly quiet on the security front,” an oil industry executive in Yemen tells MEES. “We have had very few attacks on pipelines, and no reports of attacks on staff. I am hoping that maybe, just maybe, things are getting better.” (CONTINUED - 1088 WORDS)