A Failing rig is not, as it might sound, one that is about to topple over, but a portable drilling rig manufactured by the George E. Failing Company of Ohio.
This image of a Failing rig, taken in the late 50s, is a reminder that the search for oil was wider than just Abu Dhabi.
Concessions were signed in all of the Emirates during the 1930s, although serious explanation did not start until after the end of the Second World War in 1945.
Location commercial oil and gas fields was not entirely a matter of guess work in those days, but did require luck and several attempts.
This photograph was taken in Sharjah, as exploration teams drilled in the desert hoping to strike it rich.
In fact, oil was eventually found in commercial quantities in Sharjah, as it was in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but not under the sands but under the sea.
The Mubarak field, near the island of Abu Musa, continued to pump oil until the end of 2009, when it was decided that it had reached the end of its profitable life,
That may not be the end of the energy story though. The Zora offshore gas field, which extends under the waters of both Sharjah and Ajman, should begin production this year.
Not so much a Failing story then, as a success story.
* James Langton
