A number of oil and gas operators have banned North Sea firms from confirming details of new contract wins in the wake of the oil price collapse.
A wellhead maintenance firm said the new policy was “so frustrating” after one of its long term customers refused to allow the firm to publicise details of a contract extension.
A spokeswoman for the firm said: “[We] would like to shout it from the rooftops, but unfortunately the operator recently adopted a policy of not sanctioning press releases from third party suppliers.”
The deal, which will see the firm deliver well head maintenance as well as onshore services on a range of North Sea assets, comes as it said it has had “a very positive working relationship” with the operator for 13 years.
“It’s very positive news, which is a bit hard to come by in the industry these days,” the spokeswoman added.
Zoe Ogilvie, whose communications firm Big Partnership advises a range of oil and gas clients, said operators often put policies in place around contract announcements for “valid reasons”.
She added: “This can pose frustrations for the supply chain, which is understandably keen to highlight successes. For some firms these announcements are important, helping to secure or create jobs and raise their profile.
“In such difficult times when positive messages are few and far between, sharing, celebrating and capitalising on good news stories helps build confidence in the sector.
“There are however other ways of promoting success. Our experience is that operators can be very amenable to working with vendors to produce case studies which are valuable in communication terms as they address not only what a contract covered but what the real outcomes were, demonstrating a company’s capability in relation to delivery.
“These also provide a strong foundation for technical articles, speaker opportunities and award entries.”
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