It was great to see All-Energy at Aberdeen's exhibition centre absolutely booming. As a veteran of these events, from the kick-off in 2001, I had the real sense of an industry which is on the verge of something big.
THIS year's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) was the setting for another global technology summit, led by Aberdeen-headquartered ITF. Key technology organisations from the world's major oil&gas provinces came together for a breakfast on the second day of the show in Houston to share updates on current programmes.
BP has handed UK group Amec the engineering services contract covering development of the Tubular Bells and Kodiak discoveries in deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
We've read the headlines, perhaps even attended February's launch, but how is the CEO of Britain's shiny new National Subsea Research Institute going to actually make this bold ambition happen?
A just published study commissioned by Rockhopper Exploration shows just how tantalisingly close the late-1990s exploration drilling campaign to the north of the Falkland Islands was, especially one of the two operated by Shell.
Late May's news that the Chinese are snapping up nearly half of a strategically important refinery in Singapore, plus pouring a staggering $442billion into expanding renewables capacity, should send shivers through corridors of power here in the West.
The utterly immoral behaviour of an apparently significant number of MPs is something that I find truly abhorrent. Without a shadow of a doubt, the authority of the UK parliament as an institution and the politicians that occupy it have both been severely damaged.
PROTECTING the environment and behaving in a sustainable manner is "no longer the preserve of a few enthusiasts", but is a "matter of essence" for every person and organisation, the current chairman of the International Association of Drilling Contractors warned last month.
DNV is launching a joint industry project designed to overhaul existing industry guidelines for the safe design of both fixed and floating structures in Arctic offshore regions.
Two major West of Shetland development projects are gathering momentum, with Houston-based INTECSEA having secured the facilities engineering services contract for the first stage of Chevron-operated Rosebank/Lochnagar, while Doris has started front-end engineering for Total-operated Laggan/Tormore.
DAIMLER, Shell, Total, Vattenfall Europe and hySOLUTIONS have signed an agreement with Hamburg to build a low-emission fleet of vehicles and the accompanying infrastructure.
CAPITOL Hill Democrats negotiating a major energy and climate bill have reached a tentative agreement that could lead to a US renewables power generation target of 15% by 2020 - on a par with the UK's aspiration.
AFTER the massive setback of Shell pulling back and a period in the wilderness, partners in the world's largest offshore windfarm, the London Array, have regrouped and construction will start this summer. The trigger to the decision was the UK Government's 2009 Budget decision to offer enhanced incentive payments via renewables obligation certificates.
AN INNOVATIVE three-in-one solution for providing clean energy from the sun has won this year's St Andrews Prize for the Environment.
Aberdeen-based subsea construction company Subocean Group has invested almost £16million in cable-laying equipment and the refit and mobilisation of a chartered cable-laying barge to meet growing demand from offshore wind developers.
Typing "tidal turbine" into the world's favourite search engine generates 500,000 hits in less than a quarter of a second and throws up a range of devices, some developed and proven, many no more than speculative artist's impressions.
ScottishPower is among the leading renewables protagonists in the UK, with an ambitious investment programme - primarily in on and offshore wind. But the group is also ploughing money into marine renewables in the hope that wave and tide will make a viable contribution to Britain's long-term electricity requirements.
Aberdeen is the Energy Capital of Europe - the one place where the upcoming maritime renewables community can rub shoulders with, and spark off, the incredible upstream offshore oil&gas industry resource resident in and around the city.
On April 22, it was reported in Calgary that executives at Suncor Energy are to assume the top roles in the company after it wraps up its $15billion (£11million) takeover of Petro-Canada.
WITH stormy waters ahead for our supply chain, the effects can be quickly felt by SMEs, and a natural reaction is to batten down the hatches.
Safety has always been, and will always remain, paramount to the global oil&gas industry.
As a proven technology with high availability and the promise of additional Government support, biomass energy is attracting the attention of a growing number of power utility companies and is set to play an increasingly significant role in Europe's energy generation mix.
The global recession and oil-industry slowdown are biting deeper into the North Sea as the number of rigs drilling exploration and appraisal wells has dropped by three since the April WellSlot.
During the Offshore Supplies Office's early years, one of the few causes for optimism about the UK economy was the prospect of substantial North Sea oil production.
The Iraqi ministry of oil has recently completed the pre-qualification stage of the second bidding round. This process is relevant to the reserves in the southern part of the country.
