A “severe contraction” in offshore oil and gas activity lowered traffic and cargo handling levels at Lerwick harbour in 2015, bosses at the Shetland port have said.
But Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) said the outcome was to be expected, given that the harbour had been “exceptionally busy” in 2013 and 2014.
It also said a return to form for cruise ship arrivals and the completion of improvements to its facilities will partially offset the effects of the energy sector downturn in 2016.
In a law case from 1884 − Regina v. Dudley and Stephens − the accused were found guilty of murdering their ship mate Richard Parker in a lifeboat.
It was decided by five judges in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, “that one must not kill one`s shipmate in order to eat them no matter how hungry one might be”.
It may come as a surprise that right up until 1884 stories of cannibalism in lifeboats were not uncommon. The drawing of lots was often used to decide matters − noble sacrifice or murder, either way there was a level of consent to the unfortunates’ departure. By now many will have seen the feature film “In the Heart of the Sea” about the fate of the survivors of the Essex, a Nantucket whaling ship lost in 1820.
A consortium has pledged £500million worth of backing for a £2billion wind farm planned for the outer Forth Estuary, bringing the construction phase a step closer, the company behind the project said yesterday.
Mainstream Renewable Power is now in a stronger position to meet the March 26 deadline for achieving financial close, though a judicial review continues to cast doubt on the scheme.
The Neart na Gaoithe (NNG) wind farm would bring huge economic gains to Scotland. More than £540million will be spent in Scotland during the construction phase, with 500 jobs created.
Four businessmen will this week launch a new service which provides support for people who have fallen on hard times in Aberdeen's corporate sector.
The Business Connection will organise fortnightly meetings for business people who want to discuss their fears and anxieties with others who are in the same boat.
The charity will also refer people onto third party organisations that specialise in financial advice, or counselling for those considering suicide.
Attempts are being made to revive the “corpse” of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project which had been destined for Peterhead, Scotland’s energy minister said yesterday.
But Fergus Ewing said none of the other options being mulled would be easy to put into practice.
Plans to build the CCS plant were derailed in November following the UK Government’s decision to cut £1billion worth of funding for the technology.
The number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the north-east of Scotland rose by 72% in December as the oil and gas industry sheds staff to cope with low oil prices.
A global oil field procurement firm headquartered in Aberdeen said yesterday it had opened its first Middle-East bases after tying up a deal to manage a Qatari operator’s budget.
Craig International, part of family-owned energy service and shipping company Craig Group, will be handed about £7.5million every year for five years to provide the operator with a range of procurement services.
Craig International, which has a network of more than 60 buyers in six countries, did not disclose the name of the client.
Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) yesterday hailed the increase in demand for “tools” it helped develop in an effort to improve efficiency in the industry.
The trade association said more than 900 companies had signed up to the industry mutual hold harmless (IMHH) deed.
OGUK said the deed, which was originally developed in 2002, helped firms clarify the allocation of risks and avoid doubling up on the insurance of identical liabilities offshore.
General Electric’s 5,000 Scotland-based employees will not be affected by plans to cut about 600 UK jobs, the US firm said yesterday.
The redundancies at General Electric (GE) form part of the industrial giant’s wider plans to lay off 6,500 staff members in Europe, where it employs 100,000 people.
Most of the 600 UK job losses are expected to take place at GE’s sites in Rugby and Stafford in England, a spokesman for GE said yesterday.
Exploration and appraisal drilling in the UK North Sea went down in 2015, new figures show.
A dozen exploration wells were drilled in the North Sea last year, one fewer than in 2014, according to UK Government statistics published this week.
Offshore appraisal drilling decreased from 14 two years ago to 12 in 2015.
Independent Oil & Gas (IOG) had £2.4million wiped off its stock market value yesterday after the company postponed the drilling of a North Sea appraisal well.
IOG had planned to drill the Skipper appraisal well before the end of March.
But yesterday the firm said bad weather conditions and low crude prices had convinced it to wait until later in the year.
In July 2015, Oil and Gas UK said North Sea industry had suffered 5,500 direct job losses from the start of 2014 to June 2015.
In a report published in September, the same organisation estimated that about 65,000 oil and gas related jobs had been lost in the UK over the same period.
Since then, at least 1,000 more have been revealed:
Oil major BP has today informed staff members of plans to slash its North Sea headcount by 20% amid “toughening market conditions”.
About 600 of the 3,000 staff members and agency contractors tied to the company’s North Sea operations will be made redundant, a spokesman for the company said.
Of the 3,000 staff members, 1,800 work in Aberdeen, 500 are employed offshore, 200 are based at Sullom Voe on Shetland, 200 are in the Grangemouth area, while a further 250 are in South Korea on contracts linked to BP’s Quad 204 and Claire Ridge developments.
An Aberdeen firm is showcasing new wearable technology which it says can “reignite” the North Sea’s position as a global leader.
Management consultancy and technology services firm Accenture has said the wearable helmet-mounted cameras and arm-mounted tablets let offshore workers do their jobs more efficiently, which helps companies lower costs.
Industry experts have said the needs to reduce its cost base if it is to survive the current downturn, which has seen crude prices nose dive from more than $110 per barrel in summer 2014 to less than $35 today.
Fire protection company Blaze Manufacturing has hired a director of Aberdeen Science Centre to spearhead overseas expansion plans, the north-east firm announced yesterday.
Blaze finance director Ann Johnson said new international manager Colin Black’s background in rig cooling made him a “great match” for the company.
Mr Black, who is also a director of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, will help Blaze reduce its reliance on North Sea clients amid a tough economic climate in the region due to the low oil price.
North Sea oil pioneer Algy Cluff insisted yesterday plans for unconventional gas extraction in the Firth of Forth were not dead.
He was speaking after his company said it was switching its “primary focus” away from the firth to pursue underground coal gasification (UCG) projects in England, and conventional oil and gas developments in the North Sea.
Green groups which recently led a protest against his Scottish UCG plans said it was a “massive victory” for campaigners but the issue would not be buried until his firm handed back its UCG licences.
Oil pioneer Algy Cluff said the North Sea is on the cusp of a renaissance after heralding his company’s plans to divert more of its resources to the area.
Mr Cluff said Cluff Natural Resources had already made rapid progress in developing its five conventional oil and gas licences in the southern North Sea, aided by a collaborative agreement with energy service giant Halliburton.
The UK wind power industry enjoyed a record breaking 2015 against the backdrop of Tory Government cuts to green energy subsidies.
Onshore and offshore turbines combined forces to generate 11% of the UK’s wind last year, up from 9.5% in 2014, RenewableUK said today, citing National Grid statistics supplied by independent data analysts EnAppSys.
A new monthly record was set in December, with wind satisfying 17% of UK energy demand. The previous record of 14% was set in January 2015.
A grandfather from Merseyside has put his free time aboard North Sea rigs to great use by writing a novel about football that is attracting huge interest worldwide.
Peter Farrell’s book, “Give the Fans Sweet FA”, tells the story of its author’s audacious quest to gain free admission to football matches by sneaking past security guards during the early- to mid-90s.
Mr Farrell was protesting against skyrocketing ticket prices and a perceived lack of respect being show to fans at the start of the Premier League era.
The barge which today caused mayhem on the North Sea has been brought back under control, vessel owners Eide Marine said.
BP and ConocoPhillips were forced to shut down production and evacuate platforms in the central North Sea after the barge broke away from its moorings in stormy weather, posing a threat to the installations.
The drifting barge which forced BP to evacuate its Valhall Platform in the North Sea has missed the installation, Norwegian rescue authorities were cited as saying.
A spokesman for BP said it was taking steps to restart production on the facility, a process which usually takes 24 hours.
The company had been in the process of taking evacuees to nearby platforms as a precaution, and a tug boat was trying to bring the barge under control.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the oil and gas sector is likely to remain subdued until the end of next year at the earliest, a corporate financier has said.
But Graham Cunning of accountancy firm Campbell Dallas, which has advised on 15 deals worth a total of more than £100million this year, said there are still plenty of takeover opportunities for the industry’s market leaders.
Communities across Scotland received a record sum of more than £10million from green energy projects in 2015, the country’s energy minister said yesterday.
Fergus Ewing said it had been a “bumper year” for community energy, but anti-wind farm campaigners said the sum was unimpressive when stacked up against the profits raked in by multi-national energy firms.
Green energy production is growing north of the border. According to new figures, Scotland reached its target for community or local ownership projects five years early.
