OTC 2015: Brazil confirms acreage auction
Brazil confirmed 269 blocks located outside its pre-salt area will be auctioned off at the end of this year.
Events
All-Energy 2015: Key research to be unveiled at event
The Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES) project partners are set to announce their key emerging findings from the second phase of their research at All-Energy 2015. The project is a collaboration between the Scottish Government and its counterparts in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. It aims to both facilitate and stimulate investment in an offshore transmission network to support the integration of renewable energy resources.
All-Energy 2015: More than 450 exhibitors gear up for event
More than 450 exhibitors from over 20 countries are set to descend on Glasgow for All-Energy 2015 which begins tomorrow. The event, which orignally began in Aberdeen, has moved to the central belt for the first time in its history. There will be more than 440 speakers, including Energy Minister Fergus Ewing, who will speak at the opening plenary session.
OTC 2015: Together, we have a problem Houston
Low oil prices and high costs are not just our problem, it’s a global problem. Respect to those who have not travelled to the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this month, either to conserve cash or to express solidarity with those struggling at home. However, nobody can deny those of us here in Texas have a collective job to do.
OTC 2015: Shell takes plunge with deepwater CT scan
Shell has completed a technlogy first after deploying a subsea CT scanner to its Gulf of Mexico deepwater flowlines.
OTC 2015: Industry Trailblazer – Wood Group Mustang’s Michele McNichol
Michele McNichol doesn’t believe in glass ceilings. She does the believe in the industry’s success depending on its ability to foster a boundless “engineering curiosity”.
OTC 2015: Does the sun shine in Mexico?
Mexico’s commitment to the reform and opening up of its energy sector was underlined by President Enrique Peña Nieto visit to Aberdeen in the run up to this year's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).
OTC 2015: Ceona’s Amazon wins deepwater GoM work
Ceona has landed a contract to carry out deepwater work in the Gulf of Mexico.
OTC 2015: Pemex eyes up North Sea alliances
Pemex confirmed it’s on the hunt for North Sea alliances.
OTC 2015: Fifth Ring goes to Rio to extend its international reach
Aberdeen marketing and communications specialist Fifth Ring has teamed up with a Brazilian counterpart in a move which both firms hope will lead to new business in the international oil and gas market. The strategic alliance with Rio-based Zoom Out will see the companies co-operate on digital media, public relations and brand strategy projects for a wide variety of clients and on both internal and external campaigns. It also sees Fifth Ring extend its operations from its current bases in Aberdeen, Houston, Dubai and Singapore.
OTC 2015: Aberdeen accountants spread the word about north-east expertise
A trio of accountants from Aberdeen firm Johnston Carmichael (JC) is currently in Houston in the US as part of efforts to spread north-east oil and gas expertise around the world. Granite City office joint managing partners Niall Farquharson and Andrew Walker along with new recruit and tax director Richard Britten are attending the world’s biggest oil show, OTC. Mr Britten only joined JC in April but is already playing a key part in building the firm’s employer solutions practice, which targets companies with internationally mobile employees.
OTC 2015: Peterson unveils new real-time tracking software
Logistics firm Peterson used its presence at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) to launch its new real-time tracking software to the offshore oil and gas industry. The Aberdeen and Netherlands-based firm demonstrated is “intelligent" supply chain system, VOR, on its stand at the OTC Scottish pavilion. Peterson believes VOR will deliver the cost reductions sought by an offshore oil and gas sector grappling with the oil price crash.
OTC 2015: Baker Hughes’ new ultradeepwater system to recover billions
Baker Hughes launched its latest technology aimed at improving recovery factors at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference.
OTC 2015: Video – UIS launches subsea roadmap
Underwater Integrity Solutions, which was launched at this year's Offshore Technology Conference, has revealed plans for a subsea roadmap.
OTC 2015: The Journey – British Consul General Andrew Millar
Andrew Millar wants to thank his teenage wayward self.
OTC 2015: Flying the flag at OTC…it’s essential
For many in the North Sea industry, OTC in Houston has become part of the annual ritual. Unlike many such events which come and go in fashion, this one remains the top destination for many of the industry’s players and politicians from a’ the airts. The Offshore Technology Conference has been going strong since 1969 which means it has seen a few extreme ups and downs in the price of oil and plenty gloomy prognostications about the future. But in a sense, the event’s own longevity points to the underlying truth that this is an industry which has long since learned to take such fluctuations in its stride, and perhaps even turn them to advantage. For some of the old Aberdeen lags who have packed their suitcases once more and headed for Texas over the past few days, OTC is a great social occasion as well as a business one – a chance to meet old friends and particularly renew contact with many in the international industry who have, at some stage in their careers, passed through the North Sea industry.
OTC 2015: Getting uber-tough on well control
As if to spice debate at this year’s OTC (Offshore Technology Conference), the US Department of the Interior has told the oil companies and their supply chain that it’s about to get tough on well control. The decision wasn’t unexpected, but the timing is neat, especially given the Mexican offshore tragedy on April Fool’s day in which four workers perished and more than 40 were injured as a result of a platform, part of the Abkatun-Pol-Chuc offshore field complex, blowing up. While the cause is not yet clear, it would appear that it is not well-related as operator Pemex restored production in large part from the field within days, recovering some 80% of output shortly thereafter. Nonetheless, the very fact that there has been another dangerous offshore incident within the Gulf of Mexico region, moreover one originating from a company with a poor safety track record, suggests that the US will now be ultra-twitchy about the HSE record of any oil & gas installation or its operator in waters adjacent to its own patch.
OTC 2015: Mexico tragedy – a stark reminder to offshore industry
The devastating images of the aftermath of the terrible incident in the Gulf of Mexico last month have served as a stark reminder to the global oil & gas industry that we can never, ever, become complacent when it comes to the safety of our people who work offshore. While we don’t yet know the cause of this latest incident, we do know that risk is part and parcel of working in hazardous environments and it is the duty of every man and woman engaged in our sector – both offshore and onshore – to reduce the potential for accidents and injuries every step of the way. Knowledge is power and being able to properly understand the changing nature of risk, identify potential old and new hazards and react in the right way when something does go wrong is a fundamental part of keeping people safe. Five years after it was first introduced to the North Sea, Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST) has been significantly restructured and re-launched last month to take account of the changed requirements in the UK sector.
OTC 2015: Cut costs and commit – opportunities in the US offshore industry
The oil & gas industry is undergoing a major restructuring and nowhere is this more pronounced than in the United States. Since the plunge in oil prices during the latter half of 2014 and early 2015, E&P operators around the world have made cost reductions central to their short-term business plans. Oilfield service companies are coming under severe price pressure, including requests to reduce costs by 50% in some sectors, while rig contract renegotiations are increasingly visible and impacting the bottom line of drillers both on and offshore. At the time of writing, cost reduction initiatives show no sign of abating, despite some signs of life in the oil price.
OTC 2015: New $150million subsea venture launches
Aberdeen and Houston are at the heart of a new subsea venture with $150million of private equity money at its disposal.
OTC 2015: AEL poised for Houston expansion
Scottish-based AEL is poised for international expansion after a successful year in Houston. A year on from its Houston market entry the firm, which provides electrical products and services, confirmed at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) it would be investing in new premises to accommodate its growing workbook.
OTC 2015: The energy industry’s $70million bike shop
Ian Kirk can pinpoint the exact day his ‘fork in the road’ decision dramatically changed the course of his life.
OTC 2015: Expro lands £30million contract with Statoil
Oilfield services giant Expro has launched its OTC exhibition campaign with the announcement of a £30million ($45million) contract in Canada with Statoil.
OTC 2015: Downhole secures $19million contract windfall
Downhole Products has landed $19million worth of contracts in Malaysia and Angola.
OTC 2015: Stats Group invests £1.3million in Houston base
Pipeline engineers Stats Group, has invested £1.3million in new facilities in Houston to expand its services in the US and South American oil and gas markets.