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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Oilfield services giant Expro has launched its OTC exhibition campaign with the announcement of a £30million ($45million) contract in Canada with Statoil.
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.
As the Offshore Technology Conference OTC kicks off in Houston, Texas today companies in the UK oil and gas industry are turning to new technology as a way to breath fresh life into the sector during challenging conditions.
With so much to take in at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), one can forget that Houston is an exciting city with many things happening beyond the walls of the NRG Arena. While attending OTC you definitely want to connect with industry leaders, but don’t forget to explore what the Houston market can offer your company. The Greenspoint District is ready to help you explore your options.
Scottish oil bosses are anticipating another successful time at the world's top energy show in the US city of Houston.
They are attending the annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which starts on Monday.
Aberdeen-based energy industry travel expert Munro's Travel and the Press and Journal have organised their regular visit to OTC for 300 delegates through a tie-up dating back to 1973.
This large Scottish group began arriving on Wednesday and the last of them will fly in tomorrow.
Industry experts have been urged to step forward and voice their concerns over the challenges currently facing the sector as a result of the falling oil price.
Subsea UK has made its last call for papers for its annual ROV conference.
The event, which is now in its third year, will be held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre during the final day of the Offshore Europe conference on Friday, September 11 and will debate key industry issues across the globe.
Topics under the spotlight include deepwater construction, operational efficiencies, ROV development, and technological advancements.
Cheap hotel prices in Glasgow in early May highlight one of the reasons why the organisers of the UK’s largest green-energy show were so keen to move it from Aberdeen this year.
But it could be back in Europe’s energy capital within a few years, thanks to current hotel projects and a major new venue in the city, north-east MSP Lewis Macdonald told the Press & Journal.
A check yesterday on a well-known booking website showed rooms in three-star hotels in Glasgow on Tuesday May 5, the eve of All-Energy 2015, and Wednesday, May 6 are available from £45 a night.
For those people still needing a room after the event ends on Thursday, May 7, three-star budget accommodation is available for only £35.
North Sea firms that are ensuring that new talent remain are attracted to the workforce will be celebrated at an awards ceremony tonight.
Three companies have been shortlisted at the Offshore Achievement Awards for their work with graduates as the North Sea faces thousands of job losses due to high costs and low oil prices - but which still needs to ensure new entrants see it as a long-term career prospect.
Aberdeen businesswoman Jeanette Forbes is to be one of the featured speakers at the Gulf Intelligence Women in Energy Summit, which takes place today in Doha, Qatar.
Ms Forbes, chief executive of PCL Group, was invited to take part in the summit to address delegates on “Technology: Clearing the path for women to work in technical field?”
An annual business event connecting the UK and US energy industries will mark its third birthday a week-long initiative.
The Aberdeen-Houston Gateway will focus on energy, health, education and professional services.
