The Mighty Gas of Aphrodite?
Some “good news” seems to have hit the shores of Cyprus recently, unless it would be likely to revive an old trail of international tensions, writes RGU's Nicolas Maulet.
Opinion
Budget 2014: Treasury driving further nails into drilling coffin
Year in, year out, it seems to me that the chancellor giveth with the one hand and taketh away with the other, writes Jeremy Cresswell
Budget 2014: No surprises for energy sector
The UK Government appears to have learnt from its previous mistakes in that there are fortunately no surprises for the oil & gas sector in the budget announced today, writes Clare Munro.
Budget 2014: Golden chance to send partnership message
Tomorrow, George Osborne will deliver what is the most important Budget for the North Sea oil and gas industry in a generation. Writing exclusively today, Maersk Oil UK managing director Martin Rune Pedersen outlines what the sector needs to hear from the chancellor following the Wood Review.
Offshore industry must play its part in fitness battle
A lot of questions that have been asked in response to the CAA report have been around size and shape, writes Les Linklater.
Bond boss: We owe it to crash victims to demand highest safety standards
Writing exclusively for the Press and Journal, managing director of helicopter firm Bond Offshore Luke Farajallah explains why the 2009 Super Puma disaster means he will never stop striving to improve safety for his company’s passengers.
The UK supply chain is in good hands
There’s no doubt that the UK oil and gas supply chain - a world leader in R&D, technological innovation and high-end engineering - contributes a huge amount to the UK economy today.
Oil and gas firms should look sideways in bid to end skills gap
Petroplan managing director Andrew Speers on why the oil and gas sector needs to target transferable skills with sideways recruitment - and where it should go on the hunt.
Oman: all round energy offering
I write about Oman as we at CMS expand our Middle East work into this region.
The taxing matter of exploration
The recent level of exploration activity in the UKCS is of concern, and the relatively small amount of recoverable reserves discovered offers little encouragement to those who hope to see the basin properly exploited. Thus, it is perfectly reasonable to question whether the current oil and gas tax regime is effectively encouraging exploration.
Read Lord Cullen’s speech to the Another Perspective on Risk Conference
Read the keynote address made by Piper Alpha inquiry chairman Lord Cullen of Whitekirk to the Another Perspective on Risk Conference in Aberdeen.
Corporate health strategy requires achievable goals
Having a vision is essential to good, effective and profitable business practice. It is a clear statement of goals and objectives set within an agreed timeframe.
Mental health – a poor relation
In the body of mental health statistics, two facts speak for themselves; one in four people will suffer from clinically significant mental health problems and 40% of sickness absence from work is attributable to poor mental health.
The times they are a changin’
The times they are a-changin' - so said Bob Dylan and, not surprisingly for a political, social, philosophical and literary commentator, he wasn't wrong.
Wood Review: Survey shows UKCS needs to step up its game
The oil and gas industry enjoyed a seminal moment late last month.
Ukraine’s uncertain future casts shadow over gas deals
The Ukrainian government's signing in November of a production sharing agreement with Chevron to explore and develop shale gas in the Lviv region was widely greeted as a landmark deal for the future of the former Soviet Satellite's energy security.
Openness and collaboration from within key to safe working culture
Like many people I covered in the business world, I thought “culture” was simply fodder for human resources seminars. Companies, after all, are complex organisations made of individuals.
Has the term ‘fracking’ cost European E&P £1billion?
Watching any television coverage or wider press regarding the activities of unconventional oil and gas investment, the word "fracking" has universally replaced all references to oil & gas exploration and development. Sadly, this is not a positive.
The political circus came to town
For those of us who despair of the current focus of political debate in Scotland, Monday, February 24, confirmed our fears and should act as a severe warning for the months and years ahead.
Power to the people … but foreign companies reap the benefits
Don't panic. I'm not thinking of setting up a protest group and marching on London. In fact, people that know me are fully aware that I'll do anything to avoid going anywhere near the place.
The tragic British energy shambles
On February 26, Friends of the Earth put out a statement saying it is organising training days to "mobilise communities threatened with coal-bed methane and fracking".
Focus energy debate on security rather than ownership of North Sea oil
The Scottish and Westminster cabinets both met, separately, this week in the north-east of Scotland, the heart of UK oil and gas production.
Action must come now to assure future
We are in the midst of a crucial period that will shape the future health of the North Sea.
Opinion: Now is not the time to turn the North Sea into political sideshow
On November 3, 1975, the Queen arrived in Aberdeen to mark a historic moment for the UK.
Community energy schemes face challenging 2014
No one knew I was involved in renewable energy as I browsed through the mountain jackets on a recent visit to an outdoor store in Inverness.