Fighters from a breakaway al-Qaeda group are in position to seize energy infrastructure after taking control of Mosul in a strike that highlights Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s weakening grip on the country.
Tribal gunmen allied to the group are close to capturing Baiji, north of Baghdad and home to Iraq’s biggest refinery, Al- Jazeera television said. Baiji has a refining capacity of 310,000 barrels a day, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Air accident investigators have made a number of fresh safety recommendations after finalising a joint report into two offshore helicopter ditchings in 2012.
Forty-five percent of oil and gas firms recently surveyed claim that the Scottish referendum on independence is impacting their investment plans (so says Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s 20th Oil and Gas Survey sponsored by Bond Dickinson).
Extracting and using fossil fuels is fundamentally embedded in industrial society. But carbon dioxide emissions from these cause climate change, sea level rise and ocean acidification.
The headline finding of today’s survey is that the Scottish independence referendum is impacting on the plans and investment proposals of 45% of firms in the oil and gas sector.
Industry body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) stuck to its impartial line on independence in its response to the survey, while politicians on both sides of the debate claimed it supported their respective causes.
I've long been a sceptic as far as the oil and gas recruiting problem goes because I think it's almost unbelievable the industry can't find enough qualified and experienced people to satisfy its demand.
While on holiday in Skye recently I had the pleasure of meeting a forester who was involved with the planting of Sitka spruce as part of a carbon offset scheme.
While malaria is not a medical problem one would typically associate with workers on North Sea oil rigs, it is nevertheless a condition that warrants a degree of awareness. Indeed, just last month, we assisted an offshore worker who had a case of imported malaria.
Scotland's record as an exporter is not as good as it should be or needs to be if we are to create economic growth and sustain employment. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government set its own target a couple of years back of doubling the number of companies engaged in exporting by 2020.
Oil & Gas UK last night welcomed a report by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on extending the use of North Sea assets that have exceeded their design life but are still in use.
Hastily agreed Confidentiality Agreements or Non-Disclosure Agreements (“NDA’s”) are dangerous in the wrong hands. Careers are on the line. Game changing technology can become the equivalent of freeware overnight if not protected.
However practice varies enormously when it comes to the terms agreed. Very small businesses might be forgiven for lack of knowledge or management time. Their quoted cousins have less excuse.
The Treasury has claimed that Scotland is already spending its entire share of North Sea oil revenues – and would need enough immigrants to fill Edinburgh to plug a workforce gap after independence.
Doubts over the outcome of the independence referendum are stalling investment in the north-east of Scotland by English firms keen to develop their oil and gas portfolios, according to a leading lawyer.
Richard Cockburn, a partner in the energy and natural resources team at legal firm Bond Dickinson, is involved in helping companies from both areas expand and, where appropriate, work together.
The firm has offices in Aberdeen, Newcastle and Teesside. He said more and more supply chain companies from the north-east of England are keen to become involved in the opportunities which the current buoyancy, combined with a skills shortage, has created.
However, they are increasingly concerned about what will happen after September 18.
Xcite Energy has become one of the first firms to get into the spirit of the Wood Review by pushing for the development of the area around its Bentley Field.
Sir Ian Wood wants a new regulator to be given additional powers to ensure that all licence holders act in a way that is consistent with maximising UK recovery.
That includes increased collaboration between companies, particularly around access to infrastructure, and improved data sharing.
