I came here with a relatively clear diary and an ambition of visiting the show for a few hours every day and going to a variety of cocktail parties and dinners in the evenings. But it hasn't worked out that way - it never does! This year my schedule has filled up even more quickly than it has in the past, and virtually all of my time is spent in meetings at our Huston downtown headquarters and at breakfasts, lunches and dinners with clients and contacts. (note to self - must start the diet and go to the gym when home next week!).
For many the OTC week starts in earnest with the Simmons cocktail party. This is a 40 year tradition that the firm works hard at preserving by making sure that those attending are real influencers and decision makers.
The UK oil and gas industry is constantly faced with challenges; technology, fiscal, skills retention and other business issues are all part and parcel of our day to day work. But as a major hazard industry, it is the safety of our people that comes before everything else.
The annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston presents the UK oilfield services (OFS) with the perfect opportunity to highlight its position as a core component of Britain's manufacturing and service base, given its importance to the domestic oil and gas sector and status as a key exporter.
A few years ago if someone had suggested that conventional offshore gas field development programmes and the LNG market would soon be under threat from shale gas they would have been thought at best eccentric and at worst suffering from some sort of delusionary illness.
Offshore accounted for about 32% of total world oil output in 2011 and some 24% of gas production. Both shares have increased slowly over the past decade.
The decision by RWE and E.ON to pull the plug on nuclear new-build in the UK is a product of German politics and priorities. However, it raises serious issues for energy policy that need to be addressed with some urgency.
Offshore Oil & Gas production is an infrastructure intensive activity. The UK North Sea is estimated to be home to around 10million tonnes of steel and concrete making up the 470 installations, 5,000 wells, and 6,000 miles (9,656km) of pipeline laid to date.
Leadership, communication and teamwork are buzzwords that are banded about a lot within our industry. It is sad fact that all too often familiarity breeds contempt and over time there is a danger that we can forget why these things were important in the first place.
Of important significance to the oil and gas industry, the Government is due to introduce a "Patent Box" regime to encourage companies with high-tech assets to locate their base in the UK.
May is National Smile Month and we're all being encouraged to smile and show off our gleaming teeth as part of an oral health campaign organised by the British Dental Foundation.
ON SUNDAY March 25, Total lost control of a rogue well in the Elgin-Franklin field complex, 240km (150 miles) east of Aberdeen, precipitating a crisis that will end up costing the French group billions of dollars in lost revenues but which has so far not cost any lives.
After the debacle of the UK's 2011 Budget which contributed to a significant fall in activity over the last year, it's great to be able to report on the positive developments for the industry coming out of the 2012 iteration.
As the dust settles on another budget, and the "Granny Tax" occupies fewer column inches, it is good to reflect on where we are in the evolution of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) fiscal regime.
Over the past few weeks there have been numerous articles in the media about the dangers of eating red meat. Some were quite scary with headlines such as "Eating red meat kills!" So where does the truth lie and should we cut back on our consumption of red meat?
I have read many reports on the UKCS decommissioning market over the last decade, as many other people in the industry must also have done. All have proved to be wildly inaccurate in relation to both the size and timing of the market, which has been very much smaller than predicted.
One of the few certainties about the Green Investment Bank which is due to open its doors later this year is that it will not be short of prospective customers.
The new measures for oil and gas not only represent a reversal of the acknowledged “faux pas” in last year’s budget but also recognise the contribution the industry can and is making to the UK’s economic growth.
It is not necessary to be a raging opponent of the European Union and its works to believe that sometimes it becomes involved in matters that are better left to the discretion of national governments.
