With PM Cameron just having jetted into Aberdeen to grab a bit of positive publicity and Treasury first secretary Alexander scheduled to be in Europe's Energy Capital in a couple of weeks for a bunch of engagements, including a (SCDI) Scottish Council Development and Industry dinner, this looks suspiciously like a government charm offensive.
North Sea.
IN 1966, Sergio Leone directed Clint Eastwood in The Good the Bad and the Ugly. In recent months, three FTSE100 listed E&P companies have re-written the script, issuing drilling updates which have been received in the market as "the good, the bad and the indifferent".
THERE'S a funny clip on YouTube of Donald Trump's appearance on the David Letterman show on American television when he talks about owning "thousands of acres of Scotland" and his plans to make the dunes "even more beautiful than they are now".
IT'S time for a reality check. Could we create over 100,000 jobs in Scotland's renewable energy sector?
I WAS not pleased when I received my last electricity and gas bills, and even less so when I received notification of the latest price increases, which were 19% for gas and 12% for electricity.
SO, APACHE has finally struck the deal that has generated so much speculation within the North Sea oil and gas community of late. It has agreed to buy the Beryl field off ExxonMobil; oh and much else besides.
AFRICA is on an upward growth curve. This growth is underpinned by a long-term process of economic and regulatory reform that has occurred across much of the continent since the end of the Cold War -- a period in which inflation has been brought under control, foreign debt and budget deficits reduced, state-owned enterprises privatised, regulatory and legal systems strengthened, and many African economies opened up to international trade and investment.
THE Middle East and North Africa have been at the forefront of the news this year. They have always represented a significant political risk for the oil and gas industry, but amidst the political turmoil and the personal sacrifice, the industry continues to develop.
THE winter months loom ahead and the weather forecasters are already arguing as to whether we're set for an extremely cold one or will get away with mild conditions.
THE date April 20, 2010, will be forever etched on the collective memory of the oil and gas industry. This was the night a massive hydrocarbon release engulfed the Deepwater Horizon while drilling the US Gulf of Mexico Macondo field, claiming the lives of 11 men and unleashing the largest oil spill in the history of the American petroleum industry.
OFFSHORE Europe 2011 day one: for once there's a decent new project announcement ... BP's £700million Kinnoul satellite field that the company says will support 1,000 or so jobs at peak.
It is reasonable to say, given the current economic state of the nation, all is clearly not well and all is not fair in the UK either. The phrase the "State of the Nation" is sadly a rather apt phrase . . .
Welcome to our new look and, we believe, dramatically improved web presence, with more news and features that ever before, including material specifically written for the site . . . like this . . . er . . . blog. We're of course all hoping that the gremlins stay in their box, especially since this is Offshore Europe week.
Shell is having a rough time just now, with the Brent field having been out of action for many months because of the need to carry out major repairs before production from this ageing North Sea giant resumed a few days ago.
OIL and gas merger and acquisition activity was strong in 2010 and has continued in 2011. , Total global industry transaction value topped $266billion in 2010, up 33% from 2009.
THE Arab Spring has caused massive upheaval in one of the world's most strategic oil producing regions.
DO WE deserve to attract the next generation? It's a question I have been increasingly asking myself over the past weeks and months.
DELEGATES from supply chain companies throughout the UK are already signing up for the 2011 PILOT Share Fair, ensuring they will be among the first to hear from major operators about future projects on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
FOR most people who are unfortunate enough to catch seasonal flu it is a very nasty experience, but for some it can have serious consequences.
JUST as the threat of a double-dip recession reappears across North America and Europe, Brazil is reinforcing its position as an economic powerhouse.
IT'S been a fascinating story so far, hasn't it?
UKTI (UK Trade and Investment) will, as usual, be much in evidence during Offshore Europe, a biannual opportunity to showcase Britain's oil and gas wares to the world.
THE biennial Offshore Europe exhibition and conference kicks off in Aberdeen on September 6.
HERE WE go again, it's Offshore Europe time and with it, an embarrassment of invitations to dinners and other corporate celebrations.