There is no doubt the double hit of Covid-19 and the continuing low oil price has left our industry in crisis – or that collectively we have never had a greater opportunity for meaningful change.
A consortium involving a north-east engineering and technology group is in talks with airport owners across the UK about installing screening stations for coronavirus testing.
For a trio of north-east oil service firms, the Covid-19 crisis could appear as a stop sign, blocking their progress just as they were reaping the rewards from years of groundwork.
We are seeing the first green shoots of the economic recovery we can make along Scotland’s east coast through new offshore wind projects.
The Government of National Accord (GNA) and Libyan National Army (LNA) have restarted peace talks, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has said, although hostilities appear to be continuing on the ground.
The challenges of the combination of Covid-19 and the fall in the oil price continue to place enormous stress on the industry. While those offshore have remained at their workplaces, albeit in smaller numbers and under strange and difficult circumstances, in order to maintain production from the UKCS, others who have now spent two months working from home are beginning to consider a return to the office or work site.
While many sectors have recently rediscovered the importance of resilience, it’s always been in the energy industry’s DNA. From hostile physical environments to volatile prices, the sector keeps the lights on for millions of households, whatever the circumstances. So, despite seized-up supply chains and plunging energy prices, the industry has largely endured and overcome the current challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s too soon to know with any certainty how Covid-19 will affect our lives in the weeks, months and even years to come. The true scale of the impact of the pandemic and the measures needed to save lives remains to be seen.
The Scottish Fiscal Commission has warned that the economic impact of the outbreak could be more severe in Scotland than the rest of the UK due to the predominance of the tourism and oil and gas industries.
Not many days ago, a Scottish MSP said the Holyrood government ought to revive an initiative originally set up in 2015 to protect and sustain oil and gas jobs at a time of crisis.
"Build back better."
Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) is to introduce a contact-tracing application across its locations in order to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Communities in the north and north-east have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds by an energy company to help them support others during the pandemic.
Oil prices rose past $40 per barrel mark on Wednesday amid speculation that quotas for international production cuts could be kept higher for longer.
Amidst the oil price crash crisis and the pressure on companies, opportunities are emerging for those with resources.
As the lockdown measures are eased, the number of workers offshore will steadily increase. Many will be faced with a “new reality” which will, in time, become the “new normal”.
Former Bank of England (BoE) governor Mark Carney has said Covid-19 is likely to move the global energy transition “more to centre-stage” for investors.
A Scottish trade union has backed north-east MSP Lewis Macdonald in his call to the Scottish Government to help the North Sea oil and gas sector as it faces an "existential threat".
Angola is in talks with some of its oil customers in a bid to restructure financing facilities, the Ministry of Finance has said, in order to “better reflect the current market environment and OPEC production quotas”.
UK decommissioning activity is expected to increase due to the effects of Covid-19, but threats to jobs and the longevity of skilled SMEs will impact the “capacity and capability” to carry it out.
Hibiscus Petroleum plans to move ahead with its Marigold project in the UK North Sea next year, with safeguards against delays around Covid-19.
A north-east hotel is believed to be the first in Scotland to take delivery of a “revolutionary” mobile decontamination device capable of combatting superbug micro-organisms.
The threat of a no-deal Brexit is back -- and with it the risk that the U.K. economy’s shaky recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be hobbled.
A number of top UK-based energy firms have urged Westminster to deliver a clean Covid-19 recovery plan.
Travel restrictions resulting from the pandemic have presented significant challenges for oilfield service companies such as Tenaris.