Oil won’t get a post-virus lift from public transport
There’s one hope for oil market bulls facing into the abyss of the 9.3 million barrels-a-day demand slump from the spread of Covid-19: The aftermath will see a renaissance in car-driving.
Coronavirus
SSE awards more than half of £1m Covid-19 support fund
Energy firm SSE has awarded more than half it's £1 million support fund to communities across the UK and Ireland as part of the firm's Covid-19 response.
Lumos works to light up Nigeria’s health struggle
While the world struggles with how to cope with increased demand for medical care as a result of coronavirus, power shortages make such efforts that much harder.
How Iqarus is keeping offshore workers safe
Having assisted clients during previous health challenges such as Ebola, Zika virus, SARS, avian flu and the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic, global healthcare provider Iqarus has approached Covid-19 using its wide-ranging medical expertise and experience to support its clients with additional services and expert solutions.
Will the coronavirus pandemic have a lasting impact on the way we work?
In the 12-month period from January to December 2019 the Office for National Statistics reports that an estimated 1.7million people worked mainly from home, a mere 5% of the workforce.
Multiple workers evacuated from Valaris North Sea rig with suspected Covid-19 symptoms
A group of workers have been evacuated from a Valaris drilling rig working in the North Sea due to concerns over an outbreak of Covid-19 onboard.
Equinor’s profits crash by 98% due to oil price slump
Norway’s Equinor saw its profits slide by 98% - a drop of £3.8billion – year-on-year as the Covid-19 pandemic and oil price crash took effect.
TechnipFMC blames ‘volatile’ market as UK jobs expected to follow Norway cull
Oilfield services firm TechnipFMC is understood to be following up hundreds of job losses across its sites in Norway with scores of UK redundancies.
Jersey Oil and Gas eyes GBA farm-out later this year despite Covid-19
Jersey Oil and Gas has said it plans to launch a farm-out process later this year for its Greater Buchan Area in the North Sea, despite the Covid-19 and oil price crises.
CMS: Lockdown’s legal issues
We are all getting used to the challenges of the lockdown. As it becomes clear that this situation is going to continue for some time, we need to consider the legal implications of the stress caused to businesses by the double blows of Covid-19 and the oil price fall.
We need to work together to take on crisis
Do we play as a team or individuals? How should we take on the challenge of the unpredictable turbulence of today’s business environment? Our industry faces a triple whammy of pressures from operational disruption due to Covid-19, massive reductions in demand for our product and a globally oversupplied market.
Congo hit by oil explorer’s bid to enforce $619 million award
A South African oil-exploration company has turned to U.S. courts in a bid to enforce a $619 million arbitration award against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘Great uncertainty’ for employers using Covid-19 furlough scheme
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the "Scheme") was announced on 20 March 2020 and opened to applications on 20 April 2020. By 23 April 2020 it had received 512,000 claims in respect of 3.8 million furloughed employees. However, a great deal of uncertainty remains around the application of the Scheme to businesses in the oil and gas sector.
A knee-jerk reaction ‘will be damaging’ for oil sector, says recruitment firm
The UK’s Job Retention Scheme has proved a lifeline for many employers and a way to ensure employment is protected while oil and gas firms deal with the double hit of Covid-19 and the drastic fall in oil price. The uptake figures demonstrate the need for the scheme, with over nine million people in the UK expected to be furloughed, yet the decisions to furlough staff have often been made quickly with little planning for the scheme ending.
Exclusive: 200 suspected Covid-19 cases evacuated from North Sea platforms during crisis
Around 200 North Sea workers have been evacuated with suspected Covid-19 symptoms over the last six weeks as the sector has attempted to manage the spread of the virus.
Wood donates 10,000 face masks to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and care homes
The Wood Group has teamed up with cancer charity Maggie’s to provide thousands of face masks to health workers in Aberdeen.
Drilling pushed back at Dussafu Marin
Additional drilling at Gabon’s Dussafu Marin licence has been deferred because of coronavirus, BW Energy has said, blaming international travel restrictions.
GMS rejects Seafox offer
Gulf Marine Services (GMS) has formally rejected a “wholly opportunistic” bid for the company from its largest shareholder, Seafox International.
More than 500 Bilfinger Salamis jobs at risk
More than 500 jobs are at risk at Aberdeen-based energy services firm Bilfinger Salamis, which has started a redundancy consultation with its workforce.
North Sea industry facing ‘existential threat’
North Sea industry is facing an “existential threat” and will need quicker, simpler support from governments to overcome the price rout, an investment expert has said.
Aberdeen MSP tells North Sea firms not to ‘turn their back’ on workers during Covid-19 crisis
An Aberdeen MSP has written to a clutch of North Sea firms calling on them to reconsider their decision to terminate hundreds of staff rather than use a UK Government-backed furlough scheme.
Sector’s Covid-19 response vigorous
2020 arrived with a much-needed feeling of optimism and positivity throughout the industry. The long anticipated, planned Forties Pipeline Shutdown (FPS) presented the optimum opportunity for many Operators to align their summer shutdown campaigns and engineering project scopes to coincide.
Stop hoping for a boom
In the ’80s, well before my time in industry, there was allegedly a popular bumper sticker in oil towns.
Climate change, purpose & doing the right thing: lessons from covid-19
As an industry, as businesses and, most importantly, as people – this is an incredibly tough time. No matter where you are in the world, or what you do, we have all been impacted by the coronavirus in some way.
Finding the “new norms” in the post-COVID supply chain
Coronavirus looks set to have a continued impact on energy demand beyond the near term and supply chains must become more adaptable in order to navigate the uncertain future, writes Andy Laven, COO of Sahara Energy Resources DMCC