Investigations are underway in Qatar after a jack-up leg collapsed causing a rig to keel into the water. These images give a glimpse into the damage caused to Rumailah rig in the Maersk Oil operated Al Shaheen field. Both companies said all personnel were evacuated safely and no injuries had been reported.
An investigation has been launched after an incident at a Brazilian oil terminal operated by state-owned Petrobas caused two fatalities. Two workers were killed after scaffolding erected on a construction project at the site collapsed at the end of a pier operated by Transpetro, which is the company’s pipeline and shipping unit. It is understood the workers, who had been wearing security belts, drowned during the incident.
A rig will have to undergo months of repairs and maintenance after one of its jack-up legs collapsed – causing it to keel into waters offshore Qatar. The incident happened in the Maersk Oil operated field Al Shaheen on the Rumailah rig, which is owned by GIS (Gulf International Services). Both companies said all personnel were evacuated safely and no injuries had been reported.
Amec Foster Wheeler has secured a new contract for a proposed refinery and petrochemical complex in Malaysia. The win comes from SKS Corporation Sdn Bhd together with Saudi Arabia’s Petromin Corporation and Oceania PTE of Japan. The company remained tight-lipped about the value of the consultancy contract which will is expected to be delivers by an Amec Foster Wheeler team in Readin and Kuala Lumpur.
As Chancellor George Osborne gets ready to deliver the first Conservative budget in 18 years Energy Voice looks back at the North Sea tax changes delivered pre-election and what to expect today. In March, as the Liberal Dem and Conservative coalition geared up for the May vote, the Treasury introduced a raft of measures seen as long overdue by the North Sea oil and gas industry.
The managing director of Craig Group has called for more investment in North Sea drilling as the Chancellor George Osborne prepares to deliver the first Conservative budget in 18 years. Douglas Craig was speaking at North Star Shipping’s unveiling of the vessel Grampian Devotion. Earlier this week, the Chancellor was urged to use the budget to tackle a “recession in confidence” in the North Sea sector, which has affected the north-east economy.
North Sea energy service company Esvagt and its 43-strong fleet of offshore support ships are changing hands in a near-£400million deal. The £90million-a-year turnover business, including its Aberdeen-based UK operation, is currently owned by Danish conglomerate Maersk Group. It is being sold to two international infrastructure investors, with Jersey-based 3i Infrastructure and Australia’s AMP Capital expecting the transaction to complete by the end of September. The change of ownership must first be cleared by the European Commission.
Energy giant Centrica has hit back at an official report that says millions of people are paying over the odds on their fuel bills.
Northcote and its joint venture partner Gaia Ecologica have invested in their first new facility as they look to expand their reach in Mexico’s energy sector. The companies purchased a 22-acre property for the development of an environmental waste remediation facility based in the southern state of Tabasco. The strategic location of the base means it could benefit from the considerable activity being undertaken in the region by Mexican state-owned Pemex.
Renewable Energy Limited has struck a deal with Juwi Renewable Energies for its solar project in Cornwall. The engineering, procurement and construction contract means Juwi will assume responsibility for the supply, installation and commissioning of equipment at the Mendennick solar project. The deal is in addition to a further five year contract to provide long term operations and maintenance services.
Linn Energy has exited out of its remaining acreage in the Permian Basin's Wolfcamp play after signing a $281million deal. The move comes after the company revealed earlier this year that it had agreed a $1billion strategic acquisition alliance agreement with Quantam Energy Partners.
A Scottish hydropower firm has lured away a top executive from SSE to run the business. Green Highland Renewables (GHR), which was recently acquired by a London infrastructure investment firm, has appointed Mark Mathieson as chief executive Officer. He will join the firm in August. Mr Mathieson has spent over 25 years in various engineering and leadership roles within SSE, most recently spending nine years as the Managing Director of SSE’s Networks business.
Kongsberg Maritime has strengthened its offshore division with an addition to the team at its North Sea base in the UKCS. The global marine technology company has appointed Frank Maclean to succeed Dave Shand as a general manager, following his retirement. With more than 35 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry Maclean will continue to play a role at Kongsberg where he has spent the majority of his career.
Ophir Energy will close almost half of its offices and reduce its headcount as it looks to streamline costs following its acquisition of Salamander Energy earlier this year. The move was made as chief executive Nick Cooper admitted the company faced a “tough time” in the commodity cycle. However the company’s head insisted Ophir continued to have a strong balance sheet despite the changes.
This footage commemorates the 27th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster which changed the lives of hundreds of workers and families in the North Sea oil and gas industry. Sue Jane Taylor - the artist who also created the iconic memorial to those who lost their lives which now stands in Aberdeen - was behind the video which looks at what's still being done to improve workplace safety today. On July 6, 1988 167 men lost their lives following an explosion on the platform - which left only 61 survivors.
The U.K.’s biggest energy suppliers probably will escape a recommendation to break up companies when the nation’s anti-trust regulator completes a review of how best to reduce costs and spur competition. The provisional findings of the Competition and Markets Authority are “highly unlikely” to delve into the structure of the country’s energy industry or the wholesale markets, said Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch, a U.K. price comparison site. Instead, the regulator will focus on how to get consumers more engaged in managing their bills, she said. The comments, echoed by industry officials who wished not to speak publicly before the decision is announced on July 7, suggest the utility industry’s basic structure probably will be retained by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government. The opposition Labour Party, which lost the last general election in May, had promised to split the industry into separate retail and power-generation businesses.
As the UKCS celebrates 50 years of oil and gas in the North Sea take a look at how many oil and gas facilities now dot the seascape. This interactive infographic shows offers a glimpse of the energy make up from 25 years ago. In comparison to 2014, coal was the predominant force 25 years ago in energy consumption in the UK at 67%.
This infographic shows growth in production on the UKCS after the discovery of oil in the North Sea 50 years ago. Starting with BP’s West Sole platforms in the southern part of the North Sea in the late 1960s, oil rig sites continued to come online throughout the next two decades with other high profile sites such as Ardmore and the Forties oil field in 1975. As the map illustrates, production reached its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
After three years of relatively stable oil prices averaging around $100 per barrel, the sharp decline which began last summer has shaken the industry with the repercussions being felt across the globe. This was underlined when I attended the OPEC Summit in Vienna last month where a number of highly regarded industry speakers, provided different perspectives on the reasons for the fall in oil price and their take on what we must do to survive and come out fighting when the market picks up. Many believe the commodity price slump was a direct result of the sudden increase in global supply due to the US shale revolution. Others attributed it to geo-political reasons while others argued that it was cyclical, following years of high oil prices.
The decision to expand a company’s remit and move into an unknown sector can often be problematic. But for DH Marine those initial steps 10 years ago paid off after the privately-owned company won its first major oil and gas work and then subsequent contract with BP at its Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT). The Shetland-based firm started off with just a few members of staff based in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands at the turn of the millennium.
North Sea company Trap Oil said yesterday it could be force to sell assets to guarantee its survival beyond July. The eight-year-old company warned in April that it may go bust and urgently needed a “viable funding solution”. Yesterday, it said: “The company's directors, in conjunction with the company's advisers, are continuing to urgently assess a number of potential funding sources, including the potential disposal of certain of the group's licence interests.”
J Denholm said yesterday it was to spin off its oilfield services division to focus on its other “traditional” activities, such as seafood processing, shipping and logistics. John Denholm, the family-owned company’s chairman, said the oilfield services division’s “hunger for capital” was holding other parts of the group back. A demerger would allow it to seek the capital it needs from other sources, he said, announcing plans for its listing on the Alternative Investment Market.
Tethys Petroleum has agreed to enter into a short extension with AGR Energy Limited. The company announced last month it had entered into a limited period of exclusivity with AGR Energy to negotiate a potential larger financing. The previous exclusivity period had been set to run through to June 12th.
Colombian officials are blaming rebels for an attack on the country’s energy infrastructure that left hundreds of thousands of people without power. President Juan Manuel Santos said the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) blew up an energy pylon and blacked out much of the southern region of Caqueta. The blackout affected more than 300,000 people. Mr Santos called it an irrational terrorist act that was counter to the peace process.
Oil giant Chevron has confirmed it will be moving to a three on, three off shift pattern. The company revealed in April it was considering the move in line with a number of companies including Shell, Apache and Petrofac. The changes are expected to come into force from January next year.