A full-scale terrorist hijacking of a North Sea platform was simulated by the UK authorities in the 1980s – and code-named the “Smoked Salmon” exercises. Declassified files have revealed that the offshore counter-terror mission was run from November 25 to 28 in 1985. Royal Marines and members of all the armed services were involved in the exercise, as well as the intelligence agencies.
The UK Government abandoned plans to invest extra cash in North Sea safety two years before the Piper Alpha disaster – because it was not deemed a priority. Newly-released files show that Margaret Thatcher’s energy secretary highlighted the need to spend more on the sector in 1986. But Peter Walker, the minister at the time, said he had decided against asking the Treasury for any additional money after having “carefully reviewed my priorities”.
In the second part of our gallery series, we take a look at some of the defining moments in the months leading up to the Scottish independence referendum. In May WGPSN said it would be cutting contractor rates by 10%.
UK oil and gas companies are gearing up for a new era of transparency which will shed light on links between operators and governments around the world, law firm Pinsent Masons says. An overhaul of financial reporting driven by a new European Union directive is due to come into force on New Year’s Day, months ahead of other EU member states. Directors face criminal convictions and unlimited fines if details of any payments made to governments are not disclosed to Companies House. An overhaul of financial reporting driven by a new European Union directive is due to come into force on New Year’s Day, months ahead of other EU member states. Directors face criminal convictions and unlimited fines if details of any payments made to governments are not disclosed to Companies House.
US oil drillers, facing the lowest crude prices in five years and rising competition from suppliers abroad, idled the most rigs since 2012. Rigs targeting oil declined by 37 to 1,499 in the week ended December 26, the lowest since April, Baker Hughes Inc said, extending the three-week decline to 76. Those drilling for natural gas increased by two to 340, the Houston-based field services company said. The total rig count, which includes one miscellaneous rig, dropped 35 to 1,840, also an eight-month low.
Global Energy Group said yesterday it was nearing the end of a further £20million investment in developing the Nigg Yard on the Cromarty Firth into a “world-class” port. The Inverness and Aberdeen-based energy service firm also revealed it was targeting the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia for new business to offset an expected downturn in the UK due to the recent slump in crude oil prices. Global, which employs more than said a damaging impact on some of its operations was unavoidable but past experience of difficult market conditions showed new opportunities could flourish.
OAO Gazprom (OGZD), the world’s biggest natural-gas exporter, agreed to buy the 50% it doesn’t own in South Stream Transport BV from Italy’s Eni SpA (ENI), Electricite de France SA and the Wintershall unit of Germany’s BASF SE (BAS). No purchase price was disclosed in statements issued by EDF, BASF, Eni and Moscow-based Gazprom. Eni, owner of a 20% stake, and BASF and EDF, which each own 15% stakes, said they’re recovering their investments in the proposed $45 billion Black Sea pipeline that Russia scrapped this month.
Oil’s slump has almost doubled the value of India’s big, state-owned refiners, outpacing the rest of the industry from China to the US. The companies had been forced to make a large proportion of sales at below cost for over a decade. Now, they can profit from fuels after India’s new government saw its opportunity in falling oil prices to deregulate the market without bothering its inflation targets. OPEC’s decision to sit on its hands in the face of an oil glut has only accelerated share gains.
Lundin Petroleum has hit oil at the Brynhild field in the North Sea. The company has estimated reserves of 23.1million barrels in the region. Production began on Christmas Day in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and is a subsea tie-back to the Pierce field.
The oil and gas industry could be set for a year of mergers and acquisitions following a rapid fall in prices, it has been forecast. Business consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said 2015 might even see the first “hostile takeover” in the sector in living memory. The oil price has fallen from 115 US dollars (£73) a barrel in the middle of this year to around 60 dollars (£38). Teams working at PwC set out their top five predictions for the year ahead against such a backdrop.
The semi-submersible drilling unit, the Sedco Express, has arrived at the Oyo field in Nigeria. Camac Energy said it had contracted the Transocean Sedco Express to speed up the timing of production tie-in from the Oyo-7 and Oyo-8 development wells.
The Scottish Government’s oil revenue forecast for the first three years of independence is now out by £15.5 billion, according to the Scottish Secretary. Alistair Carmichael said the latest UK Government analysis showed that 100 days after the referendum, an independent Scotland would have been facing the shortfall following a drop in oil prices. He said “serious questions” now needed to be asked about how the SNP administration “got this so badly wrong”.
GEG (Global Energy Group) has seen a big rise in revenues only weeks after it confirmed job losses at its fabrication yard on the Cromarty Firth. The energy services firm said turnover had risen by 32% to £472million in the year end to March. The company’s profits have also jumped from £18.8million to £28million.
EMGS (Electromagnetic Geoservices) has been requested by the NPD (Norwegian Petroleum Directorate) to provide all of its CSEM inversion data acquired in the country’s waters from 2008 to 2014. The NPD has also requested all CSEM data acquired in the Tiddly and Nordkapp basins in 2015 with reference to the petroleum regulation of June 2001. A spokesman said the NPD would treat all data as confidential from when it was inverted by EMGS.
EMGS (Electromagnetic Geoservices) has struck a licensing agreement worth $1.8million in Foz do Amazona in Brazil. The company will assist an international oil company in the provision of 3D EM data. It will be delivered in December 2014 and EMGS will book the sales in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Libya extinguished fires at three of five oil-storage tanks that started last week at its largest oil port, helping global crude prices to stabilize. Libya is still seeking international assistance because of possible environmental damage, said Ali al-Hasy, a spokesman for the Petroleum Facilities Guard, part of the internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni. Es Sider has tanks with a capacity of 6.2 million barrels of oil, compared with current Libyan output of 352,000 barrels, according to National Oil Corp.
Professional services firm PwC said the oil and gas industry will need to adapt to the new level of volatility within the sector. The company’s oil and gas team said there was little expectation of a rapid rebound in oil prices, which have dropped by 46% in the past six months. From more than $100 a barrel, the price of Brent Crude has dropped to around $60. PwC have made five predictions for the years ahead in the wake of the industry’s current climate.
As 2014 draws to a dramatic close for the industry, Energy Voice reflects on milestone events that fuelled a hectic year. In the first of a three part series we look back at some of the game changers within the industry. Later this week, we'll look at some of the highlights and defining moments in the months leading up to the Scottish referendum.
Independent project services consultancy Cambla plans to expand to the Middle East after it exceeded its turnover target by more than 45% in its first year. Established in 2013, the firm has grown significantly over the past year – increasing staff numbers and securing a string of contract extensions with North Sea oil and gas operators including Marathon Oil and Centrica to provide project services support. In the financial year ending July 31, Cambla grew its turnover to £362,000 and expects this to rise to over £500,000 next year.
It is more critical than ever for North Sea oil and gas firms to keep skills at the top of their agenda, despite any layoffs caused by low crude prices, industry body Opito said. The skills, standards and workforce development organisation said there was still an over-riding need to turn potential talent into the offshore workers of tomorrow. Doing so will not just equip the industry with the people it requires when oil prices rise but also help to keep safety at the forefront of operations offshore, it added. Opito managing director John McDonald’s reminder of the importance of maintaining a competent and safe oil and gas workforce came as the Portlethen-based organisation set out its priorities for the year ahead.
The London market picked up where it left off before Christmas as strong trading among mining stocks helped the FTSE 100 Index to more gains. A strong session for Asian markets overnight and a modest recovery in the price of Brent crude oil to about 60 US dollars a barrel ensured the likes of BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and BP were in positive territory. Amid thin trading volumes, the FTSE 100 Index was higher for an eighth session in a row - up by 14.5 points at 6624.4.
The company, which is in a consortium with Kuwait Energy, had success in its Faihaa-1 exploration well, after targeting the Yamama formation. A spokesman said the discovery was made at 4,000 metres at the site in Northern Basra.
Oil advanced for the first time in three days amid speculation that an escalating conflict in Libya will help ease a global supply surplus that’s driven crude into a bear market. Brent futures rose as much as 1.6% in London. Fires have been extinguished at three of five tanks at Es Sider, Libya’s largest oil port, which were set ablaze after an attack by militants, said Ali al-Hasy, a spokesman for the Petroleum Facilities Guard. Algerian Energy Minister Youcef Yousfi called on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to boost prices.
Lukoil has sold its 20% stake in NOC (National Oil Consortium) to Rosneft. NOC was established by Russian oil companies in 2008 as part of the Russian-Venezuelan economic promotion. In 2010, the NOC and Venezuelan company PDVSA registered a joint venture, PetroMiranda, to develop the Junin-6 block in the Orinoco heavy-oil belt.
Shares in oil giant BP have increased by 0.5% on the back of reports its set to close a deal with Rosneft to develop fields in eastern Siberia. The potential agreement has been reported by Moscow-based newspaper Kommersant, which says that Rosneft has signed a "strategic partnership" with BP to explore oil fields.