Maersk Drilling secures new jack-up rig contract
Maersk Drilling has been awarded a new contract for the jack-up rig Maersk Resilient with Maersk Oil.
North Sea
Gullfaks to get cash injection to extend life and boost production
One of the major cash cows on the Norwegian shelf, the Gullfaks field, which has been producing for nearly 30 years, is facing further investments to boost production and extend the field’s lifetime.
Bilfinger’s North Sea win safeguards UK jobs amid company cutbacks
Bilfinger today confirmed a £65million North Sea contract win has helped safeguard jobs at its UK base, as its Norwegian workforce faces a fresh round of cutbacks.
North Sea salaries on the rise
The salaries of some workers at an oil firm have increased after a review into their pay.
Suncor gains Norwegian drilling permit
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Suncor Energy a drilling permit for a new wildcat well in the central North Sea.
FMC Technologies lands Statoil subsea deal for Johan Sverdrup
Subsea equipment specialist FMC Technologies has been awarded a NOK1.3billion ($161million) contract by Statoil for the Johan Sverdrup project in the North Sea.
Faroe makes new oil discovery in North Sea
Scottish independent Faroe Petroleum has discovered oil in its North Sea Boomerang exploration well and estimates it could yield as much as 31 million barrels of oil.
Economist says North Sea supply chain must “innovate or die”
Scotland's oil and gas sector must "innovate or die" and truly collaborate if it is to maximise productivity.
Exclusive: Energy Jobs Taskforce leader says “no pretending” about length of North Sea recovery
The leader of the Energy Jobs Taskforce said there was no pretending about the amount of time it would take the industry to recover from its harsh “reality check”.
Bond completes new aircraft hangar at Aberdeen International Airport
Bond Offshore Helicopters said yesterday it had completed the construction of a new aircraft hangar at Aberdeen International Airport. Located between Bond’s two passenger terminals on the east side of the airport, the 21,000sq ft hangar will be used as both a maintenance and storage facility. The company said it would help to keep its mixed fleet of 25 helicopters in top condition for safe crew-change and search and rescue operations.
Modec wins Culzean FSO vessel contract
Modec has won a contract from Maersk Oil to supply the floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO) for the Culzean development project in the North Sea. Last month, Maersk Oil confirmed it would invest $4.5billion in its high pressure, high temperature Culzean field in the UK Central North Sea. The cash commitment secures Culzean’s future though 2032, supports 6,000 jobs and creates more than 400 direct jobs.
Sir Ian Wood to lead taskforce to safeguard future of oil capital
Sir Ian Wood is to lead a major new taskforce being set up to safeguard the future of the north-east economy and land a multibillion-pound City Deal for the region. The offshore industry doyen has accepted an invitation to head up the area’s new “Economic Leadership Board”. It will drive forward the north-east’s bid to secure a £2.9billion City Deal package from the UK and Scottish governments – and lead efforts to anchor oil and gas sector skills in the region for decades to come. The new board will succeed Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (Acsef), and will also feature other leading figures from the oil and gas, food and drink, life sciences and tourism industries, as well as representatives from the local authorities and the universities.
Piper Alpha rescue plaque donated to memorial trust
A plaque dedicated to two crewmen who died during the Piper Alpha rescue mission has been saved. Emergency response and rescue vessel Sandhaven was one of the first on the scene of the catastrophic oil rig blaze on July 6, 1988. Six men were rescued by the team, but it was overcome by flames when a second gas line ruptured and crewmen Brian Batchelor and Malcolm Storey died, along with 165 other men. Rig operator Occidental Group later donated a plaque to the Sandhaven as a tribute to the pair.
Industry figure calls for stronger energy policy from Scottish Government
A former chief executive of Dana Petroleum has criticised alleged contradictions in the Scottish Government’s energy policies. Stuart Paton has called for an overarching framework policy from politicians including its approach to fuel poverty, security of supply and climate change. He said the way in which the North Sea oil and gas industry is viewed is different to the way in which potential onshore energy is looked at, because it’s “just over the horizon”. The former boss and advisor to the oil and gas industry has written a chapter on energy in a yet-to-be published book by the think tank Reform Scotland.
Corbyn spotted with arm around three on, three off campaigner
A photograph has emerged of Jeremy Corbyn with his arm around a supporter of a campaign group which is protesting against changes to North Sea shift patterns. The Islington North MP was seen last weekend with the member of ‘3:3 it’s not for me’ at the annual Burston Union rally in Norfolk. The politician, who won the Labour leadership election on Saturday, is yet to speak in any depth about future policies regarding the offshore sector.
DeepOcean secures North Sea survey contract with Shell
DeepOcean has been awarded a call-off contract for provision of ROV-based survey services by Shell in The North Sea.
Oil and gas firms guilty of overspending, KPMG says
A KPMG audit of UK oil and gas industry contracts has revealed widespread overbilling at the same time as firms are trying to slash costs. The professional services firm said 70% of the 10,000 deals it looked at were not properly complied with, leading to regular overcharging. KPMG put the cost of unnecessary spending at between 1% and 5% of “high-risk” investments, meaning a significant level of unnecessary spending on a supply chain worth up to £35billion a year.
It’s time to address the gender imbalance, lawyer says
An Aberdeen lawyer says there has never been a better time to address a gender imbalance in the UK oil and gas industry. Offshore employment expert Kate Williams, an Aberdeen-based partner in legal firm Pinsent Masons, wants to see a greater effort to recruit more women, and insists the law can be used to boost their numbers. The proportion of women in the industry is reported to be 23%, compared to a 47% national average. The imbalance worsens when narrowed to offshore workers, with just 3.6% of them women.
OGA: The difference a downturn makes
The perception of the OGA’s role has shifted, according to chief executive Andy Samuel.
Oil price decline may lead to “decommissioning glut”
The oil price crash is expected to usher in a “decommissioning glut” in the North Sea, new research has revealed. Delegates at Offshore Europe this week heard that there has been little evidence so far of early decommissioning of North Sea fields rendered uneconomic by the falling price of a barrel of oil. But research firm Wood Mackenzie has estimated that there will be 50 fields facing early shutdown and dismantling due to low oil prices over the next five years. This is above and beyond the estimated 139 fields what have been scheduled for dismantling as they reach the end of their natural lives.
Offshore Europe 2015: Video – Offshore Europe provides “good bang for buck”
Offshore Europe provided “good bang for the buck” this year despite reports that attendance was down from the prior event when oil was booming in 2013. Howard Johnson, co-founder and managing director of Blaze Manufacturing Solutions, admitted that business for the Laurencekirk-based firm would be down by third this year when compared to last year. The firm, which specialises in oil and gas fire safety protection systems, was exhibiting on the Scottish Pavilion which is spearheaded by Scottish Enterprise.
Offshore Europe 2015: Sky Futures – new industry regulation for North Sea drones in 2016
A new regulatory standard for drones operating in the North Sea is set to be in place early next year.
Balmoral Group release new book on oil industry
Balmoral Group yesterday released a third book about the oil industry written by Jeremy Cresswell, editor of the Press and Journal’s Energy supplement.
Offshore Europe 2015: Shocking exploration performance poses UKCS threat
Exploration drilling in UK waters has collapsed and shows no sign of recovery either now or in the near future. This is dangerous because the dramatic slowdown of recent years will lead to a development famine in around five years time, Offshore Europe delegates have been warned. And, far more oil & gas is being extracted from the North Sea than is being found.
Offshore Europe 2015: North Sea industry must not “waste a crisis”
The North Sea oil and gas industry was warned not to “waste a crisis” as consultants urged firms to adopt cost cutting measures. Risk management from DNV GL expects that the region’s oul and gas industry won’t be “trending positive” again until 2017, while demand for rigs won’t do so until 2018. Nevertheless, DNV GL’s Liv Hovam, director of divisional Europe and Africa, oil & gas, underlined a number of projects the consultancy firm has been undertaking which can save tens of millions of costs for firms in the North Sea -a basin which has experienced the highest cost inflation in the world in recent years.