Jake Molloy: Only Mr Robertson knows what he meant
Union leader Jake Molloy said only MSP Dennis Robertson could have known what he meant to say after claiming there was "no crisis" in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
offshore
Government curbs on renewables subsidies branded ‘irrational’
The Government has been accused of “irrational” curbs to renewables subsidies after official projections revealed lower than expected energy bills by 2020. Ministers have said cuts to support for technology such as onshore wind and solar are necessary to prevent rising costs to consumers and to curb the projected overspend on the £7.6 billion budget by 2020 for a raft of green measures paid for on bills. But emails obtained by climate change analysis website Carbon Brief under Freedom of Information rules reveal Government projections which show that, while the overspend will add £12 to average household bills by 2020, overall bills would be £97 lower.
Bristow profits slashed by slump in offshore flights
A slump in demand for North Sea offshore flights has hit Bristow Helicopter’s bottom line although sales were underpinned by its contract to run emergency search and rescue (SAR) services for the British government.
Video: Huge waves caused by Storm Frank batter North Sea platform
Huge waves have been captured by an offshore worker on a North Sea platform as Storm Frank battered the coast with winds of up to 70mph.
EV Insights: The top renewables stories of 2015
Take a look back at some of the biggest stories affecting the renewables industry across the globe.
Petrobras terminates Solstad vessel contracts
Petrobras has terminated two contracts for two vessels from Solstad Offshore. The contracts for the Normand Trym and Normand Vibran had originally been valid until the thid quarter of 2017.
Total brings Moho project in Congo on stream
Total said the Moho Phase 1b project in the Republic of the Congo has been brought on stream. The company said the site, which is 75 kilometres off the coast of Pointe-Noire, has a production capacity of 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The project will involve the drilling of 11 new subsea well and the installation of the two most powerful subsea multiphase pumps in the world.
Bond launches offshore medical transfer service
Offshore workers who are too sick or injured to wear a survival suit can now be helicoptered back to shore on normal commercial flights.
Offshore worker facing drug charges
An offshore worker could face drug charges after allegedly being found in possession of illegal substances on the SeaRose FPSO. According to reports the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in Newfoundland and Labrador received a complaint earlier this month from Husky Energy after a worker was suspected of being in possession of MDMA. A man was allegedly found to be in possession of pills in a prescription bottle that did not match the prescription label.
BP will start production from Egypt field by 2018
Oil major BP said it plans to start production from a new natural gas discovery in Egypt in 2018. The company said it also aims to double its production from the country by the end of the decade. The Atoll offshore field will be developed with two initial wells connected to existing infrastructure.
Search continues for pilots after helicopter crashes offshore India
A helicopter has crashed into the Arabian Sea shortly after take-off from an offshore installation owned by ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation). Two pilots are said to be missing after the helicopter,owned by India’s Pawan Hans,crashed. An Indian defence spokesman said debris has now been recovered including what appears to be the aircraft's door and some other debris.
Maven Capital Partners injects £5.4million into energy engineering firm
Maven Capital Partners has injected £5.4million into an energy engineering firm that has successfully diversified from oil and gas to the off and onshore wind sector. GEV Group, which has an office in Aberdeen, will use the funds to support its “impressive growth plans”, Maven said. Maven said the investment means GEV is well positioned to capitalise on the projected growth in wind power, driven by global emissions and fossil fuel reduction targets.
Offshore worker snaps incredible images of Birds of Prey in North Sea
An offshore worker has captured incredible images of wildlife in the North Sea.
Daewoo shipbuilding posts quarterly loss on offshore projects
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., the world’s second-largest shipbuilder, posted its second straight quarterly loss as a slump in oil prices increased costs for its offshore operations. The third-quarter loss was 1.35 trillion won ($1.2 billion), compared with a 35.5 billion-won profit a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday. That’s wider than the average 95.2 billion-won loss of eight analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. In the second quarter, Daewoo Shipbuilding posted a loss of 2.3 trillion won, its biggest ever. Customers increasingly are asking global shipyards to delay delivery of ships and offshore rigs as weaker economic growth and sluggish oil prices make it difficult for them to pay for the projects.
Offshore wind schemes could be built without subsidies in 10 years
Offshore wind schemes could be built without subsidies in a decade with clear support from the UK Government, the head of Europe’s biggest renewables company has said. The most recent awards of clean power subsidies saw guaranteed payments for offshore wind of £114 to £120 for each megawatt hour of electricity generated, more than double the wholesale electricity price and much more expensive than onshore wind farms.
Unite members to protest over North Sea pay dispute
Offshore catering staff are to protest at the offices across Aberdeen tomorrow over a pay dispute. Offshore catering staff are to protest at the offices across Aberdeen tomorrow over a pay dispute. Unite members will head to the premises of Entier, Aramark, Sodexo, ESS and Trinity following the cancellation of a two-year pay deal. Earlier this year COTA (Catering Offshore Trade Association) had said it wouldn’t pay the second year of the deal which would see a 1.3% rise in wages.
Shell drill vessels make return from Arctic waters
Oil major Shell said two drill vessels it had been using before it pulled out of its Arctic operation have safely departed from Alaska. The Noble Discoverer is on its way to Washington State along with the Polar Pioneer after both received a Coast Guard inspection and refuel. Shell said the next destinations for both vessels have not yet been decided upon.
Chevron to offer offshore workers additional field breaks of two weeks on, four weeks off
Oil giant Chevron today confirmed that it would move to a new combination shift pattern of three on, three off and two weeks on and four weeks off. The move which breaks away from the traditional two on, three off will give the workers the chance to supplement the equal time rota with additional field breaks. Workers will be able to utilise the new two weeks on, four weeks off shift pattern three times a year.
Wood Group wins Talisman Energy subsea contract
Wood Group has won a front end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the subsea development of the Talisman Energy Ca Rong Do field offshore Vietnam. The work will be carried out by Wood Group Kenny (WGK) who will also complete comprehensive flow assurance studies. WGK’s Kuala Lumpur office will conduct the work on the subsea FEED and will be supported by other offices in Asia Pacific.
Images from scene of Nigeria helicopter crash
Four people have been killed and another two workers are also suspected to have been fatally injured in a helicopter crash. The incident happened as a Bristow helicopter flew back from an oil rig in Nigeria.
Video: ABB installs world’s most powerful offshore converter station
ABB has reached an important milestone after installing the DolWin beta which is said to be the world’s most powerful offshore converter station in the North Sea. The 320-kilovolt converter station is housed on an offshore platform and has 916 megawatts (MW) power transmission capacity. It has enough energy to power more than 1million households with clean energy.
Offshore catering firm Trinity appoints HR director
Offshore caterer Trinity International Services has promoted Rachel O’Donnell to HR director.
DNV GL in joint industry project bid with Korean yards to standardise and reduce costs
DNV GL has launched a JIP (Joint Industry Project) in a bid to establish a new international standard for offshore oil and gas projects which could cut costs by 15%. The move is in a bid to curb the challenges presented by varying owners, operators and regulators during both engineering and construction phases in South Korean yards. A number of companies are involved with the initiative including Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company, as well as Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Oil and Gas UK honoured for offshore safety help
Industry body Oil & Gas UK has been hailed for helping improve safety and efficiency offshore.
Opinion: Warning light over future for wind power in Scotland
Amber Rudd the Tory Government’s new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has made it clear she intends to make substantial changes to onshore wind financial support schemes in compliance with her party’s manifesto pledge to end “new public subsidy” for renewable wind power generation. There may be some public support for this move if it is perceived as an attempt to create a level playing field for providers of energy, which would indeed be an admirable ambition. But in reality such a policy change almost beggars belief. Perhaps the only great achievement of the late UK coalition government, with a huge amount of support from Holyrood, has been the successful deployment of onshore wind power generation; the achievement of renewable energy targets in Scotland is testimony to this success.