Nordic nation’s shrewd resources management paying off big-time
Norway is now the second richest country in Europe, in terms of income per person, after Luxembourg. The population of 4.6million is a little smaller than Scotland’s.
Published: 01/06/2009
32nd Grampian Industrialist of Year bent on making Dominion a winner
George Yule has been three years in the job of CEO at Dominion Gas in Aberdeen, taking the company through considerable change.
Published: 01/06/2009
Partnering and alliancing are back
Alliancing, gainsharing and partnering were all buzzwords in the North Sea oil&gas industry of the mid-1990s. There is some talk of the return of these agreements, given the economic challenges faced by the industry in 2009.
Published: 01/06/2009
Knowing the signs of diabetes – it’s important
There are currently more than 2.5million people with diabetes in the UK, and more than half-a-million additional sufferers who are unaware they have the condition.
Published: 01/06/2009
Cutting out the bumf
SO WHAT has FPAL achieved after 13 years? At a recent industry forum held in Aberdeen, senior management presented the familiar “is the glass half full or half empty?” routine as a way of reviewing the impact that the supply-chain gateway organisation has had since it developed out of the CRINE initiative in 1996.
Published: 01/06/2009
Plan early for new SAO legislation
The Senior Accounting Officer certification process announced in the Chancellor’s Budget marked a significant step in the Government’s attempts to increase personal and corporate accountability for tax matters.
Published: 01/06/2009
Addressing the legal challenges
The legal challenges facing the development of offshore windfarms largely fall into two categories, the first concerning whether the planning and connection regimes are adequate to deliver offshore wind capacity on the scale envisaged by the Scottish and UK governments.
Published: 18/05/2009
Aberdeen will not be deflected from quest for world-class role
The time has never been better for Aberdeen to engage with the renewables industry, and it is critical that it does so: both for the local economy and the effective deployment of renewable, especially in the maritime environment.
Published: 18/05/2009
Six months on from Mumbai
As the memory of the Mumbai attacks fades – it was almost six months ago, after all – have security concerns lessened? Has there been a longer-reaching impact on business travel, and should there have been?
Published: 04/05/2009
Hydrocarbons regimes emerging from the battered war zones
The Iraqi ministry of oil has recently completed the pre-qualification stage of the second bidding round. This process is relevant to the reserves in the southern part of the country.
Published: 04/05/2009
Suncor merger with Petro-Canada may see even greater commitment
On April 22, it was reported in Calgary that executives at Suncor Energy are to assume the top roles in the company after it wraps up its $15billion (£11million) takeover of Petro-Canada.
Published: 04/05/2009
So how did the OSO work?
During the Offshore Supplies Office’s early years, one of the few causes for optimism about the UK economy was the prospect of substantial North Sea oil production.
Published: 04/05/2009
Turbulent times spark challenges for biomass energy production
As a proven technology with high availability and the promise of additional Government support, biomass energy is attracting the attention of a growing number of power utility companies and is set to play an increasingly significant role in Europe’s energy generation mix.
Published: 04/05/2009
Offshore outperforms onshore oil&gas
THIS is a difficult time for the oil&gas industry. Demand is falling because of the recessions in many countries, oil prices are currently about one-third of last year’s near $150 per barrel peak and capital investment has fallen dramatically.
Published: 04/05/2009
North Sea drilling famine deepens
The global recession and oil-industry slowdown are biting deeper into the North Sea as the number of rigs drilling exploration and appraisal wells has dropped by three since the April WellSlot.
Published: 04/05/2009
North Sea’s MIST opportunity
Safety has always been, and will always remain, paramount to the global oil&gas industry.
Published: 04/05/2009
Dealing with traumatic stress
It goes without saying that health and safety is of paramount importance in any industry, not least the oil&gas industry.
Published: 04/05/2009
SME update
WITH stormy waters ahead for our supply chain, the effects can be quickly felt by SMEs, and a natural reaction is to batten down the hatches.
Published: 04/05/2009
GoM crude replaces WTI as oil-price marker
Crude oil is actually a variable commodity. Most of us working in the industry never see it, simply pumping different types of petrol or gasoline into our cars.
Published: 06/04/2009
Meil sees sound future, yet 2010 could be tough
Graham Meil occupies a corner office at Acergy’s splendid new campus at Aberdeen’s Surf City. For anyone not familiar with Europe’s Energy Capital, this does not mean a view of the North Sea; rather the vista is rural as this complex is located several miles inland at Westhill, a dormitory community.
Published: 06/04/2009
Drilling down into IHT can provide relief to industry in uncertain times
In the current business climate, it is more important than ever to maximise shareholder value, and with many businesses looking to cut costs and save money, reviewing tax policies and making sure the business is structured to ensure that all available tax reliefs are maximised for the shareholders is vital.
Published: 06/04/2009
Ruling gives clarity on offshore leave
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has reversed the Aberdeen employment tribunal’s decision relating to the holiday entitlement of offshore workers.
Published: 06/04/2009
Back to the Wild West?
ACCORDING to some, a cowboy is a noble creature: “a hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback”.
Published: 06/04/2009
Year ahead may yet spring a surprise
A year ago, UK North Sea drilling was going great guns with exploration and appraisal drilling, and it pretty much stayed that way for 2008, which turned out to be the busiest since 1997. During the first quarter, 20 wells and eight sidetracks were started.
Published: 06/04/2009





