As the North Sea industry marks the 20-year anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, it seems fitting to take stock of the resultant changes, and in particular to note raised awareness of health and safety issues and ask whether all lessons may have been fully learned?

You may not think of Ukraine as a country with great potential for oil & gas exploration, especially in light of the yearly reports of Russia threatening to cut off supply to Ukraine because of its gas debts. These disputes cause some panic in Ukraine and more in Europe.

As you read this, OTC will be in full swing – which reminds me of one of the more unexpected events at last year’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.