Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK) back issues from May 2007:
- oil&gas -
May 01, 2007 ... April April 30-May 3: Offshore Technology Conference, Houston.Organisers: SPE et al; phone +1.972.952.9494; fax +1.972.952.9435; e-mail service@ otcnet.org MAY May 9-10: Future Fields Summit 2007, London. Organiser: IQPC UK. E-mail Elizabeth.McAleer@iqpc.co.uk. URL: ...
Statoil signs up semi deepsea Atlantic for 735million baseline
May 01, 2007 ... Statoil has struck a long-term deal with Odfjell Invest worth atleast 735million for the long-term hire of the sixth-generationDeepsea Atlantic semi-submersible rig for production andexploration drilling in the Gullfaks field (Norwegian block 34/10). The rig is being built at ...
New rigs pinned down on long-term deals
May 01, 2007 ... Transocean has secured exclusive marketing rights for twocurrently unnamed deepwater drillships under construction fromPacific Drilling. In addition, Transocean says it has the option topurchase a 50% interest in a joint-venture company through which itand Pacific Drilling would own the ...
Tougher standards in pipeline to counter us gulf hurricane menace
May 01, 2007 ... Hurricanes and their potential to wreck US Gulf of Mexico oil&gasplatforms, especially older ones, will be on the agenda at thisweek's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. Frank Puskar, president of Energy Engineering Inc (Energo), willtell delegates that a study by the ...
North Sea age crisis a myth
May 01, 2007; ... The average age of a North Sea worker is just over 40 - at least10 years less than had been widely assumed by the UK offshoreindustry's leadership. Not only that, its image among young peoplemay also be a lot better than had been assumed. But UK Oil&Gas business analyst Jessica ...
Gas price slump threatens UK southern North Sea investment, warns simmons
May 01, 2007 ... Uk Gas prices are so unstable and depressed that they threateninvestment in the North Sea's Southern Gas Basin, according to energybankers Simmons & Company International. This situation is predicted to prevail for at least the next twoyears and is likely to result in exploration & ...
Phoenix born out of cns crash wins centrica renewables cable contract
May 01, 2007 ... Subsea installation company Subocean has secured a contractthought to be worth more than pounds5million with Centrica coveringcable-lay work for the Lynn and Inner Dowsing windfarm projectsoffshore Lincolnshire. Moreover, the Aberdeen-based company is forecasting that it willwin ...
What a load of electoral tripe
May 01, 2007 ... Reading party manifestos at election times is, let us say, aminority activity. However, in the interests of this column'sreadership, I ploughed my way through four of them and briefly forgotabout the real world in which we actually live. Energy is definitelya political flavour of 2007 ....
Offshore oil set to peak within 10 years
May 01, 2007 ... Though offshore oil&gas production is forecast to rise robustlythrough to 2011, capital spending will be muted, claim analysts atDouglas-Westwood and Energyfiles. They say, too, that offshore oil output will peak at 40millionbarrels per day or thereabouts within 10 years, though ...
New export challenge for Scottish firms
May 01, 2007 ... It's Otc time again. This premier offshore event has beenrejuvenated, as has the upstream petroleum industry as a whole,thanks to healthy commodity prices. The North Sea market may be declining and the revived Gulf ofMexico market close to peak, but the world offshore market is ...
Pgs takes big bite of genesis
May 01, 2007 ... Pgs (Petroleum Geo-Services) has taken a near 25% slice ofexploration company Genesis Petroleum by buying 25million shares inthe company for some 1million. Last year, PGS and Genesis formed a 50:50 jointly owned seismicsubsidiary, Genesis Petroleum Europe, which was recently ...
Just a few weeks to go to all-energy
May 01, 2007 ... Renewable energy has moved dramatically up the political agendaworldwide. We're seeing this in Scotland with our parliamentaryelections on May 3. Every political party's manifesto has itsrenewable energy section, and every politician, it seems, has abright green message to impart when ...
Bom plans to Shell out 20billion on sustainability
May 01, 2007 ... Bank of America has launched a 20billion, 10-year initiative tocatalyse development of environmentally sustainable businesspractices through lending, investing, philanthropy and the creationof new products and services. The bank says it will commit 18billion in lending, advice ...
Setting the security agenda
May 01, 2007; ... Security crises are often self-defining. It is obvious that thekidnap of employees while on deployment is a crisis that requires aresponse by the employer. It is obvious that a physical attackagainst a company's facilities requires a response to limit thesituation and effect a ...
Balmoral group is bouncing back, buoyed by burgeoning contracts book
May 01, 2007 ... Balmoral Group has pulled in more than pounds10million (20million)of orders for buoyancy systems for production and drilling-relatedapplications so far this year. At the present rate of progress the company faces the prospect ofa full order book for surface-to-ultra deepwater ...
Expansion key for advantica
May 01, 2007 ... Global engineering consultancy Advantica is bolstering its NorthSea operation, aiming to treble its Aberdeen workforce and furtherexpand its business in the region. The company, which has had an Aberdeen base since 2001, isexpanding its process optimisation capabilities, ...
Ladies and gents, the oil barons' ball
May 01, 2007 ... A Glamorous night of pure entertainment that has really got theoil&gas industry talking is taking place in Europe's Energy Capitalon August 28. Two-thirds of the tables have already gone. Aberdeen is hosting the first Oil Barons' Ball outside Dubai,where an opulent event of the ...
Lucky 13 perhaps?
May 01, 2007; ... With 13 vertical well spuds at this time, we are just two spudsshort of the UKCS numbers for the same time last year. Include sidetracks and this number grows to 28 starts - comparedwith 20 for 2006. The Hannon Westwood intelligence database reveals that there arerigs ...
The politics of energy
May 01, 2007 ... If You have an interest in the energy industry then how you votein the Scottish elections on May 3 is very important. A politicalparty's energy policy defines how well it has thought through itsplan for the future, not just in energy provision but overalleconomic and industrial terms as ...
Bold new adventure for UK oil&gas
May 01, 2007 ... On April 23, a new body designed to represent the full breadth ofBritain's offshore industry - from oil companies to main contractorsto the smallest SME in the supply chain - was launched. ON APRIL 23, a new body designed to represent the full breadth ofBritain's offshore industry ...
Striking the appropriate recruitment balance
May 01, 2007 ... "IN Order for recruitment incentives to be as effective aspossible, the industry needs to identify the issues affectingpersonnel levels in the UKCS," says the Oil&Gas UK demographicsreport. "Oversubscribed training and graduate schemes run by operators andindustry bodies such as ...
Women's minority role persists in what is a male bastion
May 01, 2007 ... During her research, Jessica Burton prepared age profiles for 13offshore occupation categories with the results for personnel working25+ and 100+ nights offshore plotted against each other forcomparison purposes. She also teased out the female content of each. The categories are: ...
Fugro buys earthdata
May 01, 2007 ... Geophysical company Fugro is taking total control of US airbornemapping company EarthData International, including its Horizons unit. Bryan Logan, EarthData's founder and CEO, said being bought up byFugro was the natural next step for the Maryland company, which wasfounded in 1955 ...
Varsity hopes high for pounds1billion institute
May 01, 2007 ... For the past several months, universities around the UK, operatingsolus and in consortia, have been preparing their pitches for thecore of the UK's Energy Technologies Institute, the intendedpounds1billion over 10 years venture initiated by Chancellor GordonBrown. Half the money ...
Operators and contractors project powerful new voice across North Sea
May 01, 2007; ... Oil&gas UK is a hugely exciting development in the history of theNorth Sea. For the very first time, we have a single trade bodycapable of speaking on behalf of the entire UK oil&gas industry. This organisation has a powerful new voice, uniting operators andcontractors in a common ...
St lucia triumph for magic meg
May 01, 2007 ... The long-hitting Meg Sievwright has been Keith Golf Club's ladies'champion 25 times. However, she has now added another, more-exotic title to hercollection. Meg and hubby Sandy, who co-own Sandy's Carpets in Buckie, were ona golfing holiday to the Caribbean island of St Lucia ...
Cure fine as frog hair
May 01, 2007 ... The American bullfrog has long kept predators away with its loudbellow. The clever amphibian even avoided being eaten by dinosaursmillions of years ago by growing jumping legs. But it can't escape the great minds at St Andrews University, whohave developed a treatment ...
Significant step in cancer research
May 01, 2007 ... Inch by inch, scientists are moving closer towards discoveriesthat will make diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer easierand more successful. Now and again, however, the researchers move forwards in sizeableleaps. Dundee University research has discovered that people ...
Revelations of security failings
May 01, 2007 ... For the survivors and relatives of those killed in the July 7London bombings, the revelations about MI5 following yesterday'sverdict in the trial of an extremist gang must be a bitter blow. The security services knew of the ringleader of the bombings whichkilled 52 people, Mohammed ...
Scientists and the union
May 01, 2007 ... Sir, - I wish to point out that not all Scots scientists supportthe Union. Scots are well-respected the world over for their contributions toscience and engineering and I can see no reason why this would changein an independent Scotland. It is our ability and ingenuity which ...
Sureclean using visit to branch out into wider region
May 01, 2007; ... One Scottish firm, Sureclean, is combining the visit to OTC with atrip to Lafayette, in Louisiana. The city has become a focal point for repair operations to oilrigs damaged by hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sureclean has engineers and equipment in the Gulf of Mexico onoffshore ...
Chance for expansion at annual event
May 01, 2007; ... Otc is now far more than just an annual ritual for its regulars;the business written on the back of the show directly contributes torevenue targets. For them, OTC has become a cornerstone of their expansion strategybeyond the UK continental shelf (UKCS). Since its debut in ...
North-east cabin specialist reveals pounds6m boost to international fleet
May 01, 2007; ... North-east firm Ferguson Modular announced a furtherpounds6million investment yesterday in its internationalaccommodation and workspace fleet. Continuing a successful start to 2007 for the Ferguson Group, thisinvestment will lead to the production of more than 80 ...
Industry must rise to low-carbon challenge
May 01, 2007; ... Governments cannot work alone for the world to move in thedirection of a low-carbon economy, Under Secretary of State forEnergy Lord Truscott said yesterday. In a speech on the opening day of OTC, he also highlighted thepossibilities that a low-carbon future offered for firms in ...
Sub-atlantic buy to help triton plug product gap
May 01, 2007; ... Aberdeen-based Triton Group will announce today at the OffshoreTechnology Conference in Houston that it has acquired fellow GraniteCity firm Sub-Atlantic. The value of the deal is not being disclosed, but is understood tobe worth more than pounds10million. Triton is backed ...
Stable deal creating a dynamic force for drilling sector
May 01, 2007 ... Aberdeen-based Stable Services has been acquired in a multimillion-pound deal. The buyer, Stable Holdings, was formed by north-east businessmanRod Coffey to capitalise on the increasing global demand for drillingequipment. In a deal supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland, ...
Lightening the load
May 01, 2007 ... For many people, removal firms are there to assist with the hardwork and heavy lifting which comes with undertaking one of the moststressful tasks we can ever face - moving house. However, these days, the majority of companies operating withinthe removal industry offer a far ...
Shop 'til you drop ... Carbon emissions We tend to think that to reduce carbon emissions all we have to do is insulate our houses, use our cars as little as possible and stop flying away on holiday. All these measures are important, but they aren't the only things we can each do, says the Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum
May 01, 2007 ... We tend to think that to reduce carbon emissions all we have to dois insulate our houses, use our cars as little as possible and stopflying away on holiday. All these measures are important, but theyaren't the only things we can each do, says the AberdeenshireEnvironmental ...
Beside the seaside, beside the sea Famous for its sandy beach and links to Bram Stoker's Dracula, and home to one of the north-east's top golf courses, Cruden Bay is a popular spot on the tourist trail, but there's a house on the market that might just make you want to stay in the coastal village for good. Victoria Murchie reports
May 01, 2007 ... Famous for its sandy beach and links to Bram Stoker's Dracula, andhome to one of the north-east's top golf courses, Cruden Bay is apopular spot on the tourist trail, but there's a house on the marketthat might just make you want to stay in the coastal village forgood. Victoria Murchie ...
Many people are opting to give DIY a miss and call in the tradesmen, but how do you go about finding reputable people to do the job? Donna Ross investigates
May 01, 2007 ... The British love affair with DIY appears to be over. Annually, themarket is still worth about pounds16billion, but it was down bypounds600million in 2006 compared with its all-time peak of 2004. All the major DIY multiple chains report difficult tradingconditions and the "makeover" ...
A match made in heaven Kebbaty House may have spectacular views, stables, a snug and flagstone flooring, but it's the grass tennis court that really sets this 18th-century country house apart. Victoria Murchie reports
May 01, 2007 ... Kebbaty House may have spectacular views, stables, a snug andflagstone flooring, but it's the grass tennis court that really setsthis 18th-century country house apart. Victoria Murchie reports Sunny days are here again and, whether it's with a trug full ofbedding plants or a deck ...
38 oak drive, portlethen
May 01, 2007 ... Property: Detached bungalow. Price: pounds185,000. Bedrooms: Three doubles. Public rooms: Vestibule, cloakroom, lounge/dining-room,conservatory, kitchen and family bathroom. Features: Double-glazing and gas central heating. Outside: Garden ground at the ...
New rules to freeze out illegal landings
May 01, 2007; ... New rules aimed at stopping illegal, unreported and unregulated(IUU) fishing come into force today. The measures, which were agreed at a meeting of the North-EastAtlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) in November, effectively closeEuropean ports to landings of frozen fish that have ...
Allardyce ambition to drive him on and up
May 01, 2007 ... Sam Allardyce's resignation as manager at Bolton Wanderers onSunday has come as a massive shock. I remember phoning him up once to inquire about Taribo West when Iwas in charge at Dunfermline and, once he had stopped laughing at me,he told me exactly what he thought my chances ...
Recovery is a lonely task
May 01, 2007 ... Iknow exactly what Scotland captain Jason White has gone throughto get himself back to full fitness in time for the Rugby World Cupthis autumn. The former Aberdeen Wanderers player announced yesterday he hopesto make a return for his country in the summer Tests against Irelandand ...
Leitch will be back soon enough
May 01, 2007 ... Iam saddened to hear of Scott Leitch's decision to resign asmanager of Ross County following the club's relegation from the FirstDivision on Saturday. I have a great deal of respect for Scott both as a player and aperson. He is a young lad who took on a huge job, but he did ...
Keane always going to be a winner
May 01, 2007 ... Roy Keane's achievement of taking Sunderland from the bottom ofthe English Championship to promotion to the Premiership in the sameseason should not come as a surprise. When you look back at two of the managers he has played under, youcan see just why he has become a ...
Looking forward to a long summer of sporting action
May 01, 2007 ... Surfing at Thurso, the Granite City Rally and the Scottish cricketseason is under way. Sure signs the summer months are fastapproaching. I enjoy the summer break for two reasons; I get to take a breakfrom the long, hard football season and enjoy the summer of sport.The outdoor ...
Today
May 01, 2007 ... Football: Champions League semi-final second leg, Liverpool vChelsea - ITV1 7.30pm. SNOOKER: World championship - British Eurosport 10am, 2.30pm, 7pmand BBC2 1.30pm, 7pm. RUGBY UNION: Magners League, Cardiff ...
Beefcake wanted for this off-the-peg outfit
May 01, 2007; ... The search is on to find a new face - and body - to promoteScotland's meat industry. Quality Meat Scotland revealed yesterday it was retiring JamesDevlin who for the past six years has been Glen, the kilt-wearingbeefcake who has promoted Scotch Beef, Pork and Lamb at ...
Controls for cereals will be cash saver
May 01, 2007; ... New quality assurance standards for Scotland's cereal growersshould help save farmers thousands of pounds. That was the claim yesterday from Scottish Quality Cereals as itunveiled a new hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) for allits 3,000 farmer members and which will ...
Grocers unconvinced by drink-sales scheme
May 01, 2007; ... A New scheme to catch licen-sees selling alcohol to under-agecustomers will have little impact on youth drinking problems, grocersclaimed yesterday. A system involving young people under 18 being sent by police totry to buy alcohol comes into force across Scotland today ...
Retailer celebrates net boost
May 01, 2007 ... Online retailer ASOS said yesterday it had achieved a doubling ofannual sales from a record number of visitors to its website. ASOS, which serves 18 to 34-year-olds with fashion items similarto those worn by celebrities, posted sales of pounds38.4million forthe 12 months to March ...
Numbers at 888 strong
May 01, 2007 ... Online gaming firm 888 has overcome a 55% drop in revenue resulting from the US ban on internet gambling to post full-year pre-tax profits up by more than one-third. It reported a 34% rise in profits to pounds45.4million yesterdayfor the ...
Record year for dana's production
May 01, 2007; ... Dana Petroleum, the Aberdeen-based oil and gas operator, saidyesterday it had achieved record oil and gas reserves and productionlast year. Chief executive Tom Cross said: "The company is on target forfurther growth in 2007, with new UK fields coming on stream and avery active ...
Us data makes dent in footsie's gains
May 01, 2007 ... A Strong run for firms reporting results this week helped London'sblue chips to gain ground yesterday although downbeat economic newsfrom the US took the gloss off the day. The FTSE 100 index ended the session up 30.5 points at 6,449.2 asit gave back some of its earlier gains after ...
Integrated approach paying off for fac
May 01, 2007; ... Marketing, sport and entertainment management group First ArtistCorporation (FAC) said yesterday its holistic approach had led toincreased referrals between divisions and a trebling of first-halfturnover. FAC, whose clients include snooker star Dennis Taylor, Rangers ...
Conference boon for Dundee
May 01, 2007 ... A Nursing conference starting in Dundee today is predicted togenerate almost pounds1million for the local economy. Around 500 delegates from a diverse range of clinical and academicbackgrounds, from 23 countries, are expected to attend the RoyalCollege of Nursing's four-day ...
Folk urged to stand up for threatened species
May 01, 2007; ... Children in Perthshire will have the opportunity to name a numberof osprey chicks as part of a campaign to ensure the survival of thethreatened species. The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) yesterday launched a campaign,We Can Do More, aimed at reversing the decline in numbers of ...
Archbishop awarded prestigious Italian gong
May 01, 2007 ... A Senior member of the Catholic Church in Scotland is to beawarded one of Italy's highest honours, it was announced yesterday. The Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow, will be decoratedat a ceremony on Wednesday, on the eve of his 30th anniversary as abishop. He will ...
Blind pilot lands on other side of world
May 01, 2007 ... A Blind pilot touched down in Sydney yesterday but said becomingthe first blind aviator to make the trip was "meaningless" comparedwith his campaign to raise pounds1million to help others regain theirsight. Miles Hilton-Barber, 58, of Duffield, Derbyshire, completed ...
V&a's Tayside plan could be beautiful union
May 01, 2007; ... Plans to expand the world's largest decorative arts museum toDundee were unveiled yesterday. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) confirmed that it has teamedup with Dundee University to carry out a feasibility study intoestablishing a new facility on the banks of the River ...
Police hunt for care home sex attacker
May 01, 2007 ... Police investigating a serious sex assault on an elderly strokevictim in a care home scoured CCTV footage yesterday for clues totrace the attacker. A member of staff was conducting routine checksat the Nottinghamshire home at about 5.20am on Sunday when she founda naked man in the ...
ScottishPower finally joins energy price war with cut
May 01, 2007; ... Millions of Scots who looked to ScottishPower to follow theexample of rivals and cut gas and electricity prices got the newsthey were waiting for yesterday. The Glasgow-based company, which has 5.2million UK customers,including more than 2million north of the border, said its 16.5% ...
City's first Russian food store set to cater for 4,000-plus influx
May 01, 2007 ... Dundee's ever-expanding eastern European population is soon beserved by the city's first Russian food store. In recent months the influx of thousands of eastern Europeans intothe city has led to a shift in consumer and community patterns in thearea. Last summer it was ...