Sir Ian Wood said yesterday that besides maximising recovery of North Sea reserves and taking advantage of international oil and gas opportunities, the north-east must begin to stake its claim in the new energy industries.
Altra Energy has secured a contract said by industry sources to be worth around £100million to deliver front-end engineering design (FEED) for a new satellite production platform for Apache's Forties field.
Oil giant BP said yesterday it was boosting its interests in the North Sea by acquiring Total's stakes in two Norwegian oil fields for more than £640million in cash.
New UK North Sea oil and gas operator EnQuest, formed in a spin-off of assets by British energy services group Petrofac and Sweden's Lundin Petroleum, is to get backing of £180million to pursue acquisitions.
ABERDEEN firm Swire Oilfield Services, which supplies specialist offshore containers, has reshuffled its boardroom team in a move it says will help to propel it to further growth.
International energy service company Hunting said yesterday that trading remained in line with its expectations in the period from January 1 to April 21.
The chairwoman of the Health and Safety Executive said yesterday that the offshore industry's leadership had responded well to a critical report on about 100 UK platforms published at the end of 2007.
A Scottish-Australian mining joint venture is targeting 1billion tonnes of clean coal from deep beneath the Firth of Forth to generate electricity for Scotland.
US oilfield service giant Halliburton reported a 46% year-on-year fall in first-quarter profits yesterday to £133.76million, blaming currency devaluation and tax charges in Venezuela and weak demand except in North America.
THE managing director of RTH Lubbers UK International Transport is predicting that the firm could see its Aberdeen turnover and staff numbers double within two to three years. Tony Tailford said the Dutch-owned oil and gas equipment transport specialist had opened in the Granite City 10 years ago, but even three years ago had a staff of just 10.
SPECIALIST global oilfield production chemicals company Champion Technologies said yesterday it had completed its £4.5million research and development centre at its eastern hemisphere headquarters in Aberdeen.
Rockhopper, the Falkland Islands-focused oil and gas explorer, said yesterday it had begun drilling its Sea Lion prospect, using Diamond Offshore UK's Ocean Guardian drilling rig.