Lloyd’s Register (LR) group, the global provider of independent assurance and expert advice, has started work on its new energy division headquarters in Aberdeen. Located at the Prime Four business park in Kingswells, the 100,000sq ft office complex is being built to LR’s specifications by park developer Drum Property Group. It is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2017 and will have room for up to 900 staff.
A Dutch court is set to hear arguments that production from Europe’s largest natural gas field should be suspended because earthquakes linked to extraction threaten safety. The Netherlands has progressively cut the amount of gas won from the Groningen field in the north amid protests over the tremors, with the Economy Ministry in June slashing this year’s output cap by 29 percent. The Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State will hear 41 appeals from local political parties, environmental organizations and individuals against an earlier production decision on Thursday, and possibly Friday, before making a final ruling in October or November.
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointed Allen Leatt as its new chief executive.
Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the Mexican Government said yesterday they had agreed to an oil and gas industry knowledge swap. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was announced at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen and follows Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s visit to the Granite City in March. Under the pact, the Mexican energy ministry and RGU will share information and seek opportunities to support the training of Mexicans for the oil and gas industry. RGU will be included on the list of preferred universities for Mexican scholarships.
SeaZip is to expand the number of specialised service vessels in its fleet to six, with an order for two Damen fast crew supplier (FCS) 2610 boats.
Oil service company Global SCS has achieved a notable first in Scotland's energy industry by receiving three top Investors in People (IIP) awards.
Deepsea Metro II, an ultra-deepwater drillship delivered in late 2011 and owned out of Norway, is looking for a new owner.
Gradually . . . little bit by little bit . . . Asia-Pac companies are seeking and gaining control of the subsea construction market though, for now at least, the larger part remains under the control of Western companies, primarily European.
Proserv’s acquisition of Nautronix signals a vote of confidence in the subsea sector, according to energy sector corporate finance advisors Simmons & Company International.
Lloyd's Register's new energy headquarters in Aberdeen demonstrates its commitment to the UK sector, the company said today.
Many energy suppliers will happily avoid their customers because they know they are on massively overpriced tariffs, according to one industry expert.
An RAF Typhoon fighter jet flew 200ft underneath a helicopter on its way to a North Sea platform a report by the UK Airprox Board has revealed.
A programme aimed at inspiring youngsters from diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of engineers will take place later this month in Aberdeen. The Association for Black and minority ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), a non-profit organisation, will launch its NextGen initiative on September 26, with further events planned for 2016. The pilot event, to be held at the Fountain of Love Church will involve a series of fun games and challenges designed to test and enhance would-be engineers’ problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.
Offshore marine and engineering consultancy Aqualis Offshore has opened a new office in Doha, Qatar.
Chinese shipyard Cosco Corporation (Singapore) has successfully won an arbitration case in the UK. The case was against a compatriot rig owner in relation to an axed $500million-plus drillship newbuild deal. A spokesman for the company said the matter related to a previous announcement in October 2013.
Oil major BP has gone back to the US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans in a bid to try and get back some of the money it has previously paid out to businesses. The company wants restitution for some of the cash it paid to businesses as part of a 2012 settlement.
Oil and gas industry leaders were last night given a rallying call as the countdown started in earnest to the biggest social event in the sector’s calendar. Sponsors of this year’s Press and Journal Energy Ball – which is being staged in association with CHC Helicopter – were invited to a “warm-up” soiree in Aberdeen as a thank you for pledging their support for the glittering black-tie event next month. Press and Journal editor-in-chief Damian Bates told his guests there was no denying the industry and workers were facing challenges.
The firm behind Aberdeen’s controversial Marischal Square scheme has revealed it hopes to attract a “big name” oil company to move into the offices. Bosses at the developer Muse discussed the plans as they unveiled updated designs for the £107million complex at the former St Nicholas House complex on Broad Street Final specifications for the scheme show about two-thirds of the outside of the building will be glass, with the rest made of granite. There will be two office buildings, a 126-room Marriott hotel, and seven restaurants and bars – including All Bar One and Burger and Lobster.
The cost of filling up a car with petrol is £2 less than a month ago, according to new figures. A six-year low in the price of oil helped bring the average cost of petrol down by 4p a litre to £1.12 in the last week of August, RAC Fuel Watch said.
Barack Obama crossed the Arctic Circle in a first by a sitting US president, telling residents in a far-flung Alaska village their plight should be the world’s wake-up call on global warming. His visit to Kotzebue, a town of some 3,000 people in the Alaska Arctic, was designed to snap the country to attention by illustrating the ways warmer temperatures have already threatened entire communities and ways of life in Alaska. He said, despite progress in reducing greenhouse gases, the planet is already warming and the US is not doing enough to stop it.
Iran’s supreme leader says world powers must lift international sanctions and not merely suspend them as part of a landmark nuclear agreement. Speaking to a group of clerics, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “there will be no deal” if the sanctions are not lifted. His remarks were read by a state TV anchorman.
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp., the company developing the Gulf Arab region’s first nuclear power plant, is reviving plans to borrow from banks and other financial institutions to help fund the $25 billion project, four people with knowledge of the matter said. Export-Import Bank of Korea will provide about $1.5 billion for the project, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Enec, as the company is known, is also in talks with five banks to provide about $250 million for the project, they said. HSBC Holdings Plc is advising Enec on the deal, and Standard Chartered is advising Korea Electric Power Corp., which will build and operate the nuclear plant, the people said.
Offshore services provider Viking SeaTech has announced the expansion of its UK marine department as business in the region increases.
North Sea oil and gas leaders have not thought about the impact of Jeremy Corbyn becoming leader of the Labour Party, an MP claimed yesterday. Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said there was no point in people "wasting their time speculating" about the consequences of the left-winger winning the leadership race. Mr Corbyn is the favourite to be elected as the successor the Ed Miliband later this month.
The new executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), ushering in a new era for the global energy authority.