Covid safety, cleaning fears mount for North Sea workers
Trade union chiefs said yesterday that offshore workers have “a lot of concern” about North Sea firms’ ability to keep a lid on Covid-19 while increasing crew numbers on platforms.
Jake Molloy
Schlumberger completes plan to axe 21,000 jobs
Schlumberger has completed its plan to cut 21,000 jobs in response to the oil downturn, according to its latest accounts.
Detained ship to sail from Aberdeen despite owing crew up to £150,000
A ship currently detained over unpaid wages is expected to set sail from Aberdeen Harbour despite still owing workers up to £150,000.
Shell job cuts put green recovery ‘in sharp focus’ says union boss
A union official has said news of Shell planning thousands of job cuts globally puts the North Sea’s green recovery “in sharp focus”.
Union boss suggests ‘job sharing’ for North Sea workers as Chancellor unveils new scheme
A trade union boss has suggested creating a “job share” scheme to help safeguard North Sea oil industry workers’ positions until offshore activity ramps up next year.
Installations placed on ‘alert’ after Greenpeace ship spotted in North Sea
Workers on a number of installations in the northern North Sea have been told to stay alert after a Greenpeace ship was spotted in the area.
‘Marked increase’ in number of North Sea workers going offshore
A “marked increase” has been noted in the number of workers going out to North Sea platforms, according to industry chiefs.
Scottish Government unveils £62million support package for crisis-hit oil and gas sector
A £62million Scottish Government support package has been unveiled to help oil and gas firms make a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
North Sea workforce to make up majority of furlough figure as redundancies loom
North Sea oil industry workers are anticipated to make up the lion’s share of those using the furlough scheme within the UK energy sector.
BP plans 10,000 job cuts
Energy giant BP has announced plans to cut around 10,000 jobs worldwide in response to the latest oil downturn.
‘Doubt and questioning’ over quarantine exemption for oil workers, says union boss
There remains “doubt and questioning” around the UK Government’s quarantine exemption for offshore workers and the potential spread of Covid-19, according to a union boss.
Contracting firms poised to lay off furloughed workers, union boss says
A union boss has claimed a “host” of North Sea contracting firms are poised to lay off furloughed workers as the cost of maintaining the scheme mounts.
‘Desperate situation’ for North Sea oilfield service firms as furlough costing six figure sums
Many North Sea oilfield service firms are being left in a “desperate situation” over whether to axe staff or pay mounting maintenance costs to keep them on furlough.
Furlough extension ‘welcomed’ but unlikely to halt North Sea redundancies, industry chiefs warn
North-east energy sector chiefs largely welcomed an extension of the UK Government furlough scheme, but cautioned it may do little to roll back the tide of oil and gas redundancies.
Furlough scheme rollback would be ‘absolutely disastrous’ for North Sea workforce, union boss warns
Any moves to scale back the UK Government furlough scheme would be “absolutely disastrous” for the North Sea oil and gas sector, an Aberdeen union boss has warned.
Exclusive: 200 suspected Covid-19 cases evacuated from North Sea platforms during crisis
Around 200 North Sea workers have been evacuated with suspected Covid-19 symptoms over the last six weeks as the sector has attempted to manage the spread of the virus.
Many firms ‘torn’ between protecting business and supporting staff with furlough scheme, OGUK boss says
Many North Sea oil and gas firms are currently “torn” between protecting the long-term sustainability of their business and supporting those staff whose jobs were connected to now delayed or cancelled projects, according to an Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) boss.
Drilling jobs carnage shows UK oil industry in ‘crisis’
The UK oil and gas industry is in the grip of a “crisis” that could jeopardise North Sea production and the energy transition, a trade union boss has warned.
BP under fire for sending coronavirus-tested workers offshore without results
Oil giant BP has come under fire for flying workers offshore while the results of their coronavirus tests were still outstanding.
Workers need to be ‘accountable’ for own health and safety, OGUK director says
North Sea workers must accept ‘accountability’ for their own health and safety in order to halt the spread of Covid-19 offshore.
Employee safety ‘paramount’ after TechnipFMC confirms virus cases on North Sea vessel
TechnipFMC has said employee safety is of “paramount importance” after confirming a virus outbreak on board one of its North Sea vessels.
Coronavirus testing kits for North Sea workers ‘at long last becoming available’, union boss says
Tests to help safeguard North Sea oil and gas workers against the outbreak of Covid-19 are “at long last becoming available”, according to a trade union boss.
‘Sleepless nights’ as new Covid-19 self-employment support leaves many North Sea workers in limbo
New UK Government measures to support the self-employed will cause “sleepless nights” for those North Sea workers who have been left in limbo, according to industry experts.
North Sea operators move to reduce cabin sharing ‘wherever possible’
A series of North Sea operators are working to remove cabin sharing offshore “wherever possible” in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
North Sea workforce cut by almost 40% due to coronavirus fallout
Almost 40% of the North Sea workforce has been cut as operators attempt to wrestle with the growing coronavirus crisis.