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North Sea Oil

Offshore industry ‘perilously close to disasters’ warning from HSE

The Health and Safety Executive has written to all oil and gas operators expressing concern about the number of gas releases in the industry.

The regulator said some had come “perilously close to disaster” and that more needed to be done to tackle them.

The HSE said a “lack of leadership” was often to blame for leaks, and called for firms to review their processes.

Operators have until July to respond with a summary of their planned improvements.

The HSE has written to operators ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster. The platform exploded in July 1988, leaving 167 men dead. read more

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Shell plans North Sea sell-off as falling crude price makes many of its sites less profitable

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By CITY & FINANCE REPORTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL: PUBLISHED: 27 March 2016

Shell has hired advisers to sell some of its North Sea oil operations as the falling price of crude makes sites less profitable.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Lazard and Morgan Stanley have held talks with a number of suitors, including Neptune Oil and Gas, the investment firm set up by former Centrica boss Sam Laidlaw.

The oil industry has been scaling back investments in the North Sea because of the tumbling price of crude. Shell has said it would make disposals worth £21billion. read more

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Decline of North Sea Oil Fields Forces Political Shifts in Britain

Article by STANLEY REED published JUNE 2, 2015 by The New York Times

Decline of North Sea Oil Fields Forces Political Shifts in Britain

ABERDEEN, Scotland — For the oil industry, the decline of the North Sea fields is part of a global challenge.

But for Britain, it is also a political problem.

The British government, which has long treated the oil industry as a cash cow, was forced to confront the threat to jobs and taxes during the run-up to last year’s referendum on independence for Scotland, which claims a big portion of waters where the North Sea oil and natural gas are.

The Scottish National Party, which supported independence in the referendum, accused the central government in London of mismanaging Britain’s oil and gas resources. Oil officials including Bob Dudley, BP’s chief executive, said during the referendum campaign that the uncertainty and legal problems a Scottish victory would bring could discourage future investment in the North Sea. read more

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Shell signals it will accelerate retreat from the North Sea

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Simon Henry, CFO, Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Simon Henry, CFO, Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Article by Mark Williamson published Friday 1 May 2015

Shell signals it will accelerate retreat from the North Sea

THE finance chief of Royal Dutch Shell has signalled the oil and gas giant will accelerate its retreat from the North Sea, saying the area faces a difficult future unless costs and uncertainties are reduced.

Simon Henry said: “Shell is not necessarily a natural owner of assets in the North Sea. Going forward there are other companies who may well have more expertise but also more incentive to squeeze the value from mature assets.”

He added: “The way Shell typically creates value is earlier in the maturity of the life cycle, we helped to develop the North Sea.”

Indicating that Shell will look to sell off more mature assets, Mr Henry said the company could still create value by transferring them to other operators. read more

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Shell’s Draugen field at risk of being scrapped

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 08.45.23Bloomberg article by Dinesh Nair and Jillian Ward published 2 Feb 2015 under the headline:

“North Sea Oil Turns Buyer’s Market as Apache, BG Group Want Out”

(Bloomberg) — Want to buy an oil well in U.K.’s North Sea? There are plenty available as some of the industry’s largest names try to sell aging, costly wells that have become even less profitable with the plunge in crude prices.

BG Group Plc, Apache Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp. are among companies that have explored a sale of their North Sea assets, according to people familiar with the processes. In all, assets worth as much as 20 billion pounds ($30 billion) are currently for sale in the North Sea, said Dave Blackwood, senior adviser to investment bank Evercore Partners Inc. read more

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New infrastructure players to help UK North Sea in twilight years

Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 11.37.41Extract from a Reuters article by CLAIRE MILHENCH published 1 July 2014 read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Fooling About With Numbers

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29So a 5 minute look inside the reported numbers paints a different picture, certainly a clearer picture and a picture that despite the hot air,  from a risk analysis viewpoint clarifies that there has been no significant reduction in risk despite the credit being taken by the industry and the Regulator.

Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 20.41.26ARTICLE BY BILL CAMPBELL (RIGHT), RETIRED SHELL INTERNATIONAL HSE GROUP AUDITOR

Fooling about with numbers.

As a shareholder I received a letter from Shell UK Country Chairman recently.  Under Health and Safety he takes credit for an important milestone achieved in April 2013 when he states our upstream business in the North Sea achieved an important milestone in a 50 per cent reduction in the number of hydrocarbon releases over the last three years in line with the industry commitment made in 2009.  In 2008 there were 83 major and significant releases and this reduced to 72 in 2009.  The Energy Minister and the HSE pronounced this at the time as a significant reduction but actually it only reduced mean time between releases from circa every 4 days to circa every 5 days, hardly a significant reduction. From formal risk analysis a significant risk reduction could only be claimed by an order of magnitude reduction that is from 83 to 8.  However, the politics of any reduction is to blow your trumpet whether the reduction is actually reducing risk or not. read more

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Shell warns Scotland over independence

Extracts from an article by  and James Quinn, published on 5 March 2014 at 10.14PM by The Telegraph

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29Ben van Beurden, chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch oil giant, said: “We’d like to see Scotland remain part of the United Kingdom. “Shell has a long history of involvement in the North Sea – and therefore in Scotland – and we have continued to invest heavily there.” In a speech to a reception in London on Wednesday night , Mr Van Burden said that one of the many things his company values about the UK “is the continuity and stability it offers”. read more

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Fresh fears over North Sea safety after Elgin leak

Patrice de Vivies, chairman of Total UK, told Reuters he had already warned Royal Dutch Shell, which operates the neighbouring Shearwater field, that its operations could also be at risk from the problem.

An extensive programme of repairs could be needed across North Sea oil and gas operations in light of emerging evidence of causes of last year’s Elgin gas leak, experts have warned.

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Oil & Gas UK has warned there could be a record slump in production in 2013 because of increased downtime for maintenance. Photo: Alamy

Emily Gosden

By , Energy Correspondent: 9:14PM BST 05 Sep 2013

A corrosive drilling fluid may have been to blame for the leak at the Total-operated platform, which went on for a month and a half before being stopped and contributed to a slump in North Sea production last year .

The French energy giant is planning to “kill” and replace 10 other wells in the area in light of the lessons learnt from the Elgin accident.

Patrice de Vivies, chairman of Total UK, told Reuters he had already warned Royal Dutch Shell, which operates the neighbouring Shearwater field, that its operations could also be at risk from the problem. Shearwater, like Elgin, produces gas at high pressure and high temperatures. read more

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Shell pumps £3m into research centre at Heriot-Watt

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6 August 2013

Oil giant Shell is to invest £3 million in a scheme to boost exploration research at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

The group said the five-year deal to create the Shell Centre for Exploration Geoscience aims to help meet the world’s growing energy demand by combining industry insights with cutting-edge research.

Professor John Underhill, holder of the Shell chair of exploration geoscience, will head up the centre. He said: “The results will help further our understanding of the development, evolution and deformation of sedimentary basins and complement existing strengths within the [university’s] Institute of Petroleum Engineering.” read more

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Shell pledges long-term commitment to North Sea oil

Oil and gas production will continue in the North Sea for decades, the chairman of Shell UK has forecast.

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Ed Daniels wants to set something straight. “There’s a misperception that oil majors, Shell included, are not particularly interested in the North Sea,” says the chairman of Shell UK. Photo: Ralph Hodgson

By Andrew Cave: 5 August 2013

Ed Daniels says in an interview in The Daily Telegraph that the UK arm of Royal Dutch Shell, will continue to have a major presence in North Sea production, despite suggestions by commentators that the larger companies will wind down their activities, leaving the area’s mature oil and gas fields to niche specialist players and sovereign wealth funds.

“There’s a misperception that oil majors, Shell included, are not particularly interested in the North Sea,” Mr Daniels said. “Actually, that’s just not true. We at Shell are a big North Sea producer today, representing 14pc of UK oil. read more

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Shell’s Forecasts for North Sea Field Are Blown Off Course

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By Steve Rosenbush, Deputy Editor: February 27, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell plc’s analytic tools may have led it to overestimate the potential resources of an oil and gas field in the North Sea—a reminder that the latest in algorithms and visualization tools, as powerful as they might be, aren’t always right.

The company said late last Thursday it was reassessing its development plan for the Fram oil and gas field in the North Sea following “unexpected” initial drilling results. The original development plan forecasted that the field, located between the U.K. and Norway, would  produce an average of 35,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. read more

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Cormorant Alpha leak shuts down up to 27 UK oil fields

16 January 2013 Last updated at 07:31

A pipeline system servicing up to 27 oil fields has been shut down after a leak on the Cormorant Alpha platform, north-east of Shetland.

The fields affected, and another eight associated platforms, produce up to 6% of the UK’s oil and gas output.

Hydrocarbons were detected inside a leg of the Cormorant Alpha platform.

Its operator, Taqa Bratani, has removed non-essential workers as a precaution and said the leak had been contained.

Shutting down the platform, which is about 100 miles from Shetland, affects the whole Brent pipeline system. read more

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North Sea helicopter ditching: ‘All safe’

22 October 2012 Last updated at 17:37

All 19 people on board a helicopter which ditched in the North Sea are reported to be safe.

The incident happened in an area 32 miles south of Shetland, off Fair Isle. The alarm was raised at about 15:30.

CHC Helicopter confirmed one of its aircraft was involved, but the exact details were not yet known.

It is understood the Super Puma EC 225 had been heading to the West Phoenix drilling rig.

The 19 people were being taken to Kirkwall on Orkney.

A CHC spokesperson said: “The appropriate authorities have been informed and the company’s incident management team has been mobilised.” read more

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Shell Gets Fram Field Consent

by  Jon Mainwaring: Rigzone Staff: Monday, October 22, 2012

The UK government announced Monday it has given consent to Royal Dutch Shell for it to develop the Fram oil and gas field, offshore UK.

The Fram field, located 135 miles east of Aberdeen in around 330 feet of water, is expected to produce an average of 35,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

In a statement, UK Energy Minister John Hayes commented:

“The durability of oil production in the North Sea constantly confounds expectation. It is a tribute to the high-tech advances and expertise of British industry, which has constantly pushed the boundaries of what can be produced. read more

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Shell recovers oil from North Sea spill

Published: Sept. 26, 2012 at 7:22 AM

LONDON, Sept. 26 (UPI) — Royal Dutch Shell said it completed the first part of a cleanup operation related to an oil spill at its Gannet platform in the North Sea last year.

Oil leaked from the Gannet platform in the North Sea in August 2011. The release totaled around 1,300 barrels of oil, making it the largest oil spill in the region in more than a decade.

The British Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention said it approved Shell’s plans to extract the residual oil left in a pipeline. read more

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Shell looks to North Sea as European investment cut

MARK WILLIAMSON

28 Oct 2011

ROYAL Dutch Shell said it would curb investment in Europe where it expects the economy to stagnate, but made clear it would still spend in the North Sea.

Announcing bumper profits driven by high oil prices, the oil and gas giant said it will shift a growing share of its investment to places like Qatar, where the launch of huge projects will underpin growth for years.

Noting that Shell only devotes 15% of its investment to Europe, chief financial officer Simon Henry said the continent’s share will shrink amid concerns about the fallout from the debt crisis. read more

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SHELL’S PROFITS HIT £49m A DAY

By STEVE HAWKES, Business Editor: Friday 28 October 2011

*£12.5bn cash in the bank

*90,000 staff around the world

*3m output in millions of barrels a day

SOARING oil and gas prices have sent profits surging to £49million a day at SHELL.

The energy giant made a whopping £4.5billion over the three months to October — DOUBLE the same period a year ago.

Yesterday’s figures come as drivers are being forced off the road by soaring petrol prices as the cost of oil hits record highs.

AA chiefs claim a quarter of motorists are cutting back.

AA president Edmund King said motorists “will not be pleased” to see oil giants making a killing.

But he insisted many now blame the Chancellor more than oil companies for the huge prices they pay at the pump. read more

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BP unveils North Sea investment programme

13 October 2011

BP has been given the go ahead to proceed with a new £4.5bn oil project west of the Shetland Islands.

The BP-operated scheme is an extension of the existing Clair oil field, and will also include investment by fellow oil firms Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.

David Cameron said the news was a “massive boost for jobs and growth”.

BP said it and its partners were now investing almost £10bn in North Sea oil and gas work over the next five years.

‘Maintaining production’ read more

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Shell fights spill near North Sea oil platform

13 August 2011 Last updated at 03:02

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to stop a leak at one of its North Sea oil platforms.

The leak was found near the Gannet Alpha platform, 180 km (113 miles) from Aberdeen, Scotland.

The company would not say how much oil may have been spilt so far, though it said it had “stemmed the leak significantly”.

One of the wells at the Gannet oilfield has been closed, but the company would not say if production was reduced.

The company says it has sent a clean-up vessel to the location and has a plane monitoring the surface. read more

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Shell Fighting Oil Spill At North Sea Platform

AUGUST 12, 2011 12.23 P.M. ET

LONDON (Dow Jones)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) Friday confirmed that an oil spill has occurred at its Gannet Alpha platform in the U.K. North Sea.

“We can confirm we are managing an oil leak in a flow line that serves the Shell-operated Gannet Alpha platform,” said Shell spokesman Kim Blomley.

“We have stemmed the leak significantly and we are taking further measures to isolate it,” he said. “The subsea well has been shut in, and the flow line is being depressurized. We continue to monitor the situation on the surface and subsea.” read more

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Shell is sure of its future investment in the North Sea

mark williamson QATAR

1 Jun 2011

THE chief executive of Shell said the North Sea was still important for the oil and gas giant, which could invest in the province for decades to come.

Peter Voser reiterated Shell’s concerns that the controversial Budget tax hike could make some small developments unviable.

However, he said the company would still go ahead with big investments in the kind of bumper projects that could generate the returns it targets.

Asked where the North Sea fit with Shell’s strategy, Mr Voser said: “It’s an important area for us still. read more

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Shell slammed on safety

upstreamonline: In-depth revision ordered at Brent Charlie following major gas leaks

The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has taken the rare step of ordering a thorough safety review at Shell’s Brent Charlie platform following two major gas leaks.

ROB WATTS London  06 May 2011 01:53 GMT

The HSE has told Shell to submit a revised safety case for the Brent Charlie platform after gas was detected on its topsides following leaks on 12 January this year and 27 September 2010, Upstream can reveal.

Shell, which took the decision itself to close the platform after the January incident, has been battling for some time to resolve technically complex issues related to the venting of gas from inside one the platform’s huge concrete legs — Column 1 (C1) — and dispersing it effectively away from the platform. read more

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Shell scared away by British tax?

April 29, 2011

LONDON, April 29 (UPI) — Royal Dutch Shell suggested it might pull out of developments in the North Sea because of a tax increase imposed by the British government, a director said.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne imposed a duty on oil and gas producers in an effort to take advantage of massive oil profits reported by international energy companies.

Oil and gas developers posted record first quarter profits as energy prices soar in response to global economic recovery, a weak U.S. dollar and unrest in some of the Middle East’s largest oil-producing nations. read more

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Shell make £4.1bn…and axe North Sea fields

SHELL is slashing investment in the North Sea over a Budget Day tax hike – despite making £1.9million an hour.

The giant yesterday revealed the rise meant it was now “uneconomic” to develop smaller UK oil and gas fields.

Shell’s quarterly profits were up forty per cent and totalled £4.1billion.

Chief finance officer Simon Henry said the group would only invest in two new projects. Other work has gone. He said: “The irony is we were just beginning to look at what opportunities there were in the North Sea again. We hadn’t worked up the projects yet and that work now stops.” read more

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Shell may have to sell North Sea assets after tax raid

Published Date: 29 April 2011 By Martin Flanagan City editor
ROYAL Dutch Shell warned yesterday that it may have to sell some assets in the North Sea and reduce investment in the region because of the Chancellor’s tax raid and higher industry decommissioning costs in the Budget. Simon Henry, chief financial officer, revealed that the changes could cost the group $1 billion (£600m) in extra charges, a similar sum to that facing rival BP.

He said that Shell had taken a $60 million hit in the first quarter of this year on the extra tax levy on North Sea production and would face a further $150m impact over the rest of 2011. There will be another $400m charge in 2012.

In addition, reduced tax breaks for decommissioning rigs was likely to lead to another charge of up to $500m.

“It’s a fact of the business we are in. Not just governments but suppliers look for a share of higher revenues,” Henry said.

He added that big Shell interests in the North Sea, such as the Clair and Schiehallion fields to the west of Shetland that are operated by BP, were unlikely to be affected by the tax raid. read more

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Shell chief condemns tax hike as profits surge 30%

mark williamson

29 Apr 2011

THE chief financial officer of Royal Dutch Shell has warned , the surprise hike in tax on North Sea profits will hit investment in the area, after the company unveiled a 30% leap in profits on the back of surging oil prices.

Simon Henry said the hike, announced by George Osborne’s had already impacted on planning. and it may result in the company investing much less in future than it would have done.

His criticism comes in the wake of similar warnings from other big firms. read more

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A near miss for Shell in the North Sea

By John Donovan

Remember the current Shell CEO Fat Cat super critical of BP, claiming the Gulf of Mexico disaster couldn’t happen to Shell with their Utopian well and Utopian standards? It seems it almost did, with an uncanny similarity between events in the North Sea and in the Gulf, the difference being the former ended quietly.

The incident occurred on 23rd December 2009.

A near miss for the North Sea oil industry

Tom Feilden | 09:21 UK time, Tuesday, 7 December 2010

An internal safety review passed to the Today programme shows that Transocean – the company operating BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico – narrowly avoided a similar accident in the North Sea, four months earlier. read more

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Shell: Brent Platforms Shut For Undisclosed Period

JANUARY 18, 2011

By Sarah Kent Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LONDON (Dow Jones)– Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) Tuesday said its four platforms in the North Sea’s Brent field will be shut for an undisclosed period while it investigates the causes and impact of an accident Saturday.

The four platforms were shut after a fender fell off the Brent Bravo platform, the company told Dow Jones Newswires.

No people were hurt in the incident, but Brent Bravo and three other platforms, Brent Alpha, Brent Charlie and Brent Delta were shut as a precautionary measure, the company said. read more

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North Sea Protection: U.K. Oil Industry Seeks Aid

New discoveries are miniscule compared to the big finds of its heyday and are harder to develop. Some of the world's biggest oil companies, such as BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell, have reduced their exposure to the North Sea and have shifted their focus to places like Canada and offshore Angola.

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More North Sea Crude Oil Heading To US, Asia – Trade

This month, the VLCC Front Shanghai, booked by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA), left the North Sea for Galveston.

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Oil and gas sector welcomes North Sea relief

A tax break from next year for North Sea oil and gas companies was welcomed by the industry on Monday as a chance to stimulate investment, hit by falling oil prices, high costs and a shortage of finance.

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On its last legs: North Sea Oil in Terminal Decline

A report last November from the Health and Safety Executive, which has responsibility for safety in Britain's sector of the North Sea, was scathing about the state of some platforms.

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Forties Oil Falls Near 8-Year Low as Shell, Total Trade Cargo

Forties North Sea oil fell to the lowest in almost eight years relative to Dated Brent after Royal Dutch Shell Plc sold a cargo to Total SA and Vitol Group offered a shipment without attracting a buyer.

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Challenge to unlock North Sea oil reserves

A high oil price can make exploration more economical but some major players in the industry, including Royal Dutch Shell, are withdrawing from the North Sea because all the easy-to-find crude has been extracted.

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Taqa to buy Shell and Exxon oilfields

The company this week announced that it was buying six North Sea oil fields from Shell and Exxon, giving it 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production, and an estimated 160m boe of reserves.

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UK oil assets sold to Arab Emirate company

UK oil companies Shell and Esso have agreed to sell assets in the North Sea to the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, Taqa.

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Abu Dhabi’s Taqa buys Shell, Exxon North Sea interests

The sale includes all equity, infrastructure and production licences for the Tern, Eider, Cormorant North, South Cormorant, Kestrel and Pelican fields and related sub-sea satellite fields, Taqa's wholly owned subsidiary Taqa Bratani said in a statement.

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Offshore safety review announced

The Gordon MP said: "I am concerned over reported delays in the maintenance of oil platforms. "It would be dangerous if delays were occurring because producers were seeking to maximise production at current high oil prices, as has been suggested."

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North Sea could see second oil boom due to huge unexplored reserves

The amount of fuel still left in the oilfields could be the equivalent of all that has been extracted since they were first exploited in the 1970s; enough to last another 44 years. Experts explained that the high price of oil meant that it was now financially viable for firms to invest the vast sums required to remove it from depths and pressures that were previously too expensive.

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North Sea may be set for second oil boom

There are many reasons why companies like to be conservative in reporting oil reserves, not least because it helps to maintain a high oil price. When Shell had to cut estimates by one fifth in 2004, it had a devastating impact on the company's share price and cost the members of the senior management team their jobs.

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Separating the myths from the facts about North Sea oil

To manage costs, Shell has been selling off some of its core assets in the North Sea to newer and more aggressive companies such as Fairfield Energy.

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Licensing round is North Sea’s ‘most successful’

Lloyds List: Licensing round is North Sea’s ‘most successful’

“ExxonMobil and Shell gained the largest ever licence awarded in the UK North Sea, gaining 20 blocks in a 1.2m acre area of the Mid-North Sea High area 90 miles east of Newcastle.”

Friday Sept 09, 2005

Martyn Wingrove

OIL and gas exploration markets in the North Sea received a further boost when the British government awarded a record 152 licences in the 23rd offshore round.

Up to 99 oil and gas companies were awarded a total of 264 exploration blocks, with 24 new entrants gaining opportunities to invest in the sector.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks described the round as the most successful since 1964 and is impressed how companies are driving to explore for more oil and gas resources. read more

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Lloyds List: Shell in North Sea response deal

Lloyds List: Shell in North Sea response deal

“SHELL Exploration & Production has negotiated an umbrella contract to cover its entire North Sea stand-by and emergency response service needs, writes Hugh O’Mahony.”

Wednesday Aug 10, 2005

SHELL Exploration & Production has negotiated an umbrella contract to cover its entire North Sea stand-by and emergency response service needs, writes Hugh O’Mahony.

The simplified arrangement, worth GBP180m ($321m) over five years to the newly formed European Rescue Alliance, covers support for all North Sea offshore installations, including those of North Sea partners, where Shell operates on behalf of Esso Exploration and Production UK, Norske Shell and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij. read more

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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Kerr-McGee

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Kerr-McGee

“The world’s oil companies are having a hard time finding oil. So how come Kerr-McGee of the U.S. is getting rid of its North Sea oil fields? And why were none of the oil majors queuing up to buy them?”: “Some, like Shell, have tied their hands with lofty production promises to shareholders.

Posted Tuesday 9 August 2005

The world’s oil companies are having a hard time finding oil. So how come Kerr-McGee of the U.S. is getting rid of its North Sea oil fields? And why were none of the oil majors queuing up to buy them? Most of the fields have been snapped up by a Danish shipping company. And it was a similar story when Exxon Mobil sold its Texas fields earlier this summer to another minnow, Occidental Petroleum.

Kerr-McGee’s auction attracted only minor players partly because the fields in question were relatively small and mature. So a large oil company wouldn’t be able to get much more out of them than a small one. This also helps explain why Kerr-McGee is selling in the first place. Furthermore, the $3.5 billion (€2.83 billion) proceeds will reduce its debt, giving it greater flexibility to invest in higher-growth opportunities, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, Exxon says it plans to recycle the proceeds from the Texan sale into higher-return projects. read more

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Rising level of drilling in UK North Sea leads to new oil finds

Lloyds List: Rising level of drilling in UK North Sea leads to new oil finds

“Drilling this year has led to new oil discoveries, including Amerada Hess’ Melville in the northern sector and Shell finding oil at Phoenix near the Nelson platform.”:

Tuesday 19 July 2005

UKOOA says 37 wells started in first half of this year represents a 9% interim increase and follows 40% E’A surge in previous year, writes Martyn Wingrove

EXPLORATION activity in the UK sector of the North Sea is up again this year, leading to new discoveries and more sanctioned offshore projects. read more

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Violence in Nigeria forces Shell to cut output

Financial Times: Violence in Nigeria forces Shell to cut output

By Michael Peel in Lagos and James Boxell in London

Published: September 29 2004

Royal Dutch/Shell said yesterday it had suffered its first production loss as the result of violence in Nigeria’s oil-rich and troubled Niger Delta, where a militia leader has condemned oil multinationals and warned foreigners to leave the area.

The military taskforce set up in response to growing violence in the region called for calm but warned militia leaders to “stop stirring internal insurrection” and said “crack teams” of troops were ready to respond to trouble. read more

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