Offshore oil and gas installations store and process very large inventories of different hydrocarbon mixtures. The crude oil/natural gas is pumped from the seabed and separated by distillation at different pressures and temperatures. Therefore the installations need to heat and pressurise the crude, which requires further non-process hydrocarbons for fuel and to act as lubrication and heat transfer fluids.
Repsol and Indra have joined forces to create HEADS, a system for the early detection of leaks aimed at enhancing security in energy industry operations at sea (Hydrocarbon Early Automatic Detection System).
Yesterday the European Parliament vote on new environmental impact assessment rules of oil and conventional gas exploration, while at the same time rules for shale gas were excluded.
The oil and gas sector is an important part of the Scottish economy. It is estimated to contribute around £25 billion to Scottish GDP, approximately 17% of the total in 2011. The sector is also a major exporter, with total UK production of oil and gas boosting the UK balance of payments by an estimated £40 billion in 2011. The growth of the oil and gas sector in Scotland has produced a wider supply chain to support the industry. There are estimated to be 2,000 companies in the oil and gas supply chain operating in Scotland, providing services to the offshore industry worldwide. In 2010, the Scottish supply chain generated sales of £16.3 billion, of which over £7.6 billion was accounted for by international sales.
PSA Norway released during last April the fact section of its annual report dealing with important results from the PSA activities and brief information on personal injuries, work-related illness, leaks, fires, damage to structures and pipelines etc. No fatal accidents occurred during 2012 within the PSA area of responsibility offshore and on land. Three people have died in occupational accidents over the past 10 years, most recently in 2009. A brief summary of the most important developments for accidents and injuries in 2012 is provided in this post.
Prevailing trends in the European oil industry, especially in the field of search, detection and extraction of hydrocarbon deposits (Upstream), show an increase of these activities in the coming years. The most – technological, institutional, business – advanced European North, has begun to decline after forty years of production and prepares … not just to pass the “baton” to the south, but to bring it themselves…
NOAA released on early December 2012 an article regarding a collection of scientific papers about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America collection provides the first comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the science used in the unprecedented response effort by the government, academia, and industry.
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Officer of the Watch 