Offshore Europe 2013 Looks to Next 50 Years

Abstract

Conference review SPE Offshore Europe (OE) hailed the first 5 decades of the North Sea oil and gas industry by looking forward to the next 50 years. It was a fitting theme for the biennial conference and exhibition held 3–6 September in Aberdeen as OE marked its 40th anniversary, a reminder of how the event has helped to shape the industry’s perspective almost from the first days of North Sea oil. Sessions and speakers looked critically and hopefully at the North Sea industry, closely examining its many current and future challenges and presenting numerous scenarios and strategies for how it would survive and prosper. Some observers envisioned the North Sea sector strengthening the global oil and gas industry in the next half-century through continued production, the expanding resources of its supply chain, and the spread of its world-class expertise. A plenary and 11 keynote sessions and the presentation of more than 100 technical papers and ePosters highlighted the conference, which also featured daily breakfast briefings and topical luncheons. However, the event had a somber note. On 23 August, four offshore oil workers lost their lives when a helicopter flying them from their rig crashed off the Shetland Islands. Many of the presenters and speakers, including the Princess Royal, paid tribute to the four people and acknowledged the risks inherent in working offshore and the industry’s strong continuing commitment to safety. Conference Chairman Malcolm Webb, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK, said that the United Kingdom oil and gas industry is the country’s greatest industrial success story in more than a hundred years and this year’s event served to underline that fact. “At the biggest Offshore Europe ever, we’ve addressed the key themes that will require industry focus to sustain activity in the UK Continental Shelf,” he said. “None of these is more important than safety.” The Next Half-Century Addressing the opening plenary session, the Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, stressed the continuing importance of the industry to the country. “First, I recognize the vital role that oil and gas play in the UK economy and will continue to play for many, many years to come,” Osborne said. “Second, I also recognize that the oil and gas remaining in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) will be increasingly difficult and more expensive to extract, that this government commits to play our part in delivering the investment that’s needed. And third, I believe that the best way to support this industry and maximize the returns from this great national asset is by working together across the United Kingdom through mobilizing all of the UK’s resources and by pooling our risk to provide stability across the whole of the UK.”