Philip Hammond announced in the Autumn Budget Statement that the IR35 reforms introduced into the public sector in 2017, would be extended to some areas of the private sector from 6th April 2020. IR35, also known as the ‘intermediaries legislation’, is a set of rules designed by HMRC to ensure that people who offer their services…
ExxonMobil announced that it has begun operations of a new unit at its Antwerp refinery in Belgium to convert heavy, higher-sulfur residual oils into high-value transportation fuels such as marine gasoil and diesel. The Antwerp refinery is one of the most modern and energy-efficient of its kind. Since being put into operation in 1953, the refinery…
Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) has developed a globally unique, innovative way of lifting that will redefine the boundaries of lifting operations offshore. This ‘QUAD lifting’ was tested successfully on October 22, 2018 in the Gulf of Mexico. The QUAD lifting enables HMC to integrally install and/or remove oversized topsides or jackets. This revolutionary innovation is…
The OGA has issued its first Wells Insight report, following a period of two years collating and verifying well data, which provides a comprehensive insight into UKCS well stock and activity which will provide extremely valuable information for operators, service and technology providers. The report’s key messages emphasise the requirement to substantially increase new well…
Chinese President Xi Jinping has opened a new bridge between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland – the longest sea crossing in the world. The 34-mile (55km) bridge has been under construction for the past nine years, costs about £15bn and includes two artificial islands. Some 6.7km of the crossing runs through a tunnel underneath the…
Energy company Total has announced a major gas discovery off Shetland. Initial tests at a site on the Glendronach prospect indicated there could be about one trillion cubic feet of gas which could be extracted. Total’s Arnaud Breuillac said the discovery could be commercialised by using the current Laggan-Tormore infrastructure. Total has a 60% stake…
Exxon Mobil plans to spend upwards of £500m on UK’s largest oil refinery Fawley Refinery, this is Exxons’ biggest investment in the UK sector for 30 years. The Fawley refinery on the south coast plans to add major new oil processing units, allowing the plant to produce higher volumes of high-quality diesel, in a move…
A new report from industry body Oil & Gas UK, Workforce stabilisation sets platform for Vision 2035, predicts that the overall number of people employed in the North Sea Oil & Gas industry will increase this year with direct, indirect and induced employment set to increase to 282,700, up from 280,000 in 2017. Total employment…
Major player in digital innovation in the energy sector, Total is increasing its investments in research and development by launching a program dedicated to its refining activities. Developed in partnership with Tata Consultancy Sevices (TCS), the digital innovation center located in Pune, in the western part of India, will aim to develop breakthrough solutions and…
Russian energy giant Gazprom has announced that it will begin full-scale development of the giant Kharasaveyskoye gas-and-condensate field on the Yamal Peninsula in arctic Russia from 2019. The Yamal Peninsula is of strategic important to the Russian Oil & Gas industry in securing long-term supplies to their consumer market. The region is already home to…