Monday 23 April 2007

New Representative Body Creates Stronger Voice for UK Offshore Oil and Gas

The launch of Oil & Gas UK,  the new representative body with membership open to all companies active in the UK offshore oil and gas industry, was officially announced in Aberdeen today (Monday, April 23). 

The new association will for the first time unite in one forum all companies with a stake in the future of the UK offshore oil and gas industry, from super majors to large contractor businesses and from small independent oil companies to SMEs working in the supply chain (see below for a list of the Associations initial members).  

The first joint chairmen of Oil & Gas UK will be Dave Blackwood, head of BP's North Sea Business, and Tom Smith, managing director of Nessco Ltd, and the chief executive will be Malcolm Webb, who formerly held that role at the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA).

The first Board of the new organisation comprises 16 leaders drawn from across the industry (see below for a list of the Board of Directors).

Dave Blackwood said: "The role of Oil & Gas UK is to develop and further the case for a safe, sustainable and successful future for the UK offshore oil and gas industry.  It will do that by promoting an active and informed dialogue within and across all sectors of the industry on the issues affecting it, whether of a technical, financial, economic, safety, environmental, social or any other nature, and developing co-operative solutions to those issues.   The combined perspective of operators, non-operators and contractors will give our activities greater depth and a more coherent voice for the industry, particularly in its conversations with the government."

Tom Smith said: "The UK's oil and gas supply chain has emerged as a significant economic sector in its own right.  Its future is very much linked to the future of North Sea oil and gas production.  The time is therefore right for the creation of a new industry body which represents the whole of the oil and gas sector, simplifying the industry's overall engagement with government, regulators and other organisations as well as managing that representation more efficiently by replacing the Industry Leadership Team (ILT)."

Malcolm Webb said: "Oil & Gas UK continues a process started several years ago to give the UK oil and gas industry a forward looking and dynamic representative body with the skills and resources required to address the full range of issues before it.   The Association will operate from premises in Aberdeen, London and Brussels to develop and deliver pan-industry policies to secure the long-term health of the sector."

Oil & Gas UK's first formal engagement takes place tomorrow (April 24, 2007) at one of the regular PILOT meetings where its Board of Directors, representing the industry, will meet with the Secretary of State of Trade & Industry, Alistair Darling, other government representatives from the UK and Scotland and the trade unions to discuss issues of current concern.

Notes to Editors

1.       Structure of Oil & Gas UK

The Board of Directors is the executive body of Oil & Gas UK.  It comprises representatives of Operators; Contractors; Non Operators / Small Independent Oil Companies; and the Chief Executive.  The representative members of the Board will be appointed for a renewable term of two years from the date of their appointment.

Operators' Council will be formed of the representatives of the operators and non operators.  This is an advisory body which will review and advise on any matters relating to the business of the organisation referred to it by the Board or any operator or non operator member of Oil & Gas UK.

Contractors' Council will be formed of the representatives of the contractors.  This is an advisory body which will review and advise on any matters relating to the business of the organisation referred to it by the Board or any contractor member of Oil & Gas UK.

Issues Forums will be created to address more specialised areas and these will initially be: Production; Exploration; Health and Safety; Employment Practices; Policy Advisory, Skills and Training; Environment; Economic and Fiscal; Gas; and Supply Chain Management. 

2.       Board Members

Dave Blackwood (BP); Alan Booth (Encore Oil); Mike Bowyer (Halliburton);  Denis Clark (SLP Engineering); Chris Cox (BG Group); Roland Festor (Total E&P UK); Mel Fitzgerald (Subsea 7); John Gallagher (Shell UK Exploration and Production); Mark Hughes (Gaz de France Britain); Robert Keiller (PSN); Archie Kennedy (ConocoPhillips UK); Jon Murphy (Venture Production); Tom Smith (Nessco); Brian Taylor (KCA Deutag); Malcolm Webb (Oil & Gas UK); Nick Walker (Talisman Energy UK).

3.       Membership

Oil & Gas UK will have the following classes of membership: Production Operators; Contractor members; Non operator or small independent oil company members; Exploration Operators.

4.       Members of Oil & Gas UK

The following companies have expressed their intent to become members of Oil & Gas UK:

Aker Kvaerner Operations Amec Apache North Sea Limited Aramark ASCO UK BEL Valves BG Group BHP Billiton Petroleum Limited Bluewater BP plc Challenger Minerals (North Sea) Limited Centrica plc Chevron Upstream Europe CNR International (UK) Limited ConocoPhillips (UK) Limited Dana Petroleum plc Dong E& P (UK) Limited EOG Resources United Kingdom Limited E.ON Ruhrgas UK North Sea Limited Encore Oil plc ENI (UK) Limited ExxonMobil International Limited Gaz de France Britain Halliburton Hess Limited Hydratight Imes Group KCA Deutag Lundin Britain Limited Maersk Contractors Limited Maersk Oil North Sea Limited Marathon Oil UK Limited Nessco Limited Newfield Petroleum UK Limited Nexen Petroleum (UK) Limited Noble Energy (Europe) Limited North Sea Production Company OILEXCO North Sea Limited OMV (UK) Limited Perenco (UK) Limited Petrofac Facilities Management Petro-Canada Premier Oil plc PSL Energy Services PSN QServ RBG RWE Dea UK Limited Schlumberger Shell UK Exploration and Production SLP Engineering Statoil (UK) Limited Subsea7 Talisman Energy (UK) Limited Technip UK Limited Total E&P UK Limited Tullow Oil UK Limited Venture Production plc Wood Group

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.