Friday 26 March 1999

UKOOA 1998 Annual Report Reflects Association’s New Direction

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) has published its 1998 Annual Report in a new style format reflecting the Industry bodys focus on providing added value for members during a year dominated by low oil prices, corporate restructuring and a slew of Government policy reviews and regulatory initiatives.

Reporting on his year as President of UKOOA, Steve Suellentrop commented on the restructuring of the Secretariat to strengthen UKOOAs ability to work on behalf of the Industry. This is particularly important at a time when individual member companies are increasingly stretched to find resources to carry out many of the tasks, and research many of the issues, that we really do need to do together, he said.

The Report highlights issues where successful collaboration across the Industry yielded positive results. These include:

* Safety: progress under the Step Change in Safety initiative, launched in 1997, included the creation of an Offshore Installation Managers network, the development of an Industry standard for POB (person on board) tracking and an Offshore Passport System, and the introduction of an industry-wide approach to induction training.

* Review of North Sea Fiscal Regime: UKOOA worked with academics, the Offshore Contractors Association (OCA) and other Industry bodies, the Press, Trade Unions and Chambers of Commerce throughout the country to persuade Government that the Industry is not in a position to bear extra taxation.

* Environment: UKOOAs first Industry-wide Environmental Report was published in November 1998, establishing a benchmark against which future progress can be measured.

* Energy Policy: UKOOA has established a new Energy Policy Task Group to provide a focus for the Industrys response to the various Government consultation papers dealing with the plans to meet UK greenhouse gas targets. The costs and impacts of the range of possible instruments, such as regulation, emissions trading, negotiated agreements and taxation, are being analysed. Work is also being carried out to assess the Industrys emissions from 1990 to date and to forecast likely emissions through to 2008.

Other issues highlighted in the Annual Report include decommissioning, the drill cuttings initiative, employment practices, gas issues, operations and technical issues, West of Britain and reputation and communication.

James May, UKOOAs Director-General, sees 1999 as a year of further challenge for the Industry and UKOOA.

For the Industry, the challenge is coming to terms operationally with the world of stagnant demand, global over-production and a floored oil price; for UKOOA, it will be to deliver real added value to its members, in particular by facilitating and developing co-operative approaches to common technical and political problems, he said.

The Industry is facing a raft of social and environmental regulation from both the EU and the UK Government which have the potential for adverse impact on costs. It is critical that the Industry continues to pull together to collect the data and carry out the analysis that demonstrates to the outside world the economic significance of this sector in terms of jobs, investment, products, balance of trade and international competitiveness.

Note to Editors

* The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its 32 member companies are licensed by Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters.

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