Oil and gas industry announcements: 14 January 2015

ABB

ABB UK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) to develop training for oil and gas personnel in Azerbaijan. The MoU sets out the first steps of a long term collaborative partnership that aims to give the university access to technology and engineering expertise. The office in Azerbaijan is supported by ABB’s UK operation. ABB’s involvement in the deal is aimed at raising the awareness among local graduates of the benefits of a career in oil and gas control and instrumentation engineering.

API

The American Petroleum Institute (API) has announced the creation of a midstream department which will focus on issues related to energy infrastructure and the transportation of oil and natural gas. Harry Pefanis, president and COO of Plains All American, will chair the committee made up of API member company representatives that will oversee the work of the department.

The department will encompass API’s policy work on the transportation of oil and natural gas by pipelines, rail, ship and other methods. These areas were previously split between API’s upstream and downstream departments. Robin Rorick, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry, will lead the department as Group Director of Midstream and Industry Operations.

Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, has announced that it has acquired UK based C3global, provider of web based Amulet software for operational analytics. Bentley’s AssetWise platform, which serves configuration management, asset health monitoring, inspection, maintenance and compliance for infrastructure assets, can now deliver additional actionable insights as asset performance management is extended, through AssetWise Amulet, for asset performance modelling. AssetWise Amulet offers unique value in applying predictive and prescriptive analytics that are easily configurable at industrial scale to leverage just in time data for improved operational efficiencies.

Canada

With current oil prices in a slump and LNG prices likely to remain squeezed for the next few months, further pressure has been heaped on Canadian LNG project investors to move decisively towards final investment decisions (FID), or risk losing out completely to their US rivals. British Colombia in particular has driven an ambitious and upbeat message, but before any project reaches FID a formidable array of investors, stakeholders and lenders will need convincing that any such projects are economically robust and rewarding.

Ultimately, delivering competitively priced projects will come down to a collaboration of will between the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms and the operators who commission these teams to deliver. Recent months have witnessed many key Canadian LNG front end engineering and design (FEED) contracts being awarded to the world’s leading EPCs, with a great volume of subsidiary work being awarded on both the west and east coasts of the country, as urgency to move projects forward ramps up.

Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Irvine, California. The opening will enable the company to better meet the needs of an increased client base in the region. Opening an office in Southern California is part of the company’s long range strategy to expand into business centres close to its clients.

Intertek

Interkek has announced the achievement of bizSAFE level 4 under the oil and gas sector in Singapore. Intertek’s safety and quality culture laid a solid foundation for achieving bizSAFE certification. BizSAFE is a five step guided programme conducted by Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC). Intertek Singapore, employs a team of safety experts who act as guardians for the management of potential safety and health risks. These experts are tasked to carry out the Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) management method for workplace safety and health management performance in the organisation.

Warex Terminals

CITGO marketer Warex Terminals Corporation, CITGO Petroleum Corporation and Miss New York 2014 Jillian Tapper recently brought special holiday cheer to the students and staff within the Kingston City School District. On December 17 2014, Warex Terminals presented the 344 students and 58 faculty and staff members of Chambers Elementary School in Kingston, New York, with a US$8000 donation at a special assembly following Warex’s ‘Adopt a School’ promotion.

Edited from press releases by Claira Lloyd

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