FAO Bluetoon

[jetsam1]

How is the offshore industry in the North Sea holding up at the moment? Just wondering as I may have to go back to Planet Mudlog for a bit of time.........Is it picking up in busyness?

I don't really want to but a job is a job, and I'll get to see more rocks which would be useful I suppose.....

Go for the oil companies in the next round after New Year.

 

[blue toon hibby]

How is the offshore industry in the North Sea holding up at the moment? Just wondering as I may have to go back to Planet Mudlog for a bit of time.........Is it picking up in busyness?

I don't really want to but a job is a job, and I'll get to see more rocks which would be useful I suppose.....

Go for the oil companies in the next round after New Year.

Things are slow for us just now - about a dozen of us sitting around at home (my rig's in the shipyard for some repairs prior to starting a 2 yr contract with (S)hell. Still have loads of work on paper but a few clients not doing very much at the moment. Been told it will get very busy at the turn of the year though. I'd imagine an experienced mudlogger would be able to find some work in the North Sea though. Have you tried Wellsite Geologist yet?

 

[jetsam1]

Things are slow for us just now - about a dozen of us sitting around at home (my rig's in the shipyard for some repairs prior to starting a 2 yr contract with (S)hell. Still have loads of work on paper but a few clients not doing very much at the moment. Been told it will get very busy at the turn of the year though. I'd imagine an experienced mudlogger would be able to find some work in the North Sea though. Have you tried Wellsite Geologist yet?

INteresting. I don't think I have enough experience for wellsite yet, even with the Msc, I don't think I'd want to take that job on without at least another couple of years experience. Need more exp in the microscope! It would be a stopgap measure, not the best attitude I suppose but I have big decisions to make over the next 6 months.

 

[Mrs Tatie]

I've heard that Acergy are paying off a substantial number of personnel so maybe some companies are sufferin more than others

 

[Tatie]

I work for aberdeen based graphics company and our biggest clients are major oil companies . After the biggest and busiest offshore europe exhibition ever , things are very much slowin up !
(Posted fae ma mobile fone)

 

[blue toon hibby]

There was a big "sign of the times" earlier this year when an oil company went bust (Oilexco UK) and their Canadian parent company wouldn't/couldn't bale them out. Lots of folk then realised the oilfield is not the endless gravy train they thought it was. Fortunately, Oilexco were not one of our clients.

 

[jetsam1]

Oilexco. I was on a couple of their jobs last year when I was MWD. Not the best set of drillers ever. A lot of these smaller companies are taking quite big risks on old field workovers or small borderline fields that really wouldn't have been considered even 4 or 5 years ago. Just shows one bad drilling campaign with a few dry wells and that can really get you. Any of the majors or medium size companies I doubt will be going bust anytime soon.

There's lots of potential in the North Sea still, but you have to be concerned for the medium term viability of the West of Shetland discoveries. Ultra deep water isn't a problem per se, (look at Petrobras in Brazil! Bonkers water depths!) but it really does require quite a high oil price to make it worth while. I suppose that'll happen eventually as the peak oil is reached....

I'm not totally convinced the Middle East (read Saudis) have quite as much left as they are making out.

 

[blue toon hibby]

Oilexco. I was on a couple of their jobs last year when I was MWD. Not the best set of drillers ever. A lot of these smaller companies are taking quite big risks on old field workovers or small borderline fields that really wouldn't have been considered even 4 or 5 years ago. Just shows one bad drilling campaign with a few dry wells and that can really get you. Any of the majors or medium size companies I doubt will be going bust anytime soon.

There's lots of potential in the North Sea still, but you have to be concerned for the medium term viability of the West of Shetland discoveries. Ultra deep water isn't a problem per se, (look at Petrobras in Brazil! Bonkers water depths!) but it really does require quite a high oil price to make it worth while. I suppose that'll happen eventually as the peak oil is reached....

I'm not totally convinced the Middle East (read Saudis) have quite as much left as they are making out.

I don't know who has what to be honest but my company has kept me in work for 30 years and I just hope they continue to do so until my six numbers come up - then they'll get the big finger from me!

 

[wee 162]

Oilexco. I was on a couple of their jobs last year when I was MWD. Not the best set of drillers ever. A lot of these smaller companies are taking quite big risks on old field workovers or small borderline fields that really wouldn't have been considered even 4 or 5 years ago. Just shows one bad drilling campaign with a few dry wells and that can really get you. Any of the majors or medium size companies I doubt will be going bust anytime soon.

There's lots of potential in the North Sea still, but you have to be concerned for the medium term viability of the West of Shetland discoveries. Ultra deep water isn't a problem per se, (look at Petrobras in Brazil! Bonkers water depths!) but it really does require quite a high oil price to make it worth while. I suppose that'll happen eventually as the peak oil is reached....

I'm not totally convinced the Middle East (read Saudis) have quite as much left as they are making out.

Is it no the case that the oil that is left is becoming more and more heavily concentrated in the exact areas you mention (difficult/ expensive to extract)? So there is still quite a decent amount of oil left, but it's going to be very expensive to get a lot of what's left out (comparitively).

Bad economy at the moment, so demand is down, but the chances are that high oil prices (ie $100+ per barrel) are going to be the norm rather than the exception for the future. Even at it's lowest point earlier this year of around $40 per barrel that is still as high as it's ever been before this decade.