Offshore Europe 2013: Planning for the next 50 years of North Sea activity

Taking on the theme of “The Next 50 Years,” presentations and panel discussions at the upcoming SPE Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition aim to inform attendees about the state of affairs in the historically productive North Sea, and what the future could look like for the area. To be held Sept. 3-6, 2013, at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in Aberdeen, Scotland, the event will celebrate its 40th anniversary in the city this year.

MELANIE CRUTHIRDS, News Editor

Since the mid-1960s, oil and gas operators have seen varying degrees of success and decline with projects offshore Europe. The region is now poised to take on a new life, with new technologies and best practices being used to extract additional resources from existing, aging fields. At Offshore Europe 2013, at least four of the conference’s 11 keynote sessions will be devoted to discussing the specific needs and potential found in North Sea plays, as the region experiences its own shift-change, following decades of E&P activity.

Fig. 1. The last Offshore Europe show, held in 2011, set an all-time conference attendance record of more than 31,000 attendees, and featured OE’s largest-ever exhibition area, at more than 25,000 sq m.

In addition to the keynote sessions, the conference program will feature technical sessions, poster presentations, breakfast briefings, topical lunches, SPE training courses, a full-week educational program, and various UK Trade and Investment Opportunities seminars. Attendees will also have access to the show’s exhibition hall (Fig. 1) and “Deep Water Zone,” where companies from this growing industry sector will present their latest technologies and experiences. Items new to the conference this year include the OE Energy Festival and the MyOE web portal

KEYNOTE SESSIONS

The first keynote session of the week will be chaired by Oil & Gas UK CEO and SPE Offshore Europe 2013 Executive Chairman Malcolm Webb, with input from:

Andrew Gould, chairman, BG Group
Bob Keiller, CEO, Wood Group
Sam Laidlaw, CEO, Centrica
A senior UK government minister

This year’s keynote sessions, including Webb’s opening address, will cover “current issues and critical future trends in the upstream E&P industry.”

On Sept. 3, two keynote sessions will cover “Oil and gas in the future energy mix” and “The global opportunity: Exporting oil and gas services, goods and expertise.” The first session, with speakers from Shell, the International Energy Agency, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, IHS Energy and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, will explore the global energy outlook, the future of transport fuels; and unconventional resources in both the U.S. and UK. The second session will discuss the UK and Europe in the global oil and gas export market, and will include presentations from a former Shell executive, a UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Petrofac, Van Oord Offshore Contracting and Dredging Group, Kongsberg and Xodus Group.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about “Planning for long-term North Sea drilling,” “The independent oil company,” “Industry progress since Macondo,” and “Taking operations to frontier areas” on Sept. 4. Through these four presentations, speakers will explore surging drilling activity in the North Sea, the role of independent oil companies in today’s regional E&P landscape, regulatory and other initiatives seen in the industry since Macondo, and the challenges and opportunities found in emerging frontier regions. Professionals scheduled to speak on these topics come from organizations like Oil & Gas UK, IHS Petrodata, Rig Management Norway, Awilco Drilling, Transocean, Ensco, KCA Deutag Drilling, Energy Ventures, EnQuest, TAQA Bratani, AT Kearney, GDF Suez E&P, ADIL, Genel Energy, Wood Mackenzie, Bridge Energy, DECC, Faroe Petroleum, Dana Petroleum, Schlumberger UK, Oil Spill Response Limited, Helix Energy, The Bromwich Group, the European Commission, Tullow Oil, Iraq British Business Council, Marathon Oil and Arctic Base Supply.

Nearing the end of the conference, attendees can catch presentations covering “Decommissioning and value extraction for end of life,” “Journey from procedure to practice,” “Financing investment in the oil and gas industry: Challenges and opportunities,” and “The technology imperative: Collaborating today to realize the next 50 years of North Sea potential.” These Sept. 5 sessions will provide more information on maximizing asset value, putting valuable procedures into practice, creative financing techniques for risky projects and leveraging technology to access and recover remaining North Sea resources. Speakers will come from organizations including: ExxonMobil, CNR International, Allseas Group, Brent Decommissioning Project, Statoil, Nexen, Australian National University, the Royal Air Force, Bibby Offshore, Standard Chartered Bank, Cairn Energy, Tullow Oil, Petrofac, Morgan Stanley, BP, Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, and AMEC.

On the conference’s final day, Sept. 6, a keynote presentation will delve into the career outlook for today’s oil and gas professionals under the topic of “Oil and gas: Your future, today.” As the first generation of North Sea innovators retires, a skills gap has resulted. Presenters for this session represent Apache North Sea, the Scottish government, OPITO and Maersk Oil North Sea UK.

TECHNICAL SESSIONS

In addition to a full week of keynote sessions, Offshore Europe 2013 will feature a variety of technical sessions, designed to “address key elements in exploration technology and geophysics, well engineering, HSE, reservoir management and facilities.” Presenters will bring their insight into, and experience with, topics including:

Developments in pipeline analysis
Exploration case studies
Health & safety
Enabling field life extension
Reservoir depletion and production enhancement
Advances in subsea construction and technology
Drilling technologies
Reservoir development planning and techniques
Managing oil spills
Ensuring the structural and marine integrity of floating production installations over their lifetime
Reservoir evaluation
Cementing and completions
Environment: Tools and management

Additionally, several e-poster sessions will cover topics such as “Exploration case studies,” “New solutions (old problems),” “New solutions (planning & development),” and “Inspection & maintenance (An inspector calls).”

WHAT’S ON IN 2013

The organizers of Offshore Europe 2013 have introduced two new, interactive ways for attendees to learn more about the latest advancements from the region. For pre-show preparations, the MyOE web portal allows users to create an account, from which they can access a calendar to schedule and track meetings, and search exhibitors by name or specialty.

Also new this year is an event that will bring attendees out of cyberspace, and into the heart of Aberdeen. The Offshore Europe 2013 Energy Festival puts the host city, one of Europe’s energy hubs, on display with outdoor music in the city center, a country fair and a special industry-related photography exhibit.

Fig. 2. Attendees at Offshore Europe 2011 listen to a presentation at the biennial conference’s Deep Water Zone, which will be featured for the second time in 2013.

Although not new to the 2013 event, the conference’s “Deep Water Zone” will give attendees a chance to further explore the latest technologies from this growing industry sector, especially in areas such as Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, and West and East Africa. The Deep Water Zone, in its own hall adjacent to the main exhibition floor, will also feature daily technical presentations, Fig. 2.

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