All at sea

Offshore business is booming worldwide.

The sustained high price environment over the last 18 months has driven the exploration and production industry back to offshore frontiers after a sustained investment lull.

Harder to extract oil from the continental shelves and deepwater is being ruthlessly pursued to meet a global demand which is greater than ever.

In the upcoming issue of Oil & Gas Middle East a special Offshore Report will focus on the challenges and risks of working from rigs, platforms and FPSO vessels.

A recently released analysis from Douglas-Westwood reveals a booming floating production sector, and the region's yards are churning out newbuild rigs and FPSO conversions at an unprecedented rate.

In the same issue comes a timely reminder that there are costs beyond the dollar, dirham or riyal outlay that come with frontier exploration and production. July will herald the 20^th anniversary of the night the Piper Alpha gas production platform in the North Sea succumbed to a raging inferno that took the lives of 167 men.

The disaster caused a paradigm shift in attitudes and safety practices, the legacy of which lives with us today through much tighter standards and regulations that govern offshore production.

A unique three-part feature examines the events of that fateful night, received wisdom, and an insight into the far-reaching effects it had from Stephen McGinty, author of Fire In The Night, and Lloyds Register offshore classification experts.

Working in hazardous environments, especially in the presence of hydrocarbons will always carry some risk. An exclusive interview with DNV in the Special Report looks at how innovative solutions are always being sought to prevent such occurrences, and mitigating the scale of damage or loss of life is right at the forefront of industry thinking.

RELATED LINKS: Piper Alpha, Mysteries & puzzles, Facing the threat, First defence

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