[en] The North Sea is a success story of a partnership between government and industry in which everyone is winning. This paper considers what it will take to keep the success story going - to keep the North Sea attractive to large investors. First, the most significant of the future challenges facing investors here are outlined -competing investments, declining prospectivity and technical barriers. Some positive recommendations follow that may enable the oil industry to overcome the challenges and keep the North Sea a centre for petroleum investment into the next century. (author)

[en] The current paradox facing the North Sea offshore industry is that while it is experiencing a current market boom, within two years contractors may be scrambling around in a much reduced market. West Europe is running at a massive $15.1 billion. A veritable feast giving contractors, especially in Norway, a full workload and the headache of a severe skilled workforce shortage. Themes discussed cover Norwegian needs, Danish developments, UK utilisation, Dutch demand, and new breed. 4 figs

[en] The abundance of plastics in stomachs of northern fulmars from the North Sea is used in the OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO) for marine litter. The preliminary EcoQO defines acceptable ecological quality as the situation where no more than 10% of fulmars exceed a critical level of 0.1 g of plastic in the stomach. During 2003-2007, 95% of 1295 fulmars sampled in the North Sea had plastic in the stomach (on average 35 pieces weighing 0.31 g) and the critical level of 0.1 g of plastic was exceeded by 58% of birds, with regional variations ranging from 48 to 78%. Long term data for the Netherlands since the 1980s show a decrease of industrial, but an increase of user plastics, with shipping and fisheries as the main sources. The EcoQO is now also used as an indicator for Good Environmental Status in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. - Highlights: → Trends in marine debris can be monitored by plastics in stomachs of seabirds. → In the North Sea 95% of Fulmars has plastic in the stomach (35 particles; 0.31 g). → The policy target is that less than 10% of Fulmars has over 0.1 g of plastic. → Currently 58% of North Sea fulmars exceeds the 0.1 g critical limit. → Over the past 30 years industrial plastics decreased and user plastic increased. - Trends and patterns in the abundance of plastics in northern fulmar stomachs show that seabirds can be a valuable tool for monitoring marine litter.

[en] The North Sea was the launching pad for many independent oil companies, particularly through exploration success in the UK and the Netherlands. Norway has an excellent history of oil exploration but, for the independents, the onerous tax regime, long lead times, and terms of trade are simply not conducive to the higher rate of return demanded by shareholders of independent E and P companies in exchange for shouldering the heavy burden of risk. The UK in particular has pursued imaginative licensing, tax and legislative policies which have allowed the independents an opportunity to participate and grow. The attraction of the UK is clearly reflected by the constant arrival of new entrants, even at this stage of maturity. This was demonstrated in the recent round of license awards. Such has been the success of the independents in the UK that, beginning with virtually nothing, they now hold a net 28% of the UK North Sea acreage, and a net 25% of its oil reserves. Equally, the independents play an important role in ensuring the comprehensive exploration of the offshore areas. Because of size and significance, a prime objective of the independents will remain the early evaluation, through drilling, and development of offshore interests to generate a financial return. This paper addresses the question of how independent companies can expand in the North Sea when the size and quality of new range acreage available through new license awards is reducing. (author)

[en] Europe's offshore industry is standing at a crossroad concerning huge steel and concrete structures installed throughout the North Sea. There are about 600 plus structures in the world that are going to be difficult, and the North Sea has over 100 of them. The article discusses the problems ahead concerning North Sea structures comprising installations like topsides, steel jackets, concrete jackets, pipelines, floating and subsea facilities, including cuttings piles. 3 figs., 1 tab

[en] Statoil's gas plant at Kaarstoe was built to handle gas received through the Statpipe pipeline system, which connects the gas fields in the northern part of the North Sea to the continental gas markets. The terminal will be expanded and gas from the Aasgaard field will be exported to Germany through the new Europipe 2 pipelines. This work will be completed by the end of the year 2000. When fully developed, the terminal will be able to handle 18 billion m3 gas. Statoil is the builder. The main contractor and sub contractors are listed and their tasks briefly described. The emphasis is on ventilation

[en] The following nuclides can be detected in the North Sea: ⁹⁰Sr, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ²⁴¹Am and ²⁴⁴Cm. The water in the channel east of Cherbourg still contains low quantities up to 0.5 pCi/l of the fission product ¹²⁵Sb (t 1/2=2.77 a). The activity of T is not exactly known, for the german Bay it is estimated to 50 pCi/l. In comparison of these artificial radioactivies with the natural radioactivity of the North Sea, which mainly depends on ⁴⁰K, ⁸⁷Rb as well as uranium and decay products, it has to be taken into account that the activity of α- and β-active substances from nuclear weapons tests before 1962 and by controlled discharge from nuclear power plants, amounts to a range of 1%. (HP)

No abstract available

[en] The purpose of this book is to enhance our understanding of the complex working of the world petroleum market and of the formation of oil prices in international trade. It devotes particular attention to the Brent market which involves spot, physical forward and futures trading of a blend of North Sea crudes known as Brent which has become one of the most important markers for world oil prices. Because the Brent market is central the research presented here examines its relationship to the constellation of other oil markets: those which deal on a spot basis with the main export crude of Africa, the Gulf, the Far East and the North Sea, the market for Dubai, another marker crude, and that for West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Finally an analysis of pricing mechanisms used by OPEC and many non-OPEC exporting countries for their oil sales under term contracts and which use Brent prices as one of their references complete this study on oil markets and prices. (author)

[en] The North Sea is a significant hydrocarbon province and any large multinational will need to maintain North Sea assets within their portfolio - as indeed they do. The general feeling that pervades the oil industry that the North Sea is ''mature'' can be demonstrated by reference to the facts. The result is a potential fall-off in activity and a serious threat to the future levels of profitability in the region. Notwithstanding the continuing development of large fields, such as Troll, of or multi-field developments, for example BP's recent announcement on ETAPs, activity is beginning to fall, most noticeably at the front end of the development cycle, in exploration. (author)