In this edition of DNV Forum you can read about Norway's Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Ola Borten Moe, looking to a bright future. Also inside: Fosnavåg - small community, big impact; KONGSBERG - corporate responsibility; Yara - feeding the world
Date: 2012-02-21
The recovery from the financial crises that started in 2008 is slow. Some parts of the world have come out of the crisis already, but Europe and the US remains hard hit. We know that the crises will be over one day, and we look for positive signals that we are on the way to recovery.
The South African president, Jacob Zuma, Norway´s King Harald V, the Norwegian Minister of Oil and Gas, Ola Borten Moe, and number of industry players met at DNV recently to discuss cooperation and the future for carbon capture and storage (CCS). DNV encourages a close cooperation between stakeholders in order to realise CCS as an industrial opportunity.
Major oil and gas accidents in the past few decades have forced significant improvements in technology, procedures and regulations. “Now, when seeking opportunities in the Arctic areas we must ensure the same level of risk as in the North Sea,” emphasises Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV COO Division Norway, Russia and Finland.
2011 was a golden year for Norway’s oil and gas industry. In addition to the historic agreement with Russia on the maritime delimitation in the Barents Sea, three new gigantic oil discoveries support the Minister of Petroleum and Energy’s statement that “this is an industry for the future”.
DNV has been involved in the LNG industry since the 1960s, and the company is working on projects right across the spectrum of LNG activities. Today, LNG is one of the fastest growing energy markets around the world.
The groundbreaking Technical Integrity Management Program (TIMP) is in use on all Statoil installations, both onshore and offshore, in Norway and Denmark. Ingbjørn Refsdal, VP Modifications was leader of the timp team. the whole team, supervised by mr refsdal, worked dedicated throughout the project always on the lookout for fresh ideas, different approaches and ways to improve operations.
A municipality with 8,500 inhabitants on the very edge of the Norwegian coastline has made a solid impression on the entire global maritime community – as a hub for maritime offshore entrepreneurship, And as a centre for value creation and technological excellence.
For close to eight years, Arnulf Goksøyr has been the mayor of the municipality of Herøy – a community that never ceases to impress well beyond regional and national borders. This makes him proud – and humble. Proud of the drive and achievements of the people of Herøy. And humble in the face of the forces of nature that have brought not only challenges to Herøy, but also opportunities – opportunities to reap the rewards offered by the sea.
Stig Remøy is the co-founder and CEO of Olympic Shipping AS, a shipping company that sprang up on the Fosnavåg scene some 15 years ago. Today, he is one of four shipowners with origins in Remøy – a small island with just 200 inhabitants located close to the centre of Fosnavåg.
“When oil was discovered in the North Sea, it was clear to us that running a large supply vessel and a large fishing vessel were two very similar operations. So we took a chance. And we succeeded,” says Per Sævik, founder of Havila Shipping ASA.
The ownership of the gas infrastructure on the Norwegian continental shelf is changing hands. With energy companies selling shares in the 8,000 km long pipeline infrastructure that ensures energy for a major portion of Europe, new types of owners are moving in – investment funds and conglomerates with strong infrastructure experience but limited natural gas knowledge.
CEO Steinar Riise at Norwegian start-up company Ocean Installer has his long-term sights on a big shareof the international offshore SURF market, eyeing a turnover of USD 500 million within five years.
Technology know-how, strong culture and international focus are major factors propelling the expansion of KONGSBERG, though according to President and CEO Walter Qvam, innovative thinking and market credibility are also important factors.
With less arable land and more people to feed in the world, the solution lies in new technological solutions and improved agricultural productivity.
Since it was founded just four years ago, Australian company Cool nrg has delivered the world’s first energy efficiency ‘CDM Programme of Activities’ – not only reducing CO2 emissions and improving energy security in a developing country, but also reducing energy poverty on an unprecedented scale.
“A minor failure can have a huge impact. In this industry, you need to search for the ideal process and ensure that you care for each individual involved. That’s the only way to achieve a safe and sustainable business,” says Fouad Qabazard of Kuwait Petroleum International.
DNV has launched a Deepwater Technology Centre in Singapore. The aim is to serve the oil and gas industry in the whole Asia Pacific region and to become a sizeable and complete competence centre for deepwater oil and gas developments.
Norwegian Sea Rescue is known to be the organisation that goes into bad weather when others leave it. ”Coast guarding in the Northern waters is not a job for everyone,” says Captain Fred-Tonny Hansen on the rescue vessel Det Norske Veritas.
In the green sphere, the Carbon Trust is at the forefront of stimulating the development of innovative solutions which aim to contribute to the development of a low-carbon economy – and cut costs.
Asset managers want to reduce corrosion risks. To enable them to make their decisions in a familiar context, corrosion professionals have started applying risk principles. Optimised corrosion management is the goal.
It could have sounded like one of those old jokes: “An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman met up together and…”. But in this case, it was a President of NACE International, a President of PRCI, a co-chairman of EPRG, and a number of high-level subsea pipeline industry representatives, and it wasn’t a joke.
