NGA in Rig Settlement Pact with Industri Energi
The Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NGA) reached an agreement with Industri Energi and SAFE in the Mid-Term Settlement for employees on mobile offshore units, drilling and catering on permanently placed facilities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, after mediation at the national Mediator’s Office several hours past deadline.The result involves a general wage growth of 3,6%. A strike among under 1600 rig workers is thus prevented."For the sake of the competitive situation and jobs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, it is essential that we have avoided conflict and feel both parties have had to give and take…
U.S. and Gulf Allies Face Task Protecting Oil Shipping Lanes
The United States and its allies may need to to start escorting commercial vessels to prevent further attacks in Gulf oil shipping lanes, Gulf sources and experts said.Even then, the conventional naval and air capabilities of Western and Gulf powers tasked with policing vital commercial waters may be of limited use against the asymmetric warfare tactics suspected in recent operations, including naval mines.Six tankers have been hit in the past month in two attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost a fifth of the world's oil passes, and Washington and Riyadh have accused Iran of being behind them, which Tehran denies.Two senior U.S.
Norway Oil Workers, Employers Reach Deal to End Strike
Norwegian drilling rigs workers will end their industrial action after the union representing 1,600 striking employees reached a deal with the group acting for their employers, the parties said on Thursday.The strike began on July 10 after the Safe union and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association could not come to an agreement over wages and pension conditions. The industrial action led to the shutdown of one Shell-operated field."The strike is over ... All workers will go back to work today," the lead negotiator for the Safe union told Reuters.The action had limited impact on output from Norway…
No Contact Yet Between Parties in Norway Oil Strike
A Norwegian union representing striking oil workers and employers' representatives were not talking to each other as of Thursday, days before a possible escalation of the industrial action.Hundreds of workers on Norwegian offshore oil and gas rigs went on strike on Tuesday after rejecting a proposed wage deal, leading to the shutdown of one Shell-operated field and helping send Brent crude prices higher."We haven't been contacted by the shipowners yet. They have to make the contact, they know our demands. Could be a strategic move from them to reach out before we shut more rigs on Sunday…
Hundreds of Oil Workers Strike in Norway
Hundreds of workers on Norwegian offshore oil and gas rigs went on strike on Tuesday after rejecting a proposed wage deal, leading to the shutdown of one Shell-operated field and helping send Brent crude prices higher.One union said hundreds more workers would join the strike on Sunday if an agreement over union demands for a wage increase and pension rights was not reached.Royal Dutch Shell said that due to the strike it was temporarily closing production at its Knarr field, which has a daily output of 23,900 barrels of mostly oil, but also natural gas liquids and natural gas.Shutting the field…
Hundreds of Norway Oil Workers Go On Strike
Hundreds of workers on Norwegian offshore oil and gas rigs went on strike on Tuesday after rejecting a proposed wage deal, leading to the shutdown of one Shell-operated field and helping send Brent crude prices higher.One union said hundreds more workers would join the strike on Sunday if an agreement over union demands for a wage increase and pension rights was not reached.Royal Dutch Shell said that due to the strike it was temporarily closing production at its Knarr field, which has a daily output of 23,900 barrels of mostly oil, but also natural gas liquids and natural gas.Shutting the field…
Norway Oil Workers Threaten to Strike
Some 2,250 workers on Norwegian offshore oil drilling rigs and in drilling and catering services on oil producing platforms could go on strike this summer after rejecting a proposed wage deal, the Safe labor union said on Thursday.Industri Energi, the largest labor union representing drilling workers, last month agreed to a deal, while the smaller Safe said it would ask its members to vote on the offer made by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association.A strike could hit oil companies' exploration efforts later this summer, although a mandatory round of mediation must be held before any conflict is allowed under Norwegian law.(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwlady
Norway's DOF: OSV Market Improving
The cost of renting offshore supply vessels (OSVs), servicing oil and gas firms, will continue to rise as many ships that were mothballed up during the downturn will not return to the market, the chief executive of Norway's DOF said on Wednesday. A number of offshore vessel companies went bankrupt after oil prices plunged between 2014 and 2016, or were forced to merge with competitors to survive as oil companies cut spending for exploration and new developments. But the rates for hiring specialized vessels, which include platform supply (PSV), diving support (DSV) and anchor-handling vessels (AHTS), have increased in the last year.
Oil Firms Must Pay More for Service Vessels -Norway Ship Owners
Oil companies should be prepared to pay higher rates for renting offshore service vessels, in order to secure the long-term survival of a key part of the industry's supply chain, the Norwegian Shipowners' Association said on Thursday. Energy firms sharply curtailed investments in the wake of the 2014 oil price crash, idling many service vessels and driving down market rates to unsustainable levels, Chief Executive Harald Solberg of the Norwegian lobby group said. At the peak last year, some 183 offshore vessels and rigs, corresponding to almost one third of the Norwegian fleet, were mothballed, he said, adding that by February the number had dropped to 162 units.
Maersk, Statoil and OECD to Discuss Future Ocean Development
Key figures from Maersk Group, Statoil and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have signed up to discuss future ocean business opportunities, demands and strategies at Opening Oceans Conference 2018 (OOC). The event, Nor-Shipping’s first outside its Norwegian home, will see c-level executives gather in Copenhagen on May 2nd and 3rd to examine how to responsibly realise the huge potential of the ocean, gaining the understanding, partners and tools to equip businesses for the way ahead. High-level speakers and panellists for the new event include OECD’s Claire Jolly…
Norway Unions in Wage Deal with Drillers
Norwegian drilling rig operators have reached a wage deal with all three trade unions representing workers, averting the risk of a strike that could have hit exploration, the companies and the unions said on Friday. One of the three unions announced on Thursday afternoon it reached an agreement, while the two others followed later. A number of drilling firms operate off Norway - including Maersk Drilling, Transocean, Fred. Olsen Energy, Odfjell Drilling, Rowan Companies and Songa Offshore - renting out rigs to oil companies. Oil companies…
Norway Rig Workers Agree to Wage Deal
Workers will get a 0.5 percent pay rise; those being laid off will have the right to be rehired. Workers on Norwegian offshore oil drilling rigs signed a new wage deal on Wednesday, avoiding a strike, labour unions and employers said in separate statements. Some 280 rig workers had threatened to strike if the talks failed, including staff on Rowan Companies' Viking and Gorilla rigs, and on the Statoil-operated Heidrun, Statfjord, Aasgard, Volve and Oseberg fields. Labour disputes on drilling rigs typically halt oil and gas exploration and drilling of new production wells at existing fields, but do not affect current production at wells.
Norway's Offshore Shipping Sector Faces Bleak Year
Norwegian companies that provide supply ships and drilling rigs to the global oil industry face a bleak year ahead as contracts disappear and financing options dwindle in the face of weak global crude prices. They could increasingly be forced to sell or write down the value of assets, cut jobs and tap shareholders for cash to weather the downturn, according to industry experts. This would herald more pain for Norway, where the overall oil sector accounts for about a fifth of the economy and unemployment is rising, especially in the oil capital Stavanger and its environs on the west coast.
Norway Labor Union Threatens Offshore Strike
Rig workers on two Norwegian oil fields plan to strike from June 25 unless a wage settlement with employers is reached during talks with a state appointed mediator, labor union Safe said on Thursday. 101 workers on the Petrojarl Varg vessel, which produces on behalf of Repsol and 88 people on the Petrojarl Knarr, producing for BG, will go on strike if the talks fail, it added. The negotiations between the unions and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA), representing the employers, are scheduled for June 24. Both vessels are owned by Teekay Corporation's Norwegian unit Teekay Petrojarl.
Talks Fail, Norwegian Drillers Call in Mediator
Wage talks involving thousands of Norwegian offshore oil workers broke down late on Thursday, unions and employers said, raising the risk of a strike that could disrupt oil exploration and efforts to raise output from existing fields. The talks between the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) and three labour unions affecting more than 9,000 workers will now move to arbitration led by a state-appointed mediator. The dispute could end in a strike if those negotiations fail. Industrial action would be unlikely to affect the production of oil and gas in the short term…
Sanctions Bite Russian Arctic Oil Shippers
Shipping services that support Russia's attempts to extract oil from remote parts of the Arctic will run into difficulties as banks scale back energy financing due to Western sanctions, increasing transport costs for the frontier sector. Sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and European Union over Ukraine have targeted the delivery of oil technology, goods and services, aiming to make it impossible for Moscow to access new oil sources. The world's largest energy exporter, Russia relies on oil and gas exports for about half its federal budget.
