Mega gets a nice warm feeling...........

[Mega]

............but not from the GAS!

UK gas imports hit record high of 1 trillion cubic feet in first six months of 2013

Britain's gas imports hit 1 trillion cubic feet in the first half of this year - the highest level on record - as North Sea production dwindled and cold weather boosted demand.

Demand for gas rose as households turned up their heating in the colder weather. Photo: REX






By Emily Gosden, Energy Correspondent

4:43PM BST 29 Aug 2013

Government provisional figures released on Thursday showed a 9.3pc jump in gas imports in the first six months of 2013 against the same period of 2012.


The period saw renewed attention on the security of Britain's gas supply, with the gas price spiking in late March when a key import pipeline was temporarily closed and gas storage facilities were almost depleted from the winter.


The new figures show that Britain relied on pipelines, primarily from Norway and the Netherlands, for 81pc of its imports, with the remainder shipped to the UK as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The LNG cargoes were overwhelmingly from Qatar, with a handful from Algeria.

The growing reliance on imports stems from a drop in domestic gas production from the North Sea as reserves at older fields are used up.

Production has fallen every year for a decade and Oil & Gas UK, the industry body, last week warned 2013 could see a new record slump of 22pc.
Government figures show Britain's gross gas production fell 8.3pc to 729bn cubic feet in the first six months of 2013 as it continued to feel the effect of the shutdown of Total's Elgin platform in the North Sea following the major gas leak in March 2012, as well as other maintenance issues.

Meanwhile the colder weather saw gas demand rise, compared with the unusually mild start to 2012.
Demand data is not yet available for the second quarter of this year, but the first quarter saw a 12pc increase in total UK gas demand, compared with the same period of 2012, driven by a 22.1pc increase in domestic usage.

Iron and steel industries increased demand by 8.3pc in the first quarter while other businesses also saw increases, in encouraging signs of economic recovery.

[Mega]

Re: Mega gets a nice warm feeling...........

Smell the Panic...........

Super Puma helicopters cleared to fly one week after fatal crash

AN oil industry safety group has cleared Super Puma helicopters to fly agailn, less than a week after an aircraft crashed off Shetland with the loss of four lives.

The wreckage of the Super Puma arrives and is offloaded at Lerwick on Thursday. Photo: MALCOLM YOUNGER

By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent
9:29PM BST 29 Aug 2013

Four Super Puma models, accounting for around 70 per cent of the North Sea fleet, were grounded following last Friday’s accident.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is looking into the incident and has not yet been able to say exactly what happened to the AS332 L2 model that crashed into the sea with 18 people on board.

The black box flight recorder was only recovered by divers on Thursday, and has been sent to the AAIB’s headquarters at Farnborough for analysis.


Unions have also warned of “huge concerns” among thousands of offshore workers over flying on any Super Puma aircraft after five incidents, and 20 deaths, involving two different models of the aircraft in just over four years.

However, despite the concerns, the Helicopter Safety Steering Group, an industry body, recommended that all models should be cleared to fly.

It said a campaign would now be launched to engage with offshore workers to convince them that the aircraft are safe, and said the L2 model that was involved in the crash should not be used for passenger transport to and from oil rigs at present.

The decision means that workers will be asked to fly on the Super Puma EC225, which has been involved in three incidents since 2009, and was only cleared to fly again earlier this month after a ditching off Shetland last October.
The HSSG issued its controversial advice as the UK Government was urged to hold a public inquiry into the safety of helicopter transport in the North Sea.

Les Linklater, of the steering group, said there was no evidence to continue the suspension of the fleet, and helicopter operators had reviewed their own safety managements systems and were satisfied there was "no inherent mechanical problem".

He added that there were currently 16,000 people offshore, including 250 who had spent more than 21 days on platforms and their families were wondering when they were going to get home.

The decision also came after the aircraft’s operator CHC revealed that it had restarted flights by the same model of Super Puma everywhere but the UK on Monday.

The Canadian firm said it had returned the AS332 L2 to service elsewhere as it was apparent there was no “fundamental problem” with the fleet.

A CHC spokesman added: "We remain deeply saddened by last week's tragic accident off the coast of Sumburgh in the UK Our thoughts and prayers are with victims and their loved ones.

“It's too early to know what caused the accident. However, it is common and right to treat accidents in our industry and others, including other forms of transportation, as isolated events unless credible information tells us differently.
“Confident in the airworthiness of AS332L, AS332L1 and EC225 aircraft, on Monday we returned them to normal operations, except in the U.K.”

So far, the AAIB has said only that the Super Puma that crashed last Friday evening was approaching the airport normally until it was around three miles out.

It then suffered a loss of speed, began descending too quickly and landed upright in the water about two miles from the shore. After hitting the water, the aircraft quickly “inverted”, before breaking up on the rocky shoreline.
The AAIB should learn more after analysing the black box recorder, which was recovered by divers six days after the crash.

Meanwhile, Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North, said the incident had caused a “collapse in morale” among 57,000 oil industry workers and merited a major inquiry.

He has written to Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, calling for a comprehensive inquiry, similar to the one held after the Piper Alpha disaster, to help restore confidence in the industry.
He said: "I believe the Government should take note of what has happened, the number of deaths caused, the circumstances in which these events have occurred and the consequences."

The MP added that Lord Cullen's inquiry into Piper Alpha had considered "every aspect of operations offshore" and had brought about new practices that "revolutionised” safety standards.

A Department for Transport spokesman said it had received the letter and would reply in due course.

[Forrest]

Re: Mega gets a nice warm feeling...........

Smell the Panic...........

Super Puma helicopters cleared to fly one week after fatal crash

AN oil industry safety group has cleared Super Puma helicopters to fly again, less than a week after an aircraft crashed off Shetland with the loss of four lives.

Four Super Puma models, accounting for around 70 per cent of the North Sea fleet, were grounded following last Friday’s accident.


The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is looking into the incident and has not yet been able to say exactly what happened to the AS332 L2 model that crashed into the sea with 18 people on board.

The black box flight recorder was only recovered by divers on Thursday, and has been sent to the AAIB’s headquarters at Farnborough for analysis.


Unions have also warned of “huge concerns” among thousands of offshore workers over flying on any Super Puma aircraft after five incidents, and 20 deaths, involving two different models of the aircraft in just over four years.

However, despite the concerns, the Helicopter Safety Steering Group, an industry body, recommended that all models should be cleared to fly.

Related Articles

• Helicopter crash: workers told to put 'big boy pants' on after expressing safety fears
  27 Aug 2013
• Bodies of oil workers who died in North Sea helicopter crash returned to mainland
  26 Aug 2013
• Tributes paid to helicopter pilot
  25 Aug 2013
• Four oil workers die after 'catastrophic' Shetland helicopter crash
  24 Aug 2013

It said a campaign would now be launched to engage with offshore workers to convince them that the aircraft are safe, and said the L2 model that was involved in the crash should not be used for passenger transport to and from oil rigs at present...So far, the AAIB has said only that the Super Puma that crashed last Friday evening was approaching the airport normally until it was around three miles out.

It then suffered a loss of speed, began descending too quickly and landed upright in the water about two miles from the shore. After hitting the water, the aircraft quickly “inverted”, before breaking up on the rocky shoreline.

The AAIB should learn more after analysing the black box recorder, which was recovered by divers six days after the crash.

Meanwhile, Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North, said the incident had caused a “collapse in morale” among 57,000 oil industry workers and merited a major inquiry.

It sounds as if they want to blame the pilot, but falling out of the sky like that, and then pushing everything so quickly sounds a bit odd....HMMM!


Poor Maintenance?

A very tired Pilot?

A need for a lot of oil quickly?

Everyone everywhere trying to get too much too quickly with too few well trained/well operated systems?

These are not good signs, for anyone.