GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd, operator of the Cygnus gas field, announces a second successful appraisal well (44/12a-5) in the south western area of the gas field located in the UK southern North Sea.

A leading health and safety lawyer has called for the introduction of an international safety standard for the oil and gas industry in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico tragedy and oil spill.

The European Union’s energy commissioner has called for a temporary ban on new oil drilling in the North Sea.
Gunther Oettinger said any responsible government would “freeze new permits” following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

In the 77 days since oil from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon began to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, BP has skimmed or burned about 60 percent of the amount it promised regulators it could remove in a single day.

We are getting initial details that a Veolia diver has died in the Gulf of Mexico. *Out of respect for the family, the Diver’s name is intentionally removed until an official announcement is made.* On July 2nd at approximately 11:30am, a 33 year old diver died while in Sat, locked out at 250-260 fsw below [...]

While politicians in Washington, DC and beyond cast blame for who is responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, government agencies and businesses are scrambling and suggesting novel ideas for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Alex halts efforts to capture oil from Gulf of Mexico as experts predict severe storm season ahead.
The first named storm of the Atlantic season has hit BP’s oil spill clean-up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Alex, upgraded from tropical storm status late last night and expected to hit the coasts of Mexico and Texas later today, is expected to interrupt the company’s efforts for several days to come.

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality. Three days after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, the Netherlands offered the U.S. government ships equipped to handle a major spill, one much larger than the BP spill that then appeared to be underway.