Bob Dudley News

British oil major BP Alaska announced that it is selling its entire business to Hilcorp Alaska, marking the exit from Alaska after six decades.The $5.6 billion sale includes Opens a New Window. interests in the Prudhoe Bay oil field, Point Thomson gas field and the trans-Alaska pipeline system, BP said in a release.Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive, said: "Alaska has been instrumental in BP's growth and success for well over half a century and our work there has helped shape the careers of many throughout the company. We are extraordinarily proud of the world-class business we have built, working alongside our partners and the State of Alaska…

Britain says it fended off Iranian attempt to block its oil tankerThree Iranian vessels tried to block a British-owned tanker passing through the strait that controls the flow of Middle East oil to the world, but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship, Britain said on Thursday.A week after Britain seized an Iranian tanker accused of violating sanctions on Syria, London said the British Heritage, operated by oil company BP, had been approached in the Strait of Hormuz…

Three Iranian vessels tried to block a BP-operated tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship, the UK government said on Thursday.Britain urged Iran to "de-escalate the situation in the region" after the British Heritage, a Suezmax oil tanker operated by BP under an Isle of Man flag, was approached."HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels…

The major chunk of global energy supply growth is expected to come from renewables and natural gas over the next two decades, but steep investment in oil exploration and production will be needed to meet crude demand in 2040.The global energy demand is set to rise by around a third by 2040, driven by improvement in living standards, particularly in India, China and across Asia.- These are the key highlights of BP Energy Outlook 2019.It shows how rising prosperity drives an increase in global energy demand and how that demand will be met over the coming decades through a diverse range of supplies including oil, gas, coal and renewables.The UK-based oil company said wind…

When the global oil industry held its biggest annual gathering this week in the Swiss town of Davos, it invited banking bosses and fund managers to discuss two key topics - climate change and pressure from investors.The conclusion of the discussions was worrying for those present - pressure is rising and the industry is losing a battle not to be seen as one of the world's biggest evils.The answer? Lure investors with higher returns and raise the PR game."There is no doubt - and…

Oil prices rose on Monday as markets reacted to news that China and the United States have put a looming trade war between the world's two biggest economies "on hold". Brent crude futures were at $79.13 per barrel at 0121 GMT, up 62 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last close. Brent broke through $80 for the first time since November 2014 last week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.83 a barrel, up 55 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last settlement. The U.S. trade war with China is "on hold" after the world's largest economies agreed to drop their tariff threats while they work on a wider trade agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday, giving global markets a lift in early trading on Monday.

SOCAR, the the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, and BP signed a new production sharing agreement (PSA) for the joint exploration and development of Block D230 in the North Absheron basin in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. The PSA was signed in London, in the presence of UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, by Rovnag Abdullayev, President of SOCAR, and BP group chief executive Bob Dudley. Speaking at the signing event  Abdullayev said: “We have a long tradition of successful cooperation with BP. I believe that the synergies between modern upstream technology and unique historical experience, embodied in both companies, create a solid basis for our continued success.

Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has announced its intention to join the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI). The company revealed that its CEO, Pedro Parente, has signed a letter of engagement so that the company can become an effective member of the voluntary initiative, which aims to lead the industry response to climate change. The OGCI is the CEO-led grouping of oil and gas companies that intends to lead the industry’s response to climate change, pooling knowledge and collaborating on action to reduce greenhouse emissions. The OGCI’s existing members are BP, CNPC, Eni, Pemex, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Statoil and Total. Petrobras…

A small gas field on the edge of the British North Sea could become a litmus test for U.S. policy towards Iran. London-based BP this week agreed to sell to North Sea producer Serica Energy three fields in the ageing offshore basin, including the Rhum field which is co-owned by a subsidiary of Iran's national oil company. For Serica, the $400 million deal will increase its production sevenfold. It nevertheless hinges on the British company receiving a licence from U.S. sanctions enforcement authorities at a time when President Donald Trump is flexing his muscles against Tehran. For BP and its American Chief Executive Bob Dudley, selling Rhum, which BP discovered in the 1970s, removes a potential source of friction as it mends its ties with the U.S.

BP has announced that Carl-Henric Svanberg has informed the company’s board of directors of his intention to retire as chairman. Svanberg will chair the annual general meeting to be held in May 2018 and will remain in position until a successor is in post. Ian Davis, the BP board’s senior independent director, will now lead the process to identify and appoint BP’s next chairman. Mr Svanberg joined the BP board on 1 September 2009 and became chairman on 1 January 2010. Svanberg said: “It has been a tremendous privilege to lead the BP board over the past eight years. I am proud of the achievements of the management and the company in that time. The first couple of years were incredibly challenging for us all as we navigated an unusually complex corporate crisis.

Two years after Iran pledged to open up its oil industry in anticipation of the lifting of sanctions, foreign companies say they still have little information about Iranian oil fields and contract terms, hindering investment decisions. Bosses from oil majors including BP, Total, Eni, Royal Dutch Shell and LUKOIL have all travelled to Tehran this year, since the EU sanctions ended in January. Their teams spent weeks meeting local officials ahead of investment tenders due to start next month. But several senior executives and members of their negotiating teams told Reuters they still had not been given sufficient information about the geology of Iranian fields or contract terms.

BP shares slide 8 pct after results miss forecasts. BP slumped to its biggest annual loss last year and announced thousands more job cuts on Tuesday, showing that even one of the nimblest oil producers is struggling in the worst market downturn in over a decade. The British oil and gas company, which is still grappling with about $55 billion of costs from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, said it would cut 7,000 jobs by the end of 2017, or nearly 9 percent of its workforce. BP said it lost $6.5 billion in 2015 and its fourth-quarter underlying replacement cost profit, which is the company's definition of net income, came in at $196 million, well below analyst expectations of $730 million.

BP is freezing base pay across the group this year, the latest in a series of steps by oil majors to cut costs in response to sinking oil prices. Over the past year, oil majors have been selling assets to protect cash flows and shareholder dividends. Many have accelerated cuts in capital and operating expenditures, including freezing some projects, as crude prices more than halved since June to below $50 per barrel. Salaries in the oil sector are a major part of operating expenses. BP employed 83,900 employees in 2013 and paid them around $13.6 billion in benefits, including wages and pensions, according to the company's website. "The tougher external environment in 2015 means that our businesses and functions need to work...

Europe's oil majors will strike a sober note in their fourth-quarter results and investors will focus on companies' plans to maintain cherished dividends and their strategies to cope with the oil prices collapse that caught many unawares. Having sold around $120 billion in assets in recent years to boost balance sheets and keep up dividend payouts, companies are expected to increase borrowing and further cut costs as they come to terms with oil prices that have more than halved since June to around $50 a barrel. "Lower oil prices pose the biggest threat to oil and gas industry earnings and financial solidity since the financial crash of 2008," consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a note.

BP today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2014. Underlying replacement cost profit for the quarter of 2014 was $3.6 billion, 34% higher than the $2.7 billion reported for the same period in 2013 and 13% higher than the $3.2 billion result for the first quarter of 2014. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of 9.75 cents per ordinary share, the same level as the previous quarter but 8.3% higher than a year earlier. As previously announced, BP’s board will review the level of the dividend with the first and third quarter results each year. “This was another successful quarter, delivering both operational progress and robust cash flow.

BP today announced that Iain Conn, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive, Downstream, is leaving the company and is to step down from BP’s board by the end of the year. Conn has had a career of 29 years with BP, serving on the board  for the past 10 years and in his current Downstream role for the past seven. The Downstream comprises BP’s three main global Customer-facing businesses: Fuels, including refining; Lubricants (principally under the Castrol brand); and Petrochemicals. Under Conn’s leadership, BP’s Downstream segment has been repositioned strategically and operationally. Conn also holds group regional responsibilities for Europe, Asia and Southern Africa. Conn will hand over the role of Chief Executive, Downstream to Tufan Erginbilgic on 1 October 2014.

BP and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) today announced a heads of agreement for the supply of up to 1.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year over 20 years starting in 2019. The agreement was signed in London by BP Executive Vice President, Dev Sanyal and CNOOC Chairman, Wang Yilin, in the presence of UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang. Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Executive said: “This is a significant deal for BP and China but it also marks a step up in global connectivity in the gas market. This is important for all countries and regions looking at the diversity of energy supply and energy security - it gives BP greater flexibility to respond to the changing energy demands from Europe, Asia and other regions.

Rosneft and BP signed an agreement on Saturday to jointly explore for hard-to-recover oil in Russia, the first major deal for the state-run Russian oil company since the West imposed sanctions over Ukraine in March. Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has been targeted by U.S. sanctions along with some other members of Putin's so-called inner circle following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March. Western energy bosses saved the St Petersburg International Economic forum from a complete failure by effectively standing by Russia as heads of top banks and many other firms did not show up for fear of reprisals over the sanctions.

BP today announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2014. Underlying replacement cost profit1 for the quarter was $3.2 billion, compared with $2.8 billion for the previous quarter and $4.2 billion for the first quarter of 2013. Operating cash flow in the quarter was $8.2 billion. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of 9.75 cents per ordinary share to be paid in June, 8.3% higher than a year earlier. As previously advised, the Board will continue to review the level of the dividend with the first and third quarter results each year. BP Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley commented: “This is a very solid start to 2014.

Royal Dutch Shell is committed to expansion in Russia, Chief Executive Ben van Beurden told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on Friday amid sanctions imposed on the country after its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. Shell plans to expand Russia's only liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant with Russian partner Gazprom, he said at a meeting at Putin's residence. "We, of course, will pledge all the necessary administrative guidance and support," Putin said in response in a meeting that was later broadcast on national television.

Scottish nationalists are betting $2.5 trillion of hydrocarbons trapped miles beneath the North Sea could bankroll an independent Scotland, but winning control of the European Union's largest oil reserves would be no blank cheque. Scotland says the bulk of Britain's North Sea oil and gas reserves are in its waters, while London says any division would be subject to negotiations should Scots vote to end their 307-year-old union with England in a referendum on Sept. 18. Oil is the punch in Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond's pitch for independence: he accuses London of squandering the North Sea's mineral wealth and says Scotland would be one of the world's richest countries if it took control of its own destiny.

OilCareers.com has  released statistics suggesting that staff roles offered by employers in the Gulf of Mexico have increased almost sixteenfold in the last three years. Statistics show that the margin between contract and staff positions that reflected an equal split in 2009 now reveal a shift to five times as many staff than contract roles equating to 80% of job types currently registered on OilCareers.com. This comes as part of a move towards longer term recruitment strategies to encourage experienced personnel to the area as highlighted by Pauline Redpath…

BP and partners start production of oil/gas from the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea, one of a series of new major upstream projects. “The start-up of Skarv is a key operational milestone for BP, adding new production from one of our core higher-margin areas,” said Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive. The Skarv field is approximately 210 kilometres west of the Norwegian coast in water depths of approximately 350-450 metres. Discovered in 1998, the field has an estimated ultimate recovery of around 100 million barrels of oil and condensate and over 1.5 trillion cubic feet of rich gas. The field development includes a new highly-advanced FPSO (floating production…