Oil & gas news

SCOTTISH OIL COMPANIES ANXIOUS TO WORK IN AZERBAIJAN

A mission of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce is expected to arrive in Baku Friday. The group will include representatives of servicing oil companies, according to British embassy in Azerbaijan, which, together with British Ministry of Trade, has organized the visit.

During a week, representatives of Aberdeen companies involved in oil production in the North Sea will meet with Azeri businessmen. The objective of the mission is to identify prospects of operating in Azerbaijan.

The first visit of an Aberdeen mission was paid early in 2000.

LUKOIL PRESIDENT MEETS WITH GETTY PETROLEUM MARKETING STAFF

President of Lukoil joint stock company Vagit Alakbarov paid a working visit to the USA last week, to meet with the personnel of US "Getty Petroleum Marketing" (GPM).

At the end of 2000, Lukoil took over GPM in a $71 million deal. GPM owns 1,300 service stations in 12 states of the USA. During the meeting, Mr. Alakbarov spoke of the history of Lukoil, its projects and achievements and outlined the GPM development plan. Speaking highly of the professionalism of GPM executives, he said Lukoil employees dealing with retail marketing of oil products would be undergoing retraining courses at the GPM personnel center. Besides, GPM managers will be exchanging experience with Russian colleagues at Lukoil enterprises in Russia.

The Lukoil president also took part in the swearing-in ceremony of the US president.

LUKOIL RECEIVES CERTIFICATES OF CONFORMITY

The Lukoil executives have been conferred certificates of conformity with international standards ISO-14001 (environment protection) and OHSAS-18001 (industrial safety) in a ceremony in Moscow. The certificates have been forwarded by Mr. Frank Piedelievre, president of the Bureau Veritas international company, which had carried out certification for 7 months, according to Lukoil-Azerbaijan.

The 3-year certificates are viewed by Lukoil as another step in the company's industrial safety policy and environment protection and evidence of its conformity with international requirements. Introduction of the management system meeting the ISO-14001 and OHSAS-18001 standards will be introduced by all Lukoil enterprises by the year 2005.

SEMINAR ON ECO-CONTROL OVER OIL COMPANIES GETS UNDERWAY

A 2-day seminar, "Legal problem of ecological control over the activities of oil producing companies", organized by the ecological organization Ecolex-Azerbaijan, the Union of Ecologists of Bashkortostan (Russia) and the Institute of Ecological Problems "Eco-Juris" (Moscow), started in Baku Friday. The seminar is a part of the joint project "Elevating the role of law in public ecological control over the activities of trans-national oil producing companies in the Caspian region", financed by the Caspian Ecological Program "ISAR".

Attending the seminar are ecologists, lawyers, and representatives of Frontera Resources, a shareholder in the Kursangi-Garabagli project.

NEW OIL TERMINAL TO OPEN IN FEBRUARY

"Azpetrol Holding Ltd." intends to officially open a new oil terminal in February, with construction operations drifting to a close. The terminal is already working, as small portions of oil are being dispatched to Black Sea ports.

Construction of the facility started a year ago, it is located on the premises of the Baku international seaport, is equipped with a pier, storage capacity of 50,000 tons, 2 tankers, railway, and water-purification installation.

Azernews

AssA-Irada