Gas Archives - Page 4 of 7

Top Ramboll Oil & Gas Engineer Honoured

Aberdeen City, Featured, News No Responses »

Jun 052015

With thanks to Cate Gordon, Tricker PR.

An engineer who has played a pivotal role in delivering a major North Sea project for Ramboll Oil & Gas has been recognised as one of the top young engineering talents in Europe. Francesca Del Din won second place in the Young Professional of the Year awards run by the EFCA (European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations).

Francesca (27) received the accolade for her role as engineering manager for Statoil’s Gina Krog Field Development project in the Norwegian sector, where Ramboll is carrying out the design of the subsea pipelines.

The field – one of Statoil’s major developments – is situated 230km south-west of Stavanger and is due to start production in 2017.

Francesca was praised by the panel of judges for her impressive technical skills and ability to lead a team, and for achieving so much at a very young age. The complex Gina Krog contract covers five sub-projects – one of them being the detailed design of a 27 km and 20″ gas export pipeline which will be routed to the Sleipner A platform.

Tim Martin, managing director of Ramboll Oil & Gas in Aberdeen, says Francesca’s drive and enthusiasm is typical of the Ramboll team. He said:

“As a company we are committed to fostering and nurturing the very best new talent, and so it is very pleasing to see a young member of our team being honoured in this way.

“The Gina Krog project in which Francesca has been involved is relatively complex, and therefore exceptional engineering and leadership skills are key to its success. We are incredibly lucky to have people like Francesca within the Ramboll Oil & Gas team.”

There was further success for the Ramboll group in the EFCA competition, as first place was taken by another one of their engineers. Anne Maloney (31) won the award for her role as project manager for the Queensferry Crossing Project – one of the most extensive construction projects in Scotland in recent times.

Ramboll Oil & Gas is a business unit within the Ramboll Group. With more than four decades of experience, the company is a well-established, independent and highly regarded provider of offshore and onshore engineering consultancy services for the oil and gas industry. Today, Ramboll has offices in the USA, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, India, Denmark, Norway and UK, and employs close to 1,000 specialists.

Ramboll Oil & Gas Aberdeen Wins Major Contract

Aberdeen City, Featured, News No Responses »

May 152015

With thanks to Leanne Carter.

The recently launched Aberdeen office of Ramboll Oil and Gas has continued its strong start to the year by securing a £275,000 contract with a major North Sea operator.

The crude oil booster pump replacement project has been one of the key achievements in an above-anticipated performance in the first quarter of the year.

It is less than a year since the global engineering consultancy launched in Aberdeen, but the company has already won new work with a range of major oil and gas companies operating within the UKCS.

The latest contract win is to deliver a full multi-discipline detailed design and construction engineering project for replacement crude oil pumps on a North Sea platform. The team in Aberdeen will provide 3D cloud scanning services, design and construction engineering.

Managing director Tim Martin says it had been anticipated it would take time for the Ramboll name to become known within Aberdeen, and that the current difficulties facing the energy sector would also impact on its early performance.

He adds:

“This incredibly strong start to the year has been above our expectations and all the indications are that the Aberdeen office of Ramboll Oil and Gas will continue to experience a period of growth as we move into the second quarter.

“We anticipated that the current tough market conditions being experienced in the North Sea and the wider oil industry would negatively impact on our projected growth, but the opposite of that is actually happening and we are making significant breakthroughs.

“The feedback we are receiving is that the Ramboll project management model of offering cost-effective engineering solutions is exactly what is needed at this time.

“Although our clients will work directly with the Aberdeen office, our position of local presence and global knowledge allows us to work with the most talented engineers in a number of international offices to deliver safe, reliable and importantly at this time, cost effective, engineering solutions.”

It is the second major contract win announced by Ramboll Oil and Gas this year, and follows on from the company being awarded the detailed jacket design for Maersk Oil’s Culzean field, located 145 miles east of Aberdeen.

Ramboll Oil & Gas is a business unit within the Ramboll Group. With four decades of experience, the company is a well-established, independent and highly regarded provider of offshore and onshore engineering consultancy services for the oil and gas industry. Today, Ramboll Oil & Gas has offices in the USA, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, India, Denmark, Norway and UK, and employ close to 1,000 specialists.

A View On Currency Union

Articles, Opinion 12 Responses »

Sep 122014

By Keith Marley.

Now, I am not a politician or an economist. I have 2 o’levels, Arithmetic and Engerlish, so I hope you don’t mind if I offer a simplified view of the situation. No doubt some ‘learned’ person out there may be able to illuminate me with a bag full of numbers, but, this is just the way I see it.

There still seems to be some confusion about the currency, so what happens if Westminster says no to a currency union?

To me Westminster does not have a choice. Ask yourself what would happen to the pound without Scotland. At the end of June the national debt of the UK was £1,304.6 billion.

A figure which has continued to climb despite all the austerity measures put in place. In other words we are currently failing to pay off the debt and actually accruing more debt. Refusing Scotland to share the pound would mean the rest of the UK would have to service this debt themselves. This would mean the pound would have 4,000,000 less people helping to service a debt they are failing to meet at the moment.

They would also not have the massive benefit of oil revenue contributing to pay off this debt. Put in simple terms the debt would be unserviceable and the pound would be well and truly screwed. To refuse Scotland the pound would make the austerity measures currently in place seem like a walk in the park.

Of course we could use an independent pound in the same way as Tokyo uses the dollar, but we are told by the ‘No’ people that this would leave us high and dry because we had defaulted on our side of the national debt. Without the Bank of England as lender of last resort other countries would be scared to trade with us or loan us money because we have no track record or credit history.

However, the way I see it is if Westminster does not allow Scotland to continue to pay our side of the ‘debt’ then it is them who are defaulting.

It’s a bit like borrowing from a bank to buy a car, making your payments regularly and then the bank coming and taking away your car and then claiming you were defaulting if you didn’t continue making the payments…..I don’t flaming well think so!

As for the other scary side of this suggestion, ask yourself this question. Two people you know come to your door looking for a loan. One is deep in debt, regularly gets into fights with other people costing him a fortune, (Argentina, Iraq, Afghanistan to name just a few) pays a high price for personal protection (Trident) and is having trouble meeting the repayments he already has, he’s just lost his major asset, (Oil), which will only make it more difficult for him to earn the money he needs to service his current debts.

The other has no debt at all and has an asset which provides a good regular income (Oil), has no wish to get into fights with strangers and doesn’t have any need for personal protection.

Which one would you be happy to offer a loan to?

Speaking personally, I would choose to say stuff Westminster, we will use our own currency, however, Alex Salmond says we should share the pound, a currency union. Mr Darling says it’s not on offer. One thing they both agree on is that all the other options would not be as good for Scotland.

So what would happen if Scotland votes ‘Yes’?

Mr Salmond would press for a currency union, but what is more important is what would all the other Scottish politicians do? If they truly have the interest of Scotland at heart then they would have no alternative but to pursue a currency union as well.

So, if we vote ‘Yes’ we won’t just have Alex Salmond arguing for a currency union, he will also be backed by Alistair Darling, Ruth Davidson, Johann Lamont and Willie Rennie, all their parties, as well as all the rest of the ‘No’ campers too who still have a job in Scotland.

The formation of a united ‘Team Scotland’.

Despite all the political posturing Scotland will have a currency union if it wants one and I suspect we will also get it on our terms too.

This is just my opinion and the way I see it.

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[Aberdeen Voice accepts and welcomes contributions from all sides/angles pertaining to any issue. Views and opinions expressed in any article are entirely those of the writer/contributor, and inclusion in our publication does not constitute support or endorsement of these by Aberdeen Voice as an organisation or any of its team members.]

A View On Independence

Articles, Opinion 15 Responses »

Aug 292014

“Just the way I see it” writes Keith Marley.

As I understand it the Scottish Government is currently responsible for 7% of taxes raised in Scotland. However it does have the ability to reallocate some, if not all, of the funds it receives from Westminster.
As a result we have a superior education system at all levels, a not perfect but superior health service, free university places for Scottish students, free prescriptions, free travel for the elderly and have even done away with toll bridges, yet despite all these benefits I am not aware of any services or standards which are in any way substandard to the rest of the UK.

Our country has massive oil reserves with enough oil discovered in the North Sea already to ensure prosperity for at least the next 3 generations.

We are at the forefront of renewable energy technology with 25% of Europe’s tidal and wind potential. All this in addition to our successful, established industries in Whisky, Tourism, Manufacturing, Construction, Agriculture and the Creative industries from fashion to computer games which is enough to make us a wealthy country even if we didn’t have oil.

Here’s the bit I don’t understand……If we vote ‘Yes’ we will have complete control over our whole economy, but if we vote ‘No’ we may be given some more powers such as raising taxes.

I don’t know about anybody else but the promise of paying increased tax hasn’t swung my vote yet. As for these other ‘powers’ there seems to be much shuffling of feet and unconfirmed mumbled answers. Of course it will all depend on who is in power if and when Scotland actually becomes independent.

It seems to me that just as many in Westminster will take a ‘No’ vote as a good enough reason to put an end to the Barnett formula resulting in a decrease in money coming back to Scotland as well as fewer M.P.s which means less representation for Scottish interests.

If we vote ‘Yes’ we are told we will lose the pound, but I think, and I suspect the majority of Scots also think, that this will also be detrimental to the rest of the UK and simply political posturing. If not, there are other options many of which are becoming more appealing as time goes on.

We are told that an independent Scotland will no longer enjoy the status of ‘being a world power’ influencing international politics. That suits me just fine, I didn’t agree with getting involved in Iraq or Afghanistan any more than I agreed with the conflict with Argentina over the Falkland isles. If we are no longer a nuclear force then I am confident we will be no longer a nuclear target either.

We have been told by the ‘No’ campaign that we will be out of the E.U. which frankly, seems to be strange threat for 2 reasons.

Why would Europe not welcome a country with a strong economy, which already meets all the standards and criteria for acceptance as well as having Europe’s main oil reserves, wind and wave potential and is Europe’s main provider of fish as well as being an existing trading partner with strong import and export links already established? It seems to me that there will be a rush to ‘fast track’ Scotland as quickly as possible.

The second reason for my doubt about this being a potential threat is the fact that the UK government has already promised (if re-elected) to hold a referendum about staying in the EU which judging by the recent U-KIP wins could well result in Scotland being pulled out of the EU like it or not along with the rest of the UK.

I am not affiliated to any political party and my hope is that come independence and Scotland’s first general election I will be able to vote for a party that truly reflects my own opinions and desires.

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City Firm Fined After Hotel Gas Explosion

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Jun 272014

A catering supply company based in Aberdeen has been fined £7,500 after a gas explosion in an Auchenblae hotel kitchen injured three people. With thanks to Kevin Burke.

On June 25th, Instant Catering Maintenance (ICM), of Aberdeen’s Union Street, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at a hearing at Aberdeen Sherriff Court.

The court heard that on January 7th 2009, at the Drumtochty Arms on Market Square, a customer, a barmaid and one of ICM’s workers were seriously injured after a gas leak in the hotel led to an explosion.

At the time of the incident, ICM had been hired by the hotel to design and fit a new kitchen on the ground floor. This kitchen was to contain three propane-burning appliances – a four-ring hob, a hotplate range and a freestanding chargrill.

Barmaid Danielle Ormond was working at the bar on the date of the explosion. A customer complained about their drink, so she went down to the cellar to look into the complaint.

ICM employee Neil Coffield was in the process of purging the gas system as Ms Ormond went through the kitchen, while customer James Guthrie was smoking a cigarette in the courtyard near the kitchen door. Ms Ormond reported that she smelled gas as she went through the kitchen.

The explosion then occurred, seriously injuring all three people.

The blast was so serious that part of the building immediately collapsed, preventing Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators from entering the premises and leading Aberdeenshire Council to issue an emergency demolition order.

Later investigations revealed that ICM had created and fitted a steel manifold, which was used to transfer propane to gas appliances. This manifold had not been fitted to a facility that enabled the safe purging of gas systems – if it had been, the dangerous build-up of propane gas would not have occurred.

he had been told to check the system was working by lighting it

The HSE eventually recovered and examined the gas appliances, and found that the chargrill did not have a regulator fitted, and that the hob and hotplate’s regulators were set for natural gas instead of propane. Another ICM employee had attached these regulators.

Gas appliances must be fitted with regulators to ensure they have the right pressure, and propane-fuelled appliances must have a properly-converted regulator.

Mr Coffield said that he had noticed one of the appliances was missing a regulator and that he had been told to check the system was working by lighting it. He elected to purge the system to do so and removed the air from the pipe work in order to replace it with propane – an activity he was certified to do so and able to perform competently.

The system had not been fitted with an adequate purging point, however, and the pressure testing valve was therefore left open for longer than necessary. Mr Coffield had not been given a flare stack, and was unable to safely dissipate any gas he released. Instead, he opened the test port repeatedly while attempting to light the pilot light.

The court proceeded on the basis that ICM’s failings caused some of the gas in the hotel kitchen to be released, as Mr Coffield’s actions alone were not believed to account for the build-up of all the gas involved in the incident or the explosion.

Niall Miller, Principal Inspector for the HSE, called the incident both “very serious” and “entirely avoidable”.

He said the risks involved in purging LPG gas systems without the necessary equipment are “well-known”, and that industry guidance clearly states that flare stacks are required when workers are dealing with propane or any other gas that is heavier than air.

Furthermore, purging systems such as the one in the Drumtochty Arms should be performed by at least two people, the HSE inspector stated.

Contributed by Kevin Burke on behalf of 247 Home Rescue

Bleak Day At Blackdog Beach

Aberdeenshire, Environment, Featured 2 Responses »

Apr 042014

By Suzanne Kelly.

While more southerly parts of the UK are currently worrying about Sahara sandstorms, Aberdeenshire has a nice long-running, ongoing mess at Blackdog.
The small community and its scenic beach were, some say, ill-used.

A landfill site, industrial area, marine pollution from offshore all contribute to the current status of a sandy beach which could have been a small paradise.

Reports were written about leaching pollutants, landfill leakages, hydrocarbons and pollutants from naphthalene to benzene which were all detected, and mitigation works undertaken after political wringing of hands.

But is all really well at Blackdog? Not so much.

Aberdeenshire produced and commissioned various reports on what was in the landfill, what was seeping into the beach, and what could be done about it. Most of these reports can be found on the council’s website – although you’ll find that they don’t allow you to download such reports readily.

Some reports from c. 2009 recommend three or so years’ worth of further pollution monitoring. Aberdeen Voice will be looking into what the shire is doing, if anything, to ensure a full and proper beach clean-up is done.

The photos taken on Saturday 29 March show what the area looks like at present, and it’s not exactly enticing.

Sea foam can be discoloured and extremely foamy and/or iridescent; often these types of foamy conditions are simply explained as naturally caused by algae blooms and dead organic matter.

But the real question in such cases is what causes the blooms and what kills phytoplankton and other sea life.

When it comes to the Blackdog area, perhaps the cause is hydrocarbons and other substances from landfill.

No doubt the shire’s environmental team are investigating; updates will follow.

When the area was photographed on Saturday 29 March, there were hardly any signs of wildlife on the shore and dune area. How clean and safe is this beach?

As well as discomforting mounds of foam in browns, greys and greens washing up on the shoreline, there was no shortage of plastic debris.

Carrier bags were very much in evidence, a good reminder that plastics need to be disposed of in such a way that they can’t find themselves in the food chain for marine life or bird life.

Animals try to eat plastics, and many die from doing so.

Perhaps Blackdog is better environmentally speaking than it was in the recent past. Still, this area could and should have been a coastal wildlife haven and a recreation area.

It is a highly-polluted beach and artillery range with some worrying looking sea foam, rubbish, and oily streaks.

Ideas for mitigating measure are welcome.

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A Tale Of Two Cities – Part 2

Aberdeen City, Information 2 Responses »

Oct 242013

In the conclusion to his two-part article, Jonathan Russell explores further the growing inequalities in wealth globally, in the UK and in Aberdeen

Both Oxfam and the Jimmy Reid Foundation have fuelled the debate about equality with their ideas around the Common Weal.

Whilst real consumption per head has doubled since 1978, unemployment benefit has remained fixed.

Peter Kenway, in a 2009 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, posed the question, ‘Should adult benefit for unemployment benefit be raised?’ found that Jobseeker’s Allowance represents

a fifth of the actual, average expenditure of single adults
half of the actual average expenditure of single adults in the poorest households

Yet, at the same time, according to the Tax Justice Network, tax avoidance amounts to £69.9bn a year. Is this OK?

Minimum wage in the UK, per hour (2013)
21 and over	18 to 20	Under 18	Apprentice*
£6.31	£5.03	£3.72	£2.68

The minimum wage has failed to keep pace with inflation. It is particularly low for younger citizens and needs to be increased significantly. At their recent conferences both Labour and SNP have pledged to improve the minimum wage, but pressure needs to be exerted to give this more impetus.

At the same time, members of richer families can leave up to £325,000 in inheritance without paying tax. So, if your parents are rich you can do absolutely nothing and inherit a substantial sum of money. The internet is full of sites giving advice on avoiding tax and inheritance tax. Imagine the outcry there would be if there were sites giving advice on how to fiddle Jobseeker’s Allowance.

This is a hypocritical double standard. Nor does it make sense economically, as it is those who have least money who are likely to spend and help us move out of recession. We currently suffer from lack of investment in our economy whilst there is much unnecessary wealth.

Total household wealth in the UK increased by 55% in the past decade, to an average of £242,000, largely due to a significant rise in the value of property which has outpaced surging mortgage debt.

According to research by Lloyds TSB Private Banking, that is equivalent to £86,500 per household in the ten-year period, with the value of wealth growing faster than consumer prices or disposable income.

The financial crisis has shaved £6bn off our assets since 2007, yet collective household wealth in the UK was estimated to be £6.6 trillion at the end of 2011, up from £4.3 trillion in 2001.

Wealth has outstripped both inflation and disposable incomes, with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) up by 38% over the past ten years and gross household disposable income up by 44%.

According to the Lloyds research, a decade of booming house prices, especially between 2001 and 2007, has added significant wealth to households.

Property as a percentage of wealth has increased from 36% in 2001 to 40% in 2011. Over the decade, housing wealth has risen 73% and financial wealth is up 44%.

In the same period, the value of the nation’s private housing stock increased from £2.1 trillion to £3.9 trillion.

But as house values have grown, mortgage debts have risen significantly.

The total value of mortgage debt more than doubled from £591bn to £1.25 trillion, meaning that many households, though helped by low interest payments, are struggling or are failing to pay. Home ownership continues to be championed by the UK government. This is unrealistic and what we need is a wealth tax to allow us to build new social housing and help us move out of recession.

The £1.8 trillion increase in the value of housing outstrips the £655bn rise in mortgage debt almost threefold.

The data show that rises in both average house prices, and the number of privately-owned homes, from 20.1m in 2001 to 22.4m in 2011, was behind the surge in the value of housing.

Suren Thiru, Lloyds TSB Private Banking economist, said:

“The substantial growth in household wealth over the past decade is partly the result of the increase in the value of housing stock between 2001 and 2007.

‘Whilst financial assets have played their part, the value of housing stock grew at a significantly faster rate. Rising house wealth has benefited those who own their own homes and those who rent out properties in the private sector.”

However, those at the bottom of the housing market have had to pay dearly.

The majority of household wealth continues to be held as financial, rather than housing, assets.

The total value of financial assets, such as savings, pensions and company shares, held by households has increased to £4.1trillion in 2011 from £2.9trillion in 2001.

The research found that there has been a £718bn rise in equity held by households in life assurance and pension fund reserves.

There has also been a boom in savings, with an increase of £549bn held in deposits with financial institutions and National Savings.

There was a relatively modest boost from stock market performance with the FTSE All Share Index increasing by 13% in the decade to 2011.

Despite the downturn in the economy since 2007, household wealth has declined by just £6bn, mainly down to lower house prices. These are now beginning to rise but this is worrying, since if price houses are high, the debt accrued in paying off new mortgages increases. Rather than building more social housing, the UK government is offering money to help get buyers on to the property ladder.

This is merely repeating the problems of the past in encouraging increased debt, leading to even more people defaulting on mortgage payments, particularly if interest rates increase.

The distribution of wealth in the UK between the haves and the have-nots beggars belief. Yet when it comes to paying the reckoning following a period of greed, from which the top 10% benefited in particular, it is the un-rich, low-waged, property-less, younger people who have suffered most.

Aberdeen for many is cushioned by Oil and Gas but, for the low-waged in service industries, paying high rents or for unemployed or disabled people, life is a struggle.

We have seen the opening of Aberdeen’s first food bank.

Services have been cut for the most vulnerable in our city, yet many people’s riches are far in excess of their needs.

It is time to end the something for nothing culture and start redistributing wealth between rich and poor, and for investment for future generations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/scotland-23962969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d5FZU64Bnw

Cash machine and paliament photos by Ian Britton via Freefoto.com

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A Tale Of Two Cities – Part 1

Aberdeen City, Information 1 Response »

Oct 212013

Across the globe, with a few notable exceptions, the disparity in wealth between the poor and the rich is increasing. In the first of two articles, Jonathan Russell looks at the increasing disparities in wealth globally, in the UK, and here in Aberdeen

Globalisation in particular has meant that wealthy elites can invest in, and set up money-making concerns wherever they like, with little regard for either the countries in which they have investments or the populations of their own countries.

The biggest investments are in oil, gas and mineral abstraction and in the clothing industry.

The power of the state has reduced specifically in relation to its role as an income redistributor, and often, state ideology has been to encourage capital investment at the expense of its citizens.

The super-rich, defined as the top 1% of earners, now pocket 10p in every pound of income paid in Britain, whilst members of the poorest half of the population take home only 18p of every pound between them. This is according to a report published this week by the Resolution Foundation think tank, revealing the widening gap between those at the very top and the rest of society.

We have seen over recent decades, an attack on the working class and poorer ends of our society. Under Thatcher and successive governments most of our society’s industrial base was destroyed. This has led to over-dependence on the financial, service and oil and gas industries, and the one industry flourishing, the arms trade.

This leaves the economy in a particularly volatile state at times of economic downturn. Despite what the coalition government says, UK Government debt presently stands at £1.16 trillion, up from £0.76 trillion in 2010. Personal debt stands at £1.436 billion.

Many areas of the UK, including Scotland (4.4 %), have high levels of unemployment and young people in particular have borne the brunt of the present recession. Aberdeen’s unemployment rate is 2.2%. Young people are more likely to be unemployed, in low paid jobs and on short term contracts. They will have to wait longer for retirement and even middle class youngsters will be poorer in the future.

For those whose parents have few or no savings, the future is increasingly bleak. At the same time many older people have benefited from the property boom and have high-value pensions and savings.

Many people have moved from more highly-paid industrial jobs to low-paid service sector jobs in retail, call centres and care. Workers in these sectors are often on short-term contracts. In 2009, the average wage was £20081. In 2008/09, income in the top and bottom fifth of households was £73800 and £5000 respectively, before taxes and benefits.

After tax and benefits, household income disparities are significantly reduced, to £53900 and £13600 respectively

The lives of many in Aberdeen have been cushioned by working in the oil and gas sector. Many in the trades are well paid too, due to local market conditions, but others have suffered the double whammy of low pay and increasing housing costs, in particular in the private sector.

The policy of selling council housing has had a devastating effect on people wanting to get into the housing market. It created divisions between working class people who were poor and those who were better off and who could afford to buy their council property at a reduced cost. This policy has finally been dropped in Scotland, but to turn around the devastation caused will take decades.

The young, unless they have rich parents who can help them on to the property ladder or with rent payments, have been particularly affected, with many more young people living in the parental home.

Housing Associations have, in part, helped to provide accommodation but in a market like Aberdeen’s, where private rents are high, the effect on people’s standard of living is devastating. Those renting out flats have made a killing. Many people have moved to Aberdeenshire to access cheaper housing, creating ever-increasing chaos on the roads leading into Aberdeen.

Although Aberdeen is relatively affluent, there are a number of localities with significant social and economic challenges. In the 2012 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 22 areas in the city are among the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland. The figures in relation to health are more striking, 48 areas of the city fall into the 155 most deprived areas in the country.

http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/global-wealth-inequality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGdRM3C_wjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGdRM3C_wjc&feature=player_embedded

Jonathan Russell continues exploration of the growing inequalities in wealth globally, in the UK and here in Aberdeen in the next issue of Aberdeen Voice.

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NE Company Continues To Invest In The Future

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Oct 212013

With thanks to Dave Macdermid

A growing NE service company has reinforced its commitment to investment in young and talented personnel with the hiring of the organisation’s twentieth subsea technician, Scott White.

Scott spent more than a decade in the Royal Navy and is delighted with his change of career.

Scott said:

“It is very exciting to join the company at this growth stage and to become part of this organisation. I am looking forward to commence my on-the-job training after completing intense in house training.”

Since its formation in 2009, East Tullos-based SUBC Engineering has amassed a total of 130 engineers.

Managing Director Colin Burney ( pictured ) is aware of the need to invest in the future of the industry, and said:

“We are pleased to have all those new and talented people as part of our successful and expanding team as our business relies absolutely on knowledgeable and talented people and, as a consequence of our intensive growth plans, we plan to hire an additional forty personnel over the next twelve months to meet the growing demand for our services.”

All SUBC offshore employees undergo rigorous internal competence-based training programmes. Newer and less-experienced engineers also take part in mentoring sessions with in-house mentors, each of whom have more than a quarter of a century’s offshore experience as subsea engineers.

www.subceng.com.

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Smithy’s Scribblins No 10 – Aboot “Vandalism” In Oor Toon

Aberdeenshire, Opinion 8 Responses »

Oct 042013

By Bob Smith.

Lamgamachies in the papers aboot vandalism in oor bonnie toon mair than afen dweels on the connachin o play parks, brakkin skweel windaes, settin fire tae delerict biggins, damage tae cars or graffiti clartit on wa’s cairry’t oot bi fowk fa hiv nithing better tae dee or are jist doonricht coorse cyaards.

The “vandalism” a’m spikkin aboot tho’ is cairry’t oot bi the cooncil an their planners or bi developers an their erchitects.

Iss his bin gyaan on sin ivver a cam in fae the kwintra tae bide in the toon close on fifty ‘ear ago.

Gweed fowk compleened awa back ‘en. Nae buggar took muckle notice o them. Fowk compleen nooadays. Nae buggar taks muckle notice o them. So nithings chynged a hear ye say. O aye thingies are chyngin. There’s noo a growein nummer o fowk faa are fair scunner’t at fit’s bin gyaan on in Aiberdeen unner the guise o ‘progress’.

I like the followin quote bi the author C.S.Lewis faa said,

“We all want progress but if you are on the wrong road progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road. In that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive”.

So fit wi need in iss toon is somebody faa staans up an says, “aneuch is aneuch, we’re on the wrang roddie, time tae turn back an fin the richt roddie, syne gyaang forrit the gither”.

It winna be the developers cos their interest is jist profit. Foo biggins leuk in relation tae the neebourin eens disna cum intae their wye o thinkin.

It winna be the erchitects cos their interest is profit as weel an een o the wyes they mak profit is bi drawin up somethin tae please the fowk faa employ them.

Aat jist leaves the cooncil an their planners. Aat bein the case as Private Frazer in Dad’s Army wid hae said “we’re doomed, we’re doomed”. A base aat fact on fit his happen’t ower the past fyow decades.

the faither o them aa fin it comes tae ‘vandalism’, the biggin o St Nicholas Hoose

Cast yer myn back, if yer auld aneuch, tae the bonnie Northern Co-op arcade atween Loch Street an the Gallagate. Noo if ivver there wis a chunce tae turn aat arcade intae a mair modern ‘mall’ sae lo’ed bi today’s shoppers, iss wis it. Fit happen’t?

The Northern Co-op biggit a new store nae a hunner yairds fae far the arcade wis an the auld biggin wis left empty tae nearly faa doon tull it wis ruggit doon in the ‘regeneration’ o the area. Aat included biggin the bliddy Bon-Accord Cinter fit effectively cut aff George Street fae the then bustlin Union Street. Progress? Na, na. Jist anither example o ‘vandalism’ in Aiberdeen.

Jist a wee bittie afore iss, Marks an Sparks wintit tae expand their store in St Nicholas Street. Tae accommodate iss, Wallace Toor wid hae bin destroyed in anither act o vandalism if historian Dr Simpson hidna munt’t a campaign tae save the B-listed biggin. Marks an Sparks gied Aiberdeen cooncil siller tae help shift the toor tae far it is noo at Tillydrone.

Wid Aiberdeen Cooncil hae refused plannin permission withoot gettin fit some fowk aat the time ca’ed a ‘backhander’? We’ll nivver ken.

Noo we cum tae the faither o them aa fin it comes tae ‘vandalism’, the biggin o St Nicholas Hoose, fit ..
1) blotted oot the fine view o Provost Skene’s Hoose an connach’t the adjinin gairdens,
2) wis completely at odds wi it’s neebour Marischal College, an
3)wis doonricht ugly.

They’re stairtin tae rugg doon iss monstrosity an noo we can eence agin see the byowty o Provost Skene’s Hoose. Nae fer lang tho’ cos some Philistines wint tae hide it agin ahint mair bliddy steel an gless boxes.

There are mony ither examples o ‘vandalism’ in iss toon. ‘The Pint’ idea fer the Triple Kirks site bein een o them bit a wid rin oot o space if a wis tae list them aa.

We are telt o coorse that fooiver ugly squaar or rectangular steel an gless biggins are, iss is the wye forrit as they are chaiper tae pit up than the likes o granite.

So there ye hae it fowks—Oor eence bonnie toon wull hae tae leuk like a ‘dog’s brakfast’, cos onything else bit steel an gless canna be affordit. An here wis me thinkin we bade in ‘Ile Rich Aiberdeen’.

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