Review by Henk Kombrink, PESGB Aberdeen Director

Although most of us would argue we are still in a downturn, the general atmosphere at the Granite City Reception was surely of a positive nature. Helped by two rounds of beer tasting – as always very well organised by the Aberdeen Young Professionals – people were clearly enjoying themselves whilst meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Like the oil industry the PESGB has gone through a difficult few years of cost reduction with one result being the scaling back of the party to make it cash neutral. Gone is the impressive venue and entertainment, and instead replaced with a laidback location offering hearty food and local beverages. The feedback from guests was that Underdog offered an excellent venue for informal networking and discussion where everyone felt relaxed.

It was really good to see that many young folk appreciate the benefit of attending these kind of events, as this is the place where ‘old’ meets ‘new’. It was so interesting to hear the stories about trading wells in the North Sea from a veteran in the business who had just retired this year. Back in the days when many wells were drilled and the results kept secret for a long time, companies often decided to trade the data from wells that had just been drilled in exchange for the results of other tight wells drilled by competitors. Times have changed; there’s far fewer wells being drilled and the results are being made available much quicker partially driven by investors. Admitting his job was therefore much less in demand, it’s testament to the change this industry is experiencing, at the pace of the turn of generations. But he also said it’s a good thing and in order to get the most of a mature basins such as the North Sea data sharing is of utmost importance.

Speaking to two PhD students from Aberdeen University this very discussion came into another light when one of them mentioned that she’s using 3D seismic data to investigate the glacial history of the Inner Moray Firth. It’s in these days where the potential of data acquired for entirely different purposes is being translated into something very much worth looking into. Finally, the Granite City Reception is an opportunity to speak to our Executive Director Maria Iredale who again travelled up from London with Rosy Chirayath to support the Aberdeen membership and to hear what’s going on in Scotland. I’m looking forward to next year’s party and with Nick Allan in charge – our new Aberdeen Director Elect – it’s all in very good hands!