Challenges in the oil industry for another many years

The international oil industry is running on turbo. Dramatically increasing demand from countries like India and China has boosted the oil prices and motivated the oil companies to invest more than before. The increasing profits generate more resources for exploring new areas and develop new technologies increasing production from existing fields or making marginal fields commercial.

Lack of specialists
The increasing activity means a dramatic increase in the demand for specialists. Both the US and Europe are lacking experienced geologists, geophysicists and oil engineers. And at the same time the research and training institutions from where new talents are to be recruited report of decreasing interest among young people in natural science in general and geology and geophysics in particular. This is a challenge Maersk Oil is preparing to meet.

“We still have to attract competent young people to the oil industry. People on one hand require major professional challenges, good career opportunities, interesting colleagues and work and on the other hand they must be willing to contribute to the success of their company. We may attract them by constantly developing our company and listen to the demands and wishes expressed by our present and future employees.

As the largest oil and gas operator in Denmark it is a natural responsibility for us to tell about the work and challenges in the oil and gas industry. We offer lots of interesting opportunities and professional challenges now and in the future for engineers, geologists and a number of other professions as we shall meet major challenges, too, when extending our activities in the future outside the mere technological sphere,” states Deputy Director Anders Würtzen, Maersk Oil.

“You get hooked on working in the oil industry!”
states Deputy Director Anders Würtzen from Maersk Oil.

More professional challenges
That young people are showing lack of interest in scientific subjects of special interest to the oil industry might be caused by the myth that the global resources of oil and gas are depleting. But all indications show that it is an unfounded myth – at least within the time span realistic for the next generation of newly trained specialists.

Actually the increasing demand for oil is more likely to offer even more interesting professional challenges for the specialists in the oil and gas industry. There will be a need for new technologies and solutions bridging the gab between scientific disciplines and national borders. The oil industry needs and has the economical resources for utilizing the most advanced kinds of information and communications technology.

“Our employees stay with us for many years as they constantly meet professional challenges, and because we can offer them an international work environment inside and outside Denmark. You actually get hooked on this world where everything is large: large investments, large turn-over, large installations, large decisions, large opportunities, large attention, large interest from socie-ty and so on. I am sure that is attractive to our future employees.”

Attractive work site for geo-scientists
As a medium-sized oil company focusing on organic growth and technological innovation Maersk Oil is most conscious of the challenges encountered by the oil industry in the fight for attracting future talents.

Maersk Oil considers itself an international work site to an increasing degree recruiting its personnel globally in order for them to make an international career. At the Danish work sites in the North Sea, Esbjerg and the headquarters in Copenhagen the organisation is international, too, so that employees, whose families are tied to Denmark, may get inspiration from other cultures and feel the international atmosphere. Employees wanting an international career are offered great opportunities at one of the company’s offices around the world. Maersk Oil at present is involved in production of oil and gas in 5 countries and exploration in another 10.

“We would like to tell the remarkable story of the development of oil and gas, of the steps taken since our start 40 years ago, and of the many opportunities waiting in the future. As an example we have supported updated training material for schools on the North Sea oil. There are many angles and views as to the activities in the North Sea, but their common denominator is that they are most important to the Danish society.”

Advanced technology
Maersk Oil has developed new facilities for young people being caught by the great opportunities in the global oil industry in order to support its ambition to be an innovative frontrunner in the global oil industry.

“We are constantly developing new training and development programmes making our company attractive to present and new employees. One of the latest initiatives is an internal training programme, Maersk International Technology and Science, MITAS - a two years course for young engineers or geoscientists.”

During the two years the students are placed in three different technical areas where they are taught technical and non-technical subjects and exposed to practical problems to be solved under the tuition of experienced specialists. The first year 50 students from 12 nationalities started on the programme in eight of the company’s business areas. 30% of the students were women, and the average age was 28 years.

As a tangible example of the unique conditions for work at Maersk
Oil Anders Würtzen points out the company’s newly established
M-PACT Centre (Maersk Planning Advisory & Collaboration Team)
placed at the headquarters in Copenhagen. Use of the most advanced
information and communications technology comprising i.a. 3-D
visualizing provides a direct dialogue between the headquarters in
Copenhagen, the Esbjerg office and the drilling rigs.

As a tangible example of the future-oriented conditions for work at Maersk Oil Anders Würtzen points out the company’s newly established M-PACT Centre (Maersk Planning Advisory & Collaboration Team) placed at the offices in Copenhagen. Use of the most advanced information and communications technology comprising i.a. 3-D visualizing provides a direct dialogue between the headquarters in Copenhagen, the Esbjerg office and the drilling rigs. Everybody has access to the same data making it possible for the centre to supervise current exploration and production activities.

Based on real-time data a multi-discipline team of drilling engineers, reservoir engineers, geologists and geophysicists can discuss how to optimize activities and what consequences a decision may have. Thereby it is possible to generate faster and better based decisions and contribute to distributing new experience and insight to the entire organisation. Through the centre specialist knowledge can be used more efficiently so there will be no use for parallel teams of specialists. Generally, Maersk Oil expects the centre to create a more exciting work site for its employees and at the same time make exploration and production more efficient.