Working offshore can be intimidating for the uninitiated—even more so when getting work abroad. This article presents an overview of the major locations around the globe with opportunities for offshore work. Knowing which areas have strong or promising opportunities should help in your decision to find a job out in domestic or foreign seas.
The North Sea
In the offshore energy industry, the North Sea is generally recognised to include the geographical North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the West of Shetland.
This region is the primary producer of oil and gas in Western Europe, with the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands involved in oil production in the area. It has the world’s highest number of offshore rigs—with 184 in total, as of January 2018.
As of 2019 49% of the UK’s offshore workforce is in the Central North Sea, 11% in the Northern North Sea, 9% in the Southern North Sea, and 3% in the West of Shetland. The Aberdeen area is where the largest proportion of UK offshore workers reside.
The West of Shetland is predicted to play a central role in the revival of the UK Continental Shelf, with recent developments in the Schiehallion and Clair fields by BP (production already ongoing) and Total’s discovery of the Glendronach gas field in the Greater Laggan Area in late 2018 (project kicked off with drilling an appraisal well in July this year).
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is located in the American Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by Mexico, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Cuba. It is one of the primary resources of energy production of the United States. The Gulf coast is home to 45% of the total US petroleum refining capacity and 51% of the total US natural gas processing plant capacity. It has 175 offshore rigs as of January 2018, placing it just below the North Sea for most offshore rigs in the world.
Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama are the three Gulf Coast states that have offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Small to mid-sized private companies, such as Talos Energy and Kosmos Energy, are investing in deepwater exploration in the US Gulf. Oil production in the area is expected to hit a record high in 2019.
Venezuela
Venezuela is considered one of the wealthiest nations in South America, thanks to its massive oil reserves in Lake Maracaibo, the Gulf of Venezuela, and the Orinoco River basin. In fact, Venezuela is said to have the largest proven oil reserves with 308 billion barrels.
However, political turmoil and trade sanctions from the US have devastated the country’s economy. Oil production is around 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day in late 2018, down from 3 million at the turn of the century.
As of September 2018, there are only 25 active rigs left in the country, which still provide opportunities for aspiring offshore employees.
Brazil
As a stark contrast to Venezuela’s energy production and trade woes, its South American neighbour Brazil is showing great promise in the development of its offshore industry.
The country produced 3.36 million barrels per day of petroleum and other liquids in 2017, making it the largest producer in South America and the third largest in the Americas, behind the US and Canada.
Brazil’s liberalisation of its natural gas and oil industry has enticed lucrative private investments in offshore development of its Campos and Santos basins. Chevron, BP, and Repsol (among other multinational energy corporations), as well as the national petroleum company Petrobras, are doing offshore work on the Brazilian coast and in pre-salt zones.
Arabian Gulf
Also known as the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Gulf is a Mediterranean sea in Western Asia. To its north lies Iran, and south west of it are seven Arab states—Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.
Apart from Iraq, these six countries enjoy economic prosperity because of their proximity to the Arabian Gulf, which is the largest single source of petroleum in the world. The Safaniya Oil Field, the largest offshore oil field in the world, is also located here. The Persian Gulf has the third most number of offshore rigs in the world with 159 as of January 2018.
Despite the great oil price crash of 2014, the Arabian Gulf continues to be a reliable region for offshore production and development. Offshore activity is expected to increase throughout 2019, particularly in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with Saudi Aramco planning on going public.
Angola
The Republic of Angola faces the Atlantic Ocean in South-Central Africa. It is the second largest producer of oil in Africa, and this industry contributes about half of the nation’s GDP and 89% of its exports. The country produces about 1.37 million barrels of crude oil per day from the Angolan coast. Angola is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Angola’s rapid growth from 2000 came to a halt in 2014 due to the oil price crash. The government has made reforms to improve the nation’s offshore energy industry. Total started the ultra-deepwater Kaombo project, while Sonangol EP and ExxonMobil look to explore the Namibe Basin for oil and gas.
Equatorial Guinea
Another bright light in Central Africa for offshore opportunity is Equatorial Guinea. The tiny coastal country is only behind Angola in oil production in the African continent, with 199,000 barrels per day. Its oil is produced from the Gulf of Guinea. Natural gas is its other main export taken from the coast of Bioko Island.
ExxonMobil, Ophir Energy, Noble Energy, and Marathon Oil run offshore operations for oil and natural gas in Equatorial Guinea. The government also has sought investments from China and other Asian countries to develop and explore its resource-rich coast.
China
With the world’s biggest population and the second largest economy, China is constantly looking to satisfy its growing energy needs through imports and domestic production. Its local offshore oil and gas operations are in the South China Sea, Bohai Bay, the South Yellow Sea, and the Beibu Gulf.
The three national oil companies—Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)—have major control over the region. Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillip, Schlumberger, and Halliburton are some of the few international private companies that have a limited presence in the area, and mostly through partnerships with the national oil companies.
China wants to reduce its reliance on imports to power the country, and aims to do so by investing more in domestic exploration and building infrastructure. The Asian juggernaut is also looking to move rigs back to the homeland to aid in an ambitious effort to increase its oil production by up to 50%.
India
Not far behind China in rapid population and economic growth, India is also going down multiple avenues to address its ever-increasing consumption of oil and natural gas. Currently, the country has focused its offshore production efforts in Gujarat and Rajasthan to the west and the Assam-Arakan basin to the north east.
India has courted foreign investments to help in the discovery, exploration, and development of offshore sites that are potentially resource-rich. There have already been major discoveries in the Krishna-Godavari Basin to the east coast, while multiple developments and surveys are ongoing in the Western Offshore Basin, offshore Mumbai, and in the Arabian sea.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas also started in 2015 a geological survey of India’s 26 sedimentary basins to review the presence of hydrocarbons in the area, which will finish in 2020.
Malaysia
Malaysia is the largest natural gas exporter in Southeast Asia, having exported 26.87 million tonnes in 2017. It is also the third largest oil producer in the region. Its continental shelf has three basins that produce petroleum: the Malay basin, offshore peninsular Malaysia to the west, and the Sarawak and Sabah basins to the east.
Its largest offshore field, Tapis field, was subject to an enhanced oil recovery project via a partnership with ExxonMobil and the national oil company Petronas. The country also has deepwater fields, such as Siakap North-Petai off the west coast of Sabah and Gumusut-Kakap north west of Sabah, which are still being explored and used for production. Shell and Murphy Oil are other notable foreign energy companies operating in the country.
If offshore work is the career path you’d like to take, visit our jobs page and see if there are opportunities available in the region/country you have your eyes on.
