Paris, France – 3 February 2015

CGG announces that it has been awarded an extension to a major 3D seismic survey it successfully completed on the Caribbean coast offshore Colombia in late 2015.

The new survey follows on from the original over 16,000-km² survey CGG conducted over portions of the Col-1 and Col-2 blocks, which was the largest survey ever recorded offshore Colombia. This major extension is expected to start in February 2016. The additional data will also be processed in CGG’s Houston subsurface imaging center.

Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO, CGG, said: “This survey extension is the latest in a series of projects we have conducted for this key client offshore Colombia since 2013 and indicates the continuing satisfaction with CGG’s seismic technology and operational performance. We look forward to continuing to support high-impact exploration opportunities with our high-end geosciences services and solutions.”

The contracts awarded on behalf of the license partners include marine operations, marine construction, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of an unmanned wellhead platform as well as modifications at the Oseberg Field Centre.

The contracts have a combined value of approximately NOK 1.6 billion.

“We are very pleased to be able to award these contracts now to suppliers that all have a good track record for Statoil,” says Torger Rød, senior vice president for project development in Statoil. Statoil submitted the plan for development and operation (PDO) of Oseberg Vestflanken 2 just before Christmas, and the contract awards are subject to government approval of the PDO.

The field development will provide 110 million barrels of oil equivalent and will be profitable even in a low oil price scenario.

• Technip Norway A/S has been awarded contracts for pipe laying at Johan Sverdrup and Oseberg Vestflanken 2. The combined contract value is approximately NOK 400 million.

• Ocean Installer has been awarded contracts for marine construction and installation at Oseberg Vestflanken 2, Johan Sverdrup and Gina Krog. The combined contract value is approximately NOK 200 million.

• Hereema Fabrication Group has been awarded the contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the unmanned wellhead platform at Oseberg Vestflanken 2. Hereema Marine Construction will be responsible for transport and installation of the platform. The combined contract value is approximately NOK 800 million.

• Aibel has been awarded the contract for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) on the Oseberg Field Centre, to prepare the platform for receiving the well stream from Oseberg Vestflanken 2. This contract has a value of approximately NOK 200 million.

Late last year FMC was awarded a contract for delivering two subsea trees for the existing subsea template to be included at Oseberg Vestflanken 2. This contract value is approximately NOK 120 million plus options.

The Oseberg Vestflanken 2 development will consist of an unmanned wellhead platform with 10 well slots. Two existing subsea wells will also be reused. The well stream will be routed to the Oseberg Field Centre via a new pipeline, and the wells will be remote-controlled from the Field Centre.

Wellhead platforms with no facilities, helicopter deck or lifeboats represent a new solution in Norway, but it has been thoroughly tested in other areas, such as the Danish and Dutch continental shelves.

IRM Systems, an independent authority on emergency pipeline repairs, announced that as a result of a new and innovative approach to pipeline repair, it contributed to achieving dramatic cost-savings on the recent repair of a live subsea pipeline in the Java Sea, Indonesia. The objective of the operation was to seal a tear on a weld seam by installing a permanent repair solution.

IRM Systems began providing engineering services for the project in January 2015. Normally, the operation would have been executed by a major EPIC company – and nearly was – but in this instance, the operator decided to do something different. It decided that it should be executed by a smaller service contractor, drawing upon the services of a constellation of specialist providers, including IRM Systems.

A graphic image of a habitat installed over a pipeline.

To ensure that the project would succeed, the operator brought a certification body on board to assist with the engineering and advise on overall quality. Working with IRM Systems, the primary contractor selected the manufacturers and fabricators of the repair clamp, and conducted offshore surveys in cooperation with specialist survey contractors. The components of the repair solution were tested in Norway and the Netherlands in August, and successfully installed on to the live gas pipeline in October 2015, well within schedule.

Given the success of this project, the operator plans to use the approach used for this project as the standard template for more projects throughout the region. Not just repair projects, but for routine maintenance and inspection tasks.

The key to the success of this project is twofold. “First, you must have a highly organized body to coordinate the project. It’s essential that it has a strong grip on all of the players,” said Rutger Schouten. “Secondly, the team must have hands-on experience that duplicates - or exceeds - that of bigger players. Without that, you will not achieve the same quality targets as those completed by bigger players.”

Aquatic Engineering & Construction Ltd, an Acteon company, is working with DNV GL and other organisations in the subsea supply chain, on a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop a set of guidelines to be incorporated into new or existing DNV GL Offshore Standards or Recommended Practices. The guidelines will be, ‘The Development of Codes for Offshore Equipment for Cable and Pipe Laying – Phase 1.’

The JIP will develop a set of guidelines to be incorporated into DNV GL

David Tibbetts, vice president, technology, Aquatic, said, “We were eager to get involved with this ground breaking project due to the lack of coherent standards for the specification, design, manufacture, procurement and approval of equipment intended for use in offshore cable and pipe laying operations. DNV approached Aquatic because we are the obvious supply chain choice, due to our market leading reputation, our extensive range of products, four decades of experience and our close working relationships with all of the leading contractors.

“The work involves engineering and technical experts from contractors and equipment manufacturers like Aquatic, collaborating in order to establish joint industry guidelines for our type of equipment, where at present nothing exists. Subject to satisfactory completion of the first two phases, a third phase undertaken by DNV GL will result in the publication of an Offshore Standard or Recommend Practice for cable/pipe laying equipment.”

The Road Map for the project proposed by DNV GL in November 2014 consisted of the following phases:

Phase 1: Mapping the Big Picture. This is intended to provide a common, system level understanding of the equipment required for the successful laying of cables and pipes.

Phase 2: Mapping the Detail. This is intended to focus on the individual components of the system to identify their inputs, outputs and interaction with other system components.

Phase 3: Following the culmination of Phases 1 and 2, which are scheduled to be completed during 2016 and will result in the creation of industry guidelines and a glossary of common terms for cable and pipe laying equipment, there is potential for a third phase, which will lead to the publication of a DNV GL Standard for Certification or Recommended Practice.

Dr.-Eng Marius Popa, lead naval architect, DNV GL, said, “Consistency and collaboration within the industry is essential. Individual practices create unnecessary cost and risk, so the development of a unified approach will ensure standardisation across the supply chain. The JIP will deliver a decision tool that can be used by all stakeholders during the specification, design, manufacture, procurement and approval of any equipment intended for use in offshore cable/pipe laying and recovery.”

Phase 1 participants include: Allseas Engineering; Amclyde Norson Engineering; Aquatic Engineering & Construction Ltd; IHC Engineering Business; IHC SAS BV; MAATS Tech Ltd; NLI Offshore & Marine Products AS; Parkburn Precision Handling Systems Ltd; Reel SAS (IMECA); Saipem Group ; Subsea 7 and Technip UK Ltd.

Almost 7,000 visits were made to Europe’s largest subsea event, Subsea Expo, held in Aberdeen last week, despite the industry facing its toughest year ever.

The exhibition and conference, organized by Subsea UK, attracted just under 5,000 individual delegates, many of whom visited more than once over the three days. International delegates flew in from all corners of the world, including Africa, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria and the US.

Chief executive of Subsea UK, Neil Gordon, said: “A clear message from the show was that we have to get fit for $30 oil. We cannot keep hoping that the price, and therefore investment and activity, will pick up in a year or so. Transforming the way we work is crucial. A large dose of vision and courage from the leaders in our industry is needed to achieve the behavioral changes that will ensure we are profitable and sustainable at $30. The good news is that we can do this but it’s not going to be easy. Much greater collaboration will drive standardization and simplification which are key to getting the cost base down. The subsea sector is up for the challenge and there was real evidence of this type of collaboration in action during Subsea Expo.”

A number of companies launched technology at the show. Xodus unveiled its new asset lifecycle screening tool HAWXEYE at the event. Graeme Rogerson, operations director at Xodus Group said: “Subsea Expo has been the ideal venue to not only showcase our new HAWXEYE technology but also demonstrate and discuss our agile way of working in this cost-constrained climate. The mood at the show has been buoyant and very much focused on the need to look at new ways of working to adapt to this ‘new norm’.”

Block 14 is located in the Pelotas basin of the South Atlantic Ocean, approximately 200 kilometers off the coast of Uruguay. It covers an area of 6,690 square kilometers in water depths of 1,850 to 3,500 meters.

Statoil has acquired 15% working interest from operator Total. This transaction is pending governmental approval. Total retains a 50% working interest. The partnership also includes ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Uruguay B.V. with 35% working interest.

“With this transaction, we are positioning ourselves in yet another underexplored basin with upside potential. This is in line with our exploration strategy of early access at scale, and strengthens Statoil’s long-term international portfolio,” says Nicholas Alan Maden, senior vice president for exploration in Statoil.

Total has completed an extensive data collection program, including acquiring new 3D seismic data covering the block. The partnership is now preparing to drill the Raya prospect during the first half of 2016.

“It is exciting that we are able to test this opportunity so quickly, to explore a new geological concept in this frontier deep-water area,” says Maden.

Block 14 was awarded to Total in 2012. Based on the results of the Raya well, the partnership will decide further steps.

Statoil’s entry into Uruguay further expands its extensive position in Latin-America. In neighboring Brazil, Statoil operates the Peregrino field, the Pão de Açúcar discovery and holds a large portfolio of exploration acreage. Statoil is also present in Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela and Suriname.

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) has appointed Gordon Ballard to be its new Executive Director. He began on January 15^th , succeeding Michael Engell-Jensen, who is retiring after five years.

Gordon comes to IOGP after spending 30 years working with oilfield services company, Schlumberger, on four continents. He became Schlumberger’s UK Chair in 2005. He has also served as Chair of the UK’s Oil and Gas Industry Council and of OPITO International, the upstream oil & gas skills organization, and was Co-Chair of industry trade association Oil & Gas UK.

He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a B.SC. Hons in Civil Engineering and holds a Masters in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University.

Commenting on his new role, Gordon said: ‘For the foreseeable future much of the energy the world needs will come from the oil and gas that IOGP’s members produce: for heat, light and transport as well as a reliable, cleaner-burning complement to solar and wind power. I’m eager to work with member companies and associations to get the message across that secure and affordable energy supplies are essential for global prosperity.

‘Equally important is IOGP’s role in helping our members to find and produce oil and gas safely and sustainably. In light of the recent breakthroughs at the Paris climate summit, we are focused on furthering our work with civil society and governments. Such engagement will help to build the world’s understanding of the crucial nature of what we do,’ Gordon said.

‘It’s an exciting time to be taking the helm of IOGP – an organization that has become stronger and more forthright under Michael Engell-Jensen’s able leadership. I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.’

In the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) round 2015, Statoil has been awarded interest in 24 licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), 13 of those as operator and 11 as partner.

"The NCS is the core of Statoil’s business and we are pleased with the awards in the APA 2015 round, which will allow us and the industry to further explore for value. This award is an important contribution to replenishing our exploration portfolio and in the work to maintain the production on the NCS until 2030 and beyond,” says Jez Averty, senior vice president for NCS exploration in Statoil.

Jez Averty, senior vice president for NCS exploration in Statoil. (Photo: Ivar Langvik)

Two commitment wells are included in the work program in areas important to Statoil. Both prospects are potential tie-back opportunities to existing infrastructure – Blåmann to Goliat and Cape Vulture to Norne.

The “Blåmann” prospect in the Barents Sea, where Statoil is operator with 50% participating interest and ENI and Petoro partnering with 30% and 20% respectively, has a firm well commitment to be drilled within two years of award.

The “Cape Vulture” prospect is awarded as an extension of the “Norne” license (PL128) in the Norwegian Sea in which Statoil’s holds a 64% interest, ENI 11.5% and Petoro 24.5%. Also here, the work program comprises a firm well commitment to be fulfilled within two years of the award.

“The APA 2015 award is an important component of securing future activity and value creation on the NCS. We also look forward to the announcement of awards in the 23rd concession round later in the year, in particular the new acreage in the Barents Sea South-East which is an important contribution to further exploration in frontier areas of the NCS," says Averty.

In APA 2015, Statoil has been awarded new licenses in all three NCS provinces.

Aker Solutions won a framework agreement to provide engineering and construction services for several offshore oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea.

The contract has a fixed period of five years as well as an option to be extended by five years. Aker Solutions' maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) business in the UK will deliver on the assignment, which was awarded by an international oil and gas operator.

"Winning this contract in such a competitive market proves Aker Solutions' ability to find effective ways to support our customers at a challenging time for the industry," said David Clark, Aker Solutions' regional president for Europe and Africa.

The contract was booked as part of Aker Solutions' fourth-quarter 2015 order intake.

GE Oil & Gas (NYSE: GE) has announced the creation of its new Oil & Gas Digital Solutions business, appointing Matthias Heilmann as head of the organization and Chief Digital Officer. GE also announced the development of a pilot program with BP and a business partnership with subsurface software company Paradigm.

“Digitization has become not only a competitive differentiator but increasingly, a necessity,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, Chief Executive Officer of GE Oil & Gas. “We are evolving our business and digital offerings to match the needs of our customers, partnering with them to embrace the transition and help make their businesses stronger long-term.”

“As we move to a digital world in the oil and gas industry, we look to digital technologies to help us move to the next level of operational excellence. These digital technologies offer the opportunity to collaboratively develop industry-leading solutions to address some of the most significant challenges in field operations,” said Dave Feineman, senior advisor on digital technology in BP’s Upstream Technology organization.

This solution will provide analytical insights at enterprise scale through knowledge sharing on demand. Now process engineers can eliminate disruptions by being proactive and analyze problems more efficiently, based on having underlying insights available when needed to advise the offshore team and take action.

Utilizing GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) software and Predix , the solution is scalable enterprise wide and can be deployed rapidly and globally at low cost.

In today’s economic environment, operators need to maximize the life of existing reservoirs while reducing operating costs. Improving problem detection and treatment design alone can reduce operational costs by 10-25% through fewer interventions and more efficient resource utilization. RDPO provides a clearer understanding of the reservoir geology, permanent monitoring of wells, and predictive analytics, so that operators are better equipped to understand risks and act upon them.

With growing instrumentation throughout the oilfield, operators have access real-time production data such as pressures and flow rates. RDPO enables production engineers to make use of all that data, conduct nodal analyses and evaluate diagnostics via links to a 3D model of the subsurface. The result is a better understanding of the impact of production interventions before taking costly and potentially adverse actions.

“Today, production engineers often rely on single well analysis to make production decisions that have field-wide impact. Partnering with GE, we can now provide a unified view of both production and reservoir data for optimal decision making,” said Arshad Matin, CEO of Paradigm.

Through this collaboration, GE and Paradigm can help operators exceed production targets and manage operational costs by selecting superior infill drilling locations, improving well intervention strategies and optimizing and predicting flood behavior.

- One-third of US respondents are concerned that they do not have a strategy in place to maintain innovation in a declined market -

A new research report published by DNV GL reveals that skills shortages are seen as a barrier to growth and an increasing concern throughout the US. More than half of the respondents believe organizations are taking a short-term approach to skills and career development.

A New Reality: the outlook for the oil and gas industry in 2016, a DNV GL report based on a global survey of 921 senior professionals in the sector1, shows that an increased portion of US respondents see cost management as the top priority in 2016 (38% compared to 25% in 2015).

In terms of cost-cutting strategies, 42% identify tougher decisions on CAPEX approvals as amongst the highest priority; this is 9 percentage points higher than the global average. At the same time, 30% of respondents confirm that their approach to cutting costs is to reduce exposure to and involvement in higher-risk projects (25% globally).

Key findings in the research report include:

• 52%, versus the global average of 43%, of respondents believe that their organization is taking a short-term approach to skills and career development

• 38% still believe their company is taking a long-term approach to innovation and R&D

• Skills shortages and the aging workforce are increasingly seen as barriers to growth in the US (21% in 2016 compared to 13% in 2015), and now exceed the global average of 14%

• 28% of respondents expect to see additional job losses, especially within the publicly traded sector. This is up 5 percentage points from 23% in 2015

• Cost management is established as a top corporate priority, rising from 25% (2015) to 38% (2016)

• The proportion of respondents who believe that operators will increasingly push to standardize their operations is 60%, which is in line with the global average

Peter Bjerager, executive vice president, director of division Americas in DNV GL Oil & Gas, says: “The majority believe that oil prices will remain lower-for-longer, which ultimately leads to continued pressure on cost management. Within this region, and throughout DNV GL, we continue to focus on new ways to drive research and innovation. We partner with every segment of the value chain and look for new ways to improve through standardization. It's encouraging to see that leaders in oil and gas companies are also seeking new ways to standardize operations as a preferred way of driving efficiency.”

This year’s report shows that six out of ten (61%) respondents agree that operators will increasingly push to standardize their approach globally - an increase of 9 percentage points since 2014.

Elisabeth Tørstad, CEO of DNV GL - Oil & Gas, says: "While the industry is understandably preoccupied with generating shorter-term value, we must also keep an eye on where longer-term value and permanent efficiency gains can be achieved.

"Innovation is not just about finding the breakthrough technologies, although that is important too, it is also about making things simpler and more efficient and ultimately helping the industry to safely cut costs. At DNV GL, we are continuing to invest 5% of our revenue in R&D as we see this as a key enabler for long-term competitiveness,” she continues.

Other findings include:

• Not unexpectedly, uneconomic oil prices (63%) and the weak global economy (34%) are seen by US respondents as the two biggest barriers to growth in 2016. A growing regulatory burden is also cited by 21% of US respondents

• One-third of respondents in the US (33%) listed subsea technologies as the top new or emerging technology impact areas for 2016

• The percentage of US respondents who believe there will be increased consolidation in the sector is higher than the global average (81% vs. 72%)

Download a complimentary copy of A New Reality: the outlook for the oil and gas industry in 2016.

Asset Guardian Solutions Ltd (AGSL), which specializes in protecting companies’ process control software assets, announced that it has landed another contract to support an oil and gas supermajor in Perth, Western Australia.

The contract is the second to be awarded by this operator in Australia to AGSL in the last 12 months.

Once again, AGSL will provide the Asset Guardian toolset, which provides a secure repository to store back-up software files and associated data, allowing them to be easily accessed in the event of a software-related production system failure. Asset Guardian will also manage all process software configuration changes.

Maintaining communications in “cyclone country”

Because the LNG project is located in “cyclone country”, communications between its onshore facilities and offshore project teams are often disrupted. To ensure that the integrity of all software and data files managed by Asset Guardian is maintained when communications break down, AGSL is also supplying its AGSync software.

AGSync synchronizes software and data files across multiple locations and continues to operate during periods of disrupted communication, allowing all files between locations to synchronize as soon as communication links are restored.

Australian oil and gas market looks to Asset Guardian

For AGSL, the Australian oil and gas market has really taken off. The recent contract is the fourth Australian contract to be awarded to AGSL during the last three years, beginning with an order from Woodside Energy. Shortly thereafter, INPEX followed suit, adopting Asset Guardian for the Ichthys LNG Project.

“This recent award demonstrates the confidence that Australia-based oil and gas operators have in Asset Guardian’s ability to manage their process software, reliably and effectively,” said Sam Mackay, chief executive of AGSL. “The rapid rate at which the Australian market has embraced Asset Guardian has encouraged us to consider expanding our presence in the region in 2016.”

Siemens UK & Ireland has formed a strategic partnership with oil and gas control system specialist, EFC Group, in a collaboration which promises to deliver innovative, cost-saving solutions for the industry.

The partnership developed after EFC Group selected Siemens as its preferred supplier of automation and control systems in 2010, following an audit into its Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) supply, usage and technology.

Siemens UK & Ireland’s technology has since assisted EFC Group with developing and certifying its Hazardous Area range of Remote I/O (RIO). This is now implemented across its range of drilling safety critical control systems for the oil and gas industry. The RIO solution has a number of benefits over traditional enclosure-based EExD technology, including the ability to deploy at convenient locations, leading to cost savings due to reduced cabling requirements.

Users of EFC’s systems can also make further savings through preventative maintenance, delivered by condition monitoring technology from Siemens. This ensures there is minimal unplanned downtime, increasing a site’s operational efficiency. The systems’ reduced size is also ideally suited to offshore installations where floor space is at a premium.

Louise Creane-Smith, Commercial Director at EFC comments: “We have experienced positive uptake and success using the certified RIO solution across a number of our safety-integrated systems, with benefits being realised for clients at both time of installation and long term support provision. Thanks to our partnership with Siemens we can offer condition monitoring as standard, which has cemented our position at the forefront of delivering industry compliant systems and ensures our customers can benefit from productivity efficiencies.”

Chris McComb, Account Development Manager – Oil & Gas, Siemens UK & Ireland, adds: “Because of our work to develop solutions to support companies in the oil and gas industry, Siemens is well placed to stand back, take a holistic view of all requirements and help maximise operating efficiencies. Our partnership with EFC Group shows what can be achieved through collaboration to develop a solution to drive tangible benefits for customers.”

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) announces that it has been awarded a subsea umbilical and flowline installation contract by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in support of its Phase II development of the Caesar/Tonga field located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Lay Vessel 105 and North Ocean 102 are docked to support operations at McDermott’s spoolbase facility in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Caesar/Tonga Phase II is being developed as a subsea tieback to the Anadarko-operated Constitution spar, located in Block Green Canyon 726 and 727, with the new development in approximately 5,000 feet of water. The scope covers:

Project management;

Engineering, fabrication and installation of two 7,700-feet-long Pipe-in-Pipe (PIP) insulated rigid flowlines terminated by pipeline end terminations (PLETs) on either end;

Installation of one subsea manifold and associated jumpers;

Installation of a subsea control umbilical approximately 72,000-feet long and associated flying leads; and

Pre-commissioning.

“The combination of our Pipe-in-Pipe experience, efficiency of the Lay Vessel 105 (LV105) and our Gulfport spoolbase led McDermott to secure this important contract from Anadarko,” said Scott Munro. Vice President for Americas, Europe and Africa, McDermott. “We appreciate Anadarko’s trust in our experience and ability to deliver in the Gulf of Mexico.”

McDermott’s operating center in Houston, Texas, has commenced the overall project management and engineering. The PIP flowlines are expected to be assembled and fabricated at McDermott’s spoolbase facility in Gulfport, Mississippi. Offshore installation is expected to be completed in late 2016 by the LV105, McDermott’s deepwater rigid reel-lay vessel, and by the North Ocean 102, McDermott’s deepwater flexible lay vessel, which is expected to complete the umbilical installation and subsea construction scope of work.

The lump sum contract award will be reflected in McDermott’s fourth quarter 2015 backlog.

Aker Solutions won a front end engineering design (FEED) contract from Statoil for the Trestakk field tie-in to the Åsgard A production vessel in the Norwegian Sea. The company also secured a separate concept study order for a low well-pressure project at Åsgard A.

"We're very pleased to secure the orders for this major oil and gas field, which will help secure jobs in our MMO business in Norway," said Per Harald Kongelf, head of Aker Solutions' Norwegian operations. "We look forward to continuing our good cooperation with Statoil as we together seek to find the most robust and cost-effective solutions for these projects."

Work on both contracts will start at once and be carried out by Aker Solutions' Norwegian maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) business. The concept study will look at ways to allow future production at Åsgard A at lower well pressures. The contract includes options for FEED and engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) services. The Trestakk agreement has an EPCI option.

The American Petroleum Institute's Global Industry Services department (API Global) has established a new and comprehensive Auditor Certification Program, which is the first to be developed by industry experts.

"API is committed to safety as a core value, and we are pleased to offer this new auditor certification program to help improve the safety and performance of oil and natural gas operations worldwide," said Lisa Salley, vice president of API Global. "API standards and certifications are the industry gold standard. The program is designed specifically for and by oil and natural gas quality management professionals and draws upon API's deep industry knowledge and expertise."

Company personnel and self-employed individuals can register to be trained, tested, and certified to audit various quality management programs according to API's globally-recognized standards. The certification of credentialed auditing professionals will play a key role in advancing quality programs, efficiency, and safety within the industry.

Certification candidates are required to provide proof of appropriate education, qualifications, training, and audit logs as part of the application and pre-qualification process. They must also sit for and pass a 150-question exam, administered worldwide at Prometric computer testing centers. The first exams will be offered March 1-15, 2016, and the registration deadline is February 5. API plans to hold three auditor certification exam periods per year.

Each of the three levels of certification can be obtained with a focus on either API Spec Q1 (Specification for Quality Management System Requirements for Manufacturing Organizations) or API Spec Q2 (Specification for Quality Management System Requirements for Service Supply Organizations).

For more information about the Auditor Certification Program, please click here.

API Global is responsible for certification, standards, statistics, training, events, and safety programs for the international oil and natural gas industry.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API's 650 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation's energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 30 million Americans.