Mission Accomplished!

When BrothersReunited launched in 2003 (almost 17 years ago now) it was an extremely innovative platform for reconnecting Schlumberger alumni who had lost touch. Today the landscape is very different and poeple have a multitude of competing tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook to do the same thing. Membership has stopped growing and activity is low - I feel it is time to declare our original mission accomplished.

One of the primary remaining functions seems to be to notify members' Brothers when they pass away - a rather sad role I must say. At the recent ALLIANCE gathering in Bordeaux (see below) a new initiative was lauched to proactively engage partners and widows of former members in the community, so that they are not left out with the passing of their partner - a noble initiative. I was reminded of this twice recently when two widows reached out for access (one recently bereaved, one less so) and I realised that here too there is a need to better accomodate the spouses, partners and even children of members - we are not the only ones looking to reconnect with people we grew close to on remote assignments, and in the case of the obituary messages posted on the forum, not the only ones wanting to read those messages.

Accordingly I have added a new segment "Family" and would like to formally welcome any of your family members who care to join. Perhaps we need to do more to support this group - if you have ideas please let me know.

All you need to do is log in and click the Invite tab to issue a membership invitation to your significant other or other family. If you know of any widows or widowers who might be interested feel free to forward this newsletter.

rgds
Ewan

May you live in interesting times...

I have published at least one BrothersReunited newsletter annually since the start until 2019, since when I have missed a couple of years. However since 2019 the world we live in has been upended beyond all recognition.

In the broader sense the pandemic, which has gone deeper and lasted longer than any of us foresaw a year ago when I last drafted this introduction, has upended the whole world, not least the oil industry. However before COVID was a thing, the climate crisis was gaining global consenus and while pushed out of the limelight by the pandemic, will have the greatest impact on the industry. 

I am reminded of the old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times" - except now that I research it, I find that it is probably a Western invention. The closest Chinese saying is:  "Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos.". I actually like that one more!

I welcome the transition to a green and sustainable future, but some aspects of the transition trouble me. The first of those is the scramble by oil majors to announce their intention to become carbon neutral by some future date - Shell by 2030 and 

Warning: Politics Ahead

I am all for a world of zero emissions, renewable energy and the end of single use plastics. However I am finding that the oil industry is seen as the cause of these problems rather than just the agent of them, in a similar way that we blamed big Tobacco for our failiure to stop smoking and lately the drugs companies for the opioid epidemic.

Now while the tobacco companies were profiting from a product that they knew to be harmful and addictive and so deserved to be pilloried, and some drug companiues were actively pushing for increased prescription of opiods (which are highly addictive and damaging), I am not clear that the oil industry is so culpable - the mess we find ourselves in stems from the developed world's consumption of petroleum based products and the oil industry has done its best to meet that demand. While there is evidence that some researchers (particuarly at Exxon) may have predicted global warming as long ago as the '60s, what were our alternative sources of energy back then, and who was willing to listen (inside or outside the company)?

Whatever your position on that question I feel the time is nearly on us when we may be ashamed to talk of our days in the oil patch - the tide of public opinion seems to be turning against us. See for example this article from The Guardian:

Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions

"The Guardian today reveals the 20 fossil fuel companies whose relentless exploitation of the world’s oil, gas and coal reserves can be directly linked to more than one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era."

"Twelve of the top 20 companies are state-owned and together their extractions are responsible for 20% of total emissions in the same period."

See also: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-04/now-googlers-are-protesting-company-s-cloud-deals-with-big-oil

It seems naive to blame the oil companies, who are doing what they were created and required to do, for our consumption? But that tends to be the way these transitions go - and so I suspect we will all be keeping our heads down in the coming decade. 

Mike's Stories...

Very long and very engrossing oilfield memories from Mike Chambers - you can get the compressed version here or the full (17MB) version here.

Mike

Very long (93 pages) and engrossing oilfield memories from Mike Chambers spanning the years 1974 - 2015 and 20 countries. You can get the compressed version here or the full (17MB) version here.

ALLIANCE 2019 Reunion - Bordeaux

ALLIANCE Schlumberger executed an immaculately organised reunion in the lovely city of Bordeaux with a record turnout of Alumni. There were day trips to vinyards, historic sites, city tours and of course a seemingly endless flow of great wine and food.

It was a truly memorable time. I link here to:

1. The ALLIANCE Website - login required.
2. The Bordeaux Program (public).
3. The Bordeaux Photos (public)
4. The AGM MInutes (public)

1. Latin America: Panama City Feb 7th-10th 2020
2. Far East: Venue still being discussed (China, Vietnam or New Zealand).

Olivier Le Peuch Appointed New CEO of Schlumberger

Olivier Le Peuch has been named the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Schlumberger and a member of its board, effective 1 August. Le Peuch succeeds Paal Kibsgaard, who will retire as CEO, step down as chairman of the board, and retire as a member of the board, effective the same date. Kibsgaard will retire after more than 22 years with Schlumberger, including 8 years as CEO and 4 years as chairman.

More...

Schlumberger CEO Outlines New Vision for Company

Schlumberger, the world’s largest service company, plans to redefine its focus, exiting unprofitable businesses, restructuring some units, and placing more emphasis on returns, new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Olivier Le Peuch said in a speech at an investor conference this week.

“The Schlumberger of tomorrow will not be the Schlumberger of today,” said Le Peuch, in his first public remarks since being named CEO. “The unique market outlook and regional dynamics, a clear mandate for capital discipline, the quest for efficiency, and the growing energy transition will combine to create a new chapter for the company.”

The company’s new vision will focus on digitalization, he said in his speech, which was posted on the Schlumberger website. “The future of oil and gas is digital,” he said. “Digital capabilities will enable the next leap in performance across the entire E&P value chain.”

He said the success of digitalization in the industry “will proceed from openness and collaboration,” which is why the company decided last month to open source and contribute its DELFI data ecosystem to the Open Group OSDU forum, which consists of major E&P companies and technology providers.

More...

Brothers on LinkedIn

[Add Linked in Log]

At the urging of Salvatore Scervini we have set up a LinkedIn group for Brothers Reunited. This is intended primarily for non-retired members to share ideas, get inspiration and help one another.

The new group can be found here. You will need approval to join.

Sponsored Links

Below are a links to a couple of commercial services which I personally use and have no hesitation in endorsing, but which also give me either a commission or some other benefit if you follow the links. 

Wireline Memories from 1983: Tim Parker

Third in our occasional series of personal memories of a long lost oil field, except that these were written at the time to clarify the nature of the job for a college careers advisor. This one by Tim Parker:



The first in our series from Marvin Fauré was published a year ago - you can find the handwritten version Here or the more legible (but perhaps not 100% accurate) transcript Here.

The second by Ron Mobed is here. 

Gripping Drama set in Indonesia

A new book is out by Brother Nigel Smith. From the Amazon Page: 

Murder, mystery, romance and adventure in the Malacca Straits!This tale follows Terry, a young oilfield worker, who realizes that an oil field discovered in the Malacca Straits by his employer has somehow been tampered with. The field is situated within an ominous stretch of water guarded by a fearsome mythical beast who, according to local beliefs, must be appeased before human activity can occur. Many strange incidents occur during construction including the gruesome deaths of numerous divers. Terry is made the scapegoat for the company’s problems with the field and is fired. In a desperate attempt to clear his name, he sets out with his Indonesian wife, Lestari, to uncover the dark truth. He hopes, against the odds, to clear his name but he could not have known from the outset, how dangerous that would be!

I bought a copy and am finding it easy (and familiar) reading.

More information can be found at the website below.

Website : www.nigelsmithbooks.com 

Other social media sites are below.

Twitter :  @MalaccaMystery

Instagram : malaccamystery

Facebook : Malacca Mystery

ALLIANCE Reunion in Greece

Just back from what sounds like an awesome cruise on the River Douro in Portugal (7-12th Sept 21) ALLIANCE Schlumberger are planning their annual reunion in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece 19-22nd Sept 2022.

"Hold the dates, which should give you ample opportunity to explore more of Greece and its glorious islands without the peak summer hoards. A provisional old schedule of hotel (the splendid Macedonia Palace) and excursions is on the website, but may be subject to change as we negotiate the post pandemic impact."

You can see the full presentation here.

ALLIANCE Reunion Thessaloniki Greece 19-22 September 2022

This is a reminder that hotel bookings are open for our ALLIANCE Schlumberger Reunion in Thessaloniki, in Northern Greece, which will take place from Monday 19th evening until end of Thursday 22nd September.

The Macedonia Palace 5* Hotel will hold our block of 90 "special rate" rooms until mid-April, following which we will use the confirmed participant numbers to finalise our program of events, which we plan to launch at the end of April. As of today 74 of these rooms have already been booked, so if you are planning to attend please make your bookings soon (regrettably Premium Sea View rooms at our rates are already sold out for some dates). After this rooms may only be available at the hotel standard rates.

You can see on our website which colleagues have already booked to join our reunion here https://www.allianceschlumberger.org/thessaloniki-reunion-participants/

If you plan to join us, to ensure our rates please make your bookings only from this link

https://makedoniapalace.reserve-online.net/?bkcode=ALLIANCE2022&checkin=2022-09-16

Rgds
Ewan Makepeace
info@brothersreunited.com
https://www.brothersreunited.com