Press Release – December 2009
Xodus Group Named as a Finalist in Green Energy Awards
Xodus Group, an Aberdeen-headquartered energy consultancy, has been shortlisted as finalist in the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009. Vying for the best business achievement award, Xodus Group has been named the only North East finalist in recognition of the company’s rapid growth and its expansion into the marine renewables sector. The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009 celebrate the success of Scotland’s renewable energy industry. This award recognises companies within the emerging renewable industry that have secured business through diversification or by working as part of the supply chain to ensure the economic benefits of renewables are seen in Scotland.
Established in 2005, Xodus has cemented a reputation as a leading front-end engineering company. Employing 225 people across offices in Aberdeen, Orkney, Edinburgh, London and Perth Australia, the company has experienced considerable growth and evolved from an oil and gas consultancy to an energy firm by transferring its expertise in oil and gas into marine renewables. Providing an integrated range of services to the energy industry, Xodus is made up of five key divisions that include Subsea, Process and Facilities, Integration Technology, Environmental and Technical, Safety & Risk. By combining the expertise of each of these divisions, the company actively supports a number of wave and tidal projects, including prototype deployments at EMEC, the Siadar wave project and wave and tidal projects in the Pentland Firth Strategic Area.
Liz Foubister, Director, Alternative Energy said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted as a finalist for these prestigious awards. Our innovative thinking and integrated approach to energy projects has allowed us to diversify and grow the business over the last four years and it’s fantastic that these achievements are being recognised. Marine renewables is set to significantly influence the company’s future growth and it is for this reason we have really focused on building a business that truly integrates a range of complementary disciplines and ultimately provides clients with a holistic and cost effective option for developing projects with added value. The marine renewables industry needs some out the box thinking to ensure its success, exactly the kind of thinking Xodus Group specialises in.”
The award is sponsored by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG). Morag McCorkindale, AREG’s chief operating officer, commented: “This is tremendous recognition for Xodus Group and one which underlines how the North of Scotland’s oil and gas expertise is playing a key role in the renewable energy industry.
“Xodus Group, like a number of companies in the region, has successfully transferred its oil and gas expertise, which includes engineering and subsea skills, into marine renewables as well as providing crucial support to the supply chain. AREG wishes Xodus Group further success at the Scottish Green Energy Awards.”
The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009 ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 3 at The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh where the winners will be announced.
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Press Release – November 2009
Aberdeen High-fliers Reach Finals of Entrepreneurial Awards
Two inspirational Aberdeen entrepreneurs have been named as finalists at this year’s Entrepreneurial Exchange Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The prestigious event sponsored by Deloitte, which will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on Thursday November 26, honours those who have made a significant contribution to entrepreneurship in Scotland.
Colin Manson CEO of the Xodus Group and James Watt from BrewDog are two of the three candidates to reach the final stages of the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year category, which recognises an individual who has demonstrated that he or she is building a business of outstanding potential for the future. Colin and his partners, Steve Swindell and Richard Heard, set up Aberdeen-based energy consultancy Xodus just four years ago. In a short period of time Xodus has grown turnover to £23.1 million and has opened additional offices in Edinburgh, Orkney, London and Australia. Since then the business has taken off with Xodus recently concluding a £6m, three-year contract with Maersk Oil North Sea (UK). Other clients include Shell, BP, Woodside and Total. The company now employs more than 240 people across the globe and its divisions include subsea, process and facilities, integration and technology and environmental.
James Watt, co-founder of Fraserburgh-based brewery BrewDog, decided against a legal career after graduating from university with a degree in law and economics. Instead, he joined the family fishing business where he worked for four years, becoming a skipper. However, with a taste for good beer and a dim view of what was available commercially, James joined forces with school friend Martin Dickie, who studied brewing and distilling at university, to form BrewDog in 2007. Growth has been organic and the first phase focused on off-sales for both the domestic and export market. The business currently holds national listings with Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Tesco and Oddbins and is available in 15 countries across the globe. The second phase of growth has been the development of the on-trade market and a number of products are now available in kegs and casks, and BrewDog has listings with Mitchells & Butlers and Coors. The level of growth achieved to date has required the business to expand into two adjacent factory units.
Colin Manson, CEO of Xodus Group said: “This year’s Entrepreneurial Exchange awards celebrate the people who are making a significant contribution to their communities by creating jobs, developing innovative products and services and stimulating Scotland’s economy. I am thrilled we have made it to the final of these awards and are being recognised for the success we have achieved and the impact we are making.
“Xodus is not about one person though. Our success is founded on an integrated approach to business and we have got to where we are today because of that shared vision.”
James Watt of BrewDog said: “Scotland has a rich heritage when it comes to fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship and we are delighted to have been shortlisted from such a wealth of worthy candidates.“Although the award goes to an individual, I firmly believe that an entrepreneur can only truly be successful if backed by a strong team. To have the innovation and creative drive behind BrewDog recognised is a great achievement and one which we are rightly proud of.”
Derek Henderson, head of Deloitte in Aberdeen, said: “I’d like to congratulate both our north east finalists in getting so far in this prestigious competition. Both offer a great example of entrepreneurship. It is very unusual for someone who has never run his own business before, like Colin, to be so bold in their approach to starting and growing a consultancy practice. Xodus has experienced impressive growth over the last four years which highlights that Colin’s approach has been successful. Colin is very passionate about what he does and his passion and vision will certainly inspire others in the business to follow his lead as he seeks to realise its full potential.”
Henderson continued: “James is also a great example of what a young person can achieve with a little backing and support. Given that it is a relatively small business and only in its third year of trading national awareness surrounding BrewDog has grown considerably. James’s contemporary approach has caught the mood of the beer buying public and this growth and success comes at a time when the UK beer market has been declining. James has also worked hard to attract quality senior staff and leading investors in the drinks industry which should help take the business to the next level.”
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Press Release – November 2009
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| Hannah Miley and Stephen Swindell. |
Scotland’s swimming starlet Hannah Miley today, (Monday, November 23) revealed she is targeting the European and Commonwealth podium as she continues on the road to the 2012 London Olympics. The Inverurie based student, who made her Commonwealth debut in 2006 at just 16-years-old, struck treble gold at the British Championships in March – dominating the 200m and 400m medley, the 200m breaststroke and claiming silver in the 200m butterfly.
With London 2012 fast approaching, October’s ‘Clydesdale athlete of the month’ landed a major three-year long sponsorship deal with Aberdeen-headquartered energy consultancy, Xodus Group. The partnership deal will allow the north east’s brightest swim star the opportunity to prepare in earnest for the 2012 Olympics. Success in Istanbul at the European Short Course Championships followed by a medal in Delhi is top priority on route to 2012 for Hannah who made her Olympic debut in Beijing last year, gaining a sixth, ninth and eleventh place in the individual and freestyle medley events.
The sports star has also been selected to take part in the ‘Duel in the Pool’ event in Manchester next month. The ‘Ryder Cup’ of the swimming world, Duel in the Pool involves the top swimmers from three European nations taking on Team USA. A televised event, it’s designed to showcase the sports most exciting swimmers in non-Olympic years. This years Duel takes on a new format with Team USA facing a host of the top swimmers from Great Britain, Germany and Italy.
Smashing the European record for both the 200m and 400m IM earlier this year – a title which had been held for over eight years by Olympic double gold medalist Yana Klochkova of Ukraine – Hannah stated her aspirations were to stay staying injury free and healthy as she looks to end the season on a high.
She said: “I am totally focused on bringing home a medal from both the European Short Course Championship and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi as well as, of course building towards my London 2012 training. This sponsorship from Xodus Group will go a long way in helping me build on my already excellent training camp, which in turn will help me achieve my ultimate goal – Olympic Gold in 2012.”
At present Hannah is trained by her father but it is hoped that the sponsorship package from Xodus will enable her to secure additional professional training and expertise.
Continuing she said: “The opportunity to work alongside the greatest psychologists and specialist coaches will give my game that extra edge. It is important to me that I continue to improve and compete in as many high profile tournaments as I can in preparation for the Olympics. This deal with Xodus Group means I can travel to all these tournaments without adding extra pressure on my family”.
Talking about the commitment Xodus Group has made to Hannah, Stephen Swindell, Aberdeen operation director said: “We see Hannah as one of Britain’s brightest swimming talents. Her ongoing dedication to train and develop her talent in Scotland is very admirable. She is a fantastic role model for other budding athletes and we are 100% behind supporting Hannah on her road to the 2012 Olympics in London. We also see this as an investment in future generations as Hannah’s successes will spur on other athletes in the north east to excel and follow her sporting example of excellence in years to come.
“It is crucial that Hannah is able to travel to worldwide tournaments and events in preparation of reaching her Olympic dream. Xodus is proud to play its part in helping Hannah achieve her goals.”
Hannah’s next step in her quest for Olympic glory is at the 17th European Short Course Championships in Istanbul next month.
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Press Release – October 2009
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Moving to the top of the league table as a favourite with corporate and community groups alike is the low contact sport of touch rugby. The only sport in the world where mixed teams of men and women of various age groups compete against each other, “Touch” is currently enjoying a popularity boost across the north east due to its benefits as a team building exercise for businesses and its inclusiveness which attracts community groups.
A low contact sport, organised touch first emerged in Australia and made its way to Aberdeen in the early nineties. One of Aberdeen’s oldest Rugby clubs , Aberdeenshire Rugby Football Club (AFRC), is at the forefront of developing the minimal contact version of the game, with its summer leagues attracting over 400 men and women this year. Taking the Autumn Touch one day tournament indoors for the first time, 12 teams from across the business spectrum competed in seven hours of competition for a variety of titles. The tournament, which was held at the new Aberdeen Sports Village, enjoyed a full turnout as more than 120 people competed in 16 hotly contested matches at the state of the art city centre facility.
The event was sponsored by Aberdeen based oil and gas consultancy Xodus, a company that draws similes between sports and business achievement. In line with this, Xodus Group sponsors Scotland rugby ace Jason White and also recently presented north east Olympic swimmer Hannah Milley with a courtesy car to help her get about between training and her RGU studies.
Stephen Swindell, director at Xodus Group explains: “We are a young company and we really sign up to the theory that a team that plays together wins together. We emphasise the importance of a healthy workforce to our staff and we know that there is no better way to build strong business teams than to give them something to get their competitive “teeth” into. Teams of our staff have competed in everything from three day challenge events to walks and marathons and the value that this adds to the Xodus business, although not quantifiable by statistics, is plain to see and has a positive effect on Xodus as a whole.
“Our involvement in Aberdeen’s touch rugby tournament has given us another opportunity to support a great sport that has benefits to both the local and business communities. The main attraction of the sport to community groups and businesses is that it is so inclusive. With teams being made up of any age group or gender it allows everyone of any ability to get involved and fosters co-operation and teamwork among widely varying groups of people”.
Aberdeen Touch Rugby has been running for over 15 years and was started by a few touch enthusiasts from Aberdeenshire RFC. The sport quickly took hold in the local community and now the summer leagues are the second largest in Scotland after Edinburgh. The club is based at Woodside and has its own touch section called the Leopards made up of men and women from the area that competes in tournaments across Scotland. The club depends largely on funding donated by sponsorship and corporate partnerships. Calling itself a “grass roots” club ARFC work with young people in the community to get them involved in the sport. The same benefits apply to community based teams as do to the business groups that take part. It is seen as a great team builder-helping young people to co-operate and work together. The game depends largely on teamwork-with very few points won on individual heroics- another feature that makes it attractive to community and corporate groups. Graeme Buchan, tournament director for Aberdeen Touch Rugby said: “We are seeing a real upsurge in the amount of businesses and community groups taking part in our tournaments and league.”
Graeme continued: “The competitions combine fun, health, sport and team building into one activity that benefits competitors, companies and community alike. The buy in of local businesses to help us support and develop the competitions and club further is vital. We have been very fortunate that many city based businesses can see the benefits to their own staff that touch rugby can bring and therefore give support through sponsorship. We hope this will continue so we can see sustained development of the sport in and around the Aberdeen area.”
Over 400 people competed in the summer and autumn leagues which ran from April through to September this year, the final Aberdeen one day tournament held last month in September was a celebration of the sports’ success and growth throughout 2009.
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Press Release – September 2009
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| From Left: Iain Dixon, Max Goodwin and Annette Woodham. |
A leading oil and gas consultancy has opened a new office in the Capital. Xodus Group, an Aberdeen headquartered company, has opened the premises just off Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square in order to support the growth of the company’s environmental division. With bases in Aberdeen, Orkney, London and Perth Australia, this latest expansion is designed to give Xodus broader access to key oil and gas players operating out of the city, environmental developers, the Scottish Government and other related public sector organisations. It is believed the new office will also offer access to Scotland’s renewable energy policy decision makers, as well as allow the Group to forge relationships with the extensive financial and academic communities.
The new premises can accommodate up to 10 staff initially and Max Goodwin, principal environmental consultant with Xodus has been charged with heading up the new office. To support its sustainable energy credentials, Xodus combines its extensive oil and gas expertise with its environmental experience to offer clients an in-depth, integrated range of energy services. Established less than four years ago, the Group employs 225 people and is on track to achieve an annual turnover of £22 million in 2009. As Scotland’s energy sector continues to evolve and turns towards sustainable energy solutions, Xodus is positioning itself at the forefront of the industry by focusing on growing its environmental and renewables divisions significantly in the next twelve months. With the Scottish Government’s target for the production of 50% of electricity in Scotland to come from renewable sources by 2020, Xodus has the skills and experience to support Scotland to meet alternative and renewable energy targets.
Colin Manson, Xodus Group managing director said: “With Edinburgh rapidly gaining a reputation as a hub for environmental and renewable energy activity, this move was a natural progression for the company.
“In the last 12 months we have witnessed a 22% increase in business and this is primarily down to demand for our environmental services. This new base is designed to provide further support to the environmental teams in Aberdeen, Orkney and London as well foster opportunities for new business.
“One of the Group’s core philosophies has always been to expand into key cities around the globe so that we can offer our integrated service model to a more diverse pool of clients while also remaining geographically accessible to industry, business and policy makers.”
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Press Release – July 2009
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| Alistair Porter, Process & Facilities Manager. |
Xodus Group, a leading oil and gas consultancy has won a contract with Maersk Oil North Sea UK Ltd (Maersk Oil) worth up to £6 million over a three year period. With the option for two one year extensions, the new contract will see Aberdeen-based Xodus provide a spread of engineering services to support Maersk Oil’s UK North Sea operations. Worth approximately £2 million per year, engineering support will extend from conceptual and brownfield modification studies to day to day operational support and product optimisation. Renowned for its integrated approach to engineering, Xodus Group will be drawing on expertise from across its company divisions including process and facilities, subsea, environmental and technical safety and risk engineering services.
Alistair Porter, process and facilities manager at Xodus Group said: “The award of this primary contract underlines our ability to provide an integrated suite of engineering services to North Sea operators.
“We have assembled a core team of five Xodus senior personnel who will be committed to this contract for the next three years. We are also in the midst of gearing up to expand our process and facilities division in Aberdeen with at least ten new appointments in the next month. This is designed to support our existing and projected growth and means we will have a stable of more than 85 staff working in this division in the UK.”
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Press Release – July 2009
Xodus Group Ltd Posts Positive End of Year Results
Aberdeen-headquartered Xodus Group Ltd has closed its latest trading year on a high after reporting a “phenomenal” year of growth between 2007 and 2008 for the UK division of the company. Xodus Group, an oil and gas consultancy saw annual pre-tax profits soar by 155% to £446,591 in the 12 months to the end of September 2008, while annual turnover for the UK divisions of the company rose by 63% to £11.9 million in the same period. Xodus Group Ltd has offices in Aberdeen, London and Orkney. The company also has offices in Perth Australia, Xodus Pty Ltd. End of year results for Xodus Pty Ltd show the Australian division of the Group has achieved a £6.2 million turnover – a three fold increase compared to 2007. Xodus Group’s worldwide turnover for 2008 closed at £17.8 million. The company said 2008-09 growth was likely to rise by approximately 18% this year too.
Managing director Colin Manson said: “This year has been a tough one for the sector but Xodus has to some extent bucked the trend and we are forecasting an increased a Group turnover of £22 million in 2009.”
He was speaking after accounts released by Companies House showed profits and turnover jumped at Xodus Group in the UK last year.
He added: “Last years performance was a phenomenal year of growth for Xodus Group. These latest accounts reflect the success we have achieved through international expansion and in particular our success in the Asia Pacific region. At the beginning of 2008 we restructured the company to support our growth strategy and maintain the same consistent level of growth we achieved in our first two years of operation. Although this was painful at times, the rewards are there to see and our continued success is credit to the effort of the management team.”
Looking ahead Xodus is in a strong position after securing a string of major North Sea contracts in the last quarter – including a £6 million, three year contract with Maersk Oil.
Manson continued: “While the growth we are predicting this year isn’t as startling as in previous years, it does underline our commitment to growing the company – even in more difficult times. There is no denying the first half of the year has been hard, however we have retained a strong team and in some areas of the business expanded the team. This is set to continue and we are currently on a major recruitment drive having won a number of key strategic projects recently. I am proud of what we have achieved so far and genuinely excited about what the rest of the year holds for the business.”
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Press Release – May 2009
Xodus Group Attributes Growth to Demand for Environmental Services
Aberdeen-based oil and gas consultancy Xodus Group is attributing a 22% growth in its workforce to increased market demand for its specialist environmental service, and in particular its marine renewables expertise. In the last six months the energy service firm has seen its workforce rise by almost a quarter – bringing the number of people employed by the Group to 222. With 101 of these employees based at the firm’s headquarters in Aberdeen, the company is crediting the continued demand for its environmental services as key to its expansion.
Buoyed by continued growth and an expanding service portfolio, Xodus is this week exhibiting at the UK’s largest renewable energy show – All Energy 09 – in Aberdeen. Showcasing its services and capabilities to the alternative energy and marine renewables sector, Xodus is using All Energy as a platform to launch its latest new technology, XRISK. A custom designed web-based risk management tool, the development of this software has been driven by Xodus to give companies a standardised process for performing risk reviews.
Colin Manson, managing director of Xodus Group said: “Over the last three years we have focused on building a strong team, enhancing our service capabilities and expanding internationally. Despite current market conditions that hard work is now coming to fruition and the pace at which we have grown has exceeded even our own ambitions.
“The environmental and renewable energy market is a key growth region for the Group. We now have over 35 people working in our environmental division which spans Orkney, Aberdeen and London. Our environmental division in Orkney, Xodus AURORA, is driving much of this growth and the team has won some significant new business in the marine renewables market including contracts with International Power Marine Developments and Airtricity. This coupled with our continued investment in developing new technology puts us in a competitive position in terms of expertise, service capabilities and our technology portfolio.”
Taking an integrated approach to project delivery that draws on the breadth of engineering and management skills from across the company’s five energy divisions, Xodus has experience of working on large, high profile contracts in both the UK and overseas. New business in the environmental sector includes contracts with Shell and BP as well as a 200% increase in sales of the company’s proprietary software tools for improving environmental performance and e-learning. As one of the largest consultancies in the environmental and renewables sector, the company is also forecasting further growth and anticipates having a stable of 50 environmental professionals in-house within the next six months.
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Press Release – May 2009
Xodus Group Brings New Risk Management Software to the Market
Aberdeen-headquartered company, Xodus Group is introducing a new integrated risk management tool to the energy market. The company is using the UK’s largest renewable energy show – All Energy 09 – to launch XRISK, a first of its kind, web-based risk management application to the UK market. Xodus Group provides integrated engineering, safety and environmental consultancy to industry and government worldwide. XRISK is a web-based software technology that captures all aspects of a project or company’s risk management strategy and stores the information in a secure, central shareable risk register.
Colin McWhirr, director of the Group’s Technical Safety and Risk (TSR) Division explained: “Ultimately we have designed XRISK to give companies a standard process for performing risk reviews. The software allows users to have a clear visibility of their agreed risk reduction strategies making it easier to analyse the cost benefits and compare unmanaged risks and managed risks on a plot of likelihood versus severity.”
Designed in-house by Xodus software engineers, XRISK allows all development/project risks to be centrally managed - through a web based portal they are clearly visible to all company and project stakeholders. In addition, the software allows for the tracking of actions via traffic light colour coding and email alerts. This means users can produce various reports, including a detailed and time accurate action register.
Colin continued: “XRISK supports a variety of risk assessment applications and we expect that conceptual HAZID and project execution risk reviews will be of particular interest to those attending All Energy 09.”
Aimed primarily at Project & HSEQ engineers and managers, who need to understand how risk needs to be managed in order to deliver success, Xodus developed the software in response to the increased need to provide clear visibility on project risks and their effective management.
“When we were developing the software our objective was to find a way of transforming the existing Microsoft Access database version(s) of XRISK into a web-based version which is both generic and easily customised, covering all required types of risk review and assessment,” said Colin.
“As an integrated consultancy, we can draw upon the expertise of various skill sets including environmental and subsea engineering all of which allow us to offer a truly comprehensive service to manage all types of risk assessments. Having this custom designed technology at our disposal also means our clients can easily undertake all types of risk reviews and we are confident this puts us in an even stronger position in terms of our risk assessment and environmental capabilities.”
Taking an integrated approach to project delivery that draws on the breadth of engineering and management skills from across the company’s five energy divisions, Xodus has experience of working on large, high profile contracts in both the UK and overseas. New business in the environmental sector includes contracts with Shell, BP, Airtricity and International Power Marine Developments as well as a 200% increase in sales of the company’s proprietary software tools for improving environmental performance and e-learning. By integrating specialist engineering skills, corporate management consultancy, stakeholder engagement and environmental science, Xodus Group specialises in the independent delivery of field planning, assurance and optimisation consultancy services that support the upstream oil and gas and marine renewables sector.
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Press Release – May 2009
OMV Deep NZ Focus
Austrian energy company OMV is about to begin conceptual screening studies on its deep-water exploration acreage in New Zealand's Great South basin, which the company believes has "significant potential for large discoveries".
OMV has not yet drilled a well in this harsh-environment basin but has hired front-end engineering specialist Xodus to study development options on its acreage, said sources. Xodus will help OMV gain an understanding of the risks and economics of developing a potential petroleum find in this hostile and remote part of New Zealand. A variety of production facilities and layouts will be studied, and their advantages and constraints analysed.
Sources said that, while this is just preliminary work, it is very important as it will assist OMV in the coming months as the company and its two co-venturers work towards drilling decisions. "Everything about exploring in, and producing from, the Great South basin will be high cost and leading edge," said a well-placed source. "OMV wants to know as much as it can before making those investments."
The contract has strategic value for the Xodus Perth-based office in Western Australia. It is understood to have beaten up to six rivals to the work, including Genesis, WorleyParsons and possibly Mustang Engineering, said sources. Xodus has picked up some notable front-end contracts in Australia in recent times, including work on the Sunrise, Angel and Macedon projects.
OMV is the operator of three exploration blocks in the Great South basin off New Zealand. Blocks PEP 50119, PEP 50120 and PEP 50121 were awarded in July 2007 and cover a total of 54,000 square kilometres in water depths ranging from 100 to 1000 metres. The partners in the three permits are OMV with a 36% stake, Thailand's PTTEP also with 36%, and Japan's Mitsui Exploration holding 28%.
Helmut Langanger, OMV's executive board member responsible for exploration and production, has said: "The Great South basin remains one of the world's least-explored sedimentary basins and offers us the prospect of delivering additional natural resources for New Zealand and the opportunity to build upon its existing assets."
OMV's approach to the Great South basin has been low key, but its Thailand co-venturer PTTEP has been more enthusiastic, saying it was "delighted to have the opportunity to expand our investment in a high potential frontier". It said the Great South basin was "a major step in its investment expansion in the Asia Pacific region". ExxonMobil was successful in the same licensing round in 2007, picking up 90% of the large Block PEP 50117, with local company Todd Energy holding 10%.
OMV acquired 17,000 kilometres of 2D seismic using a vessel owned by Norway's Wavefield Inseis in early 2008, while ExxonMobil shot 1200 square kilometres of 3D seismic with a Western Geco vessel. Eight wells were drilled in the Great South basin between 1976 and 1984 with hydrocarbons recorded in four of them. The sea and weather conditions in this part of the country can be very hostile, and are likened to the North Sea.
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Press Release – May 2009
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ATHLETES from around Orkney are limbering up to test their prowess against competitors from around the globe in an international sporting event next month. Orkney’s entrants in the NatWest Island Games 2009 have spent months training for the event which will see thousands of athletes from as far afield as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Menorca and their supporters descend on Aland, Finland.
The Orkney team, consisting of around 50 competitors and officials, will compete in seven different sports during the week long competition. The team will be aiming for a share of the medals in archery, athletics, badminton, golf, sailing, shooting, and swimming.
Other UK representatives taking part in the Games, which run from June 27 to July 4, include teams from Shetland, the Western Isles, Jersey and the Isle of Wight. The Orkney team are being sponsored by Stromness-based environmental company, Xodus AURORA who have provided the kits for each member of the team. Part of Xodus Group, AURORA also has one of their own team members taking part in the games. Nicola Stanger, an environmental consultant with the company will be hitting the green as she competes in the golf event next month.
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Press Release – April 2009
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| Stephen Swindell hands over the keys to Hannah Miley. |
Getting around a swimming pool has never been a problem for Inverurie based Olympian and European record holder, Hannah Miley. However getting around town was proving more difficult for the talented 19 year old swimmer, who was recently crowned British champion, when transport between University lectures and training sessions was taking up too much of the young athletes valuable training time. Hearing of her plight Aberdeen-based oil consultancy Xodus Group provided a solution, and presented Hannah with the use of a car to help manage her busy schedule.
The swimmer, who just smashed the European world record in the 200 metres individual medley at the British Swimming Championships in Sheffield, has now secured a place in the World Championships in Rome in July. Hannah who also made her Olympic debut in Beijing last year, gaining a sixth, ninth and 11th place in the individual and freestyle medley events, currently splits her training between Inverurie and Robert Gordon University (RGU) pools, whilst also studying for a degree in sports science at Robert Gordon University (RGU).
Normally transported between venues by her father and coach, Patrick Miley, the use of a car courtesy of Xodus Group will enable Hannah to make better use of her valuable training time and allow her to travel independently to and from her home in Inverurie.
With her sights now firmly set on the World Championships later this year and London’s 2012 Olympics, Hannah, who has previously turned down training opportunities in the USA to remain in the North East, began studying for a sports science degree at RGU in 2008 to increase her understanding of how her body works and how to maximise her athletic potential. It was the combined travel between University, training venues and her home in Inverurie that led to a well timed intervention from Xodus Group which Hannah says has been a huge advantage to her for her 2009 training schedule.
She said: “The support I have received from Xodus has got 2009 off to a brilliant start! Trying to co-ordinate training sessions, lectures and travelling home to Inverurie without a car was becoming more and more difficult. I didn’t want to be in the position that travel problems were intruding into my really valuable training schedule or my equally important study time.
“I am totally focussed on bringing home a medal from the World Championships now as well as of course building towards my London 2012 training. This car goes a long way in helping me to fulfil my training commitments which in turn will help me achieve my ultimate goal, Olympic Gold in 2012.”
Among Hannah’s other achievements, in 2008 she won the British Championship individual medley titles and won a silver and bronze at Manchester’s World Short Course championships in April.
Xodus Group director Stephen Swindell explained the importance of investing in future generations: “We view Hannah as one of the brightest stars in the swimming arena. Providing her with transport to manage her busy training and study schedule over the next few years is our way of demonstrating our support for Aberdeen’s rising stars.
“The North East has a wealth of local talent, both in terms of business and sport and we are committed to investing in future generations here at Xodus. Hannah is a fantastic role model for other budding athletes. She is an incredibly strong minded and determined individual and we felt it was really important to get behind her and give our support.”
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Press Release – April 2009
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| Liz Foubister and Colin Manson. |
Xodus Group, announced today that it has added to its growing business with the launch of a new marine renewables service for the offshore industry. To ensure the future security of the increasing demand for electricity and address the need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, Xodus Group has established an integrated service to actively support the development of renewable energy sources. The fast growing international oil and gas consultancy will transfer a number of its skills from the oil and gas sector over to the renewables industry. In particular Xodus will draw on its environmental expertise from Xodus AURORA and engineering skills from Xodus Subsea, providing an integrated approach to capitalize on the marine renewables market place.
Colin Manson, Xodus managing director, said: “Branching out into the marine renewables industry is a key strategic move for Xodus Group. With interest in sustainable tidal, wave and offshore wind energy increasing, it is vital to make sure measures are built into the marine engineering design process.
“Our skill base is unique in the oil and gas industry and is 100% transferrable into the marine renewables industry. Combine this with the Scottish Governments target for the production of 50% of electricity demand in Scotland to come from renewable sources by 2020, and a concerted drive from energy companies to look towards the renewables sector, it is increasingly important to diversify into this market.
Driven by environmental division Xodus AURORA, the new marine renewable service will be led by Xodus’ principal environmental consultant Liz Foubister, who joined Xodus last year following the successful acquisition of Orkney based Aurora Environmental Ltd. Driving the initiative from the groups Orkney base is strategically important as Orkney has increasingly become a true centre of excellence for the marine renewables industry. Speaking about the new service, Liz Foubister said:
“By drawing on the wide ranging experience and skills across our company divisions we can marry the expertise of our environmental consultants and engineers to provide a truly unique and integrated service.
“Although this is a new initiative for Xodus, we have already had some fantastic success following the award of a contract to provide environmental support for Scottish Power Renewables.
“We are also working with five of the developers creating sea-based technologies that will be tested at EMEC, the European Marine Energy Centre, and only last week AWS Ocean Energy Ltd, in Alness awarded us a contract for the detailed structural design of the full-scale prototype of the Archimedes Waveswing™ wave energy converter. This will be installed at the EMEC test site in Orkney in 2009, with the duration of the contract expected to last approximately eight months.
Adding to this, Colin Manson said: “This award from AWS is hugely important for Xodus Group. It cements our unique position in offering an integrated, environmental and engineering solution to the marine renewables industry.
“This new venture is a demonstration of our commitment to the environment and ensures that Xodus is now able to bring an unparalleled and integrated approach to fill a gap in the market.”
Xodus, headquartered in Aberdeen, is a multi-discipline consultancy specialising in the independent delivery of consultancy services and production optimisation products that support the upstream oil and gas and marine renewables sector. With over 160 staff in the UK and Australia, Xodus Group comprises five divisions: Xodus Subsea, Xodus Oil & Gas, Xodus Technology, Xodus AURORA and Xodus Technical, Safety & Risk.
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Press Release – April 2009
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| From left: Front: Bui Tuan Anh – General Director PV Engineering; Grant Veroba – Xodus Group, Director, Asia Pacific Back: Vu Ngoc Khuong – Director of Division of Investment Consultancy & Engineering; Ngo Ngoc Thuong – D.Director of DEC; Do Van Thanh – Chairman PV Engineering; Jason Bao – Xodus Group, BD Consultant, Vietnam |
PetroVietnam Engineering Company, a respected provider of engineering, procurement, construction and management services to the oil and gas industry in Vietnam, and international oil and gas consulting and engineering company Xodus Group, have signed a long-term Memorandum of Understanding to deliver engineering and consulting services for oil and gas projects completed by the PetroVietnam group of companies. The MOU was finalised at a signing ceremony on 18 March 2009.
The combination of PV Engineering and Xodus Group provides a complete surface engineering capability to deliver and execute future PetroVietnam offshore, pipeline and onshore plant projects. Xodus will also provide training and support to PV Engineering staff during the delivery of surface engineering projects to establish PV Engineering as an internationally recognised provider of engineering and management services.
PetroVietnam Engineering Chairman, Do Van Thanh said, "The cooperative effort between PVE and Xodus is a major step forward in the strategic development of PVE’s design and consulting capabilities, at the same time providing improved delivery and execution of consulting and engineering services to the oil and gas industry in Vietnam".
Xodus Asia Director, Grant Veroba said, "Xodus is pleased to collaborate with PV Engineering to bring our integrated consulting and engineering capabilities to the Vietnam oil and gas market. With PV Engineering’s local engineering capabilities coupled with the Xodus Group fully integrated consulting and discipline capabilities, we will be able to consistently add value throughout the project life cycle ".
Both executives agreed that this agreement was an important step for both PV Engineering and Xodus to effectively deliver projects in Vietnam that will ultimately result in providing customers with improved project delivery and value adding services.
PetroVietnam Engineering is a wholly owned subsidiary of PetroVietnam company, responsible for providing complete engineering and management services for major Vietnam oil and gas and petrochemical projects from pre-feasibility studies through detailed design and EPC. PV Engineering’s mission is to become one of the leading companies in Vietnam providing investment consultancy, engineering and supply of EPC or partial services to oil and gas projects.
The Xodus Group is an international, independent oil and gas and energy consultancy providing a uniquely integrated package of solutions for subsea, oil and gas, technological challenges with offices in the UK and Australia. Xodus Group focus is to be the premium front-end integrated multi-discipline consultancy in the world. From field development, through design and construction and into operation, Xodus provides the clever and innovative thinking needed to maximize the return on customers’ investment.
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Press Release – February 2009
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| From left: Frank Masson, Robert Conder, Jason Potter, Nicol Bradford, Richard Heard, Michael Jeffries, Francis Barrett, David Miles, Nick Lodge. |
Xodus Group has today sealed its unrivalled reputation for excellence in the subsea oil and gas sector with the announcement that two top names in UK subsea engineering have joined the Xodus stable. The fast-rising Aberdeen-headquartered oil and gas consultancy announced at Subsea 09 – Europe’s biggest subsea conference and exhibition – that it has bolstered its subsea division with the appointment of industry stalwarts Nick Lodge and Francis Barrett to strengthen its position in the critical field development market. They join the existing raft of subsea heavyweights which are propelling Xodus to the head of the pack in terms of subsea expertise. The Xodus Subsea division which currently employs 35 staff in Aberdeen and London and a further 25 in Perth, Australia, as the company continues its ambitious growth strategy which aims to see 40% expansion in 2009.
Xodus director Richard Heard said: “We have steadily developed the Xodus brand and built a formidable reputation for being one of, if not the, leading consultancy for oil and gas field development. With the addition of Nick and Francis we have a team that combines the high standard of technical innovation and expertise that our clients have come to expect from the Xodus name, with the experience needed to give us unrivalled capability in the global subsea market.”
Senior consultant Nick Lodge has more than 20 years experience in offshore and subsea engineering, including a number of technically challenging high pressure/high temperature developments. He joins Xodus from JP Kenny. Francis Barrett, who also previously worked for JP Kenny, has more than 20 years experience, most recently having worked on a wide range of subsea and pipeline projects in Aberdeen and Western Australia. He joins as senior consultant.
“With Nick and Francis joining the Xodus UK team they further enhance the pedigree of our Global Subsea division. We are uniquely placed to offer the necessary blend of skills and expertise that are vital in exploiting the potential of the high temperature/high pressure and deepwater developments which are becoming an increasing focus for subsea operators around the globe,” added Mr Heard.
One of five finalists in the recent Scottish Bank of Scotland Corporate £35 million Entrepreneur Challenge, Xodus is a multi-discipline consultancy specialising in the independent delivery of a range of integrated consultancy services that support the upstream oil and gas sector and the emerging renewable energy markets. The Xodus Group comprises five divisions in the areas of oil & gas, technology, subsea, renewables, environmental and safety risk & reliability. The company, which employs around 190 people in offices across Aberdeen, Orkney, Perth Australia and London, reported a turnover of £14million in its third year of business. This is expected to almost double to £25million in 2009.
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Press Release – February 2009
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| From left: Yunus Talib – General Manager, Uzma Group Grant Veroba – Director, Asia Pacific, Xodus Group Dato' Kamarul Muhamed – Managing Director, Uzma Group Khalid Embong – Executive Director, Uzma Group Matthew Rawlings – Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Xodus Group |
New Integrated Offering Becomes Official
Leading oil and gas consulting companies Uzma Group, based in KL, Malaysia and Xodus Group, based in Perth, Australia have signed a long-term regional collaborative agreement for integrated sub-surface and surface solutions for field development and beyond, covering the Asia/Asia Pacific region.
Uzma MD/CEO, Dato’ Kamarul Muhamed said, "This world-class combination of Uzma and Xodus provides clients with a broad array of development solutions ranging from marginal fields to world scale deepwater developments".
With both companies having extensive synergies in terms of backgrounds and a progressive, dynamic way of doing business, the collaborative relationship commences with a very solid foundation.
Xodus Executive Director, Grant Veroba said, "With our integrated asset modelling tools we can provide a unique and rapid concept screening process as well as a powerful sub-surface/surface integration that adds value to developments, time after time".
The combination of Uzma and Xodus provides independence from software, development solutions and constructive company interests. Both executives agreed that this collaborative agreement was an important strategic step for both Uzma and Xodus in developing new market penetration and potential growth areas that ultimately resulted in providing customers with more cost effective, expeditious and value adding services.
Uzma Berhad is an international oil and gas service company providing an array of services to the upstream sector across the exploration, development and production phases and to the downstream sector for facilities construction, operation and maintenance. Since the year 2000, Uzma has worked with over 48 clients worldwide helping them realise the value of their assets. With 120 staff and 300 active consultants across our area of operations in Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Sub-continent, South East Asia and Australasia, Uzma provides Geoscience and Reservoir Engineering, Drilling Project Management and Project and Operations Support from its head quarters in Malaysia and international offices in Miri, Perth, Bangkok, Jakarta and Doha.
Xodus is a multi-discipline consultancy specialising in the independent delivery of consultancy services and production optimisation products that support the upstream oil and gas sector. With over 200 staff in the UK and Australia, Xodus Group comprises five divisions: Subsea, Process & Facilities, Integration Technology, Xodus AURORA and TSR.
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