BP appoints new E&P executives

LONDON, March 16, 2017 – BP has appointed new heads of production and drilling, international media reported on Thursday.

The former chief of BP Azerbaijan, Gordon Birrell, will be the new chief operating officer for production, transformation and carbon in the upstream division, the company told Reuters, while Andy Krieger, who previously supervised drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, will be in charge of drilling.

The reshuffle comes as BP is eying a rapid expansion of output, with its total production capacity projected to increase by 500,000 boepd this year and by a further 300,000 boepd by 2020. Key ventures expected to come on line this year include Egypt’s West Nile Delta-Taurus/Libra project, the first phase of the Oman’s Khazzan tight gas endeavour, Trinidad and Tobago’s Juniper and onshore compression projects, and the Thunder Horse South Expansion in the US Gulf of Mexico.

In other news from BP, the company announced on Thursday that the second Shah Deniz 2 platform jacket had been completed ahead of schedule and had sailed the previous day from the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deepwater Jackets Factory in Azerbaijan to the contract area in the Caspian Sea.

“The second jacket sail away is the first major milestone planned for this year and we are pleased to have achieved it ahead of schedule,” said Ewan Drummond, the vice-president of the Shah Deniz 2 projects, in a statement. “2017 is an important year for BP and for the Shah Deniz 2 project, which is already around 90% complete.”

Attesting to Azerbaijan’s key significance to BP, the outgoing head of drilling, Gary Jones, will be appointed chief of the company’s operations in Azerbaijan, Reuters reported.

Read our latest insights on: