Monthly Archives: November 2010

An Unenviable Job

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Tim Newman

You all know about the exploits of an engineer working in the Sakhalin oil and gas industry through my witterings on here.  But probably few will have read about a day in the life of a camp administration girl on … Continue reading →

Posted in Sakhalin | 4 Comments

Putin: Protector of Russian Women

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Tim Newman

I’ve read some pretty whacky justifications for the state of affairs in Russia in blog comments before, but this one is new to me: Putin regime’s re-nationalization of Russian mineral resources was key to restoring political sovereignty of Russian state. … Politically and … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil & Gas, Russia | 7 Comments

Doing Business in Russia – Part 5

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Tim Newman

If you want to set yourself up as a company in Russia providing, amongst other things, scaffolding services (for construction, not public executions) then you need a license.  This seems reasonable enough, as badly assembled scaffolding can be pretty dangerous.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Russia | 3 Comments

Finally, some cool heads

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Tim Newman

From Upstream Online: A gas leak on US supermajor Chevron’s Alba platform in the North Sea yesterday is under investigation. Personnel on board the platform, 130 miles north east of Aberdeen, were called to muster yesterday afternoon around 15.00 GMT, … Continue reading →

Posted in Macondo, Oil & Gas | 2 Comments

Doing Business in Russia – Part 4

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Tim Newman

I was first exposed to common business practices when I worked in Dubai.  How to generate a budget, business development, financial reporting, all the usual stuff.  Included in this was the contents of a contract, and I realised that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Russia | 9 Comments

Doing Business in Russia – Part 3

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Tim Newman

Via Andy at Siberian Light I have come across the rather good blog of Mark Nesop, calling himself The Kremlin Stooge, which I have added to the blogroll.  In one of his recent posts he asks: What is it about … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Russia | 8 Comments

The Best Hotel in Lagos

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Tim Newman

This evening there were men in the room opposite mine wearing gas masks and coveralls marked “Department of Public Health”. Given what I’ve seen out on the streets which causes the local authorities, or anyone else, to bat not so … Continue reading →

Posted in Nigeria | 2 Comments

A Month in Lagos, and a Look to the Future

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Tim Newman

Last Thursday marked my having been in Nigeria for a month.  The time has gone both quickly and slowly, which it usually does when you’re in a new place.  The weekdays whizz by, the weekends are over as soon as … Continue reading →

Posted in Nigeria | 8 Comments

Australia Drags Its Feet

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Tim Newman

Back in May of this year I wrote a post about the shortage of manpower the Australian oil and gas projects are going to face in the near future, and predicted that: [A]t some point the Australian government is going … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Oil & Gas | 2 Comments

Not Recommended for Honeymoons

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Tim Newman

Twenty ways to tell that your hotel is crap: 1.  Housekeeping leaves a dirty coffee cup on the table for two days. 2.  You can make a cold face-mask with a towel and still watch TV. 3.  Half the TV … Continue reading →

Posted in Nigeria | 7 Comments