Oil & Gas producer Statoil is to establish an operating centre in Aberdeen as part of two projects that could create 1,300 oil and gas jobs starting in late 2016, a company spokesperson tells Recruiter. The Mariner and Bressay heavy oil field developments on the UK continental shelf are approaching a point where final investment decisions should be made, with production expected to start in late 2016 and 2017 respectively.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron was in Norway last week and was updated on the developments by Statoil. During this visit another Norway-based oil industry firm, Aker Solutions, announced plans to substantially boost its staff in the UK, as reported by recruiter.co.uk. The Statoil spokesperson says that of the estimated 1,000-1,300 oil jobs across the two projects, 200-300 would be onshore, and the developments would also create “substantial ripple effects with job creation also in the supplier industry”. The operating expenditure of the projects between now and 2057 is estimated at £11.5bn. “Internationally, there are very few ultra-heavy oil fields comparable to the Mariner field,” the spokesperson adds. “It will not only be a landmark project for the UK offshore oil & gas industry in its own right, but also unlock new fields in the vicinity.”