WINTER 2008/9No175

Hunting Review; the external house magazine of Hunting PLC 3 Cockspur Street,London SW1Y 5BQ, UKdavid.hunting@hunting.plc.uk Edited by Nick Johnstone and Victoria Bailey, Campaign Marketing. info@campaignpr.comDesigned by Anthony B Ainley MCSD tony@tonyainley.com Produced and printed by Duffield Printers Ltd martyn@duffieldprinters.co.uk

IN ISSUE 175 WINTER 2008/9

4 Re-emergence of the nationalsState-owned national oil companies have re-energised themselves and are now competing head on with the major international oil companies

16 In the eyeof the stormWith a number of facilities located in the Atlantic’s hurricane zone, Hunting staff are well versed in business continuity planning

18 Hunting’startan armyAs Hunting Energy celebrates more than 40 years of Scottish operations, the company is in the process of designing and registering its very own unique tartan

CoverLewis Hamilton driving past the Anderson Bridge in Singapore during the first ever night time Grand Prix

20 Perfect fitIt is one of the most well-known brand names in the OCTG world but Hunting’s Seal-Lock range is continually being developed and expanded to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding customer

24 One company,one brand

25 Huntingcommunity

22 Hunting Energy’sprofile A schematic of the company’s product portfolio for Well Construction, Completion and Intervention

6 North Seapipe dreamHunting Energy’s Aberdeen operation has been busy turning a former World War II airstrip into a world class pipe management facility

10 Gatewayto AsiaHunting’s Singapore business acts as the operational hub for all the company’s growth across the continent

13 The spiritof motoringThe early days of British motor sport were fuelled by the spirit of adventure, innovation and pushing the barriers of technological advancement to their limits

Change and predictability Events are inherently unpredictable. While generations of soothsayers, astrologers and their like would have us believe otherwise, they share a common thread in failing to accurately foretell the future, yet harbour in us a fascination when interpreting the past. Although the volatility of the world financial markets has been unprecedented, in most people’s living memory, it’s a salutary lesson to us all that history is determined by chance events, a measure of luck and human ingenuity.In these uncertain times, it is wise to acknowledge the limits of foresight and consider what can be done to manoeuvre for poll position. In this issue of the Hunting Review we pick up on a couple of the areas that demonstrate our continued ability to adapt and take advantage of rapid change. Developing on our footprint in strategic locations in the Middle East and Asia and creating a world class pipeyard in Scotland are two of these. Taking everything into account, we are better able to adjust to customers’ changing requirements not

only geographically but also technically. We therefore also take a look at the continuing development of crucial in-house technologies such as the Seal-Lock family of connections to better serve customers’ needs. Not all cataclysmic events are man made of course and nature herself can be capricious. When Hurricane Ike swept into the Gulf of Mexico last season, it threatened the city of Houston and the heart of the US’s energy production zone. While we could not control the storm, we were ready to react to its impact, minimise disruption and speed recovery. Preparation for such eventualities brings its own reward and we glimpse in these pages a little of the seriousness with which we approach effective planning for such times.Let us be cautious as we peer into the mists of the New Year but also make sure we remain diligent to seek out opportunities while continuing to prepare for the unexpected.

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Growth in demandChange in oil demand 2007-2030 (million barrels per day)

The wild swings in global financial markets over the last year have been quite extraordinary. The world has seen the

headline price of crude oil swing from more than $140 per barrel to well under $40 within the space of a few months while central bank interest rates hover near the zero per cent mark. Recession is no longer the media’s word game and it is usual fare to read of the knock on effects on trade and industry. The economic outlook is still uncertain and its ensuing complexities are mind-boggling.

Energy snapshotHowever in spite of this short term uncertainty, there remain fundamental trends that are less likely to change in the long run. One of these is the use of fossil fuels - particularly oil which will continue to dominate sectors such as transport for some time to come. The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipates that this year’s ‘old’ world energy usage, in the West, is set to fall at the fastest pace since records began some 50 years ago, possibly by up to 7 per cent. In contrast the developing world’s population and industries continue to grow inexorably and their need for more energy grows with it. The combined effect of this shift in usage suggests a global net shrinkage in demand for this year of perhaps 2 per cent. Meanwhile reserve replacement is not being achieved and depletion of producing fields continues at a numbing annual rate of 8 per cent. Arguably we have already produced more than half of all the known oil reserves.

But while falling prices at the pumps today are met with consumer cheer, this could mask far worse news for the consumer tomorrow. Falling oil prices mean there is less of an urgent incentive to explore alternative energy sources or develop the technology to realise the untapped resources of the deep offshore environment that will become the production frontier of the future.

National interestsThe offshore arena itself has now become the hunting ground of the international oil companies (IOCs), whose familiar brand names illuminate the service stations and highways of the western world. The reality is that they have been forced to these outer margins and deepwater offshore prospects by the newly revitalised and energised national oil companies (NOCs) which are more concerned with husbanding their national resources than trading sovereign production rights to the established blue chip operators. Some of the 60+ NOCs have become more competitive in recent years, moving outside their own territories and bidding in the international markets against IOCs to win exploration blocks or to invest in the private sector through merger and acquisition. Russian oil companies have become major international players in key regions such as the Middle East and Caspian Basin, while India’s ONGC and China’s Sinopec and CNPCA have been successful in Africa and Iran.

Western IOCs now control less than 10 per cent of the world’s oil and gas resource base; they have long been interested in

strengthening ties with NOCs to diversify their operations and enhance supply security but strategic alliances have proven difficult to manage. According to Petroleum Intelligence Weekly’s most recent annual survey of the top 50 oil companies, state-owned national oil companies now make up 27 of the 50. Saudi Aramco maintains its number one position here but China’s CNPC has now leapfrogged BP and Shell to reach the number five slot.

The good news for oilfield service providers is that the NOCs have a greater need to draw on the technical expertise available from this wider services community, and are less likely to simply contract out to the majors as happened before. There are opportunities for Hunting Energy to work directly with these national interests as well as through new alliances. With the Arabian Gulf at the fulcrum of this activity, Hunting’s presence in the UAE has now been augmented by a permanent move to new offices in Dubai during last year. Further plans will unfold as measured steps in this increasingly important region.

Re-emergenceof the nationals

Behind a backdrop of financial volatility and an evolving energy landscape, the world’s national oil companies have become more assertive

Expanding fortunes

The OPEC cartel, whose members hold around 75 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, embodies the revitalisation of national interests with member states making up a top swathe of producers led by Saudi Arabia. This is even as Russia, the number two exporter in the world, flirts with membership and regroups its energy interests under a national umbrella. This new found confidence has been epitomised in the Middle East, the heartland of OPEC whose countries have witnessed huge inflows of investment and often spectacular development over the last few years on the back of commodity prices. While these markets may fluctuate, the trend remains firmly on track towards ownership and management of energy projects locally.

Standing as an energy Colossus touching both the established West and the growing economies of the East, the Middle East region is destined to be a prime focus once again for future energy development to the benefit of local populations as well as companies that establish a presence there.

Growth in supplyChange in fossil fuel production 2007-2030 (million barrels per day)

Sean O’Shea (centre) with members of his team, Walid Ahmed (left) and Bilal Tahir at the Hunting Middle East office

OECD Pacific

OECD Europe

OECD North America

Africa

Eastern Europe/Eurasia

Latin America

Other Asia

India

Middle East

China

Source: IEA -2 0 2 4 6 8 10

Norway UK Crude Russia Mexico Natural Gas Liquids India USA China UAE Venezuela Nigeria Iran Kuwait Brazil Saudi Arabia Iraq Eastern Europe/Eurasia

Source IEA -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

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Hunting has been running a pipe management service at Fordoun, some 20 miles south of the main Badentoy

plant in Aberdeen, for more than a decade now. The company originally purchased the site, a former World War II airfield, in 1995. Since then, thanks to business expansion, there has been a significant increase in the scale of its tubular operation there.

However 13 years of continual forklift, lorry and other heavy lifting equipment movement had rather taken its toll and so the business case was made for a multi-million pound investment that would not only replace the existing infrastructure but also improve staff facilities and turn Fordoun into a first class pipe management centre.

Extra capacityRedevelopment work commenced in July last year after additional land next to the existing site was acquired. Once complete the storage capacity will increase to 34 acres of fully concreted roadway and forklift work areas. Before its redevelopment, Hunting Fordoun covered an operational area of 12.5 acres

North Seapipe dream

Hunting is upgrading its pipe management centre near Aberdeen which means North Sea operators have a world class facility to take care of both their long term and ad hoc OCTG needs

Existing land

Land purchased

Buildings

Old runway

Fordoun’s pastThe base was active from 1942-44 primarily for flying the Airspeed Oxford - an RAF training aircraft. Fordoun was also host to 22 dummy ‘Boston’ bombers in 1943 as part of Operation Tyndall which aimed to deceive the Germans into thinking there was a serious threat from the RAF to Norwegian based units.

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strips. Laid in a grid pattern, these strips form the roadways for forklifts to manoeuvre. The cement mix used for the concrete is a standard mixture with a special nylon fibre added to provide enhanced strength, impact and fatigue resistance. This has eliminated the need to include welded wire or mild steel reinforcing in most of its applications. This amalgam can support 15 tonnes per linear metre.

Once the first half of the new land had been cemented, existing pipe stock was moved on to the area and placed onto pipe racks, so that the remaining half could be completed. The third phase was for the existing land, the old runway section, to be cemented. This has been carried out by a huge self-loading concrete slipform paver that creates paving at a speed of six metres per minute. Each strip of cement is 7.25 metres wide and 225mm thick. A total of 11 strips were laid at the site - two are slightly wider than the rest and are designated as the main site access for forklifts and other vehicles.

The final building phase will be the inspection facilities and office building which are due to be opened during the first half of 2009.

Green by design From the outset safety and environmental considerations were planned into the design. Features such as waste water separation and additional landscaping were brought in to minimise the environmental impact of the redevelopment both for staff and local residents. To reduce water waste from the pressure washers used in the inspection and rig preparation areas, a separation tank has been installed which will collect, filter and recycle used water. The site had already switched the type of degreaser used to wash down connections to an environmentally friendly version which means the separation tank will only have to be cleaned out once a year.

squeezed onto a 1.5 mile long and 160ft wide strip of land. The area housed 90 per cent of the company’s own and consigned inventory for the offshore North Sea industry. It was also the primary delivery point for all OCTG material ordered from steel mills in the Far East, Europe and the USA.

The new site is laid out in such a way that it will benefit from lower operating, manpower and running costs while ensuring overall time savings, mainly associated with not having to operate cranes for manoeuvring the OCTG in and out of the racks. Instead custom built racks will allow the tubular goods to be quickly placed onto and removed from them by specially designed forklifts.

The redevelopment programme also includes additions such as inspection and preparation buildings to offer all the advantages of other pre-shipment services. New equipment will also mean that tallying, slinging and despatch onto contracted or customer transport can be undertaken by Hunting staff. Additionally customers will have the option of having their own inventories managed in dedicated areas, to facilitate periodic stock and maintenance checks.

Demand shift As the responsibility for storing OCTG shifted from the operator to the supplier in recent years, the demands placed on Fordoun changed. Initially the site was dealing with around 10,000 tonnes of tubular goods but this has increased to around 80,000 tonnes today. It was critical that this work stream should not be jeopardised. Fordoun handles 10 long term supply agreements as well as ad hoc work so the challenge for the development team was to ensure an uninterrupted supply to support customers’ offshore operations while the redevelopment and building work progressed.

The work is being carried out over a number of phases. The initial phase saw half of the newly purchased land receive its concrete

The design team was also keen to improve the habitat for wildlife, aesthetic appeal and to reduce the impact of noise. A tree belt and hawthorn hedge had been planted between 1998 and 1999. This foliage is already fairly mature but additional tree lines will be planted to plug the gaps created by the new area and to screen the site from drivers travelling along the A90 nearby. A mixture of native Scottish broadleaf trees and shrubs has been chosen in keeping with the existing planting. This will consist of alder, birch, ash and blackthorn as well as common broom and Scots pine.

To prevent contamination from run-off, a water catchment area has also been built to contain rainwater and prevent it washing straight into the nearby Redhall stream. This means that the excess water is stored and the outflow managed at a rate consistent with the burn’s natural capacity.

Strict standardsThe facility has been designed to the American Petroleum Institute’s specification for the storage of tubular goods. This requires standard materials to be stored on a minimum of two spaced supports for range 2 and range 3 joints. At Fordoun, Hunting uses specially manufactured concrete sleepers, covered with wooden strips. Wooden battens are placed directly above the support as separators between each layer of pipe so that the couplings do not contact the layer below. To ensure safe storage wooden chocks are nailed in place to prevent pipes slipping or moving. In keeping with the specification no tubulars are stacked more than 10ft high from the top of the support and at the base no support is less than 18in from ground level.

The redevelopment will not only result in Fordoun becoming one of the world’s foremost pipe management facilities it will also significantly improve the working environment for all staff and reduce the level of maintenance that was previously needed.

Dave Walker (left) the facility’s Material and Logistics Manager has been overseeing the redevelopment with the help of Paul Whyte, Materials Control Supervisor

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Hunting Energy Services’ well construction and completion business in the Asia Pacific region has now been in its current

Singapore premises for five years; what seemed like a leap of faith when it was set up has proved to be prescient. Further expansion now requires changes to the business model in order to allow it to grow to new levels.

The Singapore operation’s three-acre site is split between an open yard for manoeuvring stock and a 55,000sq ft covered workshop into which materials are fed and machined; this is nearly double the footprint of the previous premises. Once this machine shop had been completed in 2004, attention turned to renovating the offices to company specific requirements and design with due regard for Chinese custom - including a Feng Shui makeover. This was actually the first time that Hunting had owned its own premises in Singapore even after having a 30-year-old presence in the city state.

Regional growth taleOver the last five years staffing levels have also grown with the business and have now reached just under 100 people; 20 staff work exclusively on Hunting’s Seal-Lock related product group and roughly 80 on accessory and machine shop activity. The major difference has been in the development of Asian markets, particularly with reference to China and Hunting’s burgeoning relationship with the steel mills there. Hunting’s Chinese business has moved from being a simple royalty operation through the Huaxin mill in Tianjin, which is reaching the limits of its current capacity, to operating on a more open structure. Now the company also sources pipe from independent steel mills, adding proprietary Seal-Lock threading and shipping direct to the end customer.

The volume of machining of these threads has also caused a change in the business model with increased use of subcontractors which have adopted Hunting Quality Assurance (QA) standards, meaning options now exist in

A vibrant city state, Singapore is the breeding ground for Hunting Energy’s ambitions in the region

Gateway to Asia

Some of the Singapore office team (from left): Eric Ong, K K Ho and Melvin Ng

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Singapore slingA cocktail of nationalities makes up the cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse Republic of Singapore. Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore is the smallest nation in Southeast Asia measuring just 273 square miles. Made up of one main island with 63 surrounding islets, Singapore is among the last four remaining true city states in the world.

In spite of its compact size it boasts a population of nearly five million and punches above its weight in terms of influence. In 2007 the International Monetary Fund ranked Singapore as the fifth wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. It is also one of the busiest ports in the world with around 600 shipping lines sending in super tankers, container ships and passenger liners to share the busy waters with coastal fishing vessels and wooden lighters.

A number of industries thrive in Singapore. Electronic components, shipbuilding and petrochemicals are just a few of them. The city state is also one of the most important financial centres in Asia, playing host to more than 130 banks. It also rates highly on the region’s tourist trail, especially when events such as the Singapore Grand Prix and the exuberant, annual Chingay parade take place.

Formula One dominates the world of motor racing today with its slick, hi-tech and high gloss vehicles but for some there’s a

sense that it has lost its edge and thrills. Rewind to a century ago and the roots of motor racing were steeped in tense excitement, danger and the feeling that the boundaries of both speed and technology were being constantly pushed forward.

One of the country’s most famous historic race tracks is at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey; Hunting has been a long time supporter of this piece of British heritage. Now a motor and aviation museum, Brooklands has the honour of not only being the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation but it was also the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit.

Motoring enthusiast and wealthy landowner Hugh Locke King ended up investing £150,000 into building the 2¾ mile circuit - complete with two massive concrete bankings. At the time this was a small fortune - equivalent to millions of pounds today. The site’s first official race was held on July 6, 1907. It was dubbed the Ascot of motor racing by journalists, a nod not only towards one of the country’s most prestigious horse racing venues but also to the fact that many of the rules and procedures of early motor racing were based on horse racing to try and attract a ready-made audience.

The accolade worked; over the ensuing three

Speed, the race for technology and the pioneering spirit were all part of the heady mix of the early days of motor racing in the UKdecades, Brooklands found itself at the centre of Britain’s nascent motor sport and automotive industry. Several drivers attempted speed records here including Percy Lambert, who in February 1913 achieved a speed of 103.84mph. Having promised his fiancée that he would attempt no more records he tried to improve on this speed a few months later but tragically crashed and lost his life on the track. His ghost is said to still wander along the track dressed in full racing attire.

Roaring into the 20sSadly an early death was the fate of many motor racing pioneers. As Brooklands came back to life again after the First World War, legendary amateur racing drivers such as Count Louis Zborowski made their mark here. Zborowski

drove a wide variety of cars including Aston Martin, Bugatti and Mercedes.

However he is best known for the extravagant designs he drove around Brooklands which included the infamous Chitty Bang Bangs, which incorporated ex-World War I aeroplane engines. Ian Fleming’s children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and its subsequent musical, was inspired by the romance of Zborowski’s exploits. He was driving for Mercedes in the 1924 Italian Grand Prix when he crashed into a tree and died, aged just 29.

In August 1926 the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) organised the first ever British Grand Prix at Brooklands, while the speed records continued. The last land speed record achieved at Brooklands was when Kenelm Lee Guinness, a member of the famous brewing family, drove a 350hp single seater Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 135.75mph. This car was subsequently snapped up by Malcolm Campbell becoming his first Bluebird land speed record car.

Work on several land speed record cars continued in workshops at Brooklands, although the site was no longer large enough to host more attempts. Campbell’s ultimate land speed record car was his 1935 Bluebird. In September of that year Campbell drove his eighth and final land speed record along Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA, achieving a longed for target by averaging

The spirit ofmotoring

Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Each licensed facility has a Hunting onsite presence which is coordinated from Singapore. The integration of the processes in the supply chain has added a flexible manufacturing dimension, improving relationships and embedding links in the chain that assure the integrity of the product to the end user. Further developments in business practice can also be expected to address adaptations required to meet constraints and bottlenecks as well as fluctuations in demand.

Flexible manufacturing modelWhile Singapore is well known for its technological prowess, it is also unfortunately known for its high cost base too. Hunting’s Singapore operation therefore tends to reserve the high end manufacturing projects for its own premises using that expertise for sophisticated, short run batch work suitable to the physical limitations of shop and yard. All the same this facility can handle a range of Seal-Lock joints for tubing and casing from 2in to 42in while the range of accessories is almost infinite. All high volume manufacturing is therefore managed through partnered sites, particularly PT SMB Industri which is located a short distance across the water in Batam, Indonesia. This is a brand new facility, set up in 2007, with material and assistance from Hunting’s Singapore operation. Sitting on a land area of some 15 acres, it is configured on lean manufacturing principles with three ‘single piece flow’ machining lines, all under cover. Logistically well located, it also benefits from being sited in an area that is subject to an economic framework agreement between Indonesia and Singapore.

The challenges facing the growth of Hunting in Singapore are of the type relished by such a dynamic concern and a ready ability to adapt to the market environment is at the heart of expansion plans.

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301.13mph.

Engineering featsMeanwhile Brooklands’ outer circuit record remained highly popular particularly after The Daily Herald put up a trophy for the fastest driver round the track in 1930. Racing driver John Cobb pushed this speed record to 143.44 mph in his Napier Railton. Thought of by many as the ultimate Brooklands racing car, the Napier was designed and built by Thomson & Taylor in their premises in the Brooklands Aero Village. The car’s outer circuit record remained unbeaten when racing and record breaking came to an end in 1939 as war again stopped automotive activity at Brooklands.

Before this though, the track had proved an invaluable testing ground for the British motor industry. Manufacturers tried out engine components there, motoring journalists put the latest car makes through track trials and car brands such as Lagonda and Ford organised special public days to promote their latest models.

When peace returned it was hoped that the track would again see racing but the site had paid a heavy price for its help in the war effort - when it was used for strategically vital aeroplane development and manufacturing. Hangars had been erected on the track while the Vickers factory, which built Hawker Hurricane fighters and Vickers Wellington bombers, had been thickly camouflaged with trees and canvas houses to obscure it from bombing. Eventually the site’s shareholders voted in favour of selling the track to Vickers and motor racing at Brooklands became no more than memories.

Nearly 60 years on the Brooklands Museum Trust has been hard at work replacing and reconstructing many of the historic buildings and features. The original Clubhouse has now been transformed to the period atmosphere of its heyday and visitors can also see the Clerk of the Course’s Office, refurbished to how it would have looked in the 1920s as well as the Ladies’ Reading Room, which pays tribute to the fact that it was not just daredevil men who once raced at Brooklands.

Regular events days are held throughout the year so the track has returned to witness vintage cars and motorcycles once again enjoying the thrill of a spin around the famous outer circuit.

Reliving a golden eraBut Brooklands is not the only site in the country to offer fans of vintage cars a glimpse into the old world glamour of motor racing. There

was something of a hiatus after Brooklands’ motoring demise but in 1948 the Goodwood

Motor Circuit opened its gates to host Britain’s first post-war motor race meeting at a permanent venue. Having been deprived of motor racing for almost a decade, the response was rapturous with more than 15,000 spectators turning up to watch 85

drivers. The circuit was just part of the large

Goodwood estate - the ancestral home of the Dukes of Richmond for more than 300

years. Before being turned into a race track the circuit was an airfield - RAF Westhampnett, named after the village bordering Goodwood.

Petrol headsAs well as its significant aviation links with sites such as Brooklands, Hunting played a role in the UK’s automotive industry by providing some of the petrol and lubricating oil that powered the cars and motorcycles of the time. At one point the company owned around 130 petrol forecourts as well as leading automotive oil brands such as Filtrate. NB. Prices per gallon!

The 9th Duke of Richmond gave the use of the land to the government to help with the war effort. A renowned amateur racer, the Duke had won the Brooklands Double 12 in 1930, and went on to design both sports car bodies and aircraft. When a friend suggested using the perimeter road that bordered the aerodrome as a motor racing circuit, the Duke leapt at the idea. He officially opened the track in 1948 along with his wife and a friend by driving around the circuit in a Bristol 400, at that time Britain’s most cutting edge sporting saloon.

The estate is not just famous for motor racing. It also includes Goodwood House - a spectacular, flint embossed country house built in the 18th century; refurbished by the present Earl of March - son of the current Duke - several rooms, including the state apartments and the beautifully recreated Egyptian dining room, are open to visitors. Horse racing has a longer history on the site than motor racing; the course here has entertained wealthy socialites and horse racing fans for nearly 200 years. The annual Glorious Goodwood race meeting has been a fixture for many years. Early racegoers positioned themselves on a nearby hill, called The Trundle, which made a natural grandstand from which to see the races.

Jump starting traditionNearly 20 years of notable competitions finished in 1966 when Goodwood closed its gates to contemporary motor racing. But exactly 50 years to the day since the Goodwood circuit originally opened, the first Goodwood Revival took place. The circuit had been painstakingly restored to look exactly as it did in its heyday. In the last 10 years, the Revival has become one of the most popular historic motor race meetings in the world and the only event of its kind to capture the time capsule of motor racing in the 1950s and 1960s - thought of as the golden era of motor sport.

The Revival harks back to the glory days of Goodwood’s circuit, which ranked alongside Silverstone as Britain’s leading racing venue throughout its active years. During this time, it hosted prestigious events such as Formula One, the Goodwood Nine Hours race and the celebrated Tourist Trophy sports car race.

Now, for three days each September, the

circuit stages a historic race meeting for the kind of cars and motorcycles that would have competed at Goodwood during 1948-1966. No modern, post-1966 vehicles are permitted on site during the event, and all competitors and staff - along with many of the spectators - dress in clothing from the period to add to the nostalgic atmosphere. The 2008 event attracted around 124,000 excited visitors - quite a spectacle in their period clothing.

Classic Grand Prix cars from the 1950s and 1960s thunder around the track along with sports cars, historic saloon cars and rarely-seen Formula Juniors. Many of these vintage treasures are driven by famous faces from the world of motor sports both past and present. Some memorable motor racing performances have been seen from names such as Stirling Moss, Derek Bell, Damon Hill and the late Barry

Sheene. It is a classic car enthusiast’s dream, with special demonstrations of iconic racing cars and vehicles as diverse as pre-1966 microcars, caravans and the Cosworth DFV engine being showcased.

For those who prefer even more choice, the 12,000 acre Goodwood estate also plays host to the popular Festival of Speed each June or July. The event combines cars from all eras - everything from 19th century steam carriages to current Formula One vehicles.

It is heartening to know that these historic race tracks still attract enthusiasts of all ages looking to emulate something of the sights and sounds that the pioneers of motor racing experienced. Both Goodwood and Brooklands look forward to a long future as iconic pieces of British sporting and engineering heritage thanks to our fascination with their past.

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center,

a total of sixteen named storms, including eight hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes, formed this season pushing it into ranking as one of the most active in the 64 years since comprehensive records began. An average season has eleven named storms including six hurricanes - two of which are usually major ones.

As only mother nature would have it, the area known as ‘hurricane alley’ across the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico is also America’s prime hydrocarbon producing region, so any company operating here has to pay due regard to these events and Hunting Energy is no exception. While nature cannot be predicted, every effort is made to manage the best possible outcome.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially came to a close at the end of November,

but Hunting Energy’s management team is already primed for whatever hurricane-related activity is flung at it during 2009. The company operates an all-embracing Storm Management Plan for Business Continuity, aimed at ensuring the safety of all employees, minimising damage to property and maintaining services to customers. The plan was called on in September last year when Hurricane Ike hit, among other areas, Louisiana and Texas. Hurricane Ike is thought to be the third most destructive hurricane ever to make landfall in the US. At one point the diameter of Ike’s tropical storm and hurricane force winds were 600 and 240 miles (885 and 390km) respectively making it the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. Here’s how Hunting’s response unfolds.

Calm before the stormKeeping a close eye on the USA’s national weather service reports is, understandably, a

matter of course but the team at Hunting also keeps in close touch with customers, many of whom have their own weather monitoring departments, to get as early a warning about potential storm activity as possible.

Once a storm warning has been issued for a particular area, which might affect Hunting operations, both corporate and local management engage in strategic response and all facilities in the region are instructed to initiate their storm readiness routines. These include activities such as securing all loose materials surrounding a facility - this is not only to manage potential collateral damage but also to prevent outright loss. All generators and any satellite network systems are tested and fuel tanks are checked to ensure that supply for the generators and ancillary equipment are ready for a recovery operation. All facility supervisors liaise with their managers regarding employee evacuation plans and the best method of communicating with staff once the storm has passed.

Storm forceIn some instances storms require the complete evacuation of facilities and offices. Once state and local authorities have issued evacuation orders, all Hunting staff either follow these instructions or are sent to predetermined locations, usually their homes, if appropriate for the expected conditions. At the same time supervisors lock down the facility, unplugging all electronic equipment and storing it above floor level in case of flooding. Telephone lines are switched to other facilities that are not in the evacuation zones.

After the stormOnce the relevant authorities announce that the danger has passed and have issued the ‘all clear’ to return to office and residential premises, management teams undertake swift assessments of affected sites. Rapid contact is made with all employees to check on their and

Hunting Energy has developed a well oiled strategy for its facilities to cope with the forces of nature while ensuring minimum disruption to customers

their family’s safety and potential availability to help with the recovery operation. They will also be informed when they can return to a particular site or, if the situation is severe, if they can potentially be redeployed to another site. Facilities that still have power are brought back on line and those without use mobile generators to get them up and running as soon as possible. With power and communications restored the return to working day normality can begin.

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As a pattern, tartan has an enduring popularity whether it is on the pages of high fashion magazines or a traditional

kilt being worn to a Scottish wedding. Famous around the world, tartan is one of the most iconic symbols of Scotland and its heritage. So to celebrate both its history and future in Scotland, Hunting’s Aberdeen operation decided to create and register its own unique tartan.

Tartan is traditionally a woven material made from wool with stripes of different colours and widths that create its distinctive look. When woven the arrangement of colours in both the length and the width - known in weaving terms as the warp and weft - produces a number of squares, intersected by stripes which cross each other; this is called a ‘sett’. Each length of tartan is made by repeating the sett over and over again. The derivation of the word tartan has caused arguments between historians. Some say it comes from the Irish word - tarsna - which means crosswise or from the Scottish Gaelic tarsuinn, meaning across. However the Gaelic word for tartan has always been breachdan so it is more likely that tartan stems from the French tiretaine, which was a wool/linen mixture. In the 1600s this referred to a kind of cloth rather than the pattern in which the cloth was woven.

The history of tartan is shrouded in a certain amount of mystery and speculation as to its true origin and initial usage. Was it really worn by Scottish clans - tribal groups united by kinship and descent - as a form of identification? The word clan, derived from the Gaelic word for children, is thought to have entered into English as a label for the tribal nature of Scottish Gaelic society in around 1425.

Chequered originsIt is believed that the introduction of this form of weaving came to the west of northern Britain

with the Iron Age Celtic Gaels who arrived from Ireland during the 5th and 6th centuries BC. Evidence of ancient tartan has been discovered as far afield as burial sites along Asia’s ancient Silk Road in western China. Remains of fair skinned, red and brown haired people - thought to have died from illness or natural disaster while travelling along this route 2,500 to 3,000 years ago - were discovered by modern explorers. Among the textiles buried with them were well preserved, complex tartans which had been woven at least 500 years before the

identified by the tartan it wore, not to mark itself as different from its neighbours in the next glen, but literally because that is what its community weaver made. Local plants were used in the weavers’ dyes - no doubt also having a bearing on the colours of the tartan that he was able to produce.

If the concept of clan tartans was actually born at Culloden it was certainly not universally well known at the time. During the battle it was often hard to differentiate friend from foe by the tartan he wore. The only reliable method was to see what colour sprig each soldier was wearing on his bonnet which showed his affiliation to a particular clan. There is a contrary view that this was caused, not by the lack of clan tartans, but by the Highlander’s propensity for discarding his cumbersome philamhor before charging into the fray.

Following Culloden and the continuing bloodshed throughout the Highlands, the British government tried to quell further risings by destroying the clan system. Wearing tartan was outlawed by an Act of Parliament until 1782. Thankfully the law only applied to common Highland men, not to Lowland Scots nor to women. Most importantly, it did not apply to the Highland regiments that were being formed in the government army.

So manufacturers such as William Wilson & Sons of Bannockburn, near Stirling continued to mass produce tartan for the military and upper classes during this time. By 1819 the company’s pattern book showed weaving instructions for more than 200 tartans. However there is no evidence that Wilson’s tartans had any link to ancient regional or pre-1746 patterns - those tartans have almost all been lost forever.

A regal boostAfter the laws banning tartan were repealed in 1782 there was a resurgence of Scottish

Used on everything from biscuit tins to expensive whisky, clothing to furnishings, few things are more synonymous with Scotland than tartan

Hunting’startan army

birth of Egypt’s King Tutankhamen.Roman chroniclers talked of the Celtic tribes

wearing bright striped clothing but they were not specific enough to identify the patterns as tartan, although this could have been because there was no word for chequered at that time. One of the earliest examples of tartan found in Scotland dates back to the 3rd century AD; a small sample of woollen check was found used as a stopper in an earthenware pot to protect a stash of secret silver coins buried close to the Antonine Wall near Falkirk.

One of the first written mentions of tartan was in 1538 when King James V purchased ‘three ells of Heland Tartans’ for his wife to wear. However the first proof of the existence of what we now call tartan, was in a German woodcut from about 1631 which is thought to show Highland soldiers, probably mercenaries in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, wearing a clearly identified tartan philamhor. Also known as the great kilt, the philamhor was a length of cloth worn loosely round the waist and over the shoulder, held together by a belt - a precursor of the modern tailored kilt.

Tartan mythologyThe Battle of Culloden in 1746 is seen as the catalyst for the tartan clan myth. The battle brought to an end Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite rebellion against the English government’s forces - in an extremely bloody way. The Jacobite army was organised into clan regiments and it is here that historians have found the first hints at the use of tartan as a clan uniform.

Each community grouping would have counted a weaver amongst its number. The local weaver produced the same tartan for those around him and that tartan would initially have become a district tartan - worn by individuals living in close geographical proximity. Soon the whole community became

nationalism and efforts to restore the spirit and culture of the Highlands after a lengthy period of repression. Highland Societies sprang up in London and Edinburgh and authors such as Sir Walter Scott created a romantic image of the Highlands and helped to reinforce the appeal of tartan. Having your own family tartan became a coveted social distinction so upper class Highland and Lowland families were soon queuing up to have their own unique designs made.

One of the biggest boosts to the popularity of tartan came from a royal source. Queen Victoria and her Consort, Prince Albert, both adored the royal Scottish residence at Balmoral and were intrigued by all things Highland. Prince Albert designed the famous Balmoral tartan and they decorated many rooms with it. The Victorians’ romanticised view of the ‘noble’ Highlander was complete.

Contemporary feelHunting’s tartan project has been an interesting experience in how to create and register a tartan for modern usage. The result is a tartan that has been designed to reflect Hunting’s commitment to the energy industry. The blue and gold threads in the pattern were picked to represent the colours used on the Hunting horn and in its corporate livery, while the predominant maroon colour is reminiscent of the colour of oil. Once the colours were chosen a smaller checked design was favoured as it was felt that large checked tartans would not work so well if used on small objects. The plan is to use the Hunting tartan over time on a variety of objects such as stationery, ties, coffee flasks and other promotional items or corporate gifts. The first piece of tartan is now in the process of being woven and once this gets the seal of approval the design will be registered and will remain unique to Hunting.

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Singer Jamelia and her daughters on the catwalk during Fashion for Relief

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Our story begins when a little over one hundred years ago the American Rolling Mill Co (Armco) was created with the

purpose of manufacturing rolled steel or pipe, becoming an industry leader in OCTG after the second World War when it concentrated on seamless product for use in the oil and gas industry. To complement the company’s pipe making capabilities, Armco added machining services to produce API connections, which were threaded on the pipe ends along with the associated coupling. These industry standard connections consisted of nothing more than V-shaped and modified Acme threads (today’s 8-Round and Buttress threads) whose purpose was to connect lengths of pipe and withstand pressure associated with the well conditions of that era. As drilling technology advanced, the depth of wells and associated pressures increased so that specialised, or premium connections, were required to meet these conditions.

Recognising the need for such a connection in the early 1960s Armco designed a tubing (23/8 in - 41/2 in) and casing (41/2 in - 135/8

in) connection called Seal-Lock, which featured an undercut, or negative load flank and a metal to metal seal separate from the threads. The original Seal-Lock connection was the first OCTG connection featuring an undercut thread, which virtually eliminates pin and box separation, referred to as ‘jump out’. One of the most costly failures in drilling wells is a connection jump out which allows the string of pipe to free fall to the bottom of the well resulting in expensive techniques to either retrieve the string of pipe, side track around the existing well bore, or abandon the well completely. The metal to metal seal improved the connection’s leak resistance limit compared to the industry standard thread seal connections. Metal to metal seals are capable of resisting liquid and gas pressures that are greater than the pipe body can withstand.

As premium connection technology continued to advance, Armco sold the Seal-Lock product line to Interlock Technologies in 1985. Soon after, design enhancements were added and dimensions optimised to improve the connection’s compressive and leak resistance limits without affecting interchangeability, which allowed the new revised connection to still mate up with the original version. The resulting connection was named Seal-Lock HC (high compression).

In 1987 Interlock expanded the Seal-Lock product line to include two connections named Lock It, for thin to moderate wall pipes, and the HD Lock It for thick walled tubulars. These two tubing connections gained wide acceptance and

were used extensively along the Gulf of Mexico Coast during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Around the same time, Interlock designed a low cost, thread seal connection, for casing applications in sizes 75/8 in through to 20in. The Seal-Lock Boss design concept employed the ‘hooked thread’ technology with opposing pin faces contacting upon assembly, resulting in a high compressive resistance connection with improved thread sealing characteristics. The pin to pin face contact eliminated the need for a ‘built in’ coupling torque shoulder, resulting in a lower cost, thinner walled coupling blank. This connection has had a successful history in heavy oil and geothermal applications with extreme well bore temperatures exceeding 3150°C (6000°F). The popularity of this connection led to the design of a connection with identical features for tubing applications in sizes 23/8 in to 7in called the Seal-Lock HT (Hi Torque). This connection has enjoyed a great deal of success in horizontal, or directionally drilled wells, especially those associated with well screens.

Hunting ownershipInterlock Technologies’ footprint was limited primarily to the US market, so when Hunting acquired Interlock in 1993 the plan was to take the Seal-Lock product line internationally. Today with offices and threading facilities around the world, the Seal-Lock product line has gained worldwide acceptance.

With Hunting’s investment additional resources were applied for new connections designed to do the job better, faster, and cheaper. In 1999, the Seal-Lock Semi Flush connection was designed primarily for use in deepwater applications (1,000ft - 10,000ft of water). String lengths became even longer with the addition of one to two miles of water before reaching the earth’s surface. This additional length required a streamlined connection envelope with an outside diameter much closer to the pipe body OD as opposed to the much larger OD of a coupled connection. All well designs are a series of different sized pipe, with the largest at the top, called surface casing, and the smallest size running from top to bottom, called the production tubing. In between are additional strings called intermediate and production casing, and tie back and liner strings. The objective is to run each string inside the other and end up with the largest possible production string resulting in increased flow, or more barrels per day.

This is accomplished by eliminating the large OD couplings and threading the pipe with a male, or pin thread on one end and a female, or box thread on the other end of the pipe,

which may or may not be expanded slightly for increased strength. This style of connection is referred to as an integral connection as opposed to a coupled style connection. Now, nearly all deepwater well designs incorporate the use of integral style connections.

New challengesToday’s challenges call for even stronger connections, which can set deeper, hold higher pressures and provide corrosion resistance to downhole gases such as H2S and CO2. Over the past three years, Hunting has developed a premium connection for use on titanium pipe whose weight is approximately half that of typical carbon based materials and alloys. This weight reduction allows the strings of pipe to be run deeper without adding additional weight. Where a high grade of carbon based pipe with a yield strength of 125,000 lb/in2 may be set to 25,000ft, the same string of pipe

Doyle Reeves, Director of Engineering for Hunting

Energy, reviews the history of Hunting’s

Seal-Lock®

family of premium connections

Perfect fit

Doyle Reeves (right) Director of Engineering and Seal-Lock team leader with (from left) Gil Darcey and Mike Mock. Also pictured is Greg Farmer from QA

made from titanium could be set to 50,000ft without any increase in the total weight of the string. However titanium material presents new challenges from a connection design standpoint. Titanium stretches twice as much as carbon based material under the same loading conditions. This requires adjustments to traditional design calculations to ensure ultimate performance. Additional seal interference is required to generate adequate seal contact bearing pressure for a 100 per cent pressure rating. More seal interference reduces the galling resistance of the connection. Galling is the tearing, or gouging of seal surfaces during the make up process.

One requirement of a successful connection is to withstand multiple assemblies and disassemblies without damaging the sealing surfaces. In 2007, Hunting designed a connection specifically for use with titanium pipe. The Seal-Lock Apex XP connection has successfully passed industry standard qualification testing on 41/2 in x .271in wall titanium pipe with a trial string scheduled to be run in the Middle East in early 2009. Other sizes of the Seal-Lock Apex XP connection are currently being designed with qualification tests scheduled for next year.

The company is still striving towards the Holy Grail of connections where the connection’s geometrical envelope is identical to that of the pipe body (same OD and ID), and is as strong as the pipe body in tension, compression, internal pressures, external pressure, and torsion.

Until such time, the OCTG industry can

be assured the Seal-Lock product line offers a combination of superior performance and ease of running in

the field.

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Hunting PremiumConnection

16in Seal-Lock® Semi Flush

HuntingCrossover

Connection

HuntingFlow

Coupling

OtisHalliburton

HuntingClam™ BOP

HuntingStuffing Box

HuntingMuleShoe

HuntingPremium

Tubing

OCTGCasing

HuntingNon-MagneticDrillCollars

HuntingBurst Disc

HuntingMudMotor

HuntingRe-entryGuide

Hunting Pressure ControlHunting Lifting PlugsHunting Handling PlugsHunting Stabbing GuidesHunting Pressure Test FixturesSlickline/WirelineHunting Thread Protectors

HuntingDoublePin Sub

HuntingPup

Joint

HalliburtonLanding NippleManufactured by Hunting

HuntingBlast Joint

HuntingBull Plug

HuntingCoupling

CamcoFlopetrolMerla

HuntingVariBall™RollerSystem

HuntingCoiled TubingProducts

HuntingSeal Rings

HuntingShock Tool

Hunting PremiumConnection

11¾in Seal-Lock® Semi Flush

Hunting PremiumConnection

7in Seal-Lock® Semi Flush

WellConstruction

WellCompletion

WellIntervention

Hunting Energy Services has restructured the profile of its service and equipment supply into three distinct groups:

Well Construction, Well Completion and Well Intervention. These will help to focus on the proprietary technology, patented as well as OEM licensed products supplied to the upstream energy sector. These services are provided around the world to the largest national and international oil and gas concerns from company owned facilities and a network of accredited partners.

From this footprint Hunting supplies a range of products throughout the tubular cycle on a sales or rental basis. Initially this includes proprietary drilling tools such as non-magnetic collars, directional drill rods and mud motors. Mainstream OCTG support is provided through high specification casing and tubing with premium connections and a full range of accessory manufacturing. Finally Pressure Control Equipment helps manage producing wells in a safer, more efficient manner.

HuntingEnergy’sprofile

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Hunting operates from more than 40 facilities and offices around the world, employing nearly 3,000 staff.

In spite of the wide spread of locations and different names that some of the divisions have historically enjoyed, being known and associated with the Hunting brand has become increasingly important. This has led to the recent simplification of the brand and its use. A simple set of guidelines is now available to employees through their local marketing department as well as via the login section of the website at www.hunting.plc.uk. If you are in any doubt about the use of Hunting’s corporate branding please contact brand.manager@hunting.plc.uk

In addition some name changes have taken place to better align Hunting Energy companies’ with their business areas. It was felt that the name Hunting Energy was the best representation of the collective activities of the group to customers, stakeholders and potential investors. Nothing has changed except that some of the individual companies have now

One company, one brand

been renamed to reflect this approach. For example:

Hunting Oilfield Services (UK) Ltd is now Hunting Energy Services (UK) Ltd

Hunting Performance has become Hunting Energy Services (Drilling Tools) Inc

Hunting Oryx is nowHunting Energy Services (Drilling Tools) Ltd Hunting Cromar is nowHunting Energy Services (Well Intervention) Ltd

This rebranding is taking place across the board to create a unified brand image. All

facilities will display the Hunting name and horn logo, which was first designed in the early 1940s, and has come to be regarded as a symbol of excellence and reliability.

The logo will be used without subsidiary names as shown in the pictures (below) and will be applied to everything from stationery and vehicles to equipment and markings.

Find us onlineThe hard copy black company directory and address book that has been a stalwart of every Hunting employee’s inventory for many years, has recently been updated and is now available online. This web-based publication is available through MS Outlook in most locations or through the login section of the Hunting PLC website www.hunting.plc.uk Access details are reserved but are available through designated personnel in each principle location.

If you have problems accessing this area, please contact fiona.shankey@hunting.plc.uk for the relevant contact person.

Bill Price has been promoted to the position of General Manager of US Manufacturing. Bill will manage all aspects of Hunting’s manufacturing needs in the US. He has demonstrated a tenacity, passion and vast experience of the energy business during his career with Hunting so this new role will assure the continued growth and profitability of this business unit.Frank Jarveaux will continue to be responsible for Well Intervention activities reporting directly to Bill while Eddie Johnson will be responsible for various operational and project activities and also reports directly to Bill.

Mike Hooper has joined Hunting as General Manager of the US Drilling Tools division. Mike will be responsible for the mud motor and down-hole product lines, which are run from Casper, Wyoming. Mike brings more than 30 years of down-hole drilling experience to this position. His last role was Vice President at Dyna-Drill Technologies. Before joining Dyna-Drill, Mike held management and engineering positions with both Halliburton and Smith International. As well as holding a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from California State University at Long Beach, Mike is the inventor of 12 patents and has written numerous publications.

Mike Hickey has become Managing Director of Gibson Gas (Singapore) Pte Ltd - Gibson Shipbrokers’ new office in downtown Singapore. Mike has moved from successfully establishing Gibson’s Hong Kong office. He has been joined by Paul Weldin who transfers from the London office.

Texas 4000Hunting Energy at Skyline Way in Calgary, Alberta, played host to a group of young American cyclists during the summer of 2008 as they rode all the way from Austin, Texas to Anchorage in Alaska. The purpose of the sponsored ride was to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.

Double award honourHunting Energy Services in Aberdeen has won its second British Safety Council Sword of Honour. It is rare to win this accolade once - only 40 are awarded worldwide each year - but winning it twice is testament to Aberdeen’s sterling and rigorous health and safety practices. Hunting PLC Chairman Richard Hunting received the Sword at a ceremony at Goldsmiths Hall in London at the end of November last year. To receive a Sword companies have to be able to demonstrate their ability to manage health and safety risks via a proven culture of aiming for best practice, which is promoted through an entire organisation. Entries are judged by an independent panel of experts.

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Well interventionMargaret Low (centre) and members of her team complete the rebranding of their Singapore facility to the Hunting approved format from their old Cromar title and are proud to say they are still very much open for business.

Outstanding safety

Hunting Energy Services in Canada has been selected for a Work Safe Alberta Best Safety Performer Award in recognition of exceptional performance in workplace health and safety. Only around 700 companies out of Alberta’s 140,000 employers earn this distinction. In particular Hunting was selected because it had no work related fatalities in the past three years as well as no outstanding compliance orders under the State’s Occupational Health & Safety Legislation. The company was also able to record a disabling injury rate that was 40 per cent lower then the energy industry’s average.

Hunting Art Prize - charity updateEntries for the 2009 Hunting Art Prize are now in and Hunting has once again decided that it will donate proceeds from the event to the Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund. A Houston-based charity, the fund provides scholarships, support and ongoing guidance to Houston-area high school students in need of financial and career assistance to fulfill their academic potential. Hunting CEO, Dennis Proctor, said the company was honoured to work with the Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund for a second year. ‘This scholarship fund is a way to have a positive impact on the lives of the next generation,’ he said. ‘It is a privilege to continue contributing to a programme focusing on a solid work ethic to fulfill a young person’s goal of a higher education.’

Gibson’s party spirit

Gibson Shipbrokers’ annual party for the festive season attracted more than 800 guests - a mixture of customers and valued associates. The event took place at the atmospheric and historic Middle Temple Hall in The City. The 446-year-old venue has played host to many illustrious events over the years, including the first performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in 1602. Magician Faye Presto (pictured) was part of the entertainment. In a short speech Gibson Managing Director, Nigel Richardson, said: ‘There is no doubt that the coming year will be challenging for us all but let us not forget that on the whole 2008 has been an exciting, albeit volatile, year. The forthcoming year, with all its uncertainties will also provide many unexpected opportunities.’

World Oil Awards

Hunting was a runner up to win a prestigious World Oil Award last year. The company had been nominated for its Annular Pressure Relief System (left), which was entered into the Best Production Technology Award category. The theme for the 2008 awards was ‘Focus on the Future’. Results were announced in October 2008.

New Mexican facilityHunting is building a new facility in Monterrey, Mexico. The site is due to open in the first quarter of this year and extends Hunting Energy Services’ presence into the South American market.

Halliburton Golf Day Hunting took part, once again, in the annual Halliburton Corporate Golf Tournament which was held in October 2008 at Kingwood Country Club in Houston. Hunting sponsored two of the playing teams and fielded a contingent to support the Hunting hospitality tent. Located on the 16th tee, the Hunting volunteers cooked their now famous fried catfish and bacon wrapped shrimp breakfast tacos for 200 participants. The tournament took place over all four courses at the venue and Halliburton voted the Hunting tent as the best Tournament Hospitality Tent, presenting Hunting’s event coordinator Ben Jarveaux with a barbeque apron - embroidered with the award details.

Shipbrokers’ Open DayGibson Shipbrokers’ Corporate Golf day has long been a fixture in the company’s calendar but on September 21, 2008 the company held its first Gibson Open day for colleagues in the picturesque Kent countryside. All standards of golfers, from complete novices to those with some impressive handicaps were encouraged to make the event all-inclusive. The sun shone brightly and a fine day was had by all as the teams competed to be the first to have its name on the impressive trophy. This honour was taken by the Crude Oil Desk team which consisted of Samantha Trowbridge, Peter Groves, Gianni Saccomani and Bertie Tibbles.

Final farewell to Gibson Energy Hunting completed the disposal of Gibson Energy Holdings Inc in mid December last year to the Riverstone/Carlyle Global Energy and Power Fund. The total consideration for Gibson was CDN$1,258m of which CDN$1,158m was paid in cash on completion. Hunting now expects to use the proceeds from the disposal to invest in Hunting Energy Services, make earnings acquisitions and to eliminate net borrowings. A number of acquisition opportunities are already under review.

HTS historyPeter Thompson, a former head of Hunting Technical Services (HTS), is researching and writing a 50-year history of the company. Established in 1953, natural resource consultancy HTS contributed to an unprecedented period of expansion in overseas aid programmes. It was the leading private sector company in this field and to recognise and record its achievements a book is being prepared. Contributions are sought from former staff members who should contact Peter on pgvmt@bramley.prestel.co.uk

Hunting Art Prize - jury appointmentsThree respected members of America’s national arts community will serve as jurors for the 2009 competition. Members of the jury, who will select both the finalists and the winner of the prize during a two-tiered judging process that begins in January, are: Kate Green, Independent Curator and former Curator of Art Pace in San Antonio; Chiyo Ishikawa, Deputy Director of Art, Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, Washington; and Suzanne Folds McCullagh, Curator Prints and Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The winner will be announced on May 2, 2009.

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Hunting PLC3 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BQ, United KingdomTel +44 (0) 20 7321 0123Fax +44 (0) 20 7839 2072www.hunting.plc.uk

Hunting Energy (North America)2 Northpoint Drive, Suite 400, Houston, Texas 77060, USATel +1 281 442 7382Fax +1 281 442 5771www.hunting-intl.com

Hunting Energy (Europe)Badentoy Avenue, Badentoy Park, Porthlethen, Aberdeen AB12 4YBTel +44 (0) 1224 787000 Fax +44 (0) 1224 787100www.hunting-intl.com

Hunting Energy (Asia)34 Benoi Road, Singapore 629901, SingaporeTel +65 (0) 686 16176 Fax +65 (0) 686 15010www.hunting-intl.com

Hunting Energy (France)46 Rue Pierre Charron, 75008 Paris, FranceTel +33 (0) 1 56 89 89 80Fax +33 (0) 1 47 20 10 05www.hunting-energy.fr

Gibson Shipbrokers16 Ely Place, London EC1P 1HP, United KingdomTel +44 (0) 20 7667 1000Fax +44 (0) 20 7430 0571www.eagibson.co.uk