Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

9 March 2015

	China's crude oil imports slump by nearly 9% China’s commodity trade slowed in February as the lunar new year holiday crimped imports of oil, iron ore, copper and soybeans while exports of aluminum and steel fell

	New oil and gas industry watchdog hires chairman The UK’s newly-minted oil and gas industry regulator has appointed Sir Patrick Brown as its chairman, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said today. The establishment of the fledgling Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), headed by chief executive Andy Samuel, was called for in last year’s Wood Review, which set out a series of recommendations aimed at maximising the recovery of UK fossil fuels

	BP makes second "significant" find in Egypt's east Mediterranean Sea BP Egypt announced today another important gas discovery in the North Damietta offshore concession in the east Nile Delta. The Atoll-1 deepwater exploration well, currently being drilled using the semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer, has reached 21,000 feet depth and penetrated about 164ft of gas pay in high quality Oligocene sandstones

	Brazil's president calls for patience amid oil corruption probe Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has asked citizens for patience as the country deals with a flagging economy and a widening corruption probe involving the state-run oil company and dozens of top politicians

	Statoil orders new emergency vessel for the Mariner field Norwegian oil giant Statoil has awarded a contract to Sentinel Marine to provide a new multi-role Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV) to support operations on the Mariner field on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS)

	Milestone moment for Oslo-listed Wentworth Oslo-listed, east Africa-focused oil and gas company Wentworth reports a "further significant shift" in its operational status, with independent reserves attributed to its Mnazi Bay gas fields for the first time

	Atlas Knowledge extends contract to deliver revised offshore safety programme E-learning firm Atlas Knowledge has extended its contract to deliver a newly revised offshore safety programme for a further seven years. The Aberdeen firm will continue to deliver the Minimum Industry Safety Training (Mist) online programme, retaining its position as the only provider of Mist refresher training

	Oil market balance expected later this year The global crude-oil market will return to balance in the second half of this year from an oversupply of 2million barrels a day that has caused prices to plummet, Opec Secretary-General Abdalla El-Badri has said

	Call for Westminster to keep promise on North Sea taxes A north-east business body has called on the UK government to stick to its promise on cutting North Sea oil and gas taxes and to maintain fiscal stability after the general election

	SSE invests £12million in recruitment shortfall Energy giant SSE has pledged to invest £12million in order to help meet the need to recruit a shortfall of 208,000 workers in the sector by 2023. It has called on firms to invest in the support of apprentices to ensure the UK has the skilled workforce needed to deliver major projects required for the future as half of utility sectors workers are set to retire in the next eight years