Classification society DNV GL appointed Ben Oudman as DNV GL Oil & Gas Regional Manager for Continental Europe, Eurasia, Middle East, India and Africa.
Oudman has been appointed to further strengthen the company’s efforts to help the industry overcome barriers to progress, DNV GL said in a statement.
DNV GL’s 2017 Energy Transition Outlook report shows that while the energy transition is well underway, oil and gas will likely remain major energy sources for many years to come.
“The future energy mix is likely to look very different from region to region within the geographies under my remit,” said Ben Oudman, commenting on his appointment.
Elaborating on the differences in the energy markets which now lie under his new responsibilities in DNV GL, Ben Oudman said, “While Western Europe is rapidly embracing the energy transition across the value chain, the focus in Eastern Europe and in Russia is on gas as the fuel of choice, with security of supply a key concern.”
He noted that significant investment is being made in transnational pipeline projects such as TANAP and TAP. In the East Mediterranean, recent developments off the coast of Egypt, Cyprus, Israel and Lebanon are some of the main drivers of oil and gas activities in the area, along with the rise of LNG.
On the other hand, the markets in India and Africa are focused on fueling the growing energy needs through challenging deepwater offshore projects and gas to power investments.
Oudman indicates huge potential remains for mid and downstream activities in the Middle East.
“As predicted in our Energy Transition Outlook report, fossil fuels will continue to play a substantial role until 2050, with the majority share coming from the Middle East where we see investments returning to both the upstream and downstream segments,” he said.
Oudman took up the new position on January 1. He joins the executive leadership team for DNV GL’s Oil & Gas business area, leading a 500-strong team of experts serving a diverse range of oil and gas clients from Portugal in the west to India and Russia in the east. DNV GL’s regional head office will remain in Milan, Italy.