Welcome to the latest issue of Offshore Technology Focus. 

In this edition, we consider a question that has dogged the oil and gas industry since corporations first started being held accountable for their environmental footprint: are oil major’s climate commitments genuine, or just attempts at corporate greenwashing? 

Recent efforts by environmental groups and legal firms alike have sought to formalise and codify many of these allegations, turning them into precise legal cases, rather than nebulous concerns that oil and gas firm aren’t taking climate commitments seriously.

We also go around the world to assess the impacts of some of the biggest stories affecting the oil and gas sector. Starting with the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, we consider how the war could affect both the balance of power in global oil production, and how industry giant Gazprom has seen its reputation shaken by the conflict.

On the technology front, we speak to subsea surveyor Rovco about the group’s AI tools and the digitisation of the oil and gas supply chain. Within the context of greenwashing allegations and involvement with Russian majors, the industry’s leaders have endured nothing short of a public relations disaster in recent years, and we ask if the adoption of legitimately cutting-edge technology could help improve their images. 

For all this, and our usual offering of news, views and the latest from Ukraine, read on. 

JP Casey, editor