Summer is almost upon us, but it’s been quite a spring. Contrary to the traditional idea that Spring Fever is cause for slowing down and lazily staring out the window, it’s been quite a hectic time here at the magazine.

Preparing for the Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston 3-6 May kept us hopping, not to mention being there – and then we had to go through all the photos. Don’t be surprised if you see yourself or someone you know in the OTC review pages. Congratulations to all the Norwegian companies that were awarded OTC Spotlight on Technology awards – you’ve made us proud.

Our new Reader Forum provides a venue for readers to comment on the industry (and on how we at the magazine are doing). Please feel free to drop us a line or two.

In this issue we’ve taken up drilling, and leading off is WellDynamics’ discussion of SmartWell completions that underscores the value this technology has provided to increasing production.Toolbox Drilling Solutions, who engineer and provide the industry with purpose-built tools for VGS/motor drilling, are also here to describe their hydrastab h-vgs, which contributes to drilling cost savings.

When we think of safety,we don’t really think of tolerating faults, but SINTEF helps us to understand that the most effective way to implement a zero-accident philosophy is to accept that errors do happen and that error awareness can go a long way in avoiding serious accidents.

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) looks at oil-spill risk management and suggests an integrated approach to reducing the risks. From waste facilities at ports to computer models that track virtual spills to traditional clean-up methods – all the tools and technology for fighting spills must be put into play to protect our coasts.

Fighting fires is a serious matter.Whether it’s Marioff’s automated HI-FOG systems or Dupont’s telomerized fluorosurfactant foam, the importance of quickly and effectively putting out a blaze can’t be stressed strongly enough.

Finally, in this issue we focus on our North Sea neighbours Finland and Russia. It’s almost unfair to separately focus on these two: synergy with Finland is a direct contribution to Russia’s boom.

Don’t forget the upcoming Offshore Northern Seas conference to be held in Stavanger 24-27 August.We’ll be spending our summer preparing the next issue and getting ready to attend this bi-annual event. Hope to see you there!