Oil and gas associations announce partnership to promote industry in North America

Published on January 31, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski

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Three international oil and gas organizations signed an agreement to strengthen their working relationship to advance operational performance of the industry across North America.

The partnership involves the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP), the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the Asociación Mexicana de Empresas de Hidrocarburos (AMEXHI). The agreement paves the way for enhanced coordination amongst the three associations, including joint forums on specific issues; technical workshops on topics such as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), offshore safety, digital oil fields or hydraulic fracturing; and best practices on environmental performance, emergency response and many other areas pertaining to oil and gas operations.

“Today’s MOU was the natural way forward for our associations – it will help boost the operational performance of the oil and gas industry in Central and North America, including more consistent operational practices in the Gulf of Mexico. Partnering with API and AMEXHI will help to enhance safety, health, environmental protection, and sustainability across our industry’s operations in the region,” IOGP Director of Americas Wafik Beydoun said.

The three associations will also work on projects to advance health and safety performance, environmental protection in the Gulf of Mexico, legal frameworks, and cybersecurity, among other topics.

“API furthers safe and efficient operations around the world through world-class standards and best practices. Through this MOU, our associations will collaborate and share best practices on ways to improve safety, environmental protection, and sustainability across oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico,” API Senior Vice President of Global Industry Services Debra Phillips said.

AMEXHI General Director Merlin Cochran said this is an opportunity to implement international best practices for the oil and gas industry.

“Mexico benefits from this agreement by having available experiences and solutions to complex situations presented in other countries. Collaboration with API and IOGP will strengthen operations throughout the region, which will add great value to the global industry,” he said.