About Vanguard: Team Experience

UK

Neil Ritson was responsible for Burlington Resources North Sea and East Irish Sea assets in 2001-2004 during which the Millom and Dalton fields were brought on stream and the Rivers sour gas field construction project was sanctioned and built.  Neil Ritson was also actively involved in BP’s exploration and development of the Atlantic Margins in 1998 as acting-Strategic Business Unit Leader in addition to his duties in Norway at that time.

Dave Scott worked on two major North Sea projects, Conoco’s Hutton Tension Leg Platform (TLP) and Enterprise’s Nelson platform. This involved supervising construction and commissioning activities in addition to well and completion design and offshore drilling supervision. Dave gained extensive knowledge of TLP technology, pre-drilling and well tieback operations on both of these projects. Latterly, whilst at Burlington Resources, in additional to other responsibilities, Dave managed their production operations and drilling activities in support of developing the East Irish Sea Rivers fields. The well operations activities involved drilling sub-sea multilateral horizontal wells.  Production operations were focused on the commissioning of the troublesome onshore sour gas processing plant.

Gordon Stein has worked on numerous exploration, appraisal, production and development assets in the North Sea and East Irish Sea between 1996-2006, including the Ardmore, Maureen, Crawford, Morecambe Bay, Fyne and Dandy and Liverpool Bay fields – for Monument, LASMO, Acorn and Fairfield.

Norway

Neil Ritson was Exploration Manager and Business Unit Leader for BP Norge between 1990 and 1996.  Responsibilities included the 14th and 15th Licensing Rounds, the discovery of Kvitebjorn and the development of the Draugen Field.  Neil Ritson led the team responsible for BP’s successful acquisition of interests in the Ormen Lange and for early deepwater drilling in North Norway.

Holland, France, Italy and Switzerland

Holland

Neil Ritson was responsible for the Burlington Resources CLAM joint venture with Marathon between 2001 and 2004 during which time Burlington acquired the Marathon interests and took on sole ownership of the assets of CLAM.

France

Neil Ritson participated extensively in exploration in France in the 1980’s and was responsible for the acquisition of seismic over large parts of the Paris Basin, including the City of Paris.  As chief geophysicist of SFBP he also held technical responsibility for the Aquitaine Basin and actively participated in the sale of all SFBP’s upstream interests to Elf Aquitaine in 1984.

Italy

Whilst at Enterprise Oil, Dave Scott set up their operational capability in Italy. Based in the Rome office, with an operations base in Brindisi, a team was formed which subsequently offshore drilled several deep water wells in the Adriatic and an ultra deep, hard rock onshore well in the Southern Apennines.

Switzerland

Neil Ritson led the technical work associated with the exploration and drilling for SFBP in the Geneva area and in the adjacent Jura mountains in the 1980’s.

Ukraine, Romania, Greece

Ukraine

Neil Ritson, Dave Scott and Gordon Stein all worked on Regal Petroleum’s onshore Ukraine asset in their respective capacities as CEO, COO and CFO.  Neil Ritson led the team in turning around the asset and managing a divestment process which culminated in an offer of over $400 million for a 51% stake of the asset from Shell.

In addition to assisting with the technical and operational aspects of the divestment, Dave Scott formulated the revised development plan utilising novel well design, the use of multiple western rigs and the establishment of new production facilities.  

Romania

Whilst at Regal Petroleum plc in 2007, Neil Ritson, Gordon Stein and Dave Scott were all actively involved in the Suceava and Barlad exploration projects, both of which lead to commercial gas discoveries.  Neil Ritson had overall technical responsibility and was also responsible for the successful farmout of the Suceava concession to Aurelian plc in 2006.

Greece

Whilst at Regal Petroleum plc Neil Ritson was responsible for the commercial disposal of the Kavala Licence in the North Aegean Sea. The failed exploration campaign and political problems of the Prinos Field and its workforce in 2004 - 2005 had to be overcome to create a viable trade sale of the Regal interests which was concluded in late 2007.

Tunisia and Algeria

Tunisia

Gordon Stein worked for British Gas in Tunisia between 1994-1996 on the $800m Miskar gas development and also as Finance Manager for TBS, a Sfax-based oil production and development JV company during the same period.   Neil Ritson was responsible for Burlington Resources exploration efforts in Tunisia in 1999 and 2000; after which these interests were relinquished without discovery.

Algeria

Neil Ritson was Burlington Resources VP in charge of Algeria from 1999 to 2004 during which the MLN and Ourhoud discoveries were brought on production; Ourhoud in 2002 and MLN in 2003.  Dave Scott was responsible for the operational activities (drilling and production) of Burlington Resources in Algeria from 1998 until 2006. 

Gordon Stein was responsible for establishing Monument as an Exploration Operator in Algeria in 1997-98.

Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan

Turkmenistan

Gordon Stein was responsible for helping establish Monument as an operator for the Nebit Dag and Garashsyzlyk fields in Turkmenistan in 1996-98. 

Kazakhstan

Working on behalf of clients of NR Global Consulting Limited, Neil Ritson provided oversight of operations and surveys in the Alakol Basin.

Azerbaijan

Gordon Stein was involved in Monument’s Inam exploration licence, in the south Caspian Sea, offshore Azerbaijan, in 1996-98 and led the sale of that asset.   

Egypt

Neil Ritson lived in Cairo from 1979 to 1983 and was the lead geophysicist on the BP-Shell-Deminex concessions in the Gulf of Suez and Sinai Peninsula.  Neil participated in the discovery of numerous Gulf of Suez offshore fields including Ras Fanar and Zeit Bay.  At Burlington Resources Neil Ritson was responsible for the acquisition and subsequent development of the Tao gas field in the ONS Concession of the Nile Delta.  Neil Ritson was responsible for the farm-out of the Regal Petroleum concession in the Sinai to Apache in 2006.  Neil Ritson, Dave Scott and Gordon Stein subsequently supported Regal’s Ras Budran exploration activities in Egypt, where a commercial oil discovery was made in 2007.

Gabon

Working as Chairman and Chief Executive of PetroEnergy Limited, Neil Ritson was involved with negotiations to acquire technical support agreements and access to reactivation and marginal field development projects in the mid-2000’s.

Liberia

Neil Ritson was responsible, whilst at Regal Petroleum plc, for the sale of non-core interests in the Liberian deepwater Blocks 8 and 9.

Uganda and Tanzania

Uganda

Working on behalf of clients of NR Global Consulting Limited, Neil Ritson provided regional and block specific assessments of the hydrocarbon systems and fiscal terms in the East African Rift Valley.

Tanzania

Working on behalf of clients of NR Global Consulting Limited, Neil Ritson provided regional and block specific assessments of large parts of the country.

India

Whilst at Hardy Oil and Gas Dave Scott set up an operations team in Mumbai, with a support base in Baroda too, which subsequently drilled several exploration wells in the adverse environment of the Cambay Basin and the Krishna Godavari block on the east coast.  

China and Laos

China

Whilst VP International for Burlington Resources Inc., Neil Ritson was responsible for development of the Devon Energy operated Panyu Field in the Pearl River Mouth Basin offshore and for onshore Burlington operated gas appraisal and development efforts undertaken in the Chuan Zhong (CZ) concession in the Sichuan Basin.

Laos 

Gordon Stein helped establish Monument as an exploration operator for the Vientiane block in Laos in 1997-98 where two wells were subsequently drilled. 

Papua New Guinea

Neil Ritson was responsible for BP’s technology efforts in PNG in the late 1980’s which resulted in the adoption of new survey techniques and additional successful exploration efforts, especially in the Hides area of the Papuan Highland.

New Zealand

Neil Ritson was BP New Zealand’s chief geophysicist in 1985 and 1986 and was responsible for extremely large scale seismic surveys in the Canterbury Basin and for interpretation of the Maui 3D, one of the first 3D surveys acquired in the southern hemisphere.

USA (incl. Alaska)

Neil Ritson worked in the 1970’s and again in the late 1990’s on BP’s interests in Alaska.  As BP Alaska’s VP Exploration in 1997-1999, based in Anchorage,  Neil Ritson was involved in the Point Thompson Area Development, the Northstar discovery and in obtaining BP’s first leases in the Naval Petroleum Reserve.

Neil Ritson, VP International for Burlington Resources Inc, played an active role in the operational management of Burlington’s interests worldwide and supported colleagues responsible for exploration and development throughout North America, based in Houston.

Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

Venezuela

Gordon Stein worked in Venezuela for most of 2000, leading a project to significantly improve the business support systems for LASMO’s $500m+ Dacion development & production licences.  

Colombia

The discovery of Cuisiana and the extensive development of the foothills pay system in Colombia were made whilst Neil Ritson was BP’s international chief geophysicist. 

Ecuador

As VP International Neil Ritson had responsibility for Burlington Resources activities in Ecuador focused on the development of the Yuralpa field in the Oriente Basin which was brought on stream in 2003.

Peru

Neil Ritson had responsibility for Burlington Resources activities in Peru during his tenure as VP International in the early 2000’s, during which time the effort was focused on exploration.

Argentina

Neil Ritson had overall responsibility for Burlington Resources, largely dormant, Sierra Chata gas fields in the Neuquen Basin in 2003-04.

Australia

Dave Scott managed an offshore exploration well off the North West coast of Australia.