| Description | Tape 1 Side A BRUCE MOLLAND born 24.08.1939 Barnstaple, Devon. Present position: has own company, Devonian International, providing business support with web-based database of suppliers used by oil companies, contractors, for procurement etc. Details. Reference to CRINE (Cost Reduction Initiative for the New Era). Father a maths teacher, formerly Private Secretary to Liberal MP for North Devon. Father later a member of Labour Party, councillor, alderman, Justice of the Peace. He was away in army most of war. Mother artistic, followed horse riding. Has younger sister. Paternal family were squires. Grandfather a grocer. Maternal grandfather Head Chef at Great Eastern Hotel, London. Recalls air raid during war. Mother's family name Thomas. Memory of maternal grandfather. Details re family names. Childhood home a semi-detached house. Recalls father's routine, tuition from him. Describes him, his public role in community. Parents later parted. Details. Mentions father's music collection, interest in the arts. He was a disciplinarian. Relationship with him, difficulty when parents parted. Religion not important in family. Recalls scanning father's political speeches, his political attitudes, speaking style. Lived in middle class area. Recalls being harassed, picked on by people from working-class area nearby, having fights, boxing at school. Describes fight on day of 11-plus exam, social divide and living conditions of the time. Is more right-wing than father. Mentions Churchill. Wanted to be a farmer. Background to going to sea in Merchant Navy at 16. Recalls progress at school, being bit of a rebel, strong-mined, details of exam passes. Went to sea as Apprentice Deck Officer with Pacific Line 1968. Details re company, routes, work routine. Spent year on a tanker.
Tape 1 Side B Recalls disappointment at not getting into Royal Navy, early feelings about Merchant Navy. Took part in most sports at school. Details. Parents key role models. Explains. Planned to become ship's master. Recalls being able to gauge state of Britain's export fortunes by depth in water of cargo ships. Details re nautical exams. Marriage1962. Details re wife. Took her to Singapore. Joined British India, worked on tank, munition landing ship. Mentions involvement with Indonesia/Malaysia Confrontation 1962. Compares efficiency of British, US forces. Wife left in Singapore. Details. Reference to riots. Wife's family name Toon. Details re children, dates of birth. Took Master's exams 1965, then Extra-Master's. Explains decision to come ashore into shipping industry management position. Mentions opportunities for mariners in offshore industry, advent of container transportation. Wanted to see children growing up. Details re Extra Master's certificate. Worked on Union Castle ships going to Cape Town. Explains duties. Recalls precision of sailing times, turn-around routines. Recalls, during dinner at Warsash Nautical School, seeing Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary crossing in the Solent for the last time. Background to appointment with Offshore Marine as Assistant Marine Superintendent, Great Yarmouth 1968. Mentions previous experience in oil industry, working in tanker. Describes early BP pilot project manufacturing artificial steaks using protein made from crude oil. Details re evolution, role of Offshore Marine, servicing southern North Sea rigs. Reference to Sea Gem, and competitors IOS (International Offshore Services), Wimpey. Recalls Brigadier Parker, Offshore Marine Chairman. Describes premises. Mentions Cunard link. Details re work on marine insurance, salvage. Started law degree. Details re Parker, Dave Shannon, Commercial Director, former Dambuster.
Tape 2 Side A Recalls incidents demonstrating personality of Brigadier Parker. He was one of the boys. Duties as Assistant Marine Superintendent included checking ships, maintenance, surveys, claims, recruitment, insurance. Describes supply vessels. Offshore Marine pioneered stern rollers for anchor handling. Details re other developments including waterfall winches. Some vessels lost through loss of buoyancy. Explains. Describes sinking of stern-trawler Gannetshaw with three fatalities. Reference to Hewett A blowout 1969, media. Details re Gannetshaw, evolution of gutsier supply vessels. Earlier ones modelled on those used in Gulf of Mexico. Explains other problems with early supply vessels. Apocryphal stories re lack of communication between ships and rigs. Personnel came from fishing, home trade, foreign-going backgrounds - rivalry among them. Gives example of master burning charts. High skills, long hours involved in anchor handling work. Story of a naked skipper. Describes anchor handling procedures, equipment, difficulties. Mentions accidents. Importance of quality of cooking on ships, company reputations in this area. Story of one chef relying on a cookery book. Details re level of competition. Reference to OIL (Ocean Inchcape Ltd). Crisis came when Norwegians appeared. Mentions place of Americans in market. Reference to Tony Benn. Learned to dive, developed interest in underwater industry. Recalls company involvement in forerunner of underwater operations. Describes testing Shelf Diver submarine in Bay of Biscay. Reference to Vickers, association with Perry Oceanographics. Describes trip down in submarine. During growth of company spent time in dry docks, building yards overseas marketing. Describes own marketing baptism of fire with an American Hank Megan. Recalls strong work ethic. Doesn't suffer from stress. Recalls reaction when on a burning ship.
Tape 2 Side B Joined Offshore Supply Association 1972 based in Stavanger. Responsible, as Managing Director, for managing large fleet of German, British ships in Norwegian sector. Explains consultation with family re working with Germans after their war experience. Recalls tow-out of Ekofisk, problems, danger of going on rocks. Reference Captain Noble, Noble Denton. Describes Ekofisk complex. Details re loss of an earlier Ekofisk jacket which came adrift in heavy weather. Mentions other Ekofisk losses. Describes attitude of Norwegians to Phillips who had major investment in Ekofisk, tactics of company. Learned Norwegian. Explains advantage of this. Recalls Norwegians' intentions. They were hard on Americans but learned from them. They were chauvinistic. Recalls development of pioneer pipe-carrier ship, evolution of supply vessels, anchor-handling vessels. Explains family situation in Norway, education possibilities, decision to return to UK. Joined Seaforth Maritime as Chief Marketing Executive 1973. Mentions writing papers, discovery of family link with Norway. Details re wife's situation, own attitude to wife being at home, contact with family when in Norway. Impact on family of job, attitude of Norwegians to foreigners. History of Seaforth Maritime, structure, link to Bank of Scotland, operations, charters, marketing work. Reference to Sir Ian Noble, Chairman. Details re own responsibilities, plans re use of ships, move into diving area. Explains joint venture Seaforth Perry Diving Systems, appointment as Chief Executive 1975. Recalls unsuccessful move in UK to build heavy lift crane vessel, Peter Heerema's later success. Became Offshore Products Director 1978. Explains own approach dealing with staff. Contract for MSV Stadive for Shell UK. Had shares in Seaforth. Details re company's financial situation.
Tape 3 Side A Recalls sale of Seaforth Maritime to Findlays, a company with tea interests. They spun off 45% to Taylor Woodrow. Climate changed, less freedom in decision-making. Gives example of own experience of this when making a contract-seeking presentation on the Stadive dive system, interference from Chairman. Details re the dive system. Reason for leaving Seaforth. Explains its importance in the industry. Reference to competition from Wood Group. Describes function and design of Stadive as diving support vessel. Explains continuous diving programme, need for emergency rescue capability. Explains safety systems, provision of lifeboat access for decompressing divers. Lived in hotels in Aberdeen for 2 years. Found permanent accommodation - a croft with 10 acres - lived in caravan for a period. Recalls impact of work on family, need to reinstated self as head as family. Got very involved socially in Aberdeen. Explains. Gives example of link between Doric, Buchan, Norwegian languages. Reaction of Aberdonians to incomers, self. Son encountered animosity at Robert Gordon's College. Explains admiration for colleague James Hahn. Recalls his plan for a floating airport in North Sea, Stolport (short takeoff and landing port) rendered redundant by advent of Chinook. Background to appointment by BP as Marine Manager, Subsea Offshore Ltd 1982. Explains motivation of BP in making appointment - need for quality British management to replace seat-of-the-pants methods. Describes systems used by Subsea, state of company, difficulty imposing new disciplines. Describes Ted McDowell, his extraordinary memory. Ran onshore facilities to support offshore operations. Recalls change from old instinct-driven methods to more businesslike ways.
Tape 3 Side B Spent 2 years with Subsea Offshore, first exposure to ROVs (remote operated vehicles). Involved with hyperbaric facilities for subsea automated welding etc. Comments on change in the industry, e.g. in the 1970s, development of subsea completions, use of remote vehicles; in 1980s ability to drive holes laterally, multilaterally. Technical innovation one of the drivers. Recalls realisation that space between low points on economic cycle is roughly 7 years. Many haven't learned the lesson. Comments on current situation with high price, yet idle rigs. Impact of global situation on North Sea, Gulf of Mexico. Headhunted to Oceanics Group, Alton, Hampshire 1983. Details re successful leasing business, bumpy history of company. Own role in management of submersibles group. Formed own company Devonian, contracted out from then on. 1985 Business Development, Export Manager, Offshore Marine Engineering Ltd, manufacturing underwater equipment etc. Mentions family life, holidays. Very work-driven. Comments on non-interest in golf. 1985 Managing Director, Gas Services Offshore Ltd. American founder could not leave company alone. Early personalities resistant to ordered input. 1987 Abu Dhabi Oilfield Services, Middle East Oilfield Supplies, Dubai. Turned companies round in 2 years. Details. 1988 MSc in Business Administration. Recalls hearing of Piper Alpha disaster. Lack of impact in Abu Dhabi. Comments of state of engineering design before Piper. Number of structures in North Sea were inadequately designed. Accident could have happened to other companies. Example of a dangerous situation on another platform. Explains acoustic 'signature' of a platform. 1990 Group Industrial Director, Gray Mackenzie/Inchcape Group, Bahrein. Explains need to adapt to working with Arabs. Details re responsibilities, work with pressure vessels etc.
Tape 4 Side A Explains decision, 1992, to return to North Sea. Mentions studies done for Shell etc through Devonian. Background to working with Atlantic Power Group including management contracts for floating production systems. Details re John Milligan. Grew company during 8 years there from being 'body shop' to top level asset production management company. Details re colleagues. Own work mainly in marine area. Greatest contract was Oryx Hutton/Murchison management. Recalls guarding secrecy of operation. This contract put Atlantic Power on the map, went from strength to strength. Explains own strategy re timing of work, bids. Reference Britannia, BG Armada. Details re increase in company turnover. Explains skills in growing companies, attitude to risk, management. Has appetite for work. Explains floating production work. Mentions other contract work, links with PGS (Petroleum Geological Services), benefit of own marine background, Conoco Banff project. Circumstances behind PGS buying Atlantic Power. Financial details. Later did work in Gulf for Wood Group, in Kuwait for Specialist Oilfield Services, in Aberdeen for Promarine etc. Reference to internet. Heading out again to Middle East on 3-year business development, general management job for Topaz Energy and Marine. Explains wife's situation. Mentions son's work with MCI in US, daughter's data processing work offshore Angola. Mentions social life when working abroad. Prediction for oil and gas production in the North Sea, and to the west. Likely activity of smaller companies. Attitude of financial market to deep drilling. Prospect of oil/gas much lower down. Theory that Middle East oil being replenished from further down.
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