Global
supplies are already down by more
than a million barrels per day,
according to an energy survey, due
to outages in Yemen, Syria, South
Sudan and the North Sea.
Rising oil prices
have become a major headache for
politicians around the world,
including U.S. President Barack
Obama who is aiming for
re-election in November and facing
public anger over soaring U.S.
gasoline prices.
Fuel prices in
France have hit record levels,
prompting an intense debate
between presidential candidates,
also ahead of a national
election.
Crisis upon
crisis-
March 29, 2012
A high-pressure gas leak from a
North Sea offshore platform operated
by the French Company Total shows
that the security of oil and gas
operations is still a critical issue
in Europe.
Total said it
was looking at ways to extinguish
a flare left burning less than 100
metres from where explosive
natural gas was leaking from the
French energy company's Elgin
North Sea platform for a sixth
day.
One energy
industry consultant said Elgin could
become "an explosion waiting to
happen" if the oil major
did not rapidly stop the leak
which is above the water at the
wellhead.
Mid-Point
- March
21st 2013