British oil company. The largest corporations in the world

BP entered the oil industry relatively late. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Standard Oil monopoly operated on a large scale in the United States, oil was produced in Baku in the Russian Empire for a long time, and Britain still relied on its own coal and was almost not present in the oil industry.

Churchill changed everything. Shortly before World War I, as First Lord of the Admiralty (Secretary of the Navy), he ordered the conversion of the entire navy of the British Empire from coal to petroleum fuel. And in 1913, the British government acquired a controlling stake in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, founded a few years earlier. In a few decades, this company will be renamed British Petroleum.

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company began as a typical semi-adventurous venture of the late British Empire. In 1901, a certain William Knox Darcy persuaded Shah Mozafereddin to give him a concession for exploration and production of oil in Persia for a period of 60 years.

At that time, Persia was a semi-colony, de facto divided into zones of influence between the Russians in the north and the British in the south. This, and a relatively modest sum of £20,000 given personally to the Shah, helped Darcy secure a concession on extremely favorable terms. The Persians received only 16% of the net profit of the entire enterprise, and how this profit was calculated did not concern them.

This extortionate treaty, with some modifications, would remain in effect in Persia until the 1950s. Shah Mozafereddin nevertheless paid for this concession, as well as for other cases of betrayal of the interests of the people - in 1906, the rebellious Persians forced him to accept a constitution limiting autocratic power, and a few weeks later he died of grief.

Russian diplomats tried to intrigue against signing this concession, but were defeated - however, the concession did not extend to the northern provinces of Iran, which were considered the zone of influence of the Russian Empire.

Initially, the British enterprise, quite honestly called the "First Exploitation Company", could not find commercially profitable deposits for a long time. Darcy spent all his savings, ran into debt, and finally transferred his shares in this Persian enterprise to the Burmese Oil Company (of course, owned by the British) in exchange for money and a directorship. He was about to turn things around completely, when one fine day in 1908, in the town of Maidan-e-Naftan in southwestern Persia, his drillers stumbled upon a rich deposit. This marked the beginning of the oil era in Iran, and throughout the Middle East.

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was immediately founded to develop the field. Despite the fact that the enterprise was private, the British government was closely involved in its affairs. Negotiations began with the Persians, and the company was allocated the town of Abadan on the coast of the Persian Gulf for the construction of a giant oil refinery, the largest at that time. And when, after launching activities, the company almost went bankrupt a few years later - there was not much demand for petroleum products then - the government bought it out.

The British did not miscalculate. Throughout World War I, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was the source of 100% of the fuel for the navy. The level of extraction and processing has been steadily growing.

After the end of World War I, the company's business took off. Motor transport began to develop rapidly, and, consequently, the demand for petroleum products.

Before the First World War, Britain had an extensive network of gas stations called British Petroleum - ironically owned by the Germans. During the war, of course, this company was requisitioned, and then transferred to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. This retail network began to expand rapidly, its trade expansion extended to other countries in Europe and the world.

APNK began oil production, together with other companies, in Mesopotamia taken from the Turks - in the territory of present-day Iraq, and its semi-puppet king got an even smaller share of the income than the shah. Production began in Kuwait, together with the American Gulf Oil, as well as in some other countries - Libya, Nigeria. Needless to say, the Arabs themselves and other "locals" did not get much from the oil boom.

The company prospered, Iranian and Arab oil was refined at the plant in Abadan, oil products were delivered by tankers through the British and French-owned Suez Canal to Europe and distributed there through the growing network of British Petroleum. New oil refineries were being built in Britain.

With the growth of literacy and national identity, the Persians began to realize that they were shamelessly robbed. In 1932, Shah Reza demanded a revision of the terms of the concession. Persia received a one-time payment of 1 million pounds sterling, and the size of the periodic payments also changed - instead of 16% they began to receive 4 shillings per ton of oil plus 20% on profits in excess of 671,250 pounds, and, in addition, some other payments and discounts. The concession was extended by 60 years until 1993. As a result of the new agreement, the actual payments to the Persians increased from an average of 12.3 to 21.5 US cents per barrel.

In 1935, the Shah renamed Persia Iran and the company was renamed the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).

After the Second World War, the colonial system of the world began to fall apart. The Iranian government demanded from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company a new revision of the concession agreement and more favorable terms for profit sharing - at least at the level of 50/50, as Western oil companies recently agreed with the authorities of Saudi Arabia. The leadership of the APNK refused to agree to this. As a result, the Iranian parliament passed a law on the nationalization of the company, and Mohammed Mossadegh, an ardent opponent of Great Britain, took the place of prime minister.

Such a radical step, of course, could not go unanswered by "world imperialism". The leading Western powers announced a boycott on the purchase of oil from Iran. British warships cruised off the coast of the country and carried out a blockade, preventing "strikebreakers" from the company's plant in Abadan. All British specialists were evacuated. Iran's oil industry has practically come to a standstill. Despite all the offers of concessions, the Mossadegh government did not back down. Then the British turned to the United States with a request to finally "influence" Iran.

Initially, the Americans did not want to stand up for the interests of the British company, especially since the nationalist Mossadegh was considered a "bastion against communism" and treated the Americans well. But the administration was under pressure from US oil companies who did not want Iran to set such a precedent. In the end, when Mossadegh refused the last, rather generous offer - the entire company would be transferred to Iran, and in exchange they would have to pay the British some compensation and let them into a new consortium for the sale of oil - the Americans decided to completely take the side of the British and organized in Iran military coup.

Operation Ajax was the first of its kind, then the Americans got a taste of it and staged violent coups around the world. Mossadegh was removed and imprisoned; the shah, who was initially frightened and fled the country, was given wide powers back.

In 1954, a new agreement was signed with Iran. It is clear that the return of pre-crisis conditions was out of the question, especially since the Americans demanded remuneration for their work. A new consortium for the exploitation of Iranian oil was created - in which AIOC had only 40% - all other shares went to other Western, mainly American companies. Profits were divided in half between the consortium and the Iranians. The contract was concluded for 25 years, with the possibility of extension for another three terms of five years.

Thus, as a result of all these developments, AINC's share of the profits from Iranian oil fell to 20% - much less than they would have continued to receive, having agreed to the initial demands of the Iranians. True, the company received some compensation from Iran and other members of the consortium.

Conditions were more favorable for the Iranians, but the shah lost all popularity and authority as a result of such overt interference. This was the last victory of British imperialism, its swan song.

A few years later, the so-called Suez Crisis occurred, when Egyptian President Nasser took away the Suez Canal from the British and French, through which the British transported oil from Persia. The Europeans planned to return their property through the most insidious operation - Israel was supposed to attack Egypt and occupy the Sinai Peninsula, and the British and French would act as peacekeepers and take the canal back. But such a brazen deceit even seemed to the Americans to go beyond all boundaries, and the operation was not carried out. The canal remained in the hands of the Egyptians.

rebirth

It became more and more clear to the company management that the quasi-colonial system was beginning to fall apart, and all these super-profitable agreements with the former colonies would not last long. It was necessary to radically change the strategy and turn from an imperial artifact into a normal, efficient international corporation.

Symbolically, 1954 can be called a turning point, when the company renamed itself British Petroleum, using the name of its trading network. In the same decade, the company began to actively look for new sources of oil, this time in more "civilized" places.

First, BP entered the Canadian market by acquiring several Canadian companies. Then came the turn of the United States - in 1959 it was decided to start drilling in Alaska, near Prudhoe Bay in the very north of the peninsula (Prudhoe).

The Persian story was repeated at the beginning of the company's activities - fruitless drilling in Alaska lasted about ten years. The company was about to abandon the project and began to dismantle the equipment, when it suddenly received a suspiciously generous offer to sell its drilling rights from other companies operating in the neighborhood - ARCO and Exxon. Suspicions were justified - competitors came across a rich deposit and tried to hide it. The British again installed drilling equipment, continued work and were already rewarded in 1969 - the Prudhoe Bay oil and gas field turned out to be the largest ever discovered at that time in North America.

It was a turning point in the fate of the company. From now on, she was no longer threatened by the fate of other fragments of the colonial world like Iraq Petroleum and Burmah Oil, she became self-sufficient and no longer completely dependent on Persian oil and treaties of the colonial era.

A little time passed and another pleasant surprise awaited the company. In 1970, the Forties oil field was discovered in the North Sea with the potential to produce 400,000 barrels of oil per day.

This discovery came at just the right time. In the 1970s, a wave of nationalization began around the world and all operations in Libya, Kuwait, Nigeria, and Iraq were taken away from British Petroleum. In Iran, as a result of the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Shah was overthrown and Iran broke the agreement with the Western oil consortium. Almost all sources of oil in the Middle East for the company were lost. In 1975, BP moved 140 million tons of oil from the Middle East - in 1983 this figure dropped to 500,000 tons.

Nevertheless, the diversification of oil sources has borne fruit. Nationalization in Iran led to the fact that world production BP fell "only" by 40% - catastrophic, but not fatal.

British Petroleum continued its expansion in America. Together with the American oil companies - the same ones that so clumsily wanted to buy their project - a 1200 km Trans-Alaska pipeline was built, crossing the entire peninsula from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdes in the south of the peninsula. The oil crisis of the 1970s prompted the US authorities to encourage oil production on their territory as much as possible.

In 1968, BP acquired shares in Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio), a large network filling stations and then gradually increased its control in the company to 100%. After that, the company continued to buy gas station networks in the United States and oil refining facilities.

In the late 1970s - 1980s, the Thatcher government privatized the company in several stages, and the British state completely withdrew from its capital. This was also a certain symbolic break with the past. By the way, a significant part of the shares - up to 21.6% - was bought by Kuwait, which got rich on the oil crisis of the 1970s. The irony of fate - the colonized became a kind of colonizers. However, the British did not like this, and they demanded that the Arabs reduce their stake to 9.6%.

The company continued to Americanize. In 1998, BP merged with the major American oil company Amoco. It was the largest merger of its kind in the world at the time. The company as a result of this merger entered the oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2000, ARCO was acquired, with which BP started mining in Alaska.

In fact, BP has ceased to be a British company. Most of the shareholders are now in America, where most of the staff works.

In 2000, Castrol was bought - a fragment of the Burmese Oil Company, which at the dawn of its activity helped the founder of BP with money. Unlike BP, the Burmese Oil Company never recovered from the shock of the collapse of the colonial world and stopped producing oil altogether. The only thing she did right was to acquire the successful Castrol oil manufacturer, whose name she later took for herself.

BP was doing well, profits were high, and growth was strong. The company produced and refined oil all over the world. But suddenly an unusual, unexpected event happened, which turned everything upside down and for some time called into question the very existence of the company. So a person walks the earth, not suspecting that fate is preparing him for the next day.

This company has always been unlucky with all sorts of incidents related to the environment and safety violations. So, in 2006 in Texas there was an explosion at an oil refinery owned by BP, which killed 15 people. In the same year, there was a significant oil spill in Alaska.

But in 2010, an incident occurred that overshadowed all previous incidents. An explosion occurred on the Deep Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 people died - their bodies could not be found, another 17 employees were injured.

Huge amounts of oil immediately began to pour into the sea, and this leak could not be eliminated for several months. The Americans estimate that about 5 million barrels of oil got into the sea. As a result of the leak, massive pollution occurred not only in the sea, but also in the coasts of several states.

BP paid dearly for this oversight. More 62 billion dollars were paid in the form of fines and compensations to the accident victim assistance fund, and the number of these "victims" and their lawyers multiplied with each day of the investigation. The company's image suffered greatly - BP even seriously considered renaming all American divisions to Amoco. The share price fell by 50%, since then it has recovered somewhat, but no longer reached pre-crash levels. The company survived, but the consequences of this catastrophe will haunt it for a long time to come.

The Russian activity of the company was also decorated with a peculiar flavor, but in the end everything ended well for her.

In the 1990s, BP began to develop a network of gas stations in Russia from scratch under its own name. And in 1997, the company invested $571 million in 10% of the Sidanco oil company - later this package was increased.

True, after a short time, the main asset of Sidanko - the Chernogorneft mining company - was taken away from the company by Friedman's Alpha Group with the help of decisions of some provincial courts.

BP went to the Russian authorities for a long time, then tried to sue, then complained to the then President Yeltsin, but could not achieve the return of the stolen property. However, in 2003, the oligarchs and the British reconciled - a joint structure was created called TNK-BP, in which the parties invested all their oil assets, including the notorious Chernogorneft, and certain funds. BP's share in the joint venture was 50%.

Things at the enterprise, despite good operational management and high profitability, did not always go smoothly. From time to time there were some scandals and quarrels between the oligarchs and the British. Coincidentally, the head of the joint venture, Robert Dudley, was pursued by law enforcement agencies, he had problems renewing his Russian visa.

However, for BP, everything ended more than successfully - in 2013, their stake in TNK-BP was acquired by Rosneft, paying them about $ 12 billion for it and a stake of 18.5% of Rosneft's shares, which, even according to today's, has greatly decreased since then according to the exchange rate, is estimated at about 7-8 billion dollars. In addition, during the operation of TNK-BP, the British have also received dividends in the amount of $ 19 billion, according to information on their website. So the privatization of the Russian oil industry has enriched not only the oligarchs, but also the honest British investor.

Thus, Russian business turned out to be very profitable for the company. For Dudley, the story also ended in the best possible way - he became the general director (CEO) of the entire BP company.

The history of British Petroleum is very rich and controversial, and is also inextricably linked with the most important events in world politics of the 20th century. It makes no sense, of course, to give this colorful past the opportunity to somehow influence our attitude towards this company at the present time. Now it is a respectable and progressive international corporation whose employees have nothing to do with either the period of primitive accumulation of capital or the era of imperialism.

Ruslan Khaliullin

All photos from the official BP website

The history of BP began in 1908, when oil was discovered in Persia after a long and exhausting search.

The history of BP began in 1908, when, after a long and exhausting search, oil was discovered in Persia. This discovery laid the foundation for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which later became BP. The potential of the new company was widely discussed in the press, and when its shares began to be listed on the London and Glasgow stock exchanges, people lined up to buy shares.
Despite a promising start, in 1914 the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was on the verge of bankruptcy. With significant oil reserves, the company experienced sales difficulties: cars at that time were considered a luxury, the fuel market was in its infancy, and the industrial oil market was already divided between European and American companies.

At this stage, Winston Churchill played a huge role in the fate of the company, who considered oil to be a strategically important resource necessary for maintaining the economic power of Great Britain. Churchill convinced the Cabinet that in order to ensure access to a reliable supply of oil at a reasonable price level, the government must own or at least control the sources of much of the oil needed. It was decided that the government itself would become a shareholder in the Anglo-Persian Company, which would act as the protector of Britain's national interests in the world oil market. Government investment helped the company overcome financial crisis.

The First World War marked a new page in the history of the Anglo-Persian Company. The head of the company, Charles Greenway, pursued a specific goal: to transform the enterprise from a supplier of crude oil into a full-cycle oil company. At the height of the war, Greenway was already able to prepare the company for post-war competition. In 1917, he purchased one of the largest fuel distribution networks in the United Kingdom, British Petroleum, from the British government. Contrary to the name, it belonged to Deutsche Bank, which in England sold its oil from Romania through it. When the war broke out, the British government took over the management of this German property. With the acquisition of British Petroleum, the Anglo-Persian Company received not only an advanced marketing system, but also a trade name. The company also developed its tanker fleet.

These actions changed the structure of the company's business. Until 1916-1917, more than 80% of its assets were in fields in Persia, and already in the next financial year, tankers and a distribution system accounted for half of the fixed capital. The company has really become complex.
The grandiose invasion of cars in the 20-30s of the twentieth century completely and completely changed the face of America and Europe. The "automobile revolution" was the cause of the flourishing of the "Anglo-Persian Company". All over Foggy Albion, like mushrooms after rain, roadside gas stations appeared with signs depicting the BP logo against the background of the British flag. If in 1921 there were 69 such gas stations, by 1925 their number had reached 6,000.
In 1935, Persia changed its name to Iran, after which the company became known as the "Anglo-Iranian".

But all good things come to an end. Everything changed in the autumn of 1939, when Great Britain entered the Second world war. The government came to the conclusion that in a war all competition should be excluded, so the entire British oil industry will operate within the framework of one giant concern under the auspices of the state. This concern also included the Anglo-Iranian Company. All gasoline produced by the concern was sold under the name Pool. National interests took precedence over business interests, and BP's sales growth in continental Europe declined sharply.
During the post-war reconstruction of Europe, the Anglo-Iranian Company began to improve: it invested in factories in France, Germany and Italy, expanded its influence in Scandinavia, Switzerland and Greece.

But the fragile balance in the world soon cracked due to the crisis in the Middle East. Anti-British sentiment intensified in Iran. In 1951, the Prime Minister of Iran persuaded Parliament to nationalize the oil industry, after which the Anglo-Iranian Company's refinery in Abadan was closed and the British employees left Iran.
This path turned out to be a dead end for Iran: many countries boycotted Iranian oil supplies, and the economic situation in the country only worsened. For two years oil was not profitable, inflation was rampant, the country's situation became much worse than before the nationalization of the oil industry. This led to the removal of the prime minister and a change of power in 1952. When the parties returned to the negotiating table, an agreement was reached on the creation of a consortium of Western companies with the aim of doing business in Iran. The share of the Anglo-Iranian Company was 40%.

In 1954, by decision of the board of directors, the Anglo-Iranian Company was renamed British Petroleum Company (BP).

BP was determined to reduce its virtually total dependence on the Middle East. A strategically important decision was made to look for oil in other regions, in particular in the Western Hemisphere.

To reduce BP's dependence on the Middle East, Sinclair Oil offered it joint exploration in Alaska. After costly drilling on the Arctic coastal depression of the North Slope with six wells that turned dry, both companies were ready to suspend work. However, after Arco and Humble Oil discovered large deposit in Prudhoe Bay, BP continued to work in Alaska.

In 1987, the British government sold the last stake in BP. Becoming completely private company, BP began streamlining its business and divested itself of non-core assets, concentrating on its core business of exploration and production of oil and gas, oil refining, transportation and sale of fuel.
In the late 1990s, fierce competition in the energy sector set off a wave of mergers and acquisitions. BP included Amoco, ARCO, Castrol and Aral.
On the threshold of the new millennium, humanity is facing new challenges: scientists have proven that climate change poses a serious threat to the future of the planet.

In 1997, BP chief executive John Brown said that the company must find a compromise between further development and the need to protect the environment. Lord Brown became the first major energy executive to recognize that global warming is a threat on a global scale, and
declaring that his company is obliged to participate in solving this problem.

At the beginning of the 21st century, BP began to pay special attention to alternative energy and the issue of reducing emissions into the atmosphere. BP has spearheaded Clean City campaigns across Europe, rolled out a greenhouse gas emissions trading program and expanded solar power generation. A dedicated alternative energy division was created to expand the company's ability to generate solar, wind, hydrogen and gas energy. BP Solar is a recognized world leader in this field.

In 2000, following a period of mergers and acquisitions, BP announced the launch of a new global brand. Its symbol was the Helios logo in the form of a sun with green, yellow and white rays, symbolizing energy in various forms.

The new trademark is much more than just a logo. According to BP, this is a reflection of the company's philosophy of positioning in the market. New logo reflects the association within the company of such well-known brands as BP, Amoco, Arco, Castrol and is a common unified symbol of the company as a whole.

The company especially notes that the letters of the logo have become capitalized, which means that BP is committed to everything modern, advanced and friendly. Yes, and the abbreviation BP in the company began to be understood differently. Now - it's "Beyond petroleum" (literal translation from English - "more than fuel") - this is a phrase that the company often uses, trying to convey the spirit and potential of the ongoing changes. The meaning that BP puts into this phrase is the desire to think and act "beyond" traditions and standards, not being limited to the oil company, but turning the company into something much "bigger" - an energy company!
Over the past century, BP has truly become a global energy company that develops in two directions: the first is oil production and refining, the second is the generation of energy from alternative sources. Today, BP is an organization that embodies energy in all its forms.

In 2010, BP had a hard test.

On April 20, 2010, 80 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded - an accident that occurred and eventually developed into a man-made disaster, first of a local, then of a regional scale, with negative consequences for the ecosystem of the region for many decades to come.

Jordan served in the Coast Guard for only a couple of months. So far, things have not gone well. Colleagues looked askance, the road to the place of work was not close, and the unusual night shifts completely unsettled. So today he went out into the night. His mother packed a few sandwiches for him, and wishing him have a good day, habitually patted her son, who had already grown into two heads, on the cheek.

The red-haired, good-natured fat man Larry was bored at his table:

"Well, Jordan, you're finally going to tell me about your girlfriend today," he muttered, and began to fumble in the top drawer of his desk, trying to find a cigarette. The cigarettes had already run out a month ago, and Larry naively thought that if he did not buy a new pack, it would be easier to forget the habit.

- "Let's go smoke, buddy!" , - He turned to Jordan, immediately changing his joking tone to "devoted-begging"

Together they went outside and walked around the building. The air was fresh, it was already dark, and a pleasant smell came from the water. Larry began to tell something, laughing at his own words, every now and then, stopping a young colleague, waving his arms, and goggling funny, as suddenly his face froze and he stared towards the sea:

“Look, Joe, what’s going on there, there’s a column of smoke ... they’re probably burning, but look,” he pointed towards the bay.

In the distance, a tall column of smoke rose, it was clear that something huge was burning. The men rushed into the room. And inside the phones were already torn, one of the dispatchers turned his pale face to them and in a voice breaking with excitement said:

"Looks like it's on fire. oil Platform BP..."

William Knox D'Arcy

William was born October 11, 1849 in the family of a lawyer. From 1863 to 1865 he studied at London's Westminster School. In 1866, the whole family moved to the Australian city of Queensland. William decided to follow in his father's footsteps and in 1872, after studying law, he successfully passed the bar exams. In 1882, as a lawyer, he took part in the organization of a syndicate engaged in gold mining. After 4 years, this organization is transformed into joint-stock company- Mount Morgan Goldmining Corporation, William becomes a shareholder. The value of the securities began to rise very quickly, making D'Arcy a millionaire. He retired, bought himself a luxurious mansion and led an idle life, so to speak, without denying himself anything. However, over time, the company's income began to fall and William had to look for a new source of income.

At one of the social events, the former British ambassador to Persia, Henry Wolf, advises D'Arcy to search for oil in this country. And already in May 1901, William signed an agreement with the Shahinshah of Persia Muzaffar-ad-Din Shah and his minister Mohassad Goli Majd, on the basis of which it follows that he receives a concession for 60 years of research in Iran for 20,000 pounds sterling, while 75% of the territory is available to him. By the way, 10% of the shares of the still unfounded oil exploration company belong to Iran, and after the expiration of this period (60 years), the entire company was to become the property of the country.

By 1906, D'Arcy had spent about £250,000 searching for oil fields. And all to no avail. Mount Morgan Goldmining Corporation shares, which had already fallen in price, he pawned, new firm was on the verge of bankruptcy. Negotiations soon began with the Rothschild family to sell the company. However, the company was bought out by the Burma Oil Company (founded in Glasgow, 1896). Williams received 170,000 shares and some undisclosed cash. Burma Oil spent another £100,000 searching for Persian oil, but failed to find anything in the first years. Only 3 years after the purchase, on May 26, 1908, in the southwestern part of Persia, Burma oil discovered oil at a depth of 360 meters. Then, as it turned out, it was the world's largest oil field.

In April 1909, the Angla-Iranian Oil Company was formed to extract and sell Iranian oil, which was eventually renamed BP. By the way, in new organization Burma Oil owned 97% of the shares, the remaining 3% was owned by Lord Strakton, who was the first chairman of the company. D'Arcy held the "honorary" post of director, however, he could no longer influence anything.

Further exploration of the deposits was carried out by Charles Greenway, who in 1910 became the director of the company, and in 1914 - the chairman. In the same year, the enterprise began to have financial difficulties, since the sales market already belonged to competitors. American and European manufacturers were selling industrial oils and the fuel market was in its infancy. In order to “stand on its feet” and not fall under the influence of Royal Dutch Shell, Greenway entered into mutually beneficial cooperation with the British government.

After the end of the First World War, the company headed for expansion and conquered "new horizons" for 10 years. Some innovations have also been made. For example, gasoline began to be packaged in two-gallon tanks. The company began selling its products in both Iran and Iraq. An international chain of sea stations (bunkering) was created. In 1926, the sale of aviation fuel began. Money was invested in the construction of small oil refineries, for example, plants were opened in Iran, South Wales, Scotland, in addition, the company owned most of the oil refinery in France.

All these events had a positive effect on the business structure of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. And if initially 80% of the company's assets were in fields in Persia, then closer to 1917, half of the company's capital was concentrated in the tanker fleet and distribution system.

The development of the automotive industry in the world has had a very positive effect on the company's growth. If in 1921 there were only 69 gas stations with the company logo, then after 4 years their number increased to six thousand.

After the Second World War, the company set a course for introduction into the petrochemical industry. And in 1947 the company signed an agreement with Distillers, and became known as British Hydrocarbon Chemicals. In 1961, a second petrochemical complex was built in Baghlan Bay (South Wales).

BP's conflict with the East and shift to the West

Constant conflicts in the Middle East, as well as the process of nationalization of the oil industry in Iran, led to the creation of a consortium of oil companies. By 1954, the company was renamed the British Petroleum Company and owned a 40% stake in the association.

Just during this period, BP acquired a plant in France (Dunkirk) for the production of lubricants and within a few years they became pioneers in the production of multigrade oil in Europe, which was called BP Visco Static.

To free the company from the influence of the eastern "friends" British Petroleum begins to search for deposits in the western hemisphere. The development of the company was greatly facilitated by the discovery of large hydrocarbon deposits in Alaska and the North Sea. Also, in 1965, the West Soul gas field was found, work on which began two years later. Also a significant event was the discovery in 1970 of the Fortis oil field (Great Britain)

The 1970-80s were difficult for the company, as oil prices fell. In 1979, the company's assets in Nigeria were nationalized, and deliveries from Kuwait also decreased. By the way, the entire oil industry suffered losses, however, thanks to the extensive investment activity outside the Middle East, British Petroleum continued to “stand on its feet”.

1980 - the beginning of the development of a huge number of gas and oil fields in the North Sea. Among them, in the waters near the UK, Magnus - 1983, the Village gas field - 1988, Miller - 1992 and Bruce - 1993 can be noted. Also, work was carried out in Norwegian waters: 1986 - Ula, 1990 - Guide. In addition, construction began on the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline in Alaska, which made it possible to begin work in the Prudhoe Bay field in 1977.

Three years later, work began on the Kuparuk field, and in 1987, after the acquisition of the Endikot field, the first non-stop commercial oil production began in the coastal regions of the Arctic.

In addition, back in the mid-1970s, the company began to invest in other industries. She is interested information Technology, mining, food processing, personal care products, coal business.

1987 also became a significant year for the company due to the purchase of BritOil and Standard Oil. Also in the 1990s, British Petroleum added Amoco, Castrol, Aral and ARCO.

In 1989, the company took a course towards caring for the environment. Trying to convince the public that they are interested in the development of healthcare, the management of British Petroleum changed the logo, taking green as the basis.

Karl-Henrik Svanberg is Chairman of the Board of Directors, he is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Volvo Group, and the Chief Executive Officer is Robert Dudley.

The former manager of the company, Lord John Brown, was forced to leave his post in connection with a sexual scandal in early May 2007.

The company is engaged in oil and gas production in various parts of our planet. Works are carried out both onshore and offshore. According to some reports, the reserves in the explored fields of BP amount to more than 1.4 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons and 1.25 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

BP operates in the petrochemical and oil refining industries, owns a network of gas stations of the same name, and also produces oil under the Castrol brand.

The company owns shares in 10 gas pipelines and 5 regasification terminals located in the North Sea. BP owns 47% of the Alaska gas pipeline and several LNG terminals in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is worth noting that BP has a division called BPSolar, which specializes in the production and installation of photovoltaic cells.

Currently, the company is also active in the field of hydrogen energy, BP is installing hydrogen filling stations, participating in various activities dedicated to research and development in this area.

BP in Russia

Until the spring of 2013 in Russia, BP was a co-owner of the oil company THK-BP. All gas stations with the letters BP on them were their property.

In 2008, the company's president and CEO, Robert Dudley, left his post due to a serious internal conflict. In 2011, BP and the Russian oil company Rosneft entered into negotiations to set up a joint venture to develop offshore oil and gas fields Kara Sea. At the same time, Rosneft will own 66.67%, and BP - 33.33%, in addition, the companies agreed on an exchange of shares, according to a preliminary agreement, the Russian company was to receive 5% of BP shares, and the British company - 9.5% of Rosneft's securities.

Opinions about the "union" of the two organizations were immediately divided, for example, an authorized representative of the investment bank Barclays Capital said that this indicates mutual trust of the parties. Journalists from the reputable British publication The Economist spoke of "buying up stolen goods", noting that there are multibillion-dollar lawsuits by Yukos shareholders against the Russian government, which actually belong to the British BP, are in court.

TNK-BP hastened to react to the deal with stormy criticism. By the way, in TNK-BP, 50% belongs to the British BP, and the second half to the AAR consortium, consisting of Alfa Group, Access Industries and Renova. So, TNK-BP stated that under the terms of the agreement signed earlier, the British company BP was supposed to give them Rosneft shares, and not leave them in its own use. To which the head of BP replied that in this "alliance", the main goal is the development of underwater fields, while TNK-BP works mainly on land.

Some time later, the Russian shareholders of TNK-BP filed a lawsuit in the London court, and, at the same time, decided to block the payment of dividends in the amount of $1.8 billion.

On March 24, 2011, the Stockholm Arbitration Court ruled that a deal between BP and Rosneft could not be concluded. The parties tried to reach an agreement, but failed to find a compromise, and in mid-May it became clear that the deal had been broken completely.

On October 22, 2012, Rosneft agreed with representatives of TNK-BP to purchase the latter. Under the preliminary agreement, BP was to receive $17.1 billion for its stake and 12.84% of Rosneft's securities, while the AAR consortium was to receive $28 billion, both transactions being completely independent.

On March 21, 2013, TNK-BP became wholly owned by Rosneft, which, in turn, transferred 19.75% of the shares to British BP.

R&B Falcon became part of Transocean Ltd in 2001. In the same year, they launched a semi-submersible oil platform for ultra-deep water drilling - Deepwater Horizon. The platform was manufactured by the South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The platform was leased for a period of three years, in July 2001 it was installed in the Gulf of Mexico. Three years later, the lease was extended again, first until 2010, and then until September 2013.

It was in February 2010 that work began on the Macondo field, which later became known to the whole world (80 kilometers from the coast of Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico). BP acquired the license to develop this area in March 2008 at an auction, a little later 25% was sold to Anadarko and 10% to Mitsui's subsidiary, MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC.

The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon occurred on April 20, 2010 at 22:00 local time. Blair Doten, Chief Petty Officer of the United States Coast Guard, describes the incident as follows: "It's best to describe it as a big mushroom cloud, like a bomb going off."

After the explosion, a fire immediately started, which fire ships tried to put out, but nothing worked, a column of smoke rose to a height of 3 kilometers. For 36 hours, the flames did not subside, on April 22, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform sank.

There were 126 people on the platform at the time of the accident. Basically, they were employees of Transocean Ltd, a few people from BP, Anadarko, Halliburton.

115 people managed to be evacuated, among them 17 were with injuries of varying severity, 11 people were missing.

The oil release lasted 152 days, during this period, from April to September, about 5 million barrels of oil flowed out. According to the initial estimates of experts, it was assumed that 1,000 barrels of oil fell into the water per day, but by the end of April this figure had grown to 5,000.

A BP internal document (June 2010) was released by one of the US Democratic senators, which showed that 100,000 barrels of oil flowed from the well every day, while the government assumed that oil was blown out at 60,000 barrels per day.

After the release of these data, BP spokesman Toby Odone recalled that there was no underestimation of the oil spill, since Ken Salazar (U.S. Secretary of the Interior), back in May 2010, reported that leakage volumes could reach 100,000 barrels per day.

In August 2010, the volume was 80,000 barrels in 24 hours, and it was almost completely possible to collect it with special plugs (domes) and vessels.

Meanwhile, the oil slick has reached the size of 75,000 square kilometers.

On April 23, 2010, it was recorded that the area of ​​the oil slick occupies 250 square kilometers; by the end of April 2010, the data had changed: the oil slick reached a circumference of 965 km. Now it was located 34 km from the coast of Louisiana. Already in the evening of the same date, it reached the mouth of the Mississippi River. In May 2010, oil was discovered on Freemason Island (Chandelour Archipelago), which, by the way, is on the list of the oldest reserves in the United States. In June 2010, residents of the city of Penscala (Florida) discovered oil on their "whitest beaches", and by the end of June, "black gold" had reached the beach areas of the city of Biloxi (Mississippi). On July 6, for the same reason, the beaches of the cities of Galveston and Texas City (Texas) suffered, as well as the largest lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana) was polluted.

In addition, experts have discovered numerous underwater plumes of oil. For example, in May 2010, a plume measuring up to 16 kilometers long and up to 5 kilometers wide became known. The thickness of the underwater spot was 90 meters. Already by August 2010, the size of this leak reached 35 kilometers in length at a depth of 1100 meters. The researchers took samples from the plume. According to the commission, one liter contained 50 micrograms of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Consequences of the accident in the Gulf of Mexico for ecology and economy

As a result of the accident, 1770 kilometers of the coast were polluted. More than a third of the entire water area of ​​the Gulf of Mexico was closed for fishing. All US states with access to the Gulf of Mexico have suffered from oil pollution. According to data from May 25, 2010, 189 dead sea turtles were found on the coast, many birds and other animals were affected, including whales and dolphins.

According to information provided on November 2, 2010, 6814 dead animals were found, including 6104 birds, more than 600 sea turtles, 100 dolphins and other mammals.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 2010-2011, the mortality of cetaceans in the northern Gulf of Mexico increased several times compared to previous years.

From the oil spill, in addition to the fishing industry, the tourism and oil industries also suffered.

Even after the lifting of the fishing ban, there were serious problems with the sale of products, after the accident, more than 150,000 fishermen and catering workers were left without work.

Also, the forecasts of the Tourist Association did not bode well. Over the past years, the five countries of the Gulf of Mexico have earned an average of $34 billion a year in this industry, employing 400,000 people in the tourism industry.

In addition, serious losses were oil industry, drilling was banned for half a year, 13,000 jobs were lost, employees were not paid wages for a total of $800 million.

Under US law, the owner of the license is liable for damage to the environment. Therefore, almost all the costs of eliminating the consequences of the accident were borne by BP. In addition to it, other co-owners of the license had to spend funds, namely: Mitsui, which transferred 1.1 billion US dollars to special fund created by the company to pay Money, who suffered as a result of the accident, also Anadarko, under a contract signed with BP, paid $ 4 billion.

Already in May 2010, the value of BP decreased by $43 billion, due to the fact that the value of shares on the stock exchange decreased by 12%. Some experts claim that because of the shares fell in price by almost 40%.

By December 1, 2011, BP had paid $21 billion in clean-up efforts and compensation for damages to citizens, government organizations and businesses affected by the disaster. $8.1 billion was paid to individuals, government agencies and companies, and $14 billion was allocated for rapid response activities.

After the accident, BP began to sell its assets in order to obtain funds needed to clean up the consequences. Already by mid-October 2011, the company had sold assets worth 25 billion US dollars, and it also announced its intention to sell securities worth 45 billion US dollars.

In July 2010, the company announced that Tony Hayward, chief executive officer of BP, would leave his post on October 1, 2010, as his actions after the accident caused a wave of outrage. Robert Dudley will take his place.

By 2016, the company had spent $56 billion to clean up the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon accident. In addition, within 16 years, 5 US states will receive 20.8 billion dollars from the company.

Causes of the accident on the Deepwater Horizon

Several organizations participated in the investigation of the causes of the disaster: BP, the US Department of Justice, the US Congress, and the US Departments of Homeland Security and the US Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Protection, together with the US Coast Guard, also conducted a joint investigation.

Further, the above organizations published the results of their research. The BP report was published on September 8, 2010. It consisted of 193 pages and was devoted entirely to investigating the causes of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon platform. This document was prepared by 50 specialists, for 4 months, Mark Bly led the investigation.

Based on the report, the main cause of the accident is the human factor, namely the erroneous actions of the personnel, numerous technical failures and shortcomings in the design of the oil platform itself.

According to the document, the cement pad installed at the bottom of the well did not retain hydrocarbons in the reservoir, therefore, gas and condensate penetrated through it into the drill string. Specialists from BP and Transocean Ltd. They misunderstood the situation, as they measured the pressure incorrectly when checking the wells for tightness. The gas could have been vented overboard and kept the crew safe, but instead it quickly spread through the drilling platform through the ventilation system, and the fire suppression systems failed. The ventilation system of the platform quickly filled with an explosive mixture of gas and air. Already after the explosion, due to some malfunctions in the mechanisms, the blowout preventer could not work, the main function of which is to plug the well in time and prevent oil leakage in the event of an accident.

The report of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Protection (BOEMRE) and the US Coast Guard was more detailed. It was published on September 14, 2011. The document is located on 500 pages and the conclusions voiced in it are final.

In total, the document describes 35 reasons that caused an explosion, fire and oil leakage. And in 21 reasons, BP was named as the only culprit, and in 8 reasons, the company's fault is incomplete. According to the panel's findings, Transocean Ltd., as previously stated, is the owner of the platform and Halliburton is the contractor that did the deepwater cementing of the well.

The main reason for the disaster, according to experts, is the desire of BP to reduce the cost of well development. For the sake of this, they "turned a blind eye" to the violation of a number of generally accepted rules. The main reasons given were: poor well design, lack of information, insufficient cementing and design changes.

The only specialist whose name was mentioned in the report is Mark Hayfl, he decided not to do an analysis that would help determine the quality of cementing, he also "waving a hand on the anomalies" found as a result of another important analysis.

« BP's decision to reduce cost and duration of work, neglecting the possibility of unforeseen circumstances… are the reasons that caused the well to break throughMacondo»

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British Petroleum

TNK-BP is one of the leading oil companies in Russia and one of the ten largest private oil companies in the world in terms of oil production. The company was formed in 2003 as a result of the merger of BP's oil and gas assets in Russia and the oil and gas assets of the Alpha, Access/Renova (AAR) consortium. BP and AAR own TNK-BP on a parity basis. TNK-BP shareholders also own about 50% of Slavneft shares.

Original slogan:

Beyond Petroleum.

Russian version:Ultimate. A clean engine runs better. Behind the oil and gas and petrochemical transnational monopoly of Great Britain; 46% of the share capital is owned by the state.

In terms of sales (£20.6 billion in 1980) it ranks first in Great Britain and sixth among industrial monopolies in developed capitalist and developing countries. It specializes in the exploration, production and processing of oil, natural gas, as well as coal, non-ferrous metal ores and uranium. Explores and produces oil in 26 countries. Proved oil reserves are 1.05 billion tons (1980), of which 73% are on the continental shelf of Great Britain and the North. America. The main UK oil fields operated or developed by BP on the shelf are Fortis, Ninian (15.4% participation), Bakan, Masnus. Small onshore oil fields are located in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Dorset, Leicestershire. BP produces oil in the US through its US subsidiary in Ohio, Standard Oil Co. ("Sohio") (53% of capital); both companies own about 50% of the shares of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Under the control of "Sohio" St. 50% of the reserves of the Prudhoe Bay fields (Alaska), oil and gas condensate production in the US fields (35.8 million tons, 1980).

History of creation

British Petroleum founder William Knox Arcee (William Knox D Arcy, October 11, 1849 - May 1, 1917). This successful Englishman in May 1901 received the approval of the Persian government to search for and extract oil. Chief Oil Exploration Engineer D Arcee hired George Reynolds. In the early years, the company did not achieve results. Faced with a lack of qualified personnel, the attitude of local residents, and insufficient support from the Persian government, the company's financial resources faltered. In 1905, the Burmah Oil Company invested in further oil exploration in Persia.

The history of BP began in 1908, when, after a long and exhausting search, oil was discovered in Persia. This discovery laid the foundation for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which later became BP. The potential of the new company was widely discussed in the press, and when its shares began to be listed on the London and Glasgow stock exchanges, people lined up to buy shares.

Despite a promising start, in 1914 the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was on the verge of bankruptcy. With significant oil reserves, the company experienced sales difficulties: cars at that time were considered a luxury, the fuel market was in its infancy, and the industrial oil market was already divided between European and American companies.

At this stage, Winston Churchill played a huge role in the fate of the company, who considered oil to be a strategically important resource necessary for maintaining the economic power of Great Britain. Churchill convinced the Cabinet that in order to ensure access to a reliable supply of oil at a reasonable price level, the government must own or at least control the sources of much of the oil needed. It was decided that the government itself would become a shareholder in the Anglo-Persian Company, which would act as the protector of Britain's national interests in the world oil market. Government investment helped the company overcome the financial crisis.

The First World War marked a new page in the history of the Anglo-Persian Company. The head of the company, Charles Greenway, pursued a specific goal: to transform the enterprise from a supplier of crude oil into a full-cycle oil company. At the height of the war, Greenway was already able to prepare the company for post-war competition. In 1917, he purchased one of the largest fuel distribution networks in the United Kingdom, British Petroleum, from the British government. Contrary to the name, it belonged to Deutsche Bank, which in England sold its oil from Romania through it. When the war broke out, the British government took over the management of this German property. With the acquisition of British Petroleum, the Anglo-Persian Company received not only an advanced marketing system, but also a trade name. The company also developed its tanker fleet.

These actions changed the structure of the company's business. Until 1916-1917, more than 80% of its assets were in fields in Persia, and already in the next financial year, tankers and a distribution system accounted for half of the fixed capital. The company has really become complex.

The grandiose invasion of cars in the 20-30s of the twentieth century completely and completely changed the face of America and Europe. The "automobile revolution" was the cause of the flourishing of the "Anglo-Persian Company". All over Foggy Albion, like mushrooms after rain, roadside gas stations appeared with signs depicting the BP logo against the background of the British flag. If in 1921 there were 69 such gas stations, by 1925 their number had reached 6,000.

In 1935, Persia changed its name to Iran, after which the company became known as the "Anglo-Iranian".

But all good things come to an end. Everything changed in the autumn of 1939 when Great Britain entered World War II. The government came to the conclusion that in a war all competition should be excluded, so the entire British oil industry will operate within the framework of one giant concern under the auspices of the state. This concern also included the Anglo-Iranian Company. All gasoline produced by the concern was sold under the name Pool. National interests took precedence over business interests, and BP's sales growth in continental Europe declined sharply.

During the post-war reconstruction of Europe, the Anglo-Iranian Company began to improve: it invested in factories in France, Germany and Italy, expanded its influence in Scandinavia, Switzerland and Greece.

But the fragile balance in the world soon cracked due to the crisis in the Middle East. Anti-British sentiment intensified in Iran. In 1951, the Prime Minister of Iran persuaded Parliament to nationalize the oil industry, after which the Anglo-Iranian Company's refinery in Abadan was closed and the British employees left Iran.

This path turned out to be a dead end for Iran: many countries boycotted Iranian oil supplies, and the economic situation in the country only worsened. For two years oil was not profitable, inflation was rampant, the country's situation became much worse than before the nationalization of the oil industry. This led to the removal of the prime minister and a change of power in 1952. When the parties returned to the negotiating table, an agreement was reached on the creation of a consortium of Western companies with the aim of doing business in Iran. The share of the Anglo-Iranian Company was 40%.

In 1954, by decision of the board of directors, the Anglo-Iranian Company was renamed British Petroleum Company (BP). It was determined to reduce its virtually complete dependence on the Middle East. A strategically important decision was made to look for oil in other regions, in particular in the Western Hemisphere.

To reduce BP's dependence on the Middle East, Sinclair Oil offered it joint exploration in Alaska. After costly drilling on the Arctic coastal depression of the North Slope with six wells that turned dry, both companies were ready to suspend work. However, after the companies "Arco" and "Humble Oil" discovered a large field in Prudhoe Bay, BP continued to work in Alaska. In 1987, the British government sold the last stake in BP. Since becoming a wholly private company, BP has streamlined its business and divested itself of non-core assets, concentrating on its core business of exploration and production of oil and gas, oil refining, transportation and sales of fuels. In the late 1990s, fierce competition in the energy sector set off a wave of mergers and acquisitions. BP included Amoco, ARCO, Castrol and Aral.

Brand on the Russian market

BP in Russia

In Russia, until March 2013, the company was a co-owner of the oil company TNK-BP. Gas stations operating under the BP brand belonged to TNK-BP.

In 2008, TNK-BP experienced an internal conflict, as a result of which the president and CEO of the company, Robert Dudley, was forced to leave his post.

Failed alliance with Rosneft

In January 2011, BP and the Russian state oil company Rosneft announced the creation of a joint venture that will develop offshore oil and gas fields in the Kara Sea (Rosneft will own 66.67% in it, BP - 33.33%). The companies also agreed on an exchange of shares (the Russian company will receive 5% of ordinary voting shares in BP, and the British company will receive 9.5% of Rosneft shares). The deal received mixed reviews from commentators. Thus, a representative of the investment bank Barclays Capital called it a manifestation of the mutual trust of the parties. On the other hand, critics noted the dubious legal purity of the deal. The influential British weekly The Economist used the words buying up stolen goods, recalling that there are lawsuits by Yukos shareholders against Russian government in excess of $100 billion.

January 2011, BP and Rosneft signed a framework agreement in Davos on strategic partnership.

The Russian co-owners of TNK-BP (50% owned by BP, and another 50% by the AAR consortium, including Alfa Group, Access Industries and Renova) criticized the BP deal with Rosneft, pointing out that according to terms of the agreement with BP, the British company was not to keep the shares of Rosneft, but to offer them to TNK-BP. The head of BP explained this deviation from the agreement by the fact that the new alliance is aimed at developing underwater fields, while TNK-BP develops mainly oil production on land. Later, the Russian shareholders of TNK-BP applied to the London court with a claim to suspend the deal between BP and Rosneft. On January 31, 2011, in protest against the deal, the Russian shareholder of TNK-BP decided to block the payment of dividends in the amount of $1.8 billion.

In March 2011, the Stockholm Arbitration Court ruled to ban the deal between BP and Rosneft. During the spring of 2011, BP, Rosneft and the Russian shareholders of TNK-BP tried to find a compromise on the modification of the announced agreement, but on May 17, 2011 it became known that the deal was finally broken.

Sale of TNK-BP

October 2012, it was announced that Rosneft had agreed with the shareholders of TNK-BP on its purchase. It is assumed that BP for its share should receive $ 17.1 billion in cash and 12.84% of the shares of Rosneft, which are on the balance sheet of the Russian company, and another shareholder of TNK-BP, the AAR consortium - $ 28 billion (with both transactions independent of each other). As expected, after the completion of the transaction, the British BP will own 19.75% of the shares of Rosneft. On March 21, 2013, TNK-BP was completely taken over by Rosneft, whose director is Igor Sechin.

Characteristic trademark

The company produces oil and gas in many parts of the world, both onshore and offshore. BP proved reserves in 2009 amounted to 1.4 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons, 1.26 trillion m ³ natural gas. owns oil refining and petrochemical facilities, a network of filling stations, produces oils under the Castrol brand.

The company also owns shares in 10 gas pipelines and five regasification terminals in the North Sea.

The company owns a 47% stake in a gas pipeline in Alaska, as well as several receiving terminals for liquefied natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company has a division BPSolar, engaged in the production and installation of photovoltaic cells BP is one of the main players in the hydrogen energy industry. The company builds hydrogen filling stations and supplies hydrogen for them. Participates in various hydrogen demonstration projects around the world.

BP lubricating oils for more than 12 years have been featured on Russian market.

Sales of lubricants in Russia are carried out by Setra Lubricants LLC. The company employs over a hundred people.

The company has an extensive network of about 70 distributors. Today, the turnover exceeds 100 million US dollars per year. Sales of oils under the BP brand in Russia and other CIS countries have been growing rapidly since the beginning of 2001 after BP acquired Burma Castrol. With annual sales expected to grow by 30 - 35% by 2010, the turnover could reach almost 200 million US dollars per year.

Industrial oils

PRODUCT / TYPE / TYPEPACKAGE / PACKAGEPRICEBP ENERGOLDL-MP 30/40DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 274BP ENERGOLDS3-153/154DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 277BP ENERGOLCLO-50MDRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 296BP ENERGOLGR-XDE8 / 185 KGS$ 522BP ENERGOLHV - ALL GRADESDRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 555BP ENERGOLTHB-68DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 538BP ENERGOLLPT-F46DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 560BP ENERGOLRC-100DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 538BP VANELLUS15W40 - MULTIGRADEDRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 632BP VANELLUSDD-40 - MULTIGRADEDRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 644BP ENERGOLIC-HFX 203/204DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 282BP ENERGOLIC-HFX 303/304DRUM 208 L / 185 KGS$ 289

Lubricants

PRODUCTTYPE / TYPEPACKAGE / PACKAGEPRICEBP ENCREASEMM-EP2PRICE PER 100 KG$ 549BP ENCREASEOGPRICE FOR 100 KGS$ 583BP ENCREASEWRP$ 786

Baltic Petroleum (BP - 100%) was established in 1993 to supply lubricants to ships international companies calling at the port of St. Petersburg. The company gradually expanded the scope of its activities and began deliveries to certain segments of the Russian shipping market.

BP Marine has two brands of lubricants - BP and Castrol. Products of both brands are now manufactured in St. Petersburg at a compounding facility under strict adherence to international quality control standards adopted by BP.

The largest Russian clients operating on international routes use the services of BP Marine all over the world.

<#"justify">nc5973Engine oil BP VISCO 3000 10W40, 4L<#"justify" height="99" src="doc_zip2.jpg" /> <#"justify">nc5971Engine oil BP VISCO 5000 5W40 4L<#"justify" height="99" src="doc_zip3.jpg" /> <#"justify">nc4125 Engine oil Castrol 10W40 Magnatec A3/B3 4L<#"justify" height="98" src="doc_zip4.jpg" /> <#"justify">nc3786 Engine oil Castrol 5W40 Magnatec C3 4L<#"justify" height="98" src="doc_zip5.jpg" /> <#"justify">nc5921 Engine oil CASTROL EDGE FST 10W60, 1L<#"justify">BP is one of the world's leading suppliers of jet fuel, oils and special fluids.

This division of BP serves all sectors of the aviation industry and is present at more than 1,200 airports in 90 countries. Air BP also advises its partners on technical and engineering issues. In Moscow, it helps passenger, cargo and charter airlines in Russia and the CIS quickly meet fuel needs at international airports. Air BP is the main fuel supplier and tanker outside of Russia for such airlines as Aeroflot, Transaero, Sibir and many others.

BP provides advice on aviation oils and cooperates with Russian developers and manufacturers of aircraft engines to certify Air BP and Castrol aviation oils for use on Russian aircraft.

Official distributors of BP lubricants in Russia

Moscow; Nordic-Oil www.oilservice.ru

"Redital" Moscow region, Dzerzhinsky

St. Petersburg AMG Mikado Company www.spareparts.spb.ru

Barnaul LLC "SIBOIL" www.sibcastrol.ru

Belgorod Branch of "American Machinery Company"

Blagoveshchensk

LLC "InterAvto"

Vladivostok; Eastern Republic 690001

Volgograd; Profit League www.profitvolga.ru

Voronezh Caster LLC

Irkutsk OOO "InterAvto"

Kazan Expressoil

Kaliningrad "Evers-Invest"

Kaluga; "Limousine"

Kemerovo LLC "SIBOIL"

Kirov MEGA-OIL Kirov LLC

Krasnodar "Hi-Tech"

Krasnoyarsk "Oil-D"

Nizhny Novgorod MEGA-OIL LLC

Novokuznetsk LLC "SIBOIL"

Novosibirsk "SIBOIL"

Omsk "Granik-Auto"

Rostov-on-Donut "Profit League"

Samara LLC "PTK "Valdai"

Saratov PTK "Valdai"

Ulan-Ude OOO "InterAvto"

Ufa "Gorst-SM"

Khabarovsk LLC "InterAvto"

Chita LLC "InterAvto"

Cheboksary MEGA-OIL LLC

Yaroslavl "BERG"

Consumers. Characteristics of the target audience

The results of the activities of the marketing service, namely the analysis carried out external environment led TNK-BP to realize the need to expand the circle of the target audience, which in turn served as the fourth condition for the formation of a promotion system and modification of methods and means of promotion. The impetus for the reassessment of real and potential clients was a global marketing study conducted by the marketing and brand department in 2011, which showed that BP stations were refueled mainly by people from 35 to 55 years old, of average and above income. It turns out that the company to a lesser extent covers a young and promising audience. This is the first result of the study. The second is that young and modern people, who also drive good cars, refuel a lot - they refuel, for the most part on petrol stations competitors. This research has changed the way we look at our customers in many ways, and has led to the fact that BP needs to analyze the lifestyle and hobbies of an unreached audience. The first point of contact with young consumers was car clubs, which have recently been actively developing on the Internet. In automobile clubs, mostly young people are registered - this one is just the target audience from 20 to 30 years old, they are very active, they travel a lot, communicate and refuel accordingly, they have modern, expensive cars.

On the forums of these car clubs, BP brand managers conduct online surveys, asking questions such as “Which gas stations do you fill up at?”, “How often?”, “Have you filled up with the new Pulsar fuel?” - to understand the activity of consumers. Also on such forums, an online consultation with a BP specialist is available, who will answer questions of interest on the technical characteristics of the fuel, its effect on the engine, and many other questions. In the course of such an event, in order to attract more customers and increase consumer loyalty to the BP brand, the result was obtained: the number of attracted active users amounted to more than 1200 people out of the planned 100. Thus, the circle of real and potential consumers for the company began to grow, and the promotion system be improved, since each target segment needs an individual approach and selection of means of influencing it.

In the course of the analysis of the conditions for the formation of a system for promoting goods to the market, the existing system in the company is investigated, analyzed and evaluated, the factors affecting it are studied, the development of the system is predicted in such conditions, and what is important, due to a clear understanding of such conditions, an experienced marketer can make advance adjustments in the functioning of the system and influence the course of events.

The relevance of studying the conditions for the formation of a promotion system for TNK-BP is due to the fact that, on the one hand, it is a thorough and comprehensive study of the market, demand, customer needs, and orientation of the company's capabilities to them. On the other hand, the formation of an information and methodological base for active influence on the market and existing demand, on the formation of needs and consumer preferences.

After analyzing the consumer market, I found out that more than 50% of the population aged 25-55 purchase oils and gasoline for various engines (cars, motor boats, yachts, etc.), explaining that these are:

Pretty high quality product (quality control).

Maintenance service (person helping to refuel the car, washed floor).

Welcoming and polite staff.

Promotions, bonuses from the company.

Convenient location and access.

This is a time-tested company with good status.

All amenities (cafe, toilet, shop with all necessary goods).

More and more people around the world are now switching to BP oils and fuels.

Why do most people who own a vehicle consume BP fuel?

BP Ultimate 95 fuel is designed to keep your vehicle running at 100%, regardless of make or model, to keep your engine clean, improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Oils such as:

Motor oil BP VISCO 5000 5W40 4L; Motor oil BP VISCO 3000 10W40, 4L; Motor oil Castrol 5W40 Magnatec C3 4L, etc., have great success among the general population and positive reviews due to their quality.

Having studied the consumer market, we can say that industrial oils, such as: BP ENERGOL DL-MP 30/40; BP ENERGOL DS3-153/154 ;BP ENERGOL CLO-50M ;BP ENERGOL GR-XP ALL GRADES ; BP ENERGOL HV - ALL GRADES are commercially available throughout Russia and are superior in quality to many brands of oil industry companies, thus being in demand among the majority of the population.

Buying BP products, the consumer is completely sure that the machine does not work for wear and does not require passing technical inspection with the replacement of parts that work together with oils.

Competitors

The Seven Oil Sisters are the seven largest companies that control more than half of the oil market: Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an American company, the largest private oil company in the world, one of the largest corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization ($417, 2 billion as of January 28, 2013, $336.5 in May 2009 based on the FT 500 market capitalization rating).

In 2007, it took 2nd place in the Fortune 1000 list of the largest public American companies and in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world's largest corporations (lists were compiled by revenue in 2006).

The company's headquarters is located in Irving, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Dutch Shell - (pronounced Royal Dutch Shell) - Dutch-British oil and gas company, at the time of 2013 the seventh largest company in the world, according to Forbes rating 2000 (2013) and first in the Fortune Global 500 (2013). Headquartered in The Hague (Netherlands). Chevron Corporation (in Russian pronounced Chevron Corporation) (NYSE: CVX) is the second integrated US energy company after ExxonMobil, one of the largest corporations in the world. The company is ranked 5th in the Fortune Global 500 (2009). Included in the Fortune 1000 list in 2005 (3rd place). Headquarters - in the city of San Ramon, California (USA). ("Texa with Co mpany") is the name American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns Havoline brand motor oil. independent company until their refining activities were merged into Chevron Corporation in 2001, at which time most of their station franchises were sold to the oil company Shell. It began as the Texas Fuel Company, founded in 1901 in Beaumont, Texas, by Joseph S. Cullinan, Thomas J. Donoghue, Walter Benona Sharp, and Arnold Schlaet at the discovery of oil at Spindletop. For many years, Texaco has been the only company selling gasoline under the same brand in all 50 states of the US as well as Canada, making it the most truly national brand among competitors. Texaco gasoline comes with Techron, an additive developed by Chevron since 2005 year, replacing the previous CleanSystem3. The Texaco brand is strong in the US, Latin America and West Africa. It has a presence in Europe as well, for example it is a well-known retail brand in the UK, with about 1100 Texaco branded service stations. - Formerly known as Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, is a major US oil company that merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. today Mobil continues as the primary brand name within the combined company, while still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or One the Run. Its former headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, is currently used as the downstairs headquarters of ExxonMobil.Oil - (pronounced Gulf Oil in Russian) is a North American oil company. Gulf Oil was one of the largest oil monopolies from the 1900s to the 1980s, and was also one of the seven largest oil companies in the United States, referred to as the Seven Sisters. Gulf Oil was one of the main assets of the famous US Mellon dynasty. The head office of Gulf Oil was co-located with the head office of Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). The former head office of Gulf Oil, originally called "the Gulf Building" (now the Gulf Tower), is an art deco skyscraper. Until 1970, the Gulf Tower was the tallest building in Pittsburgh.

In 1984, Gulf Oil was taken over by Standard Oil of California, later renamed Chevron.Petroleum.

Sometimes they also include French companies: Elf, Total, ENI.

british petroleum brand market

Branding

Prior to 1979, BP was successful in oil trading without serious corporate advertising campaigns. However, due to political, environmental, economic and resource problems that arose in the late 70s, the company marketing research and came to the realization that it was not receiving the proper positive perception from the national public and opinion makers, although it is the largest company in the UK.

Carried out since 1969, marketing research conducted by MORI (Market & Opinion Research International) was designed to monitor the state of the corporate image. And up to 1976 they showed a steady strengthening of the image, and in 1977 a negative impact on it was recorded, which was explained by the lack of corporate communications about the company's activities in comparison with its competitors.

An audit conducted in 1979 for a company advertising agency(Saatchi & Saatchi), showed that the negative perception of the company by its internal and external public was a consequence of concerns about nationalization, state interference in its affairs and low level an organization's understanding of its customers (Drake et al, 1981).

Public Relations, PR. BP aims to create a positive image of the organization in society and its impeccable image. There is a strong stereotype in society that oil and gas production harms the environment. And the company is diligently trying to wash off the "oil" stain from its reputation. To solve this problem, a whole range of PR activities is used, such as participation in exhibitions, sponsorship, social projects, etc.

Participation in exhibitions and social advertisement on television - an integral feature of image formation and brand promotion of modern fuel and energy companies. is a sponsor sports events, professional clubs, racing teams. Their logo can be seen not only on football jerseys, but also on sports arenas, race tracks and on the cars themselves.

However, this coin also has a downside - access to information. A good example of BP's commitment to human rights is access to information about corporate impacts on the natural environment. Publicly distributed materials of the company allow to get only the most general impression of the profile of their activities. Therefore, often the population has no idea at all what BP enterprises do and how they affect the state of the natural environment and public health.

The general nature of the information provided indicates that fuel and energy companies are reluctant to demonstrate the true state of affairs, including measures to protect environment not to mention the true profit margins.

However, using its financial and information capabilities, BP does not miss the opportunity to advertise itself and create an image of a socially responsible company. To do this, they carry out various charity events, including environmental ones, allocate funds to support healthcare, education, culture and the construction of social facilities. Then information about these events is widely disseminated.

Thus, it can be argued that official information about the corporation is quite accessible, but it is not so easy to obtain any other additional information, even of a general nature, not to mention information related to the company's reputation. Only a few companies demonstrate a willingness to open dialogue. Although it is obvious that a number of them do this under pressure from the public.

BP is most willing to provide technical information that is least understood by the general public and not easily refuted or confirmed without specialist knowledge. The reasoning in this case is simple: companies have advanced technology, so the population and the public have nothing to fear.

A distinctive feature of the brand promotion strategy of the largest company BP is the aggressive advertising of its own refined oil products, mainly engine oils. This is true for both Mobil 1 and Shell Helix oils. Recently, this trend has also been forming in the Russian market - Lukoil and TNK oils compete in terms of advertising budgets.

Conclusion

The BP Energy Outlook 2030 contains BP's projections of long-term energy trends. Based on our Statistical Review of World Energy, this outlook develops projections for world energy markets by 2030, taking into account potential developments in the world economy, politics and technology.

Basic case of perspective meditates to the best of our knowledge assessment of the likely path in the world from today's perspective, drawing on expertise from both inside and outside the company. This is not a statement about how we would like the market to develop.

The outlook highlights central role markets and well-designed policies can play to cope with the dual challenge of meeting the energy needs of the billions of people who aspire to better lifestyles and doing so in a way that is sustainable and safe.

This view focuses on North America; additional detail is available in the BP Global Energy Outlook 2030.

References

1.

Bp.com (foreign site)

En.wikipedia.org

10.britannica.com›EBchecked/topic/80326/BP-PLC (foreign site)

Kniganefti.ru›group.asp?group=5

Yell.ru›moscow/com/bp-trading…british-petroleum

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British Petroleum is a British oil and gas corporation. The organization had its name - British Petroleum - until 2001. It is the second largest public trading company in the world oil and gas products. In 2009, it climbed to number four on the Fortune Global 500. The organization is currently headquartered in London.

Historical information. Initial Development

William Knox d'Arcy is the founder of British Petroleum. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, this enterprising Englishman managed to get the approval of the plan for the search and extraction of oil from the Persian authorities. George Reynolds was appointed to the post of chief prospecting engineer. At the initial stage of its activity, the company did not achieve much success. The lack of qualified personnel was a major factor. The attitude of the locals also left much to be desired. The Persian government was not engaged in providing sufficient support for the enterprise. As a result, British Petroleum began to have difficulties with financial resources. Burmah Oil later became involved in investing in further oil exploration in Persia.

Anglo-Persian Oil Company

Suleiman and Mashid are oil fields that became one of the first successful oil fields in Persia. They were found in the southwestern region of the country. Anglo-Persian was formed a few years later - in 1909. Burmah Oil owned almost all the shares. Only 3% belonged to Lord Strathcon, who was the first chairman of British Petroleum. At the same time, D'Arcy remained director. However, he did not have a significant influence on the fate of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Further development

The reins of government passed to Charles Greenway. Now he was in charge of carrying out the search for oil. He initially ended up as director, but later became chairman. During this period, British Petroleum was threatened with complete bankruptcy. Marketing was the main problem. European and have already divided the market niche among themselves. At the same time, the fuel sector was still underdeveloped. Greenway contributed to the elimination of the influence of Royal Dutch Shell on the Anglo-Persian company. This was largely due to a mutually beneficial agreement with the British authorities.

Marketing

After the end of the war for a ten-year period, the company continued to develop rapidly. New marketing methods have been developed. For example, gasoline was now packaged in two-gallon cans. The Anglo-Persian company managed to sell its products in Iraq and Iran.

An international chain of offshore stations for bunkering has been established. By the beginning of 1926, the British Petroleum Corporation began trading in aviation fuel. There was a launch of new oil refineries. They were much smaller than those in Abadan. First factories opened in South Wales, and then in Scotland.

The company continued to expand its influence. Most of the French oil refinery belonged to her. The business structure of the company has changed significantly. Most of the assets came from Persian deposits. The main part of the capital was involved in the distribution system and the tanker fleet. Cars are widely used in Europe and America. This largely influenced the further activities of British Petroleum.

Gas stations began to open everywhere. Their total number reached 6 thousand. In 1935 the company was renamed. It became known as the Anglo-Iranian. In the petrochemical sector, the company began its introduction in the post-war period. Was formed with Distillers. It later became known as British Hydrocarbon Chemicals. Then another petrochemical complex was formed in Baghlan Bay.

Modern realities

The company is currently dealing in oil and gas all over the world. This is done both offshore and onshore. According to 2009 statistics, the company owned multi-billion dollar reserves of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. BP is the owner of petrochemical and oil refining facilities. It has its own network of filling stations. She also produces oil.

British Petroleum owns stakes in a dozen gas pipelines and five regasification terminals. All of them are located in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the company owns almost a 50% stake in the gas pipeline, which is located in Alaska. British Petroleum Corporation, whose official website is www.bp.com, owns several receiving terminals in They specialize in liquefied natural gas.

The company has a division called BPSolar. It specializes in photovoltaic cells. The company is a significant player in the field of hydrogen energy. BP is engaged in the construction of stations and the supply of materials for them. The company takes part in international demonstration projects in this area. In 2009, its revenue exceeded the amount of two hundred billion dollars.

Activities in the Russian Federation

BP was a co-owner of the oil company TNK in Russia until the spring of 2013. A few years ago there was a serious conflict within the organization. As a result, Robert Dudley, who was the president and CEO of the company, left this post. The alliance with Rosneft also failed. In 2011, the Stockholm Arbitration Court ruled to cancel the deal. The companies tried to reach a compromise, but the agreement was derailed completely.