Scotland’s oil and gas supply and service industry saw overseas sales jump more than a fifth last year, new statistics have shown.
A report from business development agency Scottish Enterprise found the nation’s expertise and supply chain prowess helped international revenues climb to more than £10 billion during the 12 months to the end of March 2013.
It means worldwide activity now accounts for over half of Scotland’s supply chain sales, having risen from 31% in 2002. Companies surveyed also forecast that total export sales would rise by around a third over the next five years.
The report’s publication came as a delegation of 63 Scottish firms began a trip to Houston, Texas, for the massive industry Offshore Technology Conference.
It revealed total revenues of £19.9bn for Scottish firms, with around 224,000 jobs supported by more than 2,000 companies operating across 100-plus countries.
Scottish Enterprise head of oil and gas David Rennie said the results were a testament to the knowhow of Scotland’s workforce and stressed that his organisation was committed to helping develop more markets.
“Helping our supply chain to develop opportunities in new markets is a key focus of Scotland’s industry-led oil and gas strategy, and our attendance at OTC this week is a further opportunity for us to showcase our strengths in this sector to the global marketplace,” he said.
The study showed how North America remains the top region for international sales with sales up by a third to £3.6bn, while the African market virtually doubled to £2.3bn. The USA remained the major market, but Angola and Norway rose to become the second and third largest.
Nigeria, Brazil, Australia, the UAE, and Malaysia are expected to remain key over the next five years while Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region are forecast to provide the greatest opportunities.
The Survey of International Activity in the Oil & Gas Sector has been developed by the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Scottish Enterprise.
Its research and policy director James Bream said members were telling the body international activity was “increasingly important” to their businesses.
“The sector is not only an economic driving force domestically with record investment in recent years but is now a critical part of our export driven economy,” he said.
Energy minister Fergus Ewing, who is leading the US trade mission, said Scotland had established a “global reputation” in the sector.
“The value of this activity to the economy and exchequer is substantial,” he said.
“Scotland is leading the way in the world of oil and gas and has a clear competitive advantage in this truly global industry.
“There are huge opportunities open to us internationally and we are determined to make the most of them.”
He added: “Our objective is to make clear that Scotland’s oil and gas wealth is not just the resources that we extract but the expertise that we have built up.
“We are working with the industry to continue to strengthen Scotland’s position as a global leader in the sector and these figures mark further growth in this important part of our economy.”