UK industry flags Brexit rig shutdown threat

North Sea activity is unlikely to halt when the UK leaves the EU, but the uncertainty isn’t helping the planning process

As negotiations over the United Kingdom's departure from the EU trudged on without resolution during the autumn, trade body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) sought to focus minds by raising potentially uncomfortable scenarios that could result from a so-called "hard Brexit". In its annual Economic Report, OGUK warned that any shortage of European workers caused by the UK leaving the EU without a deal in place with Brussels could lead to shutdowns for some rigs. EU workers represent about 5% of the UK's oil and gas workforce-about 15,000—and a slightly higher proportion, 7%, of offshore workers. Specifically, OGUK set out the risk that emergency response-and-rescue vessel owners could face difficult