Newsletters | Request Trial | Log in | Advertise | Digital Issue   |   Search
  • Upstream
  • Midstream & Downstream
  • Gas & LNG
  • Trading & Markets
  • Corporate & Finance
  • Geopolitics
  • Podcasts
Search
Shaun Polczer
Fort McMurray
12 May 2016
Follow @PetroleumEcon
Forward article link
Share PDF with colleagues

Fort McMurray in flames

More than 1 million b/d of oil is offline and the recovery will take weeks

NORTHERN Alberta more resembles a war zone than an oil-production hub, after wildfires raged across an area the size of Tokyo. Water bombers and helicopters buzz overhead as the fire, now entering its second week of devastation, expands over 200,000 hectares and moves eastward into Saskatchewan. Convoys of equipment are at last moving north at military scale, while the final evacuations of some 25,000 oil sands employees – trapped work camps near Alberta’s production epicentre – were completed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and air force. Although the main danger has passed, the city of Fort McMurray is a desolate no-man’s land. Authorities have barricaded it and government officials s

Also in this section
In pipelines we trust
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
Canada’s oil and gas looks east
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
Can Merlin work magic for Shell in Namibia?
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
High hopes and dry wells in the Black Sea
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya

Share PDF with colleagues

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: PDF sharing is permitted internally for Petroleum Economist Gold Members only. Usage of this PDF is restricted by <%= If(IsLoggedIn, User.CompanyName, "")%>’s agreement with Petroleum Economist – exceeding the terms of your licence by forwarding outside of the company or placing on any external network is considered a breach of copyright. Such instances are punishable by fines of up to US$1,500 per infringement
Send

Forward article Link

Send
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Project Data
Maps
Podcasts
Social Links
Featured Video
Home
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Reaching your audience
  • PE Store
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact us
  • Privacy statement
  • Cookies
  • Sitemap
All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws © 2025 The Petroleum Economist Ltd
Cookie Settings
;

Search