"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them." Ephesians 5:11
When I lived in Swindon, I worked for Castrol then BP - when they bought Castrol in 2000. I worked for them for a total of almost 14 years. The overriding impression I got was that during that period they became more and more obssessed with profit. Staff were expected to do more and pay rises became smaller. This was apparently also the case with other companies. I sat through many an excruciating staff briefing where profit was the star of the show. Previous year's quarter performance, market share, market segment, niche market, gross profit, net profit, trading profit were all terms that were often used while I struggled to stay awake. To me, in a word, it's simply all about greed. Generally speaking, as time has passed by, more people, especially big companies, have become greedier - while the devil gleefully rubs his hands. What makes it worse is that oil companies, like BP, are largely responsible for global warming and for the all too often oil slicks resulting from leaking tankers that cause untold damage to the envrionment and to wildlife. In other words they play a part in the destruction of God's beautiful planet - again much to satan's delight.
Oil giant BP reports £11bn profits
Oil giant BP made profits of £11.34 billion during 2006, despite reporting a fall of 12% for the final three months of the year.The fourth-quarter slide to £1.98 billion came as a result of pressure on refining margins and a disappointing production performance.Higher oil prices meant the group still saw a 15% gain in annual profits, although the year was tarnished by a series of high-profile problems, including the temporary shutdown of its large Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska.
And chief executive Lord Browne announced last month that he would be standing down earlier than expected.Production in the fourth quarter was hit by weather-related delays in Alaska, unusually low seasonal gas demand and Opec quota restrictions. BP indicated that production rates were likely to remain flat in the coming year after it forecast output in the range of 3.8 to 3.9 million barrels of oil equivalent, compared with 3.93 million in 2006 and 4.01 million in 2005.Looking further ahead, BP said it expected production of more than four million barrels by 2009 and more than 4.3 million barrels by 2012.Profits in exploration and production in the fourth quarter were down 23% on a year ago to £2.58 billion, which BP said reflected a number of other factors, including lower gas prices and higher costs.
The refinery and marketing division reported a fourth quarter loss of £359.9 million after a charge of £471.5 million from death and personal injury claims relating to the explosion at its Texas City refinery which killed 15 workers in March 2005.A report last month criticised BP for "safety deficiencies" at its five refineries in the US, including at Texas City. Forecourt margins fell in October and November due to the increasing cost of oil, before stabilising in December, BP added.
MSN News 6 February 2007
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24
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