"British Petroleum": description, activities

The British Petroleum Company is a British oil and gas corporation. Its name - British Petroleum - the organization had until 2001. It is the second largest company in the world that deals with the public sale of oil and gas products. In 2009, it rose to the fourth position in the Fortune Global 500. Currently, the headquarters of the organization is in London.

Historical information. Development in the initial stage

William Knox D'Arcy is the founder of British Petroleum. As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, this enterprising Englishman was able to get approval of the plan for carrying out search and extraction of oil from the Persian authorities. George Reynolds was appointed to the post of chief engineer to search for deposits. At the initial stage of its activities the company did not achieve much success. The lack of qualified personnel greatly affected. The attitude of the local residents also left much to be desired. The Persian government did not provide sufficient support to the enterprise. As a result, "British Petroleum" began to have difficulties with financial resources. Later Burmah Oil engaged in investing in further oil exploration in Persia.

Anglo-Persian Oil Company

Suleiman and Mashid are oil fields, which became one of the first successful oil fields in Persia. They were discovered in the south-western region of the country. Anglo-Persian oil company was formed several years later - in 1909. Burmah Oil owned virtually all shares. Only 3% belonged to Lord Stratcon, who was the first chairman of the British Petroleum. At the same time, D'Arcy remained the director. However, he had no significant influence on the fate of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Further development

The reins of government passed to Charles Greenway. Now he was responsible for carrying out the search for oil. Initially, he was on the post of director, but later became chairman. During this period, "British Petroleum" was threatened with complete bankruptcy. The sale was the main problem. European and American companies have already divided the market niche of industrial oils among themselves . At the same time, the fuel industry was not yet sufficiently developed. Greenway contributed to the elimination of Royal Dutch Shell's influence on the Anglo-Persian company. In many respects this was achieved through a mutually beneficial agreement with the British authorities.

Sales Development

After the end of the war, the company continued to develop actively over a ten-year period. New marketing methods were developed. For example, the packaging of gasoline was now carried out in two-gallon jars. The Anglo-Persian company managed to sell its products in Iraq and Iran.

An international chain was created, consisting of sea stations for bunkering. By the beginning of 1926, the British Petroleum Corporation had begun to trade in aviation fuel. New oil refineries have been launched. They were much smaller than those who were in Abadan. First the plants opened in South Wales, and then in Scotland.

The company continued to expand its influence. Most of the French oil refinery belonged to it. The business structure of the company has changed significantly. Most of the assets were in the Persian deposits. The bulk of the capital was involved in the distribution system and the tanker fleet. Cars have become widespread in the territories of Europe and America. This greatly influenced the further activities of British Petroleum.

Refueling began to open everywhere. Their total number reached 6 thousand. In 1935 the company was renamed. It began to be called Anglo-Iranian. In the petrochemical sector, the company began implementation in the post-war period. A joint venture with Distillers was formed. Later it became known as British Hydrocarbon Chemicals. Then another oil-chemical complex was formed in Baghlan Bay.

Modern realities

Currently, the company is engaged in the production of gas and oil around the world. This is carried out both on the shelf and on land. According to statistics in 2009, the company owned multibillion-dollar reserves of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. BP owns petrochemical and refinery capacities. She has her own gas station network. She also produces butter.

"British Petroleum" owns shares in the top ten gas pipelines and five regasification terminals. All of them are located in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the company owns almost 50% of the gas pipeline in Alaska. Corporation "British Petroleum", the official site of which is www.bp.com, owns several receiving terminals in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 of this field. 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. Several years ago there was a serious conflict within the organization. As a result, Robert Dudley, who was 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. Companies tried to come to a compromise, but the agreement was completely disrupted.