Ole-Jacob Kvinnsland, or O.J. to many who knew him, succumbed to a heart attack at his home near Stavanger on January 14. Considered the father of petroleum journalism in Norway, he would have been 66 this month. Kvinnsland's lengthy career in the oil and gas industry included a pivotal role in the development of Hart Publications as an international oil and gas publishing house.

In 1968, a year prior to the Ekofisk discovery, Kvinnsland was working as a regional freelance oil reporter for the Norwegian Broadcasting Service - Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) while also teaching school. He moved on to broadcasting nationally for NRK and was the first energy correspondent on the station. Karl Edwin Manshaus, permanent secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Oil and Energy and a fellow Norwegian Oil Pioneer, recalled Kvinnsland's years as an NRK broadcaster and, before that, writing for newspapers. "He was one of the few in English-speaking Europe that knew about the depth of our industry. He was always very authoritative. He managed to make complicated material seem quite obvious without missing out important details. He was liked by everybody not only because of his personality but because he was the source of a lot of knowledge."

In 1973, Kvinnsland founded Noroil Publishing. Based in Stavanger, Noroil Publishing published Noroil magazine, which quickly grew to a respected industry publication with international circulation.
In February, 1976, Kvinnsland launched European Offshore Petroleum Newsletter, a weekly, and later the daily Petroleum Monitor and World Gas Report.

Between 1985 and 1992 he was president of the Noroil Group, acting as a consultant and advisor to oil companies and institutions. During this time Noroil became Euroil magazine and moved its headquarters to the United Kingdom.

In 1992, Hart Publications bought Euroil and the accompanying newsletters. Between 1992 and 1998, Kvinnsland was managing director of Hart Europe and president of Noroil and Norland Consultants. From 1998 to 2000 he was president of Hart Europe. "O.J. strengthened the important international dimension of Hart Publications that carries forward in all of our endeavors," noted Rich Eichler, president of Hart Publications.

Kvinnsland was a regular commentator on Norwegian oil industry affairs on domestic television and radio. He also authored many industry articles and papers, and was a frequent speaker and chairman at international conferences. More recently he concentrated on international consultancy to governments and institutions worldwide, and on perfecting the Petrobase 2000 database which he developed into a global oil industry information and forecasting system. "We could rely on him. He was trusted by people within the industry and he had a marvelous network of people," Gunnar Berge, director general of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, said.

Kvinnsland was on the executive board of the Norwegian Petroleum Society, a member of the Collegium of Norwegian Petroleum Pioneers, and sat on the executive committee of the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) conference and the ONS technology innovation award committee. Kjell Ursin-Smith, managing director of the ONS Foundation, said, "He was always ready to give a helping hand. He was also a very strategic thinker. He was really well connected internationally...he was the first Norwegian oil and gas businessman who made a connection on an international level."
To those of us who knew him well, Ole Jacob was never far from a cigar, never at a loss for words and never missed a chance to care for those around him. His enthusiasm was infectious and his wit well honed. He will be missed.

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