Mr Salmond enjoyed a tour of the office and met with employees and Group Chief Executive Marcus Richards during his visit to Aberdeen.

Marcus said, “We are delighted to welcome Scotland’s First Minister to Dana’s new home. Our new Aberdeen office demonstrates our commitment to the city and the North Sea, which accounts for 70% of our production. We are proud to be the only international oil and gas company with its headquarters in the Granite City.”

First Minister Alex Salmond said, “It is a real privilege to open the new Dana Petroleum headquarters in Aberdeen.

“The hugely impressive new set-up is a result of the extraordinary expansion that has seen the company grow from employing 30 people to 500 people in less than 20 years. I know that the team at Dana Petroleum has ambitious plans for the future, and the new facilities can only help them as they set out to double the size of the company by 2016.

“I am particularly impressed by the firm’s plan to co-operate with local universities on a new technical centre for excellence. Partnerships such as this are absolutely crucial in helping the Scottish Government to maximise the opportunities for skilled employment for our young people across the country.

“The new headquarters, and Dana Petroleum’s ambitions for the future, are a testament to the company’s faith in the North Sea and the value that market still has – with more than half of the value of our oil and gas reserves still to be realised. Scotland’s ability to realise that value will depend on the enterprise and innovation of companies such as Dana.”

http://www.dana-petroleum.com/Media-centre/Press-releases/2012/First-Minister-officially-opens-Dana-Petroleums-global-headquarters/