Wind, Waves & Wells with Joe

joeleather92

Wind, Waves & Wells with Joe, offers an inside look at the dynamic energy industry, from the latest innovations in renewable power to the untold stories of those working in oil, gas, and beyond. Each episode dives into the real-world impact of energy on our daily lives, exploring how it shapes economies, communities, and the environment. Whether you’re an industry veteran or simply curious about the forces powering our world, join Joe for insightful conversations, personal stories, and fresh perspectives on the energy sector.

  1. 1d ago

    The Alexander Kielland Disaster: What Really Caused the Rig to Fail? - Dr France Part 1

    On 27 March 1980, the Alexander L. Kielland capsized in the North Sea, killing 123 people in one of the worst disasters in the history of the offshore industry. More than four decades later, Dr France believes the accepted explanation does not tell the full story. A welding engineer with 50 years of experience, Dr France has spent years independently investigating the disaster. In Part One of our conversation, he explains the fundamentals of welding and welding engineering before taking us through his analysis of the Kielland failure. We discuss the condition of the rig when it left the shipyard, hydrogen induced cracking, fatigue, weld procedures, inspection, the evidence he says can still be seen in recovered wreckage, and why he believes the origins of the disaster can be traced back to the rig's construction in 1976. This is a detailed and at times challenging look at one of the North Sea's most significant offshore disasters, from the perspective of a welding engineer who has spent years studying the evidence.

  2. Sep 2

    From the Rig Floor to the Courtroom: 45 Years in Drilling with Steve Devereux

    Steve Devereux has spent more than four decades working across the international oil and gas industry, and his career has taken him a long way from where it started. Steve began as an aeronautical engineer before joining Shell in 1979 and learning drilling from the ground up. After training in Holland, he headed to Brunei where he worked his way through the drilling ranks before eventually building a consulting career that has taken him to more than 40 countries. In this episode, I speak with Steve about how drilling careers were built back then, why getting genuine hands on experience mattered so much and whether some of that practical knowledge has been lost from the industry today. We get into his time in the North Sea, well control, major accident risk, the increasing amount of decision making being moved away from the rig and some brilliant stories from a career spent working around the world. Steve also explains his third career in dispute resolution, where he now works as an arbitrator and expert witness on complex industry disputes, and why decades of practical experience can become incredibly valuable when trying to establish what actually went wrong. We also look towards the future. Steve believes AI could represent a genuine step change for drilling, particularly through its ability to analyse huge amounts of data in real time, identify problems earlier and potentially improve well control and safety. But he also gives an important warning: we cannot allow people to blindly trust the technology without understanding the job themselves. Towards the end, Steve shares some excellent advice for anyone starting an offshore career today, including why you should build a financial “war chest”, get as much practical experience as possible and never assume you will only have one career. We finish with one of Steve’s proudest projects, an unusual well intervention offshore Tanzania that required a bit of engineering ingenuity and a very different approach to getting the job done. A fascinating conversation with someone who has watched the drilling industry change enormously over more than 45 years.

  3. Aug 26

    The Future of Energy Is Abundance - Mark LaCour

    Mark LaCour has spent more than 35 years around the oil and gas industry and is now Editor in Chief of the Oil and Gas Global Network, which has grown into a network of more than 30 industry podcasts. What I enjoyed about this conversation is that we covered an enormous amount of ground. Mark takes me back to how he accidentally found his way into oil and gas, what decades of working internationally have taught him about the culture of the industry and why he believes oil and gas has done such a poor job of telling its own story. We get into the extraordinary level of activity taking place in the Permian Basin, the growing importance of natural gas, LNG and what Mark means when he talks about the need for energy abundance. From there, the conversation moves into AI and data centres, renewables, offshore wind, nuclear power and why trying to apply the same energy solution everywhere simply does not work. We also discuss why selling technology into oil and gas is so different from almost every other industry, the importance of trust, the huge amounts of capital involved and why some genuinely useful technology never gets adopted because nobody knows how to sell it properly. Closer to home, I ask Mark about BP moving away from the North Sea, the impact of taxation and politics on investment and what he thinks the future could look like for places such as Aberdeen. We also talk podcasting, sponsorship, getting things wrong publicly and being willing to change your mind when the evidence changes. And towards the end, things go somewhere I definitely was not expecting. Space. Mark explains why he believes the skills, companies and technology developed by the oil and gas industry could eventually play a major role in commercial space travel and even mining the asteroid belt. A wide ranging conversation about energy, technology, business and where this industry could be heading next.

  4. Aug 19

    “Purpose Never Retires” - Lewis Senior on Leadership, Safety and Life

    Lewis Senior returns to Wind, Waves & Wells almost a year after his first appearance. At 75, Lewis is still travelling, teaching, coaching and helping organisations understand the role personality plays in leadership, communication and safety. Early in our conversation he sums up exactly why he has absolutely no intention of slowing down: “Purpose never retires.” We talk about how Equilibria has developed over the past year, the growing use of E Colours, upcoming work with Step Change in Safety and why understanding personality can influence something as important as whether someone actually feels comfortable stopping a job. From there we get into leadership and culture offshore. Why can you sometimes walk onto a vessel or installation and almost immediately sense what the culture is like? What separates a genuinely good leader from a poor one? And has the energy industry lost some of the community and camaraderie it once had? We also get into human performance, the future role of HSE professionals and how AI could completely change a job that has traditionally involved huge amounts of paperwork. Then Lewis decides to turn the tables on me. He takes over the podcast and starts asking me the questions. Why did I start Wind, Waves & Wells? Where do I see my career going after nearly 15 years offshore? Why am I moving towards HSE? What role has my family played in everything I have done? And where do I want to be five years from now? It ended up being a very different conversation from the one I originally expected, but probably one of the most personal I have recorded. A wide ranging conversation about leadership, safety, culture, personality, purpose and ultimately the people behind the energy industry. Timestamps: 00:20 Lewis returns to Wind, Waves & Wells 00:47 What has changed at Equilibria over the last year? 02:21 A new leadership programme and the E Colours Playbook 03:39 Why are companies becoming more interested in personality and communication? 04:55 Lewis at 75 and why “purpose never retires” 06:31 Equilibria's role in the changing UK energy industry 07:44 Working with Step Change in Safety 09:16 Upcoming announcements and events 10:44 What would make this year a success for Lewis? 11:58 Keeping an open mind and having difficult conversations 12:26 I reflect on interviewing people I do not necessarily agree with 15:02 How attitudes towards different parts of the energy industry change 16:44 What does good leadership actually look like? 17:34 “If you think you're a leader and nobody is following you…” 18:21 Why an OIM and a head teacher have more in common than you might think 19:47 Leadership is 95 per cent about people 20:44 The difference between camaraderie and genuine community offshore 23:38 How job uncertainty can affect offshore culture 25:13 How personality can influence safety and risk 26:23 Are some personalities less likely to stop the job? 27:28 Why stop work authority does not come naturally to everyone 29:19 What companies misunderstand about human performance 30:50 Has the energy industry lost some of its pride and community? 31:21 Building culture before a rig even starts operating 34:32 My concerns about the growing human performance industry 37:47 Lewis takes over the podcast 38:16 Why I started Wind, Waves & Wells 39:57 Where do I see my career going? 41:40 How AI could completely change the role of HSE professionals 42:21 Why operational experience matters in HSE 43:29 The future of HSE could be far more about people than paperwork 45:05 Where do I want to be in five years? 46:35 Lewis asks why someone should take a chance on me 46:47 “If you don't risk anything, you risk everything” 47:42 Lewis reflects on my future 48:28 What does Lewis still want to achieve? 49:59 Why purpose keeps people going 50:37 Upcoming Step Change events and what's next 51:23 Closing thoughts

  5. Aug 12

    The Offshore Lifeboat Problem We Aren't Talking About - Diccen Sargent

    The offshore 124 kg weight limit has generated plenty of debate. But Diccen Sargent believes there is a much bigger issue that has received almost no attention: offshore lifeboats. Diccen has spent decades working in technical and operational safety across the oil and gas industry, from FPSO projects and major accident risk to drilling, HAZOPs and offshore safety cases. For around ten years, he has also been involved in research looking at the changing size and weight of the offshore workforce. In this episode, Diccen explains why many lifeboats currently installed offshore were originally designed around much smaller personnel, why seat widths and seatbelt limits matter, and what could happen if those systems are ever required during a real emergency. We also discuss the incoming 124 kg offshore weight limit, how some operators are already modifying their lifeboats, the difference between occupational safety and major accident safety, managed pressure drilling and the wider pressures facing the North Sea. We finish by discussing energy security, the future of the UK energy industry and why Diccen believes the transition needs to balance environmental performance, affordability and security of supply. A fascinating conversation about an area of offshore safety that deserves far more attention.

  6. Aug 5

    PTSD, ADHD and Walking Away From the North Sea - Steve Beedie

    Steve Beedie returns to Wind, Waves and Wells for one of the most open and unscripted conversations we have recorded. Steve speaks honestly about living with PTSD, his ongoing ADHD assessment, and why he has finally realised that helping everyone else cannot always come before helping himself. We also discuss the mental health programme he delivered offshore with Equinor, why genuine offshore experience matters when trying to connect with crews, and whether short mental health courses are really enough to prepare someone for that responsibility. The conversation then moves into the current state of the North Sea, the reality behind transferable skills, the lack of long term opportunities for offshore workers, and Steve’s decision to allow his offshore certificates to expire as he prepares for a new chapter in Australia and the mining industry. This is a conversation about mental health, identity, career uncertainty, personal reinvention, and accepting that oil and gas does not have to be the end of the story. No script. No polished corporate answers. Just an honest conversation between two people who have spent much of their lives offshore.

  7. Jul 29

    Why Relationships Still Win in Oil & Gas - Finlay Johnston

    After almost twenty years in the energy industry, Finlay Johnston has seen the offshore sector from every angle.   Starting his career in commercial banking before making the jump into oil and gas, Finlay went on to negotiate major drilling contracts, build businesses across the world and play a key role in bringing the Ocean Great White back to work in the UK.   In this episode we discuss what really wins business in today's market, why relationships still matter more than emails, how the offshore drilling market is changing, and why mentoring the next generation is one of the most rewarding parts of his career.   We also talk about leadership, stakeholder management, negotiating multi million dollar contracts, the future of the North Sea, and the lessons Finlay has learned from working across Africa, the Middle East and beyond.   If you work in offshore energy, business development, drilling or leadership, there's plenty to take away from this conversation. Don't forget to subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the energy industry.

  8. Jul 22

    Energy Security, Rosebank & Net Zero - Tessa Khan

    The energy debate has become incredibly tribal. You're either pro oil and gas or pro renewables. But does it really have to be that way? In this episode, I sit down with Tessa Khan, Executive Director of Uplift, for an open discussion on the future of the UK's energy system. The conversation covers offshore jobs, domestic manufacturing, Rosebank, energy security, electricity prices, climate responsibility and whether Britain is trying to transition too quickly. While myself and Tessa don't agree on everything, this episode proves that respectful conversations between differing viewpoints are still possible and perhaps more important than ever. Whether you work in offshore oil and gas, offshore wind or simply care about where the UK's energy future is heading, this is a discussion worth listening to.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

Wind, Waves & Wells with Joe, offers an inside look at the dynamic energy industry, from the latest innovations in renewable power to the untold stories of those working in oil, gas, and beyond. Each episode dives into the real-world impact of energy on our daily lives, exploring how it shapes economies, communities, and the environment. Whether you’re an industry veteran or simply curious about the forces powering our world, join Joe for insightful conversations, personal stories, and fresh perspectives on the energy sector.

Information

  • Creator
    joeleather92
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Wind, Waves & Wells with Joe

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