Talking industrial cybersecurity at the ONE Conference

Greetings from The Hague, Netherlands, where The Oilholic is just rounding up a visit to the ONE Conference, a leading annual cybersecurity event, organised here with due emphasis on energy and industry. 

With artificial intelligence, internet of things, cloud computing, big data and automation now a big part of the inexorable march to industrial throughput optimisation, cybersecurity is at the heart of operational considerations. 

Unquestionably, given the world we live in, hostile actors are after that very digital estate the global industrial complex now takes for granted. At the ONE Conference, The Oilholic took heart from the fact that many energy and industrial firms said they'd gone from a reactive to proactive mode on cybersecurity, as complacency is unthinkable given the reputational, financial and safety implications of a breach. 

Willemijn Aerdts, Minister for the Digital Economy and Sovereignty, The Netherlands, got the event going in an opening keynote emphasising the need to build resilience given how crucial digitalisation and AI are "for innovation, economic growth, security and prosperity."

"Together with our European partners, we will therefore invest in infrastructure, technology and resilience. We will also build digital governance that is reliable, accessible and efficient. 

"This will reduce unwanted dependence on foreign players and strengthen our strategic position," she added.

Aerdts said the time to act and collaborate is "now" and invited "everyone to the solutions room." 

That ever evolving solutions room at The ONE Conference had a diverse cast of characters from cybersecurity providers and developers to ethical hackers. The event explored a range of cybersecurity solutions, industry training programmes predicated on the "trust but verify" philosophy, risk management, and this blogger's favourite - the concept of malware vaccines, i.e. using and deploying the techniques malware uses for self-preservation to turn the tables on attackers. 

Delegates discussed how all of these would need to be brought into play as the boundary between cybercrime and state-sponsored cyber operations get blurred, geopolitical tussles worsen and the global energy sector's AI-surge continues. 

Speaking on a panel, Matthijs van Amelsfort, Director, National Cyber Security Centre, The Netherlands (NCSC-NL), said that intertwined with preventative measures and technologies, cooperation between domestic and international agencies also needs to be stepped up.

Jessica Conquet, Global CISO of Randstad, said organisations and companies need to have a clear communication plan to avoid panic in the event of the breach, and a culture of notifying the relevant authorities in the first instance of an attack and not hold back due on account of embarrassment.

Miguel De Bruycker, Director General of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, called for stronger "EU-US cooperation" based on mutual respect and a shared desire "to secure cyberspace." He also said Europe risks falling behind and must adopt a more pragmatic approach instead of an overt focus on regulation. 

Away from the ONE Conference's dialogues and deliberations, yours truly also took time out to visit its expo of 30-plus exhibitors and catch-up with the many security startups attending the event. 

Finally, The Oilholic also paid a visit to meet the movers and shakers at the event's tried and tested "capital area" where start-ups meet private and public organisations to discuss funding, subsidies, and venture investments. So, after another great outing here - its goodbye from the ONE Conference. More market musings to follow from the Hague soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: The ONE Conference 2026 in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo II: Willemijn Aerdts, Minister for the Digital Economy and Sovereignty, The Netherlands addresses the ONE Conference. Photo III: The ONE Conference Expo. Photo IV: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma at the ONE Conference 2026 © Gaurav Sharma, October 2026. 

Visiting ADNOC's panorama digital command center

Last week, whilst on a business trip to Abu Dhabi, the Oilholic had the pleasure of visiting ADNOC's headquarters for meetings, and view the group's Panorama Digital Command Center. 

Local media describe the center as ADNOC's new age "mission control" hub. The last time this blogger visited it was back in 2019 when functionality was just being built in and embedded across the enterprise, and amplified in a phased manner. 

The Panorama Center of 2026, now fully functional, aggregates real-time information from across all of ADNOC Group’s 14 subsidiaries and joint venture companies. Yours truly got a demonstration of how it uses smart analytical models, AI, and the power of cross-enterprise big data to generate operational insights and recommendations. 

It was explained how at any given point in the business cycle Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Group CEO of ADNOC, and the leadership team can access this data from a device remotely. This access to real-time data and analysis provided by the facility enables simulations and scenario planning, and plays an important role in business continuity. 

Business disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and the Iran War earlier this year, have put the system to test which came out with flying colours. It has added billions in business value in challenging and stable climes alike. 

In a broader sense, the center effectively acts as ADNOC's digital "eyes on the ground" and enables speed, accessibility, and integration across operations, a spokesperson added. So, what exactly are we talking about here?

According to team ADNOC, the center aggregates anywhere between 200,000 and 250,000 live data points from across the business and its subsidiaries from over 55 operating sites - both onshore and offshore. 

The system tracks end-to-end ADNOC activities across its upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. 

It can provide data right down to individual equipment layers like compressors, key business parameters like energy consumption monitoring, flaring metrics, inventory levels, and even data on ADNOC's global maritime fleet of LNG and bulk carriers. Scenario planning, predictive maintenance, and optimising product feed quality from daily up to longer operating horizons are all very much part of the equation. 

If this blogger may add - it is also quite a sight to behold with a 50 metre-long curved screen split by over 120 granular dashboards. The dashboards feed and project group-wide information. This is also accessible via portable devices for key personnel (as mentioned earlier). 

The center uses Schneider Electric's hardware and software, including its subsidiary AVEVA's open management infrastructure and unified supply chain platforms. For context, their wider industry potential was put to readers of this blog in 2024 by the SE unit's CEO Caspar Herzberg. 

Meanwhile, ADNOC continues to invest in its digital transformation and AI (e.g. smart data analytics Thamama Subsurface Collaboration Center, AI-assisted value chain modeling, rock image pattern recognition, and and blockchain-based hydrocarbon accounting, to name a few). Further updates on investments are expected at ADIPEC 2026 in November.

So, dear readers if you imagined a multi-billion dollar energy enterprise being managed from a single room with live data streaming in - that's no longer a future fantasy. It's happening here and now! The Oilholic's thanks to Team ADNOC for giving one another glimpse of it. That's all for now from Abu Dhabi folks! More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photos: Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma at ADNOC's Panorama Command Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE © ADNOC Group, September 2026.

A word on oil tanker rates

As the third quarter of 'crude' year 2026 nears its end, oil tanker rates have bounced by several multiples. In many cases, rates saw a 1000% jump compared to pre-Iran War charters and bids. And it seems $1 million-plus rates for VLCCs are all the rage. 

So, what has materially altered for such a drastic rise to happen with rates at their highest ever since the start of the Iran War on February 28? Well, for starters, it is (and remains) a market that's very news sensitive, and tanker prices are up not just due to geopolitical risk premiums but inefficient ship-to-ship transfers, longer journey times, and rising insurance costs. 

This very topic was the subject of the Oilholic's market commentary on CNA in an interview with Roland Lim. 

One's take is that while $1 million rates for VLCCs may hold over the very short-term, the situation is unlikely to last and may change pretty fast in a volatile environment.

Let's say any solution, however imperfect, is found for the crisis in the Middle East - a glut beckons six months on based on current announcements on global tanker capacity additions, currently running into billions of dollars. But for now the tanker party rolls on. More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo: Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma on CNA. © CNA, September 2026.

Media missives from Gastech 2026

With Gastech 2026 drawing to a close, the Oilholic capped a fantastic and engaging week out in Bangkok, Thailand by hosting three pivotal panel sessions on subjects ranging from the transformation of human mobility to the natural gas-AI nexus to regulation of the energy business.

Yours truly also hit the airwaves and spoke to media outlets about the energy market and developments at the conference. The first broadcasting call was with the TRT World, followed by Asharq Bloomberg, and the final one with Energy Connects. This blogger's week also included plenty of other missives via the keyboard for Forbes, Energy Connects and of course, via this blog.

All blog entries for Gastech 2026 may be found here, and here's an Energy Connects preview of the event. And here are selected Forbes copies based on soundbites and insight from the event. 

• Europe Faces ‘Decades-Low’ Winter Natural Gas Storage Levels, September 21, 2026
• Data Center Boom Driving LNG Demand Uptick In Southeast Asia, September 22, 2026

More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma speaks on Asharq Bloomberg, September 16, 2026. © Courtesy Asharq Bloomberg, September 2026.

Gastech 2026 Days III & IV: Deals and dialogues galore

As Gastech 2026 entered its home stretch, alongside the deep dives came news of mega-deals. According to data gathered by various stakeholders and the event's organisers, billions of dollars in energy agreements were seen moving from discussion to delivery in Bangkok. 

By the end of day three, memoranda of understanding, supply agreements and investment commitments with a combined estimated value of $40 billion were either announced or advanced at Gastech.

Among the many deals and MoUs, the four that stood out for this blogger include - (1) China Gas Holdings and Venture Global LNG's 20-year sales and purchase agreement for 0.5 mtpa of US LNG from 2030, (2) GE Vernova and B.Grimm Power's agreements on natural gas-turbine supply and long-term services, aimed at new and existing power-generation capacity in Malaysia and Thailand, (3) PETRONAS, PTTEP JDA and the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority's formalisation of a 35-year production-sharing contract and natural gas sales agreement in the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area, delivering new natural gas supply to both countries, and (4) Samsung Heavy Industries' $1.2 billion order for LNG carriers and crude oil tankers, adding to the fleet capacity required to keep global energy trade moving.

As the deals flowed, Gastech's 800-plus speakers - present company included - advanced the event's discourse about the future of energy security, sustainability and affordability. 

A huge part of that is human mobility - the subject of this blogger's final moderating engagement of Gastech 2026 with Pras Ganesh, EVP & CISO, Toyota Motors Asia. 

We discussed the topic - Mobility in motion: What emerging markets teach us about real-world energy transitions. 

As the global energy transition gathers pace, emerging markets across the Global South are charting pragmatic pathways shaped by affordability, access, and rapid demand growth. Nowhere is this more visible than in mobility, where alternative fuels and electrification are unfolding in diverse and often unexpected ways. 

Ganesh explored how these markets are integrating power systems, digital technologies, and investment to support cleaner transport. Drawing on real-world experience across Southeast Asia, he shared his perspectives on how real customer needs are driving innovation, offering lessons for building resilient, inclusive, and economically viable energy systems for mobility.

The Oilholic also took time out for some energy market commentary onsite in interviews with TRT World, Asharq Bloomberg, and Energy Connects, given the situation in the Middle East. 

Elevated geopolitical risks have made the market very jittery to every new security development in the region. It's all making near-term modelling very difficult. Supply-side complications will persist for a while even if the security situation were to ease imminently. 

For yours truly, the latest moving part - disruption to the flow of the Saudi East-West pipeline - remains a big driver of elevated prices as Aramco is/was using it to mitigate the effects export constriction via the Strait of Hormuz. 

Of course, Hormuz, Ukraine-Russia and (currently) Libya are also pushing prices to the upside, while US light sweet crude is keeping a lid on a pricing overshoot to $150/bbl. 

But the global market and refining complex needs a variety of crude oils, and US light sweet crude at Asian hubs can only help so much. More so, with the shipping costs associated with it. Thanks to all the broadcasters who carried one's 'crude' thoughts. 

And as the event neared its conclusion on day four, it was revealed that 50,000-plus attendees from 150 countries, and 800+ exhibitors came to Gastech 2026. Next year, the event will return to the energy capital of the US - Houston. 

And that's a wrap from Bangkok folks! More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

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To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: Gastech 2026, Bangkok, Thailand. Photo II: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma (left) with Pras Ganesh, EVP & CISO, Toyota Motors Asia © dmgevents, September 2026. Photo III collage: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma speaks on TRT World, Asharq Bloomberg and Energy Connects. © Courtesy TRT World, Asharq Bloomberg and Energy Connects, September 2026.