WHO ARE WE?
North Sea Core CIC was set up in response to the release of core material through the relinquishment, abandonment and decommissioning of oil and gas fields across the UK Continental Shelf. Core provides an incredible resource for geologists and rather than seeing this material fall into disuse or be discarded, we collect, repurpose and redistibute it for use by the geoscience and wider scientific communities.
Please note we are not a repository and do not aim to keep the core we receive in a physical archive. This means that the material we have available is subject to change, and once core from a well has been redistributed, we are unable to source more.
North Sea Core is a Community Interest Company (CIC), a type of limited company set up for social enterprises that have specific social objectives. All profits generated through our activities are reinvested and used for the benefit of the geoscience community.
WHAT WE DO
Our aim is to make geoscience accessible to everyone! We provide physical core samples, with suitable digital data where possible, for education, research and science outreach. We also supply to private individuals, consultancies and commercial organisations. Our work was recognised by the Geological Society of London through the R H Worth award, for achievements in outreach, public engagement and education.
Geologically diverse, core material from the North Sea basins can understand changes in paleoclimate, reconstruct past landscapes and interpret depositional environments. You can find out more about our available core here or the services we provide here.
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
We want to make geoscience accessible and available to everyone through core material. Take a look at the map to find out where our core has gone!
OUR STORY
In 2017, when Henk attended a committee meeting for the Devex Conference in Aberdeen, an operations geologist from Fairfield mentioned that they were keen to rehome some of their Dunlin core that was marked for destruction. This was the starting shot for Henk to start saving some nice Brent core, and his garage quickly filled up as a result. In 2018, in partnership with Kirstie, they set up North Sea Core to collect and now also to distribute this core material, all the while more companies started to donate core.
As geologists, we believe long after core has served a purpose in the petroleum industry, it still has the potential to answer new questions. Core can have a second life in making geology accessible to non-scientists, educating the next generation of geoscientists and aiding in the research for future energy needs.
Since 2018, we have grown into an established small business, helping to create employment opportunities, facilitate new links between industry and academia and becoming recognised as a centre for UKCS core material and knowledge.
MEET THE TEAM
Our team consists of professionally trained geoscientists who work with geological data every day and recognise the value of core.
Henk Kombrink
Director and Founder
Henk is a geologist with a background in North Sea regional geological studies. He started North Sea Core in 2017 and continues to passionately drive its mission to rehome, repurpose and share the stories of this unique geological material that would otherwise have been disposed of.
Angie Bruce
Geological Assistant
Angie is a geologist with a background in core damage and formation testing, having managed large projects for several major oil companies. She is excited to be involved in the work North Sea Core CIC does and appreciates the importance of preserving our offshore geoheritage.
Mariël Reitsma
Data manager
As a geochemist and geologist, Mariël has always had an interest in the analytical and data side of geoscience. That's why she is responsible for the data associated to the core in our archive, as well as liaising with recipients of core to make sure that supporting information is shared.
OUR SUPPORTERS
We are supported by a group of wonderful people who help us collect material, source geological data and prepare resources for shipping.
Kirstie Wright
Past Director
Kirstie kickstarted North Sea Core in 2018 when she teamed up with Henk to make the initiative better known. She was subsequently a director of the company when it officially launched in 2020, until she decided to refocus her career in 2025. However, Kirstie continues to function as an advisor and a volunteer as she keeps supporting the company and its mission to make core available for the geoscience community
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Emma Fraser
Past Geological Assistant
Emma previously worked as the North Sea Core Geological Assistant before moving on to start her career with Fugro. She believes North Sea Core is an excellent initiative and recognises examining core is invaluable in so many aspects of geoscience. She is excited to be involved in such a worthwhile project and enjoys being exposed to a wide variety of fascinating core.
Emily Tame
Past Geological Assistant
Emily previously worked as the North Sea Core Geological Assistant before moving on to start her career with Fugro as a trainee Geophysicist. Fascinated by rocks, she enjoyed the chance to handle such a wide variety of relinquished core, especially famous formations from her previous studies. She is a firm believer in North Sea Core importance to the geology community.
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Duncan Anderson
A chemist by training, Duncan is an amateur geologist and has an almost 25 years association with subsurface geology. Duncan helps to prepare core material to help educate the next generation of geologists.
Noah Jaffey
Noah volunteers for North Sea Core by helping prepare samples as he thinks it’s an excellent initiative and he gets to see a variety of beautiful core material, which is a total win-win.
Ben Hedley
Ben helps out now and then by moving and packaging core, while getting distracted by all the wonderful sandstones in the North Sea Core collection.
Lawrie Cowliff
Lawrie helps out by trawling the public domain literature and databases to add useful and interesting metadata to the core supplied.
OUR SUPPLIERS
We are fortunate to collaborate with skilled suppliers who work with us to produce the materials we distribute.
Pat McCabe
Joiner and Carpenter
Pat is a joiner and carpenter with many years of experience, working in and around Aberdeenshire. He creates beautiful frames to display our slabbed core material, as well as installing work space at the North Sea Core HQ and Core Store to help us store and work with the large amount of core material we have.
Jamie Watson
Graphic Designer
Jamie is director of Studio No7 and has over 13 years’ experience in graphic design. He is accustomed to delivering innovative art and design that reflects the core values of a company, and has worked with North Sea Core on serveal projects. For more information please see his brochure or contact him at jamie.watson@studio-7.co.uk.
AWARDS
North Sea Core has won multiple awards over the years for their contribution to the Geoscience community:
Energy Group Medal
The Energy Group Medal is an annual award presented to individuals with a geoscience background who have made an outstanding contribution to the energy industry. The Geological Society of London presented the medal to Henk in May 2025.
Geoscience Outreach Award
The Geoscience Energy Society of Great Britain (GESGB) awarded the Geoscience Outreach Award to North Sea Core for outstanding contribution to the broader geoscience community. Henk accepted the award at the GESGB Diamond Anniversary Reception in November 2024.
RH Worth Award
The Richard Hansford Worth Award is conferred in recognition of achievements in outreach, public engagement and/or education. North Sea Core received the RH Worth account in May 2022 from the Geological Society of London.
OUR SPONSORS
We are grateful to receive financial support from a range of sponsors. They enable us to continue our mission to save, store and distribute core to the next generation of geoscientists.
If you are interested in sponsoring, we are open to discussing how we can work with you and your organisation. Please get in touch with Henk or Angie to discuss further.
