He played an essential role in the history of the British Petroleum Company related to the discovery in 1968 of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.
He was appointed Area Manager in Alaska and dealt excellently with the various government authorities and agencies regulating the development of the oil field.
[1] In a 1969 conference at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Larminie and other oilmen argued against Robert Engler's criticisms of the oil industry.
[5] In 1971 Larminie was transferred from Alaska to serve as Head of the British Petroleum Company's exploration activities in Thailand.
[3] Within the Scientific Advisory and Information Department,[1] he was for two years General Manager of the Public Affairs and Information Department and then was appointed General Manager of the Environmental Control Centre,[3] as well as External Affairs Coordinator, Health, Safety and Environmental Services.
[8][9] Larminie's honours included in 1989 Honorary Fellowship of Trinity College Dublin and in 1991 Life Trusteeship of the Bermuda Biological Station.
He was in 1992 part of the British Petroleum team that jointly received the MacRobert Award for the work that led to the discovery of Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.