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Bluewater News

11 Jul 2023

Petrobras Makes History, Sells First FPSO for Green Recycling in Brazil

FPSO P-32 - Credit: Petrobras

In a first, Brazilian oil company Petrobras last week reportedly sold the P-32 FPSO for sustainable recycling in Brazil, paving the way for the development of the local ship recycling industry.The sale of the floating unit P-32 reportedly took place on July 7, 2023. In a collaboration supervised by Petrobras, the steel company Gerdau S.A. and shipyard Ecovix have been entrusted with the responsible and environmentally sound recycling of the FPSO."This decision marks the first time a commercial vessel at the end of its lifecycle will be dismantled in Brazil.

05 Sep 2022

U.S. EPA Revokes Permit for Phillips-Trafigura Bluewater Offshore Terminal

Credit:Bluewater Texas Terminal,

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has revoked the pollution control permit of Bluewater Texas Terminal, according to a letter sent by the EPA to the offshore oil terminal, following objections from environmental groups.The terminal, jointly developed by refiner Phillips 66 and commodities trader Trafigura, had applied for a Clean Air Act permit in 2019 and received an EPA pollution control license in November 2020 that allowed it to emit almost 19,000 tons of pollutants…

22 Aug 2022

Oldendorff Inks Deal for BOSS Voyage Optimization Suite

"We chose the BOSS Suite for our Cape and Baby Cape Fleet since it met our needs for optimizing voyage operations, while enabling us to see real-time CII analytics for the vessels in one platform," said Capt. Dexter Jeremiah, Managing Director Operations at Oldendorff. Image courtesy Blue Water/Oldendorff

German bulk carrier company Oldendorff Carriers -- which operates about 700 ships globally -- and Blue Water signed a contract to implement Blue Water’s BOSS Voyage Optimization Suite for Oldendorff’s cape and baby cape fleet of owned and time chartered vessels.The BOSS Suite is designed to help propel Oldendorff’s efforts towards a greener maritime trade by reducing emissions through intelligent voyage optimization, weather routing, vessel performance analysis and efficient fleet management.“After one year of successful trials…

12 Jul 2022

Swire Projects Expands MPP Fleet

Swire Shipping's projects business unit Swire Projects has entered into a long-term agreement with shipowner R. Braren for the charter of three handysize multipurpose (MPP) vessels. These vessels will service customer requirements in bluewater trades, carrying project, breakbulk and unitized cargoes.This follows the deal announced in November 2021 for the long-term charter of six MPP heavy lift vessels with Nordic Project and Finance.Namir Khanbabi, General Manager of Swire Projects, said this latest charter arrangement “fits with the plan to expand our MPP fleet in line with our growth strategy. These workhorse vessels will take Swire Projects’ growing MPP Fleet to 15 vessels by year-end.”The 28…

18 Mar 2022

Dutch Test Barriers to Prevent Ships from Hitting Wind Turbines

Illustration: String of surface buoys secured by drag anchors ©MARIN

In research prompted by the incident in the Dutch North Sea in January when a drifting bulk carrier hit offshore wind facilities, Dutch maritime research institute MARIN this week, with industry partners, tested three innovative barriers aimed at averting collisions between ships and wind turbines.The drifting bulk carrier Julietta D initially collided with a tanker before hitting a transformer platform and a turbine foundation for the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm currently under…

09 Feb 2022

Thordon Bearings Unveils New Water-lubricated Shaft Seal

(Photo: Thordon Bearings)

Thordon Bearings has debuted a new propeller shaft seal for the commercial shipping industry featuring a unique Safe Return to Port (SRTP) design.Completing the COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system, Thordon's new BlueWater Seal is described by the manufacturer as a cost effective, commercial grade axial lip seal specifically designed for merchant shipping fleets. It incorporates Thordon’s emergency SRTP capability, first used in the company’s TG100 and…

10 Jan 2022

VIDEO: Bluewater's UK-based FPSO Arrives in Norway for Upgrades

Credit: Arjen/AdobeStock

Bluewater's Haewene Brim FPSO, normally used for oil production from Shell's Pierce Field in the UK North Sea, has recently arrived in Haugesund, Norway.Norwegian engineering and construction Aibel shared a video of the FPSO arrival in Haugesund, towed by a Maersk Supply Service vessel. In Norway, the Haewene Brim FPSO, built in 1996,  will undergo upgrades and life extension work.While at Aibel's yard, the FPSO will also be upgraded to allow for gas export, the Norwegian firm said.According to World Energy Reports' FPSO database…

11 Nov 2021

Gunvor Sells Its Rotterdam Oil Terminal to GES

(Photo: Port of Rotterdam)

Global Energy Storage, a new company that aims to store products such as hydrogen and biofuels, said on Thursday it is buying assets in Rotterdam from commodities firm Gunvor Group and will redevelop 20 hectares (49 acres) of land in the port for its operations.Financial details of the purchase, which includes part of Gunvor's Stargate Oil Terminal, were not disclosed.The company's plan is to "take an existing oil terminal and develop it into a state-of-the-art low-carbon products terminal…

28 Jun 2021

Repsol Sinopec Extends Bleo Holm FPSO Charter Until 2024 End

Bleo Holm FPSO - Credit: Bluewater

FPSO specialist Bluewater has secured a contract extension for its Bleo Holm FPSO with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited and its JV Partner RockRose Energy.The FPSO, deployed in the UK, will see the contract extended until December 31, 2024. Repsol Sinopec will have further options to extend the charter.The Bleo Holm FPSO is located in UKCS Block 13/28a on the Blake and Ross Fields, 72 miles northeast of Aberdeen, since 1999.José Luis Muñoz, Repsol Sinopec CEO said: "I am very pleased that this contract has been extended.

04 Feb 2021

Bluewater Taps Royston for FPSO Engine Overhaul

Aoka Mizu FPSO - Credit: Royston

FPSO operator Bluewater Services signed a framework agreement with marine engineering and maintenance firm Royston for engine overhaul, repair, and associated services on two of its FPSOs.Under the agreement, Royston will carry out planned engine maintenance and emergency repairs on the Haewene Brim and Aoka Mizu FPSOs operating in the North Sea. The framework includes main engine work on both vessels as well as on generator sets and fire pumps.The Samsung built 103,000 DWT, Hæwene Brim…

12 Oct 2020

FPSOs: Hybrid Digital Twins Could Boost Safety and Cut Inspection Costs

FPSO specialist Bluewater and classification company DNV GL have teamed up in a pilot project aimed at testing how hybrid digital twin technology can predict and analyze fatigue in the hull of an FPSO in the North Sea, increase safety, and reduce operational costs and time by optimizing inspections.The project aims to validate and quantify the benefits of creating a virtual replica of the FPSO to optimize the structural safety of the vessel and enhance risk-based inspection (RBI)…

30 Sep 2020

Drydocks Starts Work on Jotun FPSO TMS

Credit: Drydocks World

Dubai's Drydocks World has begun work on a part of a turret mooring system for Jotun FPSO, for Bluewater Energy, with the end client being Var Energi in Norway.Namely, Drydocks said Wednesday it had held a steel-cutting ceremony to mark the start of production of the turntable project for the FPSO.According to the company, this turntable is part of a Turret Mooring System (TMS) for the Jotun A FPSO, which will be permanently moored and operated at the Balder field in the Norwegian Sector of the North Sea.The turntable is 24 meters in diameter and 10 meters high, weighing around 925 tons.

28 Feb 2020

Trafigura, Phillips 66 to Build Deepwater Texas Oil Port

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Global commodities trader Trafigura said on Friday it had formed a joint venture with U.S. refiner Phillips 66 to build a major deepwater port in Texas capable of handling supertankers, ditching its own competing project.The Bluewater Texas Terminal, which will be located 21 nautical miles east of the entrance to Corpus Christi port, will consist of two single point mooring buoys that can load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of oil.Geneva…

06 Jan 2020

Royston Overhauls Aoka Mizu FPSO Power Systems

(Photo: Royston)

Royston said it has completed the overhaul of a critical power system on board the Bluewater Services operated floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Aoka Mizu.The diesel power specialist said its team of engineers undertook the 6,000-hour service on the MAN 32/40 STX diesel generator B on board the 88,000 dwt floater as part of a planned refurbishment and refit of essential power systems.Work on the vessel, which is currently on contract to Hurricane Energy for the early production system (EPS) on the Lancaster field…

19 Jun 2019

U.S. Refiner Phillips 66 Enters Offshore Oil Export Race

 © Lukasz Z/ Adobe Stock

U.S. oil refiner Phillips 66 is proposing a deepwater crude export terminal off the U.S. Gulf Coast, challenging at least eight other projects aiming to send U.S. shale oil to world markets, according to a memo and a source who asked not to be named.The project, called Bluewater Texas Terminal LLC, signals another major expansion of its logistics operations. The fourth largest U.S. refiner last week formed joint ventures to build pipelines linking shale fields in West Texas and North Dakota to the Cushing, Oklahoma, oil hub and the U.S.

05 Jun 2019

Vard to Build Another for Coral Expeditions

Photo courtesy of Fincantieri

Fincantieri’s subsidiary Vard Holdings Limited (Vard), one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, signed a contract with the Australian cruise operator Coral Expeditions for the design and construction of a second expedition cruise vessel. The unit will be named “Coral Geographer”, sister ship of “Coral Adventurer” which entered the owner’s fleet last April.As for the first vessel of the class, “Coral Geographer” will be 93.4 meters long, will have a guest accommodation capacity of 120…

03 Apr 2019

RMI Maintains Qualship 21 Status

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has been recognized on the United States Coast Guard's (USCG's) QUALSHIP 21 roster for 2019-2020. The USCG program rewards vessels for commitment to safety and quality when calling at ports in the United States (US).Only flag States which maintain a port State control (PSC) detention ratio of 1.00% or less over a three-year period and also meet a stringent set of judgement criteria are eligible for the program.A vessel registered in a flag State with QUALSHIP 21 certification may apply to be certified for QUALSHIP 21 by completing an application found on the USCG website. The RMI is the only leading registry to have maintained this position for 15 consecutive years…

01 Mar 2019

Insuring the Marine Industry’s Risky Work Environment

File Image / CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Currahee Shutter

From high-traffic ports to bustling boatyards, and busy shipyards to expanding marinas, marine professionals operate in a challenging environment. They work on land, on or around water, and are exposed to all kinds of weather. And the challenges won’t ease up any time soon. Our nation’s ports continue to expand as trade surges. Add in increased commercial vessel traffic and recreational boating, and it’s clear that marine businesses have to be in shipshape condition. It means that the marine insurance industry has to stay on its toes too…

13 Nov 2018

Aoka Mizu FPSO Needs Extra Repairs

Aoka Mizu FPSO (Photo: Bluewater)

The floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit Aoka Mizu's planned stop in Algeciras, Spain will be extended for additional repair work, said U.K. based Hurricane Energy.The FPSO, which will be used at Hurricane's Early Production System development of the Lancaster field west of Shetland, is in Algeciras for planned personnel changes, bunkering and other commissioning activities. The stopover will be extended to repair an auxiliary system associated with power generation…

23 Oct 2018

Drydocks World Completes FPSO Upgrade, Turret Mooring Project

Photo: Drydocks World

Drydocks World has recently completed two projects for Bluewater Energy Services B.V. and end client Hurricane Energy plc.The projects included the refurbishment, life extension and upgrade of the FPSO Aoka Mizu vessel, and the construction of a Turret Buoy weighing over 1,000T. In addition to the complex buoy construction project, Drydocks World teams fabricated and installed over 1,000T of structural steel, 1,800 pipe spools (including Duplex), and 55km of cables on the FPSO.The FPSO Aoka Mizu will be deployed on the Lancaster field…

13 Aug 2018

Global FPSO Market to Exceed USD 115 bln by 2024.

Global FPSO Market is anticipated to witness growth of 19% and exceed USD 115 billion by 2024. Rising demand of hydrocarbons and increase drilling activities for exploration and production will drive the industry growth.Increase in the conversion of vessel to FPSO to augment the productivity and minimize the capital expenditure may complement the business growth, said a report from Global Market Insights.Converted FPSO market is witnessed to grow over 18%. Comparison with new built, converted FPSO requires low capital cost that drives the business growth.Reduced project execution timeline will increase the redeployed FPSO market share with a valuation over USD 700 million in 2015 followed by the expansion rate of over 22% by 2024.

18 Jul 2018

Royston Completes FPSO Engine Overhaul

Photo courtesy Royston Power Generation Limited

An engineering team from power specialist Royston has completed the overhaul of engines on a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, operated by Bluewater Services.Engineers undertook the 16,000-hour service on the Wartsila W6L46 diesel engines onboard the 252m, 103,000 DWT Samsung built Haewene Brim, as part of a comprehensive refurbishment and refit of critical fuel and power systems.The FPSO has been operating in the Shell’s Pierce field located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea for the past five years.

27 Mar 2018

Production Floaters Orders Are on the Rebound

© sadagus/Adobe Stock

Fifteen production floaters were contracted in 2017 – 11 FPSOs, two production semis, a wellhead TLP and an FLNG – and the number of deep water projects in the near-term planning queue indicates production floater orders are set to accelerate. This is a big change from 2016 when orders for new units totally dried up and the deepwater future looked pretty bleak. Here’s a round-up of contracts awarded last year and in January 2018. Tempera FPSO - Keppel in January 2017 received a contract from Dixstone Holdings…

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