First Offshore

First Offshore Bunkering Service Launched

Iran has launched its first offshore bunkering service at an anchorage south of the Qeshm island free trade zone in the Gulf. Singapore-based Global Energy provides the services in cooperation with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). Ahmad Hakim, a senior official in Qeshm, said that the floating anchorage, set up nine miles southwest of Qeshm, had begun its services earlier this month, having already fuelled several international tankers. Located near the main shipping lanes in the Gulf, the new anchorage has a capacity of four billion tons. Hakim said services would remain on a small scale until more business is attracted. He said the island planned to offer other shipping services such as food and water delivery and those for crew change.

First Portuguese Offshore Wind Turbine

Portugal's first offshore wind turbine inaugurated by Energias de Portugal, Repsol, Principle Power, A. Silva Matos (ASM), Vestas Wind Systems A/S & InovCapital The turbine is installed on an innovative floating foundation called the WindFloat. 

In addition to being the first offshore wind turbine in Portugal, this is the first offshore wind turbine to be installed without the use of any heavy lift vessels or piling equipment at sea

Russia to Pursue offshore Oil and Gas

According to UPI, Russia's first offshore oil and gas platform, LUN-A, is in operation in the sea of Okhotsk on the Sakhalin Shelf. The platform will be used to drill 27 wells and the produced gas will be transported over a 497-mile pipeline to a liquefied natural gas plant being built in the settlement of Prigorodnoye south of Sakhalin, ITAR-TASS news agency reported. The installation of the LUN-A platform is part of the Sakhalin-2 project run by the Sakhalin Energy international company

Floating Wind Farm Starts Trial Run Off Japan

Japan’s first offshore floating wind farm begins trial operation off the coast of Goto Islands, Nagasake Prefecture. A Japan Government energy ministry spokesperson said that diversifying energy sources in Japan has become a significant national issue after the radioactive disaster at Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant. The operation of the wind farm is carried out by a technical team from Japan’s Environment Ministry

Canada Revisits Offshore O&G Exploration

Led by Husky Energy Inc., a handful of companies won development rights on four offshore parcels by committing to spend a total of $186-million to explore them, the Canada- Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said yesterday. The successful rights sale has fuelled further optimism in the province's oil and gas industry, which recently celebrated a $7-billion deal to develop the oil field and is expecting 's partners to reach agreement to proceed with the next phase of that

US Wind Farm Project Not a Hazard Confirms FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration has again ruled that the Cape Wind wind farm off the Massachusetts coast poses no hazard to local airplanes. According to source WSLS10, a federal appeals court had ordered the agency to reconsider its previous finding, and the FAA said in a recent statement that after an aeronautical study, it again found that the project's 130 wind turbines wouldn't endanger local air traffic. The clearance is the fourth time the FAA has approved the $2

US Clears Way for Offshore Wind Farm Development

The federal government cleared the way for Virginia to seek a research lease in its Atlantic coastal areas to help speed up development. The move would allow for greater study of wind, waves and wildlife in a 130-square-mile set aside for wind development. The announcement by U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was welcomed by Gov. Bob McDonnell, energy companies and proponents of clean energy, reports Associated Press.

Nominees for Heyerdahl Award Announced

The Expert Committee today announced the Short List for the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award which will be presented on June 3 in Oslo, Norway, at the Nor-Shipping. Nominees included are: The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF) is nominated for its world leading role in maritime environmental knowledge management and knowledge sharing. OptiMarin AS is nominated for their pioneering development of cost efficient ballast water treatment

Bolton Joins OMM as Director Ops & Maintenance

Subsea cable specialist, Offshore Marine Management (OMM) has strengthened its position in operation and maintenance with the recruitment of industry specialist, Stephen Bolton to the newly created position of Director of Operations and Maintenance. Stephen has more than 10 years experience in the emerging renewable energy market, in both the onshore and offshore wind sectors. His background includes his recent work as Offshore Operations Implementation Manager at RWE Innogy where he

GlobalSantaFe Receives ISM Certification

Houston-based GlobalSantaFe Corporation announced it has become one of the first offshore drilling contractors to receive the full International Safety Management (ISM) certification for its shore-based facilities and self-propelled offshore rigs. The ISM certification is a requirement of the United Nations-led International Maritime Organization's Safety of Life at Sea regulation, soon to be mandatory for all self-propelled offshore drilling vessels operating under member-state flags.