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Offshore Workers News

18 Mar 2024

Strategic Marine Delivers Crewboat for Truth Maritime Services

(Photo: Strategic Marine)

Singaporean aluminum boat builder Strategic Marine recently delivered TMS Ranod, the first of two Gen 4 Fast Crew Boats to growing Thai offshore services provider Truth Maritime Services (TMS). The pair of newbuild contracts were signed in 2023.Strategic Marine launched the 42m Gen 4 FCB design in collaboration with Southerly Designs, and the vessel comes with a highly efficient new hull form and Z-bow which improves seakeeping and requires less power for the same speed and deadweight tonnage…

20 Sep 2023

Remote Operations: Challenges & Opportunities

Image courtesy Harvest Technology Group

Digitalization in the maritime industry continues to grow. Technology is constantly evolving, providing organizations with new ways to transform and manage their operations with adoption of technology creating first-mover advantage and future relevancy, and positivity impacting margins. The offshore services industry has been a major driver in the trend towards utilization of remote inspection and monitoring technology for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) of critical assets and infrastructure.

10 Mar 2023

Offshore Workers to Strike at UK Continental Shelf

Clair Ridge platform (File photo: BP)

British union Unite on Friday said several Sparrows offshore services workers have voted to strike at dozens of platforms on the UK continental shelf including those of BP and Shell.Around 150 Sparrows workers across more than 20 oil and gas platforms have voted for strike in a dispute over pay, the union said in a press release.This comes after the union last week announced its Sparrows members working on BP’s Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, Glen Lyon and Mungo installations backed strike action in a separate dispute over pay and conditions.The strike action will hit BP’s platforms from Mar

27 Jan 2023

Fatigue Led to OSV Striking GoM Production Platform -NTSB

​​​Elliot Cheramie underway before the contact (left) and the oil and gas production platform EI-259A before the contact. (Sources: Cheramie Marine (left); Cox Operating (right))​​

Crew fatigue led to an offshore supply vessel striking an oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.The offshore supply vessel (OSV) Elliot Cheramie was on its normal route between Port Fourchon, La. and the oil and gas production platform VR-397A in the Gulf of Mexico on June 25, 2021, with a crew of four and five offshore workers. While transiting, the Elliot Cheramie struck the oil and gas production platform EI-259A.

23 Dec 2022

Bibby WaveMaster 1 Helps TotalEnergies' Offshore Workers Get Home for Christmas

Credit: Bibby Marine

Bibby Marine's Bibby WaveMaster 1 (BWM1) set sail for Denmark this week, on a charter for Total Energies, to help get some of their personnel home in time for Christmas after weather conditions prevented helicopter transfer.BWM1, a walk-to-work Service Operation Vessel (SOV) with motion compensated gangway that allows the safe transfer of technicians from offshore platforms, was chartered by the company after around 300 workers were unable to leave the field, via helicopter, due to difficult weather conditions.The BWM1 has transported 423 workers (228 inbound and 195 outbound) so far…

11 Nov 2022

BMS Unveils SOV Design for the US Offshore Wind Market

(Image: Baker Marine Solutions)

Covington, La. based marine engineering firm Baker Marine Solutions has unveiled a new service operation vessel (SOV) design for the U.S. offshore wind industry.The new 275-foot (LOA) BMS 1776 is designed be built in the U.S. to ABS class standards and is fully certified to operate in U.S. waters, utilizing U.S. offshore workers, BMS said."With the U.S. offshore wind industry expanding rapidly, U.S. companies must be ready to build SOVs designed specifically for U.S. shipyards to support the installation and maintenance of domestic wind farms," said BMS president Jim Baker.

04 Oct 2022

Heerema Installs Tyra TEG Module in 'Heaviest Offshore Crane Lift Ever'

Credit: Heerema Marine Contractors

Dutch offshore installation firm Heerema Marine Contractors said Tuesday it had broken a world lifting record with the installation of a 17,000 metric ton TotalEnergies' Tyra TEG module in the Danish sector of the North Sea.The TEG module, described as the biggest Tyra II project topside, was installed on the last remaining bare jacket at the Tyra offshore field."The lift of the 17,000 metric tons heavy process module broke a world record as the heaviest crane lift ever undertaken at sea.

22 Aug 2022

Waters Near Somalia Removed from List of High-risk Piracy Areas

© remipiotrowski / Adobe Stock

An area of the Indian Ocean near Somalia—once known as a piracy hotbed—has been removed from the shipping industry's list of high-risk areas following more than a decade of military, political, civil society and the industry measures to secure the waters. No piracy attacks against merchant ships have occurred off Somalia since 2018.On Monday, shipping industry groups International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), INTERCARGO…

29 Apr 2022

Fast and Comfortable: Damen, Ampelmann in Crew Change Joint Venture

Credit: Damen

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards and offshore gangway specialist Ampelmann have launched the joint venture OceanXpress to provide offshore crew change solutions in the North Sea area. "This collaboration will see the introduction of a new service to the offshore access market that neatly combines the engineering feats of Damen’s Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011 Aqua Helix with the S-type motion compensated gangway system from Ampelmann," the companies said Friday.The vessel and…

02 Mar 2022

Dropsafe Expands Helideck Perimeter Safety Net Range

Credit: STOCKSTUDIO/AdobeStock

After last year's launch of the Helideck Perimeter Safety Net range designed to protect offshore workers and equipment from falling, offshore safety equipment maker Dropsafe has expanded its offering. "Dropsafe now offers two different versions of the Net, ensuring that all facilities can access a tailored safety solution according to their budget, location, and facility requirements," the company said Wednesday.Mike Rice, Dropsafe Commercial Director, commented: “From harsh offshore environments to hospitals…

19 May 2021

Search Underway for 77 Offshore Workers Missing from Barge Sunk by Cyclone

Credit: Indian Ministry of Defence

Indian navy ships and aircraft scoured waters off the financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday for 77 workers missing from a barge that sank after a powerful cyclone barrelled into the country's west coast this week.Driving waves of up to 25 feet on the high seas, cyclone Tauktae rammed into the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat over the past two days, killing at least 29 people and leaving a trail of destruction, authorities said.The storm smashed into the Bombay High oilfield near Mumbai…

08 May 2021

Tech Files: Offshore Safety Systems & Equipment

Deepwater Conqueror – Credit: Transocean

Safety of workers,structures, equipment and the environment are paramount in any offshore energy project. In the March/April print edition, Offshore Engineer took a look inside some notable newcomers.Wearable tech to boost drill floor safetyHaloGuard – Credit: TransoceanOffshore drilling contractor Transocean has recently deployed what it said was the offshore drilling industry’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.The system…

15 Mar 2021

Five Golden Rules for Virus Protection Offshore

Offshore workers - Credit:corlaffra/AdobeStock

In the last year, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the risks of working in what was already one of the most hostile environments on Earth. But, with the first anniversary of the outbreak not long in our collective rear-view mirrors, offshore workers in the North Sea are facing a twin threat: emerging new variants of the virus and increasing Covid-fatigue and complacency.The UK offshore industry has achieved an enviable safety record during the pandemic, due in large measure to the widespread testing of offshore workers before mobilization.

05 Jan 2021

Boskalis Buys Rever Offshore's Subsea Services Business

Rever Polaris - Credit: Rever Offshore

Dutch marine contractor Boskalis on Monday acquired all the shares of Rever Offshore’s subsea services business.Rever, formerly known as Bibby Offshore, provides solutions in the area of subsea construction, inspection, repair, and maintenance. The company has operated in the North Sea out of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.Through this transaction, Boskalis will acquire two diving support vessels of which one is fully owned (Rever Polaris) and a second chartered (Rever Topaz). The group employs an onshore staff of around 130 in addition to approximately 220 offshore workers.

10 Nov 2020

Penguin Building Wind Farm Vessel for Farra Marine

(Image: Incat Crowther)

Penguin Shipyard in Singapore is building a 27-meter catamaran wind farm service vessel for Farra Marine, the Irish operator's first. Construction commenced in September, and the vessel, named Farra Orla, is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021.The vessel is the third in Penguin’s Windflex 27 series, which designer Incat Crowther says offers excellent speed, deadweight and seakeeping, making it capable of many roles in the offshore wind industry.The vessel has a deadweight above 50 tonnes and features two working decks.

30 Oct 2020

Op/Ed: Candidates Should Not Ignore Offshore Safety Advances

© Mosto / Adobe Stock

The American Gulf of Mexico is home to impressive industry and even more incredible beauty. Every day, fishermen, conservationists, tour guides, canal and port dredgers, offshore oil and gas workers and countless others go to work in and around the Gulf of Mexico. What links them together is a passion to safely do their jobs in a way that strengthens the Gulf Coast’s natural resources.When candidates and elected officials advocate for “no more drilling, including offshore,” they…

20 Oct 2020

Grounded Offshore Rig Limits Sabine Pass Ship Traffic

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that a large semi-submersible rig drifted into and ran aground in the Sabine Bank Channel, limiting vessels entering the Sabine-Neches Waterway to those with a maximum draft of 32 feet (9.8 meters).The waterway sits on the Texas-Louisiana border and connects the Gulf of Mexico to Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant and to oil refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas.That area is west of where two hurricanes struck in recent weeks. Nearby refineries are owned by Exxon Mobil Corp, Valero Energy Corp, Total SA, and others.The semi-submersible rig, called the Jasminia, drifted into the Sabine Bank Channel and ran aground on Friday, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The rig had housed offshore workers in the past.

15 Sep 2020

Offshore Oil Wells, Ports Shut as Hurricane Sally Advances on U.S. Gulf

Hurricane Sally (Photo: NOAA)

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S. government said 21%…

07 Aug 2020

Nigeria: FPSO Workers Released after Kidnapping

Offshore workers kidnapped from an FPSO offshore Nigeria in an armed pirate attack in July, have been released, the owner of the floating production unit said Friday.In an incident that occurred on July 2, nine Nigerian crew members aboard the BW Offshore-owned Sendje Berge FPSO were kidnapped.BW Offshore said Friday the workers had been released."BW Offshore is very pleased that all of the offshore employees have been safely released.

16 Jun 2020

2nd Wind Marine Reveals Design for U.S. Offshore Wind Feeder Vessel

Image Credit: 2nd Wind Marine

Louisiana-based company 2nd Wind Marine plans to design, finance, build and operate two Jones-Act-compliant jack-up vessels aimed at the growing U.S. offshore wind market. The company has this week revealed the SuperFeeder design for the vessel planned to be used for transporting next-generation offshore wind turbines from the US marshaling ports out to awaiting wind turbine installation vessels."The MiNO Marine SuperFeeder design being built in coordination with 2nd Wind Marine is a modern, Subchapter I compliant vessel 124.5 m in length and 40m wide (overall) with a 5m hull depth.

11 Jun 2020

UK Gov't Urged to Exempt All Offshore Workers from Quarantine Restrictions

Offshore workers - Credit: Алексей Закиров/AdobeStock

A group comprising five offshore energy industry associations has called for the UK Government to exempt all offshore energy sector workers from the 14-day quarantine restrictions introduced on June 8.The group that calls itself the global Offshore Industry Group, comprises  International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC), International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), International Association of Oil…

24 Apr 2020

Maersk Drilling to Mothball Several Rigs, Reduce North Sea Headcount

A Maersk Drilling rig - Image Credit: Maersk Drilling

Danish offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling is set to mothball several offshore drilling rigs, and as a consequence, reduce the number of offshore workers, citing low oil prices and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the reason."The COVID-19 pandemic and the lower oil price environment are impacting offshore drilling activity. Some tenders and projects are being delayed or canceled which adversely affects commercial prospects," Maersk Drilling said Friday.As previously reported, Tullow Oil in March sent an early termination notice for the Maersk Venturer drillship in Ghana.

10 Apr 2020

COVID-19: DEME Charters Flotel to Pre-Quarantine Offshore Workers

Image Credit: DEME

Belgium-based offshore installation and construction company DEME has chartered a hotel ship where it will pre-quarantine its offshore crews ahead of deployment to offshore projects."To ensure safe crew changes on board dredgers and offshore vessels during the COVID-19 pandemic, DEME will charter a hotel ship for pre-quarantining as of this weekend. The ship is moored in Ostend, [Belgium]" DEME said this week.As part of its COVID-19 response measures, the company providing services…

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