Pipeline Systems News

Crews were expected to replace a damaged oil pipeline piece by the end of the day on Friday, a Louisiana port official said, allowing for the resumption of production at seven offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil platforms.A failed flange connecting two pipelines operated by Shell in Louisiana caused about two barrels of oil to leak, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission. The oil has since been removed.Shell on Thursday shut its Mars, Ursa, and…

Singapore offshore company Swiber Holdings' wholly-owned subsidiary, Swiber Offshore Construction (SOC) has entered into a shareholder's agreement with Hilong Marine Engineering (HME) to establish a joint venture company in Singapore.The shareholders (51% Hilong and 49% Swiber) have named the new company – Ocentra Offshore. New joint venture to target offshore construction and installation sector.According to the company, the principal business of the new JV firm will be pipe-laying and integration of pipeline systems, offshore heavy lifting and installation, subsea tie-in and underwater maintenance, as well as barge and vessel management and chartering.The JV Company will be held by Hilong Marine Engineering and SOC as to 51% and 49%…

Malaysian oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) said that it is well-positioned to meet rising LNG demand and expands its flexible and innovative LNG solutions for existing and new markets."With its growing portfolio of LNG supply sources in Malaysia, Australia, Egypt and soon in Canada, Petronas is well-positioned to provide clean energy through its flexible and innovative LNG solutions to existing and new demand markets, as well as to emerging trading hubs," said a press statement from the fully integrated oil and gas company.Petronas President and Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said: “Asia…

Energy giant BP has taken its first oil from the Clair Ridge mega-project in the U.K. North Sea in a “major milestone” that is the culmination of many years of work.Clair Ridge, the second phase of the development of the Clair Field, 75 kilometers west of Shetland, is one of the biggest developments in the history of the basin, requiring huge investments in new platforms and pipelines in harsh waters west of Shetland.Clair Ridge is BP’s sixth major project start-up in 2018 following seven last year, which are expected to increase the company’s production by 900K boe/day by 2021. It has an estimated seven billion barrels of hydrocarbons.According to a press release from the British multinational oil and gas company…

Norway's gas exports hit a new high of 36.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) this summer and the annual deliveries will be on a par with the record annual figure achieved in 2017, gas system operator Gassco said on Friday.Between May and August, which is normally a season with fewer gas exports, Norway's deliveries almost matched a normal winter level as European importers needed to refill depleted gas storages which drained during last year's cold winter."It's too early to say exactly where we'll end up this year…

Major overhaul of the towing and supply vessel "Nercha" belonging to the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet of the “Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping” CJSC has been accomplished at the “Bibiheybat” Ship Repair Yard.During the repair works the ship's main and auxiliary engines, pumps and pipeline systems were repaired. Moreover, the cabins of the crew, sanitary junctions and dining rooms have been renewed.At the same time, by lifting ship to the dock, the works on the adjustment of propulsion-steering complex, repairing of bottom-outboard fittings and protective installations were performed.The replacement of the damaged areas on the hull’s draft and its surface, which constituted a hazard for the flotation, was carried out.

DNV GL has launched a new standard that allows operators to choose thermoplastic composite pipes (TCP) instead of steel or traditional flexibles, enabling substantial cost reductions throughout the project lifecycle.After the successful and wide adaptation of the recommended practice (RP) DNVGL-RP-F119 by the industry for qualification of TCP for various applications from dynamic to static applications since its publication in 2015, the RP has now been converted to an official DNV GL standard DNVGL-ST-F119.

Major overhaul of the towing and supply vessel "Andoga" belonging to the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company has been completed, said a press release. The main engines, main and reserve pumps, pipeline systems, power plants and control equipment, steering and auxiliary steering device were repaired. Two new diesel engines were installed, damaged parts of the hull and a wooden deck cover were replaced, and the lighting system was updated. Along with this, the repair work was also carried out in the living quarters of the working personnel, the sanitary facilities and the dining room. The living and service spaces of the crew, as well as the sanitary and living conditions created on the vessel, meet all standards.

The Houston Ship Channel re-opened to some vessel traffic on Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said, after an early morning tanker fire prompted closure of the waterway. The U.S. Coast Guard Houston Vessel Traffic Service said it would commence with tow vessel transit outbound from Old River and San Jacinto River. That would be followed by inbound movements, it said. The Houston Ship Channel links the busiest U.S. petrochemical port to the Gulf of Mexico. Four Houston-area refineries were unable to receive crude oil from tankers on Tuesday after a portion of the channel was shut by an early-morning fire aboard an empty tanker. The fire began shortly after midnight CDT (0500 GMT) aboard the 810-foot (247-meter) tanker the Aframax River and was extinguished within a few hours.

Four Houston-area refineries were unable to receive crude oil from tankers on Tuesday after a portion of the Houston Ship Channel was shut due to a fire aboard an empty tanker, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. In Texas, Valero Energy Corp's Houston refinery, LyondellBasell Industries' Houston refinery, Petrobras' Pasadena refinery and Royal Dutch Shell's joint-venture Deer Park refinery have crude on-site in storage tanks and also have access to long-distance and short-haul pipeline systems. The four refineries have a combined crude oil throughput of 761,505 barrels per day (bpd), equal to 4 percent of U.S. refining capacity. The Coast Guard was conducting assessments about how long it would take to move the Aframax River…

Conquest Offshore was contracted by Allseas to remove a 300-ton crane and transport and install a 850-ton Huisman crane on board of one of the largest pipe-lay vessels in the world, Allseas Solitaire. The 397-meter vessel MV Solitaire is the largest ship ever to have passed IJmuiden’s massive sea lock after which the ship was berthed at Dutch Offshore Base in Amsterdam. The pipe-laying vessel is used for the construction of natural gas pipeline systems and oil pipelines. Before the vessel is scheduled to return to sea in summer 2016…

Growing global energy demand and requirements for additional pipeline capacity are driving the pipeline segment. However, pipeline related innovation is prioritized by only 4% of senior oil & gas professionals, according to research by DNV GL, the technical advisor to the oil & gas industry. Further, the research shows that nearly one in five oil & gas companies (18%) do not have a strategy in place to maintain innovation. Six in ten (61%) respondents agree that operators will increasingly push to standardize their delivery globally, up from 55% in 2015 and 52% in 2014. The most common strategy for maintaining innovation with lower budgets is to increase collaboration with other industry players (45%).

Technip was awarded by BP Exploration & Production Inc. a lump sum project for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation and pre-commissioning of the new production pipeline systems on the south side of the Thunder Horse production drilling quarters unit. At a water depth of approximately 1,900 meters, the current field development is located in Mississippi Canyon Blocks 778 and 822, in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico environment.  Pre-commissioning and testing. Technip will leverage its unique integrated approach in the subsea business. Technip's operating center in Houston, Texas, USA, will perform the overall project management. The infield flowlines will be welded at the Group’s spoolbase in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

For Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS), 2014 marked the 101st year of its activities. The classification society said 2014 also marked a landmark year, as the construction of the world's first Arctic LNG carrier began to RS class. The new 300-meter-long ship carrying liquefied natural gas in membrane tanks will be able to operate in ice of about two meters thick. There are more than 150 vessels that are ordered or already under construction to the RS class with the total gross tonnage of about 2 million, RS noted, of which 11 are gas carriers, 21 icebreakers and specialized support vessels,  27 tankers, 30 tugs and seven fixed offshore ice-resistant platforms.

FortisBC – a subsidiary of Fortis Inc. has officially started construction of its $400 million Tilbury LNG Facility expansion project today. The company is adding 1.1 million gigajoules of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to storage and 34,000 gigajoules per day of liquefaction capacity. FortisBC marked the occasion with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by The Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia; Delta Mayor Lois Jackson; as well as Scott Hamilton, MLA North Delta; and Vicki Huntington, MLA South Delta. FortisBC Energy Inc. operates the only two LNG facilities in Western Canada. The existing Tilbury LNG Facility opened in 1971 and has safely operated in Delta, B.C. for the last 43 years.

Longer than four football fields, as big as six Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and almost as tall as the Taipei 101 skyscraper, Royal Dutch Shell PLC is hoping that its record-setting, game-changing floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) facility will serve as a prelude to a killing in the offshore LNG market. It’s not alone. Many industry observers believe FLNG will do for gas offshore what fracking has done for shale or natural gas trapped in the ground on shore. “This is revolutionary technology …[that]… has the potential to change the way we produce natural gas…

GAIL (India) Limited deeply mourns the tragic loss of life and property in the unfortunate incident along the natural gas pipeline of the company at Tatipaka in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh yesterday. The company is working closely with district authorities to provide immediate relief and rehabilitation to the affected people. Sixteen people died in the incident and 17 others, who were injured, are being treated in four hospitals in the vicinity.In addition to the compensation from Prime Minister and Chief Minister’s Relief Funds, GAIL will pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakhs to the next of kin of each of the deceased, as announced by Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

As some pre-salt plays begin production, a wide range of subsea infrastructure is being built, with O&G transportation pipeline grids being one of the vital downstream systems. Saipem has been recipient of the first major contracts to install deepwater pre-salt pipelines by national operator Petrobras. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil brings us an in-depth look at Saipem’s vessels and projects in Brazil. Saipem’s pipelaying segment is part of a unified Business Unit Engineering & Construction, an entity with more than 30,000 employees from more than 100 nationalities, with more than 60 permanent establishments and numerous project execution centers worldwide, which has maintained yearly revenues exceeding $13 billion.

NuStar Energy says it has completed construction of a private marine loading dock at its North Beach Terminal in Corpus Christi, Texas, and has its first ship at the dock to be loaded with crude oil. Originally scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of this year, NuStar expedited the project in order to meet strong customer interest in using the dock to transport shipments of Eagle Ford crude oil by water. The new dock project includes a series of 30-inch and 12-inch pipelines that move the crude oil from incoming pipelines or tanks within the terminal to the new dock…

Genesis Energy, L.P. has agreed to acquire for approximately US$230-million all the assets of the downstream transportation business of Hornbeck Offshore Transportation, LLC (“Hornbeck”). The business is primarily comprised of nine barges and nine tug boats which transport crude oil and refined petroleum products, principally serving refineries and storage terminals along the Gulf Coast, Eastern Seaboard, Great Lakes and Caribbean. At the closing of the transaction, Hornbeck and Genesis expect to enter into transition service agreements to facilitate a smooth transition of operations and uninterrupted services for both employees and customers.

The U.K. operation of international oil services group Aker Solutions has announced the appointment of a new vice president to lead greenfield projects as the company looks to expand its capabilities in the sector. Bob Shaw’s appointment is the latest in a series of new senior management appointments at Aker Solutions subsea business in Aberdeen as the company embarks on the next stage in its growth strategy. He will lead development of all greenfield projects, focusing on the successful delivery of work for key clients including Statoil, Petrobras, Total E&P, Dana Petroleum, ENI and others.

The ports of Antwerp (Belgium) and Rotterdam (Netherlands) propose to collaborate in construction of a linking pipeline bundle. One year ago the respective port authorities announced that they would collaborate in studying the possibilities of further developing pipeline connections between the two ports. Since then they have mapped out a route and drawn up a joint cost estimate for building a set of pipelines running in parallel. In the near future the port authorities will use…

Energy industry project & construction management firm Universal Pegasus International (UPI) appoint two senior vice-presidents. The company name Tom Davison as Senior Vice President of Onshore Operations and Martin Morrison as Senior Vice President of Offshore Operations. In his role, Davison is responsible for the overall management, performance and growth of business for Onshore Operations at Universal Pegasus International. Additionally, he will provide technical leadership in project development and execution including the development of best practices and improving project delivery.