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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Rio News

27 Mar 2024

Brazilian Built Submarine with French Tech Launched

(Photo: Naval Group)

The presidents of France and Brazil on Wednesday launched a submarine built in the South American country with French technology in a program that aims to build Brazil's first nuclear-powered submarine by the end of the decade.Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended a ceremony in the Itaguai shipyard near Rio de Janeiro, launching the third diesel-powered submarine built in a $10 billion partnership.Brazil first lady Janja da Silva smashed a champagne…

12 Mar 2024

MOL Teams Up with Rio Tinto for Decarbonization of Maritime Transportation

(Credit: MOL)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Rio Tinto have signed the partnership agreement to enhance collaboration on both safety and crew welfare initiative and decarbonization of maritime transportation.MOL and Rio Tinto have agreed to further collaborate on shipping decarbonization in addition to the existing commitment to the DOO program through a deal signed on January 24, 2024.The DOO program is a Rio Tinto initiative aimed at enhancing safety and improving crew welfare in the…

11 Mar 2024

NextDecade Targets Train 4 FID at Texas LNG Facility in H2 2024

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

NextDecade said on Monday it was targeting a final investment decision (FID) and plans to start construction of the fourth liquefaction train at its Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Texas by the second half of 2024.The Rio Grande LNG export plant has been in development for several years, suffering repeated delays. Last year the company made an FID to construct the first three liquefaction trains at the facility.NextDecade expects to finalize commercial arrangements for Train 4 in the coming months to support the FID.

28 Feb 2024

ABL on Tow Job for Mero 3 FPSO’s Voyage to Brazil

(Credit: ABL Group)

Energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has secured a contract by POSH Projects to act as tow master to support and supervise the towage of the Mero 3 FPSO from Yantai in China to Brazilian waters.As part of its scope of work, ABL’s operations in Singapore will provide a tow master to act as client representative throughout the 12,108 nautical mile towage.The tow master will supervise and ensure that all marine operations for the sail away from Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard are carried out in-line with approved recommendations and procedural documentation.

19 Feb 2024

Gulf LNG Tugs to Provide Towage at Texas LNG Terminal in Brownsville

(Image: Texas LNG)

Gulf LNG Tugs of Texas has been selected to provide towage services for the Texas LNG export terminal to be constructed in the Port of Brownsville.Gulf LNG Tugs, a consortium of Suderman & Young Towing Company, Bay-Houston Towing, and Moran Towing Corporation, will build, deliver and operate tugboats under a long term agreement to assist LNG carriers arriving at the facility.Texas LNG will be a 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal owned and managed by Glenfarne Energy Transition.

19 Feb 2024

Brassavola Completes Maiden Ship-to-Ship LNG Bunkering Operation

Brassavola vessel (Credit: Seatrium)

Pavilion Energy, the charterer of Singapore’s recently delivered first membrane LNG bunker vessel Brassavola, has concluded its first Ship-to-Ship (STS) LNG bunkering operation.Pavilion Energy said on February 19, 2024, the bunkering operation to Rio Tinto chartered dual-fueled bulk carrier, Mount Api was successfully completed.Brassavola was recently delivered by Seatrium, to owner Indah Singa Maritime, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL).Seatrium Delivers Singapore’s…

05 Jan 2024

India Navy Rescues Bulk Carrier Crew After Arabian Sea Hijack Attempt

(Screenshot from a video shared by the Indian Navy on social media)

The Indian Navy on Friday rescued the crew of a merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea and said it had not found any pirates on board.An Indian Navy warship intercepted the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk bulk carrier less than a day after it had received a report that the vessel had been hijacked about 460 nautical miles off Somalia.About five to six armed people boarded the vessel on Thursday, according to a report received by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency…

29 Dec 2023

Esgian: New Contracts, Drilling Activities and Rig Moves Across the World

Borgland Dolphin drilling rig (Credit: Dolphin Drilling)

Esgian's last roundup of the year for the Week 52 puts spotlight on new developments for Dolphin Drilling semisub, Seadrill drillships, as well as Shell’s plans for Australia and ONGC’s new tender for jackups in India.ContractsDolphin Drilling has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed operator for the 1,500-ft semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin to undertake a 500-day drilling campaign in the UK. The drilling campaign is planned to begin directly after the firm part of the contract period with EnQuest, which was announced in late November 2023.

15 Nov 2023

US Appeals Court Scraps Sempra's Port Arthur LNG Emissions Permit

(Image: Sempra)

A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, potentially halting construction of the facility.In its decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) failed to impose the same emissions limits on the Port Arthur plant as on other projects, including the Rio Grande LNG project which is now under construction.The approximately 13.5 million-metric…

11 Oct 2023

Vessels Run Aground in the Rivers of the Drought-hit Amazon Region

© juerginho / Adobe Stock

A barge carrying three trucks and 2,000 empty cooking gas cylinders lies stranded on the vast sand banks of a diminished Rio Negro river after running aground last month, highlighting the plight of river transport in the Amazon region hit by severe drought.Officials warned that low river levels risk disrupting grains exports from nearby farm states. On the Madeira, they said barge routes used by grain firms such as Cargill, Bunge and Amaggi, are open but loads are being reduced as a precaution.Shipping and logistics group A.P.

26 Sep 2023

Svitzer Expands Its Tug Fleet in Brazil

(Photo: Svitzer)

A.P. Moller - Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced the continued expansion of its fleet in Brazil, as part of the ongoing growth of its operations in the country.Svitzer Monte KT is the fourth tug to join the fleet in the country since April. The vessel is a sister to three tugs already delivered to Svitzer in 2023, which have been deployed across the ports of Pécem, Paranagua, and Santos on Brazil’s coast. The tug is one of six new Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugs that will be put into operation by Svitzer in Brazil before the end of 2024.

12 Sep 2023

Concordia Damen to Deliver River Pusher to Girona S.A. in Paraguay

(Image: Concordia Damen)

Paraguayan shipowner and operator Girona S.A. – Rio Sur Transporte y Logistica has contracted Dutch inland shipping construction yard Concordia Damen to build a CDS4115 Shallow Draft 5.400 HP River Pusher to expand its fleet.Concordia Damen said it has thoroughly researched the Paraguay River characteristics in relation to the desired operational profile of the vessel. Based on this, its engineers designed the most efficient pusher considering local conditions, the builder said.

07 Sep 2023

Gulf LNG Orders Four New Tugs

File photo: A Robert Allan Ltd. designed Z-Tech 30-80 tug delivered to Bay-Houston Towing Co. in 2021. (Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Gulf LNG Tugs of Brownsville has ordered four new tugs to serve the Rio Grande LNG export facility (RGLNG), which has commenced construction in Brownsville, Texas.Gulf LNG Tugs is a joint venture formed between Bay-Houston Towing Co., Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company to provide tug services for RGLNG under a long-term tug services agreement.The company announced Tuesday it signed construction contracts with Coden, Ala. shipyard Master Boat Builders and Port Neches, Texas shipbuilder Sterling Shipyard.

02 Aug 2023

Ocean Yield Enters Sustainability-Linked Transaction for Four Product Tankers

Source: Braskem

Ocean Yield has agreed to purchase four LR1 product tankers, to be constructed at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China.The vessels will be built with a design enabling them to be converted to dual-fuel operation with methanol as fuel. Upon delivery (in 2026 and 2027), the vessels will commence 15-year bareboat charters to guaranteed subsidiaries of Braskem S.A., a global petrochemical company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and based in Brazil. Braskem S.A. currently has credit ratings of BBB- from S&P and Fitch…

28 Jul 2023

VisuDREDGE: Visualizing the Dredging Process

Diederik van Halsema, fleet manager at DC Dredging (Photo: MSA-Service)

Visualization of dredging is essential to gain insight into the dredging process. But this is only the beginning of the whole dredging story. To complete that story, we meet with Diederik van Halsema of DC Dredging. He is the fleet manager of the entire DC Dredging fleet, including the vessels DC Ostend, Margaret Ann and Rio. These vessels have a lot of things in common, including MSA-Service's VisuDREDGE dredge visualization system, which is installed on each of these three vessels.

24 Jul 2023

Great Lakes Gets Green Light for Brownsville Channel Dredging

Rendering of the Rio Grande LNG Facility looking west along the Brownsville Ship Channel. (Image: NextDecade Corporation)

Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received a notice to proceed to perform essential improvements to the Brownsville Ship Channel for NextDecade Corporation’s Rio Grande LNG project.The company said it expects to start work for the project later this year, including deepening the entrance channel to the western end of the Rio Grande LNG property also known as Phase 1 of the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvements. The project also includes…

19 Jun 2023

Brazil-bound FPSO Sepetiba Departs BOMESC Shipyard in China

(Photo: SBM Offshore)

The Brazil-bound FPSO Sepetiba sailed away from the BOMESC shipyard in China on June 16, 2023, following completion of the topsides integration and onshore commissioning phases.The unit—SBM Offshore’s third Fast4Ward FPSO—is transiting to the Mero field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil, located 180 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro. SBM Offshore has a contract with Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the 22.5 years lease and operation of FPSO Sepetiba. First oil is expected in the second half of 2023.The FPSO will have the capacity to produce up to 180…

02 Jun 2023

TechnipFMC, DOF-owned Vessel Catches Fire in Brazil

Skandi Buzios, a pipelay support vessel owned by TechnipFMC and DOF, caught fire Friday morning in a Brazilian port.The Brazilian media and some social media accounts on Friday showed images and videos of the burning vessel with thick smoke billowing above it and firefighters trying to quell the fire.The incident happened at Porto do Açu, in São João da Barra, in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, and no injuries have been reported.Offshore Engineer has reached out to TechnipFMC seeking more info. "On Friday morning, June 2, a fire occurred onboard Skandi Buzios while the vessel was alongside Porto do Açu in Brazil. All personnel are safe, and no serious injuries were sustained. The fire has been brought under control after efforts by our crew, Porto do Açu, and local authorities.

13 Apr 2023

World's Largest Iron Ore Export Hub Braces for Strongest Cyclone in a Decade

Cyclone Ilsa - 16:30 AEST on Thursday, 13 April 2023 | Cloud/surface composite, Australia - Credit: Australian Government / Bureau of Meteorology

Australia's northwest region, home to the world's largest export hub for iron ore, could be hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone there in a decade as ports cleared ships and residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies. Cyclone Ilsa, located about 300 km (186 miles) off Australia's coast in the Indian Ocean, is expected to make landfall as early as Thursday night as a category four storm - one rung below strongest category five - packing winds of up to 275 km per hour, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

19 Apr 2023

Maintenance Dredging at the Port of Weipa to Begin in May

(Photo: North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation)

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) will soon begin maintenance dredging at the Port of Weipa. NQBP Acting Chief Executive Officer Belinda Kenny said the dredge vessel TSHD Brisbane is due to begin work from early May 2023.“Maintenance dredging works are an integral part of port operations,” Kenny said. “In the same way we maintain roads and rail lines for freight transport, we need to look after our port infrastructure to keep trade flowing. Regular maintenance dredging ensures efficient…

04 May 2023

Venezuela's Oil Tankers at Risk of Sinking, Fires, Spills, Report finds

©JosIsaac/AdobeStock

More than half of the 22 oil tankers in Venezuela's fleet are so run down that they should be immediately repaired or taken out of service, according to an internal report from state-run oil company PDVSA that was shared exclusively with Reuters. The report by PDVSA's maritime branch, entitled "Critical deficiencies and risks of PDV Marina's tanker fleet," said years of deferred maintenance had left the entire fleet with "low levels of reliability," at risk of spills, sinking, fires, collisions or flooding.

15 May 2023

APM Terminals to Invest $1 Billion in Brazilian Terminals by 2026

(Photo: APM Terminals)

Maersk's APM Terminals has pledged a €962 million (US$1 billion) investment in its Brazilian operations up to 2026.This figure includes a €296 million of a total €483 million investment exclusively for the Phase One development of a new terminal in Suape. The terminal, located in Estaleiro Atlântico Sul, is in the final stages of acquisition and will rejuvenate infrastructure and increase competition in the port.APM Terminals has committed an additional €666 million of investment to the company’s four other terminals and inland depots, by 2026.

10 May 2023

MODEC to Deliver Highly Complex FPSO for Equinor's $9B Project Offshore Brazil

Credit: MODEC

Japanese FPSO supplier MODEC has won a contract with Equinor to supply an FPSO vessel for the BM-C-33 block of the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. The order comes just days after Equinor and its partners Repsol Sinopec Brasil, and Petrobras took the $9 billion investment decision to develop the BM-C-33 project in Brazil. Located in the Campos Basin, BM-C-33 comprises three different pre-salt discoveries – Pão de Açúcar, Gávea and Seat – containing natural gas and oil/condensate…