Fresh Oil News

Ships were deployed in Thailand on Thursday to contain a fresh oil spill off its eastern coast, authorities said, two weeks after an undersea pipeline leak in the same area damaged coastal communities and marine life.The pipeline, owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company (SPRC), sprang a leak on Jan. 26 and spewed an estimated 47,100 to 55,000 litres (12,443 to 14,529 gallons) of oil into the sea.It was patched up within a day but not before it damaged a beach area in Rayong province and threatened corals in the shallow waters.The same pipeline on Thursday spilled a further 5…

(Reuters) -- The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea following its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, a move that analysts said could have a significant impact on the isolated country's struggling economy. The resolution seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and demands the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 12 months. The U.S.-drafted resolution would also cap crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year.

Maersk Fluid Technology (MFT) said it has recently upgraded its SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board Value Calculator to include a mobile optimized version that will assist in calculating savings, based on a variety of real life scenarios. The SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board (BOB) system enables the crew on board the vessel to blend an engine-specific fit-for-purpose cylinder lubricant with the optimal neutralization and detergent properties. The in-use two-stroke engine system oil is blended with a high-BN cylinder oil.

Selection of gear oil for marine thrusters or a stern tube lubricant for use with propeller shaft bearings is often based on analyzing price/performance characteristics of the lubricant and its availability. Now with the implementation of the 2013 Vessel General Permit, this analysis must be expanded to include environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) that meet the new EPA standards. To meet environmental requirements, EALs are blended from base oils other than mineral oil. They still meet the same lubricant objective – providing long-term equipment protection.

Coast Guard members are working with Miller Environmental Services and Texas General Land Office specialists to clean up naturally occurring tar balls discovered on 20-mile stretch of land from Padre Island National Seashore to the beaches of Port Aransas, Tuesday. Beachgoers contacted Coast Guard Station Port Aransas Sunday to report that tar patties were washing ashore. Sector Corpus Christi deployed personnel from their Incident Management Division to respond. Currently, a team comprised of individuals from the three agencies is surveying the shoreline and removing the tar balls.

Despite the global recession, offshore spend is expected to grow strongly – from $578b Capex and $379b Opex over the last five years to $807b Capex and $549b Opex over the period to 2013. Exploration for fresh oil & gas supplies and development of existing and newly found accumulations from ever more demanding reservoirs in new extremes of environment, are expected to drive offshore industry spends. These headline forecasts appear in the new, fully updated edition of the “World Offshore Oil & Gas Production and Spend Forecast 2009-2013” published by Douglas-Westwood and Energyfiles.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding has begun construction of its first water-jet-propelled pilot boat for the Galtex pilots in Galveston, Texas. Delivery is planned for March 2005. The shipyard is applying the experience of building more than 20 ferries with water jets to the new pilot boat. In selecting water jets over a traditional propeller-driven launch the Galtex pilots will avoid costly repairs to propellers and shafts from debris in Galveston harbor, particularly at high speeds…

On March 30, 2004, the parbuckling of MV Rocknes in Agotnes, Norway, was completed by SMIT Salvage. After two months of preparations, a two-day-long unique operation ensued as the vessel was pulled upright from its upside-down position. The salvors used the Dive Support/Salvage Vessel SMIT Orca, two immersion and salvage pontoons mounted on a semi-submersible flattop barge which together supported the pulling winches, and a supporting barge. On March 28, after pulling the vessel into this 130-degree gradient, salvors pumped water out and air into the vessel in order for it to reach its original draft depth. A team then proceeded with the conservation of onboard instruments and machinery, while the salvors sprayed parts of the vessel with anti-corrosion material. The Rocknes is a 544.6 ft.

The Lake Charles Pilots, which operates on the Calcasieu ship channel in southwestern Louisiana, has ordered its third pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for February 2008. According to Lake Charles pilot, Capt. Mike Miller, the new boat order was prompted by plans for more than 400 LNG tankers traveling to terminals on the Calcasieu River by 2008. “With all of this new traffic on the river, we wanted a stable boarding boat with a deep-V hull that can operate continuously to the outermost sea buoy, 30 miles off the coast. The sea conditions out there normally run three to five feet, but can often climb to ten feet,” he said. Featuring the C. Raymond Hunt-designed deep-V hull, the all-aluminum vessel measures 75.8 ft.

The Lake Charles Pilots, which operates on the Calcasieu ship channel in southwestern Louisiana, has ordered its third pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for February 2008. According to Lake Charles pilot, Capt. Mike Miller, the new boat order was prompted by plans for more than 400 LNG tankers traveling to terminals on the Calcasieu River by 2008. Featuring the C. Raymond Hunt-designed deep-V hull, the all-aluminum vessel measures 75.8 ft. overall, with a 20.6-ft. beam and a 6.8-ft. draft. At the shear is a heavy-duty, 12-inch D rubber fender in addition to tires. With a top speed of 27 knots, the boat will be powered by twin Cummins QSK38M diesel engines, each producing 1350 Bhp at 1900 rpm.

Boatside Services, Inc., a Ft. Lauderdale-based company, is expanding its boat-to-boat maintenance operations. A new boat, delivered in August, has a total fluid capacity of 1,260 gal. This boat reflects the progress of the technology of the two-year-old company handling more than triple the capacity of the prototype designs. The company offers routine maintenance operations - such as oil changes - in a boat-to-boat service format. The heart of the company's operations is a 34 ft. aluminum tanker, capable of carrying nearly 1,260 gal. of fluids. This includes fresh oil and an equal amount of waste oil. The boat also carries bilge fluids collected from yachts that have had problems such as leaking fuel lines, broken turbochargers, etc.