Industry Oil News

Norway's oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world's wealthiest countries but its dreams for deep-sea discovery now center on something different.This time, Oslo is looking for a leading role in mining copper, zinc, and other metals found on the seabed and in hot demand in green technologies.Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry told Reuters, potentially placing it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals for electric vehicle batteries…

Britain will look at ways of making it easier to sell North Sea oil and gas fields by changing tax rules in order to keep them producing for longer, the finance ministry said. The move, which is due to be announced in finance minister Philip Hammond's budget on Wednesday, follows a call by the industry's oil lobby group for a change to decommissioning tax rules that have prevented deals in the North Sea. Owners of oil and gas assets get tax relief on the future costs of dismantling them, but as assets are sold the relief cannot be passed on to new owners. "The UK government will publish a discussion paper and establish a panel of industry experts to consider how tax can assist sales of oil and gas fields, helping to keep them productive for longer," the ministry said in a statement.

The Greece based agent Franman SA, has been appointed exclusive representative for TUCO Marine’s ProZero vessel line in Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, where Franman SA will be promoting the ProZero line of patrol boats, interceptors and workboats. Tuco Marine has recently appointed the Greek based agent, Franman SA, to be exclusive representative for the ProZero boats Series in Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. Franman SA was founded in 2007 as an agent and distributor of powerboats, engines and marine equipment. Franman SA has since 2010 specialized in the security and defense industry.

An interview with NOIA’s Randall Luthi provides unique perspective on where the offshore energy business has been, where it is now, and where it could be headed next. It is a predictable but at the same time, an important anniversary to examine: five years beyond the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which began on 20 April 2010 on the BP-owned, Transocean-operated Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico. Widely considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the energy industry, oil flowed from the sea floor for 87 days until capped in mid-July. The environmental impact is well documented, the ultimate impact of the incident on the offshore and oil industries today has been profound, lasting and without a doubt, it made the offshore business safer.

Putting to rest the fears and misconceptions about what responder immunity means and what it will eventually do. It’s all good. As many in the response industry, and in many cases the marine industry in general appreciate, there has been an extended effort to enact an enhanced responder immunity regime following the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon incident. It is hard to believe that we only recently observed the fourth anniversary of this unfortunate incident. And…

Chris Peitchinis outlines the benefits of using PYPLOK mechanically attached connectors which reduce new installation or maintenance repair costs. PYPLOK connectors are attached cold, in seconds, by swaging the connector on the pipe or tube with a hydraulic hand held tool. All the labor and associated costs of a conventional welded connection are eliminated. •    No special skilled labor required vs. qualified welder. •    Actual swaging time is measured in seconds vs. hours for a welded joint. •    No fire watch personnel required.

The Benefits to the Scope of Coverage in an Expanded Responder Immunity Regime are many. The response industry has been extremely supportive of a coalition effort to work with Congress to enact enhancements to the current responder immunity provisions enacted by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA 90”). Unfortunately, however, Congress has not taken immediate action following the Deepwater Horizon incident, which occurred almost 3.5 years ago, like it did following the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989 to enact legislation to remedy deficiencies identified as a result of the incident. Congress acted in approximately 18 months following the Exxon Valdez incident.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) formally announced its search for qualified leaders to fill two senior positions to further offshore oil and gas regulatory reform efforts. The first position is the Director of the Offshore Training Center, and the second is the Division Chief for the Oil Spill Response Division. Both positions are being advertised nationally to recruit the most qualified professionals to establish new organizations in the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), one of two new bureaus being created as part of the reorganization of the former Minerals Management Service. BSEE is the new bureau responsible for regulation and enforcement of offshore activities.

Last month MR’s Henrik Segercrantz traveled to Hamburg for an exclusive preview of the SMM 2010 exhibition. The SMM international trade fair for shipbuilding, machinery and marine technology will take place in Hamburg, Germany, on 7-10 September. This year much focus will be on environment-friendly technologies and products. The supporting program for SMM 2010 will for the first time this year include the Global Maritime Environmental Congress (gmec), and the Offshore Dialogue, which will also look into maritime technologies for offshore mining and wind farms.

Given the global strategic importance of keeping the international shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean open, INTERTANKO calls on governments to step up their involvement and make it more effective. The tanker industry appreciates the efforts of the naval forces, that have been protecting international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from Somali-based pirates, for their involvement and support, and acknowledges their impressive record in reducing successful pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden in particular. In parallel, many ship owners, ship managers and seafarers have also been making sacrifices and commitments to keep the world’s energy and chemical trades flowing.

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) annually attracts a global audience of leading engineers, managers, and scientists to the heart of the oil and gas industry. It was 1969 when OTC made its debut in Houston, a big year for the energy industry: oil was discovered in the North Sea; environmentalists were blocking the Trans-Alaskan pipeline that would bring North Slope oil supplies to the lower 48 states; oil rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa were demanding a bigger share of oil profits; and oil prices were positioned for takeoff. That inaugural event was modest by today’s standards, attracting just 4,200 offshore professionals and 125 exhibitors-less than one-tenth the turnout of recent years. Currently OTC is the offshore industry’s largest annual gathering.

Transport Minister David Collenette today announced the appointment of Martyn J. Green of Nanoose Bay, B.C., to the board of directors of the Nanaimo Port Authority. Mr. Green, who attended the London Polytechnic and London University, most recently served as president and general manager of Burrard Clean Operations, an industry oil spill response cooperative. He has conducted many oil spill response training sessions on a variety of subjects in Canada, the United States and in Vietnam. In 1972, he joined the British Columbia Petroleum Association, a petroleum industry trade organization, and created a spill response network. Prior to 1972, Mr. Green served as a senior marketing manager with a major international petroleum corporation.

The IEA in their Oil Market Report for December 2001 did not alter their previous estimate of only a marginal increase in oil demand in 2001 over 2000, a 0.14 mbd increase only. During November 2001 world oil production increased by 0.29 mbd compared to the previous month. OPEC oil production decreased whereas non-OPEC oil production increased by a total of 0.63 mbd. Total industry oil stocks in the OECD area grew by 0.22 mbd in October 2001. According to the IEA, winter fuels in primary storage continue to remain at comfortable levels. Source: INTERTANKO

America’s tugboat, towboat and barge industry moves 800 million tons of cargo a year on our nation’s inland and coastal waterways. Moving this cargo safely – minimizing risks to people, property, and the environment -- is the industry’s number one goal. The Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership, a groundbreaking public private partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, tracks trends in towing industry safety performance. Using government data from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Partnership monitors vessel casualties, oil spills, and crew fatalities, promoting continuous improvement and providing focus to Coast Guard-industry safety initiatives.

At a scheduled meeting today, the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency discussed the current restraints on world oil supply, the significant decline in oil stocks worldwide and the sharp rise in oil prices. They expressed concern that the tightening supply situation could feed inflation and slow economic growth, thereby giving rise to problems particularly for developing countries. “Such instability would be in no one’s interest,” said Robert Priddle, Executive Director of the Agency. The Board noted that industry oil stocks worldwide were lower at the end of last year than at any time in the past decade. Yet demand is constantly growing.

The Governing Board of the International Energy Agency last week discussed the current restraints on world oil supply, the significant decline in oil stocks worldwide and the sharp rise in oil prices. They expressed concern that the tightening supply situation could feed inflation and slow economic growth, thereby giving rise to problems particularly for developing countries. The Board noted that industry oil stocks worldwide were lower at the end of last year than at any time in the past decade. Yet demand is constantly growing. The present gap between demand and supply means that no surplus oil is available to build stocks and that they continue to be drawn down to meet current requirements.