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17 Mar 2024

Venture Global LNG to Buy Fleet of LNG Vessels

© Andriy Sharpilo / Adobe Stock

Venture Global LNG said on Sunday it would acquire a fleet of nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport vessels, expanding its ability to sell and ship its own cargoes.Venture Global LNG has exported hundreds of cargoes since it started liquefying gas for export in 2022 from the first of its three planned facilities in Louisiana. The vessels it used were owned by other companies and leased.The nine vessels in Venture Global's future fleet will be built in South Korea with the first to be delivered later this year…

07 Mar 2024

Oil Leak from Capsized Barge Off Tobago Stopped After a Month

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

An oil leak from a barge carrying up to 35,000 barrels of fuel oil that capsized in early February off the Caribbean island of Tobago has stopped, said the twin islands' government on Thursday.The spill, which was first spotted off the coast of Tobago's Atlantic coast on Feb. 7, damaged some of the island's mangrove and threatened its tourism and fishing sector. The spill also entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Caribbean islands, including Bonaire."The hydrocarbon discharge emanating from the overturned vessel located off the coast of Tobago has stopped…

20 Feb 2024

Trinidad Government Hires Salvors to Recover Sunken Oil Barge

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up an ongoing oil spill off Tobago and salvage the leaking barge, the country's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday.It has been almost two weeks since the oil spill was first discovered off Tobago's Atlantic coast after a barge ran aground on a reef. The spill has entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Grenada."An international partnership comprised of T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc…

18 Feb 2024

Tobago's Tourism, Fishing Hit by Oil Slick

Source: TEMA

Nine days after a slick was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard, an oil leak from a capsized barge remains unplugged, according to first responders and authorities, prompting nations across the Caribbean to coordinate a response.The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first hit by the incident. Trinidad this week alerted neighbors Venezuela and Grenada on possible impact to their coasts.The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, dependent on regional group Caricom…

15 Feb 2024

Tobago Oil Spill Spreading to Grenada

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

An oil spill that has stained Tobago's coastline in the Caribbean is entering into Grenada's waters and could impact neighboring Venezuela, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told Reuters on Thursday.Eight days after Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard first spotted the oil from a capsized vessel whose owner and origin have not been confirmed, portions of the stain have moved about 144 km (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea at a rate of 14 km per hour, Augustine said."It has now entered Grenada's territorial waters…

31 Jan 2024

Multiple Boats Catch Fire in Baltimore Marina

(Photo: Baltimore City Fire Department)

Emergency responders on Wednesday battled a blaze that engulfed multiple vessels in the Anchorage Marina, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore.A good Samaritan alerted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watchstanders to the fire at approximately 9 a.m. and reported that he heard a popping noise and saw two 55-foot boats engulfed in flames.Baltimore City Fire Department said its units arrived on location to find heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from multiple vessels docked at the marina.

26 Jan 2024

Biden Pauses New LNG Export Projects

© Mike Mareen / Adobe Stock

President Joe Biden paused pending approvals of exports from new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects on Friday, a move cheered by climate activists that could delay decisions on new plants until after the November 5 election.The Department of Energy (DOE) will conduct a review during the pause that will look at the economic and environmental impacts of projects seeking approval to export LNG to Europe and Asia where the fuel is in hot demand.The review will take months and then will be open to public comment which will take further time…

02 Jan 2024

US Was Top LNG Exporter in 2023 as Hit Record Levels

© scandamerican / Adobe Stock

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports hit monthly and annual record highs in December, tanker tracking data showed, with analysts saying it positioned the United States to leapfrog Qatar and Australia to become the largest exporter of LNG in 2023.The U.S. was the stand out in global LNG supply growth in 2023, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG research at consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group of the rise to 8.6 million metric tons leaving U.S. terminals in December.Qatar was the largest LNG exporter in 2022 and Australia the second-largest that year, U.S. government data showed."U.S.

28 Nov 2023

Shell Authorizes Construction Work on Manatee Gas Field

Stuart R. Young MP Minister of Energy and Energy Industries and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and Adam Lowmass, Senior Vice President and Country Chair, Shell Trinidad and Tobago. (September 2023)

Shell has authorized contractor McDermott International to start engineering work on its Manatee gas field development project off Trinidad and Tobago's east coast, the contractor disclosed on Tuesday.Trinidad is Latin America's largest LNG exporter, but its flagship Atlantic LNG project and its petrochemical plants have been operating at reduced capacity due to a shortage of natural gas.McDermott said it got the green light to proceed on an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract pending an investment decision.

28 Nov 2023

LNG Carrier Loses Power, Unable to Leave Terminal

Historical image courtesy of Bechtel, designer of the natural gas complex.

Shipments of LNG from Australia Pacific LNG have come to a halt after a loaded tanker docked at the site lost power, operator ConocoPhillips and co-owner Origin Energy said on Tuesday.So far two LNG cargoes have been delayed, and Origin warned "it expected that more LNG cargoes will be deferred", as the stricken vessel was blocking other tankers from entering the facility on Curtis Island off Australia's east coast.APLNG, which has a capacity of 9 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG…

21 Nov 2023

Shipbuilder Diverse Marine Launches Client Finance and Lease Program

(Image: Diverse Marine)

U.K. shipbuilder Diverse Marine has introduced its own finance and lease program designed initially for the financed construction of offshore wind crew transfer vessels (CTV).Funding for offshore wind CTVs has been challenging, and the company said it has observed over the last 24 months pressures felt by clients and vessel owners trying to justify builds in the U.K., with conventional vessel procurement methods uncompetitive against yards in Europe, Scandinavia and the Far East…

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…

01 Nov 2023

Cashman Wins $29 Million Contract for Baltimore Dredging

(File photo: Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co. LLC)

Quincy, Mass. based Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co. LLC, has secured a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Baltimore, Md.The $29,131,250 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Baltimore District. Cashman was one of three bidders for the project.The project, which involves the removal of 1,400,000 cubic yards (cy) from deep-draft federal navigation channels, is estimated to wrap up by March 31, 2024.Dredging depth varies by…

01 Nov 2023

US October LNG Exports Climb to Second Highest Level on Record

© Wojciech Wrzesień / Adobe Stock

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers ramped up exports in October, to 7.92 million metric tons, according to data provider LSEG, the second-highest monthly level on record.Exports were just shy of the record 8.01 million metric tons in April this year, and were up from 7.12 million metric tons in September, when plant maintenance reduced U.S. production.The U.S. was the world's largest exporter of LNG in the first half of this year, according to the Energy Information Agency, ahead of Qatar and Australia.

30 Oct 2023

US Reviews of Gas-export Permits Slow Under Biden Administration

© Wojciech Wrzesień  / Adobe Stock

U.S. Department of Energy reviews for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits have lengthened under President Joe Biden's administration to 11 months or more, from seven weeks, according to government data.The delay could mean nearly completed LNG projects may not being able to supply big European buyers because of a lack of the permit. Increasing LNG exports is opposed by some U.S. industries who fear it could raise domestic prices, while environmental groups have raised concerns about continued expansion of a fossil fuel industry.Big swaths of U.S.

12 Sep 2023

US Regains Crown as World's Largest LNG Exporter

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

The U.S. regained its crown as the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the first six months of this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA).US exports of the superchilled gas, particularly to Europe, have jumped in the last year as buyers looked for alternatives to Russian gas imports and to fill Europe's storage inventories, the EIA said.An average 11.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of the superchilled gas was exported through June, up 4% from the same period a year-earlier, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said.The increase in U.S.

01 Aug 2023

BP to Defend its Rights in Venture Global LNG Dispute

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

BP will defend its rights "to the absolute fullest" in an arbitration case against U.S. exporter Venture Global LNG over failing to supply contracted cargoes, Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney said on Tuesday.Oil companies Shell SHEL.L and have separately filed for arbitration against Venture Global LNG over failing to supply contracted cargoes, even as it sold to non-contract customers while prices were soaring."You can expect us to defend our legal rights to the absolute fullest…

12 Jul 2023

Shell, BP Pursue Arbitration Claims Against Venture Global LNG

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Top LNG traders Shell and BP have separately filed for arbitration against U.S. exporter Venture Global LNG for failing to supply contracted cargoes, even as it sold to non-contract customers as prices soared, four people familiar with the matter said.A Venture Global LNG spokesperson did not comment on the Shell and BP claims. Last month, the company said it was in full compliance with terms of its long-term contracts and cited a need for extensive commissioning of its modular…

11 Jul 2023

Cheniere Shunning Panama Canal for Longer LNG Routes to Asia

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

Top U.S. LNG exporter Cheniere Energy LNG.A is shunning the Panama Canal to transport liquefied natural gas to Asia because the market is not supporting use of the waterway, said Chief Operating Officer Corey Grindal on Monday.The Panama Canal historically has been used by U.S Gulf Coast LNG exporters to send LNG to Asian customers via the Pacific Ocean. But a months-long drought has led to delays and depth restrictions for the largest ships accessing the canal."We use the canal when it is economical to do so, right now it is not.

07 Jul 2023

Seaspan Inks Deal with MAN for Methanol Engine Retrofits

(Photo: MAN Energy Solutions)

The world's largest containership lessor Seaspan Corporation has signed an agreement with MAN Energy Solutions to refit 15 of its vessels with dual-fuel engines capable of running on cleaner burning methanol.Under the conversion commitment agreement, signed by Seaspan in collaboration with liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, MAN’s after-sales division MAN PrimeServ will deliver 15 engine retrofit solutions for conversion of vessels powered by individual MAN B&W S90-type fuel-oil…

30 Jun 2023

Cheniere Energy Returns Louisiana LNG Export Plant to Full Production

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass LNG export facility returned to full production this week after undergoing maintenance, data from Refinitiv showed.The increased production is expected to help third quarter exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) which fell in May to 7.66 million tonnes from a record 8.01 million tonnes in April, as plant maintenance curbed some output.The Louisiana-based export facility started reducing its natural gas consumption on June 1 when it fell to 3.77 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) from 4.56 bcfd on May 31…

11 May 2023

US Permit Crackdown Poses New Hurdles for Proposed LNG Projects

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Energy's refusal to grant export permit extensions to liquefied natural gas (LNG) developers that fail to meet a construction deadline poses a new hurdle for greenfield plants, analysts said on Thursday.The DOE last month said it would grant future extensions solely on extenuating circumstances and rejected an extension for Energy Transfer's proposed Lake Charles LNG project.The change will fall heavily on firms without a track record and available financing, analysts said.Around a dozen LNG projects in the U.S.

22 Dec 2022

NR Marine Services Orders CTV from Diverse Marine

(Image: Diverse Marine)

U.K.-based NR Marine Services has placed an order with compatriot shipbuilder Divers Marine for a new new crew transfer vessel (CTV) to service the offshore wind industry. This newbuild, to be named NR Predator, will be a first of class Diverse Marine 27-meter CTV featuring a traditional catamaran hull form that has been CFD tested and optimized to provide class-leading seakeeping coupled with reduced fuel consumption and emissions, the builder said.This vessel is being built as "hybrid ready" with an insulated generator space ready to receive generators and batteries.