New York Not Moving Forward With Three Offshore Wind Farms
New York State on Friday stalled three major offshore wind-energy projects after General Electric Vernova GE.N changed the turbine design, which the state said "materially altered" the plans.New York provisionally approved the projects in October 2023. They are Attentive Energy One being developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power and Corio Generation; Community Offshore Wind, which is backed by RWE and National Grid Ventures; and Vineyard Offshore's Excelsior Wind.But since thenâŠ
When Efficiency Does Not Help Sustainability
My brother and I had a discussion about methanol where we concluded that methanol is a promising sustainable liquid fuel for transportation devices when batteries cannot do the job. While Methanol is initially not carbon zero, as long as we focus on developing zero carbon electrical energy, eventually we can produce zero carbon green methanol. Once there is plentiful green methanol, existing methanol vehicles will automatically become zero carbon transportation.The core argumentâŠ
Port of Aberdeen Makes Progress on its Strategic Floating Wind Path
Port of Aberdeen has stepped closer to becoming a strategic hub for floating offshore wind, with its proposed South Harbour upgrade project progressing to Stage 2 âpriorityâ status in the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Councilâs (SOWEC) strategic investment model.The significant upgrade involves a capital dredge project to deepen 750 meters of quayside to -14.5 meters chart datum, providing suitable depth for the majority of ScotWind and INTOG project turbine designs.Combined with South Harbourâs expansive laydown area and ultra heavy-lift capacityâŠ
Worldâs First Floating Wind Innovation Centre Opens
The worldâs first dedicated innovation centre for floating offshore wind has opened in Scotland.Located in the heart of Aberdeenâs Energy Transition Zone, ORE Catapultâs £9 million National Floating Wind Innovation Centre (FLOWIC), delivered in collaboration with ETZ Limited, is designed to help supercharge the development of floating offshore wind technology in the UK, with funding from both the Scottish Government and Innovate UK.Floating offshore wind represents a huge economic opportunityâŠ
New International Partnership Set to Speed Up Offshore Wind Installations in US
Danish offshore marine services company Maersk Supply Service and U.S. vessel owner Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) have partnered up for the construction and operation of a windfarm feeder concept specifically designed for Maersk Supply Serviceâs next-generation wind installation vessel (WIV).The purpose-built feeder spread includes two tugs and two barges to be delivered in 2026. They will be owned and operated by ECO and constructed by Bollinger Shipyards â the largest privately-owned shipyard group in the United States.As a key component to the installation processâŠ
MAN Energy Solutions Delivers First Ever Ammonia-Ready SCR to Mitsui
MAN Energy Solutions has announced the production of a massive Cluster 5 Double Layer Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) converter to MITSUI E&S.The cluster comes ammonia-ready and is the largest such unit that the company has ever built.Such systems are typically used aboard cruise ships and cargo ships to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%.âAs the very first SCR for an ammonia engine anywhere in the world, this is a historic moment. As the largest, high-pressure SCR we have ever built, this marks a new milestone for our business.
US Unions ask Biden Administration to Probe Chinese Shipbuilding
Five U.S. labor unions on Tuesday filed a petition with the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai requesting a probe into China's alleged unfair policies and practices in the maritime logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the USTR office said.The petition was filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a statute aimed at combating trade partners' unfair practices.Trade practices are only one component of strains in U.S.-China relations in recent years. Other contentious issues include TaiwanâŠ
Floating Production â A Growing Segment in Transition
The specialized deepwater oil & gas and floating offshore wind segments will share many of the same stakeholders and supply chains, competing for increasingly scarce resources.To receive a full version of Inteletus analysis, click hereThe established floating production segment is forecast to experience continued growth through this decade, driving demand for, among other things, moorings, subsea systems, umbilicals, risers, flowlines and the large anchor handlers and subsea support vessels that will install and maintain the elements.At the same timeâŠ
Virtual Marine: Simulator Training is the Real Deal
In the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, effective training practices are an absolute must. While hands-on, in-the-field learning will always be a vital component of any marinerâs training, marine simulation has become a welcome enhancement to the education process. And in some cases, itâs seen as a safer alternative to traditional survival craft and rescue boat training.A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Vitol Bunkers Receives its First Biofuel Barge in Asia
Vitol Bunkers has taken delivery of the Marine Future vessel, its first specialized biofuel bunker barge in Singapore.The addition of this specialized IMO type 2 notation bunker tanker to the V-Bunkers fleet will make it possible to supply biofuel blends including B24, B30 and up to B100, depending on customer specifications.Built in China, Marine Future is 102.6m in length and has the capacity to carry about 7,000 MT of biofuels.The current fleet of bunker tankers in Singapore are classified as âoil tankersâ and are therefore restricted to a maximum of 25% bio component in biofuel blends.
ARC Keeps the Cargo Rolling
With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.â premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbersâ is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping companyâŠ
US Issues Clean Air Permit to Empire Offshore Wind Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, granted a Clean Air Act permit to New York's Empire Offshore Wind owned by Equinor.The permit was given after an air quality analysis showed federal air quality standards would not be compromised during construction and operation of the project, the agency said."When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State â enough to power as many as a million homes,â said Regional Administrator Lisa F.
Scanunit Helps Ferry Aurora in first PFAS/PFOS Conversion
Battery-powered Öresundslinjen ferry notches up an environmental first with turnkey conversion and decontamination of soon to be outlawed PFAS/PFOS fire-fighting foam to an environmentally friendly alternative.Scanunit has carried out what it believes is the worldâs first replacement and decontamination of a PFAS/PFOS1 foam firefighting system on a commercial vessel. Aurora, a 1992-built ferry operated by EQT-owned Öresundslinjen (a subsidiary of Molslinjen), was the vessel concernedâŠ
BP Welcomes FLNG Gimi in West Africa
The floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel Gimi, that is a core component of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project, has arrived at its destination on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border.The FLNG vessel Gimi is at the heart of the GTA Phase 1 development, operated by BP with partners, Kosmos Energy, PETROSEN and SMH.GTA Phase 1 is set to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of LNG per year. The innovative project is expected to produce LNG for more than 20 yearsâŠ
Amogy Issued Feasibility Statement by Lloydâs Register
Ammonia power solutions company Amogy informs it has been awarded a feasibility statement by classification society Lloydâs Register (LR).Amogy has developed an ammonia-to-electrical power system that splits, or âcracks,â liquid ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen, which then funnels the hydrogen into a fuel cell, generating power at five times the energy density of lithium batteries.The feasibility statement from LR serves as the official approval of Amogyâs Technology Qualification Plan (TQP)âŠ
UK Supreme Court Piracy Ruling Gives Guidance on War Risk Provisions in Charterparties
In a well-timed decision given the current situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the UK Supreme Court recently handed down judgment in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV [2024] UKSC 2, a decision that arose from seizure of a ship by Somali pirates.Key factsThe vessel MT Polar was chartered to carry a cargo of fuel oil from St Petersburg to Singapore. The most direct route would be via the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aden.The Gulf of Aden was within the âhigh risk areaâ for piracy when the charter was agreed.
Rolls-Royce Opens mtu Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center in US
Rolls-Royce Power Systems Division has opened a new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center on its mtu Aiken campus in South Carolina.First announced in 2021 and representing a low double-digit million dollar investment, the new 69,000-sq.ft. (6,400 sqm) facility is connected to the existing manufacturing operations, bringing formerly outsourced workshop and warehouse operations in-house and expands them to provide remanufacturing and overhaul of mtu Series 2000, Series 4000 and Detroit Diesel 2-Cycle engines and components, plus internal and external rework services.
Advanced Polymer Coatings Starts Factory Expansion
Protective tank coatings manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) announced an expansion of its factory, an investment central to its plans to increase its market share of the chemical and product tanker markets.APC President David Keehan said the renovation of its Avon, Ohio factory will almost double its size to 42,000 sq. ft., and a new automated manufacturing system will start production later this year, quadrupling manufacturing capacity of its MarineLINE protective cargoâŠ
Bahri Charters Methanol-fueled Tanker Pair
Bahri business unit Bahri Chemicals will charter two newbuild methanol-powered tankers under a five-year agreement with methanol producer Proman. The vessels, which were officially named during a ceremony hosted at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China in November 2023 where both ships were built, will be deployed to transport various products globally.The vessels are the final two of an initial six-strong methanol-fueled tanker fleet commissioned through the partnership between Proman and Stena Bulk.
Sub-Continent Recyclers Hope for Better 2024
As we enter the last week of 2023, sub-continent markets struggle on, says cash buyer GMS, going the final furlong to round out what has been an overall disappointing year for pricing and volumes.Prices have collapsed from over $600/LDT to below $500/LDT over certain stages this year, seeing around $150/LDT wiped from residual values in a shock for owners and cash buyers alike.âNow that currencies and steel prices seem to have stabilized across the board for the time being, many will be hoping for a more bullish 2024, particularly as the supply of tonnage is set to increase â from both the dry
Top 10 Things to Watch in Offshore Wind in '24
Despite short-term obstacles driven by high inflation and interest rates coupled with supply chain issues, we maintain that the foundations supporting long-term offshore wind activity remain solid. As we prepare for the new year, let us look at 10 factors that will shape the offshore wind sector in 2024.1. A Continuously Dynamic Energy TrilemmaThe dynamic relationship of the three key drivers of affordable energy, energy security and energy transition was clearly evident in 2023 as energy affordability and security were generally more prominent themes than the transition.
Time is Running Out for some Fi-Fi Foams
A new IMO resolution will see the phase-out of foam firefighting systems that use fluorinated foams containing perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (PFOS) as the foam-producing component. The new rules come into effect under a rolling programme beginning in 2026, but Swedish maritime engineering specialist Scanunit believes that a proactive replacement strategy should be put into effect now.Foam firefighting systems on ships typically make use of a family of synthetic chemical compounds known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
OSG to Upgrade Engines on Its Alaska Class Tankers
U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group announced it will upgrade all four vessels in its Alaskan Class fleet with new methanol-ready engines from MAN Energy Solutions.The vessels Alaskan Explorer, Alaskan Frontier, Alaskan Legend and Alaskan Navigator, all approaching 20 years in age, will receive significant engine and operational improvements, resulting in environmental benefits as well as extending their commercially useful life, OSG said.The lifecycle engine upgrades involve a series of technical and commercial enhancementsâŠ