Conventional Gas News

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a maritime hydrogen fuel cell system developed by YANMAR Power Technology, marking the first AiP certification for a maritime hydrogen fuel cell system developed by a Japanese manufacturer.The 300kW maritime hydrogen fuel cell system, developed by Yanmar, is designed with key auxiliary components such as gas valve units integrated within the system enclosure, aimed to facilitate easy installation on ships.On top of that, the system allows for parallel connection of multiple units and adjustments to the number of hydrogen fuel cell modules,

Container shipping giants CMA CGM and Maersk said on Tuesday they will cooperate in efforts to reduce emissions in the sector, including by supporting the use of methanol and aiding research into potential fuels like ammonia. The shipping industry is grappling with which fuels and vessel technology to adopt on a large scale to meet an objective of net zero emissions by around the middle of the century. Danish group Maersk has focused on so-called green methanol and last week announced the creation a new company to produce fuel.

I will readily confess that 20 years ago I was not convinced that EV’s were the answer to sustainable energy. Instead, I had long been a fan of hydrogen. I was well aware that there were technical issues associated with hydrogen, but was equally aware that, for total sustainable energy, a transportable fuel is needed and hydrogen seemed to be the way to go.I envisioned hydrogen generation from sustainable sources (wind, solar, etc) and the use of hydrogen with fuel cells in cars, ships and with gas turbines in airplanes.

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…

DNV completed a concept verification review of Odfjell Oceanwind’s WindGrid (WindGrid) system for Mobile Offshore Wind Units (MOWUs). DNV’s review confirms the technical feasibility of the WindGrid system, and that expected reductions in CO2-emissions for North Sea applications are in the range of 60-70%, compared to generation of electricity from conventional gas turbines.Odfjell’s WindGrid is a solution for providing an uninterrupted power supply from Mobile Offshore Wind Units (MOWUs) to micro-grids.

As the maritime industry embarks on 'the path to zero', it is widely acknowledged that there is currently not a 'silver bullet' solution, nor is it likely that a solution will emerge from a vaccum. Collaboration is the path forward, and efforts such as MethanQuest offer promise.The project MethanQuest was launched in September 2018 with 29 partners from research, industry and the energy sector to work on processes for producing hydrogen and methane from renewables and for using them to achieve climate-neutral mobility and power generation.

Russian gas producer Novatek has started ship-to-ship loadings of liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project near the northern port of Murmansk, shifting away from Norway, ship tracking data at Refinitiv Eikon showed on Monday.The company previously conducted such operations at a terminal at the Norwegian Arctic port of Honningsvag. However, Oslo has faced pressure from the United States to stop Novatek from using a Norwegian port, with Washington arguing that such operations…

Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) led globally among companies in the third quarter (Q3) 2019 in terms of the highest number of oil and gas discoveries, said GlobalData.Of the total 38 discoveries made worldwide, EGPC had four, all being onshore discoveries. Of these, three were conventional oil discoveries while the remaining was a conventional gas discovery, said a report from GlobalData.Soorya Tejomoortula, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData, explained: “Of the three conventional oil discoveries made by EGPC in Q3 2019, two are in the Western Desert Basin and the remaining is in the Gulf of Suez Basin. This lone conventional gas discovery was made in the Nile Delta Basin.”“Aker BP…

South Korea’s liquid petroleum gas (LPG) imports are expected to increase 9.5% in 2019 on account of the growth is due to stronger demand from the petrochemical sector.The recent policy change that will allow LPG-fueled vehicles in the private sector is another booster, said Drewry.South Korea’s LPG market was starting to look saturated with low demand, but as the government is reconsidering cleaner fuels, its demand is likely to shoot up.Drewry said that severe air pollution in the country caused mainly by vehicular emissions has forced the government to rethink its earlier strategy.Until February 2019 only commercial vehicles such as taxis, rental cars, vans and small buses in the country were allowed to use LPG as auto fuel.

The vast majority (85%) of professionals working in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector believe that more investment is needed in LNG infrastructure to satisfy forecasts for growing global demand after 2025.However, more than two-thirds (69%) stated that uncertainty over prices is limiting spending in the megaprojects needed to feed the world’s growing appetite for LNG.A new report published by DNV GL has revealed that the vast majority (85%) of LNG professionals believe several new infrastructure projects will need to be initiated in 2019 to ensure LNG supply can meet demand post-2025. Price uncertainty is limiting investment in LNG megaprojects…

Russian energy giant Gazprom revealed that there is still a high level of uncertainty in the long-term forecasts for U.S. shale gas production. It also said that the number of LNG-consuming countries would grow in the long term.Gazprom's Board of Directors took note of the information about the prospects of the shale gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) sectors around the world, as well as the opportunities and threats facing the Company.The oil and gas company focused on the business of extraction, production, transport, and sale of natural gas highlighted that, as in the past, shale gas production was concentrated almost entirely in the United States. However, there is still a high level of uncertainty in the long-term forecasts for U.S.

The world will need less energy from the 2030s onwards, but it will still require a significant amount of oil and gas in the lead-up to mid-century according to DNV GL’s 2018 Energy Transition Outlook, an independent forecast of the world energy mix in the lead-up to 2050.The report says, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will remain the main global supplier of oil and gas for decades to come."Among its forecasts for 10 global regions, DNV GL’s Outlook sees the MENA region accounting for most onshore conventional gas production in the lead-up to 2050, while North America will continue to dominate unconventional gas production.

While DNV GL’s model predicts global oil demand to peak in 2023, demand for gas will continue to rise until 2034. New resources will be required long after these dates to continue replacing depleting reserves. DNV GL’s 2018  Energy Transition Outlook, an independent forecast of the world energy mix in the lead-up to 2050, predicts global upstream gas capital expenditure to grow from USD960 billion (bn) in 2015, to a peak of USD1.13 trillion in 2025. Upstream gas operating expenditure is set to rise from USD448 bn in 2015 to USD582 bn in 2035, when operational spending will be at its highest.“The energy transition will be made up of many sub-transitions. Our Outlook affirms that the switch in demand from oil to gas has already begun.

Maritime industry technology specialists Martek Marine say it is setting the bar high when it comes to offshore gas safety. The company has developed a first-of-its-kind gas sampling system for a new moored floating production unit, which forms part of the Jangkrik Complex gas fields development in Indonesia. The system has been developed to dramatically improve offshore crew safety through the use of advanced gas sampling technology. The worst offshore disaster in history, the Piper disaster on July 6…

A new liquefied ethylene gas carrier (LEG) was named on Teesside today. Operated by German shipping company Hartmann Reederei and GasChem Services, the new eco-friendly sea vessel GasChem Beluga will carry shipments of ethane gas from Houston to SABIC’s cracker at Wilton on Teesside under a long-term time charter. SABIC recently converted its Teesside cracker during a major investment to enable it to take ethane gas alongside other feedstocks, to make it one of the most flexible and competitive crackers in Europe.

Australia's ascent to liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing giant is choking off trade routes from Atlantic to Pacific markets established after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, giving rise to new routes. Mass cargo diversions from west to east earned traders fat margins as Asian markets commanded steep price premiums, partly driven by Japan's scramble to replace lost nuclear output. Waning Asian demand, major new supply from nearby Australia and converging global LNG prices are all putting a stop to long-haul diversions. At $0.40 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), Asia's premium over European markets is less than the cost of shipping a cargo from Britain to Japan, a trader said, slamming the brakes on cross-basin trade. But new routes are emerging.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea has contracted Wärtsilä to supply combined inert gas generators and gas combustion units for 17 new LNG Carrier vessels under construction at the company's yards. The vessels are being built for leading operators in Singapore, Greece, South Korea, Cyprus and Canada. These significant contracts with Wärtsilä were signed in June and September. These will be the first ever units delivered by Wärtsilä that combine inert gas generators (IGG) and gas combustion units (GCU) with high capacity. The systems have a maximum volume of up to 3800 kg/h, which is sufficient for the industry's largest LNG carriers. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in close cooperation with DSME.

The increasing use of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as a fuel was given another boost with today’s commissioning of a new type of inland navigation vessel: Sirocco. Owned by Chemgas Barging, this conventional gas tanker is equipped with a main engine capable of running on marine gas oil as well as on the clean LNG. What makes this dual-fuel system unique is that it is positioned below decks in the cargo area, which improves vessel safety. This deployment is part of the ‘LNG Masterplan Rhine-Main-Danube’ project which is being realised with the support of the European Commission’s TEN-T Programme under the coordination of Pro Danube Management GmbH and the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

Ziff Energy, a Division of HSB Solomon Associates LLC, released a report titled “North American Ultimate Potential Gas Resource.” The report presents the ultimate resource potential for Appalachia, the Gulf Region, the Mid-Continent/Permian basin, the Pacific, Alaska and Canada. It features a breakdown on the remaining resource of undiscovered conventional gas, tight gas, shale gas and coalbed methane. The report also includes details of Ziff Energy’s methodology for resource estimation of selected plays. “Ziff Energy has created preliminary estimates of the technically recoverable ultimate potential of Montney, Horn River, Liard, and Duvernay plays,” said Simon Mauger, P.Geol., Director, Gas Supply and Economics, and report author.

A strong continuation in the recovery of LNG expenditure is underway worldwide, driven by a growing demand for natural gas. The new eighth edition of Douglas-Westwood’s (DW) World LNG Market Forecast expects that global capital expenditure (Capex) will total nearly $228B during the 2013-2017 period. The surge includes capital expenditure on base-load onshore and offshore fixed LNG liquefaction, LNG carriers and LNG regasification, via both onshore and offshore fixed import terminals.

Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply a combined inert gas generator and gas combustion unit for two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built at the DSME yard in South Korea. The ships will be owned by Canada based Teekay Corporation, one of the world's largest marine energy transportation, storage and production companies. The contract was signed in May 2013. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in cooperation with DSME, and the system burns the boil off gas using an already existing Wärtsilä Moss inert gas generator.

Wärtsilä to supply a combined inert gas generator & gas combustion unit for 2 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built at the DSME yard in South Korea for Canada-based Teekay Corp. The concept of combining the two systems was developed by Wärtsilä in cooperation with DSME, and the system burns the boil off gas using an already existing Wärtsilä Moss inert gas generator. In so doing, it eliminates the need for a conventional gas combustion unit thus providing capital expenditure savings for the customer. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to begin in autumn 2014.

“Despite a long-term decline in oil & gas production in the North Sea, its services and support industry has a bright future,” said John Westwood, Chairman of energy business advisors Douglas-Westwood, in Aberdeen this week. Addressing a major event organized by the Norwegian British Chamber of Commerce on opportunities and challenges for the industry in the North Sea area, Westwood noted that the North Sea is a major world-class basin that for the past 40 years has delivered huge economic benefits to Norway and The UK. “However, oil & gas production is in decline,” he said.