Fugitive Emissions: The New Regulatory Elephant in the Room
W&O Supply and Chesterton team up to reduce harmful emissions out in front to the EPA’s monitoring program. It’s less expensive than you might think. From the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency comes the September 2014 news of a barge operator fined for releasing dangerous gas into the atmosphere. The UK-based firm was made to pay almost £111,000 in fines and costs as a result of emitting unsafe levels of a gas; in this case, hydrogen sulphide (H2S). And, while an investigation by the MCA showed a number of health and safety failings by the operator, the bottom line was that not enough was done to stop the offending vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.
Monitored Confined-Space Entry
Protecting Workers, and Ensuring Safe Sailing for the Maritime Industry. The cable-laying vessel GS Global Sentinel was undergoing repair work. Shipyard workers and members of the ship’s crew found a mysteriously high hydrogen sulfide reading in a confined space on board that created a toxic environment. They could not understand why. What caused this potentially lethal scenario? After investigation and safe entry into the tank, crewmembers of the vessel and shipyard workers discovered…
Barge Operator Fined for Releasing Dangerous Gas
The operator of a Portsmouth-based barge has today been made to pay almost £111,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to a breach of maritime legislation. Serco Ltd. admitted an offence at Portsmouth Crown Court in relation to the health and safety of workers aboard the barge 1706, which is operated as part of a service contract with the U.K. Ministry of Defense. The primary function of the barge is to collect waste products from naval vessels when they were moored in Portsmouth. On July 6, 2011, barge 1706 was secured alongside a warship at Portsmouth Naval Base and was taking waste water from the vessel. A short while later, the crew started to smell the distinctive 'rotten eggs' odor of hydrogen sulphide (H2S).
Aker Acquire Specialized Drilling Firm
Aker Solutions acquires managed pressure drilling specialist Managed Pressure Operations (MPO). Managed Pressure Operations International, Ltd. (MPO) is a company that has successfully developed the next generation of continuous circulation, riser gas handling and managed pressure drilling systems. The main rationale for using managed pressure drilling is to improve safety and efficiency, enable access to new fields with challenging drilling conditions, and enhance the life of mature fields.
Dockers Union Orders Strike After Violence Erupts at Nigerian Port
A Nigerian dockers' union said on Thursday it had ordered a strike at Lagos' Apapa port after three men died, bringing the port to a standstill when it is struggling to clear the worst congestion for 25 years. The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said it had asked its members to stop work following an incident in which three men died after inhaling poisonous fumes on Wednesday. "We received a report yesterday that two of our members died at the Apapa port after inhaling dangerous gas while working on a vessel," union officer Tony Anyanwu said. Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) spokesman Babatunde Sanni said he was not aware of the deaths or any walkout by workers.
