Gas Flow News

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…

Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings, a Hong Kong shipowner, for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project onboard two of its vessels.Partnering in the project is Qiyao Environmental Technology, a subsidiary of Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute.The AiP follows a joint study which validated the technical feasibility of using CCS technology on existing vessels. Wah Kwong provided two vessels from its fleet for the study: a 53…

Israel and Lebanon have reached "a historic agreement" on their maritime border, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday. “This is a historic achievement that will strengthen Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border,” Lapid said. The deal will be brought before his security cabinet and government on Wednesday for their approval before it is reviewed by parliament, Lapid said in a statement.

Swiss marine power company WinGD has introduced an on-engine version of its iCER system, enabling the emissions reduction technology to be installed without impact on engine footprint. iCER is the first X-DF2.0 technology introduced to further boost the emissions performance and efficiency of the dual-fuel X-DF two-stroke engine series. X-DF engines running on LNG already offer a more than 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a reduction in air pollution compared to fuel oil. The addition of iCER delivers a 50% reduction of methane slip in gas mode.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, expanding penalties on Moscow after it recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.The sanctions, which target the Nord Stream 2 AG company and its CEO, Matthias Warnig, add to pressure on the Baltic Sea project that was designed to double the gas flow capacity from Russia to Germany.Europe's most divisive energy project, Nord Stream 2 has not begun operations pending certification by Germany and the European Union.Germany on Tuesday halted the pipeline…

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has launched the Robust Feed AVS voltage-sensing feeder, which eliminates the need for a power supply/control cable between the power source and the feeder. The design simplifies cable management in portable applications, eliminating a cable that could potentially get damaged. Voltage-sensing feeder technology also enables the feeder to work with either constant current (CC) or constant voltage (CV) power sources for greater flexibility.Robust Feed improves durability…

U.S. officials have told members of Congress they have an understanding with Germany about shutting down the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, a senior congressional aide told Reuters on Tuesday.The White House said Germany had made commitments about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea in the event of aggressive acts by Russia.U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday the West…

Gazprom’s Turkish Stream (TurkStream), the natural gas pipeline running from the Russian Federation to Turkey, has been 95% completed."Construction progress of the receiving terminal for the TurkStream Offshore Gas Pipeline has reached 95%. All works are in line with the schedule. First gas is expected to flow by the end of 2019," said a press note from TurkStream said.Direct and indirect employment related to the construction activities is currently over 1,700. Approximately 100 of the workers have been recruited locally.The TurkStream receiving terminal is realized near the town of Kiyikoy in the Turkish Thrace region. When operational…

Pacific Green Technologies Inc., developer of the ENVI-Marine emission control system, announced that, effective June 26, 2019 that Scorpio Tankers Inc. exercised options to install the ENVI-Marine system on an additional 14 vessels that STNG owns or manages.The pricing of the ENVI-Marine system for the vessels is currently being calculated in accordance with gas flow volumes under the terms of the Framework Agreement.

A Shanghai, China Celebration for MAN's newest solution for Tier III Compliance. The first order has already been won.ETB (Electrical Turbo Blower) raises exhaust-gas pressure to overcome the pressure difference between exhaust gas and scavenging air receiver by actively controlling the exhaust gas flow; strategic step to bring development in-house; design focuses on cost-optimisation and compactnessMAN Energy Solutions has launched its new EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) electrical…

A vessel that arrived in Bangladesh in April to offload its maiden cargo of liquefied natural gas and moor permanently as an import terminal should begin operations "within a week" after bad weather hampered its start-up, an official said on Thursday.The floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) will allow Bangladesh to import LNG for the first time as its domestic gas production falls and will boost several power projects in a nation where 30 percent go without electricity.Since its arrival at Moheshkhali…

Wärtsilä and Viking Line signed an Optimized Maintenance agreement for the Wärtsilä LNGPac system onboard passenger ferry Viking Grace, significant in that it is the first Optimized Maintenance agreement ever made for Wärtsilä LNGPac, a complete gas handling system for ships fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Viking Grace was the first passenger ferry to useLNG as a fuel source. The agreement also includes Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and online support for the Wärtsilä LNGPac system.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS), who conducts safety inspections of onboard welding equipment and consumables at 26 ports throughout the world, said its findings reveal how a lack of maintenance, respect and care for this essential, yet highly dangerous, technology is putting safety, efficiency and even lives at risk every day. WSS offers inspections at a network of international shipping hubs, including New Orleans, Dubai, Rotterdam, Panama and Shanghai. These involve approved…

Growing global energy demand and requirements for additional pipeline capacity are driving the pipeline segment. However, pipeline related innovation is prioritized by only 4% of senior oil & gas professionals, according to research by DNV GL, the technical advisor to the oil & gas industry. Further, the research shows that nearly one in five oil & gas companies (18%) do not have a strategy in place to maintain innovation. Six in ten (61%) respondents agree that operators will increasingly push to standardize their delivery globally, up from 55% in 2015 and 52% in 2014. The most common strategy for maintaining innovation with lower budgets is to increase collaboration with other industry players (45%).

Transerv Energy informed that fracture stimulation work has been successfully concluded at the Warro-5 well in WA’s Mid-West. The Warro-5 and Warro-6 wells are now being completed in preparation for long term gas testing. Warro-5 stimulation operations were completed on 7th January and all the equipment is now being demobilized from site. The final, second stage at Warro-5 resulted in the 305,000 pounds (138,400kg) of proppant being placed in the gas reservoir. Combined with the deeper Stage 1, Warro-5 has injected 385,000 pounds (175,000kg) of proppant over an interval 4330 – 4410mRT. Clean-up flows at Warro-5, conducted over the weekend yielded a sustained gas flow with a continuous flare. Like Warro-6, the gas rate could not be measured.

Leading Hong Kong ship-owner Tai Chong Cheang Steamship Co. (TCC) and the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering (USC) announced a significant research breakthrough aimed at tackling harmful ship-source emissions today. The research was conducted as part of a research program focused on improving marine diesel combustion efficiency and the reduction of exhaust gases via the application of nanosecond pulsed generation technology. With the support of TCC, researchers at USC Viterbi’s Pulsed Power Research and Combustion and Fuels Research Laboratories have for the past five years focused upon improving combustion efficiency in vessel diesel engines.

Nord Stream consortium, lead by Russian energy giant Gazprom, said on Wednesday it has stopped gas shipments via the Baltic Sea through one of its two lines as Swedish armed forces dispose of a munitions object found nearby. Total capacity of the two lines is 55 billion cubic metres per year. The consortium said a piece of munitions was found in close proximity to the Nord Stream Line 2 on Nov. "The location of the object is in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) approximately 120 km away from the island of Gotland," Nord Stream said. It added that it was not clear when the gas supplies via the line would be resumed. It said the Swedish armed forces were on site to "safely and professionally dispose of the munitions object".

With Tier III NOx limits entering into force in North America and the US Caribbean in January 2016, the time has come for many ship owners to choose their method of compliance. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) on MAN B&W engines has strong advantages on its own. But combined with a new pressurized EGR economizer from Alfa Laval, it also offers the potential for massive fuel savings. “EGR provides Tier III NOx compliance with a very compact footprint, but compliance itself is only part of the full potential,” says John Pedersen, Business Manager, Boilers, Combustion & Heaters at Alfa Laval. “Working closely with MAN Diesel & Turbo to optimize the EGR technology, we saw additional opportunities through our expertise in marine boilers.

The latest addition to Wärtsilä's portfolio of gas pumps has been introduced. The new Wärtsilä Svanehøj ECA Fuel Pump (EFP) has been developed in close cooperation with designers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel systems to support gas fuelled engines that achieve greater efficiency. The new Wärtsilä pump offers a number of advantages, including having no tank connections below liquid level, no electrical components inside the tank, and hardly any contribution to the generation of boil off gas. Having less heat and pressure build up in the fuel tank makes the new pump very safe, while in harsher operating conditions it also maintains the pressure, thereby ensuring a continuous gas flow to the LNG fuelled engine.

The first Wärtsilä two-stroke engine with a high pressure SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system manufactured in China has been introduced. The system is fitted to a 5-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex58T-D 2-stroke, low speed engine produced at the Hudong Heavy Machinery Co Ltd (HHM) facilities. The SCR reactor was also manufactured by HHM. This is the first SCR system that complies with the IMO’s Tier III regulations for engine emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx). The Wärtsilä engine with SCR is to be installed in a new 22,000 dwt multi-purpose vessel currently under construction at the Ouhua shipyard on behalf of China Navigation Co (CNCo). The ship, which is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of this year, has been designed to allow sufficient space for the fitting of the SCR.

Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak will intervene with Gazprom to raise reduced gas shipments to Slovakia to contracted levels, Slovakia's economy ministry said on Wednesday after bilateral talks in Moscow. Slovakia says natural gas flows to its national importer SPP have been reduced by up to 50 percent versus requested amounts since September 5, with Gazprom explaining the reduction by the need to fill up its storage. "Russia's energy minister made a public promise to (Slovak) Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis that he will personally intervene with the highest leadership of Gazprom to return supplies of gas for Slovakia to contracted levels because contract conditions need to be fulfilled," the ministry said in a statement.

Energy demand in South East Asia is expected to grow at twice the rate of the rest of the world. DNV GL has appointed Arve Johan Kalleklev regional manager for Oil & Gas in South East Asia just as the company is establishing a dedicated LNG and Gas Consulting unit in Singapore. The unit will support the extensive development plans for a safe, secure and reliable gas and LNG infrastructure in Asia. It is estimated that USD 460 billion will need to be invested in South East Asia’s gas and LNG infrastructure by 2035 to meet energy demand. “This will secure robust growth in LNG supply. The Pacific Basin has some of the largest exporters of LNG, but also some of the oldest plants - many more than 20 years old,” says Mr Kalleklev.

NYC-based PIRA Energy Group reports that oil inventories are higher and crude demand is lower. In the U.S., stock surplus to last year is roughly flat. In Japan, crude stocks draw amid peak run rates. Oil inventories are higher, crude demand is lower and PIRA is beginning to question the expected 2H 2014 and 2015 lift off in economic activity. Also, add in unrelenting upward revisions to U.S. oil supply growth with non-OPEC supply additions continuing to substantially outpace demand growth and you have a combination of factors pointing to lower prices. This past week’s inventory increase kept the year-on-year overall stock surplus to around 4 million barrels.