Gas Leaks News

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, leaving thousands without power.The earthquake, which struck at 2:34 a.m. (1034 GMT), was about 10 miles (16.1 km) deep, USGS said, and struck about 7.4 (12 km) west-southwest of Ferndale, California, a Humboldt County town about a four-hour drive north of San Francisco.Local media and others on social media reported there were numerous gas leaks, powerlines down, and at least one structure fire in Ferndale.

One of President Vladimir Putin's top allies said on Wednesday that the sabotage of the Nord Stream offshore gas pipelines resembled the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency-backed attacks on oil infrastructure in Nicaragua in 1983.Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany on the bed of the Baltic Sea, were ruptured last month in what Moscow said was an act of "international terrorism".President Vladimir Putin on Friday blamed the United States and its allies for blowing up the undersea Nord Stream pipelines, allegations rejected by Washington.

Unexplained gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany have prompted investigations by European countries into the cause, including possible sabotage.Denmark's armed forces on Tuesday released video showing bubbles rushing to the surface of the Baltic Sea above the pipelines, and said the largest gas leak had caused surface disturbance of well over 1 kilometer in diameter.Here is a breakdown of what is known so far:What happened?The operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline reported a sudden drop in pressure overnight on Monday…

Early White House efforts to boost U.S. liquefied natural gas exports and cut Europe's reliance on gas from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine are proceeding slowly, because of concerns about climate change impacts, government and industry sources said.The Ukraine crisis has underscored Europe's dependence on Russia, which supplies about 40% of its natural gas used to heat homes and generate electricity, and the Biden administration has promised its allies it will help break…

The importance of maintaining chemical toilets onboard ship has been raised following an incident in February onboard a Sydney Harbor-operating passenger ferry in which a high level of toxic gas was detected in a toilet cubicle after a passenger was fatally injured.A 39-year-old passenger was found unconscious in a toilet cubicle aboard the Lady Rose and could not be revived by paramedics. While the reasons behind her death are unconfirmed, during the initial investigation HAZMAT…

Viking Cruises is reportedly working on a project to develop a vessel fuelled by liquid hydrogen that could become the world’s first cruise ship with zero-emission technology, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA). NMA said the announcement was made by Viking Cruises project manager Serge Fossati during the Safety at Sea Conference in Haugesund. “This is a world sensation. Very exciting. If they pull this off, a distribution network may be established, which will enable others as well to use hydrogen as fuel…

Over forty-five leading companies in the shipping and offshore maritime sector are among those who have contributed to the funding for the first ever exhibition in the Netherlands dedicated to the offshore sector, to be housed at The Maritime Museum Rotterdam for the next seven years. Offshore Experience, which will open in mid-December, will provide visitors with a spectacular overview of the search for oil, gas, wind energy and renewables at sea. Frits Loomeijer, General Director of the Maritime Museum says, “As the worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy continues apace, energy assumes increasing importance for the economy and is essential for everyday living. Without energy, we could not recharge our mobile phones, put fuel in our cars or cook our food.

London Ship Managers (LSM) has made substantial savings across its fleet of 9000gt refrigerated cargo vessels following an extensive refrigerant plant optimisation programme carried out by Oceanic Technical Solutions. An engineering team from the Asia division of the UK-based refrigeration specialist carried out complete marine refrigeration inspections aboard the Cala Portese, Cala Piana, Cala Pevero and Cala Piccola. LSM Technical Fleet Manager Mike Seymour said: “We found we were spending substantial time and resources looking and checking for gas leaks which were still not being efficiently detected, in order to try and remove any environmental impact our vessels were making.

Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) are setting out with the research vessel Polarstern towards Spitsbergen, to use newly developed equipment in the Arctic Ocean. Autonomous instruments on the seabed, in the water column and in the air will complement the long-term measurements of the deep-sea research group. In this way researchers can analyse the climatic changes in the Arctic and their impact on the fauna in the future with higher temporal and spatial resolution. For the first time the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) "Tramper" will be set on its own for a year on the Arctic seabed. "The newly developed device is to measure oxygen along the depth gradients on a weekly basis.

Gazprom was announced the winner of the All-Russian Green Development – Evolution Awards 2016 in the Best Green Tech Solution category. The award was presented by competition committee chairman Sergey Donskoy, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. The Company was awarded for developing and introducing technologies that ensure high energy efficiency and reduce specific greenhouse gas emissions. These technologies include the use of mobile compressor stations without venting gas to the atmosphere from the gas pipeline section under repair. Another gas saving technology is hot tapping, which allows for making a connection to an operating gas pipeline without shutting the system down or venting gas.

With most offshore wells in Brazil located between 30 and 300 km from the coast, communication with offshore assets has not always been straightforward or reliable. Some operators and service providers still use traditional maritime VSAT services for coverage offshore Brazil, yet the introduction of Microwave radio has led to a much better level of quality and reliability in high-bandwidth voice and data communications. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil had an interesting conversation with Arild Fotland, head of Ceragon’s Oil and Gas Division, about the advantages of Microwave radio communications for offshore operations in Brazil. Fotland joined Ceragon in 1978 and has been stationed all over the world.

Ship owners are facing a number of regulatory gauntlet in coming years regarding emissions and ballast water treatment systems. But ship owners with EU-flagged vessels who incur unnecessary operating costs need to ensure that their onboard refrigeration units are leak-tight, said WSS’ Svenn Jacobsen, as new EU Regulations on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gas), look to fundamentally change the use of refrigeration gases onshore and at sea, with estimated cost increases at 5-10 times their current level.

Hot work required for welding, grinding and cutting operations presents certain potential hazards when conducted in potentially explosive and flammable environments. According to the Health and Safety Executive guidance 2013, “flammable liquids and vapors such as petrol, diesel, fuel oil, paints, solvents, glue, lacquer and cleaning agents are found in many places of work. In order to minimize the risk, cold bonding solutions involving materials that are applied and cured at ambient temperatures can offer an alternative solution for repair and newbuild applications on metallic surfaces.

Output at Kazakhstan's huge Kashagan oilfield may not start until 2016, the Financial Times said on Sunday, citing Kazakhstan's minister for economy and budget planning. Erbolat Dossayev told the FT he hoped production could be restarted late next year. "But if not, we will wait until 2016," the FT cited him as saying in an interview. Production at the offshore deposit, the world's biggest oil find in 35 years, started in September but was halted in early October after the detection of gas leaks in the $50 billion project's pipeline network. Earlier this month French major Total said no oil production was to be expected from Kashagan this year and it was not likely to yield much next year either.

Tighter regulations on exhaust emissions are prompting rapid change within the global shipping industry. Orders for scrubber systems have soared higher than before, suppliers of emissions monitoring software are rapidly taking increasing orders, and the market for natural gas-powered engines continues to break new ground. Choosing the most cost-effective way to reduce exhaust emissions is vital for the industry. Regulations for Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) are now enforced across many countries and there are further designation zones under discussion.

Steve Farris runs a $33 billion Texas oil and gas company and turns, for advice, to a bearded Vermont environmentalist. As other energy firms battled climate change and anti-pollution activists in recent years, the Apache Corp chief executive instead built an alliance with Steven Heim, managing director of Boston Common Asset Management, one of the better-known socially responsible investment firms. The relationship helped Apache side step time-consuming proxy fights that have plagued some of its peers, in exchange for changes like committing to protect the rights of native peoples living near remote gas projects, and using cleaner chemicals in hydraulic fracturing, a drilling method that environmentalists say could threaten groundwater.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday took a step toward a wider strategy to address climate change, releasing five technical papers that will help it decide whether or not to regulate methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The "white papers" follow the White House's announcement in March of a plan to reduce methane emissions both domestically and internationally through incentive-based programs and the administration's existing authorities. The suggestion drew a rebuke at the time from the main oil and gas lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute, which said its members were already taking steps to cut emissions.

Sonardyne Asia Pte Ltd. to launch ALDS (Automatic Leak Detection Sonar} at upcoming OSEA Singapore expo. ALDS has been designed to continuously and automatically detect and localise oil and gas leaks below 1 barrel per day in excess of 500 metres whilst eliminating transient acoustic targets that could trigger false alarms. Sonardyne’s ALDS is designed to continuously monitor one billion cubic feet of water for leaks around subsea oil and gas assets. Capable of 360° coverage, it can detect leaks at rates of less than one barrel per day at ranges in excess of 500 metres in deep water.

Wärtsilä introduced its Intelligent Combustion Monitoring system for two-stroke diesel engines; a system designed to provide ship operators and owners with  information that enables operators to optimize vessel engine performance, and to be aware of the condition of components in the combustion chamber. By operating at optimal firing pressures, fuel cost savings of up to two percent compared to deteriorated parameters can be achieved. Furthermore, the condition information ensures that maintenance is carried out at the right time. The Wärtsilä Intelligent Combustion Monitoring system provides a means for measuring the pressures in each cylinder during the entire combustion process, continuously, in parallel, and under all load conditions.

ITF is calling on technology developers to come forward with innovative solutions to drilling, well intervention and subsea challenges, with the potential for successful proposals to receive up to 100% funding. Submission deadlines are fast approaching for three global calls for proposals, following the identification of key priorities at a series of Technology Challenge Workshops (TCWs) by ITF members earlier this year. The calls for drilling and well intervention solutions follows on from two workshops held in Amsterdam earlier this year, where a number of operators and service companies identified the shared challenges where they would like to see innovative technologies developed.

A major natural gas leak shut down the Norwegian Visund offshore oil and natural gas platform, AP reported. No one was injured in the incident, but 17 of 91 crew members aboard were flown to a nearby North Sea platform by helicopter as a precaution when gas and fire alarms sounded. It was a major leak, but that strong winds kept the gas away from the platform itself. Gas leaks on offshore platforms can cause catastrophic explosions and fires, often far from shore, and the agency said it was investigating the incident. Visund was the sixth Statoil-operated field suffering problems this week. The total lost production is 250,000 barrels per day of oil and condensate, also called light oil, and about 50 million cubic meters of natural gas.

Sonardyne International has announced the launch of an Automatic Leak Detection Sonar (ALDS) at the Oceanology International Exhibition and Conference in London. The Sonardyne product is an active sonar capable of detecting and localizing deep water hydrocarbon leaks around offshore installations and pipelines soon after they develop, allowing operators to respond immediately and accurately in the case of a leak.ALDS is designed to detect oil and gas leaks at significant ranges, allowing coverage of wide areas from a single sensor. Typically, in deep water, the system will detect gas leaks of 1bpd (barrel per day) at a range of 500m and live oil leaks of 10bpd at the same range.

U.S. Coast Guard units operating in the Houston - Galveston area of responsibility have as of 4 p.m. Tuesday processed 51 reports of pollution and repaired or replaced 40 percent of critical aids to navigation damaged or missing in the wake of Hurricane Ike.Of the 51 pollution reports, 15 incidents require active cleanup, 14 require passive action and 22 require no further action by the Coast Guard. The reports cover a range of incidents including the discharge of petroleum products from storage tanks that have been damaged and/or are submerged in flood waters, the discharge of fuel from submerged machinery and sunken or damaged vessels in marinas, and natural gas leaks. A pipeline in , leaking natural gas from a valve currently under six feet of water.