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Gas Processing News

12 Dec 2023

US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

© Alexey Bakharev / Adobe Stock

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

06 Nov 2023

Wärtsilä Announces Restructure

Source: Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä has announced plans to further streamline its marine business portfolio by divesting its Gas Solutions business unit.Gas Solutions is a provider of gas processing systems. However, the business unit has limited synergies with the rest of Wärtsilä’s marine product portfolio. Therefore, Wärtsilä plans to move Gas Solutions to the Portfolio Business in preparation for a divestment. The net sales of Gas Solutions was EUR 293 million in the 12-month period Q4/2022-Q3/2023.Wärtsilä…

23 Oct 2023

US Gulf Coast Oil Patch Gets Lucky, So Far, in Busy Hurricane Season

© Michael Rolands / Adobe Stock

A very active Atlantic hurricane season so far this year has not sent storms across U.S. oil and natural gas fields in the northern Gulf of Mexico, sparing energy companies billions of dollars of losses and consumers higher fuel costs.The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season has been another in a string with above average activity producing three major hurricanes with winds above 111 mph (179 kph) out of six hurricanes among 20 named tropical storms.So far this year, only one storm, Tropical Storm Harold, on Aug.

31 May 2023

Europe's Biggest Gas Supplier Says All Clear from Offshore Pipeline Security Checks

©pixone3d/AdobeStock

Inspections of Norway's offshore gas pipelines after the Nord Stream blasts found nothing suspicious, an executive at energy major Equinor told Reuters, in the first official word on the security sweep.However, risks remain after last year's still-unexplained explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines built to carry Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, warned Jannicke Nilsson, who manages security for Equinor.Europe's largest gas supplier after a drop in Russian flows last year, Equinor also acts as technical service provider for offshore pipelines operator Gassco.

03 Mar 2023

EU Backs Project to Minimize Methane Slip from Marine Engines

© ozerkina / Adobe Stock

A consortium has secured European Union funding to develop solutions minimizing methane slip from marine engines, advancing the environmental and climate benefits of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a ship fuel.Coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Green Ray project brings together several companies from across the shipping value chain: shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique, ship owner CMA CGA, classification society DNV GL, technology group Wärtsilä, the Finnish Meteorological Institute…

15 Nov 2022

Freeport LNG Blames Valve Testing Faults for June Accident

(File photo: Freeport LNG)

Freeport LNG pointed to deficiencies in safety valve testing and operating procedures as the root causes of a pipeline explosion that shut its export plant in Texas on June 8, according to a report released on Tuesday.The fiery explosion at the Texas Gulf Coast plant, the second-largest in the U.S., caused global liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices to spike amid falling Russian supplies to Europe and other outages. The report did not indicate when the plant, which supplies 20% of U.S.

14 Nov 2022

Freeport LNG to Miss Restart Target for Fire-damaged Texas Export Plant

© Andrey Sharpilo / Adobe Stock

The owner of the second-largest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant has not yet provided regulators with a final repair plan, according to a person familiar with the matter, likely pushing any restart into the first quarter of next year.The outage since a fiery explosion in June has underscored the global demand for new gas supplies and required major LNG traders and customers of the roughly 16 million tonne per year processing facility to buy replacement cargoes at huge markups.Freeport LNG had pledged in August to restart gas-processing by early to mid-November…

13 Oct 2022

Threat Against Major Gas Plant Resolved, Norwegian Police Say

Nyhamna plant which processes gas from Ormen Lange offshore field - Credit: Shell (file image)

Norwegian police on Thursday responded to a threat made by telephone against the Nyhamna gas processing plant, one of Europe's largest energy export facilities, and later said the incident had been resolved. The threat came amid heightened concerns about the security of oil and gas infrastructure following suspected sabotage of Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines to Europe, though plant operator Gassco and offshore producers Shell and Equinor said output had not been interrupted.

07 Oct 2022

Safety Concerns: Norway Inspects Europipe II Subsea Gas Pipeline to Germany

Norway has deployed a specialist vessel to inspect a subsea gas pipeline to Germany because of safety concerns after suspected sabotage last month on two Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany, according to sources and data.Norway, Europe's largest gas supplier, last week put its energy sector on high alert, deploying its navy and air force to patrol offshore facilities and placing soldiers at onshore gas processing plants after the Sept. 26 Nord Stream blasts.The Havila Subsea, an oil service vessel equipped with remotely operated subsea vehicles, was deployed on Oct. 5 to survey the Europipe II pipeline that runs from the Kaarstoe gas plant in Norway to Dornum in Germany, Refinitiv vessel-tracking data shows.

03 Oct 2022

Sweden Sends Diving Vessel to Inspect Leaking Nord Stream Pipelines

Nord Stream Gas Leak in the Baltic Sea - Credit: Swedish Coast Guard

Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines in the Nord Stream network to burst in an act of suspected sabotage near Swedish and Danish waters that Moscow quickly sought to pin on the West, suggesting the United States stood to gain."The coast guard is responsible for the mission…

03 Oct 2022

Norway Posts Soldiers at Oil, Gas Plants after Nord Stream Leaks

Credit; Norway Armed Forces

Norway's military said on Monday it had posted soldiers to help guard major onshore oil and gas processing plants, part of a wider effort to boost security amid suspicion that sabotage caused leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines last week.Russia's Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines burst on Sept. 26, draining gas into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark and Sweden. Seismologists registered explosions in the area, and police in several countries have launched investigations.Norway…

02 Sep 2022

Normal Atlantic Hurricane Activity Forecast over Next Two Weeks

Credit: GJGK_Photography/AdobeStock

There will likely be normal levels of tropical storm activity over the next two weeks as the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season hits its peak, forecasters at Colorado State University said on Thursday.An upper-level trough in the atmosphere is expected to continue bringing near-normal to above-normal wind shear over the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, the forecasters said.“This increased shear is likely due to a vigorous tropical upper-tropospheric trough which has been one of the primary reasons why the Atlantic hurricane season has not been as active as projected…

14 Feb 2022

Floating Power Plants: Is Nuclear the Key in the Net-zero Energy Transition?

Image courtesy NuScale Power, LLC

Floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) may not immediately spring to mind as providing a solution to several of today’s key global challenges – but FNPP development is emerging as a means of decentralized stand-alone production of cost competitive hydrogen-based fuels and clean electricity and water, according to a new report by Intelatus Global Partners.The commercial case for deployment of FNPPs featuring small modular reactors is founded in the growing demand for hydrogen and…

27 Jun 2022

Bureau Veritas, TotalEnergies Study Ammonia Leaks

© Forance / Adobe Stock

Bureau Veritas (BV) and TotalEnergies are studying ammonia leak mitigation and treatment in an effort to de-risking the use of ammonia as a marine fuel.The joint preliminary study has evaluated the health and safety risks from ammonia leaks for crew and passengers and pinpointed key safety criteria. So far, the study has examined different leak scenarios for single-wall and double-wall containment, as well as during bunkering operations – also providing key insights on the efficiency of ventilation and vapor processing systems…

07 Sep 2021

Coast Guard Probing 350 Reports of Oil Spills in Wake of Hurricane Ida

A Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew conducts an overflight assessment Sept. 5, 2021 of the Bay Marchand approximately 2 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The crew witnessed an 11-mile rainbow sheen that the Coast Guard is actively monitoring. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile)

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was probing nearly 350 reports of oil spills in and along the U.S. Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida.Hurricane Ida's 150 mile per hour (240 kph) winds wreaked havoc on offshore oil production platforms and onshore oil and gas processing plants. About 88% of the region's offshore oil production remains shut and more than 100 platforms unoccupied after the storm made landfall Aug. 29.The Coast Guard has been conducting flyovers off the coast of Louisiana looking for spills.

23 Sep 2021

Kongsberg Digital Appoints New VP of Strategy

Benedicte Willumsen Grieg (Photo: Kongsberg Digital)

Kongsberg Digital is pleased to announce the appointment of Benedicte Willumsen Grieg to a newly created position as Vice President, Strategy. Willumsen Grieg will be part of the management team, reporting to Hege Skryseth. She will work to support the company’s further growth, with a special focus on strategy projects and operationalization, closely linked to strategic partnerships and acquisitions.Willumsen Grieg previously held the post of VP Business Development in Kongsberg Digital’s parent company…

07 Jan 2022

New Management at Aibel's Haugesund Yard

(Photo: Aibel)

Norway;s Aibel has announced a pair of leadership appointments at its yard in Haugesund.The company said Friday that Lars Inge Hellestveit will take up the role of vice president of yard operations, joined by Hans Jørgen Alfsen as the yard's new fabrication manager. Both will enter the new roles with immediate effect.Hellestveit comes from the position as project manager for the upgrade of the Njord Bravo floating storage unit (FSU), while Alfsen has been construction manager on the second processing platform for Johan Sverdrup…

03 Jun 2022

New U.S. Hurricane Outlook Sees Five Major Storms

Credit: James/AdobeStock

Forecasters on Thursday amped up their outlook for the U.S. Atlantic hurricane season, saying warm sea temperatures and the absence of a moderating wind shear portend a "well-above average" number of storms.Colorado State University researchers raised their estimate for tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes by one apiece to 20, 10 and five, respectively. There is a 50% chance or more of at least one major hurricane apiece hitting the East and Gulf Coasts, it said.The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season began on Wednesday and continues through Nov.

25 Nov 2021

Gazprom Boosts Investments to $24 Billion in 2022

(Photo: Gazprom)

Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday its management had approved investments worth 1.76 trillion roubles ($24 billion) for 2022, up from initial plans of 902 billion roubles for 2021, to fund new production and refining hubs.Gazprom is developing new gas production deposits, including in the Arctic Yamal peninsula, which the government claims holds more than a fifth of global gas reserves.The company said its other priority projects for funding are the Power of Siberia pipeline to China, as well as gas processing plants and the maintenance of its existing pipeline network.Gazprom said ca

10 Jan 2022

Rystad: FPSO Contracts in 2021 Hit Pre-Pandemic Levels. Ten New Orders Expected in 2022

Illustration - Credit: SBM Offshore

According to Rystad Energy research, the market for floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) units almost brushed off the pandemic's effect in 2021, driven mostly by Brazil demand, and is predicted to continue apace in 2022, with 10 new awards expected.Two lease contracts were awarded in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing the total for the year to 10 – up from just three in 2020 – a strong rebound for the FPSO market.Per Rystad, demand for FPSO units in Brazil was a significant contributing factor that drove 2021 growth…

14 Jun 2022

LNG Carrier Spot Charter Rates Hit Record Highs

© NPershaj / Adobe Stock

Spot-market rates for liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers this week set annual records as traders bid up available vessels to meet rising global demand for the chilled gas, according to brokers.Soaring demand for LNG and buyers shunning Russian cargoes and vessels over its invasion of Ukraine have led to more long-term charters, limiting the supply of vessels to the spot market, said shipbroker and LNG consultancy Poten & Partners.The fire that knocked out the Freeport LNG gas-processing and export terminal has not affected the increase in spot rates, he said.

20 Oct 2021

Chevron Books Edda Fides Accommodation Vessel for Wheatstone Work

Credit: Edda Accommodation

Oil and gas company Chevron has chartered Edda Accommodation's Edda Fides offshore accommodation unit for operations support in Australia, starting in the second quarter of 2022.Currently on a charter with Norway's Equinor, mono-hull vessel Edda Fides will provide accommodation and associated facilities for up to 300 people for an upcoming turnaround maintenance event on the Wheatstone offshore gas processing platform, off the coast of Australia."Edda Fides worked at Wheatstone for Chevron back in 2017…

24 Aug 2021

Five Dead, Six Injured in Pemex Offshore Platform Fire

Illustration only -  A platform in the Gulf of Mexico - Credit: Quimey/AdobeStock

Five workers were killed and six injured in Sunday's fire on an offshore platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico operated by Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) that cut about a quarter of Mexico's oil production, the company said on Monday.The fire broke out as crews were performing maintenance on the platform, and a search for missing workers continues, Pemex Chief Executive Octavio Romero told a news conference.The platform remains out of operation, with about 421,000 barrels per day of oil lost and 125 wells offline, he said.