Gaz De France News

GE’s Power Conversion business has received a new order from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. for electric power and propulsion systems for two LNG carriers. The LNG carriers will be built for the purpose of transporting LNG from Louisiana, U.S.A. Their construction is scheduled to be completed from 2017 through 2018. According to GE, from the perspective of improved performance, electric propulsion technology is optimal for LNG carriers. GE said its induction-based propulsion motor technology and high output power pulse width modulation (PWM) technology improve reliability and help lower maintenance costs for vessels. “GE has demonstrated a low risk solution to KHI…

Damen Shiprepair Brest (France) says it has received its 10th LNG carrier repair order from GDF SUEZ in-house technical vessel manager Gazocean. The vessel will undergo extensive maintenance works in the yard. Damen explain that the 73,646 cu.m capacity vessel was delivered under the name of Gaz De France Energy in 2006 at Chantiers de L’Atlantique in St.Nazaire and was renamed in 2009. The vessel was the first vessel fitted with a Dual Fuel Diesel Electric Propulsion which is now a new standard of the LNG shipping industry and has a GTT CS1 type LNG containment system. The vessel will stay in the yard for approximately 55 days of which 20 days in dry-dock.

U.S. industrial conglomerate General Electric Co is in advanced talks to buy the global power division of struggling French engineering group Alstom SA for about $13 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Sources said a deal was backed by Alstom's main shareholder, French conglomerate Bouygues with 29 percent, and could be announced in the coming days after an Alstom board meeting on Friday afternoon. The board was due to meet again on Sunday to discuss the transaction, French daily Le Figaro said. "Talks are going ahead swiftly, the deal's structure is defined and everything is almost ready," one of the sources said. Alstom Chief Executive Patrick Kron confirmed to union representatives there were talks about an "industrial deal," but did not name GE.

StatoilHydro has awarded the contract for the fabrication and installation of structures and tie-in of the pipeline systems for the Gjøa project to Technip Norge AS. Work will start immediately. Technip has previously been awarded the contract for the fabrication and installation of the in-field pipelines and will also perform unmanned subsea operations. The fabrication work will start during the autumn of 2008. The extensive installation work will continue through the 2009 season.

The Port of Marseilles Authority (PMA) has briefed unions and staff on government plans for the ‘re-launch’ of French ports - as required by a timetable for local consultations at each port before parliament considers the legal framework this spring. PMA director-general Guy Janin outlined the aims and procedure this week at press conferences in Marseilles and Paris detailing the port’s 2007 results, which set new records for general cargo – including containers – and passenger volumes. Janin confirmed that, following a government announcement on January 15, the port had held initial meetings to inform personnel of the broad proposals…

Noble Corporation reported 4Q 2007 earnings of $347.4 million, or $1.29 per diluted share, versus $199.7 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2006. Per-share earnings were up 74 percent from the fourth quarter of 2006 and up nine percent from the $1.18 per share reported for the third quarter of 2007. Earnings for the full year 2007 totaled $4.48 per diluted share compared with $2.66 per diluted share in 2006 (split adjusted). The results for the 2007 fourth quarter include a net after-tax charge of $0.06 per share related to the previously reported fire aboard the drillship Noble Roger Eason and costs associated with the ongoing independent investigation of the Company's Nigerian operations, offset by an insurance recovery on our 2005 Hurricane claims.

Chantiers de l'Atlantique this week. and is due for delivery in 2005. vessel. new rules to allow the yard and owners to break new technological frontiers. commercial manager of BV's marine division. transportation. The ships have two key innovations. cargo gas will be carried in the new GTT CS1 membrane system. such engines. machinery plant. needed to develop the cost-effective CS1 containment system. BV concept approval in 2002. The dual fuel diesel electric propulsion system offers several advantages. space in the hull. conventional turbine installations. are now in short supply. taken off line and maintained on passage. cutting the risk of a power failure. and NO96 membrane systems. and a cost reduction of 15 per cent compared to existing systems.

A 153,500 cu. m. LNG carrier ordered by Gaz de France from Chantiers de l'Atlantique - reported to be the largest ever LNG carrier - will be classed by Bureau Veritas and is due for delivery in 2005. The order includes an option for a second vessel. The vessels feature a long list of innovations, but two of them are particularly noteworthy. The traditional steam turbine plant will be replaced by a low-pressure dual fuel diesel electric system. BV cooperated with Wärtsilä for the development of the safety concept of the low-pressure dual fuel diesel/gas engine, and has issued new rules for such engines. The dual fuel diesel electric propulsion system is more compact as compared to a typical steam turbine plant installation, with the obvious benefit of providing for more cargo space.

Wärtsilä Corporation has been awarded a contract by the French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique to supply dual-fuel main engines for a new 153,000m3 LNG carrier. The LNG carrier has been ordered by the French gas distributor Gaz de France for delivery in October 2005. It will be employed in the shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Norway or Egypt, but is also designed for the alternative of trading on the spot market. The vessel will have gas-electric propulsion, with four dual-fuel engines driving generators to supply electricity for the single propeller plant. The engines will burn boil-off cargo gas with a small quantity of liquid fuel for ignition. They will mainly can run on gas with liquid fuel as back-up, and can be switched over automatically as the need arises.

Chantiers de l´Atlantique, ALSTOM Group, has awarded ABB Marine a contract to supply the electric propulsion system for a new 153,000 cu. M. LNG carrier, owned by Gaz de France. The vessel will be built in France by Chantiers de l´Atlantique and delivered in 2005. The supply of medium voltage power systems to LNG carriers has been a strong growth area for ABB. According to Martinus Brandal, head of ABB´s global Marine business, “In the last three years, we have received orders for medium-voltage systems for 23 LNG carriers with conventional steam turbine propulsion. To the new Gaz de France LNG carrier, ABB will supply a complete propulsion drive system in a redundant electrical configuration.

Recent orders for Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines for two LNG carriers, eight engines in all, are no coincidence. This engine type promises benefits for LNG operators including larger cargo capacity, lower fuel consumption, higher flexibility in operation, and lower emissions. Gaz de France is the first to take the plunge. Until now, steam turbines have dominated as propulsion machinery for LNG carriers, with their apparent reliability and the ease with which they can burn the boil-off gas from the ship's cargo tanks while at sea. The low fuel efficiency of steam turbines, however, has already encouraged almost all other shipping segments to switch to diesel-powered ships.

Leif Hoegh and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, have entered an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., for the construction of a 145,000 cubic meter LNG carrier. An agreement was also made with Statoil on behalf of the Snoehvit field partners (excluding TotalfinaElf and Gaz de France) for the chartering of the vessel for 20 years plus two 5- year options. The vessel specification is high both for operation in North Atlantic waters and to meet strict safety and environmental requirements. The vessel will primarily be employed for the transportation of LNG under gas sales agreements entered into with El Paso in the U.S. and Iberdrola in Spain. The vessel is expected to be operated by Leif Hoegh Ltd., and as the bareboat charter it will be financed through a U.K. lease.

shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Due for delivery in 2004, this newbuilding is breaking away from traditional practices in the propulsion of LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers. It will be the first LNG carrier to be powered by electric propulsion, and one of few to have internal-combustion engines instead of the more usual steam turbine plant. The four dual-fuel engined generating sets will meet all the ship's propulsion and shipboard electrical requirements. engines each develop 5700 kW at 514 rev/min. This membrane-type vessel (GTT-CS1) will be employed transporting LNG from Skikda in Algeria to Fos near Marseilles. take about one week at a service speed of 16 knots, which can be achieved with three of the four generating sets.

Wärtsilä Corporation received an order to supply four Wärtsilä 6L50DF dual-fuel engines to power a 75,000 cu. m. LNG carrier contracted by the French gas holding company Gaz de France at the French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Due for delivery in 2004, this newbuilding is breaking away from traditional practices in the propulsion of LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers. It will be the first LNG carrier to be powered by electric propulsion, and one of few to have internal-combustion engines instead of the more usual steam turbine plant. The four dual-fuel engined generating sets will meet all the ship's propulsion and shipboard electrical requirements. The Wärtsilä 6L50DF engines each develop 5,700 kW at 514 rpm.

Wärtsilä's reported that net sales for the first quarter increased 17 percent to EUR 580.9 (497.4) million, despite a weakening of the global marine market and nearly non-existent containership business. After the close of the period Wärtsilä paid approximately EUR 350 million for the acquisition of John Crane-Lips. during the first months of the year. quarter in 2001. Demand was most active for tankers and bulk carriers. The containership market has all but halted. John Crane-Lips became part of Wärtsilä on April 15, 2002. global ship power supplier. April 1. The company gained a significant order for dual-fuel engines in April. Gaz de France. The vessel is the first in the world to deploy a propulsion system based on diesel technology.

Alstom will be the first company in the world to install electric propulsion technology on a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) carrier, which is being built at ALSTOM's Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France for the French utility Gaz de France. The use of this technology on an LNG ship follows the company's successes in electric propulsion for cruise ships, chemical tankers and other types of merchant and naval vessels. The LNG ship, with a capacity of 74,000 cubic metres, will be delivered to Gaz de France by the end of 2004. It will be propelled through a variable frequency main propulsion system, via a gearbox. The electric drive principally consists of two 9,550 kW, 1,200 rpm synchronous motors, supplied by two synchroconverters associated with a propulsion control and monitoring system.

Wärtsilä has received an order from Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. of Korea to supply four sets of Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines to power a series of 155,000 m3 dual-fuel-electric LNG carriers, with an option on four more sets. The ships were ordered last month by BP Shipping of the UK and are scheduled for delivery from Hyundai Heavy Industries' shipyard in Ulsan and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries' shipyard in Mokpo from the middle of 2007 onwards. Each ship will be equipped with two twelve- and two nine-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines with an aggregate power of 39.9 MW. Delivery of these engines from Wärtsilä's Trieste factory will commence in early 2006.

Corporation's production network. As the one-time Grandi Motori Trieste(GMT) works, a symbol of Italian industrialization in the 1970s, the factory has been the subject of far-reaching organizational change since the Finns took charge. It has emerged as a much leaner, increasingly efficient builder of marine diesels. Cessation of engine production at other Wärtsilä plants in recent years has imbued Trieste with additional manufacturing responsibilities, and its strengthened role as a European supplier to the international market has assumed greater significance in the light of the continuing shift of global shipbuilding and marine production activity to the orient. engine building centers maintained by the Finnish group.

With its bid for commercial marine power applications strengthened by the addition of the MT30 aeroderivative gas turbine to its range, Rolls-Royce is pushing the concept of gas turbo-electric powering in the buoyant LNG carrier market. gas turbine-based system. A saving of around 40-percent in installation man-hours is claimed by Rolls-Royce for its powering solutions using either simple cycle or combined cycle arrangements, along with significant savings in weight relative to steam turbine, dual-fuel diesel-electric and low-speed diesel alternatives, all of which have now been embraced by the LNGC sector. Capable of dual-fuel operation…

Gaz de France has acquired 45 percent stake in the Alam El Shawish West license in Egypt from Greek company Vegas Oil and Gas. The license is located at the Abu Gharadig Basin in the Western Desert, southwest of Alexandria. Several significant discoveries have already been made there and an exploration program has been under way. Oil production is expected to begin very shortly, followed by natural gas production in the years to come. Vegas Oil and Gas will remain the operator for the license. The transaction is subject to approval by the Egyptian authorities. A company announcement said that through this acquisition, Gas De France will be able to increase its portfolio of reserves by at least 30 million of barrels of oil equivalent, according to preliminary estimates.

Aker Kvaerner has awarded Kongsberg Maritime a Letter of Intent for integrated control systems for safety and process automation on board a semi-submersible production platform destined to be used on the Gjoa oil and gas field in the North Sea. Aker Kværner will be building the platform deck, attaching it to the hull and preparing the platform for operation. Gaz de France Norway will be operator of the field. Besides safety and automation systems, the contract covers the delivery of a process simulator, as well as integrated engineering for Aker Kværner. This contract requires the extensive use of so-called 'integrated operations', a technology and work process which make it possible to monitor and control large parts of the offshore operations from onshore.

The Associated Press wire service reported last week that Alstom won an order for a new methane tanker from state-run Gaz de France. The order's - which actually currently is still simply a letter of intent - timing is critical, as Alstom seeks to put its financial house in order. Based on a finalization of the deal, the ship is scheduled for delivery in 2005.

dual-fuel engines for a 74,000 m3 LNG carrier. France. ship's propulsion and shipboard electrical requirements. 6L50DF engines each develop 5700 kW at 514 rev/min. plant. 2002. engine and for optimization of its performance. taken and the turbocharging system was optimized. performance was then measured at steps from 15 to 100 per cent load. acceptance and load rejection. with a low methane number. operator, the shipbuilder and the classification society. representatives from the classification society Bureau Veritas. load acceptance, and load rejection. heating value gas and low methane number gas. that all safety systems were tested. for installation in the LNG carrier.