Hazardous Chemical News

The carriage of methanol in bulk is becoming common in the offshore oil and gas industry, and although there is technical documentation on methanol handling, guidance for offshore carriage by sea is limited. Methanol is a hazardous chemical with significant toxic, flammable, and reactive properties that can adversely affect human health and the environment when not properly handled.A new information paper from the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the Maritime Safety Forum (MSF) provides guidance for the safe loading…

Russia's JSC United Transport and Logistics Company (UTLC) jointly with KTZ-Express launched a new transport product for the delivery of non-hazardous chemical goods in tank containers from China to Europe as part of the regular container service U West (Dostyk-Brest). The first train, consisting of 82 twenty-foot tank containers, loaded with butylene glycol produced by XINJIANG MARKOR CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, departed from Korla Station (China). The cargo transited through the territories of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus and further through Poland through the territories of the EU countries to the terminal at the station Duisburg (Germany). UTLC provided a service on a track of 1520 mm at the section Dostyk - Brest.

In December 2013, the EPA through its Vessel General Permit (VGP) will introduce the mandatory use of “Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants” or EALs. These products include the lubricating oils that are directly used in applications referred to as “oil to sea interfaces” where the only thing holding the oil from entering the water is a simple seal or gasket. Understanding what this all means to you is important. Bio-degradability rating of 60% or more in 28 days (the minimum criteria to also be classified as “readily biodegradable”).

Ron van Wachem, President of Coast Lubricants and Nanaimo Shipyard Group, reasons that PAGS are the best solution to meet the new VGP requirements. In December 2013, the EPA through its Vessel General Permit (VGP) will introduce the mandatory use of  “Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants,” or EALs. These products include the lubricating oils that are directly used in applications referred to as “oil to sea interfaces” where the only thing holding the oil from entering the water is a simple seal or gasket. Understanding what this all means to you is important. The U.S.

HOUSTON - The Coast Guard re-opened a ten-mile section of the Intracostal Waterway between mile markers 340 to 350 at 1 p.m. today. Currently, restrictions are only in place between mile markers 343 and 344 where vessels are directed to maintain minimal safe speed and not pass or overtake other vessels. Earlier this morning the Coast Guard closed a ten-mile section of the Intracoastal Waterway from mile marker 340 to 350 after a barge collision near the Bolivar Terminal. A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at 12:44 a.m.

Oiltanking Mediaco Marseille has confirmed plans to construct $294.5m refined products depot at the Port of Marseilles Authority’s Fos oil terminal. With a first phase due on stream in 2010, the 800,00 cu m facility offers additional throughput potential of six million tons a year at Marseilles-Fos – already the world’s third biggest petroleum port – reinforcing its Mediterranean hub role in refined products trades. The partners in the new company are Oiltanking, a subsidiary of Hamburg’s Marquard & Bahls, and Marseilles-based Mediaco. Oiltanking is said to be the world’s second largest independent tank farm operator, with 73 storage terminals in 21 countries…

The Coast Guard, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy's Supervisor of Salvage, is reviewing a plan submitted by the owners and contracted salvors of a sunken tug and a barge impeding vessel traffic in the Elk River in the Upper Chesapeake Bay. The tug and barge, which sank in the shipping channel following a collision with a freighter, have caused the adjacent C&D Canal to remain closed to all vessel traffic pending their safe removal. Four men remain missing following the incident. The salvage plan, submitted by Norfolk Dredging Marine, the sunken tug Swift's owners, and Ellsworth Salvage, the contractor, must adequately address a number of safety, environmental, and navigational considerations in order to receive the agencies' authorization to begin operations.

The U.S. Coast Guard today announced the death of Adm. J. William Kime, 72, Coast Guard commandant from 1990 to 1994, who succumbed to cancer earlier this morning. "This is a very sad day for the Coast Guard," said Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. "The Coast Guard lost a close member of our family, and America has lost a great leader. In the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Adm. Kime pioneered how the Coast Guard now prevents and responds to oil and hazardous chemical spills, significantly minimizing the environmental damage caused by such spills. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Valerie, their children, and the entire Kime family during this very difficult time," Allen said.

The Tampa Bay economy receives more than $7 million a year in savings and direct income from the operation of the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS), according a new NOAA sponsored study. The report details the first study of the navigational aid, which is in operation at 13 major ports across the United States. Tampa's PORTS system provides accurate real-time oceanographic information tailored to the specific needs of the 6,700 commercial vessels transiting Tampa Bay each year. "The PORTS system is a good example of how research and observing system development expertise can be applied to support safe, efficient and environmentally sound marine transportation," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C.

The Gulf Responder is a 45-ft. aluminum catamaran designed to operate in oil and hazardous chemical spills. Currently under construction at Scully's Fabricating in Louisiana, the vessel's expected delivery date will be either late January or early February. The 15-ton vessel is powered by twin turbo diesel engines with water jet propulsion and equipped with two 1,000 lb. MagnaPatch devices. The MagnaPatch is a patented pollution abatement device. The device is a self-propelled, flexible, magnetic membrane that covers and seals the damages on oil and chemical bulk carrier hulls. Spanning 100 sq. ft. in total area, the MagnaPatch is 10 times larger than most hull penetrations. Weighing more than 1,000 lbs., the MagnaPatch is powerful enough to pick up a small car.

Eleven members of the Coast Guard National Strike Force are scheduled to return to the United States this week, after deploying to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 11 members are assigned to the Pacific Strike Team in Novato, Calif.; the Atlantic Strike Team in Ft. Dix, N.J.; the Gulf Strike Team in Mobile, Ala.; and the National Strike Force Coordination Center in Elizabeth City, N.C. Strike Team Members are trained to respond to oil spills and hazardous chemical releases. At the height of Operation Enduring Freedom, twelve members were deployed. During deployment to the Persian Gulf, they utilized their…