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Japan Oil News

12 Jan 2021

Norway Eyes Sea Change in Deep Dive for Metals Instead of Oil

An offshore platform in Norway - Credit:Jone Gundersen/AdobeStock

Norway's oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world's wealthiest countries but its dreams for deep-sea discovery now center on something different.This time, Oslo is looking for a leading role in mining copper, zinc, and other metals found on the seabed and in hot demand in green technologies.Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry told Reuters, potentially placing it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals for electric vehicle batteries…

02 Nov 2020

Mitsui OSK Inks 30-year LNG Carrier Charter for Russia's Arctic LNG 2 Project

Credit: MOL

Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL) said on Monday it has signed a 30-year charter contract with the operator of the Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) 2 project, led by Novatek, for three ice-breaking carriers for the Russian project.The three vessels will be built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd, costing about 90 billion yen ($859 million) in total, and are scheduled for delivery in 2023, MOL said.The carriers will mainly transport LNG from a…

23 Jul 2019

Novatek Closes in on Arctic LNG 2

Russian natural gas producer Novatek said it had completed the sale of stakes in its Arctic LNG-2 project to two Chinese companies and a consortium of two Japanese companies.The second largest natural gas producer in Russia announced the closing of the sale of participation interests in Arctic LNG 2 Project to wholly owned subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Ltd. (CNOOC), and the consortium of Mitsui & Co and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (Japan Arctic LNG).“We now have formed the structure of the Project’s participants by successfully closing the sale of interests in Arctic LNG 2…

02 Jul 2019

Mitsui, JOGMEC join Arctic LNG-2

Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co and state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) have signed a sales and purchase agreement with Russia’s Novatek for a 10% participation interest in the Arctic LNG 2 project.The share will be acquired through the Dutch Company, Japan Arctic LNG B.V., in which Mitsui has invested jointly with JOGMEC. The equity ratio of JOGMEC and Mitsui will be set at 75 percent and 25 percent respectively.The project will develop natural gas and liquefaction facilities with a production capacity of 19.8 million tonnes per year from the conventional onshore gas field located on the Gydan Peninsula within the Arctic Circle…

31 May 2019

Japan Oil Industry Braces for Higher Middle East P&I Costs

Image CREDIT: AdobeStock / Š Jose Gill

The costs of buying crude oil from the Middle East could rise as war insurance for ships travelling in the region will be expanded to include vessels travelling off the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the head of Japan Petroleum Association said on Friday.Japan is the world's fourth-largest oil importer and imports 90% of its crude from the Middle East, government data showed.Asian shippers and refiners had put ships heading to the Middle East on alert and were expecting a possible rise in marine insurance premiums following attacks on Saudi oil tankers and pipeline facilities earlier in May.Ta

01 Apr 2019

Ocean Geo-Frontier Tallies Survey Contract

(Photo: PGS)

New joint venture company Ocean Geo-Frontier (OGF) on Monday signed a consignment service agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for geophysical surveys to be conducted by a three-dimensional geophysical survey vessel.OGF was established in December 2018 to meet an expected demand increase for offshore surveys after Japan’s Cabinet Office approved the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the development of domestic resources, including oil and gas…

18 Nov 2018

PGS Offers Seismic Vessel to Japan

Norwegian seismic services provider Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) has offered to sell the Ramform Sterling vessel to the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC).The seismic services that help oil companies to find oil and gas reserves offshore worldwide said in a press release that it had been informed that JOGMEC, an incorporated administrative agency of Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, is the preferred tenderer and that negotiations would be initiated with the aim of concluding necessary contracts."PGS has now been informed that the Company is the preferred tenderer, and negotiations will be initiated with the aim of concluding necessary contracts. A final award to PGS will only take place if and when all contracts have been concluded.

10 Feb 2017

Suitability Survey Completed for Second Largest Semi-Submersible

The Xin Guang Hua  (Photo: Global Maritime)

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, a provider of offshore marine warranty, dynamic positioning and engineering services, has completed a suitability survey for the world’s second largest semi-submersible - the ‘Xin Guang Hua’ - in advance of her maiden voyage. For the survey, Global Maritime carried out an independent assessment of all aspects of the vessel’s condition. The Xin Guang Hua - at 255 meters long, 68 meters wide and with a lift/transportation capacity of 98,000 tons - has been built by Guangzhou Shipyard International Company and is owned by Cosco Shipping.

30 Sep 2014

ABB WinsTunisia's Gas Treatment Plant Bid

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has been awarded a $216 million contract to deliver a gas treatment plant to the South Tunisian Gas Project (STGP).The order was awarded by OMV Tunisie Production GmbH, a subsidiary of Austrian energy group OMV, and was booked in the third quarter. ABB will be responsible for the turnkey delivery of the Nawara gas treatment plant (GTP) including gas separation and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) extraction units. It will also provide key automation, communications and power components, including the control system and transformers and switchgear for the electrification of the plant.

02 Aug 2014

Japan PM Tells Brazil Time to do More Business

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe touted the success of his economic policies on a visit to Brazil on Friday and said it was time for the two nations to expand their trade and investment partnership. On the first visit to Brazil in a decade by a Japanese prime minister, Japanese banks extended $700 million in loans to boost Brazilian soy and corn exports to Japan and build ship platforms for Brazil's burgeoning offshore oil industry. Abe told Brazilian business leaders that Japan has closed a 15-year deflation cycle since his stimulus policies began to kick in and there is great potential to expand trade and investment with Latin America's biggest economy. "With Japan growing again, we can grow with other nations," he said in comments to executives translated by an interpreter.

23 Oct 2013

Latest World Oil Market Recap

Global refinery capacity increases vastly; typhoons deplete Japan oil stocks; and Qatari marketing sends signals on price direction, reports PIRA Energy Group's latest 'Weekly Oil Market Recap'. The biggest capacity increase over the two years comes from new construction projects in China and the Middle East. Despite the fact that the world currently has a surplus of refining capacity, new additions are on the way. In comparison to beginning-year 2013, world refining distillation capacity is set to increase by about 5%, or 2.6 MMB/D, by the end of this year; another 2.1 MMB/D will come online in 2014. Storms and typhoons continue to track toward Japan with a fair bit of regularity, with Typhoon Danas impacting Okinawa, followed by Typhoon Wipha impacting the Tokyo area.

01 Oct 2013

JAMSTEC Orders MHI Wide-area Seabed Research Vessel

Conceptual drawing of wide-area seabed research vessel

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order for construction of a wide-area seabed research vessel from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and an agreement has been signed. The vessel on order will efficiently advance wide-area research into seafloor resources, its comprehensive research capabilities to include elucidation of mineral and ore deposit origins and formation conditions, and will also enable contributions to disaster prevention research.

12 Mar 2013

Japan Test Production of Frozen Subsea Gas

Japan to begin the world’s first offshore drilling operation to extract frozen natural gas locked under the seabed. Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corp., known as JOGMEC, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology will begin test production for methane hydrate in the Nankai Trough about 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast of the country’s main island of Honshu, reports Bloomberg. Deposits of methane hydrate, known as “burnable ice,” could provide Japan with a “next-generation source of clean energy” and may be large enough to supply the country’s natural gas needs for about 100 years, according to JOGMEC. The government plans to develop technology to enable commercial use of methane hydrate by fiscal 2018. Source: Bloomberg

05 Apr 2012

Chevron’s Brazil Spill Legal Claims Rise to $22 Billion

Chevron Corp. and Transocean Ltd. are being sued for $22 billion in environmental damages in Brazil, double initial claims, after a federal prosecutor filed a second lawsuit over oil spills off the nation’s coast, according to Bloomberg. Chevron committed “a series of errors” which led to the March spill at Frade, the second incident at the offshore oil project, the federal prosecutors’ office said yesterday. Prosecutor Eduardo Santos de Oliveira is also seeking to halt operations at Frade and block San Ramon, California- based Chevron from transferring profits from Brazil. “The oil spill at the Frade field hasn’t been contained,” Oliveira said.

23 Mar 2012

Japanese Deep Ocean Exploration Ship Shown Off

Resarch Ship 'Hakurei': Photo credit JOG&MNC

Japan has unveiled a 6,283-ton exploration vessel that will search for rare metals and other natural resources in waters around the nation. The Hakurei, 118 meters long and 19 meters wide, was shown to the media at Harumi Wharf in Tokyo. The vessel features drilling equipment that can dig up 400 meters into the seabed at a depth of 2,000 meters. The ship will initially search for resources off Okinawa Prefecture and the Ogasawara Islands. The Hakurei is owned by the government-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp.

25 Aug 2011

Cargotec wins Award from MHI Shimonoseki Shipyard

Cargotec won the Best Supplier award 2010 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shimonoseki shipyard in Japan. It was given to Cargotec’s Offshore business and local Japanese team and, in part, is recognition of the company’s drive to understand future customer needs through the provision of an extensive geographic presence and strong collaboration with customers. “This award is a great acknowledgement from an important customer in the Asian market,” says Edvin TunheimTønnessen, Cargotec contract manager, Advanced Load Handling.

21 Sep 2009

Kongsberg Sub-Bottom Profiler Delivered to Japan

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) recently awarded Kongsberg Defence Systems a contract for the delivery of one Kongsberg TOPAS PS 18 Parametric Sub-bottom Profiler system. The contract was handled through the Kongsberg agent in Japan, Nippon Kaiyo Co. Ltd. The system will be installed on board R/V Hakurei-Maru No.2 in February 2010, and it will replace an existing Atlas Parasound system. The intended use of the system is for resource mapping, research etc. in deep waters. The contract was won in an open competition. This is the first Kongsberg TOPAS system to be delivered to Japan. The Kongsberg TOPAS Parametric Sub-bottom Profilers are being used world-wide for commercial, scientific, military, and various research purposes.

26 Jun 2001

Japan Chides SE Asia Regarding Piracy

A Japanese maritime safety expert chided Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday for failing to cooperate fully in the fight against pirate attacks in their waters. Hiroshi Terashima, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, told a conference on piracy that more than 80 percent of Japan's oil imports pass through the narrow Malacca Strait between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and it was vital it was kept safe. Attacks on ships jumped by 57 percent worldwide in 2000 with more than half of the incidents in Southeast Asian waters. Terashima told the conference that cooperation in fighting pirates in the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, was essential. But he said cooperation was not good.

28 Jun 2001

Piracy Solution Must Be Found

Asian countries need to join forces to combat the piracy that makes the region's sea lanes the most dangerous in the world. Pirate booty these days include cargoes of oil worth millions of dollars rather than the treasure chests of earlier centuries, but today's buccaneers can still be cut-throat murderers. Incidents of piracy have increase 50 percent worldwide in the past year, and around half the attacks and hijackings occur in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelego state, was singled out as the country with the biggest problem at the meeting of 20 nations in Kuala Lumpur. There were over 100 acts of piracy in Indonesian waters alone last year. "We are very concerned about Indonesia, extremely concerned," P.K.