Local Oil News

The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):• the safe transport of plastic pellets by sea• best practices for cutting black carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arctic• reducing risks of use and carriage…

Dutch maritime services firm EMAR Offshore Services has bought two Damen Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2206 for an undisclosed fee.The first vessel, named E-Six, has already begun operations in Angola, supporting the local oil and gas industry, and will be joined by the E-Seven shortly, Damen said.The 22-meter Damen FCS 2206 design features a 25m² cargo deck and the capacity to carry up to 42 personnel plus two crew at speeds of up to 32 knots.The vessels of this design have a range of up to 315nm at maximum speed in its standard configuration but…

Hornblower Group announced that Brendan Smith, formerly VP of Engineering, NYC Ferry, has been named President of Seaward Services, Inc. Smith replaces John Keever, who has retired after 50 years in the industry, and will report to Scott Thornton, COO of Hornblower Group’s Ferries and Transportation Division.As President of Seaward Services, Inc., Smith will oversee the operation and maintenance of both government and privately owned craft, including High-Speed Craft, Range Craft, Experimental Craft, Training Craft, Research Vessels and Unmanned Surface Vessels.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said on Wednesday that a fuel leak, possibly due to open valves and a running pump, set off a massive blaze at a Mitsui & Co Ltd petrochemical storage operation along the Houston Ship Channel in March.The fire that began on March 17 at Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) spread black smoke across Houston, shut the nearby ship channel, slowed production at local oil refineries and closed roadways and schools as it spread from one giant storage…

Having taken a closer look at the detailed economics of the most recent 1,000 wells drilled in the most popular shale hotspot – the Wolfcamp A zone of the Permian Delaware basin – Rystad Energy can see a clear pattern emerging that favors large players.As US crude production is set to grow significantly over the next decade, analysts still debate whether shale drilling is actually a profitable endeavor. Some skeptics claim operators overstate their well production profiles, while others say operational cash flow from shale wells will never be sufficient to cover corporate costs and old debt.Analysts and investors are now waiting to see…

Cenac Marine Services LLC has announced the signing of an agreement with Kirby Inland Marine, LP to acquire Cenac’s fleet.This relationship will continue to enhance Cenac’s marine construction operations, by focusing on its best in class shipyard at Main Iron Works while providing continued security for its loyal maritime employees., even amid continued sluggishness in the local oil and gas industry.Kirby Corporation transports bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River system…

No two oil spill response operations are the same. Each can present new and even tougher challenges for spill responders as they detect, contain and recover spilled oil. Diverse aspects affecting oil spill response operations can be the physical environment, spill monitoring, use of chemical dispersants, and the availability of proper technology for the situation.Some challenges have been met through research and technology development of techniques for dealing with spills. However…

Singapore-headquartered Gaylin, a specialist supplier of lifting, rigging and marine equipment, said it has initiated a plan aiming to reposition its Vietnam facility to address changing trends in the local oil and gas, refining and chemical plant sectors. Under the plan, Gaylin will build on more than a decade of experience supplying slings and shackles to expand the portfolio, creating rental and labor-based revenue streams. Gaylin has five other global hubs in the region—South Korea…

Vard Holdings Limited (VARD) has increased its ownership stake in its indirect subsidiary in Brazil, Vard Promar, to 95.15%. Vard Promar, previously held 50.5% by VARD’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Vard Group AS, and 49.5% by a local partner, PJMR Empreendimentos Ltda. (“PJMR”), is the newest shipyard asset in the VARD portfolio. Following the recent closure of the Vard Niterói shipyard, the Group will concentrate all its Brazilian shipbuilding activities on the new yard, located in the Suape industrial area, in the state of Pernambuco. The shipyard, built between 2011 and 2013, has so far delivered one Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LGP) carrier for Transpetro, and is in the final stages of construction of a second one.

Four Petrobras oil platforms off the northeast coast of Brazil have halted production after a leak of about 7,000 liters of oil was detected coming from a pipeline linking them, a local oil workers union head said on Friday. Brazil's oil regulator, ANP, confirmed the leak in the Camorim field, 16 kilometers (10 miles) off the coast of the city of Aracajú, and said it had already been contained by Petrobras. The director of the Sindipetro oil workers union for Alagoas/Sergipe Basin, Stoessel Chagas, said the leak was detected coming from a pipeline linking the PCM-5 and PCM-6 production platforms of Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as Petrobras is officially known. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pirates have launched a spate of attacks in the creeks of Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region since last Thursday, killing three policemen and abducting at least nine people, security officials said. Most of those kidnapped were local workers in Africa's biggest oil industry, where piracy in the surrounding waterways and seas is on the rise again after a brief lull, bucking a global trend that has seen pirate attacks fall elsewhere. In the most recent attack, gunmen on a boat opened fire on police escorting a barge operated by Italian oil company ENI along the Santa Barbara River, killing three policeman. "Sea pirates attacked and killed three of our men. They were escorting an Agip (ENI) barge when they were attacked.

Pirates have launched a spate of attacks in the creeks of Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region since last Thursday, killing three policemen and abducting at least nine people, security officials said. Most of those kidnapped were local workers in Africa's biggest oil industry, where piracy in the surrounding waterways and seas is on the rise again after a brief lull, bucking a global trend that has seen pirate attacks fall elsewhere. In the most recent attack, gunmen on a boat opened fire on police escorting a barge operated by Italian oil company ENI along the Santa Barbara River, killing three policeman. "Sea pirates attacked and killed three of our men. They were escorting an Agip (ENI) barge when they were attacked.

An offshore drilling platform, operated for Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras , was partially evacuated after tilting on Friday, but there was no risk of it sinking, the company and the local oil workers' union said on Friday. Crew members were evacuated to another rig after the SS-53 platform, located in the Campos oil basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, began to list at about 0100 local time (0400 GMT) Friday, a spokeswoman from the Sindipetro-NF oil workers' union said. The platform had been stabilized and safety measures were being taken, said a Petrobras spokeswoman who declined to give further details. The union spokeswoman also said the rig had been stabilized.

Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has strengthened its foothold in the offshore and marine industry in Mexico with the signing of an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with PEMEX Exploracion y Produccion (PEP) and P.M.I. Norteamérica, S.A. de C.V. (PMI), both subsidiaries of Mexico's national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). The MOU is to jointly develop, own and operate a yard facility in Mexico, the first phase of which is to support the construction of six KFELS B class jackup drilling rigs for PEP. The MOU was signed today by the General Director of PMI, Dr. Jose Manuel Carrera Panizzo, and the Chief Operating Officer and CEO-Designate of Keppel O&M…

PetroVietnam University (PVU) joined the Intergraph Education Grant Program. PVU is located in the offshore oil and gas hub of southern Vietnam, and was established to focus on the development of the country's oil and gas industry. The Vietnamese university recognized that it needs to equip its students with the necessary skills and knowledge so that they are ready to apply the tools that employers already use when they join the work force. PVU will provide its students with access to SmartMarine Enterprise solutions, including SmartMarine 3D, SmartPlant Review, SmartPlant Instrumentation, SmartPlant Electrical, SmartPlant P&ID and SmartSketch. Intergraph's ruled-based technology features unique automation capabilities, which was a compelling factor in PVU's decision.

Energy consulting, testing and certification company DNV KEMA will open a new Multiphase Flow Laboratory (MPFL) in Groningen, the Netherlands. The facility will allow equipment manufactures and oil and gas companies to test, validate and calibrate multiphase technologies – e.g. separators and flow meters – for the production of oil and gas and the measurement and trading of gas. As the MPFL is operating in a unique true-to-life environment, the facility will help increasing the accuracy of future multiphase flow meters, as well as the efficiency of future multiphase separators.

ABB wins a contract worth about US$40-million to extend the export terminal of the eni (Energy Rifinery Co.) refinery in Taranto. The eni refinery is located in the “Mar Grande” bay on the Ionian Sea in southern Italy. The contract is part of eni’s plan to improve the refinery infrastructure and to ensure a reliable connection with the onshore Tempa Rossa oil plant. The refinery is located at the export terminal and is connected to the oil field through an underground pipeline. The plan includes the extension of an existing pier. “This new project will help to improve the local oil transportation infrastructure for eni,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. The pier will have five loading arms, with a transfer capacity of 3,000 cubic meters per hour.

In November 1997, Japanese refrigerator ship Kuroshima went aground at Summer Bay near Alaska's Dutch Harbor in heavy weather. A local USCG team was able to rescue only 16 of the ship's 18 crewmembers. Two perished when heavy seas broke over the ship's bows as it was attempting to reset anchors. The vessel was eventually salvaged but USCG investigations have disclosed that it was not a smooth operation. According to the USCG, when immediate efforts to remove the ship from the beach failed, Crowley Maritime Corporation was contracted to attempt salvage while a local firm, Magone Marine, was contracted to provide assistance. Even before salvage terms were agreed upon…

MarineNews caught up with BOURBON’s Chief Executive Officer, Christian Lefèvre. As BOURBON’s CEO since January 1, 2011, Lefèvre has aggressively set about furthering BOURBON's business strategy which focuses on the offshore oil and gas marine services sector. The newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer has hit the ground running and has BOURBON on a steady course to achieve the promise of the “BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy Plan.” A total of 423 vessels – 251 crew / 70 deepwater…

Australia must work harder to build local oil and gas talent, according to Industry Snapshot Poll. Delegates at the 2012 Australasian Oil and Gas Conference have warned that Australia needs to do more to grow its own oil and gas talent, according to a poll conducted by GL Noble Denton. Oil and gas professionals have called for Australia to do more to build local industry talent, as the country struggles with an increasing shortage of skilled professionals. According to a poll conducted yesterday at the Australasian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (AOG) in Perth, 68% of industry professionals think that Australia invest more in developing a local skills base, while 32% thought that the country is doing enough to increase the pool of local professionals.

Seven tankers carrying some 210,000 tons of petroleum products have been stranded outside the Dar es Salaam Port due to its slow discharging process, according to local press reports on Monday. These seven oil tankers arrived in Dar es Salaam in the third week of last month. Flow meters, installed at the port to curb tax evasion, are discharging oil from tankers at a rate of 500 tons per hour instead of 750 tons per hour. Local oil importers are fearing that retail prices of petrol and diesel might go up due to accumulated demurrage charges at the port. Earlier last month, car importers in Tanzania also complained about the handling capability of the Dar es Salaam Port that delayed the unloading of more than 1,000 motor vehicles from a roll-on/roll-off car carrier.

There is growing acceptance of Lloyd’s Open Form as the optimum contract for response to serious marine emergencies in US waters according to SMIT Salvage. A number of cases over the past few years have provided demonstration of the efficacy of LOF when responding to vessels with a potential to cause significant environmental damage. The effectiveness of the LOF system relates to the fact that the contract, once agreed, gives a set of very clear responsibilities to the salvor.

In response to regulations enacted on March 1, 2010 on the Prevention and Control of Vessel-Induced Marine Environment Pollution, a Hong Kong based firm – OSRO China Ltd - has laid the foundation for a consortium of oil spill response contractors throughout China’s ports that fulfills China’s latest pollution control legislation. OSRO China was founded as a result of the Chinese Government’s recent approval of the Regulations of The People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Vessel Induced Marine Environment Pollution. Of particular concern to ship owners was the requirement for pollution control agreements to be executed with local Oil Spill Response Organizations for ships carrying hazardous substances or of greater than 10,000 Gross Tonnes (GRT).