Mead News

Qilak LNG plans to invest $5 billion in a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Alaska's North Slope to compete with Russia's Yamal project for Asian customers towards the end of this decade, its chief executive said. Major LNG importers such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are rethinking Russian supplies after sanctions on Moscow after it invaded Ukraine and more natural gas could be needed to produce lower emission and alternative fuels as nations try to reduce their carbon emissions.

The members of the American Waterways Operators, the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association, elected a new slate of leaders last week during the association's Spring Board of Directors / Annual Membership Meeting.Del Wilkins, President of Illinois Marine Towing, Inc., was elected Chairman; Clark Todd, President & Chief Operating Officer of Blessey Marine Services, was elected Vice Chairman; and Brian Hughes, Vice President Operations & Sales, Hughes Bros., Inc. was elected Treasurer. Wilkins succeeds outgoing Chairman Arthur F.

Arthur F. Mead, Vice President and Chief Counsel at Crowley Maritime Corporation, has been elected Chairman of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), succeeding outgoing Chairman Scott Merritt, former Chief Operating Officer with Foss Maritime Company, LLC.Members of the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association elected a new slate of leaders this week during the association's Spring Board of Directors / Annual Membership Meeting, which was held virtually due to COVID-19 precautionary measures that resulted in the meeting not taking place in Washington…

Alaska-based Qilak LNG announced that a Heads of Agreement (HOA) has been entered into with ExxonMobil Alaska Production regarding the potential supply of natural gas from the Point Thomson field to Qilak LNG's proposed Alaska North Slope liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project (Qilak LNG 1 Project).According to the Lloyds Energy company, which was formed to identify and develop Arctic LNG projects in North America,  the he HOA foresees ExxonMobil providing at least 560 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of natural gas to Phase 1 of the Qilak LNG 1 Project, based on the design concept of offshore liquefaction and loading…

The members of the American Waterways Operators, the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association, elected a new slate of leaders earlier this month during the association's annual Spring Convention held in Washington, D.C. Scott Merritt, former Chief Operating Officer for Foss Maritime Company, LLC, was elected Chairman. Arthur F. Mead, Vice President and General Counsel at Crowley Maritime Corporation, was elected Vice Chairman. Mr. Merritt succeeds outgoing Chairman Tom Marian…

A joint effort between the Royal Australian Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy will set out to solve one of the remaining maritime mysteries of World War II, after new information has come to light regarding the whereabouts of a sunken warship.Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire sank on April 9, 1942 as the result of an intensive Japanese air attack off the Sri Lankan coast. The destroyer was broken in half by several bombs and went down in less than 10 minutes, killing nine sailors while hundreds more were rescued by the hospital ship Vita and local fishing vessels.

The inaugural bilateral maritime exercise between India and Australia, AUSINDEX15, has concluded in Visakhapatnam, India. The activity brought together ships and aircraft from both countries to strengthen defence co-operation under the Framework for Security Cooperation announced by the Australian and Indian Prime Ministers, Abbott and Modi, in 2014. Head Navy Capability, Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead, AM, RAN, was on location in India for part of the exercise and said the relationship between the two militaries was strategically significant. “India remains one of Australia’s key security partners in the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific,” Rear Admiral Mead said.

India and Australia have commenced the first bilateral maritime exercise, Ausindex15, in Visakhapatnam, India, strengthening defence cooperation between the countries. Building on the personal relationship of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abbott, the Minister for Defence, the Honourable Kevin Andrews MP, recently visited India to further develop, with his counterpart Minster Manohar Parrikar, the Framework for Security Cooperation. “India is the emerging democratic super power of Asia. It is therefore sensible that the relationship between India and Australia be developed and strengthened,” Mr Andrews said. The maritime exercise…

BHP Billiton Chairman, Jac Nasser, today announced a number of changes to the BHP Billiton Board of Directors. Anita Frew has been appointed to the BHP Billiton Board as an independent Non-executive Director, effective as of 15 September 2015. Ms Frew has over 18 years’ experience as a director and chairman on public company boards across a range of global sectors, including chemicals, engineering and finance. She is currently Chairman Designate of Croda International Plc, the speciality chemicals group and Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group Plc. Mr Nasser said Ms Frew’s appointment reflected the structured and rigorous approach taken by BHP Billiton to Board succession planning…

North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is set to present “Safety in the Arctic”, a seminar addressing topics of preparedness, prevention and protection specific to the Arctic waters. The event will take place at the Hotel Captain Cook on August 13, 2015 in Anchorage, Alaska. "On the eve of offshore drilling in the Arctic, NAMEPA is gathering the experts in the field to outline the safety measures being deployed in this effort to protect the marine environment," stated Clay Maitland, founding chairman of NAMEPA. In addition to Maitland, other scheduled speakers include U.S. Senator (Alaska) Lisa Murkowski; Rear Adm. Dan Abel, Commander D17-U.S. Coast Guard; Mead Treadwell, Pt Capital; Kara Moriarty, AOGA; C.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that it will honor the men and women who serve in Alaska at its biennial Alaska Awards Dinner at The Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage on Wednesday August 13th. Geraldo Rivera, world-class sailor and Fox News senior correspondent, and Sig Hansen, captain of the F/V Northwestern and star of the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," will join the Coast Guard Foundation to pay tribute to those who serve in this region – an area known for challenging weather and sea conditions. Admiral Paul F.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Arctic expansionism is a challenge the U.S. must answer with icebreakers, ports, and territorial claims of our own, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell said today. Treadwell spoke this morning at the 34th Annual U.S.-Russia Forum in Washington, DC, on a panel focusing on foreign policy issues between the two nations. Speaking just after Russia's Ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, kicked off the program on foreign policy issues between the two nations, Treadwell talked about the need for cooperation with Russia despite disputes over Crimea and Ukraine, Syria and Iraq, which have brought U.S.-Russia relations to their lowest point in decades. “My challenge to Russians is this: where we are neighbors, help bring our relations back to normal.

Oil and gas—and also mining—are the drivers today propelling Arctic maritime operations and the construction of new vessels able to operate in extreme latitudes. While the gas and oil resources can be recovered in the Arctic or far north and shipped to markets by sea or pipeline, the cost of doing must be balanced upon the global market price for those commodities. Ships and marine structures able to operate in the harsh conditions of the extreme latitudes require special designs and construction techniques.

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell delivered the keynote address yesterday at the Arctic Collaborative Workshop in Fairbanks. Treadwell discussed five reasons why Arctic national security should be a national priority: energy development and security, shipping opportunities and safety, assessing and mitigating changes in climate and fisheries, attaining land access and territorial claims, and promoting the Arctic’s strategic position for military cooperation. “We need to go to the Arctic with purpose,” Treadwell said.

At a 3-day Arctic technology conference in Houston, Texas, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell told a gathering of oil and gas experts that President Obama's recently released implementation plan for the nation’s Arctic strategy misses the mark. "The White House plan does not move us toward more certainty on development,” Treadwell said. “Arctic offshore oil and gas development is occurring, just not in the U.S. Treadwell said he is especially surprised the federal government wants a new study on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. "I can answer that question right now,” said Treadwell.

Tschudi Shipping Co., one of Norway's oldest shipping firms, will begin exploring the possibility of establishing a transshipment port in western Alaska, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell said today. Treadwell, who leads the state's work with the eight-nation Arctic Council, applauded Tschudi's decision, saying it is a tremendous step toward developing Alaska's economic opportunities related to Arctic shipping. Tschudi Shipping Co. is owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Tschudi family and operates shipping…

The final phase of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) International Fleet Review drew to a close today, with the completion of Exercise Triton Centenary 2013. Triton Centenary was held in two parts. The first was held in the East Australian Exercise Area from 23 September to 3 October 2013 and was a major multi-lateral training opportunity. This phase provided important interaction that got the ships working with each other ahead of the Fleet Review. On October 11, 2013, following a successful Fleet Review…

At a global conference on Arctic opportunity, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell told participants that the Arctic is an emerging market and Alaska is a launch pad for circumpolar investment. Alaska’s $50 billion economy is fiscally stable and economically diverse,” Treadwell told an audience of investors, industry representatives, government officials, news media participants and indigenous citizens gathered for the first ever 'Arctic Circle' in Reykjavik, Iceland on Sunday. “This is a very forward-thinking group…

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell will give a keynote presentation tomorrow at the 5th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminished Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations. Treadwell will highlight the need to plan for safe maritime operations, national security, and the economic impacts of an open Arctic Ocean.   Who: Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell What: Keynote at Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminished Arctic When: Tuesday, July 16, 9:30 am EST Where: Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell will give a keynote presentation at the Alaska Oil and Gas Infrastructure and Development Summit in Anchorage tomorrow.   The lieutenant governor will describe the global picture of the natural gas market, and Alaska’s place in that world market. Who: Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell What: Keynote at Oil and Gas Infrastructure and Development Summit When: Tuesday, June 4, 9 a.m. Where: Hilton Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska Contact: Michelle Toohey, (907) 269-7460

Non-Profit Organization’s Dinner and Tribute to Take Place on August Eighth. The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its Alaska Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska. Honoring the courageous efforts of the guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment in Alaska, awards will be presented for outstanding heroism demonstrated this year. The event’s keynote speaker is US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp. In addition, Lt.

NOAA: New Alaska navigational chart makes increased Arctic shipping safer; Kotzebue Harbor chart replaces measurements last taken in 19th century. NOAA formally presented today to Alaska officials a new nautical chart for Kotzebue Sound in the Alaskan Arctic, a sparsely charted region that is seeing increased vessel traffic because of the significant loss of summer sea ice. The new chart depicts the full range of depth measurements and object detection acquired during a full ocean bottom survey last summer by the NOAA hydrographic survey ship Fairweather.

The Portsmouth-based warship intercepted a suspicious dhow in the Indian Ocean, seizing over 70 bales containing more than 180kg of pure heroin. The discovery of the drugs occurred when HMS Westminster's Merlin helicopter and combined Royal Marines and Royal Navy boarding teams received orders to search for, intercept and board a suspicious vessel. They did, and found more than 70 bales of pure heroin, weighing more than 180kg (nearly 400lbs), on the dhow; it is estimated that the drugs have a street value of US $22m - almost £14m.