Marine Link
Thursday, March 28, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Offshore Oil Project News

17 Nov 2023

MODEC Hits Milestone: First Steel Cut in China for Guyana-Bound FPSO Errea Wittu

Credit: MODEC (file image)

Japanese FPSO leasing firm MODEC said Thursday that the first steel-cutting ceremony for the Guyana-bound FPSO Errea Wittu had been held in China.MODEC secured its first order to supply an FPSO to Guyana in May 2023. The order came from an ExxonMobil-led consortium and is for the deployment of the FPSO to the giant Stabroek offshore block in Guyana, where Exxon already has three FPSOs in production, all three supplied by SBM Offshore.According to World Energy Reports, China's DSIC has the construction hull contract…

09 May 2023

MODEC Confirms Its First FPSO Order in Guyana

Credit: MODEC

Japan's MODEC said Monday it would proceed with engineering, procurement, and construction on the Uaru FPSO vessel following a final investment decision on the Uaru offshore oil project by ExxonMobil in Guyana last month.The Uaru FPSO is named ‘Errea Wittu’, which means ‘abundance,’ and will be the fifth offshore FPSO in Guyana and the first to be supplied by MODEC. The first four, two of which are now in production in the Stabroek block off Guyana, were/will be delivered by SBM Offshore.Apart from supplying the Errea Wittu FPSO…

07 Aug 2022

How the Blue Economy Will Shape the Future of Canada’s Oceans

Š Denis Comeau / Adobe Stock

The words “blue economy” will soon shape the future of Canada’s oceans, from the fiords and straits of British Columbia to the rugged coastlines of the Atlantic to the vast seascapes of the Arctic. The transformation of Canada’s ocean economies will be felt throughout the country and will set an example for nations around the world.But what is a blue economy? And what makes it different from business as usual?The term blue economy was first championed by small-island developing countries, including Fiji, Bahamas and Palau, to bring more local benefits from ocean industries.

24 Oct 2019

Chinese Ship Exits Vietnam's Waters After Disputed Surveys

A Chinese oil survey vessel that has been embroiled in a tense standoff with Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea left Vietnamese-controlled waters on Thursday after more than three months, marine data showed.The Chinese vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was speeding away from Vietnam's exclusive economic zone towards China on Thursday under the escort of at least two Chinese ships, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessels.China claims almost all the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea but neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.Tension between Hanoi and Beijing…

11 May 2015

Ghana, Ivory Coast Leaders to Discuss Maritime Dispute

The presidents of Ghana and Ivory Coast agreed on Monday to negotiate an amicable end to issues around their maritime dispute, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who will chair the negotiations, said on Monday. "We have a deal," Annan told Reuters. A source close to the talks later made clear Annan was referring to the fact that he had been able to get the two presidents - Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara and Ghana's John Dramani Mahama - to talk. "This is just a start of the process. They are asking Mr. Annan to help them find an amicable solution," the source said. The two presidents will not be discussing the delimitation of the border, the source said, since that is under the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg.

11 May 2015

Ghana, Ivory Coast Presidents Resolve Maritime Dispute

The presidents of Ivory Coast and Ghana reached a deal on Monday in talks on a maritime border dispute that had frozen new oil drilling in a contested area, mediator Kofi Annan told Reuters. "We have a deal," the former U.N. secretary general told Reuters, as he wrapped up the talks in Geneva. He did not elaborate and officials did not immediately disclose the terms of the agreement. It appeared to have been reached quickly. Ivory Coast's presidency said President Alassane Ouattara had left Abidjan on Sunday for the discussions with his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama. An international tribunal ruled last month that Ghana could continue developing a $4.9 billion offshore oil project in the area but imposed a ban on new drilling.

11 May 2015

Ghana, Ivory Coast Negotiate Maritime Dispute

The presidents of Ivory Coast and Ghana held talks in Geneva on Monday on a maritime border dispute that has frozen new oil drilling in a contested area, a spokesman for mediator Kofi Annan said. An international tribunal ruled last month that Ghana could continue developing a $4.9 billion offshore oil project in the area but imposed a ban on new drilling. The decision by the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea was regarded as positive for Ghana and British oil firm Tullow, which leads a consortium developing the TEN field, where it has already drilled the wells it needs to start production. Ivory Coast's presidency said President Alassane Ouattara left Abidjan on Sunday for the talks with his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama, mediated by former U.N.

07 Sep 2012

Arctic Offshore Oil Project Joined by Norway's Kværner

Photo credit KvĂŚrner Company Brochure

Engineering major Kværner will be a key player in the development of Rosneft and ExxonMobil’s grand projects in the Kara Sea. In the presence of President Vladimir Putin, the leaders of Rosneft and ExxonMobil announce the name of the company, which will be responsible for concepts, design and ultimately the construction of a specialized platform for the two companies’ three major projects in the Kara Sea. The company chosen is the Vostco Yard, the far eastern yard with experiences from the Sakhalin offshore projects.

10 Apr 2012

Offshore Oil Spill – Brazil Doubles Compensation Claim

Chevron committed “a series of errors” that led to the March spill at Frade, the second incident at the offshore oil project, the federal prosecutors’ office said in a statement. 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, according to Bloomberg. A leak of 3,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic Ocean off Rio de Janeiro’s coast in November and a seep in March have led to a slew of probes against Chevron and Transocean, which operated the rig at Frade. Oliveira filed the first 20 billion- real ($11 billion) lawsuit last year and pressed criminal charges against executives of the two companies last month, seeking penalties of as many as 31 years in prison.

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.

12 Nov 2010

$70M Canadian Offshore Oil Contract Awarded

According to a Nov. 10 report from CBC News, A major contract has been awarded to start work on Newfoundland and Labrador's Hebron offshore oil project. U.S. construction company Peter Kiewit has won a $70m contract for engineering and site preparation. The work will be done at Bull Arm fabrication site in eastern Newfoundland. Kiewit is sharing the work with Aker Solutions, and Exxon Mobil is leading the consortium to develop Hebron. (Source: CBC News)

24 Jul 2009

CA May Consider Offshore Oil Project

According to a report from PennEnergy.com, California’s legislature might vote later this week to authorize the first new oil activity off Santa Barbara in 40 years as a way to help resolve the state’s budget crisis. The proposal reportedly was part of an agreement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached on July 20 with majority and minority leaders of the state’s senate and assembly to eliminate California’s $26.3b budget deficit. It includes some $15.5b in cuts, defers other costs, and takes funds from cities and counties, several news reports said. (Source: PennEnergy.com)

04 Apr 2006

Chevron Postpones Newfoundland Venture

Chevron Canada Ltd. says its partnership has decided to suspend negotiations with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador and demobilize the Hebron offshore project team after failing to reach a development agreement with the province. The joint-venture partners are ExxonMobil Canada, Petro-Canada and Norsk Hydro Canada Oil & Gas Inc., a subsidiary of Norway's Norske energy and industrial giant. Toronto Star reported that Hebron poses a number of challenges due to the high degree of technical complexity associated with recovering heavy oil in a harsh marine environment. While project activities have been suspended, the co-venturers remain positive that activities could proceed at a future date after a deal is reached with the provincial government.

07 Feb 2006

Mauritania Aims to Annul Disputed Oil Amendments

Mauritania's government vowed to use all possible legal actions to try to annul disputed amendments to oil production sharing contracts signed with Australia's Woodside Petroleum Ltd. The dispute threatens to overshadow the scheduled production start-up this month of a major offshore oil project operated by Woodside, which will turn the poor, largely desert-covered West African state into the continent's newest oil producer. Mauritania, whose new military rulers took power in a bloodless coup in August 2005, says it cannot accept the Woodside contract amendments, which were signed more than a year ago by a former oil minister who is now in prison facing trial for corruption.