Collaboration Tackles Sea Spray Icing Challenges
Sea spray icing is one of the major challenges when operating in Arctic conditions. DNV GL is now launching an industry collaboration which will develop a simulation model that bridges functional winterization requirements and real physical conditions for drilling rigs, production platforms and vessels. Experts from both the maritime and oil and gas industries are invited to join the new Joint Industry Project (JIP) âRigSprayâ. âWe aim to ensure that the design of icing-mitigation measures delivers both safety and cost benefitsâŚ
Greece Promises Tax Cut to Attract O&G Majors
Greece is planning to cut tax rates for oil and gas companies as it wants to attract them to help exploit its untapped offshore hydrocarbon resources, its energy minister said on Tuesday. Under the plan, oil and gas explorers will pay 25 percent tax, down from 40 percent currently, and 5 percent of the tax will go to local communities. "We have done this in order to incentivize our investors to invest in the future of Greece," Ioannis Maniatis, Greece's Energy Minister, said at a conference in London. He did not say when the new tax rates would come into effect.
Obama Arctic Plan Misses the Mark, Says Alaska Lt. Governor
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 nationâs Arctic strategy misses the mark. "The White House plan does not move us toward more certainty on development,â Treadwell said. âArctic 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,â said Treadwell.
MarineNews INSIGHTS: James Watson, Director BSEE
James A. Watson IV, Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Named Rear Admiral James A. Watson IV as New Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) in November of 2011. BSEE was one of the two agencies to succeed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) on Oct. 1, 2011. Admiral Watson began as BSEE Director on December 1, 2011, and will succeed Michael R. Bromwich. Previously, Watson was better known to maritime stakeholders as the U.S.