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Oil Discharges News

04 May 2023

How Will China's Clampdown on Mislabelled Cargoes Affect Sanctioned Oil?

Illustration only - ©Igor Kardasov

Chinese customs authorities are stepping up inspection checks on cargoes of heavy crude oil after uncovering several Iranian shipments that were mislabelled as diluted bitumen in an effort to bypass import quotas.The checks, begun a month ago, are delaying oil discharges into the eastern refining hub of Shandong province.They are also adding to uncertainty over the risk of disruption to shipments from Iran and Venezuela, while cutting into refining operations just as fuel demand recovers.

24 Jun 2021

Fincantieri Hosts Coin Ceremony for MSC's Next Cruise Ship

(Photo: Ivan Sarfatti / Fincantieri)

A coin ceremony for MSC Cruises’ second Seaside EVO class ship was held on Thursday at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy where the keel was laid. The name of the new ship was revealed – MSC Seascape.The newbuild, like her sister ship MSC Seashore, is further evolution of the Seaside class – the Seaside EVO ships are enhanced and extended with a variety of brand-new features, spaces and experiences for guests. Scheduled to enter service in November 2022 the 169,400 GT ship will be able to accommodate 5…

01 Jun 2021

Waterways Commerce Cutter: It's Time for an Upgrade

USCGC Smilax is an inland construction tender commissioned in 1944. Smilax is the “Queen of the Fleet”, as the oldest commissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

19 May 2021

Salvors Remove Diesel Fuel from Capsized Liftboat Seacor Power

Contacted salvage crews tap into an above water fuel tank and start removing the fuel from Seacor Power, May 3, off Port Fourchon, La. (Photo: Brendan Freeman / U.S. Coast Guard)

Salvage crews have removed all diesel fuel from the tanks of capsized liftboat Seacor Power in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.Salvors removed approximately 20,363 gallons of diesel fuel from the overturned vessel using the hot tapping method, which involves drilling into the fuel tanks, making a hose connection, and transferring the fuel to portable tanks, the Coast Guard said.Approximately 4,500 gallons of hydraulic fluid still on board will need to be removed after the vessel is raised as the tanks are currently inaccessible…

20 Aug 2020

Fincantieri Floats Out MSC Seashore

(Photo: Fincantieri)

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced Thursday it has floated out the new cruise ship MSC Seashore at its shipyard in Monfalcone. The vessel has been moved to a wet dock where interior outfitting work will continue until delivery to MSC Cruises in July 2021.MSC Seashore, which will be MSC Cruises’ longest ship at 339 metres and the largest and most innovative ever built in Italy, is the third of four vessels in MSC Cruises’ Seaside class, following MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

20 Sep 2019

Fincantieri: New Design for MSC Seashore

Photo: Fincantieri

A traditional maritime coin ceremony  took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, when the keel was laid for MSC Seashore. At the milestone event, MSC Cruises revealed details of the significantly transformed overall design and new features of the ship.MSC Seashore will be the Company’s longest ship – 339 meters – when she enters service in June 2021, the first of two enriched “Seaside Evo” Class ships with the latest available environmental technology, extended public spaces, more cabins and the highest ratio of outdoor space per guest of any ship in the company’s fleet.

05 May 2019

Two Greek Shippers Fined for Dumping Oil in Texas Ports

Two Greek shipping companies have been fined $4 million in a U.S. plea deal for not reporting 2017 illegal oil discharges by a tanker at some Texas ports.“Two Greek shipping companies, Avin International LTD and Nicos IV Special Maritime Enterprises, were sentenced today on charges stemming from several discharges of oil into the waters of Texas ports,” the Department of Justice said in a press release.The companies in November pleaded guilty to obstruction of an agency proceeding, failure to report discharge of oil and negligent discharge of oil.Avin International was the operator and Nicos I.V. Special Maritime Enterprises was the owner of the Nicos I.V., which is a Greek-flagged vessel.

29 Aug 2018

Five (More) New Products to Find @ SMM 2018

Photo: Furuno/Radio Holland

The SMM 2018 scheduled to take place September 4-7, 2018, in Hamburg, Germany, is held every two years and is the traditional launching platform for a variety of commercial shipping and shipbuilding technologies. Five new marine technologies to look for in Hamburg include:Company: Radio HollandBooth: B6.301Product: Radar, Service, BWTRadio Holland, known for its global service network, shows its network at SMM as well as newdevelopments and innovations in its network. Most important…

18 Oct 2017

Op/Ed: Act Now to Avoid BWMS Compliance Risks

Steven Candito

Lately, I have been reading reports regarding the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) escalating enforcement of ballast water discharge violations. In the first case, the USCG initiated a civil penalty proceeding against a bulk carrier for discharging ballast water in Washington State without using a USCG Type Approved Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) or other approved means. The USCG proposed the maximum penalty of $38,175. In a more recent case, the USCG issued a $5,000 fine for a similar unauthorized ballast water discharge in Oregon.

04 May 2017

Thordon, DDW-D Partner for Shaft Line Conversions

Terry McGowan, President and CEO, Thordon Bearings (seated right), and Mohammad Rizal (left), Chief Operating Officer of Drydocks World- Dubai, sign an agreement that affirms the two companies’ efforts to convert ships to seawater lubricated propeller shaft lines from oil (Photo: Thordon Bearings)

Thordon Bearings and Drydocks World-Dubai (DDW-D) have signed an agreement under which the UAE-based shipyard will work together with Thordon Bearings Inc. to promote the conversion of ships’ oil lubricated propeller shafts to Thordon’s COMPAC open seawater lubricated bearing system. The agreement will create an action plan in which a specialist team, comprised of Drydocks World-Dubai and Thordon Bearings’ personnel, offer support to ship managers and owners looking to ensure…

20 Apr 2016

Thordon Bearings Launches Oil Savings Calculator

Thordon Bearings has developed a bespoke modeling tool capable of calculating the amount of operational oil prevented from leaking into the world’s oceans with each installation of a seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing. To be launched officially on April 22 to coincide with Earth Day 2016, the world’s largest environmental movement, now in its 46th year, the Oil Savings Calculator shows that more than 60 million liters of oil pollution has been saved to date. “In our opinion the only acceptable propeller shaft stern tube oil leakage is zero.” said Terry McGowan, President & CEO Thordon Bearings. “Thanks to those vessels that have already installed seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings…

24 Jan 2016

"Oil Spill India 2016" set for Launch in Mumbai in August

The 4th Edition of Oil Spill India (OSI) 2016 is all set to be launched at the JW Marriot Sahar, Mumbai. Keeping with the current trend and the government policy of "Make in India" the theme selected for this two-day event scheduled for 11th and 12th August 2016 is "Commitment, Synergy, Excellence. For the first time Mumbai will play host to this unique major event “OSI 2016”, whereas the first three editions had been successfully hosted in GOA. In year 2011, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), Directorate of General Shipping and the Indian Coast Guard, in association with iTEN Media recognized a need for an industry forum to deliberate & collaborate on response frameworks for Oil Discharges in the region, as same was on discount.

02 Oct 2015

New Class Rules Favor Seawater Lubricated Props

Thordon Bearings’ seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system meets classification society rules for extended shaft withdrawal periods (Image: Thordon Bearings)

Classification societies are changing their monitoring rules for seawater-lubricated propeller shafts in line with the rules governing the inspection and withdrawal of oil-lubricated stern tube systems. China Classification Society (CCS), for example, announced in July that if certain condition monitoring criteria are met, shaft withdrawal for inspection may be extended to 15 years. The rule change follows recent revisions by Lloyd’s Register and Bureau Veritas which published amended SCM and MON-SHAFT rules in January 2013 and January 2014, respectively.

31 Jul 2015

Thordon Bearings Secures AK Ferry Contract

Thordon Bearings has received an order to supply its COMPAC system to two Alaska Ferry newbuilds under construction at the Vigor Industrial shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Canada-based company, a supplier of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings, will deliver the Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL)-compliant COMPAC propeller shaft bearing system for shaft diameters of 267mm (10.5”). Thordon has a strong history with Alaskan State Ferries with its seawater lubricated bearings installed on the Matanuska, Tustumena and Kennicott. Both of the twin-screw, 85m (280ft.) long Alaska-class ferries will have the capacity to carry 300 passengers and 53 standard vehicles and feature fully enclosed vehicle decks with bow and stern doors for quicker loading/unloading.

17 Jun 2015

UK Shipping Company Fined for Environmental Crimes

Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd, a company based in Glasgow, U.K., and operator of the reefer cargo ship M/V Murcia Carrier, pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and providing false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) concerning the vessel’s garbage record book. The company was sentenced to pay a criminal penalty of $750,000 and placed on three years of probation by the Honorable Joseph H. Rodriguez, the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced today. “Our oceans are life giving and life sustaining resources that our country and our world depend upon,” said Assistant Attorney General John C.

05 Jun 2015

Thordon Bearings Bags Alaska Ferry Contract

Photo: Thordon Bearings

Thordon Bearings has received an order to supply its COMPAC system to two Alaska Ferry newbuilds under construction at the Vigor Industrial shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Canada-based company, a supplier of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings, will deliver the Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL)-compliant COMPAC propeller shaft bearing system for shaft diameters of 267mm. The twin-screw, 280ft long Alaska-class ferries will each have capacity to carry 300 passengers…

09 Mar 2015

Italian Shipper Fined $2.75m for Environmental Crimes

U.S. Carbofin S.p.A., an Italian domiciled company that owned and operated the M/T Marigola was sentenced to pay an overall criminal penalty of $2.75 million for knowingly falsifying the vessel’s oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), announced the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. During 2013 and 2014, on numerous international voyages, senior members of the crew of the M/T Marigola directed the installation and use of a so-called “magic hose” to dispose of sludge, waste oil and oil-contaminated bilge water directly into the sea bypassing required pollution prevention equipment.

13 Jan 2015

EPA Proposes Changes to Oil Spill Response Plan

Mathy Stanislaus (Photo: EPA)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend requirements under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) to improve the nation’s ability to plan for and respond to oil spills. This proposal addresses issues raised by the public, responders, government, and industry officials during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. “Our emergency officials need the best available science and safety information to make informed spill response decisions when evaluating the use of specific products on oil discharges…

15 Dec 2014

Partnership Promotes Seawater Lubrication

Scott Groves (left), Business Development Manager at Thordon Bearings, and Leslaw Hnat (right), Chairman of the Board of MSR Gryfia, sign an agreement that affirms the companies’ efforts to convert ships to seawater lubricated propeller shaft lines from oil.

Thordon Bearings Inc. signed a letter of intent (LOI) under which it will cooperate with MSR Gryfia of Poland to promote the conversion of ships to an open seawater lubricated propeller shaft Thordon bearing system from a sealed oil lubricated propeller shaft bearing system. The LOI will create an action plan in which a Ship Conversion Team, comprised of MSR Gryfia and Thordon Bearings representatives, that promotes this initiative to the marine community. The goal of this movement…

04 Nov 2014

Cruise Newbuilds Feature Seawater Lubrication

Thordon COMPAC seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearings fitted to bronze carriers

The Viking Star, a47, 800GTcruise ship, is one of three Viking Ocean Cruises’ newbuilds to opt for Thordon COMPAC seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearings. Constructed at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard, the 944-passenger Viking Star is the first of three new ships equipped with seawater lubricated propeller shafts instead of oil lubrication. Richard Goodwin, Vice President-Engineering at Viking Ocean Cruises, said, “We chose Thordon COMPAC for all our newbuildings because of the long experience of these seawater lubricated bearings which present no risk of oil pollution.

16 Oct 2014

US, ATP-IP Reach Settlement over Unauthorized Oil Discharges

Under a settlement agreement with the United States, ATP Infrastructure Partners, LP (ATP-IP) will pay a $1 million civil penalty and perform corrective measures to resolve claims by the U.S. under the Clean Water Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) of unauthorized discharges of oil and chemicals from an oil platform into the Gulf of Mexico, announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). This is the first joint judicial enforcement action involving EPA and BSEE claims in response to alleged violations of both the Clean Water Act and OCSLA. The United States’ complaint, which was filed in February 2013, in the U.S.

18 Jun 2014

CG Units To Participate In Coastal Trident 2014

The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in training exercises Thursday, in the vicinity of Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego 91109 will partner with U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection, Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) as participants in the Center for Asymmetric Warfare exercise Coastal Trident 2014. The Pacific Strike Team (PST) and National Guard 9th Civil Support Team will practice first aid and decontamination capabilities. MSST San Diego was created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 in direct response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and is a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s layered strategy directed at protecting seaports and waterways.

25 Oct 2013

The Importance and Value of Marine Industry Training

Figure 1

The Coast Guard Marine Industry Training Program offers incredible opportunities for Coast Guard employees to intimately learn specific facets of the marine industry. Participants of the program work directly for industry partners for up to 1 year. In addition to building superior government/industry working relationships, the program affords industry sponsors an opportunity to share detailed business considerations and limitations, so that Coast Guard regulatory activities most effectively promote safety, while limiting undue burden on the maritime industry.