Arctic Offshore Rig Gets USCG Escort
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) crews escorted heavy lift ship Blue Marlin as it toted a controversial 38,000-metric-ton drilling rig into Port Angeles, Wash., Friday. Blue Marlin, Dockwise’s 674-foot semi-submersible heavy lift ship, was escorted into its anchorage location in Port Angeles while carrying Polar Pioneer, a column-stabilized offshore drilling rig expected to be a key piece in Arctic operations for Royal Dutch Shell. Six Greenpeace activists climbed the rig while in transit on April 6 approximately 750 miles northwest of Hawaii following the U.S. Dept.
Arctic-bound Drill Rigs Shadowed by Greenpeace
The Greenpeace ship Esperanza, with a rainbow painted on its bow, was seen anchored off Manchester then conducted training exercises as its crew prepares to "shadow" two Shell oil rigs headed to Alaska, reports the 'Kitsap Sun'. Several South Kitsap residents reported seeing the 237-foot ship moored near Blake Island, and some people said they spotted what looked like a small submarine operating in the area. Joe Smyth, Greenpeace spokesman in Washington, D.C. confirmed that the ship is being prepared to travel to the Chukchi Sea, keeping a distance from the oil-drilling vessels Noble Discoverer, a drillship, and the Kulluk platform. Smyth said the goal is for the Esperanza to stay near the drill sites with science and activist observers on board.
Shipbuilder to Invest $40m in Central Facilities
Vinashin will invest $40m into building ten facilities to support the Dung Quat Shipbuilding Industrial Plant in central Vietnam. Construction of the factories is scheduled to begin this quarter in the Dung Quat Economic Zone of Quang Ngai Province. Under the plan, the new facilities will focus on manufacturing engines, pumping equipment, boilers and lifting equipment. Each plant will cost between $3.7m and $4.3m Vinashin has also recently opened a new subsidiary, Vinashin Offshore Industries in Hanoi. The new entity will focus on manufacturing floating storage and off-loading (FSO) units, moorings, oil drilling vessels and other industrial equipment.
Vinashin Opens Offshore Unit
Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) officially opened its new subsidiary Vinashin Offshore Industries (Vinaoffshore) in Ha Noi. Vinaoffshore will focus on manufacturing floating storage and off-loading (FSO) units, single print moorings, oil drilling vessels and other heavy equipment, said Tran Thanh Nam, Vinaoffshore director. The new entity will also use resources from Vinashin and other affiliates to sign manufacturing contracts and upgraded equipment used for marine exploitation. Vinashin CEO Pham Thanh Binh said Vinaoffshore was assigned to manufacture FSOs for an affiliate of State-owned PetroVietnam. The FSOs are designed to have a load capacity of 150,000 tonnes and handle 15,000 tonnes of oil a day.
Shipbuilders Cash In on Special Vessels
According to reports, South Korean shipbuilders are profiting more from selling high-value units such as offshore plants and liquid gas carriers than ever. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, already has won a record-high $7 billion in building orders this year, which exceeds last year's record of $6.6 billion. Such high performance was largely affected by the sales of four offshore oilrig units, which amounted to $1.9 billion in total. The company also has recorded steady sales of LNG carriers, capped with a $430-million order for a pair of LNG carriers from a Norwegian company last month. Hyundai Heavy Industry is benefiting from oil prices and an increase in the demand for gas energy.
