Operators Inc News

Vessels are stacked as Gulf oil operators retrench and day rates fall. In the Gulf of Mexico, vessels serving offshore oil-and-gas exploration and production are being stacked or idled as the rig count there declines. Oil companies are retrenching while crude prices remain weak, with smaller operators and the shallow-water sector scaling back the most. As the situation unfolds, MarineNews asked David Barousse, general manager at Fleet Operators, Inc., a marine transportation firm in Morgan City, La., for his take on today’s predicament and what the future holds.

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. (MES) wins crane order from Yilport Container Terminal & Port Operators Inc. (Yilport). Yilport Container Terminal and Port Operators Inc. (Yilport) is a 100% subsidiary company of Yildirim Holding Inc. (Yildirim) dealing with import/export of coal, iron ore, fertilizer as well as shipping. The order is for 8 container cranes, consisting of four container cranes in Gemlik Terminal and four container cranes in Gebze Terminal, and their deliveries are expected in February 2014 for Gemlik Terminal and August 2014 for Gebze Terminal. Gemlik Terminal is located 70km south of Istanbul and is now under construction…

Growing In Deepwater Gulf of Mexico. As the feds issue more drilling permits for the Gulf, demand for offshore support vessels in the GOM deepwater sector has accelerated, industry members say. Anger about the government's spill-related, drilling moratorium--which ended a year and a half ago--has given way to optimism recently. The region's shallow-water sector, nevertheless remains slow and gives little cause for cheer. Paul Candies, president and chief executive of Otto Candies…

All U.S. Coasts enjoying upswing in business. For many U.S. builders, last year closed on a happier note than 2010 – when the BP spill, offshore drilling ban and weak U.S. and global economies hurt business. In 2011, new orders for vessels for the oil industry and for the U.S. and foreign governments promised to keep a number of builders busy in 2012. A need to comply with new federal regulations created work, and repair activity grew. The upshot is that coastal economies are getting a needed boost. But some companies find themselves with more customers than they can immediately handle.

As seen in the August edition of MarineNews, Susan Buchanan updates readers on the GOM oil production situation. BP's gushing well was capped more than a year ago but life is hardly back to normal in the U.S. Gulf--where rigs and vessels remain underutilized. At least ten rigs have moved overseas since last summer. Gulf oil production is below pre-spill levels and won't recover anytime soon, analysts say. Issuance of drilling permits picked up this spring as operators agreed to use oil-containment systems but permitting lags earlier rates.

Todd Hornbeck will succeed Otto Candies III as chairman of the Board, Robert Clemons will advance to Vice Chairman and Ben Bordelon will serve as Secretary and Treasurer. Jim Adams, who had been working in his interim position since August, was named as the association’s President and CEO. “I want to thank Otto Candies, III for his remarkable leadership through a very challenging time for OMSA. He served the membership well and we will continue to rely on his counsel as he retains his seat as a member of the board of directors,” said Todd Hornbeck.

Marine companies along the Gulf of Mexico have seen little new business since the offshore drilling moratorium was lifted in early October as oil producers apply for permits and decide how to navigate costly safety regulations. At Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., one of the top U.S. boat builders, Chief Executive Officer Boysie Bollinger, said “we're waiting for BOEM to start issuing offshore drilling permits, and no one has any idea when that will be.” He wonders if the government knows when more permits will be released.

Alan C. McClure Associates (ACMA) has completed the design development of a new SWATH (Small Waterplane Area, Twin Hull) vessel that the designer says lends itself to a variety of operation options. The proposed vessel will be 92 ft. long with a 46.6-ft. beam and a displacement of 240 LT. The new vessel's design is based on a variation of the technology used by ACMA's in the development of the 120-ft. Stillwater River, a SWATH crewboat built for Trico Marine Operators, Inc., that has been successfully operating for Petrobras offshore Brazil for the past five years. The operational speed of ACMA's new SWATH has been reduced from more than 28 knots to 20 - 25 knots to accommodate a variety of conventional propulsion system combinations (diesel/reduction-gear w/CP or FP wheels).

Alan C. McClure Associates (ACMA), a leading naval architecture and engineering firm, recently completed the design development of a new SWATH (Small Waterplane Area, Twin Hull) vessel that lends itself to a variety of operations options. The proposed vessel will be 92 feet in length, with a beam of 46 feet - 8 inches and displacement of 240 LT. The new vessel's design is based on a variation of the technology used by ACMA's in the development of the 120-foot STILLWATER RIVER, a SWATH crewboat built for Trico Marine Operators, Inc., that has been successfully operating for Petrobras offshore Brazil for the past five years. The operational…

TRICO Marine Operators, Inc., recently took delivery of 232 ft. Spirit River, constructed by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, of Panama City, Fla. Measuring 232 x 48 x 16 ft., Spirit River is equipped to offer a variety of services, and is distinguished by its shallow draft, which allows the vessel to operate out of all the Gulf of Mexico ports. Spirit River and soon-to-be-delivered sister ship, Hondo River were both built to the highest standards of USCG, and classed by ABS as Maltese Cross A1 E AMS. Each vessel has also been SOLAS certified for international voyages. Power is supplied by a pair of EMD 16-645E7 main engines, rated at 2,875 hp each, and coupled to Lufkin RHS 2500 HG gears with a 3.6:1 ratio.