Rio Grande News

NextDecade said on Monday it was targeting a final investment decision (FID) and plans to start construction of the fourth liquefaction train at its Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Texas by the second half of 2024.The Rio Grande LNG export plant has been in development for several years, suffering repeated delays. Last year the company made an FID to construct the first three liquefaction trains at the facility.NextDecade expects to finalize commercial arrangements for Train 4 in the coming months to support the FID.

Gulf LNG Tugs of Texas has been selected to provide towage services for the Texas LNG export terminal to be constructed in the Port of Brownsville.Gulf LNG Tugs, a consortium of Suderman & Young Towing Company, Bay-Houston Towing, and Moran Towing Corporation, will build, deliver and operate tugboats under a long term agreement to assist LNG carriers arriving at the facility.Texas LNG will be a 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal owned and managed by Glenfarne Energy Transition.

Esgian's last roundup of the year for the Week 52 puts spotlight on new developments for Dolphin Drilling semisub, Seadrill drillships, as well as Shell’s plans for Australia and ONGC’s new tender for jackups in India.ContractsDolphin Drilling has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed operator for the 1,500-ft semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin to undertake a 500-day drilling campaign in the UK. The drilling campaign is planned to begin directly after the firm part of the contract period with EnQuest, which was announced in late November 2023.

A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, potentially halting construction of the facility.In its decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) failed to impose the same emissions limits on the Port Arthur plant as on other projects, including the Rio Grande LNG project which is now under construction.The approximately 13.5 million-metric…

A.P. Moller - Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced the continued expansion of its fleet in Brazil, as part of the ongoing growth of its operations in the country.Svitzer Monte KT is the fourth tug to join the fleet in the country since April. The vessel is a sister to three tugs already delivered to Svitzer in 2023, which have been deployed across the ports of Pécem, Paranagua, and Santos on Brazil’s coast. The tug is one of six new Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugs that will be put into operation by Svitzer in Brazil before the end of 2024.

Gulf LNG Tugs of Brownsville has ordered four new tugs to serve the Rio Grande LNG export facility (RGLNG), which has commenced construction in Brownsville, Texas.Gulf LNG Tugs is a joint venture formed between Bay-Houston Towing Co., Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company to provide tug services for RGLNG under a long-term tug services agreement.The company announced Tuesday it signed construction contracts with Coden, Ala. shipyard Master Boat Builders and Port Neches, Texas shipbuilder Sterling Shipyard.

Ocean Yield has agreed to purchase four LR1 product tankers, to be constructed at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China.The vessels will be built with a design enabling them to be converted to dual-fuel operation with methanol as fuel. Upon delivery (in 2026 and 2027), the vessels will commence 15-year bareboat charters to guaranteed subsidiaries of Braskem S.A., a global petrochemical company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and based in Brazil. Braskem S.A. currently has credit ratings of BBB- from S&P and Fitch…

Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received a notice to proceed to perform essential improvements to the Brownsville Ship Channel for NextDecade Corporation’s Rio Grande LNG project.The company said it expects to start work for the project later this year, including deepening the entrance channel to the western end of the Rio Grande LNG property also known as Phase 1 of the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvements. The project also includes…

At least three proposed U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants have likely found enough customers to receive financial approvals this year, according to Reuters calculations, developments that would make the country the world's largest LNG exporter for years to come.After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The pace of approvals has accelerated as Europe has shifted…

The state of Texas is putting into service a fleet of new, highly capable patrol boats as it works to detect, disrupt and deter criminal activity along the Rio Grande."Now, more than ever, it is imperative that our law enforcement officers and Texas National Guard soldiers adopt innovative solutions," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during a recent visit tour the state’s enhanced assets along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Abbott’s official website, the Governor has secured $4 billion in funding for Texas' border security efforts.

Gustavo Alcides Diaz, an Argentine fisherman and hunter from a river island community, is at home on the water. The Parana River once lapped the banks near his wooden stilt home that he could reach by boat. Fish gave him food and income. He purified river water to drink.Now the 40-year-old looks out on a trickle of muddy water.The Parana, South America's second-largest river behind only the Amazon, has retreated this year to its lowest level since its record low in 1944, hit by cyclical droughts and dwindling rainfall upriver in Brazil.

Cheniere Energy Inc, said on Thursday it would quantify carbon emissions from its suppliers and production sites and supply the information to customers.LNG buyers have begun asking suppliers for natural gas sourcing data and greenhouse gas emissions to reduce their own carbon footprints. Several LNG producers are proposing adding carbon capture and storage alongside their LNG projects.Cheniere said it signed agreements with five natural gas producers and several academic institutions to implement quantification…

Wilson Sons is the largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator in Brazil, operating more than 80 workboats. Marcio Castro, Executive Director Tugboat Division, discusses with Maritime Reporter the size, shape & technical direction of the fleet.Mr. Castro, to start, how did you come to a career in maritime?I graduated in System Engineering at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), I also have an MBA in Business Administration (Coppead/UFRJ). I joined Wilson Sons in 2003…

A  1,600-horsepower towboat delivered to Harvey, La.-based operator L&L Marine Transportation in June is now operational with a full range of Thordon oil-free and grease-free bearings.Designed by Entech, the 65-foot twin-screw towboat Amelia Ray is purpose-built by Rodriquez Shipbuilding in Coden, Ala. for the transportation of petrochemicals along all inland and coastal waters in the southern states of the U.S.In addition to newest towboat addition, L&L Marine operates the 2,000-horsepower Melissa Lee and three 1,200-horsepower vessels Angela Rae, Myrna Ann and Madeleine Michelle.

Brazilian maritime logistics and port operator Wilson Sons has accepted the resignation of Cezar Baião from the position of CEO of Operations in Brazil, effective from March 5, 2021. The company has this week said that its board has accepted the nomination and decided to appoint Fernando Fleury Salek as CEO of Operations in Brazil.Salek has acted as CFO of the company's Brazilian subsidiaries and Head of Investors Relations for the past five years. He is an economist having graduated from PUC-Rio with a specialization in Corporate Finance, International Finance, and Marketing.

This Memorial Day, as we rightfully honor the military men and women who gave their lives winning and protecting our freedoms, let us not forget an often-overlooked remembrance for the thousands of U.S. merchant mariners who also died serving our country in their own selfless ways.In 1933, by a joint Resolution of Congress and by Proclamation of the President of the United States, May 22 was set aside as National Maritime Day to honor the sacrifices of U.S. merchant mariners during wartime and in peace.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has agreed a contract to install Fleet Xpress from satellite communications provider Inmarsat on a majority of its vessels.The 128-year old Florida-headquartered business owns, operates and manages a diverse fleet of close to 200 vessels, including conventional and dual fuel (LNG) containerships, tankers and articulated tug-barges, and ship assist and offshore services tugboats, and various other types of barges.The deal was signed following trials in Alaska on Aframax tanker…

NextDecade Corporation announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued an order authorizing the siting, construction and operation of its proposed Rio Grande LNG export facility in Brownsville, Texas.“Issuance of the FERC order marks an extremely important milestone for our project,” said Matt Schatzman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Texas-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) development company.“We appreciate the comprehensive and rigorous review of our project conducted by the FERC and numerous other federal, state and local agencies over the last four and a half years,” Schatzman added.NextDecade currently anticipates finalizing important commercial milestones during the fourth quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020…

German international shipping and container transportation company Hapag-Lloyd AG announced that it is expanding fleet on Atlantic Loop 3 service between the US and Europe."Our Atlantic Loop 3 Service (AL3) fleet is growing with the addition of the 4,248 TEU vessel “Rio Grande Express” sailing between the United States and Europe," the cargo container shipping line said in a statement."Upgrading to a 6 vessel rotation will improve the reliability of the AL3 service for our customers and support our strategy of being number one for quality," it added.The “Rio Grande Express” will be flagged under the United States, completing an entire loop of US Flag vessels…

The US is forecast to drive new-build, liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity additions globally from planned and announced (new-build) projects between 2019 and 2023, contributing around 73% of global new-build LNG liquefaction capacity growth by 2023, according to a report by GlobalData.The US is expected to account for a new-build LNG liquefaction capacity of 156.9 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) from planned and announced projects by 2023. Of this, 79 mtpa of capacity comes from planned projects, while the rest is from announced projects, said the report from the data and analytics company.Adithya Rekha, Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, said: “The US is expected to add capacity of 156.9 mtpa from 17 new-build LNG liquefaction terminals by 2023.

US project management services provider Bechtel has won the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts totaling $9.565 billion for the LNG export project developer NextDecade-led Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the US.The fully wrapped lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) EPC contracts include cost, schedule, and performance guarantees, NextDecade said in its statement.The EPC contracts are for the first phase of the Rio Grande LNG project, which consists of three liquefaction trains, two 180,000 cubic meter storage tanks and two marine berths.Each liquefaction train is expected to have capacity up to 5.87 million tons per annum of LNG…

The South Port Connector Road Project received environmental clearance from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Pharr District Office, advancing the project to the construction phase.The project is part of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority’s (CCRMA) East Loop Corridor plan. When complete, the South Port Connector Road will span two miles and will connect Ostos Road at the Port of Brownsville with State Highway 4.The project will enhance the port’s intermodal connectivity, further facilitating domestic and international trade throughout the Rio Grande Valley.“The Port of Brownsville is a valuable asset to the Texas economy and a major economic force in the region,” said John Reed, Brownsville Navigation District Chairman.

Houston-based NextDecade announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for NextDecade’s Rio Grande liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Brownsville, Texas, as well as for the associated Rio Bravo Pipeline to originate in the Agua Dulce area.The EIS issued by the FERC was prepared in accordance with statutory requirements in the National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC is the primary agency responsible for the review and permitting of LNG facilities in the United States.The FERC’s rigorous process includes a detailed review of the environmental, engineering…