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St Malo News

15 Aug 2022

U.S. Offshore Oil Production Restarts after Pipeline Fix

A Shell Gulf of Mexico platform / Copyright: Mike Duhon Productions - Shell Photographic Services

A damaged oil pipeline component that disrupted output at several offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms was repaired late Friday, a Louisiana official said, with producers moving to reactivate some of the halted production.A failed flange connecting two onshore pipelines operated by Shell Plc in Louisiana leaked an estimated two barrels of oil. The oil, which spilled onto an area covered with gravel, has been removed, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission…

21 Jun 2022

Stena, Wärtsilä to Build World’s Largest Hybrid Ship

Photo © Brittany Ferries.

Wärtsilä will supply its hybrid propulsion system for three new RoPax vessel currently built for Stena RoRo, Europe´s largest ferry company. Two of the ferries will have a battery capacity of 11.5 MWh, reportedly making them the marine industry’s largest hybrid vessels to date.“Stena wants to be a frontrunner in decarbonizing our fleet and, together with our partners, pushing developments towards zero emission operations,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo. “Hybridization allows our vessels to be highly flexible as we adapt to future technology developments…

26 Nov 2021

French Fishermen Block British boat off St Malo Amid Fishing Licenses Row

French fishermen blocked a British cargo vessel from docking in a Brittany port on Friday, in protest at what they say are moves by authorities in London and Jersey to withhold licenses to fish in British waters under a post-Brexit deal.The fishermen held aloft red flares as they circled their boats outside Saint-Malo to block the Normandy Trader's path - a prelude to a planned blockade later on Friday of Calais and the Channel Tunnel, both major transport hubs for trade between Britain and continental Europe.The one-hour Saint-Malo protest and the larger action further east along France's coast risk reigniting a dispute between the…

23 Aug 2021

Deltamarin Inks Deals for Three RoPax Ships

(Image: Deltamarin)

Finnish naval architecture firm Deltamarin said it has signed design contracts with China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for the complete basic and detail design packages of three RoPax vessels. These are the 10th, 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels for two different end clients.Vessel no. 10 will be chartered by a Canadian federal Crown corporation, Marine Atlantic, from Stena RoRo. The vessel will have a capacity of 1,100 persons and approximately 2,600 lane meters. It has liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel engines and a battery hybrid solution to minimize emissions.

23 Jul 2021

Stena RoRo Orders Two More E-Flexer Ferries in China. Charters Secured

Credit: Stena RoRo

A day after it ordered its tenth E-Flexer vessel in the RoPax class, Stena RoRo on Thursday said it had ordered two new ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). To remind, the firm on Monday ordered the tenth unit from the same shipyard for a charter in Canada. The 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels, ordered Thursday, are in the RoPax class developed by Stena RoRo, with delivery scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Stena RoRo said that at the same time, long-term charter…

18 Jun 2021

Oil Companies Evacuating U.S. Gulf of Mexico Platforms ahead of Storm

Credit: GJGK_Photography/AdobeStock

Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp said on Thursday they were withdrawing staff and implementing storm precautions at their U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities ahead of a brewing tropical storm.A weather disturbance over the Gulf of Mexico could become a tropical storm by Friday and take aim at the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, the U.S. National Weather Service said on Thursday.“All of our facilities have plans to prepare for weather-related events and are implementing those procedures,” Occidental said on its website.

09 Mar 2020

Brittany Completes Condor Acquisition

French ferry operator Brittany Ferries said that the takeover of of Condor Ferries  has been completed. The deal, announced last year, had been subject to scrutiny by competition authorities, but work on the transition has been completed."Brittany Ferries is today the proud part-owner of Condor Ferries," it said in a press note.“This is excellent news for Brittany Ferries, our new partners and for Condor Ferries,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries. “We are committed to working closely in the months and years to come to ensure the best level of service to customers and support to our friends and colleagues in the Channel Islands. This will be business as usual for Condor, but within a new ownership structure.”Brittany Ferries is the minority shareholder in the company.

15 Nov 2019

Brittany Ferries Consortium Buys Condor

Condor Ferries, an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between UK and France, has been sold to a consortium including the French shipping company Brittany Ferries.Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities. Brittany Ferries will hold a minority stake.Condor Ferries is an operator of lifeline freight and passenger ferry services.

17 Sep 2019

Brittany Ferries in Brexit 'Dry Runs'

French shipping company has embarked on a series of 'dry runs' - mock voyages - between the UK and France to ensure it is ready for any “no-deal” Brexit mayhem.The Cross-Channel ferry operator has already staged one rehearsal, with lorries travelling from Portsmouth overnight to Caen in France on September 11.Altogether 15 rehearsals are planned between now and mid-October. These will take place in eight Brittany Ferries ports: Portsmouth, Poole, and Plymouth in the UK, and Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo and Roscoff in France. Five Brittany Ferries ships are also involved: Mont St Michel, Armorique, Étretat, Barfleur, and Bretagne.Last week’s trial involved around 100 freight vehicles travelling from the UK to France carrying a wide variety of loads including furniture…

03 Mar 2015

Gulf of Mexico Oil Production on the Rise

Photo: Nabors

Because of the long timelines associated with Gulf of Mexico (GOM) projects, the recent downturn in oil prices is expected to have minimal direct impact on GOM crude oil production through 2016. EIA projects GOM production to reach 1.52 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2015 and 1.61 million bbl/d in 2016, or about 16% and 17% of total U.S. crude oil production in those two years, respectively. The forecasted production growth is driven both by new projects and the redevelopment and expansion of older producing fields.

02 Dec 2014

First Oil From Jack/St. Malo Project in the Gulf of Mexico

The Jack/St Malo semi-submersible floating production unit is the largest of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico and has a production capacity of 170,000 barrels of oil and 42 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, with the potential for future expansion. (Photo: Business Wire)

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced that crude oil and natural gas production has begun at the Jack/St. Malo project in the Lower Tertiary trend, deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Jack/St. Malo is a key part of Chevron's strong queue of upstream projects and was delivered on time and on budget. The Jack and St. Malo fields are among the largest in the Gulf of Mexico. They were discovered in 2004 and 2003, respectively, and production from the first development stage is expected to ramp up over the next several years to a total daily rate of 94…

19 Nov 2014

Chevron Starts Oil Production in Gulf of Mexico

Chevron Corporation announced today that the Hess Corporation-operated Tubular Bells deepwater project, located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has started crude oil and natural gas production. The field is located 135 miles (217 km) southeast of New Orleans, in approximately 4,300 feet (1,310 m) of water in the Mississippi Canyon area. The discovery well was drilled in 2003, and project construction began in October 2011. Tubular Bells is expected to deliver total production of approximately 50,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day producing from three wells. "The deepwater Gulf of Mexico plays a significant part in our earnings and production growth.

30 Oct 2014

Statoil Invests $1.5b in US Offshore Project

U.S. Gulf of Mexico

Statoil together with co-owners in the Stampede development in the Gulf of Mexicohas sanctioned the Stampede project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Statoil said it will invest $1.5 billion in the Stampede development, which is expected to begin production in 2018. Statoil owns 25% of Stampede, which is operated by Hess. Stampede, a new project named from unitizing the former discoveries of Knotty Head and Pony, is located approximately 350 kilometers (215 miles) from New Orleans, Louisiana at a water depth of more than 1,000 meters (3,500 feet). The reservoir depth is 9,100 meters (30,000 feet).

29 Oct 2014

Chevron Sanctions Stampede Project

Chevron Corporation announced today that its subsidiary, Union Oil Company of California (Union), has reached a final investment decision to proceed with the development of the Hess Corporation-operated Stampede project in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Stampede is a deepwater subsea development, which will be tied-back to a newly constructed Tension Leg Platform. The project design capacity will be 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Project cost is expected to be approximately $6 billion. The drilling program includes a total of six production and four water injection wells. Drilling is planned to commence in the fourth quarter 2015 with first production expected in 2018.

15 Oct 2014

Crowley Christens New Ocean Class Tugboat

Photo: Crowley

As part of the company's new vessel build program, Crowley Maritime Corp. christened the latest of its four tugboats in the ocean class series, Ocean Sun, today in Lake Charles. The ceremony served to formally welcome the fourth dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) tugboat to the company’s expanded ocean towing fleet, which has been involved in most of the major offshore oil production installations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico over the past 18 months. Todd Busch, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley’s solutions group, opened the ceremony to approximately 80 guests.

04 Mar 2014

Crowley Maritime Tugs Deliver Massive Semi-Submersible

The tow: Photo courtesy of Crowley Maritime

Crowley Maritime Corp. inform that its ocean class tugs have successfully delivered oversized, overweight equipment – comprised of topsides, tendons, piles and more – that are now part of a massive semi-submersible floating production facility located in the U.S. Gulf, approximately 280 miles south of New Orleans, La. Working alongside the tugs were Crowley’s 455 series high-deck-strength barges, which carried much of the equipment as it was towed offshore. Utilizing the Crowley tugs’ dynamic positioning capabilities, the facility, known as Jack/St.

05 Feb 2014

ISS Supports GoM Pipe Laying Project

Inchcape Shipping Services has successfully supported Saipem with a major pipe laying project in the Gulf of Mexico. Providing marine agency and logistics support for Saipem’s newest pipelay vessel Castorone during its first project in the Gulf, ISS assembled a 15 person team that provided port agency and husbandry, crew logistics services, freight forwarding, warehousing and personnel logistics throughout the 9 month project. The Castorone, which is a DP3, ice classed, pipelay vessel, was employed on the 219 kilometer long Walker Ridge oil export pipeline, which connects Chevron's Jack and St Malo fields in 2,140 meters of water, north to a Shell-operated platform in Green Canyon block 10.

15 Jan 2014

Brittany Ferries Order 52,000 gt Gas-Powered Cruise Ferry

Rendering of the new ferry credit Brittany Ferries

Leading French ferry and holiday company, Brittany Ferries, says it has placed an order for a new cruise-ferry that will be its largest yet, and one of the biggest such vessels in the world. Brittany Ferries explain they and STX France have been co-operating for two years on a study regarding the feasibility of powering a cruise-ferry by LNG, with the result that the ship, costing some 270 million euros (£225 million) will be built by STX France in St. Nazaire and she will enter service in late spring 2017.

29 Oct 2013

ABB's OCTOPUS Helps Keep Heavyweight Semi-Submersibles Safe

Loading Jack St. Malo onto the Dockwise Vanguard: Photo credit ABB

80% of the world’s semi-submersible heavy-lift vessels are equipped with motion monitoring and decision support systems says ABB, including the 'Dockwise Vanguard' recently contracted to lift and carry off the 'Costa Concordia'. Offshore oil and gas platforms and floating production centers are getting bigger and heavier, and the ships that transport them across the oceans of the world are getting bigger and heavier as well. Recently, the world’s largest semisubmersible heavy-lift vessel…

17 Apr 2013

TE SubCom Wins Subsea GoM Cable Contract

TE SubCom contracted by Chevron to connect the Jack & St. Malo offshore facility with an undersea fiber optic communications system in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Jack & St. Malo fields are located approximately 280 miles south of New Orleans, LA in water depths of 7,000 feet. The fields are supported by a semi-submersible platform which will be connected by 106km of submarine cable, subsea equipment, and a new branching unit to an existing fiber network. The branching unit will incorporate SubCom’s proprietary OADM technology and transmission requirements will be met by SubCom’s leading submarine line terminating equipment installed on the facility and in landing stations located in Mississippi and Texas.

12 Mar 2013

McDermott Acquires DeepSea

Photo: McDermott

McDermott International, Inc. announced that certain of its subsidiaries have entered into an agreement in which McDermott has acquired all of the outstanding shares of the DeepSea operating companies. Terms of the purchase are not being disclosed. Headquartered in London, England, with engineering offices in Houston, Europe and Asia Pacific, DeepSea’s specialty services encompass subsea engineering and project management and extend from the wellhead to fixed, floating or shore-based production facilities for oil and gas operators worldwide.

24 Jan 2013

Guarded Optimism for 2013 from U.S. Gulf Boatbuilders

Caveats and some doubts remain. Marine companies along the Gulf of Mexico will be busy in 2013 producing offshore vessels to meet expected growth in the region’s deepwater drilling sector over the next several years. Vessel repairs will be active too. Worker training will be stepped up to address a skilled labor shortage. And nearly three years after BP’s spill off coastal Louisiana, safety will remain a priority. But with the nation teetering on a fiscal cliff – which may spur tax increases and government spending cuts – demand for official and military vessels could be affected…

22 Aug 2012

Keppel Contracted to Build Floatel Semi-submersible

Floatel 'Superior': Photo credit Floatel International

Keppel and Floatel sign contract for a fourth accommodation semi at US$ 315-million. Keppel FELS Limited and Floatel International Ltd (Floatel) have finalised a contract for Keppel FELS to build a new generation harsh environment accommodation semisubmersible. With delivery in early 2015, the new semi will be built to the Floatel Superior design, a DSSTM 20NS design developed by GustoMSC and Keppel FELS' Deepwater Technology Group. Equipped with Dynamic Positioning (DP) 3 capability, it will meet the most stringent rules and regulations for worldwide operations including the Norwegian Sector.