University Of Texas At Austin News

Cuban state-run media said at the weekend that 90,000 metric tons of Russian oil had arrived in the cash and fuel-short country to help alleviate power outages and gasoline shortages.In 2022, Russia resumed some oil shipments to the Communist-run Caribbean island after they ceased with the collapse of the Soviet Union.However, according to shipping data no Russian oil left the country for Cuba last year even as Russian media reported in June an agreement was reached between the two governments to supply 1.64 million metric tons of oil and derivatives annually.Jorge Piñón…

U.S. research is advancing on the potential to change fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option, documents showed Wednesday, even as the program's funding is at risk in Congress.In order to lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, the U.S. government has been exploring since 2018 how to use low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as fissile material in weapons.The U.S. research…

Specialty construction company Orion Group Holdings, Inc., announced that Scott Thanisch has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and will assume his new duties on September 12, 2022.Thanisch comes to Orion after serving as the Chief Financial Officer of a Texas commercial construction services company and a transport services, maintenance, and repair company, having previously held various related positions in other industries. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at Austin…

Cuba, mired in an energy crisis that has brought frequent blackouts, is negotiating with a Turkish company to have it double the megawatts it currently produces for the country from shipboard generators just offshore, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.Cuban officials are in talks with Karpowership, one of the world’s largest operators of floating power plants and part of the Turkey-based Karadeniz Holding, the sources said. The company already has five…

Cuba is using a combination of ship-to-ship transfers and floating oil storage to ease fuel scarcity and power cuts following a fire that destroyed a portion of its main oil terminal, vessel tracking data showed.Cubans have endured daily blackouts and long waits for gasoline in the aftermath of the blaze, which hit the 2.4-million-barrel Matanzas terminal and killed 16 people this month.Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel's administration has increased fuel imports from Europe and the Caribbean while Venezuela and Mexico have helped the communist-ruled island with specialized crews and equipment to extinguish the fire, triggered by lightning, and rebuild infrastructure.More than 3 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and fuel, Russian oil, European diesel and liquefied petroleum gas from Domi

With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains US$370 billion for climate and energy programs, policy experts are forecasting a big expansion in clean electricity generation. One source that’s poised for growth is offshore wind power.Today the U.S. has just two operating offshore wind farms, off of Rhode Island and Virginia, with a combined generating capacity of 42 megawatts. For comparison, the new Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma has 356 turbines and a 998-megawatt generating capacity.

A third crude tank caught fire and collapsed at Cuba's main oil terminal in Matanzas, its governor said on Monday, as an oil spill spread flames from a second tank that caught fire two days earlier in the island's biggest oil industry accident in decades.Cuba had made progress fighting off the raging flames during the weekend after drawing on help from Mexico and Venezuela, but late on Sunday the fire began spreading from the second tank, which collapsed, said Mario Sabines, governor of the Matanzas province…

Cuba sought on Sunday to bring under control a fire at its main oil storage facility that has killed one firefighter, drawing on help from Mexico and Venezuela to fight the raging flames.A lightning strike on Friday ignited one of eight storage tanks at the Matanzas super tanker port 60 miles east of Havana. A second tank caught fire on Saturday, catching firefighters and others at the scene by surprise. Sixteen people were missing.The second explosion injured more than 100 people…

Offshore support vessel (OSV) owner Tidewater Inc. announced Wednesday the appointment of Darron M. Anderson to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.Anderson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board of directors of Ranger Energy Services since March 2017. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Express Energy Services from 2008 to August 2015. Anderson began his career in the oil and natural gas industry…

Bryceon Sumner has joined Foss Maritime as chief financial officer, hired to oversee all aspects of the organization's financial function and performance. Sumner brings to the role years of experience gained at a number of organizations ranging from education technology and real estate, to architecture and financial services. Prior to joining Foss, Sumner served as COO and CFO for public and private companies, family offices and as a senior financial officer of a $60 billion government banking insurance fund.

U.S. shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today a number of changes across its leadership team. HII’s Board of Directors has elected Christopher D. Kastner to succeed Barbara A. Niland as the company’s chief financial officer and corporate vice president, business management, effective with Niland’s retirement on March 1, 2016. Furthermore Philip Luna, corporate vice president and president, UniversalPegasus International (UPI), a subsidiary of HII, has been promoted to the HII senior executive team, effective immediately.

The Port of Portland Commission today welcomed new commissioners Alice Cuprill-Comas and Gary Young. Both were earlier nominated by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed the Oregon State Senate. Cuprill-Comas of Portland is a transactional lawyer, and is currently legal counsel at Oregon Health & Science University. A member of the Oregon, Washington and Texas State bars, she was in private practice for more than 15 years, most recently as a partner at Ater, Wynne, LLC in Portland. Cuprill-Comas was named a Rising Star by Oregon Super Lawyers in 2010. Energy Company, an alternative fuels company with international operations headquartered in Seattle.

Bart Reynolds has been hired to take over as president of Seaspan Marine, the company announced today. Appointed to lead Seaspan’s Marine Division, Reynolds joins the company with more than 20 years of experience in leadership positions and senior management. In the last 15 years, Reynolds has held positions in the offshore supply boat business in the United States, West Africa, the Mediterranean and Latin America, most recently serving as Vice President, Americas at GulfMark Offshore Inc. Prior to that, he worked at Tidewater Marine LLC as Area Manager, U.S. Operations.

It's a career-defining moment for 36 college and university faculty April 30, as the Department of the Navy announces the recipients of its 2015 Young Investigator Program, one of the oldest and most selective scientific research advancement programs in the country. Collectively, awardees will receive $18.8 million in grants to fund research across a range of naval-relevant science and technology areas. This is a banner year for the program, administered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which increased funding by 50 percent over last year. "These recipients demonstrate the type of visionary, multidisciplinary thought that helps the U.S. Navy anticipate and adapt to a dynamic battlespace," said Dr. Larry Schuette, ONR's director of research.

Marcela Pineda has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing at Thrustmaster of Texas.   Pineda, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, is a seasoned professional with over 20 years experience in oil and gas, heavy construction and manufacturing. She joined Thrustmaster in 2012 as a Project Manager, and in 2013 was promoted into the role of Director of Projects.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) continued its commitment of funding quality higher education at The University of Texas at Austin yesterday with a contribution of $1.185 million. A portion of the donation, $685,000, is intended to support a variety of programs and activities that stimulate interest and professional development among students and faculty in their chosen disciplines within the Cockrell School of Engineering, the McCombs School of Business, the College of Natural Sciences and the Jackson School of Geosciences. The remaining $500,000 is half of a $1 million pledge to support and name the ConocoPhillips Student Project Laboratory within the Cockrell School’s new Engineering Education and Research Center.

Olgoonik/Fairweather, LLC, in conjunction with a team of scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Texas at Austin, the Florida Institute of Technology, Battelle Memorial Institute and Kinnetic Laboratories, Inc., has been awarded the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) contract to continue environmental monitoring research in the Beaufort Sea. The project is titled Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in the Development Area (ANIMIDA III). ANIMIDA…

Roy Mease was appointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority by the City of Pasadena today. Port Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. Mease was named to the seat previously held by Steve Phelps. Phelps had served as Port Commissioner since 1997. Mease has a private law practice in Pasadena. A member of the State Bar of Texas, he received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law. Mease serves as chairman of the Pasadena Second Century Corporation, which is the city's economic development entity.

Morten Hagland Hansen appointed Vice President - Business Services, & Boyd Skelton as  Director – Products and Solutions. RigNet, Inc., a leading provider of managed remote communications solutions to the oil and gas industry made the new appointments and Mark Slaughter president and CEO of RigNet said: "I am delighted to be announcing these two leadership appointments; Morten Hansen has demonstrated success in several important roles over his long tenure at RigNet. Coming out of a planning role, Boyd Skelton is well-positioned to lead our renewed efforts to develop innovative solutions for our oil and gas customers. In his new role, Mr.

Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) announced the promotions of Nelson Greer, Mark Handin and Darren Vorst to Vice Presidents of Tidewater companies, effective April 1, 2011. Greer joined Tidewater in 1982, after completing 13 years in the British Merchant Marine. He completed the Harvard Business School General Management Program in 2006, and holds a Chief Engineer Unlimited Class 1 Engineering License. In his various management positions with Tidewater, he has been based in Angola, Nigeria, Congo and Gabon, prior to his current posting in Singapore. His Tidewater experience includes engineering, technical management, operations management, area management and, most recently, regional management, with responsibility for Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East, North Africa and India.

Triton Overseas Transport, an industry-leading Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier and provider of international freight services, announced the appointment of Lindsey Avery to the position of Sales Representative. Committed to offering competitive rates and unparalleled customer service, Avery will act on behalf of Triton’s unwavering mission to generate new business leads in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston regions, as well as expand the international shipping company’s reach throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. As a sales representative, Avery will utilize Triton’s strategic position near the Gulf of Mexico to offer competitive rate advantages, fast transit and enhanced service to the company’s international customer base.

Simple annoyance or potential security threat? Spoof is defined as “a hoax or swindle.”  In the world of electronic networks, a spoofing attack is a situation in which one program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data and thereby gaining an improper advantage. We have all heard of, and possibly fallen victim to, fraudulent card readers (often inserted on self-service fuel pumps). The fraudulent card readers copy security information from the credit card, which is then used to clone an illegitimate credit card and incur improper charges on the victim’s credit card account.

Rowan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RDC) announced that, effective January 1, 2009, its Board of Directors has named W. Matt Ralls as the company's new President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, succeeding D.F. McNease, who announced his retirement in late October 2008. Mr. Ralls, 59, most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GlobalSantaFe Corporation, an international contract drilling company, from June 2005 until the completion of the merger of GlobalSantaFe with Transocean, Inc. in November 2007. Prior to that time Mr. Ralls served as Senior Vice President and CFO of GlobalSantaFe. He joined Global Marine, Inc.