North East Coast News

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has caused supply chain disruption on the US East Coast but, so far, it has not seen an increase in ocean freight container shipping rates.Data released Monday by Xeneta reveals average spot rates from the Far East into the US North East Coast (including Baltimore) have fallen slightly (-1%) since the bridge collapse on March 26 to stand at USD 5,421 per FEU (40ft shipping container).When including other US East Coast ports such as New York / New Jersey…

Vard, a Norwegian firm specializing in shipbuilding and design, said Friday its subsidiary in Vietnam, Vard Vung Tau, had delivered a newbuild 944 Grampian Tees service operation vessel to owner North Star.This SOV is the third of four purpose-designed and built ships destined for decade-long minimum charters to support operations and maintenance (O&M) work at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm.Once the wind farm currently under construction is fully operational, it will become the largest in the world, producing enough electricity to power six million British homes.

The first monopile and transition piece have been installed at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the U.K. North Sea, marking a key milestone for the construction of the world's largest offshore wind farm.The foundations, designed by Wood Thilsted, are up to 72m in length, weigh on average 1057 tonnes and include the world’s largest 8m offshore wind flange. The design includes the world’s first split-level transition piece for safe installation and operation, with installation works being led by Seaway 7 with support from DEME.Paul Cooley…

UK-based offshore vessel operator North Star has awarded a £2 million contract to Great Yarmouth firm Alicat Workboats to build two new Chartwell designed daughter craft.The vessels will be added to North Star's new renewables fleet which is bound for the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, located off the North East coast of England, from next year.Last September, Alicat Workboats won a contract to build an initial two daughter crafts for the offshore wind service vessel operator. The vessels have a hybrid powered design, developed by Chartwell Marine, in collaboration with North Star.

Cadeler CEO Mikkel Gleerup shares insights on the path ahead for his company in the fast-growing offshore wind sector, with details on Cadeler’s new X-Class Wind Turbine Installation Vessels.The last two years were big year for your company, with a name change from Swire Blue Ocean and IPO at the end of 2020 and a rebranding through 2021. What was the rationale for these moves?We rebranded from Swire Blue Ocean to Cadeler end of 2020 to demonstrate that this was a separation from Swire.

Offshore installation contractor DEME Offshore has awarded Proserv Controls a contract for the provision of the inter-array cable monitoring system, or CMS, for the first two phases, A and B, of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK.Proserv said Tuesday it would deploy its ECG holistic cable monitoring system to deliver the project."ECG has been initiated and driven by Proserv with critical support from its partner Synaptec, a power system monitoring expert," the company said."ECG represents a step-change in traditional monitoring methods…

Belgium-based DEME Offshore has won a contract to deliver and install inter-array cables at the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm in the UK.Dogger Bank C is the third phase of the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm which will be the world's largest offshore wind farm once fully complete.DEME Offshore is also responsible for the delivery and installation of Dogger bank A and B inter-array cables, securing the contract in early 2021.Under the Dogger Bank C inter-array cable contract, DEME Offshore is responsible for the engineering…

UK-based offshore wind vessel operator North Star Renewables has ordered two hybrid-powered daughter craft from Great Yarmouth based-marine and engineering specialist Alicat.Once built, the vessels are destined for the Dogger Bank wind farm, 130km off England’s North East coast. They will utilize the combination of diesel and electric outboards, "a world-first for this form of workboat."Designed by Southampton-based naval architects Chartwell Marine in collaboration with North Star…

Offshore wind vessel firm Edda Wind said Wednesday it had won a contract to support the commissioning and construction of the first two phases of the giant Dogger Bank wind farm in the UK."Edda Wind and Dogger Bank Wind Farm have agreed on a new contract for the newbuild CSOV Edda TBN C490," Edda Wind said in a social media post.The new contract will begin shortly after delivery of the commissioning service operation vessel in Q2 2023, with a firm period of two years and an additional option of one year, said the company which is jointly owned by Johannes Østensjø dy AS and Wilh.

Norwegian-based Awind has secured a charter contract for its first “walk-to-work” Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK.The contract at what will become the world's largest offshore wind farm will start in the second quarter of 2023. Awind, a subsidiary of Awilco affiliate Integrated Wind Solutions AS (IWS), ordered a pair of hybrid-electric commissioning, service, and operations vessels (CSOV) from China Merchants Industry in Hong Kong…

Norwegian shipbuilder VARD has won contracts to build three Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) for the UK-based North Star Renewables. The vessels, to be built in Vietnam, will operate on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea, the world's largest.The shipbuilding contract announcement comes three weeks after North Star said it had won a deal worth around $375 million to supply SOVs for the giant wind farm off the UK. The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank wind farm is being built  in three phases in the North Sea by joint venture partners SSE Renewables…

Dutch offshore installation company Van Oord on Thursday confirmed it had secured a contract to deliver and install monopile foundations and array cables for RWE's 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.The contract comes a little over a week after RWE made a financial investment decision for the Sofia offshore wind farm, located the Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, 195 kilometers from the North East coast of the UK. "Through its UK branch MPI Offshore, Van Oord will create a logistics hub to deliver the comprehensive scope of work…

Crane specialist Liebherr has informed that important components for a giant crane to be installed aboard OHT's Alfa Lift offshore wind foundation installation vessel, have departed from Germany and are now en route to China where the vessel is being built.The Alfa Lift, being built for Offshore Heavy Transports (OHT) at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard in Jiangsu, China, was on February 28, floated-out from its drydock. Once delivered, the semisubmersible heavy installation vessel…

Equinor and SSE have announced a financial close on the first two phases of the world's largest offshore wind farm project - the Dogger Bank in the UK North Sea.Dogger Bank wind farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, who are leading the construction of the offshore wind farm, and Equinor, who will operate the 3.6GW project during its lifetime of at least 25-years. When completed, Dogger Bank will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.The overall wind farm is being built in three 1.2GW phases; Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B, and Dogger Bank C.

Norway's Offshore Heavy Transports has won a contract to transport and install foundations for the first phase of Equinor's and SSE's Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Dogger Bank A, in the UK, using its foundation installation vessel Alfa Lift being built in China.To remind, OHT was in November 2019 selected as the preferred supplier for foundation installation at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, and it has now secured the firm contract for the Dogger Bank A. "The contract for the second phase…

The giant 25,000-metric-ton Brent Bravo oil platform topsides arrived at Able Seaton Port in preparation for its dismantling and recycling, said Peter Stephenson, founder and Executive Chairman of Able UK.The Brent Bravo, which stands 410 feet tall and 230 feet wide, is the second platform from the Shell Brent field to be decommissioned at Able Seaton Port—the first, the Brent Delta, arrived in May 2017. Both were transported from northeast of Shetland by the Allseas vessel Pioneering Spirit, one of the largest vessels ever built.After arriving off the North East coast, the Brent Bravo was transferred to a 200-meter-long barge, the Iron Lady, for the final part of the journey to Able Seaton Port where it is currently moored on Quay 6.

Gulf Drilling International (GDI) has signed a three-year contract with North Oil Company (NOC) to provide drilling services through the drilling rig Dukhan for NOC’s extensive development programmes in Al Shaheen oil field.The Al Shaheen Oil Field is a production oil and gas field off the north east coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, 80 kilometres north of Doha.The subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS) said in a press release that the signing ceremony was attended by GDI’s Chief Executive officer William Ceppi and NOC’s Chief Executive Officer Jacques Azibert. Also in attendance were Mark Gibson, Chief Operation Officer, and Francis Bourcier Drilling Manager of NOC…

Global energy sector supplier NKT has confirmed turnkey order for Moray East offshore wind farm project."NKT has signed a Preferred Bidder Agreement (PBA) for delivery and installation of export cable systems to the prospective offshore wind farm project Moray East," said a press release from the company.NKT and the project developer, MOWEL, Moray East Offshore Windfarm Ltd, owned by EDP Renováveis S.A., ENGIE and Diamond Generating Europe Ltd., have signed the final binding agreement on the project. For NKT, it means that the order is confirmed.The Moray East project comprises manufacture of approx. 175 km of 220 kV AC offshore export cables, installation by the NKT Victoria cable-laying vessel and burial of the cables. The order represents a contract value for NKT of approx.

Norwegian subsea services provider Subsea 7 announced the award of a substantial offshore Conventional contract. Subsea 7 defines a substantial contract as being between USD 150 million and USD 300 million.In a press release, the company said that the offshore execution is planned for 2019 and 2020. No further details are disclosed at this time due to contractual obligations. Early this month, Subsea 7 announced the award of a sizeable contract by Nexen as part of the Buzzard Phase 2 Project, located approximately 55 kilometres off the north-east coast of Scotland. Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million.Subsea 7’s contract scope includes project management…

Falcon Global, a subsidiary of Seacor Marine Holdings and Fred. Olsen Windcarrier  a wholly owned subsidiary of Bonheur ASA announced that they have reached a cooperation agreement whereby each party will exclusively contribute vessels and marine/installation crews to the market and operate a full spread of offshore wind installation and feeder vessels for the US offshore wind market. The Falcon Global fleet consists of one of the largest existing US-flag and Jones-Act compliant lift boats in the U.S. With a proven track record of operating in US-waters under harsh environmental conditions, the Falcon Global fleet represents a longstanding tradition of highly competent US-officers and crew. The combination of Fred.

ACE Winches has mobilized a six point mooring system to anchor the Iron Lady Barge being used on the Brent decommissioning project. The equipment, designed and manufactured by ACE Winches at its global headquarters in Turriff, Aberdeenshire is now in situ and being supported by a team of ACE Winches offshore personnel. ACE Winches manufacture a range of standard and bespoke drum winches, available in single or double drum configurations. Drum winches are designed to be utilized for hoisting…

HMAS Darwin’s boarding team has uncovered and seized a large weapons cache, following a boarding of a fishing vessel during their deployment to the Middle East Region as part of Operation MANITOU. Operating under Combined Task Force 150, responsible for counter-terrorism operations within the Middle East Region, Darwin intercepted the fishing vessel approximately 170 nautical miles (313 kilometres) off the coast of Oman to conduct a flag verification boarding. After assessing the vessel to be stateless, 1989 AK-47 assault rifles, 100 rocket propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM general purpose machine guns, 39 PKM spare barrels and 20 60mm mortar tubes were seized from the vessel that was headed towards the Somalia coast.

Winter Storm Juno, which has brought snow and gale force winds to the North East Coast of the United States, is causing severe disruption to shipping across the entire coastline. Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) advises that with snow accumulation likely to exceed two feet, closures are now in place at the Port of New York & New Jersey and Long Island Sound Point Judith Pilot Station. The severity of the storm has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Warning and Coastal Flood Warning for Southeastern New England. Current predictions estimate sustained north-northeast winds as high as 40 knots, with gusts up to 65 knots along the coast. In Northern New England, the U.S. Coast Guard has set port conditions to X-Ray for coastal Maine and New Hampshire.