Chemical Industries News

The low interest in the first-ever auction of offshore wind farm development rights in the Gulf of Mexico marks a potentially serious setback for U.S. President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda, and the U.S. offshore wind sector in general.U.S. officials had touted the auction as a key milestone in Biden’s agenda to make offshore wind a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to fight fossil-fuel-driven climate change.But with only a single bid of $5.6 million emerging for the rights to 102…

Finland-based shipping company ESL Shipping, part of the ASPO Group, has decided to reflag its new LNG-fueled bulk carrier Haaga to the Finnish flag.According to the carrier of dry bulk cargoes in the Baltic region, the reflagging of the newbuilding Haaga is as a part of the agreement with unions. Flag change took place today in Kokkola, Finland.”We found a constructive solution with unions and are proud to finally hoist the Finnish flag onboard the Haaga”, says Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping."Having all owned vessels under Finnish flag gives us synergies in crew replacement and rotation as well as improves the competitiveness of the whole fleet through introduction of the fleet wide mixed crewing model…

Summit LNG Terminal, a subsidiary of Summit Power International, signed a USD 100 Million turnkey contract with marine work contractor consortium comprising of Geocean SAS and MacGregor for design, engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation and testing of the Fixed Infrastructure (FI) for its Floating LNG Storage and Regasification Terminal (FSRT) at Moheskhali, Cox’s Bazar. The project completion date is 16 months from the time of signing. The Fixed Infrastructure will consist, among others, of Disconnectable Turret Mooring (DTM) plug for FSRU vessel system with anchors (suction piles), flexible riser with floatation and tether system, control and hydraulic umbilical, PLEM, Stern Mooring System (SMS) of FSRU vessel offshore pipelines and landfall works.

Viikki, the new eco-friendly dry cargo vessel of ESL Shipping, part of Aspo Plc, was successfully launched today at the Jinling shipyard in Nanjing, China. “The longstanding work in this project becomes concrete today when we see the vessel floating for the first time. There is still a lot of work ahead before her delivery, but I’m confident that we will get a superb vessel tailored to our needs”, comments Captain Jussi Vaahtikari. Viikki is the first LNG-powered handyzise bulk carrier in the world and is a forerunner in energy efficiency and eco-friendliness. The 160-meter vessel of 26,000 dwt fueled by liquefied natural gas produces more than 50 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions than vessels of the previous generation.

OCIMF and CDI release new information paper Linked Ship/Shore Emergency Shutdown Systems for Oil and Chemical Transfers. The information paper, jointly released by CDI and OCIMF on April 21 recommends an Emergency Shutdown (ESD) connection that will link ship and terminal ESD systems, so that manual activation by the terminal or ship will stop cargo transfer operations. “Linked ship/shore ESD systems have been a standard safety feature of LNG transfer operations for many years,” said OCIMF Director Captain Andrew Cassels.

U.S. energy firms are scrambling to finish a slew of pipelines that will unleash rich reserves of shale gas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio as the nation prepares to become one of the world’s top natural gas exporters. The pipelines are expected to boost output from shale fields in the three states by giving producers access to new domestic and international markets. Those states could supply about a third of all U.S. natural gas once the pipeline expansion is complete, up from about 25 percent now, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Methanol has a "historic opportunity" as a marine fuel, according to a new report published today by research group FCBI Energy. Despite having many attributes that make methanol an attractive, low-emissions marine fuel, it has sometimes been overlooked in policy and industry discussions, according to FCBI Energy, whose report Methanol as a Marine Fuel finds the chemical to be a well-understood and safe to handle as a viable alternative to changing to low sulfur diesel, installing scrubbers or converting to LNG.

ESL Shipping Ltd and the steel company SSAB have signed a long-term frame agreement covering SSAB’s inbound raw material sea transports within the Baltic Sea and from the North Sea. The purpose of the agreement is to enable mutual, long-term gains in efficiency and to reduce overall logistics costs, while simultaneously making raw material logistics as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. At present, the aggregated sea transport volume covered by the agreement is estimated to be 6–7 million tons annually. Resulting from the agreement, ESL Shipping will order new, extremely energy-efficient LNG-fueled ships. These new, ice-class 1A ships will be the first LNG-fueled large bulk carriers in the world, representing the latest in technology and innovation.

W&O Supply and Chesterton team up to reduce harmful emissions out in front to the EPA’s monitoring program. It’s less expensive than you might think. From the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency comes the September 2014 news of a barge operator fined for releasing dangerous gas into the atmosphere. The UK-based firm was made to pay almost £111,000 in fines and costs as a result of emitting unsafe levels of a gas; in this case, hydrogen sulphide (H2S). And, while an investigation by the MCA showed a number of health and safety failings by the operator, the bottom line was that not enough was done to stop the offending vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.

LeBeouf Bros. Towing, LLC is one of the oldest marine towing companies operating the U.S. inland waterway system. Formed in the early 1940s by brothers Willard and Irvin LeBeouf, and joined in 1946 by Earl Gonsoulin, the company was purchased by the Gonsoulin family in 1968. Today LeBeouf Bros. is privately held and operated by Richard “Dickie” Gonsoulin and his son, Jon Gonsoulin, and continues to operate a growing fleet of inland boats and tank barges serving the petroleum and chemical industries on all major U.S. inland waterways.

Governor Bobby Jindal and CEO Jack Jensen of Jensen Companies announced the development of a new 500,000-square-foot logistics facility by TCI Plastics – a Jensen Companies division – at the Port of New Orleans. TCI will make a $36.5 million capital investment to build the facility at its France Road Wharf hub, and the project will create 160 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $33,400, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 183 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 340 new jobs.

TQ Construction and Drilling Training Center Inaugurated in Dammam. Leading representatives from Saudi’s oil and gas sector gathered in Dammam on Thursday, February 27, to launch the newest Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP), the Construction and Drilling Training Center. His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz attended the Inauguration, along with His Excellency, Eng. Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; Dr Ali Nasir Al-Ghofais, Governor of TVTC and His Excellency Mr Khalid Al-Falih, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. The Construction and Drilling Training Center is the fourth SPSP to be opened in the Kingdom, with the original SPSP campus also located in Dammam, and other centers in Al Khafji and Rabigh.

Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal (KPCT) has sailed in to a new frontier with the addition of Bengal Tiger Line’s (BTL) new Colombo feeder service (BOX-2) from KPCT. This new fixed day weekly service has a port rotation of Colombo - KPCT - Chennai and had its maiden call on February 7, 2014 with vessel M.V. Tiger Bridge. In recognition of the important and valuable role being played by KPCT’s employees in the success of the terminal, the port’s Senior Quay Crane Operator launched the new service. All NVOCCs, Liners can load on this service as it is a common carrier feeder vessel.

Omega’s new series is a simple to configure meter with alarms that features universal inputs, high accuracy, two relay alarm outputs, totally programmable color displays, built-in excitation, AC or DC powered units, front removable plug connectors, and programmable digital filter, the manufacturer said. The Dpi-AL series offers flexibility in process measurement and alarm applications, Omega added. This product can be used to monitor the temperature of a clean room and with the…

Omega introduced its new Thermistor Probes with M12 Connections, to be featured at the Sensors Expo and Conference. The TH-21 Series thermistor probes are constructed with the a glass encapsulated thermistor element which provide excellent stability and accuracy. With a maximum continuous temperature rating of -80 to 200°C (-112 to 392°F), and intermittent operation to 250°C (482°F), these thermistor sensors can be used in applications previously out of reach of epoxy coated thermistor sensors. The probes can be ordered in any length, but minimum immersion depth of 1.5" is recommended. Short probes run the risk of error due to stem conduction effects.

AVEVA announced it has opened a new office in Wroclaw, Poland. Serving the Polish market, the office will offer sales and support for all of AVEVA ’s solutions and consulting services. “Poland is a growing market with many chemical, petrochemical and power plants”, commented Helmut Sch uller, Senior Vice President- Central and North EMEA, AVEVA. “Poland has an excellent pool of highly skilled engineers and is very competitive so it’s no surprise that more engineering projects are coming into the market. EPCs are growing and asking for reliable 3D design and engineering solutions and owner operators are seeking strategies for plant lifecycle management. Hans van der Drift, Executive Vice President - Sales, AVEVA added, “We work with some of the biggest names in Poland.

Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and John Breaux (D-La.) will hold a U.S. materials transportation at the University of Houston Law Center at 1:30 p.m. C.S.T., Friday, Jan. 11, 2002. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs officials. Prior to the hearing, at 11 a.m. Sam Houston (owned and operated by the Port of Houston Authority). tour, the vessel will dock back at the San Jacinto Battleground, and Sens. Hutchison and Breaux will be available to speak to media at 11:30 a.m. C.S.T. http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom/hearing.htm.

Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) announced on March 28 that William C. O'Malley, the company's Chairman, President and CEO for most of the past eight years, has officially stepped down as Tidewater's CEO, handing over the reins of leadership to Dean E. Taylor. Taylor, 53, has served as President of Tidewater since October 2001 when O'Malley, 65, announced his impending retirement at the end of March 2002. Taylor's career with Tidewater started in 1978 where he served as an assistant manager in the company's Morgan City, La. office. With his Navy background and business savvy, Taylor gradually worked his way up through Tidewater's ranks to become an executive vice president in December of 2000.

Hvide Marine Inc. announced approval by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware of the Disclosure Statement regarding the company's proposed Plan of Reorganization. The Plan, which was filed on Oct. 1 and amended on Nov. 1, has the support of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Hvide's Chapter 11 case, including representatives of the holders of approximately 63% of Hvide Marine's $300 million of 8 3/8 percent Senior Notes and nearly 50 percent of its outstanding Trust Convertible Preferred Securities. "The decision by the Court allows us to proceed with the solicitation of votes on the Plan of Reorganization," commented Jean Fitzgerald, Chairman, President and CEO.

Seabulk International, Inc. announced approval by its shareholders of the issuance of 12.5 million shares of common stock at $8.00 per share to a group of investors led by affiliates of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III, L.P. and Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy and Power Fund I, L.P. Proceeds from the transaction, totaling $100 million less applicable fees, will be used to pay down debt, provide working capital and for general corporate purposes. week. * add a number of minority shareholder provisions. recapitalization of the company and paves the way for the completion of the transactions contemplated in our announcement of June 13," commented president and CEO Gerhard E. Kurz.