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Oil Boom News

27 Mar 2023

Pertamina Confirms Deaths and Missing Crew Member in Oil Tanker Fire

Credit: Pertamina

Two crew members have died and one is missing after a fire broke out on an oil tanker carrying fuel to terminals on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok, the state energy company Pertamina said in a statement late on Sunday.The chartered vessel, MT Kristin, had 17 crew on board and was carrying 5,900 kilolitres of fuel when the fire started at 2:50 p.m. local time (0650 GMT) on Sunday. Pertamina said so far no oil spills had been detected after the fire, though a 300-meter (984.25 ft) oil boom had been set up around the ship.

31 Aug 2022

This Decade's Oil Boom is Moving Offshore - Way Offshore

Bay du Nord FPSO Illustration - Credit: Equinor

Global oil companies are pumping billions of dollars into offshore drilling, reversing a long decline in spending on the decades-long projects, including some in the remote iceberg waters far off Canada's Atlantic coast.Surging oil prices are encouraging the investments, along with Europe's mounting energy demand as the Ukraine-Russia war drags on. Offshore production sites are more expensive to build than onshore shale, the last decade's investment darling. But once they are up and running…

28 Jan 2022

Oil Workers Race to Protect Beaches from Spill Offshore Thailand

©Royal Thai Navy

Hundreds of workers set up oil barriers along beach fronts in Thailand's eastern Rayong province on Friday as authorities raced to limit the environmental damage from gallons of oil that leaked from an underwater pipeline earlier this week.The leak from a pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) started late on Tuesday and was brought under control a day later after spilling an estimated 50,000 litres (13,209 gallons) of oil into the ocean 20 kilometers…

31 May 2018

Obituary: Maritime Industry Icon Jack Gallagher

Jack Gallagher (Photo: Gallagher Marine Systems)

John “Jack” J. Gallagher, a maritime industry veteran and environmental services pioneer, passed away on Monday at the age of 89.Jack’s greatest professional passion was his work as a Spill Manager/Qualified Individual, a role in which he had few peers. Jack was known to be fiercely committed to doing everything morally possible to protect his clients, while at the same time doing all within his power to protect the environment. He attended and helped shape the outcome of more maritime casualties and oil spills than can be remembered.Over the course of his long and fruitful career…

02 Aug 2017

Oil Spill Response: SCOPE 2017

(Image: SCOPE)

Later this year a major oil and chemical protection exercise dubbed SCOPE 2017 will be carried out in Norway. A joint project including major European and Scandinavian stakeholders, the simulated response to a combined oil and chemical spill aims to foster clearer communication and coordination of spill response across agencies and physical country boundaries. Stig Wahlstrøm, Project Manager SCOPE 2017, Norwegian Coastal Administration and Johan Marius Ly, Director, Department for Emergency Response, explain.

30 May 2017

Dual-fuel Escort Tug for Østensjø Rederi

Photo: Gondán

The first of three new dual fuel RAstar 4000-DF class extreme escort tugs, the Dux, has been delivered to Østensjø Rederi AS by Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán S.A. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the 40.2 meter vessel is the first of a three boat order from Østensjø for severe weather operations at Statoil's Melkøya LNG Gas terminal at Hammerfest in the extreme north of Norway. These escort tugs will conduct approximately 300 LNG ship escorts annually, assist with berthing operations and will be maintained in readiness for emergency services such as long line towing…

04 Feb 2017

Chennai Oil Spill: DG Shipping Institutes Inquiry

Days after the unexpected cargo ships collision outside the Kamarajar Port in Chennai (Tamil Nadu State, India), the Directorate General (DG) of Shipping has instituted an inquiry regarding the same. Two vessels namely, M.T. BW Maple carrying LPG and M.T. Dawn Kanchipuram carrying Petrol and lube oil, collided while crossing each other at 03.45AM on January 28 outside the Kamrajar harbour. The Shipping Minister Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan in Chennai today to take stock of Clean Up Operations, says a statement from the Press Information Bureau, Government of India. The Oil Tanker, Dawn Kanchipuram, which was carrying 32813 Tonnes of POL, suffered a rupture which led to engine oil spill (and not the POL being carried as cargo). There was no casualty or injury to the crew members.

05 Jan 2017

Update on Collision of Container Vessels Wan Hai 301, APL Denver

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) continues to coordinate the containment and clean-up efforts of the oil spillage in Singapore’s waters following the collision of container vessels Wan Hai 301 and APL Denver. As of 5 January 2016, a total of 17 vessels and 222 personnel have been deployed. Progress of the clean-up is being made along the western coastlines of Pulau Ubin (OBS Jetty) and Nenas Channel. Some patches of oil were spotted off CAFHI Jetty and also along the shorelines of Pasir Ris Beach, Changi Point Ferry Terminal, Changi Sailing Club and Changi Beach in the early hours of the morning. Contractors were deployed to clean up the affected shorelines.

04 Jan 2017

Box Ships APL Denver and Wan Hai 301 Collided

The container carriers APL Denver and Wan Hai 301 collided off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor, Malaysia, resulting in an oil spill. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was notified by the Johor Port Authority (JPA) of a collision between Singapore-registered container vessel Wan Hai 301 and Gibraltar-registered container vessel APL Denver. In a statement, MPA said the master of APL Denver reported that one of the vessel's bunker tanks sustained damage, causing a spillage of about 300 tonnes of oil. JPA has deployed four anti-pollution craft on site and an oil boom around APL DENVER to contain the oil spill. In Singapore, some oil patches were spotted and the spillage has been contained off the western side of Pulau Ubin.

04 Jan 2017

LNG: Lagging, Not Gone

(Photo: Sanmar Shipyard)

Low energy prices, depressed day rates and slow growth of bunkering infrastructure has dampened progress for the marine industry’s ‘white knight’ of environmentally friendly fuels. LNG, nevertheless, is here to stay. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean fuel in abundant supply. The green advantages of LNG are well known: Class Society DNV-GL, a pioneer in the commercialization of LNG fueling for maritime applications, offers that use of LNG fuel provides “the complete removal of SOX and particle PM emissions and a reduction of NOX emission of up to 85 percent ...

04 Jan 2017

Oil Spill after two Container Vessels Collide near Johar

At about 2350 hrs on 3rd January 2017, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was notified by the Johor Port Authority (JPA) of a collision between Singapore-registered container vessel WAN HAI 301 and a Gibraltar-registered container vessel APL DENVER off Pasir Gudang Port, Johor Malaysia. The Master of APL DENVER reported that one of her bunker tanks sustained damage resulting in approximately 300 tonnes of oil spillage. JPA has deployed four anti-pollution craft on site and an oil boom around APL DENVER to contain the oil spill. In Singapore, some oil patches were spotted and the spillage has been contained off the western side of Pulau Ubin. MPA has activated a total of eight anti-pollution craft with dispersant spraying capabilities to clean up the spilled oil.

06 Sep 2016

MN100: Elastec

(Photo: Elastec)

Located in Carmi and Fairfield, Illinois and Cocoa, Florida, Elastec manufactures water pollution control products specializing in oil spill recovery equipment. Established in 1990 with the invention of the ELASTEC Drum Skimmer, the U.S. Clean Water act inspired Elastec to expand its product line to include floating booms, turbidity curtains, vacuum systems, work boats and portable incinerators. Elastec’s new Omni Cat is a waterway maintenance catamaran designed to help municipalities comply with nonpoint source pollution.

07 Jun 2016

BSEE Evaluates Oil Spill Response Exercise

(Photo: BSEE)

Engineers and analysts from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's (BSEE) Gulf of Mexico and Alaska Regions recently evaluated Spill Response Operations Training and Equipment Verification exercises conducted by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company and its oil spill removal contractor at the Port of Morgan City, La. These exercises are required periodically to test spill response team training and resource availability, as part of each operator’s Oil Spill Response Plan.

25 Jan 2016

New Mooring System for Commercial Vessels

Photo courtesy of PSI Marine

Eliminating the slack line required for conventional tie-ups, PSI Marine's TideSlide Mooring System reduces inertial loading usually generated by a moored vessel. TideSlide's strength and safety are ideal for commercial docks where cargo or passengers are loaded. Maintaining the vessel's boarding proximity allows safer movement of freight and passengers. TideSlide's vertical movement absorbs any built-up energy, enabling a vessel to be safely and securely held even in the presence of wind, waves and tides.

17 Sep 2015

OPEC Sees Oil Prices Returning to $80/Barrel by 2020

OPEC forecasters expect oil prices will rise by no more than $5 a barrel a year to reach $80 by 2020, with a slowing in rival non-OPEC production growth not enough to absorb the current oil glut, according to OPEC sources. The sources said the figures came from an updated mid-term strategy report discussed this week by representatives from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, which has yet to be fully endorsed by OPEC ministers. The report forecasts that non-OPEC supply would amount to 58.2 million barrels per day by 2017, some 1 million barrels per day lower than in the previous forecast. That effectively…

08 Sep 2015

Oil Train Risks Impact U.S. School Kids

Thousands of U.S. schools sit along rail corridors used to carry toxic substances such as crude oil and would be at risk in the event of a derailment, an environmental group said on Tuesday as it called for a temporary halt on oil trains. ForestEthics said its analysis of U.S. Department of Education data show nearly 15,000 schools with 5.7 million students sit inside the so-called 'blast zone', the one-mile area along railroad tracks the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) recommends be evacuated in case of crashes. The DoT moved in May to lower maximum speeds to 40 miles per hours in cities, phase out older tank cars that can puncture, have carriers use safer routes, and require better brakes after a string of accidents.

20 Jul 2015

NNPC Bans 113 Oil Tankers from Nigerian Waters

Nigeria's state oil company NNPC has banned 113 oil tankers from the country's waters, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, in what traders said could be part of efforts to crack down on illegal crude oil trading. The vessels, which include mainly VLCC crude oil tankers, are banned from calling at Nigerian crude oil terminals and also from Nigerian waters with immediate effect, said a letter circulated by NNPC, "pending a notice to the contrary by government". The letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters and which gave no reason for the ban, was dated July 15. NNPC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Since taking office in May, Buhari has been working to fulfil a campaign promise to tackle corruption, particularly in the oil industry.

30 Jun 2015

Pirates and Hold-ups: Crime Strikes Venezuela's Oil Industry

When night falls over western Venezuela, armed gangs known as "pirates" sometimes ride boats into muggy Lake Maracaibo to steal equipment from oil wells. In the country's Paraguana peninsula, opposite the Caribbean island of Aruba, slum dwellers at times break through a perimeter wall into Venezuela's biggest refinery and rob machinery, construction tools, and cables to sell as scrap. On the other side of the OPEC country in Monagas state, around 26,000 potential barrels were lost in March during a shutdown after state oil company employees and contractors stole copper cables and caused a tank to overflow. Venezuela's national crime pandemic - the United Nations says the country has the world's second-highest murder rate after Honduras - is a growing headache for the oil industry…

12 Jun 2015

GS Caltex Buys Rare West African Crude Cargo

GS Caltex to buy 920,000 barrels of West African crude; first West African shipment in almost a year. South Korea's GS Caltex Corp is set to receive its first shipment of West African crude in almost a year as the country looks to diversify supply away from the Middle East. The purchase will help soak up a glut of supply among West African producers, who have been hit as the U.S. shale oil boom curbs demand in what was once their main market and as OPEC Gulf states boost supply. Middle Eastern producers have raised their selling prices to Asia in recent months following solid demand in that region, prompting some buyers to try to broaden their sources of supply, with GS Caltex already turning to Mexico for crude.

12 May 2015

Marine News Editor's Note

It is at times like this that bumper sticker humor comes in handy. One of my favorites has to be the infamous “God, please let me have another oil boom – I promise not to mess this one up” version that graced the bumpers of pickup trucks on the Gulf Coast in the late 1980’s. I lived through that cataclysmic event during my 14 years in Houston. It was in 1985 that the bottom had dropped out of oil, reaching a nadir of $12 per barrel. Using the time-honored Keefe family tradition of buying high and selling low, I eventually shed a primary residence and a three-unit rental property in the Bayou City during the worst of it. It is okay if you find yourself inclined to ask, “So what?” It’s a good question.

19 Feb 2015

Lawmakers Push for Crude Exports to Mexico

The chairman of the U.S. Senate's Energy Committee and 20 colleagues on Wednesday urged the Commerce Department to allow crude oil exports to Mexico, saying it would benefit the economies of both countries. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, the committee's chairman, and Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, urged Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzkerto to approve a pending application from Mexico's state oil company Pemex to swap heavy Mexican crude oil for light U.S. crude. Existing U.S. laws "clearly authorize swaps and exchanges" of oil to Mexico that "should be authorized without delay," said a letter signed by Murkowski, Heitkamp and 19 other Senators, most of them Republicans. The United States has allowed some oil exports to Canada since 1985 for use or refining within the country.

11 Dec 2014

US Lawmakers Give Preview of Oil Export Fight

U.S. lawmakers gave a preview on Thursday of a looming fight next year on lifting the ban on crude exports with supporters saying it would sustain the drilling boom and others questioning its impacts on industry and fuel prices. In a House of Representatives hearing on the ban, Texas Republican Joe Barton said exporting oil would boost the economy, lower gas prices, and help give allies alternative oil supplies to Russia. By some measures the United States is the world's top oil producer and Barton said the country should use that power. "When you're number one, you use that status," said Barton, who introduced a short, 1.5 page bill this week to lift the ban Congress passed in 1975 after the Arab oil embargo. The U.S.

01 Dec 2014

U.S.-Asia Crude Exports Stall on Cheap Mideast Oil

Asian refiners shift towards cheaper Mideast oil, naphtha-trade; U.S. light oil exports to Asia only started 4 months ago. U.S. exports now going to Europe instead. An aggressive strategy by Mideast Gulf producers to exploit the lowest oil prices in five years to defend market share is showing signs of bearing fruit as U.S. crude exports to Asia grind to halt. Asian refineries have suspended imports of condensate, a light crude oil produced from the U.S. shale boom, just four months after they began in favour of cheaper Middle East grades, according to trade and industry sources. The suspension illustrates how competition between suppliers has heated up following a more than 40 percent decline in oil prices since June.