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Oil Fields News

27 Mar 2024

Brazilian Built Submarine with French Tech Launched

(Photo: Naval Group)

The presidents of France and Brazil on Wednesday launched a submarine built in the South American country with French technology in a program that aims to build Brazil's first nuclear-powered submarine by the end of the decade.Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended a ceremony in the Itaguai shipyard near Rio de Janeiro, launching the third diesel-powered submarine built in a $10 billion partnership.Brazil first lady Janja da Silva smashed a champagne…

18 Mar 2024

Houthi Attacks Must Ease for Salvage of Two Vessels, IMO Head Says

On March 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on Feb. 18. The ship had been slowly taking on water since the attack. (Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Efforts to limit environmental damage from a cargo vessel that sank after a Houthi missile strike and another abandoned during a fiery assault are on hold until attacks on ships ease, the United Nations' maritime shipping regulatory agency said on Monday.The UK-owned Rubymar last month became the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea area in November. The bulk carrier with 21,000 metric tons of fertiliser contained in its cargo hold…

01 Mar 2024

Norway's Oil Industry Resumes Helicopter Flights After Deadly Crash

© Photofex / Adobe Stock

Norwegian oil companies resumed helicopter flights to offshore oil and gas fields on Friday following Wednesday's deadly crash off the country's west coast, operator Equinor and airports said on Friday.On Thursday helicopter traffic was halted to oil and gas platforms following the crash in which one person died and five were injured. Norway said it was considering grounding Sikorsky's S-92A aircraft model while investigating the accident."Based on dialogue with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)…

30 Jan 2024

Skandi Emerald AHTS Set for Petrofac’s Northern Endeavour FPSO Job

Skandi Emerald AHTS vessel (Credit: DDW Offshore)

Akastor's subsidiary DDW Offshore has secured a contract extension with Petrofac for its AHTS vessel that will be put on the Northern Endeavour FPSO disconnection job offshore Australia.The contract extension follows the original one-year contract Petrofac signed with DDW Offshore for the AHTS vessel Skandi Atlantic back in September 2022.Petrofac has now awarded DDW Offshore a 9-month extension of the existing contract in Australia whereby Skandi Emerald will replace Skandi Atlantic in March 2024.The contract will last until year-end 2024, DDW Offshore informed.Skandi Emerald will continue to

28 Nov 2023

Black Sea Storm Disrupts Russian and Kazakh Oil Exports

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

A severe storm in the Black Sea region has disrupted up to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil exports from Kazakhtsan and Russia, according to state's officials and port agent data.Oil loadings from Novorossiysk and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in nearby Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka have been suspended since last week.Kazakhstan's largest oilfields - Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak - are cutting combined daily oil output by 56% from November 27 as the storm disrupts loadings at CPC…

27 Nov 2023

Environmentalists Ask Court to Block Development of Three North Sea Fields

© Igor Hotinsky / Adobe Stock

Environmental groups on Tuesday will ask a Norwegian court to block the development of three North Sea oil and gas fields, citing insufficient assessment of global climate impact from future petroleum use.The lawsuit filed by Greenpeace and its partner Nature and Youth concerns the Equinor-operated Breidablikk and Aker BP's Yggdrasil and Tyrving fields, which hold combined reserves of some 875 million barrels of oil equivalent.The two NGOs in 2020 lost a case against Arctic drilling at Norway's top court…

25 Apr 2023

IMO Asks States for Equipment for FSO Safer Oil Spill Contingency Plan

Ndeavour courtesy of Boskalis

The IMO is urging Member States to contribute equipment to help UN-led efforts to prevent a possible catastrophic oil spill from the FSO Safer, an ageing and rapidly decaying floating storage offshore (FSO) unit moored 4.8 nautical miles off the Red Sea coast of Yemen.A converted super tanker, the FSO Safer contains an estimated 150,000 metric tonnes (approximately 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil, four times the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989. It has been moored at Ras Isa since 1988 where it had been receiving…

06 Jan 2023

Venezuela's Oil Exports Fall in Spite of Iranian Assist

Copyright zaschnaus/AdobeStock

Venezuela's oil exports last year declined due to infrastructure outages, U.S. sanctions and rising competition in its key Asia market despite assistance from ally Iran, according to shipping data and documents.Exports this year are expected to get a lift after the United States relaxed oil sanctions by authorizing some partners of state-run firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to resume taking Venezuelan crude.Iran expanded its role in Venezuela last year, sending supplies to boost exports and technicians to repair a refinery.

28 Nov 2022

Chevron Can Resume Key Role in Venezuela's Oil Output, Exports

© Vallehr / Adobe Stock

Chevron Corp on Saturday received a U.S. license allowing the second-largest U.S. oil company to expand its production in Venezuela and bring the South American country's crude oil to the United States.The decision grants broader rights for the last big U.S. oil company still operating in U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela. However, it restricts any cash payments to Venezuela, which could reduce the oil available to export.License terms are designed to prevent state-run oil firm Petróleos de Venezuela, known as PDVSA PDVSA.UL, from receiving proceeds from Chevron's petroleum sales, U.S. officials said.

30 Sep 2022

Samsung Heavy Industries, Equinor Sign Strategic Collaboration Deal

Jintaek Jung, CEO of SHI(fourth from left) and Trond Bokn, SVP, Director of Project Development(fifth from left) Credit: Samsung Heavy Industries

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has signed a "Strategic Collaboration Agreement" with Equinor, Norway's largest energy company, to strengthen its competitiveness in the offshore EPC business.According to SHI, the two companies have recognized that a longer-term and closer collaboration on the future project portfolio could be mutually beneficial for Equinor's future projects requiring "Asian Solutions" over the next five years and will form a Collaboration Board to share opinions on mid-to long-term business strategies and expand cooperation.Based in Norway…

27 Sep 2022

Petrofac Hires AHTS to Assist with Northern Endeavour FPSO Disconnection

Skandi Atlantic - Credit: DDW Offshore

Akastor's subsidiary DDW Offshore has won a one-year contract with Petrofac for the AHTS vessel Skandi Atlantic. The AHTS will support the disconnection of the FPSO "Northern Endeavour" together with towing and well isolations work in the Laminaria Corallina oil fields in the West Timor Sea. The contract start date is September 27th, 2022.The Australian Government earlier this year awarded London-listed oilfield services giant Petrofac a contract for Phase 1 of the decommissioning of the Northern Endeavour FPSO, offshore W.

28 Jul 2022

BP Reserves Yinson FPSO for Angola

BP has reserved Yinson's Nganhurra floating, production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for use on its proposed 10-well subsea Palas, Astrea and Juno oil fields (PAJ Project), on Block 31, offshore Angola.Under an agreement signed between BP and Yinson, Yinson will exclusively allocate FPSO Nganhurra to BP for the PAJ Project until 31 December 2022, with an extension option until 30 June 2023, while contract negotiations to convert, operate, maintain and lease the FPSO for the PAJ project are done. The lease and operate contract is anticipated to include a 10-year fixed term.

18 Apr 2022

Libya Halts Operations at Zueitina Oil Port Due to Protests

Libya halted oil production from its El Feel oilfield on Sunday and two sources at Zueitina oil port said exports there had been suspended after protesters calling for Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to resign took over the sites.Halting operations in El Feel and Zueitina would cripple Libya's oil production which averaged 1.21 million barrels per day before the latest outages. The force majeure on El Feel curtails the North African nation's production by 70,000 barrels per day.Libya has had two competing governments since March when the eastern-based parliament appointed Fathi Bashagha to replace Dbeibah, renewing a standoff between the east and west of the country.

16 Mar 2022

Russia-linked Oil, Fuel Cargoes Rush to US Before Ban Starts

At least 10 vessels carrying Russia-linked cargoes of crude and refined products were approaching the United States on Wednesday, as suppliers rushed to deliver ahead of the U.S. government's deadline to wind down Russian energy purchases, data from traders and Refinitiv Eikon showed.The United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, this month banned imports of Russian energy products due to the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation." Washington's ban gives importers until April 22 to discharge cargoes moving under pre-ban contracts.At least one tanker carrying fuel oil heading to the United States has diverted, and at least two others that stopped at Russian terminals are awaiting discharge at U.S. ports, according to Refinitiv data, one since March 7.U.S.

25 Feb 2022

Equinor, Altera Pen Deal to Deploy Petrojarl Knarr FPSO at Long-stalled Rosebank Project

Petrojarl Knarr ©Teekay

Norway's Equinor has confirmed to Offshore Engineer that it has signed an agreement with FPSO owner Altera Infrastructure that could see the Petrojarl Knarr FPSO redeployed at the long-stalled Rosebank project in the UK North Sea. The FPSO is currently producing oil from Shell's Knarr field, offshore Norway, where it has been since early 2015. In April 2020 Shell extended the Knarr contract to March 2022.The Rosebank field, apparently Petrojarl Knarr FPSO's next location, is located 130 km northwest of the Shetland Islands in 1115 m water depth…

13 Jan 2022

More Shuttle Tankers Needed, Rystad Says

© Fotos von Schiffen / Adobe Stock

More shuttle tankers will be needed in the years ahead to keep pace with a projected rise in oil volumes needing transport, Rystad Energy said.Produced volumes requiring transport key shuttle tanker markets Brazil, Canada, Norway, the U.K. and Russia are expected to rise to 3.3 billion barrels per year before the end of the decade, jumping 35% from 2.5 billion in 2021, according to a recent report from the Norwegian analyst group.Apart from minor dips in total utilization across these countries in 2018 and 2021…

13 Sep 2021

Energy Firms Face Another Storm in US Gulf

(Image: NOAA)

Royal Dutch Shell on Monday began evacuating staff from a U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil platform, and other energy companies began preparing for hurricane-force winds from a second Gulf Coast storm in as many weeks.Tropical Storm Nicholas was about 105 miles (115 km) south of Port O'Connor, Texas, and moving north with winds of 60 miles per hour (97 kph). It could become a hurricane just ahead of landfall on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.Waves stirred up by Nicholas neared 12 feet (3.7 m) in height were reported outside of Port Aransas…

06 Sep 2021

U.S. Offshore Oil Output Still Mostly Down a Week after Hurricane Ida

A U.S. Gulf of Mexico platform - Credit: Lukas Z

Damage to oil production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico kept output largely halted on Sunday, a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).Energy companies have been coping with damaged platforms and onshore power outages and logistical issues, slowing efforts to restart production. Some 88% of crude oil output and 83% of natural gas production remained suspended.About 1.6 million barrels of crude oil remained offline, with only about 100,000 barrels added since Saturday.

27 Aug 2021

Oil Firms Race to Complete Gulf of Mexico Evacuations as Major Storm Approaches

Shell's Olympus Platform - Credit: Shell

U.S. oil and gas companies on Friday raced to complete evacuations from offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms as Tropical Storm Ida advanced towards oilfields that provide 17% of the nation's oil production.The storm early Friday was about 50 miles northwest of Grand Cayman Island moving north at 15 miles (24 km) and expected to intensify and become near a major hurricane when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). A major…

02 Jul 2021

Yinson, PTSC Add Another Year to PTSC Lam Son FPSO Contract

Credit: Yinson

Malaysian FPSO provider Yinson has secured a contract extension for the PTSC Lam Son FPSO in Vietnam with Vietnam's PTSC AP.The 243 meters long Lam Son FPSO, able to produce 15,000-20,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), with a storage capacity of up to 650,000 barrels of oil, has been operating in Vietnam since 2014. Following the FPSO conversion by Singapore's Keppel in 2014, the vessel was deployed in the Thang Long and Dong Do oil fields in Cuu Long Basin.Yinson said Thursday that the contract extension had been signed for a further period of 12 months from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

21 Jun 2021

As Iran Eyes Return to Oil Trading, Storage at Sea Rises

© namning/AdobeStock

Iran could quickly export millions of barrels of oil it is holding in storage if it reaches a deal with the United States on its nuclear program and has been moving oil into place to prepare for an eventual restart, four traders and industrial sources said.The U.S. and Iran began in mid-June their sixth round of indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018. Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, leading…

02 Jun 2021

Lawsuit Challenges ExxonMobil's Exploration and Production Activities in Guyana

A landmark lawsuit filed against Guyana's government, arguing that oil production fuels climate change, could bolster legal action as court cases involving energy companies and state authorities surge, according to lawyers and environmentalists.The constitutional claim - the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean - asserts that oil exploration and production led by U.S. oil major ExxonMobil off the South American country's coast is unconstitutional, said the case's lead lawyer Melinda Janki.Filed by two Guyanese citizens in late May before the tiny nation's constitutional court, the lawsuit centers on the duty of the state to protect the environment for present and future generations…

20 May 2021

Indian Rescuers Searching for 26 Still Missing from Sunken Barge

(Photo: Indian Navy)

India's army and navy deployed ships and aircraft as they searched for 26 people still missing more than three days after a powerful cyclone sank a barge off the country's west coast, killing 49 people on board.Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to barrel into the west coast in two decades, has killed at least 46 others after wreaking havoc in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala."Ships and aircraft continue to search for the remaining crew," Navy…