Newfoundland And Labrador News

Esgian Week 18 Report: Confirmations, Terminations and Suspensions

Esgian reports an eventful week with contract confirmations, terminations and suspensions in its Week 18 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsBurullus Gas Company, the self-operated joint venture between Shell Egypt, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Petronas, has agreed to move forward with the development of Phase 11 in Egypt's Nile Delta in the Mediterranean Sea.QatarEnergy has exercised a one-year option for Borr Drilling 400-ft jackup Groa…

Virtual Marine: Simulator Training is the Real Deal

In the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, effective training practices are an absolute must. While hands-on, in-the-field learning will always be a vital component of any mariner’s training, marine simulation has become a welcome enhancement to the education process. And in some cases, it’s seen as a safer alternative to traditional survival craft and rescue boat training.A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in Newfoundland and Labrador.

C-NLOPB Updates Hebron Field Volume Estimate

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has approved the Development Plan Amendment (DPA) for the Hebron Field.The Hebron oil field is located offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin 340 kilometers southeast of St. John's. The field was first discovered in 1980, and is estimated to produce more than 700 million barrels of recoverable resources. The water depth at the Hebron field is 93 meters.The approval enables ExxonMobil and…

Harland & Wolff Belfast Bags $74M Canadian FPSO Refurbishment Deal

Harland & Wolff has secured a contract with Canada-based Cenovus Energy for the mid-life upgrade of the SeaRose FPSO vessel. The base contract value is approximately £61 million (~currently around $74 million). The FPSO is expected to arrive at Harland & Wolff in Belfast in the first quarter of 2024 and will be in the building dock for a period of more than three months.The contract follows a letter of intent announced earlier this year, and a number of pre-arrival works have already started…

New SAR Vessel Enters Service for the Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard's newest search and rescue (SAR) lifeboat has officially entered service at the Lifeboat Station in Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador.Built by Hike Metal Products in Wheatley, Ontario under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy, the high-endurance CCGS Gabarus Bay is designed, equipped and crewed to respond to mariners needing assistance at sea.In December 2022, CCGS Gabarus Bay was the 13th SAR lifeboat accepted by the Government of Canada and was delivered to Burgeo in April 2023.

Bourbon and Horizon Join Forces to Provide Offshore Vessel Services in North Sea and Canada

Bourbon and Horizon Maritime have created a new joint venture that will offer marine services and operations in the North Sea and Canadian offshore markets.Incorporated in Norway, the new company is called Bourbon Horizon, and, according to a press release issued Thursday, it will become "a new leader in offshore operations in the harshest environments."It will be strategically positioned in Fosnavåg (Norway) and St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), with a base fleet of "seven modern and capable offshore support vessels."The fleet includes five platform supply vessels…

Canadian Coast Guard Takes Delivery of Two SAR Lifeboats

The Canadian Coast Guard on Monday marked the delivery of the 13th and 14th search and rescue lifeboats: the CCGS Gabarus Bay and the CCGS Chedabucto Bay. The vessels were built by Hike Metal Products Ltd from Wheatley, Ontario and Chantier Naval Forillon from Gaspé, Quebec, respectively.The CCGS Chedabucto Bay will be stationed in Clark’s Harbour, Nova Scotia while the CCGS Gabarus Bay will be stationed in Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador.In 2018, Gaspé, Quebec’s Chantier Naval Forillon and Wheatley…

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

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…

Atlantic Towing PSVs Rescue Crew from Sinking Fishing Vessel

Two platform supply vessels (PSV) stationed in eastern Canada came to the rescue of a crew from a sinking fishing vessel off the coast of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, on Monday.Atlantic Towing said its PSVs Atlantic Griffon and Atlantic Shrike picked up a radio transmission from a nearby vessel stating the fishing boat Gypsy Mariner had lost power and was taking on water. The PSVs immediately contacted the Canadian Coast Guard, and at 1:10 a.m., they were tasked to respond to the distress call.After sailing for 98 minutes…

How the Blue Economy Will Shape the Future of Canada’s Oceans

The words “blue economy” will soon shape the future of Canada’s oceans, from the fiords and straits of British Columbia to the rugged coastlines of the Atlantic to the vast seascapes of the Arctic. The transformation of Canada’s ocean economies will be felt throughout the country and will set an example for nations around the world.But what is a blue economy? And what makes it different from business as usual?The term blue economy was first championed by small-island developing countries, including Fiji, Bahamas and Palau, to bring more local benefits from ocean industries.

Heddle Shipyards Awarded Canadian Coast Guard Repair Work

The Canadian Coast Guard has awarded Heddle Shipyards a $36.14 million vessel life extension contract for the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) George R. Pearkes. The vessel will be dry-docked and enter an extended maintenance period designed to increase its operational life.The Hamilton, Ont. yard secured the contract following an open and competitive bid process. The project was awarded by Public Services and Procurement Canada on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard.Life extension work includes steel hull reinforcement…

Bulk Carrier Suffers Engine Failure off Eastern Canada

A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Comanche has gone adrift after reporting engine failure overnight off Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian Coast Guard said on Friday.No injuries or pollution have been reported.The Coast Guard said it is responding to the incident and that its patrol vessel CCGS Cygnus is on scene along with tugs to stabilize the vessel from further drifting."We will continue to work with the owner to coordinate response to the MV Comanche to mitigate any threat to the vessel…

Disabled Containership Towed to Nova Scotia

A containership that lost power and went adrift off Canada's East Coast has been towed to Sydney, Nova Scotia, the Canadian Coast Guard said.The Panamanian-flagged MSC Kim departed Halifax on March 3 en route to Montreal, but went adrift on March 9 after it suffered engine problems off Port au Port, Newfoundland and Labrador. No injuries or pollution have been reported.The offshore tug Atlantic Kingfisher secured a towline with MSC Kim on Thursday morning and towed the vessel…

Regulator Lays Charges Over 2018 Canada Oil Spill

The Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board said on Tuesday that it has laid three charges following a 2018 oil spill off Canada's Atlantic Coast.The board said it laid the charges against Husky Oil Operations Limited for the spill in the White Rose Field. Cenovus Energy has since then acquired Husky.A leaking flowline from the White Rose Field to the SeaRose floating production, storage and offloading unit spilled 250 cubic meters (1,572 barrels) of oil in November, 2018, temporarily shutting down all crude production in the waters of Newfoundland and Labrador.Last month, Cenovus struck a deal with Suncor Energy to decrease its stake in White Rose and raise Suncor's ownership…

Seaspan, Genoa Partner on $3 Million Digital Twin Project

Two Canadian firms are partnering to develop and commercialize 3D digital twin capabilities with hopes of making Canada more globally competitive, driving export opportunities and creating jobs in the marine sector.The the $3 million-plus Digital Ship In-Service Support Project comes from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s (OSC) Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program. Led by British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards together with partner and Newfoundland and Labrador-based, Genoa Design International…

Canada Commits Nearly $240 Mln to Aid Offshore Oil Industry

Canada will spend C$320 million ($238.56 million) to support its offshore oil industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, which has struggled as coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions reduced demand, the government said on Friday.The funds are intended to support jobs and to lower greenhouse gas emissions from crude production, and could be used for maintenance, upgrades and environmental services, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan said St. John's.The money falls short of requests from the industry…

Video: Seaspan Shipyards Launches CCGS John Cabot

Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards on Friday launched the final ship in a series of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV) for the Canadian Coast Guard.The 63.4-meter CCGS John Cabot will next undergo sea trials before its delivery to the Coast Guard later this summer. The vessel will be based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.CCGS John Cabot and previously delivered sister ships, CCGS Sir John Franklin, now stationed in Victoria, British Columbia, and CCGS Capt Jacques Cartier…

Mackay Completes Electronics Commissioning Aboard CCGS John Cabot

Mackay Marine said it has completed final electronics commissioning during sea trials aboard the future CCGS John Cabot. Constructed at Seaspan’s Vancouver shipyard, the new ship is the third Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) built for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCGS) under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.Mackay said it was selected to be part of the team to support Thales Canada in its role as Tier-1 Partner to Seaspan Shipyards and as Electronic Systems Integrator for the construction of these vessels.

Canada's First Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship Delivered

The first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), Harry DeWolf, was delivered to the Government of Canada on July 31, 2020, in Halifax, N.S.Built by Irving Shipbuilding, the new 6,615-metric-ton, 103.6-meter ship is the largest vessel ever built in Canada in a combat package as well as the largest Navy vessel built in the country in more than 50 years. It is also the first warship to be delivered as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), with many more ships to come as part of the Navy's future fleet.

How Shipping Ports Can Become More Sustainable

Marine shipping drives 90% of global trade, moving over 11 billion tonnes of containers, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s seas annually. Almost all consumer products we buy — or the raw materials required to make them — arrive at Canadian ports via ship.Each year, Canadian port facilities handle about 340 million tonnes of goods, worth about $400 billion. Roughly 25% of Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping.Despite their economic importance…

Fire Breaks Out on Offshore Vessel Near Rig in Canada

A fire broke out earlier this week on a fast rescue craft aboard the Siem Diamond offshore support vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, east of St. John's Canada.According to the C-NLOPB, the offshore oil and gas safety body for the Newfoundland and Labrador area, oil firm Equinor informed the regulator that the incident had struck on Wednesday morning, September 16, 2020.The Siem Diamond was, at the time of the incident, on standby for the Transocean Barents semi-submersible drilling rig."All personnel safely mustered, there were no injuries and all personnel were accounted for. The fire team was able to quickly extinguish the fire, however, the FRC received extensive damage and was deemed unavailable.

Canada: Hibernia Oil Platform Shuts Output after Leak

The Hibernia oil platform in Canada was shut after a leakage of drilling and production fluids, the Hibernia Management and Development Co (HMDC) said late Monday.Hibernia sits roughly 315 km (200 miles) east of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. ExxonMobil owns the largest stake in the oil platform, followed by Chevron Canada and Suncor Energy Inc."Water sampling late on July 19, during drill well flow back operations, indicated an exceedance on the produced water discharge…

Alberta Oil Shipped Through Panama Canal to Atlantic Canada

On July 20, the tanker Cabo de Hornos delivered an estimated 450,000 barrels of crude oil to the Irving Oil refinery’s Canaport storage facilities in Saint John, N.B.What made Cabo de Hornos’s delivery different was that it was the first time crude oil had arrived in Saint John by ship from Alberta. It came via the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Westbridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C., and then through the Panama Canal.By the end of April next year, a second tanker will arrive at Canaport carrying 350,000 to one million barrels of Western Canadian crude oil. In this case, the oil will have come via pipeline from Alberta to a crude oil exporting terminal in Texas or Louisiana.For most of the Saint John refinery’s 50 years of operation…