Oil Leaking News

Philippine authorities have increased efforts to contain an oil spill from a sunken fuel tanker that has affected coastal towns and was still spreading, the environment ministry said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with cleanup challenges.Improvised spill booms made from cogon grass and coconut materials were helping to restrict oil leaking from MT Princess Empress, the Philippine-flagged tanker that encountered engine trouble in rough seas on Feb.

The U.S. has imposed a $2 million fine on the owner and operator of a bulk carrier that knowingly committed pollution crimes on the Mississippi River. Greek-based Empire Bulkers and related company Joanna Maritime were sentenced Thursday for committing "knowing and willful violations" of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and the Ports and Waterways Safety Act related to their role as the operator and owner of the bulk carrier Joanna.A March 2022 inspection of the…

Following reports of oil spills found along the Southeast Louisiana coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it had conducted overflights Sunday that focused on two locations previously identified for further investigation."Members of the National Strike Force aboard a Coast Guard HC-144 flew over Bay Marchand, south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and the Enterprise Offshore Drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, in a continued effort to track and monitor any threats they may pose to the environment," the U.S.

ZF launched its new ZF AT 80 thruster model range today via the SMM Digital maritime trade fair. The range is available as a 360-degree steerable thruster and as a retractable propulsion system, or as a bow thruster, effectively broadening its appeal among ship owners, shipbuilders and naval architects."With this model range, we have created a new generation of environmentally friendly, powerful and efficient propulsion solutions. This way, naval architects, shipyards and fleet…

The ongoing oil pollution incident from the grounded 203,000 DWT bulk carrier MV Wakashio is threatening an ecological catastrophe around the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, endangering corals, fish and other marine life already under threat from climate change (IPCC 2018).In addition, it risks bringing devastating consequences for the economy, food security, health and tourism industry. Tourism in Mauritius - a popular destination for its pristine beaches - reportedly contributed about $1.6 billion to its economy during the last year…

Mauritians are making floating booms of human hair and leaves in a round-the-clock scramble to mop up oil leaking from a grounded Japanese ship onto their pristine Indian Ocean beaches.The MV Wakashio, owned by the Nagashiki Shipping Company and operated by Mitsui OSK Line, began oozing fuel into turquoise sea waters last week after hitting a reef off the island.Mauritius has declared a state of emergency and former colonial ruler France has sent aid in what environmental group Greenpeace said could be a major ecological crisis.Romina Tello…

On October 31st, 2019, George A. (Sandy) Thomson, the founder of Thordon Bearings and a pioneer in the development of advanced polymer materials, was presented with the 2019 Elmer A. Sperry Award in recognition of “leading the innovation in water-lubricated propeller shaft bearings” in marine transportation through the use of polymeric compounds.The award was presented to Mr. Thomson at the SNAME Maritime Convention, in Tacoma, USA, by the Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), Mr.

Thordon Bearings’ founder and polymer materials pioneer George A. (Sandy) Thomson has been awarded the global transportation sector’s most distinguished accolade, the Elmer A. Sperry Award 2019 for “Advancing the Art of Transportation”.Thomson joins a long list of Sperry Award recipients, which was established in 1955, including Donald Douglas, Ferdinand Porsche, Sir Geoffrey De Havilland, Christopher Cockerell, Leonard Hobbs, Perry Pratt, Josef Becker and Malcom McLean.“I am deeply honored and humbled to win this award…

A remediation programme to protect island ecosystems from damage caused by oil pollution from World War II wrecks sunk in the Pacific Ocean will launch in Newcastle Harbour today (Thursday 23 May).The programme is the result of a partnership between Major Projects Foundation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) – an intergovernmental Pacific regional organisation made up of 26 members – and the University of Newcastle. It will see expert teams of scientists, engineers and marine archaeologists work with Pacific island communities to meet the challenges posed by the degradation of wrecks.There are in excess of 3…

Wärtsilä will provide an integrated cargo handling and fuel gas system for two new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers for Belgium-based owner Exmar. The 80,000m³ very large gas carriers are being built at HHIC-Philippines (Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Philippines) in Subic Bay, and will be the first vessels capable of running on LPG, according to Wärtsilä, who secured the order in July 2018.Wärtsilä, which offers ‘LPG as fuel’ as a fully integrated part of the cargo handling system…

A 223-foot cargo vessel that ran aground Tuesday morning near Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands has been refloated, according to local responders. The Togo-flagged vessel Ocean Spirit I grounded just off of the entrance of the harbor’s East Gregory Channel while reportedly transporting more than $1 million of cargo from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico, including six huge propane trailer trucks, automobiles, lumber and food. There were no signs of distress or oil leaking from the vessel…

A 223-foot cargo vessel has run aground near Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders in San Juan where contacted at approximately 5 a.m. Tuesday by St. Thomas Harbor pilots who reported that the Togo-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Spirit I had run aground just off of the entrance of the harbor’s East Gregory Channel. There are no reported signs of distress or oil leaking from the vessel, according to the Coast Guard, whose marine casualty investigators are on scene investigating the cause of the incident.

An out of service tug has sunk at the Samson Tug and Barge Company pier in Sitka, Alaska. The 81-foot vessel Powhatan owned by Samson Tug and Barge Company sank at the pier on the evening of April 19 and subsequently slid under the pier approximately 200 yards along an underwater ledge. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Sitka and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation personnel are responding. Samson Tug and Barge Company is developing a salvage plan and has contracted Southeast Alaska Petroleum Response Organization for oil recovery and Hanson Maritime to dive and survey the tug. The vessel, which has been out of service for over 10 years…

California Commercial Marine Operators Take Advantage of Grant Money to Repower with Eco-Friendly Engines. Capt. Joe Nazar recently repowered his whale watching excursion vessel in San Francisco with twin Volvo Penta Tier 3 diesels, and he couldn’t be happier with the results. Since the new engines were installed, he is seeing dramatic improvements in fuel efficiency, lower emissions, reduced noise levels and better performance. He has another good reason to be happy. A large percentage of the cost of repowering the boat came from a State of California grant. Nazar’s 64-ft. catamaran, Kitty Kat, was retrofitted with a pair of Volvo Penta D11 625 hp Tier 3 engines in April, replacing the previous 12-liter Tier 2 engines.

Thordon Bearings’ Swedish distributor, Duwel Sweden, has signed a contract with Caterpillar Propulsion for the supply and installation of Thordon COMPAC seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing systems to the two general cargo ships Dutch shipyard Royal Bodewes is building for Finland’s Meriaura Group. Each state-of-the-art 4700 dwt VG EcoCoaster, designed by Meriaura Group together with partners Foreship and Aker Arctic Technology, will feature COMPAC bearings, a Thordon Water Quality Package and a forward shaft seal in order to exceed current and anticipated environmental regulations.

The Coast Guard informs that response efforts by the Unified Command to contain oil leaking from the partially submerged Kirby Marine tank barge continue Saturday overnight. Four skimming vessels remain on-scene to continue recovering spilled bunker fuel oil. Officials with the unified command, who are overseeing the spill containment and recovery efforts, anticipate the ability to fully reactivate their efforts beginning at first light Sunday. An additional 20 response vessels are staged and are prepared to resume operations early on Sunday.

Kurt Mix, a former engineer for BP plc, was convicted today of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon disaster. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Anderson of the FBI’s New Orleans Division made the announcement after the verdict was announced by U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr. Mix, 52…

Marine salvors plan to airlift oil from the abandoned oil-leaking cargo ship 'Kiani Satu' stranded off the beach at Buffels Bay, near Knysna, on the Western Cape of South Africa. The Johannasburg online newspaper 'Times Live' citing SAMSA spokesman Captain Nigel Campbell, reports that salvors are currently drilling into [bunker] tanks to take the fuel oil out, but as it has not been heated for a week they plan to put it into plastic tanks and fly it off the ship using helicopters. The 168m bulk carrier has 330 tonnes of fuel on board and a cargo of 15,000 tonnes of rice.

On June 17, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor calling for an emergency waiver of the Jones Act, which requires many foreign vessels to go through a lengthy bureaucratic approval process in order to assist with the oil cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. Hutchison, who is the Ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said she will introduce legislation to temporarily waive the Jones Act to allow foreign marine vessels to help with the cleanup. This extended waiver would be applied for a period of time that is necessary to respond and restore the waters of the Gulf.

Due to a malfunctioning bow thruster, a 334 metre container vessel had to use the services of a tug boat for port maneuvering, so its owners requested Hydrex to take care of the removal, transportation and reinstallation of the unit. The operation was performed in stages in several locations to allow the vessel to keep to its sailing schedule. Together with all the necessary equipment, the team travelled to Rotterdam where the operation started with a thorough inspection of the bow thruster unit.

A Hydrex diver/technician team mobilized to Rotterdam last month to remove the bow thruster of a 300-meter container vessel. The unit needed to be overhauled. Hydrex performed the operation underwater using the company’s own workboats based at the Antwerp depot. This made it possible for the owner to keep his vessel out of drydock. The team mobilized from the Hydrex headquarters in Antwerp after all basic preparations had been made and the needed equipment was loaded onto one of the Hydrex workboats.

A two-day underwater examination conducted by Transocean (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) and the US Coast Guard (USCG) on October 4th and 5th confirmed that there are no hydrocarbons leaking from of the sunken Deepwater Horizon or the riser, the pipe that linked the rig to the well head before the Macondo accident last year, Transocean reported. The inspection, conducted with the use of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), also failed to find any "sheen" or oil in the area. Transocean, in cooperation with the USCG, undertook the inspection after a "sheen" was reported on the water in the vicinity of the sealed Macondo well and the USCG issued a notice to the company. "Transocean deployed an ROV on Oct. 4-5, 2011.

Former BP Engineer Arrested for Obstruction of Justice in Connection with the Deepwater Horizon Criminal Investigation; First Criminal Charges to Result from the Deepwater Horizon Task Force Investigation. Kurt Mix, a former engineer for BP plc, was arrested today on charges of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon disaster, announced Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S.