Oil Pipelines News

The Israel-Hamas war has raised the spectre of a wider regional conflict which could embroil Iran and other regional factions.Analysts and market observers say the conflict could prompt the United States to tighten sanctions on Iran, which may spur Tehran to take retaliatory action against ships in the Strait in Hormuz.The Marshall Islands registry, one of the world's top shipping flags, last week flagged that vessels with links to Israel or the United States may face a heightened threat of attack within Israeli territorial waters…

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

Oil pipelines from the top U.S. shale field to Houston that have run half empty are filling again as rising output has absorbed most of the space on lines to the main south Texas export hub in Corpus Christi.U.S. crude exports climbed to a record of about 4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in March, spurred by recovering Chinese demand and competitive pricing for U.S. oil. Sanctions on Russian crude purchases by the European Union and Britain also have boosted demand.Pipelines…

Russian and Kazakhstan oil exports via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) from the Black Sea may fall by up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), or 1% of global oil production, due to storm-damaged berths, a Russian official said on Tuesday.Pavel Sorokin, a deputy energy minister, said the second berth could also turn out to be damaged after initial information about one of the three being damaged by a storm.Sorokin said the maintenance could take up to two months, which could…

A Nigerian court has sentenced six foreigners and one Nigerian to seven years in prison for oil theft, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Tuesday, three years after the navy arrested 10 suspects with a vessel carrying crude oil off the Niger Delta.The suspects - a Nigerian, two Pakistanis, three Ghanaians, one Indonesian, one Beninois and two Ukrainians - had siphoned about two thousand metric tonnes of crude oil from a loading facility belonging to Shell Petroleum…

Joe Biden could erase much of President Donald Trump’s four-year legacy of energy and climate deregulation with the stroke of his pen, according to regulatory experts, but replacing it with something new and durable may prove trickier.Trump’s rollbacks are on shaky ground because most were done not through Congressional lawmaking but via presidential executive orders that can be easily torn up by a new administration. That means signature measures ranging from the withdrawal of…

Abu Dhabi State-Owned Oil Company Adnoc has sealed a $4 billion midstream pipeline infrastructure deal with BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, and private equity firm KKR & Co.The Middle East national oil company said that the transaction includes the creation of Adnoc Oil Pipelines, which will lease Adnoc's interest in 18 pipelines and give rights to transport crude and condensates from Adnoc's onshore and offshore concessions over 23 years.BlackRock and KKR will form a consortium to hold a 40% stake in Adnoc Oil Pipelines, while Adnoc Infrastructure, a fully-owned Adnoc subsidiary, will retain the remaining 60%. Adnoc estimated its proceeds at about $4 billion. Sovereignty over the pipelines and management of pipeline operations remain with Adnoc.

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract worth approximately $13 million to equip a new heavy lift crane vessel for Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) with an innovative technology suite. The vessel, a customized Ulstein Design & Solutions BV design, marks the entry of the Norway-based Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) into the offshore renewables and installation market. Options exist for a further three vessels, but the first is currently under construction by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) and is scheduled to enter service in 2021.The 216.3m…

United States taking share from OPEC nations in Asia, Europe, as China’s biggest U.S. crude buyer to double imports. In the two years since Washington lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, tankers filled with U.S. crude have landed in more than 30 countries, ranging from massive economies like China and India to tiny Togo. The repeal has unleashed a flood of U.S. shale oil, undercutting global crude prices, eroding the clout of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and seizing market share from many of its member countries. In 2005, before the shale revolution, the United States had net imports of 12.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and fuels - compared to just 4 million bpd today. U.S.

As the maritime industry embraces the digital revolution, companies like GateHouse are poised to prosper. GateHouse in developing software solutions to support optimization, flexibility and mission critical operations for vehicle and vessel tracking, monitoring and satellite communications. We caught up with Michael Bondo Andersen, CEO and founder of GateHouse, for insights on his strategy moving the company forward. Looking at your maritime unit, Big Data is having a transformational impact on global maritime. Please detail your offering.

The Nigerian navy has arrested 10 suspects after intercepting a vessel carrying stolen crude oil off the coast of the Niger Delta, a senior military official said on Wednesday. The suspects - a Nigerian, two Pakistanis, three Ghanaians, one Indonesian, one Beninois and two Ukrainians - had siphoned about two thousand metric tonnes of crude oil from a loading facility belonging to Shell Petroleum, the official said. "The suspects were caught in the early hours of Tuesday while siphoning crude oil into the vessel from Afremo A platform, a loading jacket belonging to the Shell Petroleum and Development Company in Forcados River," Navy Commodore Ibrahim Dewu, commander of the NNS Delta, said in a statement.

McDermott International, Inc. was awarded an offshore pipelay contract in the Middle East. The pipelay contract includes the engineering, procurement and installation of two oil pipelines offshore. Work on this contract is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter in 2018. “This contract marks another example where our clients in the Middle East recognize our integrated customer-driven solutions that are consistently delivered with outstanding safety and within cost and schedule,” said Linh Austin, McDermott’s Vice President, Middle East and Caspian. Work on the contract is expected to begin immediately and will be reflected in McDermott’s fourth quarter 2016 backlog.

Even though the coup attempt in Turkey  failed and the transportation situation normalized quickly thereafter, Poten & Partners take a look at the importance of Turkey to the tanker market. Turkey is not a large oil or gas producer; according to JODI its crude oil production amounts to about 48 thousand barrels per day (Kb/d) of crude oil and almost 400 million m3 of natural gas in 2015. The country’s oil consumption averaged about 927 Kb/d in 2015, about 1% of the global consumption. Neither of these statistics would make the country an important energy market player. However, the importance of Turkey to the energy market is related to its geographical location; the country is a major transfer hub for oil and gas.

Petroleum Facilities Guard has blocked terminals for months. Ras Lanuf, Es Sider terminals damaged by fighting. Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) will start lifting a blockade on eastern oil terminals over the next three days, though a resumption of exports will depend on the state of the ports, a spokesman said on Friday. The PFG, which protects Libya's oil terminals and fields, has blockaded the major eastern terminals of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina for months, and promises earlier this year to reopen them have so far come to nothing. Labour disputes, political conflict and security threats have crippled Libya's oil output over the past three years.

Conquest Offshore was contracted by Allseas to remove a 300-ton crane and transport and install a 850-ton Huisman crane on board of one of the largest pipe-lay vessels in the world, Allseas Solitaire. The 397-meter vessel MV Solitaire is the largest ship ever to have passed IJmuiden’s massive sea lock after which the ship was berthed at Dutch Offshore Base in Amsterdam. The pipe-laying vessel is used for the construction of natural gas pipeline systems and oil pipelines. Before the vessel is scheduled to return to sea in summer 2016…

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea signed an agreement to establish combined patrols to bolster security in the Gulf of Guinea, which has been plagued by piracy in the last few years, a spokesman for Nigeria's president said on Wednesday. Garba Shehu said the agreement, which comes amid the backdrop of a rise in pipeline attacks in the oil-producing Niger Delta region of Africa's biggest crude producer, was signed late on Tuesday by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Pirate attacks in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, a significant source of oil, cocoa and metals for world markets, pose a threat to shipping companies. Pirates target oil tankers, usually wanting hostages for ransom and to sell stolen fuel.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is set to be a chief beneficiary of a bid by Senate Republicans to weaken new regulations to improve train safety in the $2.8 billion crude-by-rail industry, a key cog in the development of the vast North American shale oil fields. A series of oil train accidents, including the July 2013 explosion of a train carrying crude in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people, led U.S. and Canadian regulators to announce sweeping safety rules in May. Among other things, U.S. oil trains are required to install new electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. But in late June, the Republican-controlled Senate Commerce Committee approved a measure to drop that requirement, and order years of new research to confirm the safety benefits of ECP brakes.

Industrial cooperation is high on the agenda during Premier Li Keqiang's stay in France. China's deals with the world's third largest container shipping group - CMA CGM was highlight. "July 1st will be a milestone in our Group’s history. The Chinese Prime Minister’s visit is a great recognition of the unique links our Group has developed with China, a strategic country in the Group’s development history. Those two agreements signature reinforces those links and offer new perspectives. We are proud of the honor and of the confidence that this visit demonstrates," said Jacques R. Saadé, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM Group. Two major agreements were signed by   Jacques R.

Canada unveiled new rules on Wednesday to enhance pipeline safety and spill response, ahead of the development of new projects proposed to carry crude from Alberta's oil sands to coastal ports for export. The new legislation will give Canada's energy regulator, the National Energy Board (NEB), more power to enforce compliance on safety and the authority to step in to lead spill response if a company is unwilling or unable to do so. Companies will also now be held liable, up to C$1 billion ($917 million), for all spills or incidents on their lines, whether or not they are at-fault or negligent, putting the onus on owners to ensure safe operations.

A fire broke out due to a suspected leakage in an oil pipeline passing through a land owned by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) in Wadala in central Mumbai, but no one was injured. Fifteen fire tenders and 12 water tankers eventually doused the flames after a five-hour fight around 11pm. There were no casualties. Sources said the flames were spreading fast in the evening because of the strong monsoon winds blowing from the southwest. Dark smoke could be seen from up to 7km away in Lower Parel. The fire began at 5:50 pm. "An oil leakage was detected this morning and we had taken all the necessary precautions. But at 6 PM, we were informed of a fire," MbPT chairman RM Parmar said. He added that no casualties have been reported in the incident so far.

Actors Jane Fonda and Rachel McAdams added their star power to protest against Shell’s plan to drill for oil in the Arctic. Both are opposed to Shell drilling in the Arctic. The duo made public appearance at a Greenpeace rally in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday to protest against oil sands development, tanker traffic and Arctic drilling. Roughly 5,500 people attended the Toast the Coast event at Jericho beach on Saturday. The gathering celebrated the beauty of B.C.'s oceans, and opposed Arctic oil drilling, coastal pipelines, and the use of oil tankers. Rachel McAdams, 36-year-old Canadian actress and the acting legend were among those who took part in the Toast the Coast event at the city's famed Jericho Beach.

Colombia's top energy company Ecopetrol is targeting production of 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2015, a steep recovery over this year, clouded by rebel attacks on infrastructure and exploration failures. Ecopetrol chief financial officer Magda Manosalva told a conference in London that while the primary focus would remain on Colombia, the company also planned to bid for fields in Mexico, which is opening up its energy sector. "We see the internationalization as a chance to diversify," Manosalva said, adding that the firm would focus on available onshore fields. Rebel group attacks pushed Ecopetrol's production to an average of 750,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day so far this year -- well below the nearly 1 million in 2013.

Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft has suspended oil loadings through all Russian ports except for Makhachkala due to bad weather conditions, RIA news agency said on Monday. Russia is the world's second biggest oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia, shipping around 4 million barrels of oil per day. Just over half is sent from Russia's largest ports - Novorossiisk, Kozmino, Primorsk and Ust-Luga. Igor Dyomin, Transneft spokesman, told RIA that loadings from the Pacific port of Kozmino were stopped on Oct. 27 due to a storm. The Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga have also stopped loadings due to a storm warning. Earlier on Monday, Transneft suspended oil supplies via its Tikhoretsk-Novorossiisk pipeline due to poor weather conditions at the port.