Helix in Multi-year Well Intervention Deal with Shell in U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Helix Energy Solutions Group, a U.S. offshore oil, and gas well services company, has signed a multi-year deal with Shell to provide Well Intervention services in the Gulf of Mexico.Under the contract Helix will provide either the Q4000 or Q5000 riser-based semi-submersible well intervention vessel, a 10k or 15k Intervention Riser System (IRS), remotely operated vehicles, project management, and engineering…
Ammonia-fueled Car Carrier Design Gets DNV Nod
Classification society DNV said it awarded an approval in principle (AIP) certificate to Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for its ammonia-fueled 7,000 CEU car carrier design.Ammonia is emerging as a promising alternative fuel option for shipping to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.SDARI's new ammonia-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) design is said to be the first from China.
Yara to Set Up Scandinavian Green Ammonia Bunkering Network
Norway's Yara and Azane Fuel Solutions have signed a deal to create a Scandinavian network of bunker terminals to supply ships with zero-carbon ammonia as marine fuel, the companies said on Friday.They said the network will make "green" ammonia - produced from renewable electricity - available for the shipping industry in the region by 2024, which is also when the first ships with ammonia-fueled engines are expected to enter the market.A hydrogen-carrying chemical primarily used as a fertilizer…
Port Capacity in Question as UK Offshore Wind Expands
U.K. port bosses are scratching their heads as to how to meet demand as offshore wind, including new floating projects, ramps up around the country’s coastline.The U.K. government is pushing this source of energy and has a 40-gigawatt (GW) by 2030 target—ramping up from around 30 GW today—for offshore wind. While fixed bottom projects continue to roll out, through some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms…
Cheniere Declares Option for the 5th LNG Carrier from Flex LNG
Flex LNG announced on Friday that Cheniere has declared it option to employ a fifth liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier under a time charter deal announced in April 2021.
'Siem Sapphire' Providing W2W Services for Offshore Wind Farm Commissioning in Taiwan
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Siem Offshore has signed a new contract for the “Siem Sapphire” AHTS vessel for operations in Taiwan. "Delivery [of the vessel] has already taken place, and secures firm utilization well into the third quarter of 2022 plus options," Siem Offshore said.The scope of work consists of walk-to-work (“W2W”) operations for accommodation support in relation to the commissioning of an offshore wind farm.
Marlink, Intelsat Increase Bandwidth Capacity for Cruise and Merchant Shipping Sectors
Smart network company Marlink has extended its partnership with Intelsat to offer increased Ku and C-band satellite connectivity to maritime customers in cruise and merchant shipping sectors.The agreement will see Intelsat assign capacity to the Marlink network providing a unique level of coverage in waters as far south as Antarctica as well as ocean regions around Africa and the Middle East. Marlink will derive the additional capacity from multiple assets…
Multiple Ships Suffer 'Blackouts' Due to Tainted Bunker Fuel from Singapore
A major bunker fuel contamination has affected at least 14 shipping vessels that received high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) from Singapore, fuel, and oil testing firm Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) said.The company said an increasing number of ships were getting affected by the tainted bunker fuel after 34 vessels were identified to have received HSFO deliveries from two unnamed Singapore suppliers over the last two months that were contaminated with up to 2…
New Fortress Energy Plans to Build Offshore LNG Export Project in Louisiana by Q1 2023
U.S. energy company New Fortress Energy Inc said on Thursday it filed with federal regulators to build an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project off Louisiana that could enter service as soon as the first quarter of 2023.That is much faster than the usual two to four years it takes to build a land-based LNG plant and, if completed, would help the United States meet President Joe Biden's…
Oil Protesters Block 10 UK Oil Terminals
Hundreds of climate change protesters blocked oil terminals across Britain on Friday with some supporters climbing on top of oil tankers as part of their campaign to force the government to end its reliance on fossil fuels.Extinction Rebellion, which caused days of traffic chaos in central London three years ago, and another group Just Stop Oil blocked refineries around London, Birmingham, and Southampton.Police in Essex, just east of London, said they were dealing with three incidents and six p
US Senate Approves Bill to Ease Export Shipping Backlogs
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill to improve oversight of ocean shipping, a step supporters say will help ease export backlogs.The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, led by Senators John Thune and Amy Klobuchar, would strengthen the investigatory authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the U.S. agency that oversees ocean shipping, and boost transparency of industry practices.Senate…
Campbell Buys Assets of E Squared Marine
Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC), a fully integrated marine services company headquartered in Pennsylvania, announced Thursday that it has purchased the…
Caterpillar Marine to Invest in Methanol Engine Tech
Engine maker Caterpillar announced it is investing to develop methanol engine technologies as the commercial maritime sector continues to engineer and implement new solutions to reduce emissions.The company called the cleaner burning fuel a key to decarbonization in the marine industry. Compared to conventional fuels, methanol produces fewer emissions such as SOx, NOx and particulate matter.“This commitment…
Strong Outdraft and Wind Contributed to Tow Striking Guide Wall
The contact between a tow and a section of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton, Ill., was caused by the pilot of the towing vessel not effectively compensating for a strong outdraft and wind, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On March 19, 2021, the 177-foot-long towing vessel Kevin Michael was pushing 15 barges down the Mississippi River when the tow struck the bull nose of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam upstream main lock chamber guide wall…
Evergreen Declares General Average Following Containership Ever Forward Grounding
Evergreen Marine, the owner of a containership stuck aground in the Chesapeake Bay, has declared general average after two failed attempts to refloat the vessel.The Ever Forward has been stuck near the Port of Baltimore since March 13 despite the efforts of dredgers and salvors who have been working for more than a week to dig out and refloat the 1,095-foot vessel. Separate attempts to refloat the ship on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful…
VIDEO: SBM Offshore's Prosperity FPSO Leaves Dry Dock in Singapore
The hull of the FPSO Prosperity, which will be Guyana's third offshore production unit after the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity, has recently left the dry dock in Singapore, in preparation for topside installation works.The hull arrived in Singapore last year from China where it was built. In Singapore, Keppel will install the topside modules and all other major structures, after which the vessel will set sail for Guyana…
Bureau Veritas Expands Remote Inspection Capabilities
Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) said it can now provide owners and operators with new ways to survey their ships through Remote Inspection Techniques operated by BV’s own surveyors in France. The company said it aims to leverage digital technologies to deliver its inspection services more safely and efficiently.BV’s key objective with the use of RIT is to limit the use of costly and dangerous means of access…
Keppel Offshore & Marine, Sembcorp Marine Working on Merger
Keppel Corp's offshore and marine (O&M) arm and smaller rival Sembcorp Marine are working towards having an agreement over their business unification in place by the end of April, the companies said on Thursday.The companies had first announced plans to combine their loss-making O&M businesses in June last year. The deal would see Keppel spin off the new business into a listed entity, with Singapore state investor Temasek becoming the largest shareholder in the combined company.
Yara Marine to Supply Shore Power Systems for Three Finnlines Vessels
Ro-ro and ro-pax operator Finnlines has inked a deal to install Yara Marine’s shore power solution on board three vessels to reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise in port. The installations are scheduled for completion in 2022.The turnkey solution will allow these vessels to connect to the local power grid when in port, switching to electricity rather than using auxiliary engines running on fuel.Thomas Doepel…
ClassNK Grants AIP for GTT’s Upgraded LNG Fuel Tank
Classification society ClassNK said it has issued an approval in principle (AIP) to GTT’s technical solution fitted with Mark III membrane tank.The design developed…
