Update: Response Efforts Continue on South Matagorda Island
Effective shoreline clean-up efforts are on-going, Saturday, along Mustang, South Matagorda and North Padre islands in response to the Texas City oil spill. As of sunset Friday, response workers have removed a total of 200,775 pounds of oiled sand and oiled debris from the shorelines of Mustang, North Padre and South Matagorda islands. These figures include 102,700 pounds of oiled material from Mustang Island…
Queen Máxima Sponsors Search & Rescue Vessel
Damen Shipyards Group announced it worked with Delft University of Technology to design and apply the latest in the field of shipbuilding for the new prototype (search and rescue) SAR 1906 lifeboat, built for the Royal Dutch rescue organization KNRM. De Vries Naval Architects contributed to the newbuilding as well. Lady Sponsor Queen Máxima admired the innovative ‘Nh1816’ at its homeport IJmuiden, after she named the vessel on Wednesday, April 2.
Dometic Sea XChange Watermaker Launched
Dometic Marine launched the Dometic Sea Xchange Sea Water Reverse Osmosis system following the confirmation of an exclusive worldwide marketing agreement with Spot Zero Reverse Osmosis Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., USA. Under this agreement, Dometic said it will market and sell Spot Zero watermakers as it expands its presence in the fresh water and sea water reverse osmosis systems marketplace. Using a conventional reverse osmosis process to convert sea water into potable (drinking) water…
NCS Survey Hires Goldsworthy
NCS Survey, an Acteon company, has appointed Simon Goldsworthy as business development manager in its Aberdeen office. Goldsworthy will be responsible for building relationships with existing and potential clients and growing NCS Survey’s presence in the offshore industry globally. Having been active in the offshore industry for more than 18 years, he has already demonstrated a successful track record in new business development.
38% Fuel Savings for Hybrid Ferry
When Imtech Marine was asked to supply a hybrid propulsion system to the first ever diesel electric, hybrid seagoing ferries to the Scottish state-owned ferry operator, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. (CMAL) in 2011, fuel savings of around 20% were expected, the company said. Following extensive trials Imtech Marine announced that the actual fuel savings with the innovative hybrid system - consisting of diesel electric in combination with battery technology - were up to 38%.
USN Awards General Dynamics $11 Million for Support Services
The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat an $11 million contract to perform non-nuclear maintenance work for submarines homeported at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). With this modification, Electric Boat will continue operating the New England Maintenance Manpower Initiative (NEMMI) at the submarine base.
Coal Prices Lower on Sluggish Demand
European physical coal prices were lower on Monday afternoon on sluggish demand and as continuing over-supply weighed on prices. Cargoes for delivery in May to the ports of Amsterdam…
MarineTraffic Assists Search for Flight 370
Maritime tracking AIS facility MarineTraffic has opened up its satellite-AIS service in the search area relevant to the missing MH370 airliner. Following requests…
Rolls-Royce to Open Brazilian Offshore Facility
Rolls-Royce and U.K. Chancellor George Osborne announced today that the Group will further invest in Rio de Janeiro State to better support customers in the rapidly…
Pellerin Builds HF- SEP for Stone Energy
Pellerin Water Solutions (PWS), a subsidiary of Pellerin Energy Group (PEG), has designed and built a Horizontal Flotation Separator (HF- SEP) for Stone Energy Corporation. The specifically designed HF- SEP with dissolved gas flotation (DGF) technologies will enhance the separation process of oil and produced water which will maximize production and increase profitability. Stone Energy will incorporate the HF-SEP with its deepwater facility, Pompano, situated in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
Ice Stalls Resumption of Lakes Coal Trade
Ice, reportedly more than 4 feet thick in places, effectively stalled the resumption of the coal trade on the Great Lakes in March, the Lake Carriers’ Association said. Only three coal cargos were loaded: one on Lake Superior, one on Lake Michigan and one on Lake Erie. Combined, the cargos totaled 102,000 tons, a decrease of 70 percent compared to a year ago. Compared to the month’s five-year average, March loadings were down more than 80 percent.
Pre-production Inspection Aboard First of its Kind FPSO
This week a team of BSEE engineers and inspectors conducted a safety inspection of the first FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessel designed and built for containment use in the Gulf of Mexico. The pre-production inspection is one of the necessary steps to clear the Eagle Texas vessel for containment use in standard production operations or in emergency situations that require containment.
Shipping Experts Tackle Problems in Asia
Maritime industry leaders have called for greater collaboration and consolidation in Asia to tackle challenges such as the rise over capacity, talent shortages and environmental sustainability, which are impacting the potential of the industry. Speaking at an industry insights briefing today ahead of the launch of Sea Asia 2015, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore Assistant Chief Executive (Development) Tan Beng Tee…
Gudrun on Stream
At 7:25 a.m. on April 7, Statoil and its partners (GDF SUEZ and OMV) started production on the Gudrun oil and gas field in the North Sea. "Gudrun is the first new Statoil-operated platform to come on stream on the Norwegian continental shelf since 2005. This is a red-letter day for the company," said Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil's executive vice president for the Development and Production Norway business area. The new field contributes to important production from the Norwegian shelf.
Maintenance Cuts Norway's Offshore Gas Output
Norway's gas output will be cut by 24 million cubic metres (mcm) per day due to maintenance at an offshore field on April 11-13, gas system operator Gassco said on Monday.
Vanishing Volatility Signals Oil Market Shift
The oil market has rarely been so quiet. Benchmark Brent has traded in a narrow range of $5 either side of $110 per barrel since the summer of 2012. Price volatility has fallen to some of the lowest levels since crude futures markets were established in the early 1980s. Oil prices have rarely been so stable for so long since the 1973 oil shock ended the long period of calm in the 1950s and 1960s and ushered in the era of OPEC dominance.
Yara Acquires Majority Stake in Green Tech Marine
Yara International will expand its emissions control business by acquiring a majority 63% stake in Green Tech Marine (GTM), a sulphur oxide (SOX) scrubber supplier to the marine industry. “New International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations are being implemented, and combining GTM with our existing Nitrogen Oxide (NOX) portfolio will help the maritime industry cleanse their emissions and be compliant,” said Yves Bonte, Senior Vice President and head of Yara’s Industrial Segment.
Libya's Ports Prepare to Load Oil Tankers
Libya's Zueitina oil port prepared on Monday to load crude on tankers after the government reached a deal with rebels to reopen four terminals that insurgents have occupied since summer.
CG Cutter Morro Bay out for Repairs
The Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug homeported in Cleveland but currently moored in Duluth, is scheduled to undergo an in-water repair Sunday and Monday. The Morro Bay suffered a rudder casualty while conducting icebreaking operations in Thunder Bay, Ontario, March 27, and was towed to Duluth by the Coast Guard Cutters Alder and Katmai Bay. Divers and Coast Guard naval engineers examined the Morro Bay and discovered that icebreaking operations exacerbated an unknown…
Damen Pontoon Deliveries Ensure Stock Availability
Last Friday, April 4, a shipment that left China seven weeks ago carrying 13 new Damen Stan Pontoons and 10 other Damen vessels arrived in Rotterdam. The built-for-stock pontoons and vessels will uphold Damen’s ultra-short delivery times as demand rises - 170 deliveries in 2013. This has also led to Damen introducing newly designed barges and completing a number of custom pontoon and barge projects. Damen has sold 37 pontoons and barges in the last two years.
