Byproducts News

Venezuela's oil exports slightly increased in February to some 670,000 barrels per day (bpd), but ongoing shipping delays worsened a bottleneck of tankers waiting to load, according to documents and vessel monitoring data.State-run oil firm PDVSA's customers have rushed to send tankers to Venezuela in recent months to pick up crude and fuel before the United States potentially reimposes oil sanctions.Restrictions could resume on April 18 when an existing license expires, the U.S.

Laser systems quickly remove corrosion and scale from metal surfaces with less preparation and mess than traditional techniques.In the maritime industry, corrosion and scale (where rust penetrates a metal surface) can quickly become an issue in an outdoor, salt sea spray laden environment. When sea spray evaporates, it leaves salt behind, leading to saltwater staining and accelerated corrosion.So, most shipbuilders as well as those responsible for maintenance and repair understand the value of treating metal surfaces to remove corrosion…

Venezuela's oil exports rose in March to the highest monthly average since August, boosted by a resumption of loadings after an export freeze and by rising cargoes assigned to Chevron Corp, according to documents and shipping data.State oil company PDVSA has reinstated two export contracts after a January freeze by new boss Pedro Tellechea: a medium-term contract with Hangzhou Energy, and another with Portugal-based Adinius Sociedade de Servicios, the documents showed. Those two customers accounted for a large portion of exports…

Venezuela's oil exports last year declined due to infrastructure outages, U.S. sanctions and rising competition in its key Asia market despite assistance from ally Iran, according to shipping data and documents.Exports this year are expected to get a lift after the United States relaxed oil sanctions by authorizing some partners of state-run firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to resume taking Venezuelan crude.Iran expanded its role in Venezuela last year, sending supplies to boost exports and technicians to repair a refinery.

Venezuela's oil exports fell 8% in April from the previous month amid continued delays linked to poor-quality crude grades and insufficient oil upgrading capacity available, according to documents and vessel monitoring data on Thursday.U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela recovered a portion of lost production last year, but crude shipments have been volatile, bouncing some 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the space of a few months as its ability to turn its extra-heavy oil into exportable grades has waxed and waned.State-run oil firm PDVSA and its joint ventures exported an average of 644…

A cargo ship was ordered to leave the U.S waters after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Port of New Orleans discovered invasive insects found in the wood used to secure its previous cargo offloaded earlier in Mexico. The ship, named Pan Jasmine, arrived at the anchorage of Davant, downriver from New Orleans at mile marker 54, on July 17, having previously offloaded a shipment of aluminum in Vera Cruz, Mexico, after coming from Paradip, India."The wood used to pack the aluminum had not been offloaded in Mexico and was left scattered on the deck of the Pan Jasmine, which is unusual. No reason was provided to CBP as to why the dunnage was refused discharge in Mexico, and this raised a red flag.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists in Baltimore recently uncovered egg masses of the highly invasive Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) and a live Khapra beetle larvae, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, aboard ships in one the nation’s busiest ports for vehicle imports.The suspected AGM egg masses were found from August 21 to September 4 affixed to various parts of the four vehicle carriers Graceful Leader (four), Hoegh Africa (one), Hoegh Jacksonville (two) and Figaro (two), which had arrived in Baltimore after port calls in Japan, South Korea and China.

A study published by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows that polystyrene, one of the world’s most ubiquitous plastics, may degrade in decades or centuries when exposed to sunlight, rather than thousands of years as previously thought. The study published October 10, 2019, in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters.“Right now, policy makers generally assume that polystyrene lasts forever in the environment,” says Collin Ward, a marine chemist at WHOI and lead author of the study. “That’s part of justification for writing policy that bans it.

A maritime consortium, including ABS and Sandia National Laboratories, recently proved the viability of a hydrogen fuel cell ferry designed for operations in the environmentally sensitive San Francisco Bay area. The IMO’s mandate to cap the sulfur content in marine fuel at the start of next year may be the biggest regulatory change in shipping since the requirement for double hulls, but the challenge will fade in comparison to its future goals to reduce green-house gases (GHG).A year ago (April 2018)…

The prospects of dry bulk shippers carrying iron ore from mines to smelters have worsened due to the accident at Vale's Brumadinho dam in Brazil, Golden Ocean said on Tuesday as it presented forecast-beating quarterly earnings.The dam in the town of Brumadinho, which contained tailings, the mud-like byproducts of iron ore mining, burst on Jan. 25, killing at least 166 people and with almost 200 more still missing.Brazil's Vale, the world's largest iron ore mining company, has…

The number of ships waiting to berth at Brazilian ports to load soybeans and its byproducts is currently almost 60 percent larger than in the same period last year, according to data from shipping agency Williams compiled by Reuters.At the same time, the amount of ships that are berthed and currently loading is 42 percent smaller than seen at this time last year.Associations representing soy processors and grain exporters said the situation is caused by slower transportation of grains from producing regions to the ports…

Capt Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director QHSE & Training, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd., Presented a paper at the Nautical Institute Hong Kong Branch Seminar – “Competencies of a Future Mariner” on 23 October 2015. This paper discusses the changes that are taking place in the maritime industry and their effects on the daily life of the seafarers. It further discusses the human factor competencies that will be essential for the future mariner. The last two decades have been extremely fast paced with respect to technology influencing every walk of life. Internet, Google, Facebook, Linkedin, smartphones, WhatsApp etc. and their effects on the way we communicate, interact and learn are well-known.

The University of South Florida’s (USF) College of Marine Science announced a new partnership with Agilent Technologies and the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) for analytical chemistry equipment to study oil spills. Funded by GoMRI and Agilent’s Research Support Program, the partnership will allow access to cutting-edge analytical instrumentation to better understand the effects of oil as well as other emerging contaminants in the environment. The Center for the Integrated…

Ballast water treatment technology developer Ecochlor Inc. presented a project case study at CMA Shipping 2015, a case study which covered the retrofit of Ecochlor’s ballast water treatment system (BWTS) aboard the 2007-built RoRo car carrier vessel M/V Green Bay following an order from International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) in 2013. ISH ordered Ecochlor systems for seven of its ships, including vehicle carriers and bulk carriers, to be installed between 2014 and 2016. Installation and commissioning aboard U.S.-flagged M/V Green Bay, the first ISH vessel to receive the BWTS (a 500 cu.

Ballast water treatment technology developer Ecochlor Inc. presented a project case study yesterday at CMA Shipping 2015 in Stamford, Conn. The case study covered the retrofit of Ecochlor’s ballast water treatment system (BWTS) aboard the 2007-built ro/ro car carrier vessel M/V Green Bay following an order from International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) in 2013. ISH ordered Ecochlor systems for seven of its ships, including vehicle carriers and bulk carriers, to be installed between 2014 and 2016.

Over 15 million metric tons of cargo moved through the St. Lawrence Seaway during the month of July, down just 4 percent over last year, marking a sustained comeback after the slow start to the shipping season. "The month of July was extremely busy for our ports on the Great Lakes-Seaway System as they handled high value cargoes like steel, wind components, and machinery that arrived from 13 different countries," said Rebecca Spruill, Director of Trade Development for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the deployment of M/V Cape Ray from Portsmouth, Va., Jan. 27. M/V Cape Ray is the primary contribution of the Department of Defense toward international efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons material program. Over the last several months, hundreds of government and contract personnel have worked tirelessly to prepare the vessel to neutralize Syrian chemical materials and precursors using proven hydrolysis technology. This achievement could not have been possible without these remarkable contributions.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the deployment of M/V Cape Ray from Portsmouth, Va., Jan. 27. M/V Cape Ray is the primary contribution of the Department of Defense toward international efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons material program. Over the past several months, hundreds of government and contract personnel have worked to prepare the vessel to neutralize Syrian chemical materials and precursors using proven hydrolysis technology. According to the DoD,…

Alternative to Diesel Strengthens as Barriers Continue to Fall. From the earliest days of mechanically propelled ships, fuel use has been evolving. Starting with wood, fuel changed to coal, which held sway for many years. Oil began to be used in the late nineteenth century and was clearly the dominate marine fuel of the twentieth century. Environmental shortcomings of fuel oil, particularly traditional heavy bunkers, were brought under increasing scrutiny as the twentieth century came to a close.

Engine Maintenance trumps a tough economy. Bypass oil filtration technology is one way to get there. For the past several years, ferry service and tugboat operators have had one eye on fuel costs and the other on the economy. But worry as they might, there’s not much, if anything, that operators can do to effect change to the economy or to reduce the price of fuel. What they can do, however, is effect change to reduce their company’s operating costs and that’s where proper engine maintenance can make a significant difference.

While total cargo movements through the St. Lawrence Seaway in August remained in the negative column (down 9 percent over 2012), the 19.3 million metric tons of cargo moved through the system represented an improvement over last month's statistics. Ingenuity and resourcefulness, hallmarks of the Seaway System and its users, were evident at U.S. ports around the region. U.S. ports spent the generally slow month of August continuing work on infrastructure projects and securing new cargo shipments. "So far in 2013 we have seen general cargo volumes double over last year at the Port of Toledo. This is a good sign that the port is building momentum and that our investments in the equipment and infrastructure at the facility are paying off…

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22-September 30 were 23 million metric tons. While this number is down 11% over the same period in 2012, U.S. ports continue to beat the odds with increased tonnage in several cargo categories. "At least a dozen ships from Europe unloaded steel products at the ports of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Burns Harbor and Detroit over the past month; a clear sign that the end of the navigation season…

The U.S. Department of Defense announce that the deployment of 'M/V Cape Ray' from Portsmouth, Va. 'M/V Cape Ray' is the primary contribution of the Department of Defense toward international efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons material program. All waste from the hydrolysis process on M/V Cape Ray will be safely and properly disposed of at commercial facilities to be determined by the OPCW. No hydrolysis byproducts will be released into the sea or air. M/V Cape Ray will comply with all applicable international laws, regulations, and treaties.