East Coast Of Scotland News

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has completed its activities in support of the development of Ocean Winds’ 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland.As part of its multidisciplinary role in the project, Boskalis deployed six vessels to carry out large number of activities off the east coast of Scotland in the Moray Firth.First, Boskalis’ wholly-owned subsidiary Gardline carried out extensive geotechnical and geophysical survey works prior to the installation work.Then…

Belgium-based offshore installation services company DEME has installed the first XXL monopile foundation at the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland.DEME used its Orion offshore installation vessel to complete the task, which is part of its work scope that includes both the installation of monopiles and transition pieces.The company’s jack-up vessel Apollo is also joining the effort, taking care of installing the transition pieces.According to DEME, it is using vibro hammer technology, minimizing the environmental impact from vibrations.Apollo vessel previously demonstrated its ex

As the maritime and offshore industries cumulatively search for ways to attract the 'next generation,' Saipem has come up with an innovative approach that gives thousands of students the ability to virtually visit work in the offshore environment: two days on board a naval vessel engaged in the construction of a large wind farm in the North Sea. This is the experience that almost 27,000 elementary and middle school students from over 850 cities were able to live thanks to an exclusive virtual and interactive school trip organized by Saipem…

Crown LNG Holdings AS, a provider of LNG liquefaction and regasification terminal technologies for harsh weather locations, has agreed to merge with Catcha Investment Corp, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, that would result in Crown becoming a U.S. publicly listed company. The combined company, named Crown LNG Holdings Limited (“PubCo”), intends to apply to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol “CGBS”.Crown designs and…

BP and EnBW are collaborating with research and development experts at the UK-based Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to investigate using zero- or low-emission support vessels at offshore wind farms.The two companies are jointly developing three offshore wind projects in two UK locations – ‘Morven’, a potential 2.9GW lease area off the east coast of Scotland, and ‘Morgan’ and ‘Mona’ within a 3GW area in the Irish Sea. The offshore wind farms will require maintenance support from Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs).According to ORE Catapult…

Two load-bearing pillars of Norway’s leading maritime industry cluster in Sunmøre on the country’s west coast – offshore energy and the expedition cruise sector – took severe knocks from plunging energy prices in the 2010s followed by COVID-19. However, a recent tour of the region found the cluster in recovery mode.At the time, the cluster’s diversification strategy was to dive into the emerging expedition cruise sector: small, highly sophisticated ships designed to operate in some of the world’s most sensitive environments incorporated features including the highest ice-class…

Seaway 7, a renewables branch of offshore installation firm Subsea 7, has chartered one of Siem Offshore's offshore subsea construction vessels (OSCVs).The contract is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2021, when the vessel will provide walk-to-work services as part of the construction phase of the Seagreen offshore wind farm, in the UK North Sea, 27km offshore Scotland.Under the contract, the vessel will remain with Seaway 7  for a period of 300 days. This is the largest contract for a Siem OSCV since 2018.

British oil major BP and the German renewables firm EnBW submitted their bid for offshore wind acreage in the ScotWind leasing round, looking to secure the rights for a lease area off the east coast of Scotland that could support offshore wind projects with 2.9 gigawatts (GW) generating capacity.The seabed round in which firms apply for the license to build wind farms has attracted the interest of both "traditional" renewables giants such as Iberdrola, Orsted, Ocean Winds, and Vattenfall…

Dublin-based SSE Renewables, a renewable energy subsidiary of Airtricity, has selected the port of Montrose on the east coast of Scotland to serve as the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for its 1100MW Seagreen offshore wind farm.Situated over 27km off the Angus coastline, Seagreen is the furthest from shore of any Scottish offshore wind farm and is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power over 40% of all households in Scotland. When completed, it will become Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.John Hill, Seagreen Project Director, said: “The Operations and Maintenance base will play an important role in the day-to…

The Port of Tyne, which comprises the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear in the northeast of England, is increasing their offer to potential offshore wind manufacturers.Offshore wind could provide 30% of Britain's electricity generation by 2030, and the Port of Tyne is perfectly placed to support this growing renewable sector.Announcing that the ‘Tyne is right’ to utilise its location, within 100 nautical miles of Dogger Bank, Hornsea, Seagreen and Sofia, the Port of Tyne is increasing their offer to potential offshore wind manufacturers.The Port of Tyne is nearing the final phase of a major investment programme to infill Tyne Dock and increase its commercial property portfolio.Matt Beeton…

Global energy sector supplier NKT has confirmed turnkey order for Moray East offshore wind farm project."NKT has signed a Preferred Bidder Agreement (PBA) for delivery and installation of export cable systems to the prospective offshore wind farm project Moray East," said a press release from the company.NKT and the project developer, MOWEL, Moray East Offshore Windfarm Ltd, owned by EDP Renováveis S.A., ENGIE and Diamond Generating Europe Ltd., have signed the final binding agreement on the project. For NKT, it means that the order is confirmed.The Moray East project comprises manufacture of approx. 175 km of 220 kV AC offshore export cables, installation by the NKT Victoria cable-laying vessel and burial of the cables. The order represents a contract value for NKT of approx.

Norwegian subsea services provider Subsea 7 announced the award of a substantial offshore Conventional contract. Subsea 7 defines a substantial contract as being between USD 150 million and USD 300 million.In a press release, the company said that the offshore execution is planned for 2019 and 2020. No further details are disclosed at this time due to contractual obligations. Early this month, Subsea 7 announced the award of a sizeable contract by Nexen as part of the Buzzard Phase 2 Project, located approximately 55 kilometres off the north-east coast of Scotland. Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million.Subsea 7’s contract scope includes project management…

Welsh workboat builder Mainstay Marine said it has delivered a newly built 15-meter crew transfer vessel to Scottish tug operator and owner Targe Towing. The Camarc designed vessel is constructed with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. It sails at speeds in excess of 15 knots and has a bollard pull of 6 metric tons. Compliment is for two crew and 12 passengers. Targe Towing provides dedicated towage for north east Scotland ports including BP’s Hound Point Marine terminal on the Firth of Forth.

A £350m ($431m) development plan to expand Aberdeen Harbour was approved on December 19, 2016. HR Wallingford has been involved in the project from its initial concept stages in 2010, and will be working with Aberdeen Harbour Board right through to construction, and undertaking modelling work for the approved contractor, Dragados UK Ltd. The new facilities will include 1,400 meters of new quay, with a water depth of up to 10.5 meters. Construction will begin in early 2017, with the project due to be completed in 2020.

A designer, builder and maintainer of workboats and renewable marine energy devices has won a significant contract to construct a crew transfer vessel. Mainstay Marine Solutions, which won against international competition, will build the boat at its deep-water facility in Pembroke Dock for client Targe Towing, a Scottish-based tug owner and operator. The 15m vessel, designed by Carmarc Design, will have a maximum speed of 15 knots and capacity for two crew and 12 passengers.

Two Turkish sailors were jailed for a total of 42 years on Friday after their attempt to smuggle a huge haul of cocaine into Europe was thwarted, partly due to some swift international co-operation between Britain and Tanzania. Some 3.2 tonnes of cocaine, the biggest class A drug find ever made in Britain, was found on a ship intercepted off the east coast of Scotland last year. Drugs worth 512 million pounds ($664 million) were being shipped over to the Netherlands, prosecutors said, after travelling from South America via Guyana and Tenerife. British authorities intercepted the cargo off the coast of Aberdeen in April 2015 after the go-ahead from Tanzania, where the ship was registered, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Scottish nationalists are betting $2.5 trillion of hydrocarbons trapped miles beneath the North Sea could bankroll an independent Scotland, but winning control of the European Union's largest oil reserves would be no blank cheque. Scotland says the bulk of Britain's North Sea oil and gas reserves are in its waters, while London says any division would be subject to negotiations should Scots vote to end their 307-year-old union with England in a referendum on Sept. 18. Oil is the punch in Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond's pitch for independence: he accuses London of squandering the North Sea's mineral wealth and says Scotland would be one of the world's richest countries if it took control of its own destiny.

The public in Portsmouth caught their first glimpse of the giant forward section of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH today, as it was loaded out of the hall at BAE Systems’ facility at Portsmouth Naval Base in preparation for its departure to Rosyth. Using a fleet of remote controlled transporters, a team moved the 6,000 tonne section, known as Lower Block 02, across the shipbuild hall and onto a sea-going barge, ahead of her 600 mile journey to the east coast of Scotland where the aircraft carriers will be assembled in dry dock.

The UK’s largest independent marine safety equipment supplier, Ocean Safety, has opened a fourth depot in the UK, this one in Aberdeen, in the heart of the oil and fisheries industry on the east coast of Scotland. The depot will carry the full range of Ocean Safety stock. It will also be a lifejacket and survival station, and will be manufacturer-approved for that purpose. “Establishing the new depot reflects the growing business of Ocean Safety and the customer demand from the expanding offshore renewables market,” said Ocean Safety’s Sales Director, Mark Hart. The Aberdeen depot will be managed by Aidan Morrissey, who already has many years of experience with safety products in the commercial maritime industry.

The UK’s largest independent marine safety equipment supplier, Ocean Safety, has made a key new appointment on the east coast of Scotland to support the company’s commercial safety equipment supply in the region. Aidan Morrissey will join Ocean Safety on 1st February and be based in Aberdeen working with the company’s Scottish office to further develop the offshore markets in the North and East coast areas. Aidan, who previously worked for safety and industrial clothing and equipment company Ross Survival and Marine Safety manufacturers Richard Irvin…

As Britain's North Sea oil and gas stocks dwindle, the government is seeking new ways of harnessing natural resources to ensure a diverse and secure future energy supply. Now UPI reports, plans are afoot to utilize the North Sea's existing energy infrastructure to install a new generation of deepwater wind farms that could keep the lights on in a sustainable and environmentally benign manner. Talisman Energy U.K. Ltd. has teamed up with Scottish and Southern Energy to test the technological and economic feasibility of wind farms installed at an unprecedented water depth of 45 m. Work is under way to attach two of the world's largest wind turbines to the existing Beatrice oil platform 15 miles off the east coast of Scotland, an area that boasts some of the highest wind speeds on the planet.

The Polish chief officer of a cargo vessel that ran aground off the coast of Scotland reportedly admitted that he was drunk at the time. Jerzy Pawluk pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of the Bahamian-registered freighter Roustel and endangering the lives of his crew. Magistrates referred the matter to Newcastle Crown Court, saying that only a prison sentence would be appropriate. The offense - conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals - carries a jail term of up to two years and a fine. He was ordered held on bail. The Roustel ran aground in the early hours of Tuesday morning off the east coast of Scotland between Arbroath and Montrose. After being alerted by the crew, coastguards pulled the 892 gross ton vessel off the rocks. No injuries were reported.