Economic Infrastructure News

Global Energy Group (“GEG”), the Scottish-based energy services company has agreed on terms with offshore wind tower manufacturing specialist, Haizea Wind Group (“Haizea”), to build a £110m-plus (~$146 million) offshore wind tubular rolling facility at Port of Nigg, located in the Scottish Highlands. GEG said Friday that Nigg Offshore Wind (“NOW”) would be 450-meter-long, 38,000 m2 factory, capable of rolling steel plate to supply towers which will weigh in excess of 1,000 tonnes each and other products…

Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping LLC (JAK), a provider of specialist services to the offshore oil and gas sector in the Arabian Gulf, has taken delivery of a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009 and an ASD 3213 tug for operations at the Al Basra (ABOT) and Khor Al Amaya (KAAOT ) oil terminals. Between them, these facilities handle more than 90 percent of Iraq’s crude oil exports. The FCS 5009 is named the Jawar Abu Dhabi and the ASD 3213 is the Jawar Faw. A second ASD 3213, the Jawar Um Qasr, is due for delivery shortly.

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has made available nearly $10 million in grant funding for improvements to small shipyards. There is currently $9.8 million available under the Small Shipyard Grant Program for capital and related improvements to qualified shipyard facilities that will be effective in fostering efficiency, competitive operations and quality ship construction, repair and reconfiguration, MARAD said. “Waterways and small shipyards are a critical component…

Nigeria's government will seek a lasting peace settlement with militants in the oil-producing southern Niger Delta region in 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari said in a New Year's message on Saturday. Attacks on oil facilities in Nigeria's energy hub, coupled with low oil prices, helped push Africa's biggest economy into recession - the first in 25 years - in the second quarter. Crude oil sales account for two-thirds of government revenue in the OPEC member country. Attacks by militants, who want a greater share of the country's energy wealth to go the impoverished oil-producing swampland, have been less frequent since November when Buhari held talks with community leaders from the region.

About 10 Russian and Azerbaijani ships will take part in a joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea for the first time; RIA Novosti cited the statement of Russia’s Southern Military District.    "The military officials of the countries reached a decision during consultations to hold a joint exercise on the defense of maritime economic infrastructure on September 2015," says the statement.   According to the statement, Caspian Flotilla and ships of Azerbaijan will check the provision of the protection of international maritime security in the Caspian Sea; joint artillery strikes at maritime and air targets, provision of assistance to a wrecked ship, etc.   Russia and China concluded their first-ever joint naval exercise in the Mediterranean Sea just two days ago.

Leftist guerrillas attacked an oil field Friday for Ecopetrol in northeastern Colombia, as part of an escalation of attacks on the economic infrastructure of the country that holds in tension the peace negotiations between the Government and the FARC. Ecopetrol said the two attacks affected the Tibú field, located in the department of Norte de Santander, which borders Venezuela, with a production of 1,800 barrels of oil per day. "Ecopetrol rejects the attacks against a team workover and field season Tibú, Norte de Santander, which endangered the lives of workers and neighboring communities," said a statement from the company that produces 750,000 barrels of oil a day.

The Welsh Secretary of State David Jones has announced his intention to host a reception during September’s London International Shipping Week to highlight the importance of the Welsh maritime sector. And he has highlighted the economic importance of Welsh ports, stating, “Welsh ports, their industry and the passengers and freight passing through them, form a vital part of the economic infrastructure of Wales. They also make a wider contribution to the U.K. In an article written for the U.K. Chamber of Shipping’s website, David Jones MP, Secretary of State for Wales said, “I believe the U.K.

Drought and ensuing low river levels continue to affect the inland industry. Low water between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois has threatened traffic on the Mississippi River since December. For months, dredging operations have slowed vessels at points along the river's course. Since December, a stretch at Thebes, Illinois, has been shut for much of each day as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removes rock pinnacles. A panel of five executives weighed in on a host of topics regarding inland transportation as part of a round table discussion published in the February print edition of Marine News.

Tim Holt, Head of Intelligence at Special Contingency Risks (SCR), part of the Willis Group, gives his reasons, suggest remedies. •    “Piracy is the second largest generator of income in Somalia, yielding an estimated $200 million annually. •    “As pirate financiers invest more and more in the success of their operations, lucrative opportunities for local business have vastly expanded. A $4 million ransom will be injected back into the local economy, benefiting a community that once lived in abject poverty. There is little wonder why the practice has boomed when Somali per capita income is $600 and a minimum $10,000 is available for each perpetrator of a successful operation. With 90% of the world’s trade is transported by sea, the opportunities are vast.

Congresswoman Hahn’s Port Security Bill Passes the House. Congresswoman Janice Hahn’s port security legislation has passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 411 to 9. H.R. 4005 “Gauging American Port Security Act” or GAPS Act directs the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive classified examination of remaining gaps in port security and prepare a plan to address them. “The loopholes that continue to exist in port security keeps me up at night,” said Rep. Hahn. “My first question as a member of the Homeland Security Committee was to Lee Hamilton, vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, on what Congress should be doing to protect our ports. Mr. Ships make 50,000 calls a year on U.S. ports, carrying two billion tons of freight and 134 million passengers.

Our nation’s ports are an essential component of our economic infrastructure, and they represent one of our greatest vulnerabilities, but the Administration’s budget will weaken our investment in port security. Last week, the President was at the Port of Charleston to talk about seaport and cargo security. It is one thing to give a speech in front of our Coast Guard assets and quite another to actually provide the men and women of the Coast Guard with the tools they need to do their job. This Administration is flirting with disaster with its lack of sustained and serious attention to port security. We cannot allow any port in this country to become a weak link in the security chain.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducted a hearing on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testified that joining the Convention will serve US security interests, secure US sovereign rights over extensive marine areas, promote US interests in marine environmental protection, and give the US a seat at the table when important maritime issues are debated. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England testified that joining the Convention will preserve freedom of navigation. Admiral Patrick Walsh, US Navy, testified that joining the Convention will enhance the US ability to perform vital missions, such as interdicting terrorists, gathering critical intelligence, and securing critical economic infrastructure. (HK Law)

A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) Sailor assigned to coastal patrol ship USS Hurricane (PC 3) conducts an initial security sweep aboard Yard Patrol Craft 681 (YP 681) while his shipmates board the vessel. YP 681 acted as a non-compliant vessel as part of Hurricane's Advanced Phase Training Exercise, designed to prepare the crew for upcoming deployments. U.S. Sailors and assets from the U.S. Naval Academy provided a unique training opportunity Jan. 10 and 17 for the crews of USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) and USS Hurricane (PC 3) in the Chesapeake Bay. The exercises were part of Thunderbolt and Hurricane's theater-tailored Advanced Phase Training Exercise, designed to prepare the crews for upcoming deployments.

After a series of procedural maneuvers, the 107th Congress adopted the Maritime Transportation Security Act as one of its final bills prior to adjournment. President Bush signed measure into law on November 25, 2002 (Public Law 107-295). The new law represents the most significant expansion of maritime and port security authority since enactment of the so-called Magnuson Amendment in 1950. This Act contains a number of provisions authorizing the Coast Guard and other agencies to establish maritime security standards and mandate certain security enhancements to be undertaken by maritime industry. The Act requires facility and vessel vulnerability assessments to be done by the Coast Guard.