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Equatorial Guinea News

30 May 2023

Heroic Idun Released from Nigeria

Source: Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy announced the release of the VLCC Heroic Idun on Saturday, and the crew and vessel are now reportedly sailing for South Africa.The navy said the “grave infractions” of the vessel were prosecuted by the Federal Government of Nigeria at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on January,10 2023. The 26 foreign crew pleaded guilty and elected voluntarily to enter into a plea bargain that involved paying fines and making an apology to the Federal Republic of Nigeria…

12 Nov 2022

Detained Oil Tanker in Equatorial Guinea to Return to Nigeria

An oil supertanker accused by Nigerian authorities of attempting to illegally load crude before leaving its territorial waters is on its way back to the country, a Nigerian Navy spokesman told Reuters on Friday.At the request of Nigerian authorities, Equatorial Guinea detained the Heroic Idun, a vessel capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, on Aug. 17 for sailing without an identifying flag, fleeing from the Nigerian navy and sailing in Equatorial Guinean waters without prior authorization.Nigerian officials said Messrs.

19 Aug 2022

Oil Tanker Detained After Nigerian Navy Says It 'Resisted Arrest'

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

Equatorial Guinea has detained an oil tanker capable of carrying 2 million barrels after it attempted to load in Nigeria without proper paperwork, both countries said this week.The Nigerian navy said in a statement that the Heroic Idun, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was attempting to load oil at the Akpo SBM on Aug. 8 without due clearance from state oil company NNPC, and that it "resisted arrest" when ordered to stop.It was not immediately clear who was the vessel's owner or operator.

12 Jul 2022

Could the US Ship More LNG to Europe?

© Carabay / Adobe Stock

The United States, the world's top natural gas producer, wants to send more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe to help its allies break their dependence on Russian gas after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.But U.S. exports are limited by the country's liquefaction capacity and an ongoing outage at Freeport LNG's plant after the second-biggest U.S. LNG export facility was hit by fire in June.Russia, once Europe's biggest gas supplier, has already cut exports for various reasons this year…

18 Apr 2022

Tunisia, Others Work to Limit Damage after Fuel-laden Ship Sinks

Tunisia will work with other countries that have offered to help it to prevent environmental damage after a merchant ship carrying up to one thousand tonnes of oil sank in Tunisian waters, the defense ministry said on Sunday.The [Xelo] ship was heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta when it sank seven miles off the coast of the southern city of Gabes on Friday. The Tunisian navy rescued all seven crew members following a distress call.

17 Apr 2022

Bunker Ship Sinks off Tunisia; Entire Crew Rescued

© Wirestock / Adobe Stock

Tunisian authorities intensified efforts on Saturday to avoid an environmental disaster after a merchant fuel ship carrying one thousand tons of fuel sank off the coast of Gabes on Friday, two security sources told Reuters.The Tunisian navy had rescued all seven crew members from the ship, which was heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta, and sent a distress call seven miles away from southern city of Gabes, the sources added.The cause of the incident was bad weather, the environment ministry said, adding that water had seeped into the ship, reaching a height of two meters.Authorities were wo

08 Feb 2021

DG Risk Group Acquires Protection Vessels International

(Photo: DG Risk Group)

DG Risk Group announced Monday it has acquired armed maritime security company Protection Vessels International, along with its trading division Halcyon Yacht Security. The acquisition was completed in 2020.UK-based Protection Vessels International (PVI) specializes in armed maritime security solutions for commercial and governmental agencies. Most recently PVI, in unison with DG Risk Group, supported and partnered with several navies in the Gulf of Guinea in support of two major…

19 Jan 2021

Two LNG Tankers Bound for Australia's Prelude Facility Divert

An LNG tanker next to the Prelude FLNG facility - File Photo: Shell

Two liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers that had initially signaled they would load at Royal Dutch Shell's Prelude floating LNG facility in Australia have diverted elsewhere, ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday.This comes just a week after Shell said that Prelude would resume loading cargoes after production had been suspended for nearly a year following an electrical trip.The facility loaded its first cargo since coming back online on Jan. 8 onto the LNG tanker Symphonic Breeze…

13 Jan 2021

Maritime Security: Neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

12 Aug 2020

Nigeria Convicts First Pirates Under New Maritime Law

© promesaartstudio / Adobe Stock

A Nigerian court made the first convictions under a new anti-piracy law, giving hope to the world's shipping fleets that legal reforms will help stem rising attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.The three men fined by the court in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil hub, on Tuesday were among nine accused of hijacking the tanker MV Elobey VI off Equatorial Guinea in March and securing a $200,000 ransom for the crew.The merchant shipping industry has long pressed Nigeria to take action in the area…

05 Aug 2020

OLT Offshore's FSRU Toscana Receives 100th LNG Cargo

Image Credit: OLT Offshore LNG Toscana

OLT Offshore LNG Toscana's floating regasification unit FSRU Toscana received its 100th LNG cargo via the ship-to-ship from the Bonito LNG carrier on July 31, 2020.Per the owner, OLT Terminal has, over the years, received LNG from the main exporting countries such as: Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.The total quantity of LNG discharged so far is approximately 13.8 million liquid cubic meters…

25 Dec 2019

Crew of Pacific Warden Released

Offshore vessel operator Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO) has informed that seven of its crew members of the Pacific Warden,  abducted in a pirate attack offshore Equatorial Guinea in November, have now been released.According to a press release, after 31 days in captivity, the crew were met by senior representatives from SPO. Immediate medical checks and other necessary arrangements were organized, and all have now returned to their homes.“I would like to recognize our crew members and their families for the extraordinary courage, resilience and patience  they demonstrated throughout this ordeal," said Managing Director, SPO, Peter Langslow.Peter added: "We are relieved that it has been possible for the crew to be reunited with their families in time for the Christmas and year-end holidays…

26 Nov 2019

Pirates Attack Anchor Handler off Equatorial Guinea

Pirates have abducted seven crew members from an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel offshore Equatorial Guinea, the vessel's owner Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO) said.The Singaporean-flagged Pacific Warden was attacked on November 20, 2019 at approximately 5 a.m. local time, while supporting offshore field operations in Equatorial Guinea, SPO confirmed on Sunday.Seven of the 15 crew members on board have been taken by the attackers and are presently missing, while the other eight are safely ashore and unharmed, according to SPO.Maritime intelligence group Dryad said local reports indicate that the 68.9-meter Pacific Warden was attacked by two speed boats while traveling from Luba, Boiko island to Serpentina/Zafiro field complex.

03 Nov 2019

Kosmos Strikes Oil Off Equatorial Guinea

American upstream oil company founded and based in Dallas Kosmos Energy made an offshore oil discovery in Equatorial Guinea, Reuters reported quoting the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons.The S-5 well was drilled at a total depth of 4,400 meters and encountered 39 meters of net oil play in the Santonian reservoir, in the offshore Rio Muni Basin, it said. “The discovery is a strong validation of our strategy to replace oil reserves by exploring the highly prospective oil basins like Rio Muni,” the nation’s Minister of Mines, Industry and Energy Gabriel Obiang said in the statement.According to the report, Lima’s ministry said the well was drilled at a depth of 4…

15 Oct 2019

France Conducts Training on Port Management

An intensive training on port management and operational efficiency was delivered to high-level officials and decision-makers from maritime and port authorities around the world.The annual five-week course, delivered by the Institut Portuaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche (IPER), concluded on 11 October in le Havre, France.The 33rd Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management welcomed 19 participants from 19 countries. Seven of these participants were women. The participating countries were Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania and Togo.The course includes class-based training and site visits.

22 Aug 2019

Privinvest’s Deliveries to Mozambique: A Model for Africa

About the Author: Gary Roughead, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired), is a former chief of U.S. Naval Operations and former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Media reports about Mozambique’s failure to launch a fishing and security fleet and its subsequent $2 billion debt default seem destined to torpedo, or at least set back similar efforts to build needed coastal security and national fishing fleets across Africa. That must not happen.The systems and equipment Mozambique bought a few years ago from shipbuilder Privinvest could serve as a template for coastal African nations seeking to rightfully benefit from their natural resources…

21 Aug 2019

African LNG to Attract $103Bln in 2019

With greenfield investments in Nigeria, Egypt, Mozambique and elsewhere reaching nearly $103 billion this year, it is clear that liquefaction is viewed as the most profitable strategy for realizing Africa’s gas potential, said Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).Africa is an exciting frontier in the global natural gas sector. The continent holds 7.1 percent of proven global gas reserves and is expected to contribute nearly 10 percent of global production growth through to 2024.Nigeria accounts for over 50 percent of current LNG production capacity on the continent. With October 2019 seeing a final investment decision on the $12 billion…

20 Aug 2019

W African Firm Builds LNG Import Capacity

Equatorial Guinea is set to construct the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification plant in West Africa, advancing efforts to monetize gas resources through the creation of a domestic gas-to-power infrastructure.Located at the Port of Akonikien, the landmark regasification plant will enable the storage, transportation and distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the country’s mainland; 12 bullet tanks will carry 14,000 cubic meters of storage capacity, supported by a truck loading station and 12-kilometers of ten-inch gas and diesel pipelines; The project will be led by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones…

31 Jul 2019

MDL Wins Equatorial Guinea Pipelay Work

Maritime Developments (MDL), a provider of back-deck equipment for the subsea sector of oil and gas industry, has been awarded a contract to supply a complete pipelay spread and personnel for a flexible installation offshore Equatorial Guinea.The award comes from a new client, whose work scope covers the launch of a number of new wells in an existing network of drill centres in the West African basin, MDL said.The MDL spread will consist of the MDL Horizontal Lay System (HLS), delivered with a 4-track pipelay tensioner; an MDL Second-generation Reel Drive System and MDL’s integrated Track and Cradle System.The project is due to commence in Q3 this year and will be MDL’s fourth campaign in West Africa in 2019.

02 Jul 2019

Mitsui, JOGMEC join Arctic LNG-2

Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co and state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) have signed a sales and purchase agreement with Russia’s Novatek for a 10% participation interest in the Arctic LNG 2 project.The share will be acquired through the Dutch Company, Japan Arctic LNG B.V., in which Mitsui has invested jointly with JOGMEC. The equity ratio of JOGMEC and Mitsui will be set at 75 percent and 25 percent respectively.The project will develop natural gas and liquefaction facilities with a production capacity of 19.8 million tonnes per year from the conventional onshore gas field located on the Gydan Peninsula within the Arctic Circle…

10 Jun 2019

Piracy Threat Persists in Gulf of Guinea

Concerns raised by various industry bodies were supported by figures from the International Maritime Bureau showing that the number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea region had doubled in 2018.There has also been a marked increase towards kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery incidents.Members of the shipping community, Flag States and Agencies from Gulf of Guinea gathered at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for a day-long symposium on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea. The event, co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, featured speakers from regional maritime agencies as well as shipping officials, academics and military staff.

20 May 2019

Damen Completes 'Methane Princess' Repairs

France-based Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr), which focuses on the ship repair and conversion of seagoing and offshore vessels, successfully carried out repairs to the hull of the 266-metre, 138,000m³, LNG Carrier LNG Methane Princess.In order to achieve this in the minimum time it was done while the vessel was both afloat and with the cargo tanks holding either some liquefied gas and gas vapour.The damage, which occurred above the waterline on the aft starboard side, was the result of a collision with a harbor tug while berthing at the Punta Europa LNG Terminal (EG LNG) in Equatorial Guinea. She then proceeded to the Milford Haven (UK)…

07 May 2019

Blue Marlin Freed After Pirate Hijacking

A Royal Boskalis Westminster heavy transport vessel has been recovered and the crew freed after being hijacked on Sunday about 80 miles offshore Equatorial Guinea.The 225m-long Blue Marlin semisubmersible heavy transport vessel had recently unloaded a cargo in Equatorial Guinea and had set sail for Malta. But, on Sunday afternoon, the ship was unlawfully boarded from a zodiac rigid hulled inflatable boat by several armed pirates, Boskalis confirmed today. Upon alerting the local…