Gulf Of Mexico News

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to reports of an oil spill near Breton Sound, La. in the Gulf of Mexico.Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call at 6:29 p.m. on Thursday reporting a 61-foot motor vessel hitting the Breton Sound 18 production platform resulting in the spill of an estimated 840 gallons of crude oil from the platform.No injuries were reported.Environmental Safety & Health arrived on scene and deployed boom around the platform to mitigate the spread of product while platform personnel work to secure the source of the leak.The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Charleston (LCS 18), the ninth Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) constructed by shipbuilder Austal USA, completed acceptance trials in mid-July, marking the final significant milestone before the ship's delivery to the U.S. Navy.The at-sea acceptance trials, which involved the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal-led industry team while underway in the Gulf of Mexico, demonstrated to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment.LCS 18 will be the third Independence-variant LCS Austal delivers to the Navy in 2018.

Oil companies bid on less than 1 percent of the parcels offered in a sweeping U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico exploration leases on Wednesday, showing tepid interest in the region for the second time this year.Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp was awarded 25 blocks, the largest of any company, followed by BP Plc with 19 high bids and Hess Corp and Equinor, which each had 16.Smaller companies, including Talos Energy Offshore, Houston Energy and W&T Offshore were among the top ten high bidders. In total, 23 companies bid in the U.S.

Today's U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico exploration leases drew tepid response from oil companies, but marked notable progress for an industry still in a state of recovery.“While not a barn burner, Lease Sale 251 tops the previous Gulf sale in terms of increased participation, increased competition for offerings, and bid amounts,” said Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA). “In addition, bidding activity demonstrates both continued interest in deepwater tracts and renewed interest in shallow water tracts.”Luthi continued…

McDermott International announced a contract from Shell Exploration and Production Company, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) plc, for subsea umbilical and flowline installation at the Perdido development, located 230 miles south of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico."This award strengthens McDermott's relationship with Shell as we work together to safely and competitively deliver this next-generation deepwater energy project," said Richard Heo, McDermott's Senior Vice President for North, Central and South America.

Polish Oil & Gas Company (PGNiG) and Venture Global LNG have entered into an agreement relating to the terms of delivery of liquefied natural gas from Calcasieu Pass LNG and Plaquemines LNG facilities. The agreement defines basic terms and conditions of a 20-year contract for the sales and purchase of two million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of LNG, which equals about 2.7 bcm following regasification. Cargoes will be supplied from Calcasieu Pass and Plaquemines LNG export facilities which are expected to be completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The Old River Control Structure and its future implications for the Mighty MississippiPrior to about 1500, the bodies of water now called the Mississippi River and the Red River (also known as the Red River of the South) were roughly parallel along their southern reaches, each emptying separately into the Gulf of Mexico. About 1500, the Mississippi, which has a long history of meandering, developed a large bend to the west in the vicinity of what is now Point Breeze, Louisiana. That bend, sometimes referred to as Turnbull’s Bend, connected with the Red River and had the effect of making the Red River basically a tributary of the Mississippi, with only a small portion of its waterflow continuing south. That southern waterflow is now called the Atchafalaya River.

Bremen-based shipping company Harren & Partner is looking to grow its offshore salvage business with the purchase of the offshore construction vessel MV Blue Giant from English operator OIG Group.“Although the oil markets are currently still recovering, we have deliberately opted for this investment despite its counter-cyclical nature. Alongside our classic offshore activities, we also wish to further strengthen our position in attractive niche markets such as the salvage business…

Bremen-based shipping company Harren & Partner announced the acquisition of the offshore construction vessel, MV Blue Giant for an undisclosed price from the English operator, OIG Group. Harren & Partner’s Offshore Department, headed by Robert Fowler (offshore@hp-shipping.de) will be responsible for managing the vessel. Peter Harren, Founder and Managing Director of Harren & Partner, explains the strategy behind the purchase: “Although the oil markets are currently still recovering, we have deliberately opted for this investment despite its counter-cyclical nature.

The U.S. Navy’s 10th Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, Burlington, completed acceptance trials, August 3 after two days of underway evaluation in the Gulf of Mexico.The ship demonstrated the readiness of its equipment and systems for operations, both dockside and underway, for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The ship returned to the Austal USA shipyard in Mobil Ala. and will now begin preparations for delivery to the Navy later this year.“Acceptance trials are a major step towards delivering Burlington to the Navy,” said Capt.

A federal auction of exploration leases in the Gulf of Mexico next week will test energy companies' appetite for acreage after the Trump administration left royalty rates for deepwater parcels unchanged, bucking an industry call to lower them.The U.S. Gulf of Mexico has faced waning interest in recent years as competition stepped up from other basins globally, as well as from onshore shale basins and Mexico's waters in the Gulf.Oil companies had lobbied for lower royalty payments for deepwater acreage because of the projects' high cost and long lead time before production can begin.

ABS has announced it has issued the managed pressure drilling notation ABS MPD to Seadrill for the ABS-classed West Capricorn, a 6th generation ultra-deep water semi-submersible operating in the Gulf of Mexico.This notation demonstrates system compliance with the ABS Guide for Classification and Certification of Managed Pressure Drilling Systems (MPD Guide).Seadrill’s West Capricorn is the first Column Stabilized Drilling Unit to receive the ABS MPD notation complete with the Maltese Cross…

SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, announced that it has welcomed Mexico-based LNG company Enestas to its membership coalition.With the addition of Enestas, the SEA\LNG coalition bolsters its efforts to drive forward LNG as a marine fuel, and to progress its vital role as a viable solution in the energy transition within shipping.As the largest private LNG company in Mexico and with the largest LNG distribution network…

Rowan Companies plc announced that the Rowan EXL III, an EXL Class high specification jack-up rig, has been awarded a six-month contract from Cantium in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The contract is expected to commence in early November 2018. The EXL III is currently under contract with Cantium in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico through mid to late August 2018. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 23 self-elevating jack-up rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships.The Company's fleet operates worldwide…

Significant moments in naval architecture & marine engineeringIn March 1989, oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil after running aground in Alaska's Prince Williams Sound. The oil spill stood as the largest in U.S. history until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.The Exxon Valdez incident, while certainly not a bright spot in maritime history, led to broad changes across the industry, including new design requirements for oil-carrying vessels.The October 2018 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News…

Port of Corpus Christi successfully priced and sold $216.2 million of Senior Lien Revenue Bonds. These bonds will be used for both the deepening and widening of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel as well as upcoming capital projects within the Port.Wells Fargo Securities acted as Lead Manager of a syndicate of underwriters including JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Frost Bank.“We are pleased with the level of interest the institutional investment community demonstrated for both series of our bonds.” said Sean Strawbridge, CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi.

Harvey Gulf International Marine’s parent, HGIM Corp., has announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors to serve following the company’s emergence from Chapter 11 proceedings.The seven member Board includes two current members remaining on the Board and five new members, each with expertise in individual areas particularly suited to support the company’s operation and development and collectively, creating a leadership platform that will enable Harvey Gulf to adjust and thrive in an ever-changing market. Shane Guidry. Mr.

Kosmos Energy has agreed to acquire Deep Gulf Energy (DGE) from its private equity owner for $1.23 billion, according to a bourse filing on Monday, expanding the deepwater oil and gas firm's operations into the Gulf of Mexico.Dallas-based Kosmos, which currently operates in Africa and South America, will pay $925 million in cash and $300 million in Kosmos common stock to acquire DGE, with the transaction expected to close towards the end of the third quarter.Acquiring DGE's business will increase Kosmos' production by more than 50 percent to 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) from

Swiss commodities trader Trafigura has applied to build a deep-water port in Corpus Christi, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, which will be able to load supertankers, reports FT.The report said that the plan would see the commodity house build an offshore deepwater port facility  with a view to accommodate very large crude carriers (VLCC) capable of carrying more than 2m barrels of crude. It requires approval from the US Department of Transportation’s maritime division.According to a Reuters report…

Total is determined to push ahead with its plans to drill for oil in the Amazon basin, it said on Friday as Greenpeace activists interrupted its annual general meeting in protest at the project.The French oil major wants to explore Brazil's Foz do Amazonas basin, but Brazil's environmental agency rejected its licence application on Tuesday for a fourth time.As the company's annual general meeting opened in Paris on Friday, four activists from Greenpeace descended by rope from the ceiling above the stage…

Bollinger Shipyards was presented the 2017 “Award for Excellence in Safety” by the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) on May 17, 2018 during SCA’s Annual General Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.SCA, the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, honors companies with annual safety awards for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.Ben Bordelon, Bollinger President and CEO, noted Bollinger has earned the SCA Award for…

Contract drilling services provider Rowan Companies plc announced that the one of its R-Class drillships, Rowan Relentless, has been awarded a contract by ExxonMobil to drill a prospect in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The contract is expected to commence in September 2018 and last for 80 days, followed by four one-well, priced options.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has acquired the assets of Alabama-based Horizon Shipbuilding, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2017.Metal Shark will assume ownership of Horizon’s fully developed 35-acre shipbuilding facility in the Mobile Bay region, following a motion approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Alabama on June 5, 2018.The Horizon facility, which features separate east and west yards both fronting a dredged deepwater inlet…