Gulf Of Mexico News

As commercial shipping and energy activities picks up in the Arctic region, the prospect of accidental oil spills in this pristine environment remain a concern. In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking the lead – through the U.S. Coast Guard – to develop a subsea robotic system to map and report on spills.“Because of ice coverage and the tyranny of distance, it is difficult to get resources and assets up in the Arctic in a quick manner,” said Kirsten Trego, Executive Director of the Coast Guard’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research.

Dr. Lorry Wagner has served as president of the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) since May of 2010.LEEDCo is the public private partnership behind the effort to construct Icebreaker Wind, a 6 turbine 20.7 megawatt offshore wind energy demonstration project in Lake Erie, 8 miles off the shore of Cleveland. LEEDCo has received funding from the U.S. DOE under its Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects award and has partnered with Fred. Olsen Renewables of Norway. Dr.

Polish state-controlled oil and gas company Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA (PGNiG) is set to receive a spot cargo of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG).The Warsaw-headquartered oil and gas company said in a statement that it will receive a delivery of liquefied gas shipped to Świnoujście by Centrica LNG Company Limited. It will be the third spot delivery arriving at the President Lech Kaczyński Terminal this year.The Hoegh Gallant vessel will arrive in Poland carrying on board approximately 65 thousand tonnes of LNG, which, after regasification, will yield almost 90 mcm of gas.

Subsea 7 associate Seaway Offshore Cables has won a contract to supply and install array cables for the 12-megawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) projects in the U.S."SOC in combination with Subsea 7, has been awarded its first US offshore wind project by Ørsted Wind Power North America who are constructing the project for Dominion Energy. This turnkey cable supply and cable installation contract for CVOW Project marks the continued success of a global renewables strategy for Subsea 7 in the U.S.…

Insufficient Maintenance Program, Lack of Guidance Led to Passenger Vessel Fire. The National Transportation Safety Board determined during a public meeting held Tuesday that an insufficient preventative maintenance program and lack of guidance for responding to engine high-temperature conditions, led to the Jan. 14, 2018, fire aboard the small passenger vessel Island Lady, in the waters of the Pithlachascotee River, near Port Ritchey, Florida.The Island Lady was a 72-foot-long passenger vessel operated by Tropical Breeze Casino Cruz…

With the ongoing development of deepwater pre-salt plays and a decreased demand on local content in tankers and other vessels, Brazilian national operator Petrobras and other super-majors have been looking abroad for better rates and reliable operators of shuttle tankers. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil spoke to Peter Liew, Global Director – Mid Size Tankers, Crude Shipping, about AET Tankers’ history and its operations in Brazil.AET (formerly American Eagle Tankers) was founded in Houston in 1994 primarily to conduct lightering operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brazil's state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) said on Monday it had sealed a joint venture with Murphy Exploration & Production Company to explore oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a securities filing.Petrobras received $795 million for the deal, and will have a 20 percent stake in the venture.Reporting by Carolina Mandl

Malaysia-based integrated oil and gas services Sapura Energy Berhad has strengthened its presence in Mexico and Malaysia with new contract wins valued at approximately RM1.75 billion (USD 410 mln).The new contracts have lifted the company’s orderbook to RM18 billion and total contract wins to-date for this financial year to RM7 billion (USD 1.68 bln).Sapura Energy has built capabilities and expertise that are critical to support its clients in their quest to meet global energy demand and as a result…

Fifteen people have been rescued from a liftboat that lost power and is listing and taking in water in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The master of the 134-foot liftboat Ram XVIII reported on Sunday that the vessel had a 45-degree list and no power, causing the vessel to be unable to self correct the list, approximately 23 nautical miles west of Southwest Pass, La. with 15 people aboard. During the time the vessel was still taking on water, a steel tank filled with soap fell over the side…

The Coast Guard is responding to a vessel adrift in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 80 nautical miles south of Cape San Blas, Florida, Wednesday.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report at approximately 2 p.m. from crewmembers aboard a NOAA ship, the Gordon Gunter, that a 30-foot white sailboat named My Time appeared to be floating adrift.Members aboard the Gordon Gunter reported that the My Time appeared to have electronics operating, sails stowed, and did not respond to radio calls or the ship’s horn.

Boys are coaxed into cleanliness at bath time playing with boats. But it was never a game for Joseph Farrell, III, instinctively realizing he was ballasting and salvaging ships, unlike the typical Mr. Bubbles kid. The scion of Resolve Marine Group may have been born to lead the global emergency response company founded by his father with a single tug 38 years ago, but he’s never taken dangerous wreck removal lightly.Before turning 15, Joey had two close calls on and around ships that guide him today, at 34.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) released its newest valve standard as part of the industry’s continuous efforts to improve operational safety and environmental protection.According to a release from the agency, the “Specification 6A” governs the design and operations of the critical safety valves at wells used in the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. The latest edition includes new automatic closure requirements, to ensure additional protection for workers and…

Hurricane Michael, the third most powerful storm ever to strike the U.S. mainland, headed northeast on Thursday, weakened but still set to soak Georgia and the Carolinas after devastating the Florida Panhandle.By 6 AM on Thursday, heavy rain and wind had reached as far north as Charlotte, North Carolina and the Western North Carolina mountains. The center of the storm was located over Augusta, Georgia, moving north rapidly at more than 20 MPH in a north / northeast heading. Charlotte…

Tymor Marine of Aberdeen has been tapped to deliver a vessel mid-life extension survey for the Irish Naval Service.Tymor will survey the Irish Navy’s P50 class vessels to assess the condition of their structure, systems, equipment and machinery and provide a full analysis and report containing independent recommendations for integrity maintenance and upgrade activity.The award of this contract, following a competitive tender process, was one of several UK and European projects successfully completed by Tymor Marine in the marine…

NACC Alicudi is reported to be the world’s first cement carrier equipped with IMO Tier III compliant diesel engines driving the bulk handling system. Converted in 2017 with a Van Aalst dry bulk handling system, the vessel became a unique and state-of-the-art 120m self-discharging cement carrier, with a cement handling system is based on compressors and vacuum pumps, driven by Tier III Scania engines. Together they form the heart of the unique vacuum-pressure system for pneumatic conveyance of cement…

Hurricane Michael, now a Category 4 storm, will be the second hurricane in two months to significantly affect ports on the U.S. eastern seaboard. Eastern North Carolina in particular is only now recovering from Florence.The U.S. Coast Guard has set conditions X-Ray for ports in Georgia and South Carolina in preparation for Hurricane Michael. The storm is now expected to make landfall by Wednesday afternoon. While gale force winds are expected within the next 48 hours, these ports can remain open to commercial traffic.

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has been awarded a contract to build a floating production system(FPS) for LLOG Exploration of the U.S..HHI, the world's biggest shipbuilder by orders, said in a stock exchange announcement that the offshore facility order is worth $454 million from the Louisiana-based, privately-held LLOG Exploration.The floating production storage and offloading unit would be constructed from August next year after a year-long design for completion and delivery in the first half of 2021.LLOG Exploration Company…

Rising shipping rates have increased the costs of shipping oil from the United States to Asia and may further the restrict the flow of U.S. oil to the region later this year, multiple trade and shipping sources said on Thursday.Freight rates for tankers that carry crude oil have soared globally, buoyed by peak seasonal demand, weather disruptions and higher bunker fuel costs, the sources said.The cost of chartering a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude from the U.S.

Venture Global LNG announced that the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the company’s 10 MTPA Calcasieu Pass facility on the Gulf of Mexico.On August 31, 2018, FERC notified Venture Global LNG that it plans to issue a Final Order for the Calcasieu Pass facility and the associated TransCameron Pipeline no later than January 22, 2019, in line with the Notice of Revised Schedule for Environmental Review issued on May 18…

LOC Group’s Houston office provides perspective on decommissioning developments in the Gulf of Mexico.The Gulf of Mexico basin covers approximately 1.6 million km2 and is one of the most important petroleum production regions in the world. A significant portion of the area is shallow continental shelf waters. These areas were developed first by oil companies, with deeper water development only being undertaken once the ‘easier’ sites had been exploited. Many years on, numerous…

Offshore drilling contractor Rowan Companies plc announced Monday that its drillship Rowan Reliance has been awarded a contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico by Fieldwood Energy LLC.The contract is for a firm term of one year plus three 90-day options, and is expected to commence the first quarter of 2019. The R-Class ultra-deepwater Rowan Reliance is currently warm stacked offshore Louisiana in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Tom Burke, Rowan's president and CEO, said, "We are excited to continue our long-standing relationship with Fieldwood…

Will a rising tide in the offshore oil markets float all the boats? In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, that remains to be seen.Offshore services, exploration and production are on a roll. In early October, yet another business combination of big drillers was announced. In a sign of optimism, Ensco announced its plan for an all-stock acquisition of Rowan Offshore, worth around $2.4 billion. The new company will be domiciled in the United Kingdom, but will have a large presence in Houston.

Oslo-listed seismic surveyor TGS fell more than 10 percent after reporting disappointing third-quarter results on Thursday, as oil firms were still too cautious to spend despite a raft of upbeat earnings.TGS, which maps the seabed in search of hydrocarbon deposits for oil firms, reported quarterly operating profit of $24 million, down from $26 million a year ago and missing a forecast of $37 million returned by a Reuters poll.While oil companies like Shell, BP and Total are reporting bumper profits in the third quarter…