Gulf Of Mexico News

Matt Tremblay, SVP, Global Offshore, ABS, discusses the next hot growth market ... offshore wind. While the market grows, the question begs: Is the U.S. marine industry ready to meet demand?The American Bureau of Shipping convened a conference to discuss the pace and direction of the U.S. offshore wind market, including challenges and opportunities for maritime, offshore, subsea and logistics markets. Matt Tremblay, SVP, Global Offshore, ABS, moderated the event and shares some of its findings here.Where do you see opportunities today for growth in the U.S.

From their base deep within a former World War II U-boat pen, Norwegian outfit, OceanTech, is developing a set of robot tools that cling to offshore structures in order to effect inspection, maintenance and repair, or IMR. Old submarine anchorages are now subsea testing and training sites, but the North Sea is still the target. Hundreds of aging platforms and subsea structures require IMR that’s too costly, complex or hazardous for divers or remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs.As he walks us through Dora II…

Hornbeck Offshore Services announced its common stock has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on December 20, 2019, and that the company began trading on the OTC Pink marketplace effective December 23, 2019.The NYSE announced that Hornbeck stock was was suspended from trading because the company did not maintain an average global market capitalization of at least $15 million over a consecutive 30-trading-day period, as required by NYSE continued listing standards.Hornbeck…

Niels Aalund was elected President of the International Propeller Club at their 93rd International Convention and Conference. The prominent maritime industry stakeholder will serve a two-year term, commencing from October 17th. Aalund, a well-known maritime subject matter expert and executive, also serves as an Officer and as Senior Vice President of the West Gulf Maritime Association (WGMA). WGMA communicates and coordinates with various governmental entities throughout the West Gulf…

Canadian naval architecture and marine engineering services company Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) has been awarded design contracts of two vessel types for Seabulk Towing (a subsidiary of Seacor), to be built at Alabama-based Master Boat Builders, Inc.The newbuild program consists of 2 upgraded ART 90-98US tugs and 2 new RApport 3000 tugs, said the designer of commercial working vessels of all types.Two of the newbuilds will add to Seacor’s existing Rotortug fleet, with some feature updates to the Rotortug design…

Total S.A announced the final investment decision (FID) to develop the Anchor oil field located in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM), off the coast of Louisiana.Additionally, front-end engineering and design (FEED) has begun for the North Platte discovery in the deepwater GoM.Total holds a working interest of 37.14% in Anchor, alongside operator Chevron (62.86%).The Anchor field will be developed with seven subsea wells connected to a semi-submersible floating production unit (FPU) with a capacity of 75,000 barrels of crude oil and 28 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Seabulk Towing Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc., announced Wednesday it has contracted with Alabama-based Master Boat Builders, Inc. for the construction of four 80 metric ton bollard pull harbor tugs with an expected delivery beginning in the second half of 2021 through early 2022.Two of the newbuilds will augment the company’s existing Rotortug fleet and feature updates to the Rotortug design, Seabulk said.The other two Azimuth Stern Drive newbuilds will be equipped with diesel mechanical and electric motor propulsion systems. These vessels represent Seabulk’s initial investment in hybrid power towing assets and will operate alongside the company’s existing harbor fleet in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. East Coast.

The mission to locate two people missing from a helicopter that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico has been called off, the US Coast Guard said on Monday evening.Air and boat crews were unable to find the downed aircraft and passengers after scouring more than 4,117 square-nautical miles over the course of approximately 68 hours, the Coast Guard said“We searched diligently with our pilots, boat crews and cutter crews but were unable to find the two men aboard the helicopter,” said Lt. Cmdr.

Enbridge Inc and Enterprise Products Partners LP on Monday signed an agreement to jointly develop a deepwater offshore crude oil export terminal in the Gulf of Mexico capable of loading Very Large Crude Carriers.Both pipeline operators will work to finalize an equity participation agreement that would provide Enbridge an option to purchase ownership interest in Enterprise's Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT), subject to SPOT receiving a deep-water port license, Enbridge said in a statement.The companies would first jointly develop the SPOT project…

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is searching by air and sea for two people aboard an overdue helicopter believed to have crashed in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders received a report at 10:37 a.m. on Saturday from the helicopter's owner, Panther Marine, that the aircraft crew did not reach their destination when transiting from one offshore platform to another.Panther Marine said it lost communications when the helicopter was 10 minutes from landing.

The environment in oil patches onshore and offshore alike has been challenging throughout 2019; worries about an economic slowdown – whether cyclical or induced by a trade war – have weighed heavily on oil prices, even in the face of reduced production by the big producers. Though storm clouds persist, there appears a clearing on the horizon.The fate of Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) is, naturally, closely tied to the price of oil. Seacor Marine’s John Gellert, in reviewing its Q2 results, said: “Activity levels in the U.S.

AXIS Pipeline Construction Group and ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore shipyard have partnered to service the subsea fabrication and installation market. This newly forged partnership, combined with more than 40 years of subsea fabrication and installation management experience, provides innovative capabilities currently unavailable to the subsea installation market, the companies said.Located in Pascagoula, Miss., ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore (STEHMO) is a provider of services for ships, drilling rigs and other marine vessels within the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. STEHMO provides dry docking, upgrades, repair, conversion…

British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat plc will extend its service portfolio for customers with the launch of Fleet LTE, following an agreement with subsea fibre and offshore LTE network operator, Tampnet.The new service which is primarily aimed at offshore support vessel (OSV) operators, but could also be used by fishing and ferry operators operating in the area,  leverages low-latency, high data speed communications available via a dedicated Access Point Name…

The reasons for that are many and these realities cater to regulatory, commercial and regional needs.The U.S. dredging market is complex and relies on the diverse fleet of private dredging companies to get the job done. In addition to design and technical capabilities, environmental restrictions and regulations often dictate whether a trailing suction hopper dredge, cutter suction dredge, or mechanical dredge can respond to the coastal protection, wetland restoration, port deepening, and channel maintenance needs of the Nation.

The US should define the Gulf of Mexico Shallow Water Province as a distinct entity to avoid stranding more than $20 billion of its oil and gas resource, said a new research.According to a research from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) the GOM Shallow Water Province, comprised of water less than 200 meters deep, is a historically energy-rich area which now produces natural gas, accounting for 33% of the gulf’s…

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is positioned for another year of record oil production in 2020, despite massive cuts in investment.According to Rystad Energy, most of this growth coming from deep water projects.“2020 is expected to be another record year with average production above 1.9 million barrels per day,” says Joachim Milling Gregersen, an analyst on Rystad Energy’s upstream team.Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has grown every year since 2013, with an average of 104,000 barrels per day added annually.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. has secured multiple heavy marine transport services contracts with a combined value of about $120 million.The execution of the majority of projects is scheduled to take place in 2021 and 2022.Following last year’s transportation of a sizable box-shaped FPSO, Boskalis secured a contract to transport a similar FPSO from China to Brazil.With a weight exceeding 91,000 tons this marks another record-breaking transport for the BOKA Vanguard, which is…

Global giants of the oil and gas industry – the so-called supermajors – are looking to sell assets that could fetch a total of $27.5 billion, according to Rystad Energy’s latest assessment.These companies are actively shedding mature assets on a massive scale in a bid to finance higher-yielding investments elsewhere, with the added benefit of pleasing shareholders who are calling for stricter capital discipline.“The expected transactions mean some of the majors are poised to exit certain regions…

German utility RWE has delivered its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo to Great Britain.The cargo, comprised of approximately 150 000 m3 of LNG, was regasified through a Milford Haven LNG Terminal, located close to RWE’s 2000 MW Pembroke B gas-fired combined cycle gas power plant (CCGT).The cargo has been sourced from the portfolio of RWE Supply & Trading, the subsidiary of RWE which is responsible for gas and LNG trading.The cargo was loaded from Sabine Pass Liquefaction Terminal in the Gulf of Mexico…

Pirates attacked an Italy-flagged offshore supply vessel in the southern Gulf of Mexico, injuring two crew members, the Mexican Navy said on Tuesday, in the latest outbreak of robbery and piracy to hit oil platforms and infrastructure in the area.One of the crew members of the vessel, Remas, received a bullet wound, and the other suffered a concussion, and both were transferred to a nearby hospital, the Navy said in a statement.Owned by Italian offshore contractor Micoperi, Remas…

Mexican crane and heavy haulage contractor ESEASA used its Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane for the first time to load oil platforms onto barges at the port city of Tampico.Tampico is on the Gulf of Mexico and is a major industrial center with its own port. A large number of industrial companies have made their homes on the banks of the Rio Pánuco, to enable them to ship their freight down the river to the sea.ESEASA also has a company site directly on the banks of the waterway. The company is currently manufacturing seven oil platforms there for state oil group PEMEX.

The future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) successfully completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. LCS 22 is the 11th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), built by Austal USA in Mobile, to reach this milestone.Acceptance trials involve the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal USA-led industry team while underway, which demonstrate to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment. This the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship.

The Panama Canal is a strategic crossroads for maritime traffic, and is arguably one of the most important maritime developments in the past century. Here we take a deeper dive into the history behind that famous strip of waterway.The present canal, which saw its first vessel transits in 1914, along with possible alternatives through Nicaragua and Mexico, had actually been on the minds of merchants, explorers and military/political strategists since the Age of Exploration in early 1500’s.