North Sea News

Nordic American Offshore Ltd (NAO) said it has been awarded a one-year fixed contract for the 2013-built platform supply vessel (PSV) NAO Power.The contract with an unnamed "first-class company" is due to commence in early December 2018, and includes two three-months options following the firm charter period.NAO Power will operate primarily in the North Sea.

Japan's largest trading company  Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) announced the divestment of shares in Diamond Green Limited, with 30% to be transferred to The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc (KEPCO) and 20% to Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company Limited (MUL).Diamond Green is an intermediate holding company wholly owned by Diamond Generating Europe, which itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of MC based in the UK. DGE has been MC’s executing arm for the Moray East Offshore Windfarm Project located in the North Sea…

UK based oil and gas development & production company Independent Oil and Gas Plc (IOG)cautioned that current oil price volatility and capital market conditions aren’t conducive to deliver its financing plan for the core Southern North Sea project before year-end.The company which explores for and develops oil and gas properties in the North Sea said in a press release that it was ready to enter the execution phase of its core development project in the UK Southern North Sea,…

UK-based KNOT Offshore Partners has announced that John Costain has decided to step down as CEO and CFO of the partnership."Although Costain is resigning in order to pursue other interests outside of the partnership, he will be available for the partnership until 31 May 2019," said a press release from the publicly-traded master limited partnership, which , operates and acquires shuttle tankers under long-term charters in the offshore oil production regions of the North Sea and Brazil."This ensures that the Board has sufficient time to find a suitable replacement to Costain when he steps down…

Energy giant BP has taken its first oil from the Clair Ridge mega-project in the U.K. North Sea in a “major milestone” that is the culmination of many years of work.Clair Ridge, the second phase of the development of the Clair Field, 75 kilometers west of Shetland, is one of the biggest developments in the history of the basin, requiring huge investments in new platforms and pipelines in harsh waters west of Shetland.Clair Ridge is BP’s sixth major project start-up in 2018 following seven last year, which are expected to increase the company’s production by 900K boe/day by 2021.

Norwegian oil and gas firm Equinor has entered into a long-term agreement with Malaysia's Global Petro Storage for a terminal and storage for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) volumes in Port Klang, in South-East Asia.According to statement from the petroleum and wind energy company, GPS will build a new facility to execute this agreement with startup of operations planned for mid-2021. Equinor will bring LPG to the terminal and sell into the domestic market in Malaysia as well as selling volumes to markets like Bangladesh…

Global heavy lift and transportation specialist ALE has expanded its heavy lifting services by establishing a non-disclosure agreement with the Port of Dundee, which is owned by Forth Ports, and lifting, jacking and storage specialist OM Heavy Lift to provide the full service of port operations.ALE signed the agreement with OM Heavy Lift, a subsidary of OilMac who recently bought ALE’s Gottwald MK1500 crane, and the Port of Dundee.ALE will be working alongside OM Heavy Lift, with the use of their heavy crane…

Ten months after the final assembly of the offshore substation (OSS) for the new Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm started at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV), the substation topside has now been moved outside the construction hall so that further outfitting can take place.The Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm, owned by Northland Power, will have 33 turbines, situated 95 kilometers northwest of Germany’s Borkum Island, in the North Sea. The wind farm will have a total capacity of 269 MW.Van Oord is managing the overall Balance of Plant scope…

The advent of U.S. offshore wind also brings the need for the quality and quantity of built-for-purpose vessels needed to sustain its momentum.As the long-awaited advent of offshore wind finally arrives on this side of the big pond, one question which continues to dominate the conversation is where (and when) the fit-for-purpose tonnage necessary for this great leap forward will come from. Just as important, stakeholders need to have confidence in the availability of proven vessel concepts…

Viking's new LifeCraft system, a hybrid system intended to replace lifeboats/liferafts, was recently put to the test and passed some very demanding conditions.Developed over the last 10 years by VIKING Life-Saving Equipment the new evacuation system unites the advantages of modern lifeboats – such as self-propelled maneuverability – with the flexibility, comfort and smaller footprint of today’s liferafts combined with marine evacuation systems.The solution comprises two main elements: four inflatable VIKING LifeCraft survival crafts each with a capacity of 203 persons…

Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe's oil and gas company Ineos Group Holdings is in exclusive talks with ConocoPhillips to buy North Sea oil and gas fields worth $3 billion from the U.S. energy company.Various news paper reports say that British petrochemicals company has confirmed it is negotiating to buy several North Sea oil fields from U.S. energy giant.The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, said that the period is said to be set to three months after the entity registered in Switzerland agreed to pay a "substantial" deposit.Accoding to the Financial Times…

The near-shore and inland workboat fleet is at the leading edge for autonomous vessel developmentWhile the advent of autonomous workboats are not exactly mainstream, you better believe that in the not-too-distant future they will be a reality on waterways in and around the U.S. Today there remain more questions than answers, particularly on the legal, logistics and insurance side of the coin. But the technology is evolving at record pace, providing many in the industry with mixed emotions. Excitement. Controversy. Curiosity. Skepticism.

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered four new Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2610 to Allianz Middle East Ship Management. The four vessels will undertake work in the ADMA oil field in Abu Dhabi, providing logistics services and safe crew transfer, as part of a five-year contract awarded to ADNOC LS and ADNOC Offshore. The contract will commence as of December 5, 2018. The handover took place between Ahmed T. Khalil, general manager of Allianz, Menno Kuyt, managing director Maritime Craft Services (MCS) and Pascal Slingerland…

The Scaldia solar park officially opened in North Sea Port, the logistical heart of Europe. The firm ib vogt installed more than 140,000 solar panels, making this the largest solar park in the Netherlands.The official opening took place with the symbolic starting of the generator, getting the largest solar park in the Netherlands up and running.The Scaldia solar park is located in the municipalities of Borsele and Vlissingen. For Zeeland, the facility is important to achieving its climate objectives: over 30 years…

The UK has enough oil reserves to sustain production for the next 20 years and beyond, new figures indicate.A report published by the UK Government suggests that the overall remaining recoverable reserves and resources in the North Sea range from 10 to 20 billion barrels plus of oil equivalent.The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has estimated that production could last beyond the next two decades if additional undeveloped resources can be matured. The figures were calculated based on production estimates taken from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).In 2017…

The largest port in Europe the Port of Rotterdam Authority has been awarded the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) Award 2018.The award was made in recognition of the port's engagement with the city or wider community through the creation of a good workplace environment for its current and future employees and the demonstration of its investment in a diverse and inclusive environment, facilitating mutual respect, non-discrimination and personal development.The ESPO Award was handed out by the Deputy Director-General of DG Move…

An oil tanker and a Norwegian navy frigate collided off Norway's west coast on Thursday, injuring eight people and triggering the temporary shutdown of a North Sea crude export terminal, Norway's top gas processing plant and several offshore fields.The frigate, which recently took part in a major NATO military exercise, was aground and tilting on one side, live television pictures showed. The Norwegian military was attempting to save the ship."We are working on stabilizing the vessel…

Philadelphia design firm Sharrow Engineering, LLC  announced that the company’s propeller design has been awarded patents in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and European Union with further domestic and international patents pending. Additionally, the final phase of testing on its core propeller product has been completed.Over the past six years, Sharrow Engineering has analyzed extensive testing data collected at the University of Michigan’s Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory and implemented a rigorous in-water test program using manned vessels in lakes, rivers, and bays.

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…

Norway has been forced to close the Sture Oil Terminal near Bergen and has started closing down the nearby Kollsness gas-and-condensate terminal — a lifeline of heating gas to Europe — after an early morning collision between a $440-million frigate and an oil tanker.The frigate Helge Ingstad, now listing heavily to its port side, is loaded with torpedoes and weapons systems said to be unstable as a result of the collision. Eight navy personnel are said to be injured, including two flown to regional hospital…

Damen Shipyards Group recently held a keel-laying ceremony for the CEMEX Go Innovation at Damen Shipyards Mangalia in Romania. The vessel is the first Damen MAD – the next generation of marine aggregate dredgers. The construction of the new vessel is drawing upon collaboration with multiple companies within the Damen Group, as well was with external partners, working together towards the development of a new standard in marine aggregate dredging.Damen has designed the future-proof vessel for long-lasting durability for operations in North Sea conditions over the coming decades.

Spanish shipbuilder Freire is constructing a new oceanographic research vessel for Belgium. The IMO polar code compliant vessel will be designed to carry out research and survey tasks in the North Sea and its adjacent sea areas, but also in the Mediterranean and more northern areas.The research vessel will cater for the requirements of the Belgian marine scientific community when performing advanced marine research and education at sea – today and in the coming years. This will include research within the fields of geology and sedimentology…

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…