Northeast News

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk recently named the world's second large methanol-enabled container vessel, Astrid Mærsk, during a ceremony in Yokohama, Japan.The ship is the second of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels, scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2025, as the company works toward its net-zero targets and supports customers in achieving their decarbonization goals.Vincent Clerc, CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk, said, "We are truly excited to welcome Astrid Mærsk to our new fleet capable of sailing on green methanol.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northeast Taiwan on April 3, causing several wharfs at Hualien port on the east coast to bulge.The affected wharfs are used for sand, bulk cargo discharging, and cruise operations. As a result, port operations are currently suspended, and vessels are only permitted to depart, not enter. Apart from Hualien, no damage has been reported at other ports across Taiwan.Reuters reports that the earthquake, which occurred in Taiwan's sparsely populated…

Several offshore wind developers bid in a combined Connecticut-Massachusetts-Rhode Island offshore wind solicitation on Wednesday, including units of European energy firms Iberdrola and Orsted.The U.S. offshore wind industry is booming so far this year, with several projects in various stages of development and construction, after a disastrous 2023 of developers cancelling contracts and taking roughly $9.1 billion in write-offs and impairments on U.S. projects.So far, Avangrid…

Senesco Marine held a launch and christening ceremony for WindServe Marine's new Jones-Act-compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV), WindServe Explorer.WindServe Marine, a sister company to the North Kingstown, R.I. shipbuilder—both part of the Reinauer Group—will operate the CTV to serve the U.S. offshore wind industry. The vessel is slated to enter operations at a project in the U.S. Northeast.The BMT-designed aluminum catamaran is 27 meters long with a 9-meter beam and 1.7-meter draft.

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will initiate an environmental review of Vineyard Northeast’s proposed offshore wind energy project, located 29 miles offshore Nantucket, Massachusetts at its closest point. BOEM estimates the proposed project would generate up to 2,600MW of electricity, enough to power more than 900,000 homes with clean renewable energy. The approximately 132,370-acre Lease Area is located some 29 miles (mi) from Nantucket and approximately 39 mi offshore Martha’s Vineyard…

An official launch ceremony was held to celebrate the commissioning of a new Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) built for American Offshore Services (A-O-S)—the company's first.Constructed by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., the 100-foot-long aluminum catamaran is owned and operated by A-O-S, a joint venture formed in 2020 by leading European CTV operator Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) and U.S.-based investment firm OIC.The vessel will support Ørsted and Eversource’s portfolio of offshore wind farms in the Northeast…

Esgian reports rig-related updates from Dolphin Drilling, Diamond Offshore, and Seadrill in its Week 9 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDespite Tullow Oil’s recent announcement that it would take a break from drilling offshore Ghana, Noble Corp. has stated that there has been no contract termination announcement and that its 12,000-ft drillship Noble Venturer is currently still contracted to Tullow into March 2025.Masirah Oil Ltd has signed a rig contract with…

Qatar's planned expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production could see it control nearly 25% share of the global market by 2030 and squeeze out rival projects including in the United States where President Biden paused new export approvals, market experts say.Qatar, one of the world's top LNG exporters, plans an 85% expansion in LNG output from its North Field's current 77 million metric tons per year (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030, from previously expected 126 mtpa.Some market experts said that the move will have an impact on global projects in the United States…

An affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore has withdrawn its application for financing under the U.S. Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Title XI program.Title XI is a government loan program with the Federal Financing Bank as the lender. It is intended to promote the growth and modernization of the United States' merchant fleet and shipyards by offering repayment terms and interest rates that are generally better than those available from the commercial lending market.ECO Edison…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have launched an 18-month initiative to gather extensive weather, ocean, and wildlife data near the sites of active offshore wind farms and lease areas off the coast of the Northeast United States.This effort, which is part of the third phase of the Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3), seeks to gather high-quality data to improve the design and operation of offshore wind turbines and wind farms.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have targeted a cargo ship in the Red Sea which shipping analysts said on Monday had been carrying corn to Iran.It appeared to be the first time the Houthis have targeted an Iran-bound vessel since starting attacks on international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, shipping sources said.A U.S. defence official said it was likely that the ship had been targeted but not hit, but provided no further comment. Earlier…

Russia energy infrastructure has been hit by drone attacks and fires in the past month, adding to uncertainty in global oil and gas markets already rocked by the conflict in the Middle East.Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other's energy infrastructure in strikes designed to disrupt supply lines and logistics and to demoralise their opponent as they try to get the edge in a nearly two-year-old war that shows no sign of ending.Following are recent major incidents at Russian oil facilities in the past month:* A Russian appointed official said on Jan.

The crew of Moran Towing's tug Lynne Moran has been honored for its courageous response and rescue of two stranded boaters near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on the evening of October 25, 2023.The crew has received the U.S. Coast Guard Public Service Commendation, presented by Captain O’Connell, as well as the American Waterways Operators (AWO) Honor and Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award, presented by Brian Vahey, AWO’s Vice President, Atlantic Region.In collaboration with the U.S.

Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island extended on Thursday the date bids are due in the states' next offshore wind solicitations from Jan. 31 to March 27.Offshore wind is expected to play a critical role in U.S. President Joe Biden's and several states' plans to decarbonize the power grid and combat climate change.But offshore wind industry had a tough time in 2023 with some developers cancelling contracts to sell power in several states because their proposed projects were no longer economic due to soaring inflation…

The U.S. offshore wind industry reached an important milestone on January 2 when Vineyard Wind 1, the country’s first large scale project, supplied first power to the Massachusetts grid.“As the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm this is a fairly momentous event,” Ken Kimmell, Chief Development Officer for Avangrid, the Iberdrola subsidiary co-developing the project with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), told Reuters Events.The turbine will be joined by 61 additional turbines to provide 806 MW of power to the grid by the end of the year…

QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea although production continues, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has since November been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, part of a route that accounts for about 12% of the world's shipping traffic, in what they say is an effort to support Palestinians in the war with Israel.At least four tankers used to carry Qatari LNG were held up over the weekend after U.S.

As we enter a New Year, the memories of the shocks to the foundations to the U.S. offshore wind segment remain fresh. In short, supply chain inflation and capacity/availability, interest rate increases, and tax credit monetization have been the key themes highlighted by developers to explain why many projects became commercially unviable.Several Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have reacted rapidly, accepting the termination of power sales & purchase agreements and allowing the canceled projects to be rebid into new solicitations.

A fishing vessel mate not maintaining a proper lookout and conducting maintenance on critical equipment while underway led to the collision of a containership and fishing vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $6.25 million.On October 28, 2022, while the containership MSC Rita was transiting southbound in the Atlantic Ocean, the fishing vessel Tremont was transiting north-northeast in the same area.

The number of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels transiting the Panama Canal to Asia halved in November compared with a year ago as Asia prices for the gas this week traded at their steepest premium to European prices in nearly two years.A severe drought has cut vessel traffic through the canal, increasing costs for shippers that take alternative routes or pay extra fees for auctioned slots in Panama. Further restrictions on canal transits likely will put more cargoes on lengthier routes…

The U.S. offshore wind market presents a $1 billion long-term opportunity to builders of crew transfer vessels (CTV) and service operation vessels (SOV) that will support both wind farm construction and long-term operations and maintenance. Unlike many of the construction vessels to be deployed on U.S. wind projects, CTVs and SOVs must be Jones Act compliant, meaning they will be built, owned and operated by U.S. companies and personnel.However, although seen as somewhat commoditized vessels…

Canceled offshore wind projects, imperiled solar factories, and fading demand for electric vehiclesA year after the passage of the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history, meant to touch off a boom in American clean energy development, economic realities are fraying President Joe Biden’s agenda.Soaring financing and materials costs, unreliable supply chains, delayed rulemaking in Washington and sluggish permitting have wrought havoc ranging from offshore wind developer Orsted’s project cancellations in the U.S.

Maersk on Wednesday announced it had entered into the shipping industry's first large-scale agreement for green methanol from China's Goldwind, and said production of green methanol was high on the political agenda in China.Shipping industry leader Maersk is investing in green fuels to power its fleet as it strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, while the shipping industry, responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, aims for net-zero emissions by 2050."There's a lot of activity in China in this field for sure.

The first turbine has been installed at the South Fork Wind Farm offshore New York, developer Ørsted announced on Monday.The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators was hoisted into place by the offshore construction team at the project site 35 miles off Montauk, N.Y. Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines. Turbine installation involves using a crane to place the steel turbine tower onto the foundation. The nacelle and rotor are then installed on top of the tower.