Offshore Workers News

ABS issued approval in principle (AIP) to Hanwha Ocean Co. Ltd. for remote control functions for FPSO units.ABS completed design reviews based on the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote-Control Functions.The project is part of the Offshore Technology Collaboration Agreement (OTCA) between ABS and Hanwha Ocean, which enables the companies to collaborate on a series of cutting-edge projects leveraging each company’s core competencies under three broad themes: sustainability…

Europe’s subsea cable infrastructure, the backbone of its digital economy and energy transition, is facing mounting risks from geopolitical tension, climate impacts, and lack of preparedness. In a joint position statement, the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA) and the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) have warned that regulatory barriers, a shortage of skilled offshore workers and the lack of readily available solutions are compromising the continent’s…

Offshore platforms of all shape and size offer a tempting respite for migratory birds, attracted by their lights. But landing on these structures can be a death sentence for tired birds that use up precious energy needed for their onward journey.To that end Glamox is now offering new bird-friendly lights. These new bird-friendly lights use an innovative green LED light that provides sufficient illumination to keep offshore workers and mariners safe while being less attractive to migratory birds.

The New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal (NBFMT) this month opened its first deepwater berth to accommodate vessels serving North America’s emerging offshore wind sector.This milestone, reached after two years of demolition and construction, marks a crucial step in Phase II of the terminal's development. The newly opened berth, designed specifically for offshore wind service vessels, features a 300-foot bulkhead and has been enhanced by extensive dredging. These upgrades are set to improve the terminal's functionality for both domestic and international vessels.Andrew Saunders…

Singaporean aluminum boat builder Strategic Marine recently delivered TMS Ranod, the first of two Gen 4 Fast Crew Boats to growing Thai offshore services provider Truth Maritime Services (TMS). The pair of newbuild contracts were signed in 2023.Strategic Marine launched the 42m Gen 4 FCB design in collaboration with Southerly Designs, and the vessel comes with a highly efficient new hull form and Z-bow which improves seakeeping and requires less power for the same speed and deadweight tonnage…

Digitalization in the maritime industry continues to grow. Technology is constantly evolving, providing organizations with new ways to transform and manage their operations with adoption of technology creating first-mover advantage and future relevancy, and positivity impacting margins. The offshore services industry has been a major driver in the trend towards utilization of remote inspection and monitoring technology for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) of critical assets and infrastructure.

British union Unite on Friday said several Sparrows offshore services workers have voted to strike at dozens of platforms on the UK continental shelf including those of BP and Shell.Around 150 Sparrows workers across more than 20 oil and gas platforms have voted for strike in a dispute over pay, the union said in a press release.This comes after the union last week announced its Sparrows members working on BP’s Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, Glen Lyon and Mungo installations backed strike action in a separate dispute over pay and conditions.The strike action will hit BP’s platforms from Mar

Crew fatigue led to an offshore supply vessel striking an oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.The offshore supply vessel (OSV) Elliot Cheramie was on its normal route between Port Fourchon, La. and the oil and gas production platform VR-397A in the Gulf of Mexico on June 25, 2021, with a crew of four and five offshore workers. While transiting, the Elliot Cheramie struck the oil and gas production platform EI-259A.

Bibby Marine's Bibby WaveMaster 1 (BWM1) set sail for Denmark this week, on a charter for Total Energies, to help get some of their personnel home in time for Christmas after weather conditions prevented helicopter transfer.BWM1, a walk-to-work Service Operation Vessel (SOV) with motion compensated gangway that allows the safe transfer of technicians from offshore platforms, was chartered by the company after around 300 workers were unable to leave the field, via helicopter, due to difficult weather conditions.The BWM1 has transported 423 workers (228 inbound and 195 outbound) so far…

Covington, La. based marine engineering firm Baker Marine Solutions has unveiled a new service operation vessel (SOV) design for the U.S. offshore wind industry.The new 275-foot (LOA) BMS 1776 is designed be built in the U.S. to ABS class standards and is fully certified to operate in U.S. waters, utilizing U.S. offshore workers, BMS said."With the U.S. offshore wind industry expanding rapidly, U.S. companies must be ready to build SOVs designed specifically for U.S. shipyards to support the installation and maintenance of domestic wind farms," said BMS president Jim Baker.

Dutch offshore installation firm Heerema Marine Contractors said Tuesday it had broken a world lifting record with the installation of a 17,000 metric ton TotalEnergies' Tyra TEG module in the Danish sector of the North Sea.The TEG module, described as the biggest Tyra II project topside, was installed on the last remaining bare jacket at the Tyra offshore field."The lift of the 17,000 metric tons heavy process module broke a world record as the heaviest crane lift ever undertaken at sea.

An area of the Indian Ocean near Somalia—once known as a piracy hotbed—has been removed from the shipping industry's list of high-risk areas following more than a decade of military, political, civil society and the industry measures to secure the waters. No piracy attacks against merchant ships have occurred off Somalia since 2018.On Monday, shipping industry groups International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), INTERCARGO…

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards and offshore gangway specialist Ampelmann have launched the joint venture OceanXpress to provide offshore crew change solutions in the North Sea area. "This collaboration will see the introduction of a new service to the offshore access market that neatly combines the engineering feats of Damen’s Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011 Aqua Helix with the S-type motion compensated gangway system from Ampelmann," the companies said Friday.The vessel and…

After last year's launch of the Helideck Perimeter Safety Net range designed to protect offshore workers and equipment from falling, offshore safety equipment maker Dropsafe has expanded its offering. "Dropsafe now offers two different versions of the Net, ensuring that all facilities can access a tailored safety solution according to their budget, location, and facility requirements," the company said Wednesday.Mike Rice, Dropsafe Commercial Director, commented: “From harsh offshore environments to hospitals…

Indian navy ships and aircraft scoured waters off the financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday for 77 workers missing from a barge that sank after a powerful cyclone barrelled into the country's west coast this week.Driving waves of up to 25 feet on the high seas, cyclone Tauktae rammed into the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat over the past two days, killing at least 29 people and leaving a trail of destruction, authorities said.The storm smashed into the Bombay High oilfield near Mumbai…

Safety of workers,structures, equipment and the environment are paramount in any offshore energy project. In the March/April print edition, Offshore Engineer took a look inside some notable newcomers.Wearable tech to boost drill floor safetyHaloGuard – Credit: TransoceanOffshore drilling contractor Transocean has recently deployed what it said was the offshore drilling industry’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.The system…

In the last year, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the risks of working in what was already one of the most hostile environments on Earth. But, with the first anniversary of the outbreak not long in our collective rear-view mirrors, offshore workers in the North Sea are facing a twin threat: emerging new variants of the virus and increasing Covid-fatigue and complacency.The UK offshore industry has achieved an enviable safety record during the pandemic, due in large measure to the widespread testing of offshore workers before mobilization.

Dutch marine contractor Boskalis on Monday acquired all the shares of Rever Offshore’s subsea services business.Rever, formerly known as Bibby Offshore, provides solutions in the area of subsea construction, inspection, repair, and maintenance. The company has operated in the North Sea out of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.Through this transaction, Boskalis will acquire two diving support vessels of which one is fully owned (Rever Polaris) and a second chartered (Rever Topaz). The group employs an onshore staff of around 130 in addition to approximately 220 offshore workers.

Penguin Shipyard in Singapore is building a 27-meter catamaran wind farm service vessel for Farra Marine, the Irish operator's first. Construction commenced in September, and the vessel, named Farra Orla, is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021.The vessel is the third in Penguin’s Windflex 27 series, which designer Incat Crowther says offers excellent speed, deadweight and seakeeping, making it capable of many roles in the offshore wind industry.The vessel has a deadweight above 50 tonnes and features two working decks.

The American Gulf of Mexico is home to impressive industry and even more incredible beauty. Every day, fishermen, conservationists, tour guides, canal and port dredgers, offshore oil and gas workers and countless others go to work in and around the Gulf of Mexico. What links them together is a passion to safely do their jobs in a way that strengthens the Gulf Coast’s natural resources.When candidates and elected officials advocate for “no more drilling, including offshore,” they…

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that a large semi-submersible rig drifted into and ran aground in the Sabine Bank Channel, limiting vessels entering the Sabine-Neches Waterway to those with a maximum draft of 32 feet (9.8 meters).The waterway sits on the Texas-Louisiana border and connects the Gulf of Mexico to Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant and to oil refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas.That area is west of where two hurricanes struck in recent weeks. Nearby refineries are owned by Exxon Mobil Corp, Valero Energy Corp, Total SA, and others.The semi-submersible rig, called the Jasminia, drifted into the Sabine Bank Channel and ran aground on Friday, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The rig had housed offshore workers in the past.

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S. government said 21%…

Offshore workers kidnapped from an FPSO offshore Nigeria in an armed pirate attack in July, have been released, the owner of the floating production unit said Friday.In an incident that occurred on July 2, nine Nigerian crew members aboard the BW Offshore-owned Sendje Berge FPSO were kidnapped.BW Offshore said Friday the workers had been released."BW Offshore is very pleased that all of the offshore employees have been safely released.