Oil Recovery News

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…

Offshore support vessel operator Sentinel Marine has introduced the newest fleet of emergency response and rescue vessels in the North Sea – and help clean up the offshore environment.All eight ships recently built to order by Sentinel Marine – and the four still under various stages of construction – have Tier 4 compliant engines which reduce emissions of particulate matter and noxious gases to near zero levels.Sentinel Marine chief executive officer Rory Deans said: “Tier 4…

Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Kustbevakningen, the Swedish Coastguard (KBV), for modernization on the vessel KBV 181. The vessel was built as a patrol boat, but will after modification serve as a combination vessel, for both patrol and oil recovery. It is used also by Umeå Marine Forskningscenter (UMF) for research and environmental monitoring in the Gulf of Bothnia.The KBV 181 is scheduled to arrive at Damen’s…

Vestdavit secured an order to supply three new Norwegian Coast Guard vessels with davits equipped for polar conditions, in a project which also calls for installation of a deck-mounted transfer system for rapid deployment.The ships are being built by Vard Group within the P6615 project to replace Nordkapp-class ships with a new generation of search-and-rescue, surveillance, and oil recovery vessels. The 136m length newbuildings have been developed for worldwide operations including arctic areas and will feature ice-strengthened hulls and ice-class notation on their delivery from Vard Langsten…

On 18 July 2019, Moby held a naming ceremony for their new Damen ASD Tug 2813, Vincenzino O. in Cagliari as part of the company’s plans to upgrade its fleet.Moby’s CEO Achille Onorato says: “We are very proud to welcome this new tug to our fleet. The vessel, which carries the name of my son, Vincenzino O., introduces the sixth generation of our family to the sea and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the community of Sardinia. We have enjoyed an excellent cooperation…

Operations to recover oil from a World War II-era shipwreck are nearing completion after commencing on May 11, 2019 off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.The sunken vessel, Coimbra, was a supply ship owned by Great Britain that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Long Island during World War II. Initial dive operations in May 2019 confirmed the tanker was leaking small amounts of oil, the Coast Guard discovered.A unified command…

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Spain-based major ferry operator Baleària for the delivery of a Stan Tug 1606 E3.The contract was signed by Mr. Ettore Morace and Mr. Guillermo Alomar, executive director of operations and fleet director of Baleària respectively and Carlos Gonzalez Martin on behalf of Damen. The vessel is an answer to increasing demands for sustainability in the maritime industry. It will be the first IMO Tier III compliant tug to operate in the…

Damen Shipyards Group  signed a contract with Rimorchiatori Mediterranei, a subsidiary of Rimorchiatori Riuniti of Genoa, Italy, for a Damen ASD Tug 2810. The vessel will be operated in Sicily by Rimorchiatori Augusta and is due for delivery in December this year sailing on her own keel from Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.The new vessel, to be named Capo Peloro after one of Sicily’s major capes near Messina, will be the second Damen ASD Tug 2810 to join the Rimorchiatori Mediterranei fleet. The first was the Capo Boeo, which arrived in Sicily in December 2016.

Norwegian oil and gas company OKEA has secured the Odfjell Drilling-owned semi-submersible rig Deepsea Nordkapp to drill for upside opportunities within and surrounding the Draugen field offshore Norway.The drilling operation is expected to commence in Q4 2019.Deepsea Nordkapp will drill one infill pilot well in the Draugen field and one exploration well in the “Skumnisse” prospect, north-east of Draugen, both within the OKEA-operated PL093 license.Deepsea Nordkapp is a 6th generation…

VT Halter’s new state-of-the-art blast and paint facility, already paying dividends for the shipyard’s bottom line and the environment alike, is poised to lift your bottom line with improved coatings and reduced corrosion.When it comes to marine coatings, preparation is everything. If that’s the case, then Gulf Coast-based VT Halter has all the boxes checked when it come to making sure that every vessel component and exposed surface that leaves its facility is ready for whatever harsh conditions come next.

Boluda Corporación Marítima, a shipping company operating in Mediterranean ports, said that its towage division Boluda Towage and Salvage has added a new azimuth tractor tugboat in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.The VB TAMARAN joins ten other tugs operating in the Canarian port to facilitate ships’ entry and exit from the port area.With this new tug Boluda Corporación Marítima has expanded the fleet in the port of Las Palmas to ensure maritime safety in the Canary archipelago.

Bahrain expected to start LNG imports early this year; FSU on 20-year time charter to Bahrain LNG arrives in the GulfBahrain's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) floating unit arrived in the Gulf this week as the country gets ready for its maiden imports of the super-chilled fuel this year, data from Refinitiv Eikon showed.Bahrain Spirit, a floating storage unit (FSU) with a capacity of about 173,000 cubic meters, is currently anchored in Fujairah after docking in the United Arab Emirates region on Jan. 13, the data showed.The FSU is on a 20-year charter to Bahrain LNG, who is the developer of a wider receiving and regasification terminal within the Khalifa bin Salman Port facility…

UK-based offshore support firm Sentinel Marine has announced that it will create 80 new jobs by adding three multi-role ships to its fast-growing fleet.The Aberdeen-based firm is investing in the region of GBP36 million in the trio of new builds, which will come into service by the end of 2020.The offshore support vessel specialist said that the ships - Cromarty Sentinel, Trafalgar Sentinel and Viking Sentinel – are an enhanced version of the emergency response and rescue vessels…

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.

Nowegian shipbuilder Kleven has delivered the fifth vessel in a series of six anchor handlers for Maersk Supply Service A/S.Built for deepwater operations, Mærsk Mobiliser of the so-called Starfish series is equipped with a range of innovative features, the builder said. The vessel is of Salt 200 design and has an open deck space of more than 800m2, with an additional covered deck space of 102m2. It is equipped with a 450-metric-ton anchor handling winch housed in an enclosed garage to protect the crew and the equipment in harsh conditions.

Damen Shipyards Galati has made provisional delivery of the 74-meter fishery research vessel Baía Farta to the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries. The vessel will remain in Galati until November, when she will set sail for Angola where the final delivery will take place.With a 1,600 km Atlantic coastline, the development of the domestic fishing industry is a priority of the Angolan government and it currently employs over 100,000 people in both commercial and artisanal fishing.The Baía Farta…

Tunisian roll-on/roll-off ferry Ulysse has separated from the Cyprus flagged containership CSL Virginia on Thursday following a collision earlier this week in the Mediterranean Sea.CSL Virginia was at anchor approximately 17 miles off the island of Corsica when it was struck broadside by cargo and passenger ferry Ulysse early Sunday morning. The ferry's bow penetrated the hull of the containership, causing the two vessels to become stuck together and resulting in a major oil spill.No deaths or injuries were reported…

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) announced three new member companies that together represent 5% of global oil and gas production as it welcomed Chevron Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, and Occidental Petroleum.The three new companies will become official members of OGCI as of September 24, 2018.With these additions, OGCI members now represent around 30% of global oil and gas production and supply close to 20% of global primary energy consumption. The 13 member companies represent regions including China…

Brussels-headquartered contracting giant Besix has completed the design and construction of Bahrain Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminal in Muharraq Island.The Bahrain LNG Import Terminal forms a vital part of the energy infrastructure of Bahrain as it provides the country with a secure supply of liquified natural gas to meet the country’s growth in demand for natural gas in order to fuel large industrial projects, to generate power and water, and for enhanced oil recovery.The…

Thai shipbuilder Italthai Marine Limited in July hosted a keel laying ceremony for a new 32-meter tug that it is building for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).The builder was awarded the construction contract for this second RAmparts 3200 tug earlier this year after delivering the first, Panyi 857, in 2016.Designed by Canadian naval architect and marine engineering firm Robert Allan Ltd., the tugs are built for handling large navy vessels and submarines coming in and out of port, as well as supporting oil recovery operations…

Finland is a traditional marine tech hub, with almost 90 company members in the Finnish Maritime Industries association. While the country has a storied maritime history across many sectors, based on geographic locale, it’s Arctic and ice marine technology is second to none, and it’s hoping the U.S. Coast Guard is taking notice.The Finnish maritime industry is hoping to get involved in developing the new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreaker program. Ulla Lainio…

Oil producer Equinor aims to boost the recovery rate from its Norwegian fields to well above the global average to extend production from the mature basin beyond 2030.Equinor announced plans on Tuesday to drill up to 3,000 wells offshore from its native Norway in coming decades - almost as many as it has drilled since its startup in 1972 - to mitigate declining output from older fields, and extend the production lifetime of more than 20 installations.The company said it remained on track for to keep profitable oil and gas production in Norway towards 2030…

ABS has developed the Subsea Processing System (SPRS) Advisory that provides an overview of the SPRS and associated sub-systems that are currently available and addresses its technology maturity level.The advisory also describes the role of ABS as an independent classification society in the verification and validation of subsea processing technologies including new/unproven technologies through the ABS New Technology Qualification services.The advisory is the first in a series of publications planned by ABS over the next few years.