Oil Recovery News

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…

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…

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…

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.

The salvage operations of the container vessel MV SSL Kolkata that had caught fire last month, is continuing in rough weather conditions with 2- 4 metre swells. The vessel is grounded at about 8 nautical miles off the ecologically sensitive Sundarbans since the 13th of last month when its cargo area had caught fire following an explosion. All 22 crew members were   rescued by the Indian Coast Guard. The Directorate General of Shipping and its allied office, Mercantile Marine Department, Kolkata, Govt.

No two oil spill response operations are the same. Each can present new and even tougher challenges for spill responders as they detect, contain and recover spilled oil. Diverse aspects affecting oil spill response operations can be the physical environment, spill monitoring, use of chemical dispersants, and the availability of proper technology for the situation.Some challenges have been met through research and technology development of techniques for dealing with spills. However…

Aberdeen headquartered Sentinel Marine said it has taken delivery of the latest in its fleet of multi-role emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRVs). Biscay Sentinel was delivered at the Cosco Guangzhou shipyard in China this month and is expected to arrive in Aberdeen in early May. She will immediately join Sentinel Marine’s fleet of ERRVs providing support and lifesaving services to the oil and gas industry in the North Sea. The 62-meter British-flagged vessel is the seventh of Sentinel Marine’s new breed of ERRVs…

Norwegian suppliers Framo, Maritime Partner, Norbit Aptomar, and NorLense have come together to create the OSRV (Oil Spill Recovery Vessel) Group to offer a complete oil spill response solution. “Our aim is to be a one-stop-shop where we pool our efforts and act as a total systems supplier of safe, highly functional, and well-tested technology. The emergency response equipment has undergone thorough testing and quality assurance drawing on 40 years of oil spill response experience,” says Jørgen Brandt Theodorsen, Area Manager, Oil & Gas Pumping Systems, at Framo.

On January 19, 2018, Italthai Marine Limited of Thailand signed a contract with the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) for the construction of a sister ship to the Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAmparts 3200 tug Panyi 857. Italthai have built three Robert Allan Ltd. tugs previously for Thailand, Panyi 857 built in 2016 and a pair of RAmparts 2800’s for The Port Authority of Thailand, Tarua 120 and Tarua 302 both built in 2012. Hull form and all equipment are the same as Panyi 857 with enhanced fendering system to handle the navy’s new submarines.

St. On Friday, February 9, Tug Malta’s Damen ASD 2913 was named St. Angelo at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, and the island nation’s Minister of Transport, Ian Borg. Acting as sponsor of the vessel was Mrs. Michelle Muscat, the wife of the Prime Minister. Tug Malta is part of the Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group. The ceremony was also attended by Tug Malta Chairman John E. Sullivan and CEO Mario Mizzi, Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group Chiefs Giovanni Delle Piane and Gregorio Gavarone and Damen Sales Manager Antonio Marte.

Ultra Deep Solution has gone into a 5 year contract to Charter out the UDS DSCV Andy Warhol announced Shel Hutton,  CEO of the company in his Facebook post. The Warhol is an DNV-GL 18 men Saturation system with Twin 18 men SPHL’s and integrated Air Diving system. It comes with FiFi 3 and full oil recovery system. This vessel has 150 t AHC crane to 3000 msw. Again she is a MT design 6023 from Norway. Also the ship has Kongsberg DP system with Schottel propulsion system. Their will be WROV’s built in from FMC/Schilling.

Statoil ASA and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) have agreed that Statoil will acquire a 25 percent interest in Roncador, a large oil field in the Campos Basin in Brazil. The transaction nearly triples Statoil’s production in Brazil, with attractive break-evens and potential for additional value creation for both parties through the application of Statoil’s expertise in improved oil recovery (IOR). The total consideration comprises an initial payment of $2.35 billion, plus additional contingent payments of up to $550 million.

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered its first vessels to Marine Core & Charter LLC (MC2), a marine services company supporting the offshore energy sector in the Arabian Gulf. This is the first transaction between the two organisations and Damen is delighted to be setting out on what it hopes will be a productive and long-lasting relationship with MC2. The transaction is also a milestone as it represents the first deliveries of the Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 4008 class, Damen’s latest addition to its FCS range.

On November 9, Damen Shipyards Galati launched Baía Farta, a new Fishery Research Vessel (FRV) 7417 for the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries. The vessel's sponsor was Dra. Isabel Cristóvão, director of Gabinete de Estudos, Planeamento e Estatística. The FRV 7417 is suited to various purposes, including hydrographic operations, acoustics research, pelagic and demersal trawling, plankton, water, environmental and geographical sampling, oil recovery and emergency towing operations.

Cleaning up marine oil spills can be a challenge as there are various types of oil spilled but only a few effective recovery methods. The three main technologies for oil spill recovery for inland and offshore waters are mechanical, insitu burning (ISB), and dispersant application. Absorbent booms and pads may also be used, but they are more effective for small fuel spills. Mechanical recovery, usually an oil skimmer, is a device that skims contained floating oil and transfers the recovered oil to a storage container or vessel.