Oil Recovery Operations News

A refurbished high-spec oil spill response vessel for the Aegean Sea has entered service under a four-year contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a contract with an option for four additional years.Dubbed AKTEA II, the OSRV will be able to reach anywhere in the Aegean within 24 hours and can collect and carry up to 4,500 tonnes of oil.Based in Piraeus, Greece AKTEA II OSRV (IMO 9327516) has onboard capacity of 4,486 cu. m. for recovered oil and is equipped with…

A retired U.S. Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans has capsized after suffering a severe hull breech while moored on the Buffalo waterfront.On April 13, the 376-foot Fletcher-class destroyer-turned-museum experienced an electrical power-loss resulting in the failure of the onboard water discharge pumps. Progressive flooding and extreme weather conditions caused the vessel to list 45 degrees on its starboard side.Private contractors have been brought on-site by the Buffalo Naval Park to begin dewatering the vessel with four industrial dewatering pumps capable of discharging more than 13…

OSD-IMT recently completed the design of a new multipurpose vessel for operator Smit Lamnalco, a design for a MPV 4600 to be built in Turkey at Uzmar Shipyards.Signature features of the new design include a large (185 sq. m.) working deck area, in combination with an offshore rated crane of 6.5 ton @18.5 m. The DP2 vessel will be equipped for deck-cargo runs, towing operations, diving support, facilitating ROV operations and transferring crew and pilots. It will be able to perform standby and rescue tasks…

Dutch Damen Shipyards Group has signed a deal with Korean yard Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) to deliver components for an oil recovery/dredging vessel. Under the deal, Damen will deliver all equipment for oil recovery operations as well as a complete dredging installation. The 5,000 tons, 4,100 m3 vessel multi-purpose vessel will primarily act as an oil recovery vessel, and will undertake work as a hopper dredger when not tending to emergencies.The equipment package comprises the dredging gear, the oil sweeping gear, and the electric and hydraulic system.

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…

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. of West Bengal, the Indian Coast Guard and various authorities have been constantly monitoring the developments as the salvage efforts continue.

Later this year a major oil and chemical protection exercise dubbed SCOPE 2017 will be carried out in Norway. A joint project including major European and Scandinavian stakeholders, the simulated response to a combined oil and chemical spill aims to foster clearer communication and coordination of spill response across agencies and physical country boundaries. Stig Wahlstrøm, Project Manager SCOPE 2017, Norwegian Coastal Administration and Johan Marius Ly, Director, Department for Emergency Response, explain.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi and the Texas General Land Office are responding to an oil spill at mile marker 667 on the Intracoastal Waterway near Port Isabel, Wednesday. Watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a report that the uninspected towing vessel Capt. Jim Green allided with a dock at the Subsea 7 facility, releasing approximately 20,000 gallons of low sulfur diesel fuel into the waterway at 11:24 p.m., Tuesday. A Unified Command consisting of the Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and Kirby Inland Marine has been established in response to the allision and diesel spill. Miller Environmental, an oil spill response organization, is currently on scene conducting air monitoring and oil recovery operations. The source of the spill has been secured.

Sanmar A.Ş.delivered the Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar3200Wescort tugs Civitavecchia and Saraceno Primo to Italian tugboat operator Italtugs S.p.A. The tugs were constructed at Sanmar’s Tuzla facility, the greenest shipyard in Turkey. The RAstarOffshore/Escort Tugs designation is reserved for a unique class of ASD tugs, designed with a sponsoned hull form, a concept originated by Robert Allan Ltd. 20 years ago, and which has been proven in both model and full-scale testing to provide significantly enhanced escort towing and seakeeping performance. Motions and accelerations are less than half those of comparable sized “standard” tug hulls. It is interesting to note that others are now attempting to emulate this concept.

Coast Guard crews are continuing to monitor oil recovery operations (ORO) in the water near the International-Matex Tank Terminal (IMTT) Bayonne, New Jersey, Monday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received notification at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday from IMTT crewmembers of an oil spill as a result of an allision between a tug and a fuel terminal pier. The Coast Guard immediately launched members from the Sector New York Pollution Response Team to investigate. A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, also responded. At this time, it is estimated that less than 1,000 gallons of oil entered the water and contracted crews are in the process of recovering the product.

Last month Maritime Reporter had the good fortune to receive insights from a trio of maritime salvage leaders – Paul Hankins, Tim Beaver & Jim Elliott – garnering insights on one of the most challenging and ever-changing sectors of the maritime market. It was recently written “salvors have become more closely tied to Oil Spill Response Organizations (OSROs).” Why? Hankins The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90) defines how all stakeholders will respond to potential or actual oil spill responses.

During the last month, PARAT Halvorsen AS has collected four new boiler plant orders from the Vard Group and their multipurpose platform ships of Vard 1 08 design. Part of and included in PARAT’s scope of supply will be combined electric steam and hot water boilers with capacity each of 1,250kW. In normal operation, the boiler is a part of the hot water and heat recovery loop and supplies necessary additional heat to the HVAC, sanitary and tank heating systems on board. If an oil spill disaster should occur, the boiler will be remobilized to run as a steam boiler.

Vard Holdings Limited announced that it has secured a contract for the design and construction of one Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) for E.R. Offshore. The vessel is a multifunctional PSV of VARD 1 08 design with a total length of 81 meters, beam of 18 meters and a cargo deck area of 830 m2. The vessel will be prepared for standby, rescue, firefighting and oil recovery operations. Delivery is scheduled from Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam in 2Q 2016. E.R. Offshore has also taken over the contract for a sister vessel from Carlotta Offshore via a novation agreement.

Training at Ohmsett takes the learning from the classroom to the 2.6 million gallon wave/tow test tank. That’s where students receive hands-on training with the latest spill response equipment and techniques used in the field. Ohmsett, in partnership with Texas A&M National Spill Control School, announced the 2014 Oil Spill Strategies and Tactics training, June 10-13, 2014 and August 26-29, 2014. Each three and a half-day training session emphasizes practical experience in full-scale oil recovery operations in the Ohmsett outdoor wave tank.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) publishes its report on facilities for discharge of oil collected following a major oil spill in the sea. This report is the main deliverable of the project "Study on discharge facilities for oil recovered at sea – Geographical distribution, technical challenges, solutions and alternatives related to the discharge of oil recovered at sea by specialised vessels, following a large oil spill in Europe" (EMSA OP/07/2011), commissioned by EMSA. The objective of the project, as determined in its tender specifications, was to provide EMSA with a study on available facilities to receive oil recovered at sea by the Agency's specialised response vessels following a large oil spill…

Olympic Shipping's new 'Olympic Taurus' sails for Oslo naming ceremony on delivery by Kleven Verft. A multi-purpose offshore vessel with diesel electric propulsion, low fuel consumption and high flexibility, 'Olympic Taurus' represent a new generation of environmentally friendly and operational state of the art multipurpose vessels, where much attention is put on fuel economy, low emissions and large capacities both above and below deck. Class notation Ice B (hull only) makes the new ship available to work in northern areas…

Troms Offshore has entered into a Letter of Intent with STX OSV who in turn have nominated STX OSV Aukra to build a PSV 07 design ship to service the charter with Statoil. The ship will be delivered from STX OSV Aukra shortly before or shortly after year end 2013. PSV 07 is a new innovative design developed by STX OSV and is a larger version of the well proven PSV 09 design. The vessel will be a Clean Design environmentally friendly diesel-electric ship with focus on low fuel consumption and low emission of greenhouse gases.

Oil Stop Division of American Pollution Control Corp. (AMPOL) completed phase two of its contract with the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center for the testing of Submerged Oil Recovery Equipment. The contract was completed in November after successfully executing a variety of tests at the OHMSETT facility in Leonardo, New Jersey. The OHMSETT facility allows industry professionals to work with real oil in simulated environments. As a result of testing, adaptations were made to AMPOL’s Oil Stop Bottom Oil Recovery System (OSBORS).

Wärtsilä's leading engine technology offers flexibility which enables switching of fuels without any interruption in operation should the need arise. This will be the first installation ever where a European commercial shipping operation is going to permanently use liquid bio-fuel. Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions provider and systems integrator, has been contracted by the STX Finland shipyard in Turku, Finland, to supply the main engines for a new multi-purpose cargo vessel. STX Finland is part of the international STX Europe Group.

STX Europe has been awarded a contract with Solstad Rederi AS to build an innovative LNG-powered Platform Supply Vessel (PSV). The vessel is of STX Europe PSV 12 LNG design. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2011. The value of the contract is approximately $67.5m. Roy Reite, President of STX Europe's Offshore & Specialized Vessels business area, said: "Today's order confirms our strong position in design and building of environmentally friendly vessels. We have…

STX Europe has entered into a new contract with Simon Møkster Rederi for the building of a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV). The vessel is of STX Europe PSV 09 CD design, featured with the new environmental friendly hull lines optimized for eco-drive in all weather conditions. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2011. Roy Reite, President of STX Europe's Offshore & Specialized Vessels business area, said "We look forward to continuing the good cooperation with Simon Møkster Rederi. The vessel is arranged for regular platform supply duties.

For several years Sanmar Denizcilik Makin eve Ticaret Ltd., of Istanbul, Turkey have been building a successful line of RAmparts 3200 Class tugs, to a design by Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects of Vancouver, B.C. In 2007 the Norwegian owners, Østensjø Rederi AS approached Sanmar with a requirement for a very similar tug to this standard 105 ft RAmparts 3200 Class tug, but with higher power and a demanding suite of outfit. This requirement led to a close collaboration between owner…

Due to the heavy weather in the area, the bulk carrier Fedra sustained engine failure, dragged anchor and ran aground off Europa Point, , following which it lodged against a cliff and subsequently broke up. Several hours later, the bulk carrier Tawe ran aground near the . Both vessels have limited quantities of bunker fuel on board, and the leakage of oil is putting the environment in the vicinity of the vessels under threat. Since Sunday Oct 12, the EMSA vessel Bahia Tres has been involved in locating oil slicks with its onboard oil slick detection system and, more importantly, has been recovering patches of oil and smaller slicks where ever possible.