Oil Spill News

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) is currently on-site in north-east Brazil attending the recent oil spill that has contaminated approximately 2,500 km of coastline in nine states.The source of the pollution remains unknown, although the Brazilian government has recently reported that they suspect a tanker passing along its coast in late July as being the polluter."Our involvement was requested directly by IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources…

Brazilian investigators said on Friday a Greek-flagged ship carrying Venezuelan crude was the source of oil tarring thousands of kilometers of coastline over the past two months.While prosecutors and police did not name the vessel, a prosecutors' document obtained by Reuters identified the ship as the Bouboulina, owned by Greece's Delta Tankers Ltd. Police said the tanker appears to have spilled the crude about 700 km (420 miles) off Brazil's coast between July 28-29, bound for…

Brazil's federal police on Friday announced a potential breakthrough in the investigation into the causes of a mysterious oil spill that has baffled authorities and Brazilians for about two months.Police said they were investigating a Greek-flagged ship allegedly responsible for the oil spill, which they claim may have occurred about 700 km (420 miles) off the Brazilian coast between July 28-29 after the vessel made a stop in Venezuela.In a statement, federal police said they were carrying out search warrants at addresses linked to a company of Greek nationality.Brazilian authorities said they had also requested cooperation from international agencies…

The Regional Clean Sea Organization (RECSO), an oil industry co-operative organisation in the Middle East, has hosted First RECSO Enviro Spill Conference and Exhibition.In delivering the keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Abdulhakim A. Al-Gouhi, vice president of Industrial Services with Saudi Aramco, called on members to collaborate to protect the pristine Gulf environment through prevention, preparedness, and response.“We come together to demonstrate our unlimited commitment toward protecting the marine environment from any harmful effects of pollution…

Clean Arctic Alliance has welcome MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company's decision to avoid Arctic shipping route as a new short cut between northern Europe and Asia.Clean Arctic Alliance lead advisor Dr Sian Prior was responding to the announcement that shipping company MSC “will not explore or use the Northern Sea Route between Europe and Asia for container shipping” and that it believes that shipping lines should focus on reducing the environmental impact of existing shipping…

Japanese transportation major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that, along with Furuno Electric, it made a joint presentation of their advanced augmented reality (AR)-based Navigation System.The presentation introduced the background behind the technology and development of the system, as well as MOL’s efforts to "forge ahead to become the world leader in safe operation."The AR Navigation System provides visual support to crew-members during their watch-keeping and ship operations by using AR technology to superimpose real-time video imagery and voyage information.Large tankers…

The shareholders of the dry bulk shipping company based in Athens, Greece, DryShips,  voted in favor of the proposal to authorize and approve the previously announced agreement and plan of merger with SPII Holdings.SPII, a company controlled by DryShips’ chairman and CEO, George Economou, would acquire the outstanding shares of common stock, USD 0.01 par value, of the company that it does not already own for USD 5.25 per share in cash, without interest.In connection with the completion of the transaction…

Sea Machines Robotics CEO & President.Michael Gordon Johnson is a marine engineer, an accomplished entrepreneur and sector leader with a primary goal of building progressive and sustainable innovation for modern society. He is the founder of Sea Machines, a Boston-based tech company that is a leading provider of autonomous control and intelligent perception systems for marine vessels. Johnson earned a marine engineering degree from Texas A&M University before starting a career focused on complex projects in offshore oil and gas, marine transportation and salvage.

Maritime autonomous surface ship (“MASS”) technology continues to advance at a rapid pace around the globe. Although it’s not being embraced as quickly in the United States commercial market as other parts of the world, U.S. industry professionals and regulators look forward to continued development and implementation as a means to improve efficiency and safety.OpportunitiesThe U.S. Maritime Administration (“MARAD”) hosted “Achieving Critical MASS: Spotlight on the U.S. Vessel Automation Industry” July 22 and 23, 2019, encouraging discussion between U.S.

Supporting countries to prepare for contingencies is an important part of International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's capacity building work.Thailand is the latest country to benefit from IMO assistance to update its oil spill contingency plan at a National Workshop on National Contingency in Bangkok (24-27 September).Thirty-five participants from 15 government entities and oil and gas  companies learned about the latest international best practices, and developments, in the…

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML): mention these two terms and the listener may instantly think of the ads displayed as you view your favorite online news site. This is one version of what AI/ML might be. Given the state of AI and ML research today, these advanced mathematical techniques represent something the U.S. Coast Guard should explore for mission application. To do this, common definitions need to be created, challenges understood, and practical use…

Two vessels with clean-up equipment and personnel will arrive to the Bahamas within a few days to deal with an oil spill at the South Riding Point terminal damaged by hurricane Dorian, operator Equinor said on Monday.The company reiterated there were no indications of ongoing leaks form tanks, as well as no indications that the oil spill was reaching nearby beaches or the ocean.(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Gwladys Fouche)

NGO Shipbreaking Platform said that accident at the shipbreaking beach of Chattogram, Bangladesh killed two and severely injured thirteen. The accident occurred in the afternoon of Saturday 31 August at Ziri Subedar shipbreaking yard. During scrapping operations on the ship CSL VIRGINIA a heavy cable collapsed, hitting several workers at once. Aminul Islam, 35 years old, and Tushar Chakma, 27 years old, lost their lives.Thirteen workers  suffered severe injuries and were taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Developing and maintaining sound capability to respond effectively to marine pollution incidents involving oil, hazardous and noxious substances is a priority in the Caribbean, which is home to many vulnerable ecosystems.In response, the Curacao-based Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Center for the Caribbean (REMPEITC-Caribe) organized a trans-boundary oil spill response exercise in Suriname (27-28 August).The event brought together response managers…

As a part of its cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics announces that it has successfully demonstrated its autonomous systems in action on board a Kvichak Marco skimmer boat during events held along the Portland harbor earlier today.Sea Machines’ technology opens a new era of capability for the marine industry, and today the company demonstrated its ability to increase the safety, productivity and predictability of response for marine oil-spill operations.

According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), one of the key elements in oil spill contingency planning is to define the communication channels to be used by cooperating parties when facing an incident.A workshop in Pulau Indah, Klang, Malaysia (19-21 August) has brought together officials from states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to help bring into operation the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which was adopted in 2018.Participants from nine countries got to grips with key elements of the plan and practiced communications between States…

The dry bulk shipping company based in Athens DryShips Inc. will be acquired by SPII Holdings Inc. a company controlled by George Economou, under which SPII will acquire the outstanding shares for $5.25 per share in cash, without interest.As previously disclosed, DryShips is to be merged into a subsidiary of SPII Holdings, a company controlled by DryShips’ chairman and CEO George Economou.The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. The $5.25 per share price represents…

UK-based marine services company Briggs Marine Contractors (BMC) has been awarded a framework agreement for the underwater inspection and maintenance of SSE Hydro and thermal power generation sites.Under the contract, the company will provide services throughout Scotland and the United Kingdom for three years.The Briggs Marine Dive Team, who are approved for in-water inspection by ABS, Lloyds Register, and DNV-GL, has extensive experience working in remote and challenging locations…

On August 7, 20 NYK executive officers and a group of six vessel captains and chief engineers held a meeting at NYK headquarters in Tokyo to openly exchange opinions about the safe operation of vessels that the NYK Group is managing and operating.This meeting is part of NYK’s two-month Remember Naka-no-Se safety campaign,* and is chaired by NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa, who oversees NYK’s Safety and Environmental Management Committee** so that top management can exchange opinions…

Supporting countries to prepare for contingencies is an important part of International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's capacity building work.According to the UN body, Cambodia is the latest country to benefit from IMO assistance to update its oil spill contingency plan, by identifying country-specific risks and existing gaps in order to be able to respond effectively to oil spill incidents.A national workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (6-9 August) has brought together 60 participants…

Coast Guard pollution responders are responding to a report of a tug that sank at the Port Orchard Railway Marina in Port Townsend, Washington, Monday.Members from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound's Incident Management Division are on scene overseeing the removal and containment of fuel discharged from the 65-foot tug Meagan M. The vessel is currently registered as a towing vessel; however the master claims it has been used in a strictly recreational capacity for the past two years.

Sea Machines Robotics has been a progressive leader in advancing autonomy in the maritime space, and today it announced a deal with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MarAd) to demonstrate the value of Sea Machines’ autonomous technology in marine oil-spill response ops. The scope of the deal has Sea Machines installing its SM300 autonomous-command system aboard a Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC)-owned MARCO skimming vessel and will train MSRC personnel to operate the system.

The Coast Guard has transitioned from pollution response to the investigation phase of a major marine casualty that occurred July 5, 2019, involving three vessels that sank in the Illinois River near Hardin, Illinois.Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River received a report of three tugboats and a deck barge that were tied together and began taking on water at mile marker 20.7 on the Illinois River. Sector UMR responded to the scene to find all three vessels fully submerged.The vessels were identified as Chatty Sue Smith…