Oil Spill Response News

Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) has expanded its member offer with the launch of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) service. The new service aims to enhance preparedness and response capabilities to better support members’ needs in the event of a spill.To facilitate the service on a global basis, and to ensure the shortest time to mobilization, OSRL has signed ‘call-off agreements’ with a number of third-party UAV providers around the world. Launch partners for the service include Bristow Aerial Solutions, Sky-Futures and Vertical Horizon Media.

Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor ASA and the provider of emergency rescue and response vessels Esvagt have extended their cooperation in the southern part of the Norwegian sector.The vessel provider said on Tuesday that the cooperation with Equinor was extended by a minimum of three years."Over the next three years, the Esvagt Bergen and the Esvagt Stavanger will be servicing Equinor in the southern part of the Norwegian sector," it said.Eight years of mutual trust and cooperation are about to be extended…

A new oil spill response device capable of cleaning up spills in arctic conditions has been launched in an effort to bolster Norway’s spill preparedness.The new device, dubbed Arctic FoxTail, is a winterized version of H. Henriksen’s standard Foxtail vertical adhesion band (VAB) skimmer, which filters out oil spills from the seawater using its sorbent mops. The system is capable of salvaging large quantities of oil after a spill, without much unnecessary water.Tonsberg-based H.

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday it is responding to a crude oil discharge in Rattle Snake Bayou, southwest of Port Sulphur, La.Coast Guard watchstanders in New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center that the well was reported to be leaking.It is unknown when the discharge began, and the amount discharged has not been determined. The well is rated to produce 5,476 gallons of oil per day.Responders are working to locate and secure the source of the discharge. The well's owner Hilcorp has contracted ES&H as an oil spill response organization.

Offshore vessel owner ESVAGT says it has set its sights on growth opportunities in Arctic regions where an uptick in oil and gas production is expected in coming years. In the Barents Sea, for example, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate as recently as 2017 updated its evaluation of the area’s oil and gas reserves to over 17 billion barrels, a doubling compared to prior estimates.ESVAGT says it possesses the particular skillset and assets required for operations in the Arctic."It is on many levels challenging to work in the Arctic regions…

Griffon Hoverwork will launch  its new 995ED model at  Exponaval in Valparaiso, Chile.“Griffon is hugely excited to unveil the highly innovative 995ED which is specially designed for search and rescue, coastguard and surveying work complementing Griffon’s range of marine grade aluminium hovercraft,” said sales and marketing director Nick MacLeod-Ash. “The 995ED, at eight meters (m) length and 30 knots speed at full ‘all up weight’, is the first hovercraft to achieve certification…

A U.S. Navy led team has removed 229,000 gallons of oil from a sunken World War II era German heavy cruiser that has been resting on the seafloor near the Marshall Islands for more than 70 years.After being transferred to the U.S. as a war prize, the cruiser Prinz Eugen was loaded with oil and cargo and used to assess survivability of warships during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. The ship survived two atomic blasts before being towed to Kwajalein Atoll…

A training event on oil spill preparedness and response for countries in eastern Africa, was held in Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania (6-9 November).The  relevant government agency representatives with responsibilities in spill response in the countries like Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda have participated in the training."In the event of a marine oil spill, relevant government agencies in the affected region need to manage and coordinate a response…

Boys are coaxed into cleanliness at bath time playing with boats. But it was never a game for Joseph Farrell, III, instinctively realizing he was ballasting and salvaging ships, unlike the typical Mr. Bubbles kid. The scion of Resolve Marine Group may have been born to lead the global emergency response company founded by his father with a single tug 38 years ago, but he’s never taken dangerous wreck removal lightly.Before turning 15, Joey had two close calls on and around ships that guide him today, at 34.

Drug interdiction. Crew transport in hostile waters. Law enforcement. Rescue operations. Passenger vessels. Today’s MultiMission Vessels (MMVs) are a diverse collection of workboats characterized by adaptable platforms, customized with standard accessories.A larger budget for electronics and multiple, smart, navigational screens and MDTs challenge the interior configuration of already crowded MMVs, increasingly built with matching FEMA port security grant funds for joint venture operations.More monohull patrol vessels monitor illegal fishing…

A harbor tug is aground, partially submerged and taking on water on the Upper Mississippi River near Cairo, Ill.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report at 2 p.m. Tuesday stating that the vessel, Totem Kole II, was taking on water at mile marker 59.7. The vessel is grounded at a nearby embankment on the left descending bank of the river.All crewmembers were able to safely disembark the vessel.Coast Guard crews are responding to the incident and an oil spill response organization has deployed containment boom around the vessel to prevent the spread of pollution after an unknown amount of product is reported to have gone into the water.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) conducted a multi-agency Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) yesterday (Friday) to test its abilities to respond to oil spills at sea. A mock collision and oil spill was staged in Singapore waters near Pulau Semakau in a response exercise.More than 250 personnel from 26 agencies participated in JOSE 2018 (please see Annex A for list of agencies), which comprised a table-top exercise at the MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre. During the exercise…

Maxum Petroleum has taken delivery of its newest tank ship, the Global Provider. The newbuild will deliver fuel and lube oil to ship operators in the Pacific Northwest.The vessel, the first in its design and size for Maxum Petroleum, was designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) of Seattle and built by Jesse Engineering of Tacoma, Wash.Global Provider is a self-propelled bunker ship measuring 126'-2" in length, with a 32 ' beam, 10' draft and 13' depth to main deck. The vessel has a carrying capacity of 151…

The Coast Guard has developed two separate mitigation system prototypes specifically designed for inland and offshore environments and tested them in the Kalamazoo River and Lake Huron.Whenever there is a need for oil, there will always be a risk of oil spills. This is no less true for bituminous sands, commonly known as oil sands or tar sands. Oil sands are mostly found in Alberta, Canada, and comprised of bitumen, sand, clay and water. They are typically viscous, with a texture similar to peanut butter.

The greening of America’s energy signature will not come without the usual discussions, regulatory oversight – and opposition from a raft of special interests.Amidst an atmosphere of possible resurgence in the domestic offshore oil energy, maritime stakeholders are also reminded that there is more than one kind of energy available for development off the four collective coasts of the United States. That process is underway in the Great Lakes; it has already happened off of New England.

After the recent oil spill disaster of the Bow Jubail in the Port of Rotterdam, Fleet Cleaner has stepped up to help the authorities with cleaning ship’s hulls which were fouled by the heavy fuel oil, in order to minimize the environmental impact. Within record time, Fleet Cleaner has transformed its installation to an oil spill response vessel; by installing specialized heating equipment, the high pressure water cleaning robot was made ready for high pressure steam cleaning.

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…

Responders are facing challenging monsoon season conditions as they work to salvage a containership that caught fire and grounded in the in the Bay of Bengal last month.The stricken containership SSL Kolkata remains aground in soft mud some 7.5 nautical miles off the Indian Sunderbans, Kolkata, West Bengal, after an explosion in one of the containers lit a fire on board the vessel on June 13.An oil spill response team from OSRL has arrived on scene and is the process of managing the counter pollution operations as responders battle challenging weather conditions…

Congress enacted the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) a mere 17 months after the disastrous oil spill following the grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound. Among the many provisions in the voluminous bill was a detailed planning requirement. For the first time, tank vessels and facilities handling oil in bulk were required to develop extensive plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil into waters of the United States. As regards vessels and marine-transportation-related facilities, the U.S.

Emerging spill response trends fit into two big categories: technology and a combination of economic and social forces. Both will shape what comes next.Florida’s stunning Tampa Bay stands out as exactly the kind of place where you have to think about hazardous materials emergencies. It was 25 years ago, on August 10, 1993, that a freighter collided with two barges near the entrance of Tampa Bay, causing a fire and spilling over 32,000 gallons of jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline and about 330,000 gallons of heavy fuel, devastating beaches, wildlife and habitat.

Namibia has hosted of a series of events addressing oil spill preparedness and response, with two back to back workshops in Swakopmund (22-24 May and 28-31 May) developed with a view to improve the national preparedness and response system in the country. A first workshop was held to provide participants with an overview of the essential skills needed to prepare for and respond to oil spills at an operational level including contingency planning and risk assessment. The second event focused on shoreline response and clean-up management plan during an oil spill incident.

Compagnie Maritime Monégasque (CMM) and Damen Shipyards Group (Damen) have joined forces to introduce a fast, safe and reliable Fast Marine Access crew change solution for the Brazilian market using a Damen FCS 7011. The solution looks to transfer personnel between shore and the ever more distant deep sea offshore platforms and flotels. The FCS 7011 focuses on increased safety, cost reduction and comfort, while offering a high speed solution to complement existing helicopter transfers.