Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Oil Transfers News

23 May 2023

Shell Cuts Oil Imports at Singapore Refinery Amid Mooring Repairs

© ake1150 / Adobe Stock

Shell has cut crude oil imports at its Singapore refinery this month and is relying on smaller tankers after extending repairs at its single buoy mooring (SBM) facility to June, according to government notices and shipping data.The company is moving crude from Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) onto smaller Aframax tankers through ship-to-ship transfers before discharging them at another jetty on Pulau Bukom, the island south of Singapore where the refinery is located, shipping…

18 May 2023

US, UK, Others Seek to Target Illicit Oil Shipping Transfers at Sea

Illustration only - ©Igor Groshev/AdobeStock

The U.S., UK, Denmark, and other countries have called for more action, including increased surveillance, over the booming practice of unregulated oil transfers at sea, as fears grow over potential pollution, according to a paper submitted to the U.N."These transfers undermine the rules-based international order and increase the risk of pollution to nearby coastal States. This threatens global efforts to prevent pollution from ships," the paper said.The paper was submitted to United Nations shipping agency…

31 Mar 2023

Spain Calls for Tougher Enforcement of Oil Transfers at Sea

© yriy47 / Adobe Stock

Spain has called for tighter scrutiny of oil transfers involving tankers at sea as the number of unregulated ships hit by sanctions grows and raises pollution risks, a U.N. agency session heard this week.Hundreds of extra "ghost" tankers have joined this opaque parallel trade over the past few years as a result of rising Iranian oil exports as well as restrictions imposed on Russian energy sales over the war in Ukraine.The number of incidents last year including groundings, collisions and near misses involving these ships reached the highest in years…

27 Mar 2023

Spain Tightens Rules on Ship-to-ship Oil Transfers

© Vallehr / Adobe Stock

The Spanish government has tightened its rules around ship-to-ship oil transfers after an uptick in the activity along its coastline.Oil tankers seeking to carry out operations off the Mediterranean and Atlantic shores, even outside territorial waters, will have to seek authorization from the closest Spanish port captaincy, according to a new rule due to come into force 20 days after it was published on March 22.Boats seeking to service these tankers loaded with crude oil, refined products or other chemicals will also have to request specific authorization, the rule said.Fuel trading has been

06 May 2022

Singapore Port Authority Says Tainted Bunker Fuel Came from UAE

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

Contaminated fuel supplied to some 200 ships in Singapore came from a tanker that loaded the oil from Khor Fakkan port in the United Arab Emirates, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.MPA began investigations after it was notified on March 14 that a number of ships had been supplied with high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) containing high concentration levels of chlorinated organic compounds (COC) in Singapore.MPA said in April that the tainted oil was supplied by Glencore Singapore Pte Ltd.In further investigations to trace the oil's origin…

02 Sep 2021

Indonesian Navy Seizes MT Zodiac Star Oil Tanker

The Indonesian Navy says it has seized a Panamanian-flagged tanker in the waters off Riau islands after the foreign vessel was found to be carrying more than 4,000 tons of oil without valid permits.Indonesian Navy commander admiral Arsyad Abdullah said in a statement late Wednesday that the Panamanian-flagged tanker, the MT Zodiac Star, was seized on suspicion of conducting illegal activities in the country's waters.The Navy said the Panamanian-flagged tanker was carrying 4,600 tons of ‘black oil’, suspected of being waste, without a port clearance or a valid permit to transport dangerous goods.“The Navy will not hesitate to take action against all forms of legal violations that occur in Indonesian waters…

13 Jul 2021

Shipping Industry Seeks to Combat Dark Oil Transfers at Sea

© yriy47 / Adobe Stock

Top oil shipping companies say they have tightened operational guidelines and deployed technology to prevent accidental breaches of sanctions, as the countries hit by ever tougher restrictions fight back with elaborate strategies to dodge them.Washington has ramped up shipping-related sanctions over the last two years to make it harder for countries, such as Iran and Venezuela, to export the oil that provides their main source of revenue.In response, Iran and Venezuela have developed sophisticated methods to bypass sanctions…

26 Jan 2021

Indonesia Escorts Seized Tankers to Dock for Investigation

The Iranian and Panamanian-flagged vessels seized by Indonesian authorities for suspected illegal oil transfers are making their way to dock at Batam island in the country’s Riau Islands Province for further investigation, a Indonesia coast guard spokesman told Reuters.The two supertankers, with crew members from Iran and China, were seized on Sunday in Indonesian waters near Kalimantan island. The MT Horse, owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and MT Freya, managed by Shanghai Future Ship Management Co, had a total of 61 crew members onboard.“The ships will arrive in Batam at around 3pm (0600GMT) to 4pm later today,” Wisnu Pramandita…

28 Nov 2018

Brazil Ship Collision Reveals Offshore Regulatory Gaps

© Nightman1965 / Adobe Stock

Brazil has more than doubled the number of risky ship-to-ship oil transfers this year, but its monitoring of such offshore maneuvers is lax, to a point where a July 2017 collision between two tankers was not reported, according to a Reuters review of government and shipping records.Transfers are projected to keep rising as the country's deep-water discoveries have lured major companies including Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc to recent offshore auctions. During these maneuvers, ships pull alongside one another and oil is transferred to a vessel via high-pressure hoses.

21 Aug 2018

Russian Firms, Vessels Hit with US Sanctions over N. Korea Oil Transfers

The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels in violation of United Nations. restrictions.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called the sanctions as well as other U.S. steps over alleged hacking, groundless, and promised a response.The U.S. Treasury identified the shipping firms as Vladivostok-based shipping companies Primorye Maritime Logistics Co Ltd (Primorye) and Gudzon Shipping Co LLC (Gudzon). It also named six Russian-flagged vessels: Bella, Bogatyr, Neptun, Partizan, Patriot and Sevastopol."Ship-to-ship transfers with North Korea-flagged vessels from Russia or elsewhere of any goods being supplied…

21 Aug 2018

U.S. Sanctions Russian Firms, Vessels Over N. Korea Oil Transfers

The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels in violation of U.N. restrictions.The U.S. Treasury identified the firms as Vladivostok-based shipping companies Primorye Maritime Logistics Co Ltd (Primorye) and Gudzon Shipping Co LLC (Gudzon).It also named six Russian-flagged vessels: Bella, Bogatyr, Neptun, Partizan, Patriot and Sevastopol."Ship-to-ship transfers with North Korea-flagged vessels from Russia or elsewhere of any goods being supplied, sold, or transferred to or from (North Korea) are prohibited under the U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea and are sanctionable under U.S. law," U.S.

06 Jun 2018

PDVSA Raises Prospect of Force Majeure on Oil Exports

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

OPEC member Venezuela has raised the prospect of declaring force majeure on contracts with major crude buyers amid plummeting output from its oil fields and tanker bottlenecks at ports, according to three sources familiar with the matter.Falling production from Venezuela has contributed to a rally in global oil prices to a near four-year high, and other OPEC members may boost output at a meeting later this month to compensate for the shortfall and other risks to global supplies.Oil is the financial lifeline for the embattled socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro…

11 Sep 2013

Olympic Tug & Barge Fined for Port Angeles Oil Spill

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is fining Olympic Tug & Barge of Seattle $16,500 for spilling oil into Port Angeles Harbor last November. The spill occurred when a company-owned fuel barge was overfilled while being loaded with fuel oil. Ecology determined the Nov. 7, 2012, heavy fuel oil spill occurred because of an error by the barge operator. More than 1,700 gallons of fuel spilled to the deck of the barge with nearly 50 gallons entering Port Angeles Harbor. The oil transfer was being conducted at the Tesoro Port Angeles Terminal located at the foot of the spit Ediz Hook. Olympic Tug & Barge had oil containment boom placed around the barge prior to starting the fuel transfer which helped contain the spill.

11 Nov 2010

Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010

On Friday, October 15, President Obama signed into law the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 3619). This is the first such authorization act for the Coast Guard since 2006. The statute is lengthy (128 pages) and addresses a wide variety of maritime issues. This article will attempt to identify those provisions expected to have the most impact or of the most interest. I have grouped these provisions into broad categories, although there is some natural overlap. The Coast Guard is provided specific authority to enforce the U.S. coastwise trade laws and its personnel are to be trained with regard to these laws. This provision is somewhat redundant, in that the agency, since its founding as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790, has had this authority.

19 Feb 2009

Dresser Gets ABS Fire Rated Approval from

Dresser has been granted ABS Type Approval for fire rated couplings that meet or exceed the previous 2008 ABS rule changes. Typical applications for the ABS approved Dresser coupling include above deck inert gas lines, cargo oil lines, bilge systems, fuel oil transfers, and lube oil transfer systems. Each authentic Dresser approved coupling can be qualified to a working pressure of 19.2bar (275 PSI). Fire testing has been successfully conducted to the stringent guidelines of ISO 19921 & 19922 requirements. Dresser couplings are used for marine piping systems for their ability to absorb vibration, expansion and contraction while providing lifetime, leak-proof dependability. (www.dresser.com)

11 Feb 2009

WA Oil Transfer Rules Protect Waters

In September 2006, state lawmakers directed Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to adopt stringent oil transfer rules after 4,700 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled during an oil transfer operation at Chevron-Texaco's Richmond Beach fuel terminal in December 2003. Swift currents drove the oil ashore on the Suquamish Tribe shellfish beds at Doe-kag-wats beach and salt marsh at Indianola in Kitsap County. In 2008, nearly 15 billion gallons of oil were transferred over Washington waters by ship, fueling facility, tank truck or rail, according to Ecology reports. That equals 1.7 million gallons an hour. Since the rules went into effect, Ecology has seen reductions in the amount of oil spilled. In 2008, only about 158 gallons were spilled to Washington waters during fuel transfers.

29 Mar 2007

Washington State – Oil Transfer Requirement Training

Washington companies and operators that transfer oil over water to non-recreational vessels got some unanticipated help this month on successfully complying with the Department of Ecology (Ecology) oil transfer rules adopted in September 2006. On March 8 and 15, Ecology staff made technical assistance visits to 65 oil transfer locations across the state. Since different requirements are being phased in during the rule's first year, the agency's "Answers to Transfers" campaign was designed to answer questions and provide guidance about how the rule will affect different types of regulated facilities. The new regulations describe how oil must be transferred over water to tank vessels…

03 May 2001

Barging Ahead

Barge operators are often accused of giving the marine fuels industry a bad name. While it is true that there are barging companies with a debatable approach to the business, they are very much in the minority. Worldwide, barge operators are working hard to improve their services and operations. In many respects, they are leading not only the bunker industry — but shipping as a whole. Nowhere is this demonstrated clearer than during barge-to-ship transfers of oil; nowhere is this expertise better demonstrated that in the U.S. Operating bunker barges in the U.S. is a fraught business. To say the very least, U.S. authorities do not like oil in their harbors, and culprits can find themselves on the sharp end of some harsh penalties if negligence is proved.

23 Nov 2005

Washington State Proposes Changes

Changes to state environmental regulations proposed by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) should reduce the risk of oil spills into Washington's waters during oil transfers. Aiming for a goal of zero oil spills, Ecology developed the draft "rules" with a special advisory committee made up of the oil industry and other citizen advocates. Changes in state oil-transfer regulations were requested by the 2004 Legislature following the Dec. 30, 2003, spill of 4,700 gallons of heavy oil into Puget Sound while a tank barge was receiving oil cargo from a Richmond Beach oil-storage facility near Seattle. "We believe these new standards can make a significant difference in the amount of oil that is both catastrophically and cumulatively dripped…

13 Feb 2006

Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2005 Introduced

Representative Inslee (D-WA) introduced the Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2005 (H.R. 4724) to establish requirements with respect to the transfer of oil to or from an onshore or offshore facility, or a vessel with a capacity of over 250 barrels in United States waters, and for other purposes. The purpose of the bill is to reduce the risk of oil spills during bunkering and related oil transfers, but it is so poorly drafted that, in my opinion, it would be counterproductive. General guidance and grant of authority to the Coast Guard is all that is needed from Congress in this regard, along with necessary funding. Source: HK Law

15 Aug 2006

Washington State Bolsters Spill Prevention and Response

In anticipation of adopting new safeguards regarding oil transfers over water and early spill response requirements, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) has added new spill prevention inspectors, a spill responder and a contingency plan reviewer to oversee mobile oil facilities. For the first time, Ecology is stationing a vessel and oil-handling facility inspector and a hazardous material responder in Bellingham. Both positions will focus on prevention and response activities in Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties. There are three oil refineries and two oil pipelines in the region that generate heavy ship traffic in northwest Washington. To prevent oil spills in the Puget Sound and lower Columbia River, the department has added four inspectors.