Pl News

The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) on Monday unveiled plans to roll out a new breakbulk and RoRo shipping service serving the Caribbean.The Cleveland, Ohio-based company announced the formation of Great Lakes East (GLE), effectively reactivating Crimson Shipping Company’s former domestic and international marine transportation business, based out of Mobile, Ala. However, GLE will shift the primary load port to Fernandina Beach, Fla.GLE will initially service the trade with the 270- by 80-foot fully enclosed deck barge…

This week Esgian’s Week 50 Rig Analytics Market Roundup notes developments in the semisub sector including that Shell has decided to exercise its option on Stena Don in the North Sea but not on Deepsea Bollsta in Namibia. Meanwhile, a new contract for the Transocean Barents will see it operate in the Black Sea, and jackup Shelf Drilling Perseverance will move to Vietnam.ContractsShelf Drilling has secured a contract award for the 400ft Shelf Drilling Perseverance jackup rig with PetroVietnam Domestic Exploration Production Operating Company Limited (PVEP POC).

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

Offshore seismic survey specialist Shearwater on Friday announced a new project with the Austrian oil firm OMV for a "pioneering" towed streamer survey with Ocean Bottom Nodes over the Berling gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian Sea. Spanning 1040 sq.km, this hybrid survey starts in July 2023 and will last for three months. Shearwater's vessels, SW Tasman and Oceanic Vega, will lead the operations. SW Tasman will operate as an ROV node deployment vessel for first time…

On September 14, 2022, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I Committee), Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a hearing which indicated a potential revitalization, and new enforcement regime, of U.S.-flag requirements under the Cargo Preference Act of 1954 (the CPA). The hearing occurred on the heels of a Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report regarding the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) lack of COA enforcement, with significant recommendations to revamp oversight by the agency to ensure a growing…

French shipping startup NEOLINE confirmed it has chosen NEOPOLIA Mobility and signed an LOI for the construction of its first 136-meter sailing cargo ship following a new international tender.The project is now in the financial closure phase with the objective of starting construction this Summer, aiming for a commissioning in the first half of 2024, NEOLINE said.NEOLINE's decision to select the offer of the Loire-based company Neopolia Mobility comes at the end of a second international…

Remontowa Shipbuiding, a member of Remontowa Holding, in Gdansk Poland delivered some impressive and innovative vessels in 2020. In October the third in a series of four electric hybrid ferries for a Norwegian customer, began sea trials, and the fourth dual-fuel (LNG/Diesel Electric) ferry for British Columbia was under construction; sophisticated vessels were built and delivered to foreign buyers.On the domestic front, the yard has also been busy, too. A pair of vessels were delivered to the Polish Maritime Authorities in Szczecin and Gdynia.

Vestdavit won a tender from Chantiers de l’Atlantique to supply davit systems for four new logistic support ships due delivery to the French Navy under the FLOTLOG (Flotte Logistique) program. The double-hulled vessels will replace the Navy’s current, single-hulled LSSs and will be deployed to support France’s blue-sea combat fleet commitment to OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Co-operation).Vestdavit will supply two PLD-6000 A-frame davits for interception craft and a single…

The Department of Homeland Security, in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, granted extraordinary relief to the Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) under the authority of Public Law (P.L.) 85-804.ESG submitted a request June 30, 2019, for extraordinary relief after their shipbuilding facilities sustained significant damages from Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, in October 2018.Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan…

Norwegian oil and gas company OKEA has secured the Odfjell Drilling-owned semi-submersible rig Deepsea Nordkapp to drill for upside opportunities within and surrounding the Draugen field offshore Norway.The drilling operation is expected to commence in Q4 2019.Deepsea Nordkapp will drill one infill pilot well in the Draugen field and one exploration well in the “Skumnisse” prospect, north-east of Draugen, both within the OKEA-operated PL093 license.Deepsea Nordkapp is a 6th generation dynamically positioned harsh environment and winterized semi-submersible drilling rig on a two-year lease to Aker BP. The rig is expected to commence drilling for Aker BP in May.

Maritime Challenges in the 116th Congress.The 116th Congress, with its now Democrat-controlled House and 110 newly-elected members, faces a choice. On one hand, Congress can continue to pursue the status quo, supporting U.S.-flag vessel operators and domestic port infrastructure development through existing programs, with suboptimal results. On the other, the 116th Congress can choose to be bold. It can recognize that the U.S.-flag fleet, with only 83 vessels operating in international trade, clearly requires new mechanisms of support.

The newly formed exploration and production (E&P) company Vår Energi is progressing the redevelopment of the Balder and Ringhorne area offshore Norway and a FEED contract for the Jotun FPSO life extension has now been signed with Aker Solutions.In total, about 20 billion NOK ($2.3 billion) will be invested in the redevelopment of the area, which includes the first NCS license area, PL 001 from 1965, said the largest independent E&P company on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).Part of the redevelopment, is the Balder X Project. For Balder X, Vår Energi has signed a letter of award regarding the front end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the lifetime extension of the Jotun vessel towards 2045.The contract…

Hungarian operator MOL Norge has permission from Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to drill an exploration well in the southern Norwegian North Sea.The jackup Rowan Viking will spud well 2/6-6 S in license PL 860 next month, targeting the Oppdal/Driva prospect.The location is 45 km (28 mi) east of the Valhall and Ekofisk fields and 20 km (12.4 mi) north of the offshore median line with Denmark, in a water depth of 70 m (229 ft).Drilling is scheduled to begin in September 2018 and expected to last between 66 and 71 days.The well will be drilled by Rowan Viking which is a jack-up mobile drilling facility built in Singapore in 2010. Rowan Viking is operated by Rowan Norway Ltd. The facility was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in August 2014.

New legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday aims to address maritime transportation safety issues raised by the El Faro sinking, promote the U.S. Coast Guard’s awareness of technologies that could help improve service mission performance, and reduce marine debris.The Save Our Seas Act (S. 756), which was approved in the House by voice vote, combines several pieces of bipartisan legislation recently approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

KVH Industries, Inc. announced today that global ship manager Nordic Hamburg has chosen KVH’s new advanced TracPhone V7-HTS antenna equipment and the AgilePlans subscription-based Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) program to bring fast, global connectivity to its vessels. Installations for 13 vessels have been completed, with plans for an additional 12 through 2018.“The AgilePlans program provides the highest flexibility for our fleet and we were also attracted to KVH’s global coverage…

Equinor and partners Lundin and Spirit Energy have struck oil in the PL 167 licence at the Utsira High in the North Sea.The discovery is currently estimated to contain 15-35 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent.“We are very pleased to announce the first Equinor discovery,” said Nicholas Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president, Exploration, Norway & UK.“This is a good discovery which we expect will be commercial. In addition, the results from the drilling indicate an upside potential in this discovery…

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017; FY 2017 Corps' Work Plan and Infrastructure Plan Addressed. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today held its annual briefing for the news media to address the President’s FY 2018 budget request, the FY 2017 Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations Act, the Corps of Engineers’ FY 2017 Work Plan, and the Administration’s infrastructure initiative. he event was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The full FY 2018 budget request to Congress released by the Trump Administration proposes $5.02 billion for the Corps’ Civil Works program, representing a $382 million increase above President Obama’s FY17 request, but more than $1 billion below the $6.038 billion appropriated by Congress for FY 2017.

The sVGP and recent ballast water treatment system approvals create another headache for small vessel owners. Steve Candito provides a primer. The long delayed Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) legislation is scheduled to come into force on December 18, 2017. Despite some confusion and inconsistencies on this issue generally, there is currently no serious effort to delay the sVGP requirement. Thus, vessel owners should be preparing now for compliance. Although the deadline is still months away…

Russia’s Stary Oskol submarine, the third boat in Project 636.3 series for the Black Sea Fleet, on a voyage to its permanent base has passed the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, TASS quoted the Black Sea Fleet spokesman Vyacheslav Trukhachev as saying. Stary Oskol is the third submarine in the series of six submarines built for the Black Sea Fleet at the Admiralty Verfi Shipyards in St. Petersburg. The Russian Black Sea Fleet currently operates four Project 636.3 submarines. The fleet is to receive a total of six submarines of this project. Equipped with cruise missiles "Caliber-PL," the submarine made transition from the Northern Fleet to the Black Sea Fleet. The passage was watched over by a Turkish escort ship and patrol boat.

Norwegian firm Statoil ASA is ending its rig contract for the Maersk Gallant six months early. The jack up rig has been on contract with Statoil for two years, since 21 August 2014, and since 9 October it has been sub-chartered to ConocoPhillips. "Between 14 February and 21 August 2016 the Maersk Gallant is on a new contract with Total E&P Norge AS, who will pay cancellation fee according to the former contract," says a press statement from Statoil. In January, Total received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) of Norway, to drill the North Sea exploration well 1/5-5 in PL 618 using Maersk Gallant. The jack-up Gallant was last listed as operating in the North Sea. No information was given on the day rate or other terms for the lease.

Updated Guide includes latest industry standards. [PRESS RELEASE] (Houston) ABS has published a new edition of the ABS Guide for Certification of Lifting Appliances that includes construction and operation of modern lifting appliances. The revised ABS Lifting Appliance Guide provides the marine and offshore industry with a clear and precise set of requirements that fully address the existing and new technologies. The input from industry experts, gathered over a two-year period, is reflected in the Guide's more precise requirements for crane machinery; electrical and control systems; structure, material, fabrication, nondestructive evaluation and testing. Structural requirements for shipboard, offshore and heavy lift cranes have been completely revised and updated.

Protea, a manufacturer of offshore handling equipment, launched two types of heavy lift cranes at Nor-Shipping in Oslo earlier this year. “The target of any marine crane design is to provide high lifting performance whilst minimizing overall weight,” said Tomasz Paszkiewicz, Protea’s CEO. The two new crane types are the latest additions to the Proteus crane family. The first is a 1,600mT SWL floating crane targeted at the offshore wind market for the installation of offshore wind turbines.

SSL power solutions manufacturer Thomas Research Products (TRP) introduced a new surge protector for 480V circuits. The FSP3-480-20kA protects LED luminaires from surges up to 20,000 amps. Using new components, the FSP3-480-20kA is the same size as the company’s current 277V model. An LED indicator on TRP’s new compact device shows that it is functioning to protect the luminaire. The unit also includes in-line fusing to shut down the luminaire when the capabilities of the surge protector have been exceeded.