Registration opens for the 2021 Maritime Risk Symposium in Houston
The University of Houston’s College of Technology will host the 12th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2021), in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences, from November 2-4, 2021, at the at the University of Houston’s Student Center-South.The Maritime Risk Symposium is an annual three-day conference in which government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, researchers, and solution providers convene to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. Through presentations, panels, and open forums…
Fire Breaks Out at Lukoil-Owned Ukhta Oil Refinery
A blaze ripped through the small-scale Ukhta oil refinery, controlled by Russian oil major Lukoil, the emergency ministry said on Thursday.It said the fire hit a diesel processing unit and that one man had been injured. Lukoil declined any immediate comment.Video footage posted on social media purported to show a huge ball of fire over the refinery. The ministry said the fire has spread through 1,000 square metres.Interfax news agency, citing an unnamed source, said staff had been evacuated from the plant.The refinery processed around 2 million tonnes of oil in January to November.
DNV GL's Probabilistic Digital Twin Launch
DNV GL proposes the “Probabilistic Digital Twin” (PDT) to close the gap between digital twins – used increasingly by operators to manage the performance of their assets – and risk analysis still largely conducted manually before assets enter service.A digital twin is a digital “mirror” of a physical asset, including models of its structure and dynamics which are updated through a combination of multiple data sources. They bring significant benefits for data management and decision making, providing a consistent, accurate…
GA LNG Terminal Evacuated Ahead of Dorian
Kinder Morgan Inc has halted the startup process of its liquefaction facility at Elba Island near Savannah, Georgia, following mandatory evacuation orders as Hurricane Dorian approached, Chief Executive Officer Steven Kean said on Wednesday.The Houston pipeline operator began construction on the $2 billion facility in late 2016, underpinned by a 20-year contract with Royal Dutch Shell Plc for exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG).The company will resume startup operations at the LNG plant when workers can safely return to the island…
USCG Investigating Offshore Facility Fatalities
Rear Adm. John Nadeau, who recently took command of the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, convened a formal investigation last week for the incident that occurred onboard the offshore production facility Auger, June 30, 2019.Crewmembers aboard the Auger were testing the facility’s lifeboat recovery system when a malfunction occurred resulting in the loss of two lives. The Auger is located 210 miles southwest of New Orleans and is responsible for the production of oil.“The Coast Guard is committed to finding the facts that led to this tragedy,” said Nadeau.
Vietnam: Chinese Vessel Violated its Sovereignty
Vietnam on Friday accused a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and demanded that China remove the ships from Vietnamese waters.Vietnam and China have for years long been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of waters in the South China Sea.On Wednesday, two U.S.-based think tanks reported that Chinese and Vietnamese vessels had engaged in a standoff lasting several weeks near an oil block in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.
U.S. and Gulf Allies Face Task Protecting Oil Shipping Lanes
The United States and its allies may need to to start escorting commercial vessels to prevent further attacks in Gulf oil shipping lanes, Gulf sources and experts said.Even then, the conventional naval and air capabilities of Western and Gulf powers tasked with policing vital commercial waters may be of limited use against the asymmetric warfare tactics suspected in recent operations, including naval mines.Six tankers have been hit in the past month in two attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost a fifth of the world's oil passes, and Washington and Riyadh have accused Iran of being behind them, which Tehran denies.Two senior U.S.
Survitec Restructures Offshore Division
Survitec Group, a manufacturer of marine safety and survival equipment, has restructured its offshore division to better serve customers with assets operating in the oil, gas and wind (renewable) energy sectors, it said.The reorganization of the business unit coincides with renewed activity in the offshore industry following the market downturn, together with Survitec’s overall strategy to hone its focus within key sectors.Ross Wilkinson, VP of U.K. and Scandinavia who leads Survitec Global Energy, said, “The offshore market is emerging from its recent low-point…
TX Refineries Cut Output as Spill Curbs Shipping
Royal Dutch Shell Plc and LyondellBasell Industries cut production on Monday at their Houston-area oil refineries because of shipping disruptions along a waterway affected by a petrochemical fire and spill, according to people familiar with the matter.A fire and fuel leak at Mitsui & Co Inc's Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) storage facility in Deer Park, Texas, last week sent gasoline, water and fire suppressant foam into the Houston Ship Channel, which connects Houston to the Gulf of Mexico, and is home to nine oil refineries.The U.S.
ASEAN Adopts Oil Spill Contingency Plan
International Maritime Organization (IMO) technical assistance and institutional support has been instrumental in the recent adoption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan.IMO said that the plan was adopted by the 24th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting, held in Bangkok, Thailand (8 November). The Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan provides for a mechanism whereby ASEAN Member States can request and provide mutual support in response to any oil spills.It also ensures a common understanding and effective integration between affected and assisting ASEAN Member States…
API Enhances Offshore Safety Standard
The American Petroleum Institute (API) released its newest valve standard as part of the industry’s continuous efforts to improve operational safety and environmental protection.According to a release from the agency, the “Specification 6A” governs the design and operations of the critical safety valves at wells used in the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. The latest edition includes new automatic closure requirements, to ensure additional protection for workers and the environment in loss of power and emergency…
GMN Promotes Technologies to Cut Shipping Emissions
Practical efforts to implement ship energy-efficiency measures and promote technology transfer are an integral part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s initial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.A press release from the UN-body said that this is embodied in the global network for energy-efficient shipping under the Global MTCC Network (GMN) project, funded by the European Union and run by IMO.Representatives from the five Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) in the GMN network recently met for their second annual meeting (22-26 October) in London…
EU Commits USD 341 million for Clean, Healthy and Safe Oceans
The European Commission (EC) has announced EUR 300 million (USD 341 million) of EU-funded initiatives, which include projects to tackle plastic pollution, make blue economy more sustainable and improve research and marine surveillance.According to a communication from EC, this important contribution comes on top of the over €550 million committed by the European Union, when it hosted the Our Ocean conference last year in Malta.High Representative/ Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: "The state of our oceans calls for determined global action.
Storm Shuts Nearly 40% of US GoM Oil Output
Nearly 40 percent of daily crude oil production was lost from offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico wells on Tuesday due to platform evacuations and shut-ins ahead of Hurricane Michael.Since Monday, oil producers, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp, BHP Billiton, BP and Chevron Corp , have evacuated personnel from 75 platforms as the storm made its way through the central Gulf on the way to landfall on Wednesday on the Florida Panhandle.Companies turned off daily production of about 670,800 barrels of oil and 726 million cubic feet of natural gas by midday on Tuesday…
GoM Offshore Platforms Evacuated Ahead of Hurricane
Energy companies on Monday halted nearly a fifth of Gulf of Mexico oil production and evacuated staff from 10 platforms as Hurricane Michael intensified and headed for a path up the eastern U.S. part of the Gulf.BHP Billiton, BP, Equinor and Exxon Mobil Corp were evacuating personnel from oil and gas platforms in the Gulf as forecasters predicted the storm would become a Category 3 hurricane.Companies turned off the daily production flow of 324,190 barrels of oil and nearly 284 million cubic feet of natural gas at midday, according to a survey of producers.
Equinor Evacuates GoM Platform Ahead of Storm
Norweigan state-oil company Equinor on Monday evacuated personnel from its Titan oil platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Michael, a spokesperson for the company said.Other Gulf of Mexico producers, including BP and Exxon Mobil, have also evacuated staff ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.(Reporting by Liz Hampton; Editing by David Gregorio)
Exxon Mobil Pulls Staff From Gulf Platform Ahead of Tropical Storm Michael
Exxon Mobil said on Monday it was evacuating personnel from a Gulf of Mexico platform as Tropical Storm Michael approached the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The world's largest publicly traded oil producer does not currently expect the staff reduction at its Lena production platform to impact output, spokeswoman Julie King said. Reporting by Gary McWilliams
BMT Wins Marine Monitoring Contract with BP
BMT has won a contract to provide multiple marine monitoring systems for BP’s new Mad Dog Phase 2 semi-submersible floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico. These systems will play an important role in ensuring the day to day operations of the facility are conducted safely.The Mad Dog Field is one of BP’s largest discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico to date. Mad Dog Phase 2 will have the capacity to produce up to 140,000 gross barrels of crude oil per day from up to 14 production wells. BMT will install its Integrated Marine Monitoring System which comprises several sub systems relating to environmental monitoring and facility response.
Stainless Steel Tubes for Extreme Offshore Conditions
At the ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, Schoeller Werk will be presenting its comprehensive range of longitudinally welded stainless steel tubes. The focus will be on solutions for the oil and gas industry. The family company from Germany will be showing its high-load control line and chemical injection tubes specially for this sector. The expert for longitudinally welded stainless steel tubes is thus seeking to further expand its market presence in the Middle East.The international petroleum exhibition ADIPEC is the meeting place for the international oil and gas industry…
CNOOC Becomes China’s First OPITO Approved Safety Trainer
The largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), has become the country’s first organization certified to train workers to OPITO safety standards.Its safety training facility, CNOOC Safety & Technology Services Co., Ltd, achieved the internationally recognized approval this summer and it’s anticipated that more than 1,000 of its personnel will be certified within the first 12 months.CNOOC is China’s third largest state-owned E&P firm. It has operations in the South China Sea as well as being involved in LNG storage activities within the Tianjin port district of the Bohai Sea.
