Petrobras passes key test for Amazon exploration license
The Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras concluded an emergency drill on Wednesday in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, according to the company and Brazil’s environmental agency. This was one of the last steps required to secure the controversial exploration license for the mouth of Amazon river. Petrobras sees this pre-operational evaluation, which started on Sunday, as the final step in an environmental licensing process that it hopes will result in a permit for drilling an exploratory oil well and gas wells in the area.
South African court cancels TotalEnergies' oil exploration permit
The court's decision, which was seen by, showed that a South African court had revoked the environmental authorization granted to TotalEnergies for its joint venture with Shell to explore oil in a block near the Cape Coast. The court did say that TotalEnergies was given the chance to correct the deficiencies found, such as a failure properly to assess the socio-economic impact of any oil spills or to take climate change into account. In her ruling of August 13, Western Cape High court Judge Nobahle Lockwood stated that "Total should be given the opportunity to submit revised or new assessments...
US finds endangered Gulf of Mexico Whale threatened by oil and Gas Vessel Strikes
The Trump administration released a long-awaited assessment of environmental impact on Tuesday. It found that vessel strikes relating to oil and natural gas drilling in Gulf of Mexico will likely threaten the existence of endangered Rice's Whale. The biological opinion is an analysis that determines how to protect endangered marine species from oil and gas operations in the Gulf of America, renamed by President Donald Trump. According to the analysis, there are 51 Rice's Whales in the Gulf. This sets speed limits and requires vessels to keep a minimum 500-meter (547 yard) distance from them if they see one.
Shell should be held responsible for oil spills in Nigeria, says community leader before UK trial
Shell must take responsibility for the environmental damage caused in Nigeria by oil spills. A community leader made this statement on Thursday, as a crucial hearing in suits brought against Shell began at London's High Court. Godwin Bebe OKpabi, the leader of the Ogale Community in the Niger Delta said that he appealed to Shell to rectify the damage which, he claimed, had "destroyed [our] way of life". Shell and its Nigerian affiliate SPDC are being sued by thousands of Ogale and Bille residents over oil spills that occurred in the Niger Delta. This region is plagued with pollution, conflict, and corruption related to oil and gas.
Nigeria approves Exxon Seplat after two years
Nigeria has approved the sale to Seplat Energy of Exxon Mobil Corp.'s onshore assets, said the chief executive of the country's Upstream regulator on Monday. This comes more than two years since the original $1.28 billion agreement.Since it was announced in February 20, 2022, the sale has been scrutinized as it awaits regulatory approval.Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, said that the ministerial approval would be granted within a few days following the clearance by the regulator.Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission NUPRC…
Australian regulator: No decision on Woodside Browse Gas Project yet
Western Australia's environmental regulator announced on Monday that it will release recommendations in 2025 on Woodside Energy’s Browse gas project. A newspaper had reported earlier this week that the large project could be rejected. This $20.5 billion gas project off the coast of Western Australia, the largest in the country but still untapped resource has been on the drawing boards for years. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday that the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) sent preliminary comments to the company, in February, calling the proposed terms "unacceptable".
Crude Spill Hits Environmentally-sensitive Area in Venezuela, Report
Crude oil spilling from one of state-run PDVSA's joint ventures has hit an environmentally sensitive area at Venezuela's eastern region, three sources close to the operations said on Tuesday.Oil spills and gas leaks have become frequent in recent years in Venezuela, where lack of investment and delayed maintenance have contributed to the deterioration of PDVSA's aging energy infrastructure.The leak came from an oil well at Platform G, one of the sources said, referring to infrastructure located at the Pedernales shallow-water field in eastern Venezuela.
Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms.There could be a lot to gain from robotics, but platforms and offshore wind turbine structures are also very challenging places to put them on. For oil and gas, key drivers are around safety and cost . For the offshore wind sector, the sheer volume of structures being installed is driving a push for robotic systems to do inspection…
Equinor to Clean up Onshore Bahamas Spill
Equinor will clean up the onshore oil spill discovered this week at its Bahamas storage terminal in the aftermath of hurricane Dorian, the Norwegian energy company said on Sunday.In preparation for the hurricane, Equinor shut down operations at the South Riding Point terminal on Aug. 31 and none of its staff were at the site during the storm."Based on current visual assessments, there are no indications of continued oil leakage from the tanks or of oil spills from the terminal to sea or beaches," Equinor's statement…
Green Group Asks Cosco to Avoid HFO in Arctic
Clean Arctic Alliance has sent its second letter to Cosco, in which the NGOs urge the Chinese liner company to make public what fuel types its vessels use in the Arctic.Responding to reports that the 190m-long COSCO-owned cargo vessel Tian’en is due to arrive in the Swedish port of Gävle on August 18, having traversed the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route between the Pacific and the Atlantic, Clean Arctic Alliance Lead Advisor Sian Prior said: “Earlier this year, the Clean Arctic Alliance wrote to COSCO requesting it make public the nature of the fuel that the Tian’en…
Nigerians Pursue Shell Spill Case in the UK
The Supreme Court in London will hear an appeal by Nigerian farmers and fishermen to pursue claims in England against oil major Shell over oil spills in the Niger Delta, lawyers for the two affected communities said on Wednesday.The decision to hear the appeal re-opens the possibility for British multinationals to be held liable at home for their subsidiaries' actions abroad.
Exxon Resumes Seismic Survey in Guyana
Exxon Mobil Corp has resumed seismic exploration for oil and gas off of the coast of Guyana after halting work in December due to a run-in with the Venezuelan navy, a Guyanese government official said on Tuesday.Vessels have been able to travel unimpeded since the incident, said Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin in an interview at Rice University in Houston where he addressed a group of business executives."That was a one-off on Dec. 22 and we haven't heard any reports of a recurrence," Gaskin said. He was in Houston…
Sunoco Pipeline to Pay $5.4 mln for Oil Spills
Pipeline operator Sunoco Pipeline LP has agreed to pay roughly $5.4 million to settle claims over crude oil spills from 2013 to 2015 in three U.S. states, the U.S.
US Oil Export Boom Sparks Battle to Build Texas Ports
Booming U.S. oil exports have set off a scramble to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies expected over the next five years.Of seven proposed oil-export projects, nowhere is the opportunity greater or the competition more fierce than in Corpus Christi, Texas, where three firms are vying to open the state's first deepwater port.Commodities trader Trafigura has taken an early lead with a planned offshore facility that has an easier path to regulatory approval and faces fewer…
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…
US Judge Halts Keystone XL Oil Pipeline
A U.S. judge in Montana has halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline designed to carry heavy crude oil from Canada to the United States, drawing a sharp rebuke on Friday from President Donald Trump.The ruling of a U.S. Court in Montana late on Thursday dealt a major setback to TransCanada Corp, whose stock dropped 2 percent in Toronto. Shares of companies that would ship oil on the pipeline also fell.TransCanada said in a statement it remains committed to building the $8 billion, 1,180 mile (1,900 km) pipeline…
"What's Your Arctic Fuel Choice?" Clean Arctic Alliance Asks Cosco
The Clean Arctic Alliance called on Cosco to make public the nature of the fuel that the Chinese cargo vessel Tian’en has used and carried through Arctic waters.Clean Arctic Alliance Lead Advisor Sian Prior was responding to news that the Cosco-owned Tian’en has departed Arctic waters for the French port of Rouen, having travelled via the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route or “Polar Silk Road” along the coast of Russia, between the Pacific and the Atlantic."Cosco and its customers should commit using – and carrying only lighter…
Norway Awards Oil Permits to 11 Firms in Arctic Licensing Round
Norway has awarded 12 oil and gas exploration licences to Equinor and 10 other companies focused mostly on the Arctic, where Oslo believes it has the greatest potential for significant new discoveries.Nine of the licences are located in the Barents Sea and three in the Norwegian Sea off central Norway, the Ministry of Oil and Energy said on Monday."This licensing round confirms that the oil companies see opportunities for further profitable petroleum activity in the north," Oil and Energy Minister Terje Soeviknes said in a statement.Equinor…
Canada to Buy Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline
The Canadian government said on Tuesday it will buy Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd's Trans Mountain pipeline project for C$4.5 billion but does not intend to be the long-term owner of the project, which has faced fierce environmental opposition.Canada will also offer federal loan guarantees to ensure construction continues through the 2018 season as part of the deal with the company, a unit of Houston-based Kinder Morgan Inc ."The federal government has reached an agreement with Kinder Morgan to purchase the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, and infrastructure related to the Trans Mountain expansion project," Finance Minister Bill Morneau told repo
Stena Oil Rolls Out Scandinavia's Largest Bunkering Terminal at Frederikshavn
Stena Oil has signed an agreement to create a new marine fuel terminal in the Port of Frederikshavn. The facility will be fully adapted for the new Sulphur Directive 2020 and its location will reduce the distances travelled by bunkering vessels. The oil terminal will be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, with a capacity of 75 000 cubic metres. "We are delighted to be developing our business in Frederikshavn. We will create a state-of-the-art terminal that can handle all fuel types that meet the IMO’s global sulphur directive, which comes into effect in 2020.