Offshore Insights from OMSA's Ben Billings
Ben Billings serves as President & CEO of the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), a nationwide trade association headquartered in New Orleans that represents more than 200 member companies. OMSA’s membership includes approximately 100 firms operating more than 1,200 vessels that provide transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world. It’s arguably a very good time to be at the helm of OMSA, with a resurgent U.S.
OCTOPUS-Onboard Ordered for Stanislav Yudin
The Dutch offshore contractor Seaway Heavy Lifting has ordered Amarcon’s OCTOPUS-Onboard decision support technology for her monohull crane vessel Stanislav Yudin. This order is the second OCTOPUS-Onboard installation for Seaway Heavy Lifting. In 2011 the Oleg Strashnov was equipped with Amarcon’s motion monitoring & forecasting solution. Both vessels from SHL offer, amongst others, significant lifting capabilities and are able to provide a broad range of offshore heavy installations tasks.
Passenger Vessel Safety Record Defies NTSB Hit List
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released its annual “Top 10 Most Wanted List” of Transportation Improvements for 2014. New this year was the issue of passenger vessel safety. Between 2000 and 2010, several accidents involving passenger vessels occurred. The domestic passenger vessel industry is highly regulated. Safety regulations for small passenger vessels took effect starting in 1996 for new construction…
Russia Eyes Boosting Primorsk Diesel Exports
Reuters- Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Thursday it plans to nearly triple exports of ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) from the Baltic Sea port…
Swedish Transport Approves Transas ECDIS Training
Transas Marine International has received Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency) approval for its STCW conform generic ECDIS training. After successful formal and on-site Transportstyrelsen audits, Transas ECDIS training course was certified successfully and will be re-audited according to the regular Transportstyrelsen audit cycle. ECDIS Training offered by Transas Marine follows the IMO Model Course 1.27 fully compliant to the STCW 2010…
First Successful Flow Test from East of Oman in 30 Years
Masirah Oil Limited announced the testflow rates of the previously announced discovery at the second exploration well in Block 50 Oman, were very encouraging. The…
China’s Growth Plans are Positive for Global Shipping
China’s aim of 7.5% GDP growth for 2014 is positive news for the shipping market – in particular, dry bulk, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) said in a report published today. Despite being a little down on the 2013 GDP growth of 7.7%, BIMCO said the growth target of 7.5% set by China’s Premier Li Keqiang at his first appearance at China’s annual parliamentary session bodes well for shipping, trade and commodity demand in 2014.
Egypt Tries Harder to Stop Energy Firm Exodus
Egypt is enhancing exploration terms and striving to repay nearly $5 billion it owes to foreign oil and gas producers as it struggles to prevent them fleeing to…
Oil Firms Opt for Stability, Urge Scotland to Stay in UK
Reuters - Royal Dutch Shell has become the second energy heavyweight to urge Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom as the campaign for Scottish independence battles…
AdvanFort Begins Internal Restructuring
Private maritime security provider AdvanFort announced that it will commence a restructuring program to implement rigid quality control for its PCASPs, meant to…
Edison in Talks to Buy Two Israeli Offshore Fields
Reuters - Edison, the Italian utility owned by EDF, is in talks to buy two Israeli gas fields from U.S. explorer Noble Energy and Israel's Delek Drilling, which…
U.S. freedom of navigation operations in 2013 targeted China, Iran
The U.S. military carried out freedom of navigation operations challenging the maritime claims of China, Iran and 10 other countries last year, asserting its transit…
China apprehending boats weekly in disputed S.China Sea
Chinese patrols enforcing disputed new fishing rules in the South China Sea are apprehending foreign boats on a weekly basis, Communist Party officials said on Thursday.
Natural gas industry ready to rebuild depleted U.S. supply
U.S. utilities have withdrawn a record amount of natural gas from underground storage to meet heating and power needs during an extremely cold winter, but gas producers…
Hunting profit flat on weak North Sea, Canada
Energy services firm Hunting posted pretax profit broadly flat on the previous year, but just short of analyst expectations, as a lack of drilling in the North Sea…
Goldman Sachs head of oil and ags Robijns to retire
Goldman Sachs' head of oil and agricultural trading, Karl Robijns, is retiring from the firm, an internal memo seen by Reuters showed. London-based Robijns, who…
Ukraine's Naftogaz says paid for January Russian gas supplies
Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz said on Thursday it has fully paid for Russian gas supplied in January and is in talks with Russia's Gazprom on settling…
Brent eases below $108 on Ukraine diplomacy
EU leaders set to warn, not sanction Russia; U.S. crude stocks rise more than expected. U.S. jobs data, services data point to lower oil demand. Brent crude reversed…
Offshore Jack-Ups Compete in Winter Games 2014
The Winter Games, code-named RigRun is a six week offshore event, which aims to improve health in the offshore industry and gather funds for charity at the same time. Seven Maersk Drilling jack-ups are currently competing against each other and 19 other rigs to claim first place. The RigRun challenge, explain Maersk Drilling, is open to all rig personnel. It’s a race against each other to clock up miles by running, walking, cycling and rowing.
Navy's Global Ocean Forecast System Goes Public
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) & the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) within the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have entered into a formal agreement that results in NCEP using Navy developed global ocean forecast model technology to make environmental ocean forecasts for public use. “Development of an advanced global ocean prediction system has been a long-term Navy interest,” said Dr.
