US Offshore Wind Growing on Sturdy Foundations
Once again, the events of the last month have shown that the drive to grow the U.S. offshore wind segment has lost little steam. The foundations are firmly in place to support the deployment of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050.Floating wind farm technology demonstration projects are being developed for both Atlantic and Pacific coasts as a precursor to large-scale floating wind farm projects being constructed towards the end of the decade and beyond.
U.S. to Launch Floating Wind Rights Sale off California Coast in December
President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it would hold the first-ever sale of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California on Dec. 6, a big step forward in expanding the nascent U.S. industry to Pacific waters.The announcement is the latest in a government push to put wind turbines along U.S. coastlines, creating a new domestic jobs engine that is also designed to help wean the nation off fossil fuels and combat climate change.The sale…
AAM to Build Research Vessel for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
All American Marine (AAM) on Tuesday revealed it has been awarded a contract to build a research vessel for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation (UHF), on the behalf of the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). This research vessel, with construction already underway in AAM’s facility on Bellingham Bay, is a 68.5’ x 25’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand.
Solstad Offshore's Subsea Construction Vessels Win Renewable Energy Assignments
Solstad Offshore, a Norwegian company that owns and operates offshore support vessels, has won a contract for the subsea construction vessel Normand Baltic and a contract extension for the subsea construction vessel Normand Navigator.The contracts are for renewable energy projects in North Europe and Asia, with extension options available upon the expiration.The Normand Baltic contract will cover the majority of Q4-22 and Q1-2023…
Gallery: Itapu Oil Field FPSO Leaves Shipyard (Brazil)
Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz (EJA), a Brazilian subsidiary of Singapore's Sembcorp Marine, has completed the construction of the P-71 FPSO, integrating topsides on the China-built hull.The new FPSO vessel left the EJA shipyard on Tuesday. It will be deployed at Petrobras' ultra-deepwater Itapu field in Brazil’s Santos Basin. When operational, the P-71 will produce up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day (BOPD).The P-71 measures 316m by 54m and can store 1.6 million barrels.
Shipping Delays to Tighten China's Soybean Stocks, Hit Feed Output
China's soybean stocks are set to tighten further as delays in shipments from the United States deepen shortages of key animal feed ingredient soymeal, keeping prices at record highs. Ships carrying up to three million tonnes of U.S. soybeans which were scheduled to arrive this month and in November are likely to get delayed by about 15 to 20 days, two soybean traders told Reuters. While U.S. cargo delays are likely to weigh on benchmark Chicago soybean futures…
HydroMAR-E Named Winner of Dft's Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2
A new pathway toward a low-emission and ultimately a zero-emission future in shipping has recently been opened up through the market introduction of a mono-fuel Hydrogen version of the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine.The HydroMAR-E project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2) which was launched in May 2022, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
Dozens of LNG Carriers Queue off Europe's Coasts Unable to Unload
Dozens of ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) are circling off the coasts of Spain and other European countries unable to secure slots to unload because plants that convert the seaborne fuel back to gas are full.Europe is facing an energy supply squeeze as Russia has progressively cut gas flows after the West imposed sanctions in response to the Ukraine war.The region has had to find alternative supplies…
Maritime Autonomy Operational Seminar Launched
A new seminar is the first maritime autonomy training program to allow the federal workforce to train on state-of-the-art, commercial, off-the-shelf autonomous technologies.Sea Machines Robotics’ in partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise in Gulfport, Miss. has developed the Maritime Autonomy Operational Seminar through USM's Center of Higher Learning at the John C.
Rosneft Moves Into Tanker Chartering as EU Ban Looms
Russia's biggest oil exporter Rosneft has expanded its tanker chartering business to ease oil shipments for buyers amid looming Western sanctions on insurance of Russian oil shipments, three sources familiar with the matter said.Previously, state-controlled Rosneft, which produces more than 40% of Russian oil, would sell its oil at the port of loading, meaning the buyer would have to find tankers and handle freight and insurance costs for the voyage.But with new…
Ship Breaking Market Glum and Gloomy
Any vessels that were made available over the past few weeks have swiftly been withdrawn as recycling markets show an ineptitude to offer any sort of serious numbers, having seemingly forgotten how to buy ships after a prolonged period on the sidelines.Consequently, there have been no market sales for another week, especially as freight markets continue to impress across all sectors and recycling markets remain unchanged…
Long-serving Pilot Boat Returns to Gladding-Hearn for Repowering
The Tampa Bay pilot association has returned its first Chesapeake Class pilot boat to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. Tampa was built in 2003 when the shipyard introduced the class of mid-size, high-speed launches. In 2015, the Tampa pilots took delivery of the shipyard’s first Chesapeake Class MKII, which incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 2 pod system. With more than 50,000 operating hours…
Guyana Launches Tender for Its First Oil Refinery
Guyana has called for proposals to design, finance and build a 30,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) oil refinery, the first for the South American country as it becomes a force in crude oil production. Construction work on the facility, to be located on public land near the Berbice river, is expected to begin by the first half of 2023 with project completion two years after. Requests are due in mid-December.
Nord Stream Breaches a Stark Reminder of Undersea Infrastructure Vulnerabilities
On the night of September 26, near the end of the calm season on the Baltic, a broiling kilometer-wide circle disturbed the face of the sea and a huge mass of methane erupted into the air. The gas formed a cloud that crossed Europe, in what’s considered the greatest single release of this potent greenhouse gas ever recorded.It was caused by four breaches of Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, located in or near the territorial seas of Denmark and Sweden.
Ballast Water Management is Reducing the Flow of Invasive Species into the Great Lakes
Freshwater ecosystems are threatened by a host of environmental stressors from human activities. Among the most insidious and impactful of these is invasion by non-native species.Over the past two centuries, established populations of nearly 190 non-native species of invertebrates, fishes, plants and microbes have been discovered in the Great Lakes basin. They were introduced through several sources and pathways including canals…
Russia is Prepared to Quit Black Sea Grains Deal
Moscow has submitted concerns to the United Nations about an agreement on Black Sea grain exports, and is prepared to reject renewing the deal next month unless its demands are addressed, Russia's Geneva U.N. ambassador told Reuters on Thursday.The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July, paved the way for Ukraine to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports that had been shut since Russia invaded.
Wärtsilä to Integrate Voyage Business with Marine Power
Wärtsilä Corporation announced it is integrating its Voyage business into Marine Power as a business unit.The President of Wärtsilä Voyage Sean Fernback will leave the company and he will be succeeded by Hannu Mäntymaa with immediate effect. Mäntymaa, currently VP, Performance Services in Wärtsilä Marine Power, will take over to lead the integration process until year-end and will join Wärtsilä’s Board of Management for the interim period.
Svitzer Names Paterson UK Managing Director
Effective January 1, 2023, Michael Paterson joins as new Managing Director for Svitzer UK, replacing Kasper Karlsen who has acted as interim MD since June. Paterson joins Svitzer from a role as Operations Director at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), with a history in maritime gained from 26 years in the Royal Navy. Managing Director of Svitzer Europe, Lise Demant, said, “Michael will be a huge asset for Svitzer Europe.
Exxon's Russian Oil Output Collapsed after Rejecting Local Tanker Insurance
Oil output at the giant Exxon-led Sakhalin-1 Russian Pacific project collapsed following the U.S. major's refusal to accept local insurance for tankers after Western insurers pulled out due to sanctions, several industry sources told Reuters. Western insurers withdrew cover from tankers operated by state-run Sovcomflot, Russia's biggest shipping group, which was sanctioned following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "Exxon has refused to take Sovcomflot's tankers," one industry source said.
Survitec Names New CEO
UK-based survival technology solutions provider Survitec has appointed Robert Steen Kledal as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)."As CEO, Robert will be responsible for setting Survitec’s strategic direction. He will lead the Survitec Executive team and sit on the Survitec Board," Survitec said."At the start of the year, Survitec launched a new organizational structure designed to make…
