Louisiana News

Mobile, AL-based Blakeley BoatWorks has announced the completion and delivery of Hull 107, formally named M/V Claire Ellen, to Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations.Designed by Farrell and Norton and built by Blakeley BoatWorks, the 70-foot long, 28-foot wide, 1,600 horsepower vessel is fully compliant with the latest United States Coast Guard Subchapter M regulatory requirements. The new pushboat is the sixth 70 foot workboat delivered by Blakeley to to Cooper Marine-Louisiana.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) Board of Commissioners has announced the appointment of Beth Ann Branch as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2024. Branch, a highly regarded expert in global maritime strategy with over 20 years of experience in transportation and logistics, will also serve as CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). She succeeds Ronald Wendel Jr., who has been serving as Acting President and CEO during a crucial transitional phase…

Woodside has completed the acquisition of Tellurian Inc. and its US Gulf Coast Driftwood LNG development opportunity.Woodside has acquired all issued and outstanding Tellurian common stock for approximately $1.00 per share to bring the value of the transaction to approximately $1,200 million.Woodside has also renamed the Driftwood LNG development opportunity Woodside Louisiana LNG.Woodside Louisiana LNG is an under-construction, pre-final investment decision (FID), LNG production and export terminal in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Amidst sensational headlines and questionable policy decisions from Washington, D.C., the U.S. offshore energy sector stands resilient. This vital industry not only powers our nation with reliable energy but also enables hundreds of thousands of jobs across all 50 states and strengthens national security. From the Gulf of Mexico to the burgeoning offshore wind farms along the East Coast, the resilience and innovation of this sector are critical to driving economic growth and ensuring our nation’s energy security.The Gulf of Mexico has long been a cornerstone of U.S.

American Offshore Services (A-O-S) has deployed its hybrid-ready crew transfer vessel (CTV) to support the offshore wind industry on the U.S. East Coast.The M/V Generater CTV is the second vessel in the A-O-S’ G-Class series, which has been delivered from Metal Shark Boats in Louisiana.The G-Class vessels are designed to transport technical personnel and essential equipment to offshore wind farms, and have the capacity to accommodate 24 passengers.The vessel has been designed for future hybrid integration…

The operators of a Panama-registered tanker have been fined $2 million and the ship's captain sentenced to eight months in prison over charges stemming from environmental violations in the United States, the Department of Justice announced. Dubai-based Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Turkey-based Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret, the two corporations that operated the motor tanker P/S Dream, were sentenced in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2 million criminal penalty and complete four years of probation.

Metal Shark, a Louisiana-based boat builder, has delivered the first of two cutting-edge 50-foot welded-aluminum fireboats to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Annapolis, Md. These new vessels are set to enhance emergency response capabilities across Chesapeake Bay, safeguarding over 500 miles of shoreline.Designed in-house and built at Metal Shark's Franklin, La. shipyard, the 50 Defiant NXT monohull fireboats feature advanced technology that improves response times, firefighting effectiveness and safety for firefighters, the builder said.

Autonomous underwater robotics solutions provider Greensea IQ announced a it is partnering with Baker Marine Solutions (BMS) to expand its innovative hull cleaning service offering in Louisiana ports.BMS will serve as a subcontractor and sales representative for Greensea IQ’s EverClean hull cleaning service throughout Louisiana, including at the Port of New Orleans, and expand the EverClean brand into new regional markets.BMS, a Covington, La. based provider of marine and offshore expertise…

U.S. Gulf of Mexico energy firms on Friday were lumbering back from hurricane disruptions as offshore oil and gas producers ramped up operations after halving the key energy region's output, ports reopened, and onshore terminals accepted oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers.Hurricane Francine shut in up to 42% of the region's offshore oil and 53% of its natural gas production. The storm missed Texas and came ashore in Louisiana late on Tuesday, causing flooding and power problems that affected onshore terminals and ports that withstood 100 mph (161 kph) winds.The port of New Orleans…

U.S. liquefied natural gas export terminals on the Louisiana coast may have escaped the brunt of Hurricane Francine and put off a major test of their ability to withstand a direct storm hit to another day.Francine was on track on Wednesday to lash south-central Louisiana, east of Cameron Parish that is home to several of the newly operating projects, with 90 mile-per-hour (145 kph) winds. Three of the four largest U.S. LNG export facilities are in Louisiana."This hurricane seems to be avoiding the majority of the LNG facility corridor…

The U.S Coast Guard on Wednesday suspended operations at the offshore energy services hub Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as hurricane Francine bore down on the coast, according to a shipping advisory.The temporary closure of Port Fourchon, home to marine and equipment suppliers to offshore oil producers, follows the suspension of marine traffic at the deepwater Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), and the commercial ports of New Orleans, Cameron and Lake Charles on Tuesday, all essential to oil, LNG and agriculture exports.About a quarter of all oil and natural gas production in the U.S.

Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast have begun scaling back operations and evacuating some production sites as Tropical Storm Francine swept through the energy-rich region, and was poised to strengthen into a hurricane later Tuesday.Francine was advancing toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, set to become the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season, which concludes on November 30. Francine could intensify into a Category 2 hurricane, ahead of its expected landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.Offshore production in the U.S.

U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas producers were evacuating staff and curbing drilling to prepare for Tropical Storm Francine on Monday as it churned through the energy region on a path to bring high winds and drenching rains to the U.S. mid-South.Francine is likely to bring life-threatening storm surge to the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts and hurricane-force winds to Southern Louisiana this week. Residents of Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana on Monday were supplied with sandbags and other materials to combat the expected storm surge…

Federal regulators on Friday gave Venture Global LNG permission to begin preparations for the start-up of liquefied natural gas equipment at its Plaquemines export plant in Louisiana, taking a step closer to first LNG production for the facility, about 20 miles south of New Orleans.A tanker containing LNG has been docked at Plaquemines with a cargo of chilled gas since late August, according to Venture Global LNG and data from financial firm LSEG. The cargo is expected to be used…

The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29) commissioned aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, on September 7.San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. They provide the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable and built to operate in the 21st century, with the MV-22 Osprey…

Fuel oil exports bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast slumped to their lowest level since January 2019 last month, a sign of weakened refinery demand as margins have softened, analysts said.Feedstocks like high sulfur fuel oil and other heavy residues can be refined into higher value products such as gasoline and diesel using secondary units.But loadings of those products to the Gulf Coast, America's largest refining hub, fell by a third in August from the prior month to 260,000 barrels per day (bpd)…

NOLA Terminal announced it has hired Taylor S. Turkmen as its new business development manager.NOLA Terminal is building a facility at milepost 59 on the Mississippi River to offer a range of logistical connectivity, handling and storage options.Turkmen, a New Orleans native, attended Ursuline Academy and began her collegiate journey at Louisiana State University. In December 2015, she earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of New Orleans. Since 2017, Turkmen has gained extensive experience in the wine and spirits industry…

A tanker full of liquefied natural gas (LNG) docked at Venture Global LNG's Plaquemines export plant in Louisiana, according to shipping data from LSEG on Friday, in what energy analysts said was a sign the plant could start up in test mode soon.The vessel named Qogir came from Norway full of LNG, according to LSEG data and energy analysts.LNG plants under construction, like Plaquemines, use super-cooled fuel to test and cool equipment in preparation for startup.After Plaquemines started pulling in small amounts of natural gas from U.S.

Louisiana-based Cheramie Marine's offshore support vessel (OSV) Mary Cheramie has been refitted with a pair of new Mitsubishi engines, power solutions provider Laborde Products announced.The vessel's two new Mitsubishi Tier 3 S12R engines, each delivering 1,260 HP at 1,600 RPM, replace the older Caterpillar 3512 engines.According to Laborde Products, the new engines' fully mechanical design simplifies maintenance and operation while enhancing reliability and reducing emissions.

The pilot of a towboat that struck an industrial cargo pier near Saint Rose, La., last year had fallen asleep, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.The pilot of the Marquette Transportation owned and operated towing vessel John 3:16 was experiencing the effects of fatigue during his watch on September 12, 2023, while navigating the Lower Mississippi River. NTSB investigators concluded the pilot had less than two hours of continuous sleep before taking the watch…

At the urging of environmental groups, a U.S. judge threew out an assessment by a federal agency governing how endangered and threatened marine species should be protected from oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, ruled the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Services' so-called "biological opinion" was flawed and did not adequately address risks species face from oil spills and vessel strikes.The assessment was issued…

Governor Jeff Landry, alongside representatives from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and various federal, state and local officials, marked a milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex.Featured in Louisiana's 2023 Coastal Master Plan and the recently approved Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Plan, the HNC Lock Complex is a crucial element of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system.

Oil and gas producer BP Plc told federal regulators on Wednesday that it has reviewed confidential commissioning documents and does not believe Venture Global LNG needs more time to begin commercial production.Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass plant has been at the center of a long-running dispute involving energy companies including BP and Shell over access to LNG from the plant.Venture Global is expected to become the second largest U.S. exporter of the super chilled gas when it starts producing from its new 20 million metric tons per annum (MTPA) by the end of the year.