Offshore Platforms News

Offshore platforms of all shape and size offer a tempting respite for migratory birds, attracted by their lights. But landing on these structures can be a death sentence for tired birds that use up precious energy needed for their onward journey.To that end Glamox is now offering new bird-friendly lights. These new bird-friendly lights use an innovative green LED light that provides sufficient illumination to keep offshore workers and mariners safe while being less attractive to migratory birds.

On the night of February 8, 2000, the crew of the British research vessel, Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery, were braced for a storm.Wind speeds had been increasing over the previous night creating conditions no one onboard had ex-perienced before – or would want to experience again.From mid-afternoon on the 8th to mid-morning on the 9th, wave heights were topping 20 m in height and even reached 29.1 m – the equivalent to a ten-storey building – peaking around midnight.Even for 250 km west of Scotland, out in the North Atlantic, these were abnormal conditions.

Global aquaculture production has already exceeded wild fisheries production, and space constraints in coastal areas have driven interest in the viability of combining aquaculture with offshore energy installations. New ideas keep coming.An article published in Heliyon this month assessed the potential for growing high-value algae species on decommissioned oil and gas jackets.Algal aquaculture is growing at 8.9% annually and became an $22 billion industry in 2024. There are an estimated 7…

The school year at the Ushuaia Merchant Marine Training and Education School for Embarking Personnel (EFOCAPEMM) has concluded, with the graduation of 60 students, in training provided by the Argentine Naval Prefecture.The event was chaired by the School Director, Prefect Cristian Alejandro Sarasua, who was accompanied by National Deputy Carolina Yutrovic, Councilor Dr. Daiana Freiberger and the Secretary of Government of the Municipality of Ushuaia, Dr. César Molina Olguín.The graduates specialized in various disciplines: nurse, sailor, engine assistant, professional motorcyclist captain of the second and third special zones, and special zone sailors.In addition…

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has signed a contract for the design and construction of five Walk-to-work vessels with an international customer, which will be put to service for offshore oil and gas platforms.The vessels are of VARD 3 32 design, a design developed by VARD in close collaboration with the unnamed customer.The five Walk-to-work vessels will provide maintenance, supply, and operational services to offshore platforms in the oil and gas sector.The vessels will be equipped with a diesel/electric and battery-hybrid propulsion system…

Ocean energy company Global OTEC unveiled the OTEC Power Module concept, a system that employs ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology to provide clean power for remote offshore platforms and wells.Designed as an alternative to traditional long subsea tiebacks, the OTEC Power Module could provide clean baseload electricity and flow assurance services without the need for cables and hydraulics, which typically limit reach to 35 km.Building on Global OTEC’s experience…

Drydocks World has signed a deal for the largest floating sheerleg crane in the Middle East and Africa.Fabricated by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), the new 5,000 tonne crane features a 160-meter-long A-frame and a 600-tonne fly jib that can extend its reach to 180 meters.An automatic ballasting system guarantees stability and includes the integration of a high-capacity ballast water treatment plant.The design, construction, testing, and commissioning phase is expected to take approximately 24 months…

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…

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…

Ukraine's navy and military intelligence have attacked and damaged a former offshore gas platform used by Russian forces in the Black Sea, the navy spokesman said on Saturday."The occupiers used this location for GPS spoofing to make civilian navigation dangerous. We cannot allow this to happen," Dmytro Pletenchuk said on Facebook.He posted a video taken at night showing an explosion on an offshore platform and the ensuing fire. He said that a half a day before the attack, Russian forces had stationed equipment and military personnel on the platform."There were no civilians there.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Nantong Pengrui Offshore Technology and COSCO Shipping Shipyard (Nantong) for its novel design of an offshore access gangway.The motion compensated, active and passive, gangway design offers a solution for the growing demand for efficient access for service operation vessels (SOVs) supporting wind turbines and offshore platforms.ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements.“Transferring personnel to and from offshore facilities is one of the most hazardous operations in the business.

The Texas energy industry was evaluating the impact from Hurricane Beryl on Monday after the powerful storm lashed the U.S. Gulf Coast, closing key shipping ports and hitting the oil refining and production sectors.Beryl made landfall near the coastal town of Matagorda, Texas, on Monday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers an hour) and posing problems for the heart of the country's energy sector.The storm had strengthened to a Category…

The largest ports in Texas closed operations and vessel traffic on Sunday as Hurricane Beryl intensified as it approached the Texas coast near Houston.Beryl, which left a trail of destruction this week in the Caribbean, killing at least 11 people, was now a category 1 hurricane and may strengthen into a category 2 by landfall on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.The ports of Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City said they closed after condition "Zulu" was set by Coast Guard captains on Sunday.

Nordic Fender has entered a strategic partnership with SkyLab IoT for the development and expansion of smart fender and buoy solutions that provide real-time data worldwide.Nordic Fender products can now benefit from live monitoring of critical parameters such as air pressure, temperature, humidity, acceleration, angle and rotation (X, Y, Z), and location services based on GPS, GNSS, geolocation, and WiFi/MAC addresses. In addition to the standard data, it is also possible to monitor other environmental…

The United States on Wednesday issued hundreds of fresh sanctions targeting Russia over the war in Ukraine in action that took aim at Moscow's circumvention of Western measures, including through China.The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 targets and the State Department designated more than 80 in one of the most wide-ranging actions against Chinese companies so far in Washington's sanctions aimed at Russia.The U.S. imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong…

H2SITE’s AMMONIA to H2POWER technology for ammonia cracking onboard has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR).The technology is an onboard containerized solution that produces fuel-cell-quality hydrogen using ammonia. This hydrogen can then be used by hydrogen fuel cells that can contribute to the vessel’s electrical power, or the hydrogen could be consumed directly in an internal combustion engine.Ammonia cracking is gaining momentum as a potential hydrogen…

French engineering firm GTT announced it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese shipbuilding group China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).The agreement provides for cooperation between GTT and 12 subsidiaries of the CSSC conglomerate, notably in ship design and construction, cryogenic containment technologies for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping, LNG as fuel and smart shipping solutions.As part of this agreement, GTT and CSSC aim to develop and market competitive LNG tank solutions with GTT technologies…

In a first, Brazilian oil company Petrobras last week reportedly sold the P-32 FPSO for sustainable recycling in Brazil, paving the way for the development of the local ship recycling industry.The sale of the floating unit P-32 reportedly took place on July 7, 2023. In a collaboration supervised by Petrobras, the steel company Gerdau S.A. and shipyard Ecovix have been entrusted with the responsible and environmentally sound recycling of the FPSO."This decision marks the first time a commercial vessel at the end of its lifecycle will be dismantled in Brazil.

Energy ecosystems are evolving as the value of offshore power-to-X production is being realized.Flexible and delivered in long lengths on reels in a fast-track operation, thermoplastic composite pipeline can transfer up to nine times the amount of energy as a cable and can be used to store hydrogen, increasing the uptime of offshore wind farm generated power.That’s according to Netherlands based supplier Strohm, member of the Hydrogen Offshore Production for Europe (HOPE) project and the Dutch floating green hydrogen and ammonia OFFSET project.

Wagenborg Offshore has taken delivery of the Kingsborg subsea support vessel.Kingsborg is a subsea support vessel, converted from a platform supply vessel, that will support subsea activities and decommissioning works in the southern North Sea in a long-term agreement with an energy major, Wagenborg said, without sharing the name of the client."After the positive experiences with the W2W vessels Kasteelborg and Keizersborg, Wagenborg has once again opted to convert a standard Platform Supply Vessel into this specialist offshore vessel.

Dutch offshore access provider Ampelmann announced it has signed a new contract to build two more W-type systems for Ulstein, on behalf of one of Germany’s major shipowners. This is Ampelmann's second contract with Ulstein to provide an integrated gangway system on two new vessels.The two W-types are estimated to be delivered by 2025 with the contracts including two systems firm, followed by a potential two plus two in the client options. These systems are intended for offshore wind use to assist in the transferring of both personnel and cargo from vessel onto offshore platforms.

A U.S. judge on Wednesday refused to overturn a California county's decision to block Exxon Mobil Corp from using tanker trucks to ship crude oil from coastal facilities to inland refineries while a ruptured pipeline is fixed.U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles denied Exxon's bid to reverse the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors' denial of a trucking permit in early 2022, saying the board's decision was substantially supported by evidence that transporting crude…