Platform News

PaxOcean, Singapore-based builder focused on offshore rigs, semi-submersibles and specialized offshore vessels, has signed a contract with Japanese general contractor Penta-Ocean Construction to construct a self-elevating platform (SEP) for use in the offshore wind sector in Japan.Scheduled for completion in Q3 2022, the SEP is of a GustoMSC design, equipped with four tubular legs and four azimuth thrusters.According to a press release from the subsidiary of Kuok Singapore Limited, it is fitted with a 1,600-tonne leg encircling crane, a large clear deck area of approximately 3,800 sqm, with accommodation designed for 80 persons.Chief Executive Officer of PaxOcean Holdings…

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has begun operation of a new data platform called ‘Lighthouse’, to provide real time transport information to dry bulk shipping customers and stakeholders.The platform is a service that allows those involved in the transport process, such as shippers and vessel operators, to safely, unitarily, and in real time, share and monitor various kinds of information related to ocean transport, such as vessel schedules ,weather, ocean conditions, as well as data related to cargoes and contracts, on a customized basis for each customer.By establishing this system, MOL aims to help its customers enhance their supply chain management through measures such as optimization of ship allocation and more effective management of inventory…

Sif Holding, the manufacturer of large steel tubulars, has entered into exclusive negotiations for the delivery of 33 monopiles and 33 Transition pieces (25 KTon steel) for an offshore wind project in Japan.The current state of negotiations has led to a pre- order of the steel for the project, said the Netherlands-headquartered company, which provides steel foundations to the offshore wind, oil and gas markets.Manufacture of the MP/TP-foundations and disclosure of project details is subject to the issue of a Notice To Proceed (NTP) by the client, it said.Sif’s orderbook for 2020 now has approximately 175 Kton of which 25 Kton under exclusive…

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and compatriot telecommunications operator SK Telecom (SKT) have developed a 5G-based autonomous navigation platform that will allow ships to move to set destinations on their own.The trial was conducted using a 3.3m craft developed by SHI and equipped with 5G-based LiDAR, cloud-based IoT platform and T Live Caster, SK Telecom’s real-time video monitoring solution at a shipyard covered by SKT’s 5G network.The test operation took place in the sea near SHI’s Geoje Shipyard, which is covered by SK Telecom’s 5G network.From the Remote Control Center in Daejeon, located 250 kilometers from the shipyard…

Southeast Asia-focused oil and gas company KrisEnergy Apsara Co signed a conditional letter of award with PT Profab for the supply of a minimum facilities wellhead “mini-platform” for the Apsara oilfield – Cambodia’s maiden oil development.According to a press note from the Singapore-based parent company KrisEnergy, the scope of work covers key procurement, and the fabrication and construction of the jacket, topsides and other related accessories for the Mini-Platform, including full pre-commissioning and loading onto a barge for transportation.The work will be undertaken at Profab’s facility on Batam Island, Indonesia, it said.The Apsara field in Cambodia Block A lies over the Khmer Basin…

Mexican crane and heavy haulage contractor ESEASA used its Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane for the first time to load oil platforms onto barges at the port city of Tampico.Tampico is on the Gulf of Mexico and is a major industrial center with its own port. A large number of industrial companies have made their homes on the banks of the Rio Pánuco, to enable them to ship their freight down the river to the sea.ESEASA also has a company site directly on the banks of the waterway. The company is currently manufacturing seven oil platforms there for state oil group PEMEX. These were hoisted onto barges in component form by the LR 13000 before being transported to the south of the Gulf of Mexico.The loads for hoisting were gigantic.

ShipServ, the marine eProcurement platform for ship operators, announced it is set to deliver a full supplier integration solution for AMOS Group Ltd, the SGX-listed global provider of diversified products services and solutions to the marine and offshore industries.The new full integration solution will enable AMOS Group to increase efficiencies and the speed of processing multiple transactions, significantly reducing labour time as well as quickly responding to RFQs. This will help drive customer retention and the ability to win more business through faster turnaround times.The development is an important part of AMOS Group’s digitization strategy…

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (SGRE) has secured a deal to supply 4.X turbines for a 200MW wind farm in China, its first contract for the platform in the market.The Spanish-German group will deliver 42 machines rated at 4.8MW to the project developed by Xinjiang TBEA Group in Xinjiang, northwest China. The company will also provide operation and maintenance services for five years.This is the second order that SGRE has received from TBEA, strengthening the partnership between both companies. The 200 MW wind farm is located in the city of Changji, in the region of Xinjiang, northwest China.The Siemens Gamesa 4.X platform, with its 145 metres rotor variant…

BHP’s Maritime and Supply Chain Excellence team and Klaveness Digital have partnered to develop CargoValue, a shipping and logistics platform, to improve the way the industry collaborates and shares scheduling and vessel information.The concept will enable BHP and its partners to access the same shipping information in real-time, customers on the platform can also see the shipping schedule and calculate impact on their inventory and production.As a first proof of concept, BHP invited a global steel producer to trial the CargoValue solution developed by Klaveness Digital as a new way of working together. The proof of concept has provided the steel producer with actionable insight into their raw material flow…

South Korea’s container shipping giant Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and compatriot shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) have joined forces on the research, development and innovation in the field of smart ship technologies.Under a Memorandum of Understanding, the parties would conduct research on real-time service system based on IoT (Internet of Things), design on-shore platforms for optimized fleet operation, develop automated warehousing systems for ship materials and development economic navigation solutions.HMM plans to promote the innovation of smart ship technologies underway of directly reflecting and testing operational data to its own container vessels.In fact, certain part of smart ship solution related to optimized ship operation has already been compl

Denmark-based GreenSteam, a majority owned company of BP, has acquired BMT’s data collection and performance optimisation subsidiary UK-based firm SMART. The marine efficiency software solutions provider is reputable in leveraging Machine Learning methodologies and next generation fuel saving platforms to stimulate the sustainable development of Shipping and World Sea Trade.The sale of SMART, a data collection and performance optimization software solution, to GreenSteam, follows a strategic business review by BMT to focus on its core Infrastructure, Defense and Security, Commercial Shipping and Environmental divisions and, as well,…

The heavy transport vessel operator Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) has secured a contract from DEME Offshore to transport foundations for the 950MW Moray East wind farm off Scotland.The contract includes transportation of 48 jackets from Lamprell fabrication yard, UAE to the Port of Nigg in the Scottish Highlands.OHT will dedicate three of their largest open deck semi-submersible heavy transportation vessels to the project. The three-legged jackets, averaging more than 1,000 tonnes each, will reach up to 80 metres in height and OHT’s impressive fleet will carry on average eight foundations per voyage."We started discussions in early 2015…

Greece-based global shipping company specializing in the transportation of dry bulk commodities Pioneer Marine said that it has  entered into a commercial management agreement with Tufton Oceanic Funds.The agreement is  to undertake the commercial management of five dry bulk vessels, further enhancing its operating platform, said the shipowner and global drybulk handysize transportation service provider.Upon the initiation of this cooperation, Pioneer will have under commercial management a total fleet of 24 handysize and one supramax vessels, including owned fleet.Tufton Oceanic is a fund management firm for the maritime, energy related…

Dutch shipbuilder and charter fleet operator Neptune Marine has added a new pontoon to its already extensive fleet. Built by Neptune Marine, the NP 459 is a versatile, multi-purpose pontoon of 82.5 metres in length, a beam of 27 metres and a depth of six metres. Its size and specification make it ideal for a wide range of offshore as well as coastal projects.Among its many potential uses, the NP 459’s technical excellence, stability and high QHSE rating make it perfect for use as an accommodation barge. SPS-classed, air-conditioned accommodation for up to 60 people plus four offices and a mess room is available. This can be upgraded…

UK-based shipping consultant Maritime Strategies International (MSI) has unveiled MSI HORIZON, a new digital platform which enables clients to access the consultancy’s proprietary macro and shipping market models and asset valuations data via a single interface.According to a release, the creation of an integrated data platform means MSI clients can quickly and easily run market simulations and see the results across multiple shipping sectors.This includes creating their own forward outlook on valuations and earnings scenarios by adjusting inputs such as GDP growth and vessel supply and demand. This will indicate the impact on newbuilding and second-hand values…

Two installations from Spirit Energy’s ST-1 in the North Sea have arrived at the Dales Voe decommissioning facility in Shetland, Scotland, with works set to be carried out by partners Veolia and Peterson.The 45-metre high 1,300 tonne steel jacket and 1,200 tonne topsides structure arrived into Dales Voe in Lerwick.The structures will be dismantled and disposed of by partners Veolia and Peterson. Now at the end of their working life recovering these platforms is important to maximize the value of the materials and assets they contain, and further the sustainability of the offshore industry.With a recycling target of  97% the project includes recovery of approximately 2…

With the oil and gas sector seeing a downturn since 2014, the Platform has documented an increasing number of offshore units sold for scrap.While the recycling of fixed installations occurs under strict regulations, there are serious concerns regarding the recycling of floating structures, which classify as vessels.Around 200 floating structures have been identified as scrapped globally since 2015 – an estimated 40% of these assets ended up on South Asian beaches, where they were broken up under conditions that cause irreparable damage to the coastal environment and put workers’ lives and health at risk.According to a latest report by NGO Shipbreaking Platform titled “Recycling Outlook: Decommissioning of North Sea Floating Oil & Gas Units”…

Swedish global engineering group Trelleborg's  offshore operation has been awarded a major multi-million USD contract by Mexican state-owned petroleum company, Pemex, for Elastopipe.Elastopipe, a patented flexible piping system developed for transporting a variety of fluids, will be installed on board the Abkatun A complex in the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico.Morten Kristensen, Business Group Director at Trelleborg’s offshore facility in Norway, said: “This is our first contract made directly with Pemex and the largest contract in our history for Trelleborg’s Elastopipe system. I am pleased to see that Elastopipe is regarded as a safe and reliable firewater system…

Veracity, DNV GL’s open industrial data platform, opens new base in Singapore with the aim to stimulate closer collaboration in the maritime sector through the sharing of data.Veracity enables the secure exchange of data-sets, APIs, applications and insights between industries. By bringing Veracity to Singapore, DNV GL aims to spur on the digitization of the maritime industry by helping this sector to better leverage the use of data.“Asia-Pacific is thriving due to a great deal of investment and innovation across industry. By having a local presence in Singapore, we are better equipped to support the maritime industry in particular with its efforts to use data as a resource to increase efficiency…

Maritime shipping companies Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Hapag-Lloyd have joined blockchain-enabled digital shipping platform TradeLens, which was jointly developed by their container shipping rival Maersk and tech giant IBM.Hapag-Lloyd and ONE, the world’s fifth and sixth largest carriers by capacity, respectively, will join CMA CGM and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world’s second and fourth largest carriers, who recently signed up for the TradeLens platform in May.Maersk says with the addition the carriers, more than half of the world’s ocean containerized cargo is now covered on the platform. “Expanding digital collaboration is critical to the evolution of the container shipping industry…

Philly Shipyard (PSI), the U.S. commercial shipyard constructing vessels for operation in the Jones Act market, and the naval architecture and marine engineering company Vard Marine announced that their bid to conduct industry studies for the Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform (CHAMP) program has been selected by the U.S. Navy.The CHAMP program is a multi-phase effort that involves design studies, preliminary design, and detail design and construction (DD&C) to ultimately replace the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet of aging ships, which provide transport of supplies and critical support to U.S. forces abroad.CHAMP could affordably recapitalize the current fleet with significant decreases in cost both in ship construction and life-cycle maintenance cost.

The giant 25,000-metric-ton Brent Bravo oil platform topsides arrived at Able Seaton Port in preparation for its dismantling and recycling, said Peter Stephenson, founder and Executive Chairman of Able UK.The Brent Bravo, which stands 410 feet tall and 230 feet wide, is the second platform from the Shell Brent field to be decommissioned at Able Seaton Port—the first, the Brent Delta, arrived in May 2017. Both were transported from northeast of Shetland by the Allseas vessel Pioneering Spirit, one of the largest vessels ever built.After arriving off the North East coast, the Brent Bravo was transferred to a 200-meter-long barge, the Iron Lady, for the final part of the journey to Able Seaton Port where it is currently moored on Quay 6.

MODEC Inc. received a letter of intent (LOI) from Petróleo Brasileiro for the supply, charter, and operations of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for the Búzios field.The firm time charter period of the contract is 21 years, it said in a press release.The new LOI will be the fifth FPSO deployed at the Búzios field, however it is the first chartered production unit for the region. Búzios is one of the offshore oil and gas fields in Brazil which forms part of the Transfer of Rights agreement signed in 2010.The Búzios field is 100% operated by Petrobras and is situated 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro…