Dean batters south Jamaica

Trees have been uprooted and roofs ripped off houses in southern Jamaica, as Hurricane Dean devastated through the Caribbean.

The storm, with winds of up to 230km/h, careered along the country's south coast, its eye passing some miles away out to sea. Dean has already claimed at least six lives in the eastern Caribbean. Haiti and the Dominican Republic were spared the worst as Dean passed to the south overnight - damage was limited to flooding in coastal areas. Airports have been closed, a 48-hour curfew is in place and the island's power company switched off electricity. The US has said it is prepared to fly in aid if necessary.

About 1,000 emergency shelters have been opened, but just 47 were occupied. As heavy rain began to fall, there were reports of mudslides north of Kingston and the St Mary area on the island's north-east coast. Areas of the Cayman Islands and Mexican coast were also evacuated, amid meteorological reports the storm could intensify into a Category Five hurricane after it leaves Jamaica.

Sunday night's projections showed little chance that Dean would hit the United States. But federal officials and their state counterparts in Texas were preparing for any unexpected turn northward, and oil workers off the Texas coast were heading for shore. The space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the ISS on Sunday, a day earlier, in a bid to beat the hurricane should it eventually reach Texas, where NASA's mission control is based.

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Port Khalid reopens after fire

After a seven-hour closure on Saturday after a major fire, shipping has resumed at Sharjah’s Port Khalid, police and port authorities said yesterday.

Port Khalid was closed for most of the day on Saturday while emergency crews battled overnight to put out the blaze that broke out around 11.22 p.m. on Friday. Activity at the port did not stop except for a short period of not more than seven hours to facilitate the security forces bringing in the necessary fire-extinguishing equipment, said Rashed Al-Leem, director general of Sharjah’s Hamiriyah Ports, Customs and Duty Free Zone.

UAE Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Saif ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, who visited the site on Saturday evening, applauded the emergency services for getting the fire under control before it spread to other areas of the port. The minister, who was inspecting the scene of the blaze, called for measures to protect vital premises against such hazards.

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Global signs Vietnam double

US marine contractor Global Industries has signed a $17 million contract with Japan Vietnam Petroleum Company (JVPC) to install pipelines for the Rang Dong and Phoung Dong field development projects off Vietnam.

The contract includes project planning, transportation and installation of four pipelines with a total length of 37.8 kilometres. The offshore installation is scheduled for the second quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, Global will be providing Saipem underwater saturation diving services to support the repair of Thailand-based PTT Exploration & Petroleum’s gas transmission trunk line in the Gulf of Thailand. The project is valued at about $10 million.

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Bulgarian shipyard receives order worth EUR 882M

Bulgarian shipyard Bulyard Shipbuilding Industry will build three ships for Bulgarian state-owned shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, deals worth a total EUR 88,2 M.

All the ships are bulk cargo ships, two having a capacity of 55,500 dwt each, costing EUR 32,6 M apiece and will have to be delivered by 2011. The last ship, with a capacity of 21,000 dwt that will net Bulyard EUR 23 M, has to be delivered by 2009.

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Eni ready for Kashagan talks

A multinational consortium led by Italy's Eni is preparing for talks with the Kazakh government on the future development of the giant Kashagan oilfield, said chief executive of Eni.

Kazakhstan has said it wanted a bigger share of revenues from the world's biggest oilfield discovery in 30 years in compensation for delays in pumping the first oil from the Caspian Sea wells and threatened to strip Eni of its role as project operator. The much-awaited talks with the Kazakh government were delayed by parliament elections in the Central Asian state and would start before the end of August.

Kashagan's original start-up has been delayed from an original target of 2005 to the second half of 2010. The Kazakh government says projected costs over its 40-year life have increased to $136 billion from $57 billion. Meanwhile the consortium which also includes ExxonMobil, France's Total Royal Dutch, ConocoPhillips and Japan's Inpex has kept the Kazakh oil company KazMunaiGas informed about the project delays and increasing costs.

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