Turkmenistan-China gas line project commences

Construction has started on a 7,000-km pipeline that will deliver 30 billion cu m/year of gas from Turkmenistan to China starting in 2009.

In a ceremony that marked the beginning of construction work, Turkmen President made a symbolic weld on the pipeline, which will cross Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. About 188 km of the pipeline will be laid in Turkmenistan, 530 km in Uzbekistan, 1,300 km in Kazakhstan, and over 4,500 km in China. China plans to import 30 billion cu m/year of Turkmen gas for 30 years through the pipeline but has not given the value of the deal.

China National Petroleum Corp. has received exploration rights for Bagtiyarlik territory. This will be the first time Turkmenistan is granting a foreign country the right to produce gas on the mainland for the first time.

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Titan buys US$170m shipyard in Quanzhou

Titan Petrochemicals Group, which operates crude-oil tankers and fuel storage facilities, said it will buy a shipyard in Quanzhou in southeastern Fujian province for a consideration of US$170 million to expand its logistics business.

In a statement, Titan Petrochemicals said it will pay US$56.9 million cash for Titan Quanzhou Shipyard, and the remainder by issuing ordinary and preferred shares. Titan Petrochemicals said the yard has ship repair, ship building and offshore engineering operations, and received orders of 22 vessels, amounting to US$210 million. The shipyard was completed in September last year and shipbuilding operations will be fully functional by the end of 2009.

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Marintec China 2007 to have record participation

Asia’s definitive maritime conference and exhibition – Marintec China 2007 - will be held from 27-30 November 2007 in the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC) in Pudong.

Record sales for this event have resulted in a “full house” in three halls of SNIEC, with 60 more companies on waiting list. The demand for exhibition area has resulted in the addition of a tented area outside the Chinese Pavilion. This has boosted the total floor area for the event to more than 34,500 square metres, which is a new record and bringing the 14^th anniversary of Marintec China to the international spotlight.

Running concurrently with Marintec China will be the Senior Maritime Forum, which is to be staged under the theme ‘China’s Economy and the Global Maritime Industry’, and takes place on 27 and 28 November.

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‘Scholar-Ship’ to embark on its global voyage

'The Scholar Ship', the first ocean-going study abroad programme developed explicitly for an international student body, will make its maiden voyage from Athens, Greece on September 5, 2007.

More than 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students from 35 countries will travel to four continents over 16 weeks. A reception marking the inaugural voyage will be held aboard the ship docked at the Port of Piraeus on Tuesday, September 4. 'The Scholar Ship', backed by Royal Caribbean Cruises and supported by seven international universities, will immerse students and faculty in an intercultural living and learning environment aboard a 201-metre ocean liner specially equipped for the academic programme.

Students and staff will embark 'The Scholar Ship' in Piraeus (Athens) on a westward course to Portugal, Panama, Ecuador, Tahiti, New Zealand, Sydney, Shanghai, Macau and Hong Kong. Ports of call provide extensive educational opportunities for students through a port programme in which students participate in academic field study, community service and independent travel. 'The Scholar Ship's' introduction reflects the increased interest and extraordinary growth in enriching study abroad programmes worldwide.

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Allseas expands ROV fleet

Schilling Robotics will supply Allseas Group S.A. with three additional ultra heavy-duty UHD ROV systems in late 2008.

Allseas will use the systems to perform survey support, pipeline touchdown monitoring, and a wide array of construction support tasks in the world's major oil and gas regions. Headquartered in Davis, California, Schilling Robotics designs and delivers the highest-performing, most advanced subsea robotics, control systems, and components for use in the world's harshest environments. Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. is one of the major offshore pipelay and subsea construction companies in the world, operating specialized vessels that are designed in house.

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Hurricane Felix threatens Central America

Thousands of residents and tourists have been fleeing coastal areas in Central America as Hurricane Felix churns through the Caribbean.

It has weakened to a category four storm but is still packing winds of 230km/h (145mph) and is "extremely dangerous", warned forecasters. The hurricane is expected to hit the coast on the border between Nicaragua and Honduras early on Tuesday. It comes just two weeks after Hurricane Dean killed 18 people in the region.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm could dump up to 30cm (12in) of rain in isolated parts of northern Honduras and north-eastern Nicaragua, possibly bringing flash floods and mudslides. On Sunday, Felix struck Aruba and two of the Netherlands Antilles islands near Venezuela - Bonaire and Curacao - but damage appeared slight. Felix is the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which is expected to peak on 10 September.

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