Ship-Tracking Satellite Launched

The U.S. Coast Guard announced the launch of an Orbcomm satellite in an initiative to increase maritime situational awareness and security.
The launch of the Orbcomm satellite is part of the Coast Guard and Homeland Security Department's Nationwide Automatic Identification System project. The satellite, launched from Kapustin Yar, Russia, was equipped with automatic identification system technology capable of tracking and identifying ships as far as 2,000 nautical miles from U.S.coastlines, the Coast Guard reported. Officials expect the Orbcomm satellite will begin transmitting operational data within the next three months and will then improve maritime domain awareness and provide increased security to coastal waters from potential threats.

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Nippon Foundation to co-host seminar on Malacca Straits

Ongoing efforts to improve safety and protection of the marine environment in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore will be the subject of a symposium organised by the Nippon Foundation and the Round Table of international shipping associations - Bimco, ICS, Intercargo and Intertanko - to take place in Kuala Lumpur on November 28.

The event which will be set up based on advice from the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (the Littoral States), also carries the support of the International Maritime Organization as a means to build further on various initiatives such as the Littoral States' Co-operative Mechanism and the IMO's Marine Electronic Highway project. ‘We are hoping that this symposium will serve as an example to the other industries to take up the burden of repaying their debt to the environment,’ Yohei Sasakawa, NF chairman told. ‘This is particularly important in the case of the 100km long Straits of Malacca and Singapore, as they are used for carrying around one third of the world’s oil supplies and half of world trade.’ ‘The results, due before the November symposium, should give us an accurate idea of the funds needed to ensure the safety of the marine environment in the area’, he told. The November symposium will cover topics linked to the Straits including the background, history and global significance, the legal background on safety and environmental protection in straits used for international navigation, in accordance with UNCLOS, future developments, corporate social responsibility and the development of the Co-operative Mechanism, amongst others.
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InterMoor boasts new mooring record

Acteon offshoot InterMoor has posted a new record for installing the world’s deepest conventional mooring system after a gig for Murphy Oil and Petronas off Sabah in East Malaysia.

InterMoor worked with the pair to moor Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Rover semi-submersible on the Buntal exploration well at depths that required two of the anchors to be set in more than 8000 feet of water. The deepest leg of the eight-leg conventional mooring system reached 8431 feet. Louisiana-based InterMoor provided mooring analysis, installation procedures and supervision on the project. “We are proud of this achievement, because as the drilling industry moved into deeper and deeper waters, we are proving that we can continue to provide the necessary resources, techniques and experience,” InterMoor’s president Tom Fulton said in a statement.
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InterMoor boasts new mooring record

Acteon offshoot InterMoor has posted a new record for installing the world’s deepest conventional mooring system after a gig for Murphy Oil and Petronas off Sabah in East Malaysia.

InterMoor worked with the pair to moor Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Rover semi-submersible on the Buntal exploration well at depths that required two of the anchors to be set in more than 8000 feet of water. The deepest leg of the eight-leg conventional mooring system reached 8431 feet. Louisiana-based InterMoor provided mooring analysis, installation procedures and supervision on the project. “We are proud of this achievement, because as the drilling industry moved into deeper and deeper waters, we are proving that we can continue to provide the necessary resources, techniques and experience,” InterMoor’s president Tom Fulton said in a statement.
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Port of Longview welcomes 'green' vessel

The Port of Longview, USA, has honored the German marine vessel ‘Beluga SkySails' and its crew for their environmentally innovative transportation solutions.

The vessel, which uses a large wind sail at sea to decrease environmental impacts, has delivered wind energy cargo to the port. "Often times we must take a step back and review methods that have worked in history to make progress in the future," said Port of Longview's Director of Marketing Valerie Harris. "We think ‘Beluga' has captured the essence of this by using the wind to assist with ocean navigation." The first vessel to use the SkySails propulsion system, the ‘Beluga Skysails' boasts a towing kite of 160 square meters. The utilization of wind decreases the vessel's bunker consumption 10 to 15 percent and provides relief to the main engine. The size of the towing kite is expected to increase to 320 square meters in the near future. The vessel arrived with wind energy cargo aboard, creating a combination of green energy and transportation. The Acciona wind energy cargo shipped from Spain and will be delivered to a project site in Montana.

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AMEC awarded Arctic mining project

International engineering and project management company, AMEC, has been awarded a US$147.69 million engineering, procurement and construction management contract by Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation for the US$4.04 billion Mary River Iron Ore project on Baffin Island, Canada.

AMEC's work, which begins immediately, entails basic and detailed engineering services, logistics planning, procurement support and construction management services for both the mine facility and export infrastructure. The contract is scheduled to run until 2014, when the Mary River mine will start production. The mine contains some of the highest-grade iron ore in the world and will produce around 18 million tonnes per year, with an initial operating life of 20 years.

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