Grim outlook at US boxports

Los Angeles: After dropping 7.9% last year, cargo volume at the major retail container ports in the U.S. is expected to drop almost 12% in the first half of 2009, as global trade continues to dry up.

The latest version of the monthly Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and IHS Global Insight forecasts that container volume at U.S. retail ports for the first six months of 2009 is forecast at 6.6 million teu, down 11.8% from the 7.5 million teu seen during the same period in 2008.The forecast comes after an extremely weak peak shipping season at the nation’s ports according to the latest statistics. December was a particularly low month for container volumes at U.S. ports, when shipments were down 13.9% from November and 17.2% from December 2007, marking 18 straight months of year-over-year container volume declines.

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FLNG plan still in the running

International gas production companies are still vying to be the first operators of FLNG operators in Asia as the demand for energy in the region rises and oil prices pick up again.

According to The Australian, companies such as Royal Dutch Shel, Inpex Corp, Exxon-Mobil and BHP Billiton are still in the running to develop the new technology. FLNG technology turns gas into a liquid export whilst still on board a vessel, as opposed to piping gas back to the mainland for processing in a facility. However, as with many new innovations, FLNG may come at a high cost. “Floating liquefaction technology is deemed to be quite expensive,” Richard Quinn, energy analyst at Australia’s Wood Mackenzie was quoted as saying by The Australian. “How expensive is yet to be determined because no one has built a full scale FLNG boat yet,” he said. Mr Quinn said that the high cost has been the main deterrent for companies in the past, however, the rise in oil price before the crash, further emphasised by the LNG demand by Asian nations, is now serving as prime encouragement for companies to look seriously into the development of the technology.

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Apache strikes at Linda North

The Apache-led Harriet joint venture in Western Australia has struck hydrocarbons with the Linda North-1 shallow-water appraisal well in the Carnarvon basin.

The well spudded on 19 January 2009 and reached total depth of 3319 metres, intersecting a reservoir sand of 35 metres thickness, said co-venturer Tap Oil. "Reservoir thickness and quality appear to be close to pre-drill expectation with the well potential to be determined following completion of post liner evaluations," added Tap.
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Catamaran from Nova Scotia Yard

In August 2008 the shipyard of A. F. Theriault in Meteghan River Nova Scotia delivered the Hayfu II, a new $7m catamaran yacht for a Florida owner.

It was the owner’s second catamaran from the same yard.Bill Preston of Marine Design and Travis Carver of Sterling Marine did the design of the fiber reinforced composite vessel. Offices of both firms are located in Florida. The 82 by 32 ft catamaran has six staterooms as well as tankage for 2,300 gallons of fuel and 600 gallons of water. Each hull has a Cummins QSM11 main engine rated for 670 hp each. The 1340 hp will drive the twin hulls at 23 knots. The owner’s representatives during construction on the Hayfu II were the yachts Captain Brian Water and his wife Lynn also of Florida. A. F. Theriault & Son Ltd. is one of the largest, privately owned shipyards in Canada's Atlantic region. Augustin Theriault founded this family business in 1938 in an era where wooden 3-masted sailing ships were still common.

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Keppel unveils ultra-deep workhorse

Singapore’s Keppel Fels shipyard has finished work on Transocean’s ultra-deep semi-submersible Development Driller 3, destined for an initial contract with BP in the US Gulf of Mexico.

The unit is Keppel Fels’ third built to its proprietary DSS 51 design, developed in collaboration with Dutch group Marine Structures Consultants and intended for ultra-deep exploration at remote sites. The rig is capable of drilling wells up to 37,500 feet deep in water up to 7500 feet deep, upgradable to depths of 40,000 feet in water up to 10,000 feet deep. The vessel’s 13,500-tonne payload is designed to allow operators to stockpile equipment, reducing the cost of supplying the rig far offshore. Keppel said the rig also featured “double-skinned” leg walls designed to protect the vessel from harsh seas. It said the vessel was well suited to operations in the hurricane-prone US Gulf, as well as in other deep-water environments off Brazil, in West Africa and in Southeast Asia. The shipyard said it had worked closely with Transocean to incorporate the US driller’s proprietary dual-activity into the existing DSS 51 design.

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