Grenland Group Loads Out Massive Ormen Lange Subsea Station

The completed 1150 tonnes heavy Ormen Lange template was loaded out on a barge at Grenland Group's construction yard in Tonsberg.

The enormous 44 m x 33 m x 15 m subsea station will soon be towed out for installation at 850 meters depth in the southern part of the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea,120 km northwest of Kristiansund. The Ormen Lange field, which came on stream in 2007, was initially developed by Hydro with two subsea well templates, with eight well slots each.The subsea template from Grenland Group is a sub-contracted delivery to FMC's contract with Shell for Ormen Lange's subsea production systems. StatoilHydro is performing the installation of the template, on behalf of the operator Shell.

Read More

Delivery of first Sentinel-class cutter in 2011

USA: Bollinger Shipyards will deliver the first US Coast Guard Sentinel-class cutter in January 2011 to the Coast Guard District 7 in Miami.

Measuring 46.6 metres in length, the Sentinel-class cutter will be capable of speeds in excess of 28 knots and is based on the parent craft concept using a modern hull form, the Damen 4708, which has conducted operations similar to those the Sentinel-class cutter will perform. The new patrol boats will be capable of conducting US Coast Guard missions such as port, waterway and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defence operations. The new vessels will replace the aging Island-class cutters that are nearing the end of their service life. Tognum has recently been named as the single source integrator for the complete propulsion system of the vessels.

Read More

63 gov'ts approve UN convention on ship recycling

Sixty-three governments approved a U.N. convention Friday that aims to make the business of scrapping the world's freighters, luxury liners and oil tankers safer and greener by requiring higher standards at recycling yards mostly located in South Asia.

But critics led by a coalition of 107 environmental and rights groups complained the International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships doesn't go far enough. They want governments to ban the practice of breaking down ships along beaches and require ship owners to remove all hazardous materials before sending them for recycling. An estimated 1,000 ships are broken down each year, mostly in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and to a lesser degree in China and Turkey. Sending the ships to the developing world saves the industry money but exposes an army of poorly trained workers to deadly hazards. Dozens die each year in explosions and accidents while others are sickened later in life after coming in contact with asbestos and other substances. The pact drafted by the International Maritime Organization will go into force two years after 15 countries, representing 40 percentage of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, formally ratify it.

Read More

Horns Rev 2 begins supplying power to Danish grid

BLAVANDSHUK, DENMARK: Dong Energy's offshore wind farm Horns Rev 2 in the North Sea has begun supplying power to the Danish national grid. The farm's total of 91 wind turbines will be installed during the course of 2009, but the first wind turbines have already been put into operation.

Once completed by the end of the year, Horns Rev 2 will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, with 91 Siemens 2.2 MW turbines. Horns Rev 2 will cover an area of just under 35 square kilometers (13.5 sq miles) and will be situated 30 kilometers to 40 kilometers (18.6 miles to 24.8 miles) from the coast by Blåvandshuk. It is the sister park of Horns Rev 1, which opened in 2003. "The first power from Horns Rev 2 is a tangible result of our efforts to increase our production of renewable energy, which is why we are delighted to have realized the Horns Rev 2 project together with our partners, and to have come this far," says Niels Bergh-Hansen, Executive Vice President of Dong Energy.

Read More