‘Fluor wins $334m Kuwait work’

State oil explorer Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has handed a $334 million consultancy deal to US engineering and services company Fluor.

Fluor would provide consultancy services to manage unidentified projects and parts of its activities in the next five years, extending a previous agreement. The deal would help KOC to improve its production, KOC chief executive Sami al-Rushaid said. State refiner Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) was in talks with Fluor for a tender package for the country's planned 615,000 bpd refinery, with one of them saying it was worth $2 billion. KOC said that it had reached a preliminary deal with US super major ExxonMobil to produce heavy oil in the north of the Gulf Arab state and aimed to boost production to 900,000 barrels per day by 2020.
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Australian accused of cruise ship rape

An Australian man has been accused of raping a New Zealand woman on a cruise ship in the South Pacific, prompting investigations by Vanuatu and French authorities.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said a 37-year-old NSW man had been accused of rape aboard the P&O Cruise ship the Pacific Star on New Year's Eve, but no arrest had been made. French police had been called to the ship during a stopover at Lifou Island in New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands group. The 46-year-old female tourist was found bruised and in a state of shock in the early hours of the morning. The company would not comment on the alleged rape but had ensured that French, Australian, New Zealand and Vanuatu police were aware of the allegation. Sydney police were unaware of the alleged incident, a spokesperson said, adding it was normal practice for authorities in the next port of call to investigate alleged crimes on board ships.
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Merchant vessel listing in bad weather

Aberdeen, January 5, MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) received a call from a merchant vessel, the 'Nordgard', reporting that some of their cargo had shifted due to the severe weather and that the vessel was now suffering a 25 degree list.

The vessel was 90 miles North East of Aberdeen and altered course from initially being en route to Grangemouth, and is now heading in a Southeasterly direction to stabilise the vessel in the current weather. Wind speeds are 50 knots and the bad weather is preventing crew from going on deck to secure the cargo. A standby vessel, the 'Ocean Sprite', is on standby ready to give assistance if needed and is currently standing half a mile from the vessel. The 'Nordgard' is just under 3000 tonnes, 90 metres in length and has seven crew on board. It is carrying a cargo of timber wood and sails under the Netherlands flag. Aberdeen MRCC Watch Manager Fiona Hastie said that currently the situation is under control, however the vessel is still suffering a list and severe weather is preventing the crew from going on deck to attempt to secure the cargo.
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Shipping rates may sail smooth

Commodity shipping and tanker rates, which touched record highs last year, are expected to remain firm this year as well.

On the dry bulk side, which includes shipping coal, iron ore, cement and grains, London-based Baltic Exchange's Baltic Dry Index (BDI), an indicator of commodity shipping rates, is at an all-time high and analysts remain bullish on the index for this year, too. Ole Slorer and Darren Gacicia, analysts with Morgan Stanley Research, in their December 2007 report said the extraordinary conditions of 2007 were not expected to be repeated, but the next two years would still be solid by historical standards. Imports by developing countries like China and India are expected to be the biggest driver for dry bulk rates. India's coal requirements are set to increase with the ultra mega power plants planned. On the other hand, China's growing steel industry now has to look beyond India for its iron ore imports and South America is the only next option.
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Gazprom comes knocking in Nigeria

Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom is in talks with Nigeria to spend up to $2.5 billion on developing the West African country’s vast natural gas reserves.

Gazprom has come twice to visit the federal government. They want to invest in Nigeria in gas exploitation, gathering and processing. Gazprom has offered to invest between $1 billion and $2.5 billion to begin with. Nigeria is the world's eighth-biggest exporter of crude but even though it has the seventh-largest proven gas reserves in the world it has not developed its gas industry to anywhere near full potential. Investors say the lack of a stable fiscal framework and market pricing for gas means that most investment ideas in the sector are uneconomic. UK-based companies BG Group and Centrica have also proposed multi-billion dollar investments in Nigerian gas, the official added, asking not to be named because he is not allowed to talk publicly on behalf of the government. Nigeria exports about 18 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas every year through Nigeria LNG, jointly owned by the state energy company, Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell, France’s Total and Italy’s Agip.
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Master missing after tug sinks

The US Coast Guard is searching for the captain of the 16-metre towing vessel, 'Gate-Way’, which sunk with two people onboard near Norco on the Mississippi River.

At approximately 12:30 a.m. on January 2, 2008, Sector New Orleans received a call from the towing vessel Secretariat as well as from the dispatch operator of the Saint Rose Fleet facility reporting that the 'Gate-Way' sank while working with the Secretariat. One crewmember was rescued by the Secretariat and transported by Upper Saint Rose Fleet to a relative's home. Air Station New Orleans launched an HH-65C rescue helicopter and the New Orleans Marine Safety and Security Team has searched with two 7.6-metre vessels. Coast Guard Station New Orleans is currently on scene with a 12.5-metre boat. St Charles Sheriff Department and South Louisiana Port Authority are also on scene actively searching. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
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Man acts as human shark bait

A New Zealand man risked life and limb by dangling upside-down in the sea to take close-up pictures of a circling great white shark.

Builder Gary Porter asked friends to hold him by the ankles from their small boat as he dunked his upper body in the water to snap the 4m predator less than 2m away. The shark circled their 6.5m boat continuously, apparently attracted by the outboard motor. "I just wanted to get some photos of this amazing creature,'' Mr Porter said. I have a few regrets about not hopping in with it and having a good swim with it. Mr. Porter was on a diving expedition with three friends near Kapiti Island, near Wellington, on Saturday when they spotted the huge shark as they were about to enter the water. Emboldened by the shark's apparent lack of aggression, Mr Porter dipped his arm in the sea to take underwater photos with a waterproof digital camera, but could not get a good shot. The shark was less than 2m away as Mr Porter snapped away, and luckily there was no snapping back by the great white.
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