Thursday, October 9, 2008

Pacific increases production at Eureka

California-based Pacific Energy Resources has increased production from Platform Eureka in the Beta field off Long Beach, California.

The drilling rig refurbishment at Platform Eureka was recently completed and the process of working over wells has begun. The first well work has added an additional 300 barrels per day, bringing total Eureka production to approximately 1400 barrels of oil per day. The previously announced phase 2 production target of 2000 barrels of oil per day for Eureka is expected to be fully achieved by the end of October with an additional three wells returned to producing status. The company's end of September production was about 7500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. This compares to 6780 boepd in the second quarter and about 7300 boepd for the third quarter.
Read More

Indian seafarers warn of possible boycott of Somalian waters

Mumbai: The National Union of Seafarers of India has written to the Secretary, Ministry of Shipping regarding the apprehension of seafarers trading in the pirate infested region.

It also warned the governments about a possible boycott call by NUSI to seafarers if the situation does not improve. This morning, the NUSI and Maritime Union of India (MUI) led a peach march in Mumbai for the release of the seafarers of "Stolt Valor" held in Somalia. The march started at the Royal Seamens Club on Ballard Estate and culminated at the Office of the Director General of Shipping (DGS). 12 other NUSI branch offices are also conducting similar peace marches in other Indian cities. The protests highlight an increasingly important issue within the shipping industry, and one that led major shipping industry organizations BIMCO, Intercargo, The International Group, InterManager, Intertanko, IPTA, ITF, IUMI, OCIMF, SIGTTO and ICS to issue an impassioned plea for action to protect merchant ships from pirates in the Gulf of Aden at the start of this week's IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting. At any one moment around 300 ships are passing through the area serving the needs of the nations and peoples of the world; their right to the freedom of the High Seas for lawful purposes is under intolerable threat from organized criminals.
Read More

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New container ship christened at Odense

Odense Shipyard, Denmark, has held a naming ceremony for the fourth ship in a series of six container ships for the Bridgestone Corporation, Japan.

Attending the christening ceremony last weekend was Mr Shoshi Arakawa, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President, Bridgestone Corporation and his wife, the godmother of the ship, Mrs Yumiko Arakawa. ‘Mette Maersk’ was designed and built to meet the highest demands for the safe, precise, environmentally friendly and economic transportation of goods all over the globe. Among other things, a waste heat recovery system was installed to optimize the use of the energy produced. ‘Mette Maersk’ is a highly automated ship thoroughly monitored by advanced computer systems to ensure an optimal and efficient operation. To minimize the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions the twelve-cylinder Wartsila RT-flex diesel engine has been optimized for a more efficient and economical service speed. The propulsion machinery on ‘Mette Maersk’develops 62,640kW. The vessel will enter Maersk Line's worldwide liner service after delivery.
Read More

Navy Charters Kite-Powered Cargo Ship

The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command has chartered a kite-assisted, fuel-saving cargo ship to carry military equipment for the first time.

MV Beluga SkySails departed Newport, Wales after the first of three European port calls to load U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force cargo before the ship's month-long voyage to the United States. The 400-ft. Beluga SkySails is the world's first cargo ship to use a sky sail - a giant, computer-controlled kite that can rise 100 yards into the air and uses wind power to help propel the ship during long ocean transits. Though MSC frequently charters commercial ships to meet mission requirements, this is the first time the command has chartered such a ship. The ship operating company estimates that the sky sail can reduce fuel costs by 20 to 30 percent, or roughly $1,600 per day. Though Beluga SkySails' wind power was not a factor in awarding the contract, the ship operating company was likely "able to capitalize on fuel savings to make its offer more competitive," said MSC contracting officer Kenneth Allen.
Read More

Petrobras to baptize P-51 platform

Angra Dos Reis, Brazil: Petrobras will baptize the P-51, the first semisubmersible platform built entirely in Brazil, at the BrasFels shipyard in Angra dos Reis.

According to Petrobras, the unit is a milestone in a new achievement of the Brazilian naval industry, with local content of more than 75 percent of goods and services purchased from domestic vendors. The P-51 will be anchored in the Marlim Sul field, at a depth of 4,117 feet (1,255 m), and installed 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the coast. It will be interconnected to 19 wells, including 10 oil and gas producers and nine water injectors, and will produce oil of 22 degrees API. The platform is expected to sail to the Campos Basin this month and to start operating late this year. In 2010, the platform will reach peak operating capacity of 180,000 b/d of oil and 6 MMcm/d (211.9 MMcf/d); at that point, it will account for eight percent of the domestic oil production. The new unit is also part of the Natural Gas Production Anticipation Plan (Plangás) and will be strategic to increase natural gas supply in the Brazilian market. The platform was built by the FSTP (Keppel Fells and Technip) consortium in the cities of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Itaguaí, and Angra dos Reis, by Nuovo Pignone, in Rio de Janeiro, and by Rolls Royce, in Niterói. Total investment in the platform's construction is about R$1 billion (US$449.2 million).
Read More

UN Security Council adopts new piracy resolution

New York: The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging states to deploy naval vessels and military aircraft to actively join the fight against rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia.

Resolution 1838 "calls upon all states interested in the security of maritime activities to take part actively in the fight against piracy on the high seas off the coast of Somalia, in particular by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft." The French-drafted text urges states with naval vessels and military aircraft operating on the high seas and airspace off the Somali coast "to use the necessary means, in conformity with international law ... for the repression of acts of piracy." David Cockroft, General Secretary of the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) commented: "We're delighted the Security Council has responded to our, the shipping industry and the IMO's direct appeal for this action. It is further support for those naval forces seeking to close with the pirates who have turned the Gulf into a war zone – and a reminder to those navies who haven't done so that it is now time to act.”
Read More

Fairstar completes load-out of Tombua Landana modules

Fairstar Heavy Transport of the Netherlands has completed the loading of two topside modules this week onto its heavy transport ship ‘Fjord’ at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Okpo, South Korea.

Dave Hangoor, Operations Manager for the Rotterdam-based Fairstar, said that both modules had an approximate weight of 11,000 tonnes and were transported from the quayside to the deck of ‘Fjord’. “The ship functioned perfectly as we managed the changing tidal cycle while taking the modules onboard”. The ‘Fjord’ will sail from Korea directly to the Tombua Landana field in Angola, which is being developed by Chevron.
Read More