Flowline Separation Caused Newfoundland Oil Spill

By MarEx 2018-11-21 01:08:01

A flowline separation has been confirmed as the cause of the 250,000 liter oil spill at the SeaRose FPSO on Friday. The FPSO is located 350 kilometers southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Husky had shut in oil production at the White Rose field on Thursday, November 15 due to operational safety concerns resulting from severe weather. The record release of oil occurred during restart procedures the following day. The restart was attempted during a storm with hurricane-like winds and...

CIMAC Can't Explain Fuel Problem

By MarEx 2018-11-20 19:13:29

The International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC) has released a statement on marine fuel incidents that have occurred this year highlighting that it is unable to draw any firm conclusions about the cause of the problems. CIMAC Working Group Fuels – WG7 – made the statement after the unusually large number of ships that experienced fuel-related problems with seemingly on-spec fuels earlier this year. The statement confirms much of what the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has already said on...

Major Corporations Want Renewable Energy Made Easier in Europe

By MarEx 2018-11-20 18:49:23

Almost 100 organizations signaled their willingness to do more on climate action and called on European governments to make it easier to source renewable energy, during an event in Amsterdam this week. The companies signed a declaration at The RE-Source 2018 event taking place from November 20-21. The RE-Source Platform is a European alliance of stakeholders representing clean energy buyers and suppliers. It is coordinated by SolarPower Europe, WindEurope, The Climate Group and CDP (RE100) and WBCSD. To unlock the...

Coast Guard Saves Good Samaritan After Aid Attempt Goes Awry

By MarEx 2018-11-20 18:23:46

On Monday night, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aircrew out of San Juan, Puerto Rico rescued a good samaritan after his boat ran aground, capsized and sank during an attempt to aid another vessel. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call from a 911 emergency operator reporting a disabled vessel near Rio Grande, a community just east of San Juan. The operator said that two red flares had been sighted aboard the vessel. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from...

Blockchain Tokens Introduced for Oil and Gas Investment

By MarEx 2018-11-20 18:13:00

Blockchain technology is being introduced to oil and gas investments by Canada-based PermianChain Technologies. The company is introducing the Permian Token (XPR), a crypto asset-class that will underpin holding rights to the value of potential but undeveloped oil and gas reserves. Trading oil and gas is currently complex, slow and fundamentally inefficient, says Permian. Agreements are cumbersome and difficult to transfer without adding costs, and there are so many different steps involved in the process of getting oil and gas...

Sicilian Authorities Call for NGO Rescue Vessel's Arrest

By MarEx 2018-11-20 17:50:35

Authorities in Catania, Sicily have leveled new allegations against the migrant rescue vessel Aquarius, claiming that her crew did not properly sort out used clothing, food scraps and "sanitary" waste streams from ordinary solid waste when calling ports in Sicily. Italian officials called on their French counterparts to arrest the Aquarius in her current port of call, Marseille, until the case is resolved. Prosecutors in Catania asserted that Aquarius disposed of 24 tonnes of material in a non-compliant manner, including...

Ponant Tests Solid Sail Prototype

By MarEx 2018-11-20 17:43:46

French cruise line Ponant is testing the Solid Sail® concept on its vessel Le Ponant. Tests are being conducted with maritime construction company Chantiers de l’Atlantique as part of the sailing cruise-vessel project Silenseas, launched two years ago. Two patents have been filed for the new type of sail which is made of fiberglass, carbon and epoxy resin panels in a carbon-slat frame. Sails of over 300 square meters (3,200 square feet) were installed on Le Ponant in October before...

Shipping Magnate Orders World's Largest Research Vessel

By MarEx 2018-11-20 16:24:32

Norwegian shipping magnate Kjell Inge Røkke is underwriting the construction of a new 600-foot research vessel, and she will easily be the largest ship of her type when delivered. The luxurious $350 million vessel will be operated by a Røkke-owned research enterprise, REV Ocean. The design features extensive laboratory space, a moonpool and an enclosed launching bay on the port side. According to REV Ocean, the vessel will be able to accommodate 90 scientists and crew in its "research" mode. Monaco-based megayacht architect...

GAO: Sub Maintenance Delays Cost Navy $1.5B Over 10 Years

By MarEx 2018-11-20 14:24:03

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) calculates that the U.S. Navy has spent $1.5 billion over the past decade supporting submarines that it could not deploy. A well-publicized maintenance backlog has cut into the availability of the Navy's attack subs, which are much in demand by combatant commanders. The problem is also costing the Navy a considerable amount of funding: At an average annualized cost of $150 million, idled or delayed units have taken up about 1.5 percent...