Shipping Times tells us of a tragic incident in the North Sea;
he Viking Islay, a 53 metre emergency response and rescue vessel, was supporting the Ensco 92 drilling rig on BP’s Amethyst Field in the Southern North Sea when the accident occurred. She has now returned to port in Immingham where a full investigation will be carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
“The details of the incident are still to be established but it would appear that the men were undertaking an operation to secure an anchor chain in a storage area in the bow of the vessel.
“We are doing, and will continue to do, all we can to find out what happened. Our own investigation team has travelled to Immingham to work with the MAIB, the police and other relevant parties to carry out a full and transparent investigation.” Read More….
Tags: · ensco, fatality, Incidents, marine_accident_investigation, north_sea, Offshore, tragic_incident, viking, workboat
In surprising news today Transocean and GlobalSantaFe have announced a merger. TheStreet.com tells us…
Transocean and GlobalSantaFe agreed to merge, creating an oil driller with an enterprise value of $53 billion.
The Houston-based combined company will be known as Transocean and will be led by Transocean’s current chief, Robert Long. GlobalSantaFe chief Jon Marshall will become president and operating chief.
“GlobalSantaFe’s outstanding rig fleet complements Transocean’s, and the combined company will have a global fleet of 146 rigs,” said Long. “This transaction will enhance our high-end floater fleet, including five newbuild ultra-deepwater units, while growing our position in the worldwide jackup market…”
Read the official Press Release HERE.
Comments are welcome below. [Continue Reading →]
Tags:
Fred Fry focused our attention on Popular Science Magazine which has a story on a new concept to scan containers before they reach our ports. The idea is that of SeaAway and is called the ‘Prior to Port’ system and it is currently being patented. In this article Pop Science tells us:
The plan calls for pairs of 100-foot-wide platforms anchored outside the world’s major ports. Equipped with an array of sensors and unmanned surveillance drones, the system monitors for chemical, biological and nuclear traces as ships travel between the platforms.
SeaAway proposes a passage fee of $20 per container—roughly double average port fees—to help authorities offset the $100-million cost of each system. Tax breaks for shippers could help curb costs, notes Steve Kroecker, SeaAway’s founder and vice president.
Construction begins this summer on a prototype system. Kroecker won’t disclose specifics but says that SeaAway is in talks with officials from four ports in the Caribbean and one on the U.S. eastern seaboard.
I’m not sure if this idea will work but can assure you it will be at least as interesting as the company’s logo (above right).
Be sure to read the full article HERE and watch the movie below: [Continue Reading →]
Tags:
We covered this link in our post “Piper Alpha Disaster - 19 Year Anniversary of Tragedy” but I think the site is good enough to warrant its own post. Here’s the site description:
A listing of major offshore oil and gas drilling-related incidents, with details and photographs of the drilling rigs involved. The Rig Incident List is an on-going project listing all major rig incidents and accidents researched so far. As time allows, a description of each incident will be put online with photos, where available.
Here are the top links from the site: [Continue Reading →]
Tags:
