Maersk, Container-it : How can the shipping containers be used in a more sustainable manner.

A loss of position during a critical activity may result in a loss of well control and severe consequences including loss of life, pollution, and property damage. Critical activities are those activities where the consequences of equipment failure or loss of position are greater than under normal operating circumstances.

Two examples would be a MODU conducting well operations with non-shearables through the blowout preventer (e.g., the blowout preventer's shear ram(s) cannot shear) or when the time to terminate operations is unacceptable (e.g., the MODU crew cannot reposition the non-shearable away from the BOP's shear ram in the time required to disconnect).

Recent incidents involving drillship loss of position and emergency disconnects have highlighted the importance of operating a dynamically positioned drillship within its design limits, ensuring dynamic positioning compentency levels and ensuring approprate precautions are taken during maintenance and testing of critical equipment.

A loss of position on a dynamically positioned drillship can be mitigated by following dynamic positioning system guidance published in the ''DP Operations Guidance Prepared through the Dynamic Positioning Committee of the Marine Technology Society to aid in the safe and effective management of DP Operations,'' March 2012 Part 2 Appendix 1 (dynamically positioned MODUs), available at:

http://www.dynamic-positioning.com/dp_operations_guidance.cfm

In two recent incidents, dynamically positioned drillships lost functional thrusters due to an electrical disturbance when attempting to reconnect a faulty thruster after maintenance.

When the thruster was reconnected it was not electrically isolated from other thrusters and the thrusters did not "ride through" the disturbance causing loss of thrust.

During these incidents the drillship crews were unable to restore all functional thrusters and as a consequence these drillships lost position and had to initiate the emergency disconnect sequence (EDS). In another incident a dynamically positioned drillship encountered severe weather with high, shifting winds that caused it to lose position and initiate the EDS.

Despite receiving a weather alert for severe thunderstorms and high winds well before this incident, only half of the available diesel generators were on line when the storm hit and the DP Operator (DPO) ordered a significant heading change with a high rate of turn when the drillship began to lose position.

The drillship was unable to achieve the ordered heading or bring all generators online before it lost position and had to initiate the EDS.

For more information, please click at USCG Marine Safety Alert

Source: USCG

The ocean the Titanic sailed through just over 100 years ago was very different from the one we swim in today. Global warming is increasing ocean temperatures and harming marine food webs. Nitrogen run-off from fertilizers is causing coastal dead zones.

A McGill-led international research team has now completed the first global study of changes that occurred in a crucial component of ocean chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, at the end of the last ice age.

The results of their study confirm that oceans are good at balancing the nitrogen cycle on a global scale. But the data also shows that it is a slow process that may take many centuries, or even millennia, raising worries about the effects of the scale and speed of current changes in the ocean.

The nitrogen cycle is a key component of the global ocean metabolism. Like the proteins that are essential to human health, nitrogen is crucial to the health of oceans. And just as proteins are carried by the blood and circulate through the body, the nitrogen in the ocean is kept in balance by marine bacteria through a complicated cycle that keeps the ocean healthy.

The phytoplankton (microscopic organisms at the base of the food chain) 'fix' nitrogen in the shallow, sunlit waters of the ocean, and then as they die and sink, nitrogen is eliminated (a process known as 'denitrification') in dark, oxygen-poor pockets of the ocean depths.

Using sediment gathered from the ocean floor in different areas of the world, the researchers were able to confirm that as the ice sheets started melting and the climate warmed up at the end of the last ice age, 18,000 years ago, the marine nitrogen cycle started to accelerate.

The ocean had stabilized itself in its new, warmer state, in which the overall nitrogen cycle was running faster, by about 8,000 years ago. Given the current dramatic rate of change in the ocean nitrogen cycle the researchers are not sure how long it will take for marine ecosystems to adapt.

Source: Space Daily

The company has just completed its second successful delivery to a customer using the technology as a test trial against the normal tank gauging method, which has attracted significant interest from customers in the region following the initial announcement.

"As part of this development process, and given the potential of the technology in providing customers with extra assurance on quantity, we will work closely with MPA to seek approval for the use of Coriolis Flow Meters in the coming months for our physical operations in Singapore. MPA has consistently championed the benefits of using mass flow meters as a means of driving industry progression and professionalism, and it is something we intend to follow and act upon."says Paul Bradshaw, General Manager, OW Bunker Asia.

OW Bunkerʼs first physical delivery in Singapore was completed on 7 June using the 5,600 dwt, double-hulled barge Nepamora to supply some 3,200 tonnes of fuel oil. The same barge delivered another stem using the flowmeter two days later

Source: OW Bunker

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports that the containership MOL Comfort could not continue sailing under its own power because the hull suffered a crack amidships while under way on the Indian Ocean. The vessel was fractured in two parts, fore and aft.

At about noon JST on Tuesday, June 18 (07:00 local time), the fore part of the hull is drifting around 13'00"N 60'40"E, and the aft part is about 19 miles southwest from that point. At present, both parts of the ship are laden with containers and drifting in an east-northeast direction. We are also arranging tugboats to tow both parts.

There are no indications as yet of a major oil leak near the site.

Details of onboard containers of the MOL Comfort that might be lost overboard or damaged during the incident are being confirmed.

Source: MOL

As part of its on-going efforts to improve the safety of offshore oil and gas operations, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will host a public forum on offshore energy infrastructure hurricane preparedness and response on Thursday, June 27, 2013.

"In our continuing efforts to be fully prepared for hurricane season, we are bringing together representatives from the government, oil and gas industry and environmental community to discuss our actions to protect offshore energy infrastructure and the environment during a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico," said BSEE Director James Watson. "We will have an important discussion about what we are all doing to prepare for and respond to such storms to ensure minimal impact to the supply of energy from offshore areas."

In the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane season, platforms toppled and pipelines were ripped from the seafloor. The severe damage to offshore infrastructure and refineries along the coast ultimately halted offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico for a prolonged period of time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is now predicting an active 2013 hurricane season and the BSEE Offshore Energy Hurricane Preparedness and Response Forum will examine how the government, oil and gas industry and environmental community will work to minimize the impact to offshore infrastructure and the environment.

Representatives from the following organizations have been invited to participate:

Source: BSEE

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that five foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during May 2013 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.

Latest monthly figures show that there were two new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in UK ports during May 2013 and three vessels remained under detention from previous months. Only three vessels remained under detention at the end of May. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 3.32% this is slightly down from April's twelve month rate.

Out of the detained vessels three were registered with a flag state listed on the Paris MOU white list, none was registered with a flag state on the grey list, one were registered with a flag state on the black list, one was unregistered and none were registered with a flag state that was not included on the Paris MOU white, grey or black lists.

1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's Inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes full details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.

2. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Where a ship is found to be deficient or lacks the required documentation, Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors can take a range of actions leading to detention in serious cases. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as Thetis. This allows the ships of flags with poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.

3. Detained ships have to satisfy surveyors that remedial work has been carried out before they are allowed to leave port.

4. When applicable the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).

For more information about the list please click here.

Source: MCA

Australian ferry builder Incat Tasmania's world first high speed dual-fuel vehicle and passenger ferry is now officially fast with a lightship speed of 58.1 knots - (107.6 kilometres an hour) and a thrill for the designers of the 99 metre high speed vessel Francisco (Incat hull 069).

This is certainly the fastest ship in the world, of course there's a few speed boats that could surpass 58 knots but nothing that could carry 1000 passengers and 150 cars, and with an enormous duty free shop on board.

(photo credit : Incat)

Last week at 1516 tonne displacement trial she achieved 51.8 knots at 100% MCR operating with one turbine on LNG and one on marine distillate, exceeding the results achieved on 1st June when Francisco was sea trialled with full ballast comfortably exceeding 50 knots at full power and maintaining a steady 49 knots at 90 per cent power while operating on marine distillate.

On Saturday 15th June, with the water ballast removed, and with both Port and Starboard Gas Turbines operating on LNG; Francisco achieved 58.1 knots at 100% MCR.

The vessel's high speed can be attributed to the combination of Incat wave piercing catamaran design, the use of lightweight, strong marine grade aluminium, and the power produced by the two 22MW GE LM2500 gas turbines driving Wartsila LJX 1720 SR waterjets. The extensive and luxurious interior made significant increases to the weight of the interior fitout, however the Incat team worked diligently to maximise weight savings during construction wherever possible.

Francisco has been constructed for South American company Buquebus, for service on the River Plate, between Buenos Aires Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Incat is still not claiming 58.1 as the end point of lightship trials as there was a full load of LNG on board (two 40 cubic metre tanks) in addition to about 35 tonnes of marine distillate, with Incat Chairman Robert Clifford, saying "When we have less fuel on board, and delivery spares removed, we will see that speed go higher still in the shallow waters of the River Plate (Rio Plata). We are delighted with the efficiency of the design and sure that our customer, Buquebus, will be pleased with the results, enabling the ferry to compete with airline traffic on the River Plate route."

Francisco has capacity for 1,000 persons and 150 cars. A luxurious fit out has been incorporated, including a 1,100 square metre duty-free shop.

Buquebus has clearly demonstrated their preference for Incat technology over a twenty year period and Francisco (hull 069) is the eighth Incat vessel to be operated by Buquebus and their associated companies. It will be the largest catamaran they have operated, the world's first dual fuel high speed ferry to operate on LNG as its primary fuel, and the fastest, environmentally cleanest, most efficient, high speed ferry in the world.

Source: Incat

The US Coast Guard issued a news release on the investigation into the towing vessel fire and barge explosion in Mobile on 24 April 2013.

Preliminary findings:

On the evening of April 24, Oil Recovery Company personnel were conducting tank-cleaning operations on both tank barges. The barges previously held natural gasoline, a flammable liquid and a first distillation of crude oil.  The tank-cleaning processes involved pumping as much cargo residue as possible from the cargo tanks and using mechanical blowers to ventilate and dry the tanks of remaining oil and flammable vapors. During this process, Oil Recovery Company personnel discovered a malfunctioning mechanical blower, which required them to shut down all the blowers to effect repairs. In shutting down the blowers, flammable vapor from the cargo tanks accumulated around the tank barges and settled on the water's surface next to the barges.

At this time, the towing vessel Safety Runner pulled into the same pier at the Oil Recovery Company facility. As the towing vessel approached in close proximity to the tank barges and the cleaning operation, the flammable vapor traveled through the engine room's ventilation and into its main engines and engine space. Flammable vapors accumulated in the engine room, ignited, and caused a brief fire. The resulting fire spread across the accumulated flammable vapors from the towing vessel and back to the adjacent tank barges. This chain of events caused the flammable vapors within the tank barge's cargo tanks to explode and engulf the barges in fire.

The City of Mobile Fire Department, local harbor tugs fitted with fire monitors, and the Coast Guard responded to the scene. The fire department contained the fire to the tank barges and later extinguished the fire by early the next morning.

The resulting explosions and fire critically injured three persons (an Oil Recovery Company worker, and two persons aboard the towing vessel), created a 30-gallon oil spill in the Mobile River, caused fire damage to the tug and destroyed the two tank barges.

Source: USCG

The danger seafarers face from piracy is well publicized, but the victims remain invisible. The International Maritime Bureau and the Oceans Beyond Piracy Project want to change this. They have just released a timely report that for the first time focuses on the human cost of piracy.