News Releases

08/07/2008 - Russia Beefs Up Funds for Mapping Arctic

Russia's Arctic efforts will step up next year by making the Arctic the primary focus of a $111 million (in U.S. dollars) geological mapping program. The move could be controversial: one of the key regions will be the Spitsbergen archipelago, to which Norway claims sovereign rights. Russian agency Sub-soil Resources (Rosnedra) revealed the 160-percent increase on geological exploration spending, noting that 34 sectors will be mapped. Along with the Arctic, Russia will look at the Barents, Kara and Pechora Seas, with the Pineginskie structures in the Barents Sea and the Ushakov-Novozemelskie structures, which run from the northern parts of the Barents Sea to the Kara Sea, other key targets.

08/06/2008 - Decommissioning Subsea Structures Challenges Best Intentions

With many of the North Sea oil and gas fields now into their mature phase, making provisions for the eventual decommissioning of offshore installations has assumed increasing importance for well operators. In 2000, a study by the economic analysts Wood Mackenzie put the expected bill in excess of £11 billion, estimating that around half of the North Sea's 600 installations would be scheduled for decommissioning by 2021. Eight years on, William Stevens, an oil and gas banker at the Royal Bank of Scotland puts the figure to deal with around 450 offshore structures by 2030 at between £15 billion and £20 billion. But the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) argues that it can often be better to leave larger structures located in deep water at least partially intact. To find out why, click here.

08/06/2008 - Black Smokers in Coldest Ocean Yet

Swiss-based scientists have found "black smokers" in the northern Arctic Ocean on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway, in the coldest waters yet for a phenomenon first observed around the Galagapos islands in 1977. A team from Norway's University of Bergen and the Lausanne-based Swiss Federal Institute of Technology found the vents on an expedition in June, with the results published on the Swiss polytechnic's website.

08/05/2008 - Increases in Jellyfish Signal Sick Seas

From Spain to New York, to Australia, Japan and Hawaii, jellyfish are becoming more numerous and more widespread, and they are showing up in places where they have rarely been seen before, scientists say. The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows. Source: New York Times

08/02/2008 - Small Producers May Hold Key to North Sea's Future

Small, independent oil and gas producers have begun to recognize the value in aging North Sea oil fields and could be key to unlocking an estimated 16 billion-25 billion barrels of oil equivalent lying unexploited in the U.K. Continental Shelf, industry analysts and participants say. They say these small companies may now represent the future of the U.K. North Sea's hydrocarbon output as they snap up assets left behind by retreating oil majors and seek fresh discoveries in a bid to eke out the last of the region's dwindling resources—a development previously hindered by high costs and lower oil prices. Source: Rigzone

08/01/2008 - Senate Bill Would Open Up More of U.S. to Offshore Drilling

A bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators unveiled a sweeping energy proposal Friday to reduce gas prices, lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen America’s economy, according to Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, a leading figure in creating the bipartisan bill. The New Energy Reform Act of 2008 (nicknamed “New ERA”) opens additional acreage in the Gulf of Mexico for leasing (in consultation with the Defense Department to ensure that drilling is done in a manner consistent with national security) and allows Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia to opt in to leasing off their shores. There would be an environmental buffer zone extending 50 miles offshore where new oil production would not be allowed. Another requirement is that all new production to be used domestically. In addition, the bill would create a commission to make recommendations to Congress on future areas that should be considered for leasing and provides for appropriate revenue sharing for states that allow leasing off their shores. Conrad said on his Web site, that the bill's purpose is to "transition our economy – particularly the surface transportation sector – to run off alternative fuels other than gasoline and diesel." The $84 billion that would be set aside for the New Era bill would be fully offset with loophole closers and other revenues, according to Conrad.

07/31/2008 - Interior Initiates New Five Year Oil and Gas OCS Plan

Saying the nation’s energy situation has dramatically changed in the past year, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today jumpstarted the development of a new oil and natural gas leasing program for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The action could give the next administration a two-year head start in expanding energy production from federal offshore jurisdictions, including some areas where a congressional ban had prevented oil and gas development. “When our current five-year program for Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing was launched in July 2007, oil was selling for $64 a barrel,” Kempthorne said. “Today a barrel of oil costs more than $120, almost double the price a year ago. Clearly, today’s escalating energy prices and the widening gap between U.S. energy consumption and supply have changed the fundamental assumptions on which many of our decisions were based.” Details on how to comment on the proposal will be sent to MTS members in the MTS e-News, a member benefit scheduled to arrive in mailboxes August 4.

07/31/2008 - Belgian Offshore Wind Farm Gets First of Six Turbines

REpower Systems AG has successfully installed the first of six wind energy turbines for the Belgian offshore wind farm Thornton Bank. The project, at about 30 kilometres (18 miles) off the coast, is the first Belgian offshore wind farm. For the first of three construction phases, the third-largest German wind turbine manufacturer is providing six REpower 5M offshore turbines with a rated power of five MW each, adding up to a total of 30 MW. Contract partner is the Belgian company C-Power. Source: EnergyCurrents

07/31/2008 - Cove Point LNG Terminal Okayed

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Letter of Recommendation for the proposed expansion of the Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Cove Point, Md. The Coast Guard Captains of the Port (COTPs) Baltimore and Hampton Roads determined that the waterway leading up to the Cove Point LNG terminal is suitable for the increased LNG marine traffic associated with the project.

07/30/2008 - Ocean Panel to Meet in Redmond, Wash.

The Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel will meet to discuss National Ocean Research Leadership Council and Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management Integration activities. All sessions of the meeting will be open to the public. The meeting will be August 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and August 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. To maintain the meeting time schedule, members of the public will be limited in their time to speak to the Panel. Members of  the public should submit their comments one week in advance of the meeting to the meeting Point of Contact. The meeting will be held at NorthWest Research Associates, 4118 148th Avenue, NE., Redmond, Wash. For more information, see the Federal Register entry.

07/29/2008 - MMS Issues Leases for OCS Alternative Energy Projects

The Minerals Management Service has issued 11 five-year leases to offshore wind and marine energy projects. This is part of the department’s goal to accelerate the development alternative energy on the Outer Continental Shelf. The purpose of the leases is to allow companies to install data collection and technology testing facilities in federal waters; they will not immediately lead to commercial development. The sites lie off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Georgia on the eastern seaboard, and in Florida and northern California waters. Most of the projects awarded will be exploring offshore wind potential. Source: Minerals Management Service

07/29/2008 - Research Sub in Last Year

The Navy's only nuclear-powered, deep-diving ocean engineering and research submarine, NR-1, is scheduled to be deactivated by the end of the year after almost 40 years of service. Currently, there are no plans to build another. The reactor core would last until 2012, but the Navy has not budgeted for the normal maintenance to run the ship until the end of its life. During its most recent four-month deployment, helped the Ocean Technology Foundation search for the wreck of John Paul Jones' Revolutionary War ship the Bonhomme Richard off of Flamborough Head, England, though those involved are not positive about the wreck's identity. They investigated 26 wrecks and have one candidate that is "very intriguing and probably warrants further investigation.” Source: TheDay.com

07/28/2008 - Hydrothermal Vents Found Far North

Scientists have found black smoker vents inside the Arctic Circle, farther north than anyone has ever seen before. The cluster of five vents – one nearly four stories high – are venting water as hot as 570 F. The vents are located at 73 degrees north on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway. Other scientists have detected plumes of water from hydrothermal vents even farther north but have been unable to find the vent fields on the seafloor to image and sample them. Source: Science Daily

07/28/2008 - Polar Regions Rich in Oil

The U.S. Geological Survey says the polar region contains one-fifth of the world’s undiscovered oil and natural gas resources, which amounts to 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The oil is considered “technically recoverable” using existing technology, but the survey did not consider the cost of overcoming obstacles to drilling, such as permanent sea ice or deep ocean waters. Source: Discover Magazine

07/24/2008 - Hurricane Dolly Shuts in Production

Hurricane Dolly has reached the Texas shore as a Category Two hurricane, with the eye of the storm nearing South Padre Island. Personnel have been evacuated from 62 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, 8.6 percent of the 717 manned platforms in the area. Personnel have also been evacuated from eight rigs, equivalent to 6.5 percent of rigs currently operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Around 4.47 percent of oil production and 7.87 percent of the natural gas production in the Gulf has been shut-in. The U.S. Minerals Management Service has confirmed that 58,122 b/d of oil and 606 MMcf/d of natural gas has been shut-in. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/23/2008 - Rig Evacuations Begin as Tropical Storm Dolly Nears Land (7/23/08)

Tropical Storm Dolly continued to strengthen overnight, and is currently moving towards the west-northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h).The center of the storm is about 265 miles (425 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. The storm is expected to turn northwest on Wednesday, with the center moving near to the coast of the Western Gulf of Mexico. ExxonMobil has initiated the removal of nonessential personnel offshore facilities expected to be in the path of the storm, and is prepared to evacuate any remaining personnel in advance of Dolly. Workers from Shell, Rowan Companies, Pride International, Diamond Offshore, Noble Corp., and Pride International have already been evacuated from various rigs and platforms in the Western Gulf of Mexico. A spokesperson from ENSCO International said the company was monitoring the storm but had no plans for evacuation. Hercules Offshore is considering moving some barge rigs and jackups from the area. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/22/2008 - MMS Activates Continuity of Operations Plan Team to Monitor Dolly

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) has activated its Continuity of Operations Plan (COP) team to monitor the activities of offshore operators in the Gulf of Mexico who are evacuating platforms and rigs in the path of Tropical Storm Dolly. The team will be activated until conditions return to normal and the storm is not considered a threat. Personnel have been evacuated from four production platforms and one rig so far. No oil or gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in at the moment. Source: EnergyCurrents

07/21/2008 - Filming Planned for Sunken Lusitania

The RMS Lusitania is being filmed for a television series to be shown on the Discovery Channel next  year. Gregg Bemis, who bought the remains of the vessel for £1,000 from former partners in a diving business in 1968, has been granted an imaging licence by Ireland's Department of the Environment. The RMS Lusitania sank off the coast of Cork in May 1915 when a German U-boat torpedoed it. A second explosion of unknown cause appears to have hastened its sinking; 1,198 passengers and crew lost their lives. Source: TimesOnline

07/20/2008 - First Tidal Turbine Plugs into Power Grid

An underwater turbine that generates electricity from tidal streams was plugged into the U.K.'s national grid on Friday. It marks the first time a commercial-scale underwater turbine has fed power into the network and the start of a new source of renewable energy for the U.K. The trial at Strangford Lough, in Northern Ireland, uses a device called SeaGen and generates power at 150 kilowatts. However, engineers have plans to increase power to 300 kilowatts by the end of the summer. When it is eventually running at full power SeaGen will have an output of 1,200 kilowatts, enough for about 1,000 homes. Source: Guardian.co.uk

07/19/2008 - Canada's Ocean Technology Park Would Boost Ocean Science Sector

The governments of Canada and British Columbia are working in a partnership to strengthen the ocean sciences sector through an investment in the planning and development of a world class, national scale ocean technology park on Vancouver Island is being created by the governments of Canada and British Columbia. The governments’ investments will help University of Victoria Properties Inc. plan and develop an Ocean Technology Park (OTP) and regional tank testing facility, Pacific Centre for Ocean Energy and Engineering (PCOE). Project activities will include feasibility assessments and business plans for the OTP and PCOE, completion of site engineering, master planning and communications plans to develop the proposed park. Source: Government of Canada

07/18/2008 - Indian Scientists Develop Marine Gas Turbine

As a spin-off during development of a Kaveri engine for propelling Indian Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, the Bangalore-based GasTurbine Research Establishment (GTRE) has developed a marine version for propelling Indian Naval ships. Using the core of the Kaveri engine, the scientists of GTRE have added a low-pressure compressor and turbine as a gas generator and designed a free-power turbine to generate shaft power for the maritime application. The 12-megawatt marine gas turbine f will be used to propel the SNF (Rajput) class of ships. Source: Business Standard

07/17/2008 - Italy to Get First Floating Wind Turbine

A British company is poised to construct the world's first floating wind turbine. Blue H, a firm registered in the U.K. but based in Holland, aims to anchor its prototype device 12 miles off the coast of southern Italy later this month. The company is one of several racing to build commercial-scale floating wind turbines that sit in deep water far from land in an effort to benefit from more powerful winds and avoid many of the issues that afflict existing wind farms. Neal Bastick, head of Blue H, said the Italian prototype would be "virtually invisible" from the shore, and that the company planed to build a full scale floating 90-megawatt wind farm in the region. Blue H also wants to build them off Scotland and the northeast U.S. Source: Guardian.co.uk

07/17/2008 - BP Unveils Plans to Tap Offshore Reserves

BP laid out a plan Monday to drill the longest oil wells in the world to reach an offshore reservoir in the Beaufort Sea. BP Alaska says it's a plan to help keep oil flowing down the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Officials say there's more than 100 million barrels of oil waiting to be recovered in the Liberty Oil Field in the Beaufort Sea. Source: KTUU.com

07/16/2008 - Nippon, Mitsui Buy Interests in Oil & Gas Companies

Nippon Oil Corp. and Mitsui & Co. bought interests in two oil and gas exploration companies from the Japanese government. Nippon Oil paid the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) JPY 22 billion (US$211 million) for 112,140 shares, or a 50 percent stake, in UK-based MOC Exploration (MOEX). MOEX owns interests in oil and gas fields in the North Sea. Mitsui & Co. paid METI JPY 9 billion (US$86 million) for 17,200 shares, or a 50 percent stake, in Moeco Thai Oil Development Co (MOT). MOT owns stakes in acreages offshore Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Australia. Source: Energy Current

07/15/2008 - Bush Lifts Drilling Moratorium

President Bush lifted nearly two decades of executive orders banning drilling for oil and natural gas off the country’s shoreline on Monday while challenging Congress to open up more areas for exploration to address soaring energy prices. Democrats in Congress, joined by environmentalists, criticized the step and ridiculed it as ineffectual, while most Republicans and industry representatives applauded it as long overdue. Source: New York Times

07/15/2008 - Northwest Ocean Could Sequester Carbon Dioxide Emmisions

Scientists say a partial solution to global warming may lie beneath the seafloor off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. Deep volcanic rocks be used to trap carbon dioxide under great pressure with virtually no chance of leaking back into the atmosphere, says a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers envision a system where carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants would be captured, liquefied and pumped into porous basalt layers up to a half-mile below the ocean bottom. They estimate there's enough suitable rock off the Pacific Northwest to swallow up more than a century's worth of the nation's CO₂ output. Source: Seattle Times

07/14/2008 - Professor Lists Advantages of Algae as Biofuel

Algae could provide the solution to mass production of biofuels, according to Geoffrey Codd, professor of microbiology at the University of Dundee and president of the British Phycological Society. He said that algae were a viable potential source of biofuel thatwould not compete for land use with food production and other agricultural activity. Algae can grow in harsh environments, like salt lakes and deserts. Other advantages include high growth yields (sometimes 5-10 times higher than the best land crops), the ability to fix carbon dioxide and produce oxygen (they already have a major role in CO2 removal from the atmosphere), and the abililty to be turned in to other useful by products in addition to biofuel feedstock. Source: University of Dundee

07/12/2008 - Welsh Minister Sees Marine Energy As Key to Self-Sufficiency

Marine energy projects are key to ambitions for Wales to be "self-sufficient" in renewable energy by 2025, according to a minister who spoke at the British Wind Energy Association conference in Cardiff last week. A new energy strategy being developed along with a renewable energy roadmap would see 33TWh of renewable energy produced in Wales within 20 years. Of that, half would come from wave and tidal technologies, a third from wind power, and the remainder from "sustainable" biomass. The Welsh Assembly Government's environment, sustainability and housing minister said a marine action plan would be developed to help create a marine industry in Wales offering a "world class" center of expertise.

07/12/2008 - MMS Proposes Rule for Alternate Use of OCS

The U.S. Minerals Management Service has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that will regulate alternative energy production activities and alternate uses of existing facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The proposed rule is accompanied by a draft environmental assessment analyzing the potential environmental effects of the rule making in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The proposed regulations will establish a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for alternative energy project activities and alternate uses of existing facilities on the OCS. The rule will also establish methods for sharing revenues generated by this program with nearby coastal states. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/11/2008 - Wave-Powered Boat Sets Record

The Suntory Mermaid II successfully completed last Friday night a 4,350 mile trip from Honolulu, Hawaii, to the Kii Channel off the east coast of Japan, marking the longest known voyage by a wave-powered boat. The journey was undertaken by a Japanese team to demonstrate that an environmentally sensitive propulsion system powered exclusively by waves can operate in real-world conditions. The bow-mounted mechanism, which harnesses wave power to provide a dolphinlike tail kick from two independently mounted flippers, was designed and built by Dr. Yutaka Terao of the department of naval architecture and ocean engineering at the Tokai University School of Marine Science and Technology in Japan. Source: New York Times

07/10/2008 - Antarctic Ice Shelf Hanging by a Thread

A large plate of floating ice shelf attached to Antarctica is breaking up, in a troubling sign of global warming, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Thursday. Images taken by the Envisat remote-sensing satellite show that Wilkins Ice Shelf is "hanging by its last thread" to Charcot Island, one of the plate's key anchors to the Antarctic peninsula, ESA said in a press release. "Since the connection to the island... helps stabilise the ice shelf, it is likely the breakup of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk," it said. Source: AFP

 

07/10/2008 - Corals, Fish Suffer from Non-Native Seaweed

Algae originally distributed as part of a global effort to encourage poor people in coastal areas of the tropics to grow seaweed is killing covering and smothering coral. The algae, while not edible, produces carrageenan, an increasingly sought-after binder and fat substitute used in the food industry, notably in ice cream. The bushy seaweed is so tough even algae-grazing fish avoid it. It settles in the reef’s crevices that fish once called home, driving them away. Dead coral stops supporting the ecosystem and, within a couple of decades, it will crumble into rubble. To read an article about this invasive seaweed, its effects and what is being done about it, see the New York Times.

07/09/2008 - U.K. May Massively Miss Oil Targets

Britian will miss its oil targets by a huge margin unless spending rises rapidly. As little as 10 billion of a potential 25 billion barrels of oil will be taken on current investment plans, says industry body Oil & Gas U.K. The group says tax incentives are needed to overcome the hurdle, with the industry set to pay around US $42 billion in taxation on both production and the wider economic activities of the U.K. supply chain this year. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/09/2008 - Floaters to Remain in Short Supply

Demand for deepwater-capable floating rigs continues to climb as deepwater exploration becomes more prevalent around the world. Proof of climbing demand can be seen in the number of orders for newbuild floating rigs that have been placed with shipyards. At the moment, 93 semisubmersibles and drillships capable of drilling in over 3,000 feet (914 m) of water are on order or under construction at this time. Five more floaters rated for shallower water depths are in the works. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/08/2008 - C02 in Oceans: Hard to Predict but Dangerous

Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases, human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the ocean, according to researcher by scientists at the University of Hawaii. Their findings were published in the July 4 issue of Science. The team of chemical oceanographers conclude that the ecological and economic consequences are difficult to predict but possibly calamitous, and that halting the changes already underway would likely require even steeper cuts in carbon emissions than those currently proposed to curb climate change. The oceans have absorbed about 40 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans over the past two centuries. This equates to roughly 500 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent in weight to about 28 inches of water across the whole State of Texas. Source: Honolulu Advertiser

07/07/2008 - Red Tape Brings Blues to North Sea

The U.K. government must take action over the increasing red tape around work permits for key staff if it is to protect Aberdeen's status as a global hub of oil and gas expertise, according to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). The Fresh Talent scheme, which has helped Scottish businesses meet their skills needs, is currently being subsumed within the U.K. government's new points-based immigration system, and SCDI members in the North Sea are already finding that it is more bureaucratic and costly, they say. They are concerned that the Border and Immigration Agency, which operates the system, does not understand the industry's technical skills challenges and requirements. Source: EnergyCurrents

07/05/2008 - Australian Government Tentative on Renewables

Developers of novel energy technologies on Tuesday had the wind taken out of their sails when the Australian government released a discussion paper on its proposed Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) that appears to plot a tentative course for renewables. There are fears embryonic ocean-based technologies, which have shown promise overseas, will not get the investment attention they need to become commercial and competitive in Australia for many years after the MRET is launched. Carnegie Corp. said recently that its CETO wave energy farm projects were on track to begin commercial roll-out next year. Source: Heraldsun.com.au

07/04/2008 - Petrobras Seeks Access to Cuban Offshore Oil

Brazilian state oil company Petrobras is negotiating with the Cuban government for exploration rights offshore Cuba, according to Fidel Rivero, president of Cuban state oil company Cupet, in an interview with Brazilian news agency Estadao. Rivero also said that Cuba has proved the existence of reserves of up to 20 billion barrels in Cuban waters of the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. government estimates put Cuba's reserves at 10 billion barrels, but Rivero said that the government in Havana has information on deep water reserves that double the U.S. projection. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/03/2008 - British MP Deplores Lack of Spending on Renewable Energy

In Britiain, opposition MPs lashed out at the government for faiing to fund a single project since the creating of a £50 million Marine Renewables Deployment Fund in 2005. The lashing came on Monday night in a Parliamentary debate on energy security. The fund was announced three years ago by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to support tidal-stream and wave power projects. A motion put forward by the Conservatives for the Opposition Day debate "deplores the fact that the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund has not delivered monies to a single project since its creation in 2005." In response, energy minister Malcolm Wicks revealed government hopes that two projects will be funded by the marine deployment fund later this year. He defended the original remit of the fund, explaining: "It is a deployment fund, not a science fund, and when the technology is ready, we want to spend the money. However, it is clear that we cannot do that until the technology is ready for deployment." Source: New Energy Focus

07/02/2008 - Video Game Chip Speeds Seismic Data Gathering

A computer chip designed for video game consoles could be used to find trillions of dollars of oil, a study has found. Repsol said the speed of the cell allows for seismic data to be gathered six-times faster than present methods, allowing for imaging at depths which have not been achieved before. Teaming up with Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Spanish oil group tested a system powered by the Cell Broadband Engine which could scour for reserves at depths of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). If deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, an estimated 56 billion barrels of oil equivalent could be discovered. Source: EnergyCurrent

07/01/2008 - Possible Sites Found for Bonhomme Richard

AMERICAN scientists searching for the wreck of an 18th century warship say they have found four possible sites. The team from the Ocean Technology Foundation in Connecticut are being helped in their search for the Bonhomme Richard which sank somewhere off Flamborough head in 1779, by the US Navy who are using a unique 150ft long nuclear powered submarine to scour the sea bed. Source: Bridlington Free Press

06/30/2008 - UMass to Share in $2.1 Million NOAA Award

Two University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth scientists are part of a research team that has been awarded $2.1 million for regional ocean observation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The award represents the second year of funding for MARCOOS, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System, a project spanning the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. Led by Rutgers University, the MARCOOS project includes researchers from several institutions in the Northeast, among them Professors Wendell Brown and Avijit Gangopadhyay of the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. In cooperation with Rutgers, Brown and Gangopadhyay are responsible for a trio of coastal radars, launching underwater surveys between Massachusetts and New Jersey, and computer modeling. Source: The Herald News

06/23/2008 - Estimates Off on Ocean Temperatures, Sea-Level Rises

New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. An international team of researchers, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory climate scientist Peter Gleckler, compared climate models with improved observations that show sea levels rose by 1.5 millimeters per year in the period from 1961-2003. That equates to an approximately 2½-inch increase in ocean levels in a 42-year span. Source: Science Daily

06/21/2008 - ROV Can Work at 6,000 Meters

MercoPress, a news agency based in Uruguay, reports that German engineers are using an aquatic robot able to work 6,000 meters below sea level. This remotely operated vehicle (ROV), dubbed Kiel-6000, is operated by the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences from the University of Kiel. The robot weighs 3.5 tons on the ground and it is 3.5 meters long and 1.9 meter wide, with a height of 2.4 meters. With its video cameras, it can transmit images to a mother vessel via a 6.5 kilometer-long fiber glass cable. According to the project leader, Kiel-6000 "will have access to 95 percent of the entire world’s sea beds." Soruce: ZDNet

06/20/2008 - Japan, China Strike Deal Over Gas

Japan and China have struck a deal to jointly develop a gas field in the East China Sea, marking a first step in resolving a spat over the gas-rich region. Japan will inject capital into the development of Shirabaka, or what the Chinese termed as Chunxiao field. The amount of investment and details of the joint development is still being worked out. The two countries have also reached a pact for the joint exploration of Asurnaro or Longjing gas field, according to media reports. The two sides will hold detailed talks before signing a formal treaty. Source: EnergyCurrent

06/20/2008 - Researchers Test Sediment-Scrubbing Technology

In a mud flat at the edge of the Cocheco, scientists from the University of New Hampshire's Contaminated Sediments Center are testing an innovative way to treat polluted sediment in coastal waterways. Rather than dredging up the problem, or burying it under several feet of sand, they've created a patch—black geotextile mats designed to cap and stabilize pollution in place. Over the next two years, UNH associate professor Kevin Gardner, research assistant professor Jeffrey Melton, and a team of UNH students will monitor these mats to evaluate the effectiveness of this new approach. The mats are six feet square and one inch thick. They consist of a mixture of reactive materials sandwiched between two layers of geotextile fabric, creating a sort of quilt that traps pollutants but allows water to flow through. The reactive "filling" of this quilt contains three different substances that bind and stabilize different pollutants. One such substance—a UNH-patented technology based on a natural form of phosphorus—treats toxic heavy metals associated with industrial pollution such as lead, copper, zinc and cadmium.

06/19/2008 - Rig Shortage Dampens Hopes for Quick Fix for Oil Prices

As President Bush calls for repealing a ban on drilling off most of the coast of the United States, a shortage of ships used for deep-water offshore drilling promises to impede any rapid turnaround in oil exploration and supply. The crunch on rigs is everywhere,” said Alberto Guimaraes, a senior executive at Petrobras.“Almost 100 percent of the oil companies are constrained in their investment program because there is no rig available.” Source: New York Times

06/18/2008 - Bush Calls for Lifting Drilling Ban

President Bush, reversing a longstanding position, will call on Congress on Wednesday to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling, according to White House officials who say Mr. Bush now wants to work with states to determine where drilling should occur. The party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, used a speech in Houston on Tuesday to say he now favors offshore drilling, an announcement that infuriated environmentalists who have long viewed him as an ally. Florida’s governor, Charlie Crist, a Republican, immediately joined Mr. McCain, saying he, too, now wants an end to the ban. Source: New York Times

06/17/2008 - U.S. Sub to Help in Search for Bonhomme Richard

After three years of failing to trace the wreck of Admiral John Paul Jones's warship the Bonhomme Richard, researchers have been lent the U.S. Navy's smallest nuclear-powered submarine for a final sweep before she is decommissioned. The 150-foot NR1, which played a part in salvaging wreckage from the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, arrives next week off Flamborough Head in Yorkshire,U.K., where Jones tweaked the British lion's tail in 1779. Source: Guardian.co.uk

06/17/2008 - New Zealand Report Urges Caution Concerning Mining

The New Zealand Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has just released a report into deepsea mining the cautions that more research is needed to fully address all perceived environmental and social concerns. Ocean miniing is attracting interest as land resources become depleted."“The key concern of stakeholders was around environmental impact and the lack of information that we do have on those environmental impacts. We do need to build an information base around four areas including environment, geology, technology, enhancing communication between stakeholders," said Naomi Boughen, the organization's researcher.

06/16/2008 - Long-Sought British Warship Found in Lake Ontario

HMS Ontario, a British warship built in 1780 has been discovered in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville located the ship utilizing sophisticated side scanning sonar and an underwater remote operated vehicle. The HMS Ontario is the oldest confirmed shipwreck and the only fully intact British warship to have ever been found in the Great Lakes. Source: Shipwreck World Photo by Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville

06/14/2008 - Energy Alternative Heats Up

Experts in oceanic energy contend that the technology to provide a truly infinite source of power to the United States already exists in the form of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). Despite enthusiastic projections and promising prototypes, however, a lack of governmental support and the need for risky capital investment have stalled OTEC in its research and development phase. Regardless, oceanic energy experts have high hopes. Dr. Joseph Huang, senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and former leader of a Department of Energy team on oceanic energy, said, “If we can use one percent of the energy [generated by OTEC] for electricity and other things, the potential is so big. It is more than 100 to 1000 times more than the current consumption of worldwide energy. The potential is huge. There is not any other renewable energy that can compare with OTEC.” Source: Harvard Political Review

06/13/2008 - Extended Reach Drilling Record Broken

Worldwide, Schlumberger technology has now contributed to six of the top seven extended reach directional projects. The latest, drilled in the Al Shaheen Field offshore Qatar, broke the previous record length by 2,000 feet, reaching a total depth of 40,320 feet. Total step-out distance from the surface location was 35,770 feet. In all, the well set 10 records, including the longest well ever drilled, the longest along-hole departure (37,956 feet), the longest 8 1/2-inch section (35,449 feet), the highest ERD ratio, the highest directional difficulty index, the deepest directional control, the deepest downlink, the deepest battery-less operation, the longest reservoir contact (35,449 feet) and finally the longest open hole. Source: Rigzone

06/12/2008 - U.S. Remains Dominant in Science and Technology

Despite perceptions that the nation is losing its competitive edge, the United States remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today. The United States accounts for 40 percent of the total world's spending on scientific research and development, employs 70 percent of the world's Nobel Prize winners and is home to three-quarters of the world's top 40 universities. An inflow of foreign students in the sciences—as well as scientists and engineers from overseas—has helped the United States build and maintain its worldwide lead, even as many other nations increase their spending on research and development. Continuing this flow of foreign-born talent is critical to helping the United States maintain its lead, according to the study. Source: RAND Corporation

06/11/2008 - Do Grads Shun Oil Industry as Unsexy?

Graduates are turning away from the oil industry because it is "not sexy enough,",\ said KBC Advanced Technologies Chief Executive George Bright, who spoke at the Asia Oil and Gas Conference. He said the oil sector was the "bogeyman for everything that goes wrong in the world," adding that it struggles with an "image problem" amidst links with climate change. BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward stuck a different spin on the topic, however, claiming that many of the people leaving university did not have the "right qualifications" to work for the UK supermajor. He said the problem is compounded by the fact that many of the best people in the industry are now closing in on retirement. Source: EnergyCurrent

06/10/2008 - BP Wins Big in Beaufort Bids

BP Exploration Co. was a big winner on June 6, winning three exploration licenses in a call for bids for the Beaufort Sea and Mackenzie Delta offshore Canada's northern coast. Bids were taken by the Canadian government's Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. BP won bids to explore for oil and gas in Parcels BSMD-1, BSMD-3, and BSMD-4 on exploration licenses EL449, EL451 and EL453. Source: EnergyCurrent

06/10/2008 - Rig Demand Will Continue Upward

Worldwide demand for mobile offshore drilling units will continue to grow throughout the next 12 months, according to data compiled for ODS-Petrodata's monthly World Rig Forecast - Short Term Trends report. Global demand for jackups, semis and drillships will exceed supply during the summer and fall, resulting in drilling programs being postponed. While 38 new rigs are scheduled for delivery this year, these rigs will only offset a portion of the supply shortfall, not eliminate it. Source: Energy Current

06/09/2008 - MMS: GOM Drilling Plans Lag

Drilling plan filings with the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) are lagging behind year-ago numbers, according to ODS-Petrodata's weekly Gulf of Mexico Newsletter. Year-to-date, Gulf of Mexico operators have filed 139 drilling plans for programs in the U.S. Gulf's federal waters, compared to the 181 plans filed during the same period in 2007. Offshore well permits are also down compared to last year. The MMS has issued 253 permits so far in 2008, compared to 309 permits issued over the same period last year. Source: Energy Current

06/08/2008 - Petrobras Claims 4th Largest Reserves

Brazilian state-owned energy giant Petrobras said it has the fourth-largest crude reserves among oil companies worldwide. CEO Jose Sergio Gabrielli made the announcement during state-run development bank BNDES' 20th National Forum in Rio de Janeiro, the firm said in a statement. Petrobras said it has 11.7 billion barrels of reserves, which include several recent huge gas and oil discoveries in Brazil's offshore Santos Basin - the Tupi, Jupiter, Carioca and Bem-te-vi fields. Source: Rigzone

06/07/2008 - Major Field Found in Caspian Sea

A major oil-and-gas-condensate field has been discovered at Tsentralnaya structure in the Caspian by OOO TsentrKaspneftegas (a joint venture of OAO LUKOIL and OAO Gazprom). The oil-bearing structure where the discovery occurred is in the central part of the middle Caspian on the border between Russia and Kazakhstan within Russia's sector of the sea. During testing, the well produced a commercial open flow of sweet crude. Source: Rigzone

06/06/2008 - "Junk" Ship Sails to Make a Point

Sailing 4,000 miles on the Pacific Ocean made Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal sick. It wasn't waves that turned their stomachs, but the amount of plastic garbage they encountered on a voyage with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation earlier this year. To make people more aware of the contintent-size patches of plastic litter in the ocean, they built a motorless craft from 15,000 recycled beverage bottles, fishing nets, and the cockpit of a Cessna, and are sailing it more than 2,000 miles from southern California to Hawaii. Source: C\Net.com

06/05/2008 - Celebrations Abound on June 8 for World Ocean Day

Special events at aquariums, beach cleanups, municipal ceelbrations and many other activities around the U.S. and the world are planned for June 8, World Ocean Day. Even Alcatraz is getting in on the action with a Seabird Celebration. Find out how you can join the fun and show your support for the oceans: go to the Ocean Project to access events by world region.

06/05/2008 - Oil Prices a Boon to Newbuilds

Record commodity prices continue to fuel expansion in the offshore industry, and the worldwide offshore construction vessel fleet is no exception. Eleven newbuild units are scheduled to come on stream next year, with at least half of them equipped with heavy lift capacities of more than 880 tons (800 tonnes), according to ODS-Petrodata's Offshore Construction Locator. Industry players are also cashing in on the bullish market to upgrade the capabilities of their existing construction fleets. The next few years will see more DP-enabled construction vessels and derrick barges with heavy lift capacities of 2,750 tons (2,500 tonnes) and above entering the market. Source: Energy Current

06/04/2008 - Global Ocean Color Dataset Stretches Over 10 Years

The European Space Agency's (ESA's) GlobColour project has merged 55 terabytes of data from three state-of-the-art instruments aboard different satellites to produce a 10-year dataset of global ocean color stretching to 2007. In addition to aiding carbon cycle research, the ESA said ocean color data can provide oceanographers with the information they need to monitor the state of the oceans for other applications. GlobColour is to begin providing near-real time ocean color observations to support a similar type of operational oceanography this year. Source: UPI

06/03/2008 - Measurement Bias Affects Ocean Temerature Data

How instruments were used and who used them affected the data on ocean temperature over the last six decades, according to a report in the journal Nature. David W.J. Thompson of Colorado State University and colleageus uncovered measurement bias in data on global surface temperatures. The researchers discovered a sudden drop of 0.5 degree Fahrenheit in 1945, but just in data collected at sea, not on land. The problem arose from how British and American ships measured the temperature of surface water. Source: New York Times

06/01/2008 - New Zealand Tidal Project Wins Government Grant

A project to generate electricity from the tides in Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand, is to receive a grant of $1.85 million from the Marine Energy Deployment Fund. Energy Minister David Parker announced the grant to Crest Energy Ltd in a speech to the Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association last week. Crest Energy’s Pouto Link Project will see up to three turbines deployed, as the first stage of the company’s long-term plan for commercial-scale electricity generation from the tides at Kaipara. The grant is subject to resource consents being obtained. Source: Scoop Independent News

05/31/2008 - Mass. Enacts Ocean Usage Law

Massachussets Gov. Deval Patrick last week signed into law an ocean management plan that will determine where renewable energy projects and LNG terminals will be allowed in state waters. The law requires Ian Bowles, the secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, to write an ocean management plan in consultation with a 17-member ocean advisory commission and a nine-member science advisory council. A draft plan is due in the summer of 2009, and a final plan is required by December 31, 2009. The law will affect state waters, which end three miles from the shore, and will be subject to public hearings. Source: Cape Cod Times

05/31/2008 - Company Has Solution to "Dirty Little Secret"

Altela, a New Mexico start-up, has developed a hydrothermal system that aims to turn the ancient groundwater extracted in oil or gas production into clean drinking water. The system, which is about the size of a residential water heater, includes boilers, holding tanks, water treatment towers, and a satellite-based communications system for remote monitoring. The device can treat about 4,000 gallons of produced water per day. Unlike reverse osmosis or other filtration methods, Altela's system uses virtually no energy to drive pumps or pressurized systems to clean the water. Rather, Altela uses waste energy like methane released in the industrial process to power its own thermal distillation system. Source: C|NET

05/30/2008 - Tidal Device Attached to Grid

After a series of trials, a tidal device developed by Ireland-based OpenHydro and installed on the seabed just off a remote Scottish island has been connected to the grid for the first time. The move is seen as a important step forward for the renewables industry as some experts believe the sea could eventually provide 20 per cent of the UK’s energy needs. Source: H&V News

05/28/2008 - Capitol Hill Oceans Week Slated for June 3-5

Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) 2008 will be held at the Reserve Officers Building on June 3-5. CHOW is hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and brings together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss existing ocean and coastal issues. 2008 panel speakers will include members of Congress, as well as representatives from federal and state government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations. This year, the symposium will focus on the effects of climate change on our ocean and will have topic discussions about ocean and human health, marine debris, coral reef conservation, aquaculture and more.

05/27/2008 - Canada Plans Agressive Claim to Arctic Seabed

Canada is preparing to claim an area of the Arctic Ocean seabed equivalent in size to the Prairie provinces as part of Ottawa's aggressive effort to defend Canadian interests in the North, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said yesterday. Lunn is scheduled to attend an Arctic Council meeting today in Greenland with four other countries that have significant - and in some cases, competing - claims to territorial jurisdiction beyond the traditional 200-nautical-mile limit. Denmark is host of the Greenland meeting, which will also have representatives from Russia, Norway and the United States. All five countries are preparing claims to the subsea continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, although the Americans have yet to ratify the treaty. Source: Globe and Mail

05/27/2008 - Scientists Are Changing Lab Instruments for Deep-Sea Environment

Much of what is surprising about the deep ocean results from the extraordinary conditions found there. For those who study the deep sea, those extreme conditions mean that the very act of bringing many samples to the surface often changes or destroys them. Unable to study deep-sea phenomena in their labs, Sheri White and Chip Breier from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are developing instruments that will allow them to bring their laboratory down to the seafloor. They are working on ways to convert a laboratory device known as a laser Raman spectrometer for work in the difficult conditions of the deep sea. Source: WHOI

05/26/2008 - Weaver's Cove Appeal Denied

The First U.S. Coast Guard District Commander on Thursday denied an appeal filed by Weaver's Cove Energy regarding the Captain of the Port for Southeastern New England's determination that the waterway to their proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Fall River, Mass., was unsuitable for LNG tankers. Weaver's Cove Energy requested that Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan reconsider the decision made by Coast Guard Capt. Roy Nash, the Captain of the Port at the time, that the channel from Prudence Island, R.I., to the proposed site was unsafe due to navigational hazards. Source: Energy Current

05/24/2008 - Pelamis Wave Power May Go Public

Edinburgh-based Pelamis Wave Power may seek to go public next year as it sees growing opportunities outside Europe, its head said on Thursday. Fragile financial markets have kept Pelamis, which makes a system that generates electricity from ocean waves, from an initial public offering but it will do so "when the market's right," said Pelamis Chief Executive Officer Phil Metcalf. "Next year would appear to be about the right time. We'll assess it as we go," he told Reuters. Source: Reuters

05/24/2008 - Seadrill: New Player Enters GOM Lineup

In a few weeks, Norway's Seadrill will bring its first drilling rig to the region, one of a new breed of ultradeep-water floating rigs that is in high demand as crude prices touch new peaks. The arrival of the rig, called the West Sirius, signals that recent deep-water discoveries in the Gulf continue to attract global interest. But it's also a reminder of Seadrill's rapid evolution from inexperienced upstart to serious player in the offshore drilling industry. Source: Rigzone

05/23/2008 - Pacific Coast Hit with Acidification

An international team of scientists surveying the waters of the continental shelf off the West Coast of North America has discovered for the first time high levels of acidified ocean water within 20 miles of the shoreline, raising concern for marine ecosystems from Canada to Mexico. Researchers aboard the Wecoma, an Oregon State University research vessel, also discovered that this corrosive, acidified water that is being "upwelled" seasonally from the deeper ocean is probably 50 years old, suggesting that future ocean acidification levels will increase since atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have increased rapidly over the past half century. Results of the study were just published in Science Express. Source: Science Daily

05/22/2008 - Petrobras Expansion Plans Include 40 Drill Ships

Petrobras plans to hire 40 drillships and semisubmersible drilling platforms to operate in deep and ultra-deepwater. The company foresees the construction and receipt of the 40 units through 2017, and priority will be given to building them in Brazil. An invitation to tender is currently underway for the chartering of 24 vessels to support exploration and production activities. Petrobras expects bidding to take place for another 122 of vessels in the next six years. The 146 support vessels will be built in Brazil.

05/21/2008 - Irish Wave Energy Company to Set Up Shop in Annapolis

An Irish company that's building wave-energy devices announced Tuesday that it plans to open its U.S. headquarters in Annapolis. Derek Robertson, a Wavebob general manager, said the company chose Annapolis because of the depth of maritime technology expertise in this area. And while the company has not determined its testing sites, the calmer Atlantic Ocean and Carderock Naval laboratory's enormous wave tank in Bethesda are possibilities, he said. The company, which has backing from Chevron Technology Ventures, also is working with a Swedish utility to develop a wave farm off the coast of Ireland. The company hopes to have 15 employees in Annapolis by 2011 and plans to invest $10 million locally. Source: Baltimore Sun

05/19/2008 - Trico Marine to Buy DeepOcean