Published by The Maritime Executive
Published by The Maritime Executive
Published by The Maritime Executive
Published by The Maritime Executive
Published Jul 12, 2022 7:42 PM by The Maritime Executive
After detecting two gas leaks at its Sleipner complex in the Norwegian North Sea, Equinor has shut the giant production complex down, reducing Norway's natural gas output just as it is trying to ramp up to meet European demand.
The first leak occurred near a turbine on the Sleipner A platform. Equinor's staff resolved the issue and began restarting production; at that point, another gas leak occurred at the nearby Sleipner R platform.
No one was injured in the accident and work is under way to return to normal operation, Equinor said. The incident has been reported and will be investigated by the relevant authorities.
The Sleipner complex produces or handles gas from the Sleipner Øst, Gungne, Sleipner Vest, Sigyn, Gudrun, Utgard and Gina Krog fields, and it is among Norway's most important natural gas production facilities. It has four platforms for production, processing, export and habitation. It connects by pipeline to the giant Nyhamna onshore gas plant in Norway and to the Easington gas import terminal in the UK.
Pipeline operator Gassco's dashboard estimates that the platform will be back online and operating on July 14.
Just two weeks ago, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA Norway) published an investigation into a transformer short circuit and a fire pump breakdown aboard Sleipner A. PSA determined that the underlying causes included design flaws, aging equipment and a maintenance oversight on its fire pump systems.
Published Jul 15, 2022 2:58 PM by The Maritime Executive
A month after the passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has taken its first steps toward enacting provisions of the legislation. While the FMC has already been very vocal about the hotly contested detention and demurrage fees, the commission issued its first official guidance on the complaint process after the revisions to the Ocean Shipping Act increased shippers' ability to lodge complaints. Speaking at the passage of the legislation, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei...
Published Jul 15, 2022 2:18 PM by The Maritime Executive
The Israeli government announced on Thursday that it has selected the winning bid for the privatization of the Haifa Port Company, which operated one of the largest container and cargo terminals in the country. The nearly two-year process had drawn interest from many of the leading port companies and is being promoted both as an attempt to lower costs and wait times while also countering a Chinese developed terminal at Haifa. India’s Adani Group in partnership with an Israeli chemical...
Published Jul 15, 2022 2:03 AM by The Maritime Executive
The Vatican is pushing for shipping lines and governments across the globe to allow seafarers to take shore leave in order to enhance their wellbeing and reduce the pressures of being aboard ships for months on end. Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said that even after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the rights of seafarers continue to be violated by being denied shore leave. In a message during Sea Sunday, Cardinal Czerny noted...
Published Jul 15, 2022 1:51 AM by The Maritime Executive
A joint European / Japanese research project aims to lower the energy requirements and costs for manufacturing green methanol, the future fuel of choice for Maersk and one of the leading candidates for decarbonizing deep-sea shipping. Methanol can be synthesized from carbon dioxide and hydrogen at high temperature, then converted to methanol for use as fuel. If the carbon comes from CO2 capture and the hydrogen feedstock is produced using renewable power, the product - green methanol - is considered...
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