The Arctic is one of the few areas remaining with large finds to be made. In order to operate and develop fields in the Arctic, new technologies are needed and are being developed, from ice-management systems to innovations in drilling. The…
New Jersey-based National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility is one-of-a-kind in US. On 24 October 2013, US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental…
The Canadian province of British Columbia released a comprehensive study assessing current marine-spill preparedness and response capabilities on 10 October 2013. The study also outlines necessary improvements to achieve a world-class system to ensure B…
Russia’s State Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (SMRCC) has ordered two new rescue and salvage icebreakers for patrols in offshore oil-and-gas fields.The vessels are under construction at Nordic Yards GmbH in Germany and will be fitted with equipment for oil-spill response…
High activity levels in the North Sea are making an attractive market for Damen Shipyards. Last year, its biggest newbuild market was in tugs and work boats, with 80 delivered. Now, the firm has turned its attention to oil and gas industry support vessels with its new Damen Offshore Series…
With construction underway on the first ever Oblique Icebreaker, research specialist Aker Arctic Technology has unveiled a new version of a unique vessel type that will bring ice management and pollution control in thick, first-year ice to a new level…
Gardline Marine Sciences, the world’s largest independently owned survey group, and OceanPact, Brazilian leading oil spill response company in Brazil, today announced the establishment of a joint venture\. he new company is to be called Gardline Marine Sciences do Brasil S…
Citing unease over changing US regulations, ConocoPhillips opted to pause plans for its 2014 Alaska Chukchi Sea drilling program, the supermajor announced on 10 April 2013.Shell's oil spill response teams practice laying out nearly 600m (1,500ft)…
Oil Spill Response has united with Fort Lauderdale, Florida based Clean Caribbean & Americas under the banner OSRL. The new organization will support adoption of best practices and will offer members enhanced response capability and equipment…
Time is the most critical factor when dealing with an Arctic oil spill, says Steve Potter, principal consultant, SL Ross. Small spills can usually be handled by onsite personnel with rig- or platform-based boats and booms. Larger spills require more resources…
Delegates at the Arctic Technology Conference, held recently in Houston, examined the potential of the region to the oil & gas industry. Victor Schmidt and Nina Rach listened in.Two Russian icebreakers create a wide path for the LNG carrier…
Shell drillship Kulluk ran aground off AlaskaKulluk aground (Photo: USCG)Calmer weather has allowed a recovery team to board Shell’s Arctic-class drillship, The Kulluk, which ran aground on 31 December 2012.During tow from Alaska to Seattle…
Two years after Macondo, BP launched an all-out effort at OTC 2012 to demonstrate its commitment to safety and to its future in the Gulf of Mexico. Russell McCulley reports.Among the many legacies of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout is what's…
A fit-for-purpose capping stack designed to cope with Alaska’s environmental extremes will play a key role in the US Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)-compliant containment system Shell Exploration & Production has put together…
The Macondo incident pushed oil spill response to the top of the environmental agenda. A recent contest let some innovative companies demonstrate spill response equipment – and for one of the event's technical advisors, Shell, to reassure the public that it intends to operate safely in Alaska…