It’s Good News Monday!
This Monday we talk about:
A Maritime Worker’s Guide to Winter Safety
World’s first zero-emissions cruise ship concept launched
French Ro-Ro to Begin Testing ‘Seawing’ Ship Kite for Wind-Assisted Propulsion
Solstad PSV to support large P&A, gas projects in Australia
Vår Energi, Partners Team Up to Reduce Environmental Impact of Seismic Surveys
Siem Offshore Nets More Offshore Wind Work for OSCV Duo
“Oil Rig at night in winter scenery.” Image from gCaptain.
It’s December and winter weather is already here for much of the northern hemisphere and gCaptain has some great guidelines on staying safe in cold weather. Even when temperatures drop to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chill and moisture such as being wet from water spray or sweat can cause cold-related injuries. Frostbite, hypothermia, immersion foot, dehydration, and even fatigue from using extra energy to stay warm are all dangers.
How do you protect yourself and your workers during winter weather?
Proper nutrition with increased calorie intake to offset a greater energy burn.
Protective clothing like hats, gloves, and other gear to stay warm.
Monitoring weather: be ready for colder temperatures, stronger winds, and larger waves.
Maintain vessel equipment: be ready for rough seas and emergencies.
To all our friends and family in energy, offshore, and maritime: stay safe out there!
“Artist illustration of Northern Xplorer zero-emissions cruise ship (source: Northern Xplorer)”. Image from Riviera.
Northern Xplorer’s (NX) new concept vessels will be fully electric with hydrogen fuel cells and an auxiliary renewable energy supply. The NX slogan is ‘Destination Discovery’ and provides ‘immersive experiences’ that are ‘off the beaten track’ with a minimal footprint. The ships are coming just in time as Norway will create zero emissions zones in heritage sites like Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord starting in 2026. The 14 ships will each have 150 cabins for up to 300 passengers with 100 crew and should be operational by 2024 or 2025. The goal is low impact discovery in a safe environment with “sophisticated HVAC systems” to help prevent pathogen spread.
Rendering of the Airseas Seawing in action on the Ville de Bordeaux. “Illustration courtesy Airseas”. Image from gCaptain.
Airseas has installed its first automated ship kite on a commercial vessel, a RoRo called Ville de Bordeaux. The vessel is used to transport major aircraft components between the United States and France and is owned and operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and chartered by Airbus. The 500 meter Seawing will start being used in January 2022 for a 6 month trial followed by full operation. The ship kite can be deployed and stowed with a button press and a ship retrofit takes just two days to complete. The full size Seawing is 1000 square meters and Airseas expects a 20% reduction in fuel consumption GHG emissions.
“The offshore support vessel Normand Tortuga will operate out of the Dampier offshore base supporting Woodside's charter (source: Woodside)”. Image from Riviera.
Solstad Offshore has been awarded a 572 day contract with Woodside for PSV Normand Tortuga to support decommissioning and gas development in Australia. The 2014 vessel will support “Valaris semi-submersible DPS-1 on the Enfield plug and abandonment (P&A) and Scarborough projects, commencing in late Q1 and Q2 2022. Woodside has chartered DPS-1 for a 16-well campaign.” The plan is to permanently plug about 18 wells from 2022 to 2024 and remove equipment from the sea floor.
“Research & Development Manager in Vår Energi, Gjertrud Halset.” Image from Offshore Engineer.
Vår Energi has entered a joint project with Equinor, Lundin, and Shearwater GeoServices, a marine geophysical company, to create a method for seismic data collection that is more environmentally friendly. Project BASS will have the goal of developing a low-impact acoustic source with greater accuracy and quality for finding and monitoring hydrocarbon resources. Gjertrud Halset, R&D Manager, said "The BASS project fits our R&D strategy and falls into the top-priority technology gaps and challenges we have identified. The project also matches our plans for becoming the leading ESG company on the Norwegian Continental shelf. Replacing the traditional technology would revolutionize the seismic survey process and strengthen our sustainability performance."
Siem Stingray at sea. “Credit: Siem Offshore”. Image from Offshore Engineer.
Siem Offshore signed a contract on December 13 for the offshore subsea construction vessel (OSCV) Siem Barracuda for operations in South East Asia and an extension for OSCV Siem Stingray. Siem Barracuda will do subsea preparatory work for a new offshore wind farm construction project on a contract of 5 months with options. Siem Stingray is extending its contract two months, which appears to be with GE Renewable Energy, after which it will receive a battery installation before being deployed to another contract in the UK Offshore wind market.
Smile, it’s Good News Monday! :-)
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