U.S. announces New Jersey offshore wind lease sale
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 — In a sign that the pace of U.S. offshore wind development is starting to pick up, 343,833 acres seven miles offshore New Jersey will be offered for commercial
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 — In a sign that the pace of U.S. offshore wind development is starting to pick up, 343,833 acres seven miles offshore New Jersey will be offered for commercial
The contract has been secured through the Ghanaian entity Eidesvik Ghana Limited, which is operated by Ghanaian partners in cooperation with Eidesvik, and Technip.
The firm contract period is 50 days plus mobilization period with an option for charterers to extend the scope of work by a further 50 days. Work is expected to start in the middle of the fourth quarter of this year.
Designed by Salt Ship Design, the 145 m x 31 m OCV has a 400 ton crane and was delivered by shipbuilder Kleven Verft’s Eidesvik, Norway, shipyard in February 2015.
Eidesvik Offshore says the ship “stands out as an excellent base for complex subsea operations” and with the joint crew from Technip and Eidesvik has delivered excellent performance.
“The vessel has been operating for Technip since she was delivered from the yard and we are very pleased to continue the good relation and cooperation between the Technip and Eidesvik teams onboard the vessel and onshore”, says Jan Fredrik Meling, CEO of Eidesvik Offshore ASA.
The end-user is Tullow Ghana Limited, the operator and part-owner of the TEN field in Ghana.
The vessel, now named Skandi Responder, is a VARD 1 08 design platform supply vessel. According to Vard it is the first of two vessels whose original shipbuilding contracts were terminated earlier this year. It has now been delivered from the Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam and sold to Vard Shipholding Singapore Pte. Ltd., a newly established wholly-owned subsidiary of Vard Holdings.
Vard says that it continues to explore opportunities for a sale of the vessel. The second PSV whose contract was terminated is still under construction at Vard Vung Tau, with an expected completion date in second quarter 2016.
Vard CEO and Executive Director Roy Reite commented, “I am delighted that together with our long-term client DOF, we have found a solution that secures employment for this vessel following completion at the yard in Vung Tau. Securing this charter in today’s difficult market is proof of the attractiveness of Vard-built vessels for some of the most demanding jobs in the offshore industry, and I am confident that successfully operating it in Australia will increase our chances for a sale.”
Ultrapetrol says it is “exploring alternative courses of action to remedy the situation, including negotiations with Petrobras and employment in other offshore markets.”Ultrapetrol’s Offshore Supply Business continues to operate six PSVs with Petrobras under Brazilian flag or with Brazilian Special Registries (“REB Rights”).
Additionally, the non-Brazilian flagged RSV UP Coral has recently commenced a six-year contract to provide subsea support services to Petrobras, while the two laid-up North Sea vessels, UP Agate and UP Jasper, are currently participating in tenders to enter service with Petrobras as an RSV subsea support vessel and a PSV with REB Rights, respectively.
A priority will be to find a buyer for its flagship Ceona Amazon, delivered by shipbuilder Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven, in 2014 and hailed as a game-changing deepwater subsea-tie-back and field development asset.
A signal that all was not well at Ceona came on September 4 when Norway’s GC Rieber Shipping said it had terminated a five year charter entered into in March 2014 with Ceona Chartering (UK) Ltd for the subsea vessel Polar Onyx, “by reason of Ceona’s default.”
GC Rieber said Ceona had provided security, in the form of cash deposit in a Norwegian bank, equivalent to nine month’s hire, and that it would seek to recover outstanding and future claims and losses through the cash deposit. In addition, said GC Rieber, it would seek to recover excess amounts through Ceona.
Ceona Ship Holdings Limited, Ceona Ship 1 Limited, Ceona Equipment Limited, Ceona Services (UK) Limited, Ceona Chartering (UK) Limited, Ceona Contracting (UK) Limited and Ceona Investments Limited are being administered by insolvency pactitioners Alan Robert Broom, Alan Michael Hudson and Colin Peter Dempster,
Ceona Crewing Ltd and Ceona Holdings Ltd are being administered by Stuart Arthur Gardner and Mr. Hudson
The unit was ordered during the second quarter of 2012 and the delivery date stated in the construction contract was by December 31, 2014.
“Due to the shipyard’s inability to deliver the unit within the timeframe required under the contract, the company has exercised its cancelation rights,” says Seadrill, which notes that, under the contract terms, it has the ability to recoup its $168 million in pre-delivery installments to the shipyard, plus accrued interest.
In fourth quarter 2012, Seadrill was awarded a five year contract for the West Mira with Husky Oil Operations for operations in Canada and Greenland.
In its second quarter earnings report, Seadrill reported that, due to the late delivery of West Mira, the company had tentatively agreed with Husky to reduce the dayrate of the West Mira drilling contract.
Seadrill says it remains in discussions with Husky to find an alternative solution to meet its drilling requirements.
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SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — Vancouver, British Columbia, based Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) christened its newest oil spill response vessel yesterday in Burrard Inlet. The $4.5 million G.M. Penman is a
SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — Seismic vessel operator Petroleum Geo Services says that “to further reduce cost and capital expenditures, and to improve utilization,” it has decided to cold-stack its 1998-built Ramform Viking
SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 — Lafayette, LA, headquartered All Coast, LLC, the largest liftboat operator in the Gulf of Mexico, christened its new Class 250 liftboat, the Great White, on August 20 at