The commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command says a fatal training accident involving a Navy SEAL assigned to Pearl Harbor is “a heart-wrenching loss.”
Adm. Edward Winters III was speaking of Thursday’s death of Eric Shellenberger following a training dive in waters off Bremerton, Wash.
Technip has been awarded by Bluewater Industries two lumpsum contracts for the Telemark and Clipper Corridor field developments in the Gulf of Mexico. ATP Oil & Gas Corporation is 100% owner and operator of the Telemark field, and 55% owner and operator of the Clipper Corridor field; Bluewater Industries is managing the two projects.
Doris Leblond, OGJ Correspondent
PARIS — Royal Dutch Shell PLC plans to reduce gradually its 90-year presence in France. The move was started just after the major sold its three French refineries on Apr. 1, 2008, Shell spokesman Jean-Marc Specque told OGJ.
“We have already announced a number of reorganizations,” Specque said, pointing to the research center at Petit-Couronne in Normandy that specializes in lube oils, bitumen, and other products. It will be transferred to other Shell research units worldwide as the group reorganizes its research base on a global and “more intelligent basis,” he said.
Dong Energy, E.ON and Masdar, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company, have today announced that they will invest €2.2bn in building the first 630MW phase of the London Array offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary.
Once complete, the scheme will be the the world’s largest, and the first 1GW, offshore wind farm. The project will supply enough power for around 750,000 homes – or a quarter of Greater London homes – and displace the emission of 1.9m tonnes of CO2 every year.
Norway’s Volstad Shipping will shortly take delivery a new ROV/survey vessel which is nearing completion at Baatbygg in Norway.
The 85.30m long vessel, built to Skipsteknisk design, the ST253, is equipped for ROV operations, subsea installation work, geo-technical surveys, and light construction.
RBG USA (‘RBG’), a subsidiary of RBG Ltd. Aberdeen, Scotland, will be the first offshore service company to introduce new generation 55,000psi Ultra High Pressure (‘UHP’) water jetting machines to Gulf of Mexico oil rigs.
The new upgraded UHP machines are each equipped with three operating lances, compared to only two lances for the traditional 40,000psi machines, commonly used in the Gulf of Mexico. The added capacity allows for higher productivity and more flexibility on board, delivering a more cost-effective maintenance program.
The Norwegian government Friday gave it blessing to oil company ENI’s development plans for the Goliat field in the Barents Sea. Among the government’s conditions are low carbon dioxide emissions and top standard preparedness mechanisms.
The government officially approves the development of the Arctic oil field located about 85 km northeast of Hammerfest. A press release from the Ministry of oil and energy reads that the project, one of the biggest in northern Norway ever, will generate about 500 new jobs.
BROUSSARD, LA — Subsea services company Divecon Services has changed it name to Aqueos Corp., effective immediately. The company said that the change was motivated by a need to establish a marketing presence that would set it apart from its competition.
Aqueos provides marine construction and specialty subsea services, including commercial diving, remotely operated vehicle- and vessel-related services to the offshore oil and gas industry. The company has offices in Broussard, La., and Carpinteria, Calif.
The new web site is www.aqueossubsea.com.
Aquarius staff diver Dewey Smith, who died while on an undersea mission at the undersea habitat off Key Largo on Tuesday, was remembered by many in the diving community this week — and even in Washington.
Condolences for Smith, 36, were offered on the floor of the U.S. Congress.
Houston, TX – It has been released that the diver who died in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week is Chris Wilson. Initial reports are that his umbilical was caught by a lift bag when the bag’s rigging broke and he suffered a rapid ascent from 200FSW. Divers who knew Chris said, “He was a very good diver and always safety conscience.” We’ll be posting full details once they are released so that we can all learn from the incident and hopefully keep everyone a little safer.
Ian Buchan has posted information on Chris’s funeral and all of his friends are welcome to attend:
To All Of Chris Wilson’s Friends:
At [Chris’s wife’s] request, I am posting an update on Chris’s Memorial Service. There will be a service held at Trinity Church on Saturday at 5:13 p.m. in Pass Christian, Mississippi. There will also be another service held at 6:30 p.m. on the sand beach at the foot of Davis Ave. in Pass Christian. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at any Hancock bank in the names of his two sons. You can do this in person, or send a check to Hancock Bank with “Chris Wilson Memorial Fund” in the memo. Please view and sign the register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com. All of Chris’s friends are welcome.
We are trying to raise funds for Chris’ Family, most notably his two boys. Below are various methods for donation, including paypal if you are unable to mail a check to the bank or would like to use a credit or debit card to donate:
————————————————-
We (www.CommercialDiverWives.com) are doing a collection for Chris’ wife and their two boys. In an effort to make it as easy as possible to contribute, there are a variety of ways you can donate:
1. PayPal: Please send paypal donations to [sarah at commercialdiverwives dot com]. Donations will be transferred in a lump sum to Hancock Bank in the boys’ names from CommercialDiverWives.com. Rest assured that 100% of your donation will go to Chris Wilson’s family. Please note in your payment that it is for Chris Wilson’s family.
2. Go to http://www.hancockbank.com to find your nearest location and make a donation in person or by mail in the boys’ names. Be sure to write “Chris Wilson Memorial Fund” in the memo.
3. Take a donation in person to Bradford O’keefe Funeral Home. Go to http://www.bradfordokeefe.com for contact information. Again, be sure to write “Chris Wilson Memorial Fund” in the memo. “