By Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce
ANCHORAGE, AK — ENI Oil and Gas Inc. has delayed drilling and development on its Nikaitchuq offshore project on the North Slope, although construction of offshore pipelines and insulation of pipe in Fairbanks will continue, contractors said.
An ENI spokeswoman in Italy said the company still plans to complete the project with a 2010 startup.
QUEENSLAND — While it is still far too early to become complacent, Queenslanders are breathing a sigh of relief this morning as Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish now looks like remaining offshore for now, according to weatherzone.com.au.
At 7am EST, Hamish was situated approximately 215 kilometres northeast of Yeppoon and was moving southeast at 12 kilometres per hour. It is now expected to maintain this southeast track over the next couple of days.
The storm is still a very dangerous Category 4 cyclone, meaning that wind gusts near its centre are as high as 250 kilometres per hour. However, it is likely to gradually weaken over the next couple of days as it tracks parallel to the coast.
LATEST: CYCLONE Hamish evacuations on the mainland have been put on hold amid predictions the weakening cyclone may not even cross the coast.
Bureau of Meterology state director Jim Davidson said there was now only a 5 per cent chance Cyclone Hamish would cross the coast.
He said it was expected that Hamish would be downgraded to a category three or even two by tomorrow morning, but they wouldn’t know for sure until Wednesday.
International energy services company John Wood Group PLC (“Wood Group”), is strengthening its operation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a move into a new office and the consolidation of the Abu Dhabi operations of IMV Projects (“IMV”) with Mustang. The Group’s world-leading subsea and pipeline engineering company, J P Kenny also operates in Abu Dhabi and will collaborate on key opportunities with the new Mustang organization in Abu Dhabi.
“We see tremendous opportunities for the world class engineering skills we can bring to bear in support of our customers’ developments and investment plans in the Middle East region”, said Mike Straughen, Group Director and Chief Executive of Wood Group’s Engineering activities. “Wood Group currently employs 100 engineering personnel in Abu Dhabi and this strategic move will enhance our ability to leverage our extensive global capability and continue to grow our headcount in the region”.
LONDON — AMEC, the international engineering and project management company, has announced the award of a four-year contract for operations and maintenance support services for BP’s Unity platform in the Forties field in the North Sea. Work on this multi-million pound contract will begin immediately.
AMEC will be responsible for providing the management and technical resources necessary for maintenance and operation of the Unity platform as well as procurement of all additional services and materials. This includes planning, cost control and implementation of safety, health, environmental and quality management systems.
GLOUCESTER, MA — The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is leading an investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard into the circumstances surrounding an accident that injured a Gloucester diver Thursday at Harbor Loop, Coast Guard Lt. David Otani said yesterday.
The diver, Ted Barnes, 48, was listed in serious condition last night at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Barnes, who owns Gloucester-based Freedom Diving Corp., was cleaning the propeller and working beneath the gillnetter Ocean Pride III, which was moored near the Gloucester Seafood Auction, when the accident occurred.
BRISBANE — A “crazed” cook and his inedible food made for the holiday from hell for tourists aboard a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef last month.
Lucy Elliot, 26, and Shane Ashwell, 38, had their four-day trip aboard the Cairns-based dive vessel Taka ruined when the cook allegedly knocked the skipper unconscious and had to be hog-tied by crew members. Mr Ashwell – a Perth-based commercial diver – and his partner boarded the 30-metre vessel on February 20 en route to Osprey Reef when the cook, a 41-year-old Cairns man, allegedly turned violent.
BAY COUNTY, FL — According to an Oceaneering corporate executive, 45 people were let go last Friday. The downsizing is due to a decrease in market demands for their products. Back in November about 60 employees lost their jobs.
Management says they have a substantial investment in the Panama City Port facility and the layoffs were not a pleasant decision to make. They also say Oceaneering does not have any plans for further cuts.
The company now employs just under 300 people in the Panama City Port facility.
www.panhandleparade.com
Now in operation in the Gulf of Mexico, the DSV Don Amado is the result of close collaboration between the vessel’s owner, Oceanografia of Mexico, and Dutch yard De Hoop, which has a track record of building DSVs that dates back to the 1980s, with Deepwater 1 and Deepwater 2.
Oceanografia also operates two other De Hoop-built DSVs, Caballo de Mar and Caballo Trabajo, and another De Hoop-designed DSV is currently under construction at Niigata shipyard in Japan for the account of Dutch owner Noordhoek Offshore.
SEATTLE, WA — BlueView Technologies recently teamed with Marine Simulation to develop a sonar simulator based on BlueView’s line of forward looking multibeam imaging sonars. The new computer-based simulator is designed to be used with ROVsim Pro, Marine Simulation’s flagship undersea ROV simulator and will be offered as an optional module later this quarter.
With the addition of BlueView’s imaging sonar, ROV pilots can now quickly learn how to navigate in low visibility conditions using the sonar’s real-time feedback. This technique of ‘flying-by-sonar’ can dramatically decrease an ROV‘s downtime resulting from poor water conditions. ROVsim simulators are currently being used by ROV operators, universities and training centers in 11 countries worldwide.
www.blueview.com
