Africa
Amendments to IMSBC Code Target Cargo Liquefaction Issues
Liquefaction of mineral ores, resulting in cargo shift and loss of stability, has been a major cause of marine casualties for many decades. Recent incidents, which appear to have lead to several total losses, have primarily involved the carriage of unprocessed natural ores such as iron ore fines. As
Box Carriers Pressured by Lack of Market Consolidation
Lack of consolidation in the box carrying segment will resume exerting pressure on shippers, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants. Despite the fallout of the P3 network planned by Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM, competing shippers, especially those in China may not be in a position to keep up with the
Eni Gets Three New Permits to Explore in Algeria
Eni has been granted three prospection permits by Sonatrach, the Algerian state company. The permits authorize Eni, as operator, and Sonatrach to carry out prospection activities in the basins of Timimoun and Oued Mya, in onshore southern Algeria. The three permits (El Guefoul, Tinerkouk and Terfas)
Galp Spuds TAO-1 Offshore Morocco
Tangiers Petroleum Limited has advised that the Ralph Coffman jack-up rig commenced drilling operations at the TAO-1 exploration well, offshore Morocco on the 26th June 2014. The TAO-1 well is located within a proven petroleum system, adjacent to the Cap Juby heavy oil discovery and has been designe
Galp kicks off drilling TAO-1 offshore Morocco
Tangiers Petroleum Limited has advised that the Ralph Coffman jack-up rig started drilling operations at the TAO-1 exploration well, offshore Morocco on the 26th June 2014. The TAO-1 well is located within a proven petroleum system, adjacent to the Cap Juby heavy oil discovery and has been designed
No Oil for Ophir in Okala-1 Well (Gabon)
Ophir Energy plc has announced that drilling operations have now ended on the Okala-1 well in the Mbeli Block offshore Gabon. Ophir has a 50% net operated interest. The well was drilled by the Vantage Titanium Explorer drillship to a depth of 4,229m MD targeting Cretaceous sands in the pre-salt sect
SonarWiz Now Supports EdgeTech Real-Time Bathymetry Systems
Chesapeake Technology Inc. (CTI), a world leader in real-time acquisition and GIS based processing software for seafloor mapping, has announced a major advance to its flagship software SonarWiz processing with the addition of a Real-Time Acquisition Server for the EdgeTech 4600 and recently introduc
Ophir ends Gabon drilling campaign with dry well
Ophir Energy plc announces that drilling operations have now concluded on the Okala-1 well in the Mbeli Block offshore Gabon. The well was drilled by the Vantage Titanium Explorer drillship to a depth of 4,229m MD targeting Cretaceous sands in the pre-salt section. The well encountered a thick secti
VIDEO: Happy Seafarer Day!
This year’s June 25th marks the fourth international Day of the Seafarer, an official United Nations observance day. Day of the Seafarer celebrates the vital yet often hidden work done by seafarers to transport goods and commodities all around the globe. As nicely put by IMO, Seafarers are the peopl
ICS Backs Proposals to Protect World’s Oceans
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the principal trade association for merchant shipowners, has welcomed proposals to protect the world’s oceans adding that the Global Ocean Commission’s (GOC) ideas should be taken seriously. The GOC said it would like to see a greater level of environment
Benefits of Aggregated Data for Voyage Planning
On complicated technical systems such as vessels, there is an enormous amount of different sensors, that measure some kind of input from the physical world. A person technically trained is able to gain some information from a single sensor reading, but the information is much more useful when the da
LR: Existing Shipping Rules Should Be Enforced, Not New Ones Created
The Liberian Registry has called on shipping regulators to ensure the effective implementation of existing rules to protect human life, safety and the environment, rather than creating new rules and regulations instead. Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, the