• Eitzen Maritime Services to acquire Dubai-based Seven Seas for $115 million.

Eitzen Maritime Services said it has agreed to acquire Dubai-based ship supply firm Seven Seas for $115 million.

• Australia Gets 2.5 Million Square Kilometers of New Offshore Rights.

Anyone still wondering what all the fuss is surrounding Canada’s bid to gain new seabed territory in the Arctic Ocean should look to Australia, where the country’s government is predicting a possible oil and gas “bonanza” after being granted a 2.5-million-square-kilometre expansion of its offshore jurisdiction.

• Salvage Operations Commence after Barge Accident in Kentucky.

The Coast Guard says salvage operations are to start after two barges carrying iron ore sank in the Ohio River near downtown Louisville, Ky.

• StatoilHydro to build first full scale offshore floating wind turbine.

StatoilHydro has decided to build the world’s first full scale floating wind turbine, Hywind, and test it over a two-year period offshore Karmøy. The The company is investing approximately 400 million NOK. Planned startup is autumn 2009.

• Huge boost for offshore wind power.

The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has announced plans for a huge increase in offshore wind power. Up to 7,000 new turbines could be built by 2020, producing up to 25 gigawatts of electricity.

• Florida’s offshore drilling policy is outdated.

The economic prosperity and national security of our country dictates that the distortions and false assertions about offshore oil and gas production be challenged.

• Petrobras to lease 146 vessels for E&P unit.

Brazil’s federal energy company Petrobras will order 146 vessels for its offshore exploration and production (E&P) operations over the next six years, company president José Sérgio Gabrielli said.

• Scottish & Southern Energy To Proceed With 504MW Wind Farm.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) confirmed Wednesday that it will proceed with its investment in the 504MW (megawatt) Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm and said construction work will begin shortly.

• Liftboat salvage starts.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Aqua Survey, Inc. has contracted Delmarva Salvage Company in conjunction with Tow Boat US to conduct a salvage operation on the research vessel Russell W. Peterson, a liftboat that grounded yesterday near Bethany Beach, Del.

• Fishing Vessel Submerged at Pier.

The Coast Guard is overseeing the salvage of a 70-foot fishing vessel that sank at the pier in Oceanside, N.Y. on Monday.

• Soaring claim costs transform marine insurance market.

Hull claim insurance costs in 2007 have gone up 86% over five years, according to Norway’s Central Union of Marine Underwriters’ (CEFOR).

• Coast Guard Tug Crew, Boom Boat Save Kayakers.

The Coast Guard, a tug boat crew and a boom boat crew rescued two kayakers on April 13 after they capsized and were overtaken by water in the Delaware River.

• Salvage firm goes under.

Deep-sea salvage firm SubSea Resources has called off its battle for survival after the cash-strapped company said it was calling in administrators.

• Nigeria: Maritime - Reading for Excellence.

The complexity of the maritime industry is one that challenges even the most well informed about this all-important sector of the economy. Its transactional vocabulary is peculiarly arcane.

• Big job for salvage team.

An Auckland-based salvage team faces a challenging job trying to retrieve a damaged commercial fishing boat stuck fast on a reef with about 2400 litres of oil on board in Doubtless Bay in the Far North.

• Salvage crew heads to boat leaking diesel.

salvage crew has safely boarded the stricken commercial fishing boat, Seawyf, near the entrance to the Mangonui Harbour. The Seawyf ran aground on the Fair Way Reef in the early ours of yesterday morning and a diesel leak could be seen spreading up to 2km from the vessel.

DUTCH-based salvage and towage company Multraship says it has refloated the 74,403 dwt bulk carrier Trans Pacific east of the island of Samso in the Danish Great Belt. The 2004-built vessel was carrying a cargo of 68,978 tons of potash when it grounded on sand and gravel on January 27.

On January 28, Multraship mobilised a salvage team and equipment, including a number of salvage tugs, divers, anti-pollution equipment, a bunker barge, and the Spliethoff vessel Alexandergracht. About 1,000 tons of bunkers were transferred to the bunker barges, while roughly 10,000 tons of the potash cargo was offloaded into the Alexandergracht.

Despite severe weather conditions, in driving rain and up to Force 11 winds the salvage team refloated the vessel at high water late on the evening of February 6 with, Multraship says “full co-operation from the Danish authorities”. The Trans Pacific was then towed to Kalundborg Roads, where a diving inspection is planned prior to reloading of the cargo.

More information:

- pictures of Trans Pacific

source: Maritime Global Net

During the night of Tuesday, February 4th salvor SMIT succeeded in freeing the grounded crane carrier Zhen Hua 10. It took four attempts to refloat the 300m giant and required three local harbour tugs and a German, 19000BHP (219TBP) anchor handling tug.

The carrier broke loose from the anchorage near Hook of Holland early last Saturday morning. The master tried to navigate the vessel out of shallow waters near the coast against Force 10-11 winds and 7-8m waves, but ran aground despite the efforts.

The Zhen Hua 10 is owned by ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery), a producer of container cranes. At the time of the accident the vessel was loaded with several container cranes and destined for Rotterdam.

IVW (Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat) are currently investigating the accident.

No personal injuries were reported.

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Pictures © Nells

• Van Oord completes The World.
• Ferry may be grounded for a week.
• Somalis hijack newbuild Svitzer tug.

Footage taken from Canadian tevelevision (back in 2003) of the salvage operation of the Finnish freighter Camilla at Conception Bay.

On January 23, 2003, having experienced main engine failure and at the mercy of storm force wind and seas, the crew of the 7,598 dwt RoRo vessel Camilla requested the Canadian Coast Guard to air evacuate them from the ship.

Read the full story here.

Video compilation by Oceanwindrider

The Coast Guard is responding to a tow boat that sunk in the Tennessee River at approximately mile marker 11.5 today.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Paducah was notified that the tow boat Janet Leavell had sank at approximately 12:45 p.m., and is coordinating efforts with Wepfer Marine and the State and Federal Environmental Protection Agencies.

The vessel’s owner has contracted divers who are en-route to attempt to seal vents to minimize pollution in the river.

Containment boom has been deployed around the vessel to prevent the spread of oil and fuel.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

via: Holland & Knight Newsletter