Category Archives: Offshore

Using a blue-green laser, LADAR penetrates the ocean enabling detection of submerged objects and debris

By Mark Fuhrmann 05-27-2020 03:17:25

Research scientist and entrepreneur Sverre Dokken believes laser-based remote sensing has big potential in the maritime domain.Our mission is to be the world leader in innovative maritime sensor products that enhance the safety and security of shipping and all manner of offshore activity, says Dokken, principal at Ladar Ltd (LDR).

In the sensor vanguard

Essentially a laser-based navigational aid, LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) combines long distance object detection with high-accuracy measurement, giving users a full 2D/3D/4D (3D plus time) perspective for optimal maritime awareness. The laser pulse scans a specific area or target with over 100 readings per second. Its water-penetrating capabilities enable very high-resolution detection of objects in the surface layer up to approximately one nautical mile distant and up to 10 meters deep in ideal conditions. Objects can be anything from a person, floating container, icebergs, whales, or small craft to environmental factors such as waves or pollution.

The systems proven capability to detect, characterize, classify and track various surface-layer objects in real-time make it suitable for a wide variety of applications, says Dokken.

The modular design incorporates unique technologies such as laser diodes together with optical camera, gyros, optional AIS, and/or radar and sonar feeds to produce a comprehensive analysis of the ocean surface layer ahead of a vessel.

The system overlaps many existing ship radar functions with added benefits, high-speed operation and no latency, says Dokken. It can be configured to different light bandwidths as required.

LADAR outperforms

LADAR outperforms both radar and sonar through its ability to detect both smaller and larger objects in the surface layer. Sub-meterresolution at close and long range and 1000-times better resolution in azimuth and elevation than both radar and sonar also enable detection of very small objects. The system is independent of speed, meaning it can be used on high-speed vessels andstationary platforms alike.

Machine learning helps to continuously improve detection and classification capabilities. Users can also experience the live environment using Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR).

Data feedback can optionally activate functions such as safe re-routing around navigational hazards, wave spectrum and ocean current observations, charting of marine plastic pollution, uncharted reefs, shoals, moving sand-banks, and so on.

LADAR uses narrow laser beam scans, providing a full 3D perspective

Highly versatile

All this makes LADAR the only cost-efficient subsurface tool that can be tailored to many maritime and offshore applications, Dokken says.

He believes the system has many immediate benefits. Our research indicates it can increase safety with a potential 50 percent reduction in navigational risk. That means fewer dry-dock visits due to accidents and collisions, reduced costs and extended vessel lifetime, he says.

LADAR can also plug the sensor gap with large amounts of situational data as the industry moves to autonomous operations and e-navigation. LDR is also working on matching the system with drone technology.

Were convinced the generalization of this technology will see new applications still unknown to us, Dokken says. But right now, there are no other laser sensor solutions in the market with the kind of performance our system offers. Whatever alternatives there are have less range, are bigger and less adaptable. Theyre also three or more times the price.

Focus on performance testing

The LDR lab continues iterative electronic and mechanical assembly to further reduce the size, weight and production cost of the system. We also focus on performance testing both in the lab and in live settings, says Dokken. Last summer, for example, we were in the Mediterranean doing tests on plastic detection with very positive results.

LDR has conducted trials on board the cruise ferryColor Magicalong its route between Oslo and Kiel, as well as proving its use in fish inventory assessment, bathymetric/sea floor mapping by aircraft and floating mine detection for a navy.

The company currently has LOIs in place with the likes of Team Tankers Management, Hurtigbtforbundet HRF, The Fjords, GOTA Ship Management, Hargun Havfiske, Barents Nord, the Port of Rotterdam and Grand Large Yachting.

LADAR's underwater range extends to a maximum depth of up to 10 metres at short distances

Scientific team

Dokkens team have been perfecting their advanced LADAR sensor technology for some years now. The company was spun off from an EU-funded project that produced an early prototype.

Our LADAR team have 100 years combined expertise in sensor systems, software and electrical engineering, says Dokken. We also cooperate with several experienced sea captains to ensure the system meets end-user needs and to keep tabs on market trends.

Dokken himself has over 20 years experience in marine and remote sensing R&D programmes. He has held various academic and managerial positions in the European Space Agency (ESA), Chalmers University of Technology, and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. He has co-ordinated several EU Framework Programme projects as well as investor- and venture-capital backed technology enterprises.

With a double MSc from the Agricultural University of Norway and both a PhD/Dr.Tech and LicEng from Chalmers University of Technology, he says the impetus for his move from pure research scientist to entrepreneur came in 2000 when doing a Financial MBA at the International University of Monaco. I havent looked back, he jokes.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

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Laser Sensor Technology for the Maritime and Offshore Industries - The Maritime Executive

Ireland stands to lose billions due to offshore wind projects being built from bases outside the country unless strategic investments are made in improving port infrastructure, according to a report by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA).

The Harnessing our Potential report states that offshore wind could create 2,500 jobs over the next ten years and attract over EUR 42 billion in lifetime investment, but Irish firms would be able to attract, at most, just over a fifth of this investment unless steps are taken to grow the local supply chain.

The key reason is that developers will be forced to use ports like Belfast, Mostyn or Barrow to construct wind farms because no Irish port meets all the requirements to serve the project construction.

Developing 3.5 GW of new offshore wind necessary to achieve the Climate Action Plans 2030 target also creates new opportunities for smaller ports as O&M bases, the report writes.

One of the recommendations is that strategic investment is directed urgently into one or more local ports on the east coast to develop offshore wind farms, including providing O&M support.

Additionally, the Government is advised to bring together industry, ports and communities to develop enterprise hubs to attract international investors and link them to Irish suppliers.

The report also suggests that educational institutions should be brought together to eliminate the skills gap and ensure that domestic workers can compete for the 2,500 construction and 700 permanent jobs.

Ireland has set a target of delivering 3.5 GW of offshore wind which presents a significant challenge given we are going from almost a standing start. Key to meeting that target will be building an indigenous and economically sustainable supply chain that makes a substantial contribution to the Irish exchequer and lowers the cost of electricity to the consumer, said Peter Lefroy, Chairperson of IWEAs offshore committee.

Offshore wind globally is rapidly expanding as the technology improves and costs fall.Establishing an Irish supply chain will be critical to ensure Ireland fully captures that opportunity and can compete on a global market. This not only relates to physical infrastructure but also to the workforce, skills and training required to service the industry in the long term.

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Ireland Needs Port Upgrades to Cash In On Offshore Wind (Report) - Offshore WIND

Saipem and Equinor have signed a two-year frame agreement, under which Saipem will provide engineering services to Equinor, as well as assistance for the developers offshore wind projects.

The agreement covers feasibility and conceptual studies, FEED, detailed engineering and related follow-on and support for R&D activities, and assisting Equinor with its upcoming projects, including those in the offshore and floating wind sectors.

The work scope also extends, among other things, to field layout and routing design for products such as umbilicals, cables, static flexibles and power cables.

Saipem already worked on an Equinor floating wind project, having won a contract in 2016 for the lift and mating operations of floating wind turbines for the 30 MW Hywind Scotland project.

At the beginning of this month (May 2020), Saipem signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to jointly evaluate the launch of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable projects, aimed at promoting the energy transition in Italy and abroad.

One of the initiatives under the MoU is the development and construction of renewable energy infrastructures, including offshore and/or floating wind farms.

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Saipem to Assist Equinor on Offshore Wind Projects - Offshore WIND

TenneT has selected the consortium of ENGIE Fabricom and Iemants to design, engineer, produce, deliver, transport, and install a 700 MW offshore substation for the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm.

The contract also includes the options for identical work on the Hollandse Kust West Alpha and Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore substations.

The Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm will comprise two zones with a combined capacity of between 693 MW and 760 MW.

The zero-subsidy tender round for the rights to build and operate the wind farm closed on 30 April.

The round attracted several bids, including those by rsted and a joint bid by Shell and Eneco.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) plans to announce the winner of the tender by the end of July at the latest. The wind farm is expected to be operational by 2023.

The 700 MW Hollandse Kust West Alpha substation is scheduled for commissioning in 2024, and the 700 MW Hollandse Kust West Beta substation in 2025.

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Breaking: Belgian Consortium to Build Dutch Offshore Substations - Offshore WIND

Navantia and Harland and Wolff (Belfast) Limited are in advanced teaming agreement discussions for cooperation in the offshore wind sector.

The partnership will focus on fixed and floating foundations for the offshore wind sector in the UK.

The teaming agreements are in relation to a series of specific projects that have been identified as commercially viable, InfraStrata, Harland & Wolffs parent company, said.

We have always selected our partners carefully. In Navantia, we see a long-term partner not only within the defence sector, but also in the offshore wind farm sector for fixed and floating foundations, for which we are already in advanced teaming agreement discussions, the company writes.

At the end of last year, Navantia and InfraStrata signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on offshore wind projects, among other things.

The deal envisages the usage of the UK shipyards assets for providing a range of services to Navantia.

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Navantia and Harland & Wolff to Jointly Pursue UK Offshore Wind Projects - Offshore WIND

File Photo: curraheeshutter / Shutterstock

By Amy Stillman (Bloomberg) When 62-year-old Tomas Morales registered a fever of 101.3 Fahrenheit on April 14, the doctor told him to self-isolate. But there was a problem: Morales was on an oil platform off the Mexican coast only reachable by helicopter, and he shared a bedroom with three other workers.

Morales improvised, using a curtain to separate his bed from those of his companions, yet they still had to use the same bathroom. It took two days for Morales to be evacuated from the platform, followed by a three-hour bus trip to his home and, eventually, a move into a company-run hospital.

Moraless case and others open new questions about the ability of Mexicos state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, to protect workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Seventy two workers and two contractors have died from the virus, the company reported on Monday. As many as eight died in one day.

We werent prepared, Morales said, speaking by telephone from his home in Paraiso. There werent sufficient control measures for Covid-19 because this was something totally new for everyone.

Critics say Pemexs actions mirror that of the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, which was slow to enforce a national lockdown and has chosen not to shut down its ports of entry or restrict visitors from countries with a high number of Covid-19 cases.

Pemex responded in a statement that its taking great pains to protect its workers. The company is sanitizing, sending workers home, and taking other measures to distribute supplies to keep work places and equipment clean.

Oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico are grappling with the challenge of maintaining operations amid social distancing and sanitizing on thousands of offshore drilling rigs and oil production platforms. The platforms house hundreds of people and require workers to sleep in shared rooms and eat together in crowded dining halls.

Yet the death toll at Pemex has soared above peers.

As of May 22, there were no deaths in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico among about 25,000 people rotating on and offshore, according to Justin Williams, a spokesman for the National Ocean Industries Association. Brazils Petrobras, which has about 40% fewer employees than Pemex, has not reported fatalities from Covid-19. Brazils National Petroleum Agency says one offshore contract worker died from the virus, without saying which company the person worked for.

Pemexs 72 virus deaths are almost 1% of the national total of 7,633.

It is necessary to emphasize the importance that people who work in strategic facilities in the country, such as oil and electricity, are taken care of in a timely manner, and that all necessary measures are taken to prevent outbreaks both in the personnel (in the facilities) as well as in their communities, said Dr. Mauricio Rodriguez, spokesman for the Covid-19 committee at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Pemexs relatively new management team, which took over after Lopez Obrador became president in December 2018, is at least partly to blame for not containing the virus, said Pablo Lopez Figueroa, a Pemex employee and representative of the National Union of Petroleum Technicians and Professionals. The newly formed oil workers union competes with the official Pemex union.

General management has zero oil experience, very little capacity to understand technical activities and no clear idea of how to reduce the risk of contagion right now in the marine area, said Figueroa, speaking over the phone from Paraiso, Tabasco.

Morales, the platform worker, wasnt tested for the virus until 10 days after his fever started. The mechanical integrity engineer at the Abkatun-Pol-Chuc offshore field, said others on his platform had also complained of flu-like symptoms.

The platform doctor told me to hold it together because there were others more screwed than I was, he said.

Pemex faces the added challenge of reversing 15 years of oil output declines and staggering debt, the highest of any oil major. Its strategy of accelerating drilling in onshore and shallow-water fields hit a roadblock as cities all over the world came to a halt amid efforts to stem the Covid-19 outbreak, and it faces a glut in fuel supply as demand has cratered.

While oil companies the world over are reducing capital expenditure amid the oil price crash and pandemic, Lopez Obrador has tasked Pemex and the Energy Ministry with continuing daily work on a new $8 billion refinery in the presidents home state. The so-called Dos Bocas refinery is symbolic of the governments agenda to rid the country of dependence on foreign gasoline markets, with works continuing even as non-essential businesses across Mexico are under lockdown.

After Pemex evacuated Morales from the oil platform, the company told him to self-isolate in a hotel in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche and to pay for it himself, he said. Instead, he hopped on a three-hour bus to his home in Paraiso, Tabasco. There, Moraless fever worsened and he was eventually sent to a Pemex-run hospital in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco. I was in very bad shape by the time they brought me to the hospital in an ambulance, he said.

The doctors diagnosed Morales with pneumonia and put him on oxygen that helped him recover.

Morales is already expected to return to the rigs as early as June 4 after being evaluated by a doctor. But the seasoned engineer is optimistic. He said that Pemex told him theyve increased sanitation measures on platforms and reduced the number of people who can eat together in the mess hall by half roughly 50 people.

I still feel panicked. But I will go back because I love my job, Morales said. Today I am much better, 90% recuperated, thank God.

With assistance from Peter Millard, Sheela Tobben and Andrea Navarro.

2019 Bloomberg L.P

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Pemex Criticized Over Virus Handling as Offshore Worker Death Toll Soars - gcaptain.com

The Fenja project is under development as a subsea tieback to Njord in the Norwegian Sea.

(Courtesy Neptune Energy)

Offshore staff

LONDON Neptune Energy has issued updates on its field development programs across the North Sea area in its latest results statement.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 and a slower pace of development, Equinor has delayed the Njord field redevelopment in the Norwegian Sea, with first production now expected in the second half of 2021.

The Neptune-operated Fenja project, under development as a subsea tieback to Njord, now appears likely to come onstream during 1Q 2022.

Fenjas main subsea and development drilling campaigns have been deferred until 2021.

The schedule for the Gja P1 tie-in project in the North Sea remains largely unaffected by current market conditions, but first oil from Wintershall Deas Duva tieback to the Neptune-operated Gja platform will be delayed by up to six months to 3Q 2021.

Further topsides work for the Duva project, which had been scheduled for the second half of this year, will now take place in 2021 due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

Elsewhere in the Norwegian North Sea, the Gudrun A-15 and Brage A12C wells should both come onstream in the current quarter, while start-up of the Gudrun A-8 well has been delayed.

A three-well program has finished on the Askaladd gas field in the Barents Sea 60 days ahead of schedule. These wells will increase production capacity at the Snhvit complex.

In the UK central North Sea, first oil from the Seagull project will likely be deferred by up to 15 months to late 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain and logistics.

BP is due to start its ETAP topsides strengthening and installation program in the same sector in early 2021.

At the Sillimanite field in the Dutch sector, a second development well has been completed and should begin producing in the current quarter. The K9ab-A4 development well has been delayed until 2021.

In April, work finished on an offshore campaign to decommission the L10-C/D/G platforms. These have since been transported to the demolition contractors yard in the Netherlands for dismantling and recycling.

05/27/2020

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Njord start-up offshore mid-Norway deferred to 2021 - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

The Netherlands intends to extend the licences for new offshore wind projects from 30 to 40 years, according to Eric Wiebes, the countrys Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

In a letter sent to the Dutch Parliament, Minister Wiebes said that the extended licences will allow the developers of the future wind farms in the Dutch North Sea to adjust their business plans by extending the operating lifetimes of the projects and their grid connection permits.

The developers and operators of the existing offshore wind farms, of those currently under construction, or of those for which the tendering procedure is ongoing will also be able to apply for an extension to their operating licence.

These projects will be able to apply for an extension 20 years after the start of the original licence, Minister Wiebes said.

These amendments to the countrys Offshore Wind Energy Act are expected to be introduced in the Parliament this summer, Minister Wiebes said.

The Ministry and the transmission system operator TenneT are currently exploring if the grid connections of the wind farms that have just been built or are currently under construction can extend their operating lifetimes by about five years in a cost-effective manner.

If this is the case, and the amendments are adopted, Minister Wiebes will instruct TenneT to take into account the extended licence periods.

The Netherlands plans to have 11.5 GW of operating offshore wind capacity by 2030.

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The Netherlands to Extend Offshore Wind Licences to 40 Years - Offshore WIND

World-leading offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist conducted research to find world's best passports and Brits and Americans will surprise with the results.

Nomad Capitalist has ranked the best passports in the world by scoring 199 different passports in five categories. Each passport was scored on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

This year, three countries came out on top with Sweden, Luxembourg, and Ireland all scoring 114 points.

Sweden which ranked 2nd on the index last year has climbed its way to the very top thanks to visa-free travel to 186 countries, high levels of personal freedom and an excellent global reputation.

Luxembourg is tied for first and maintains its place at the top of this list for the third year in a row, having climbed its way up from tenth place just three years ago. Luxembourg grants its citizens high levels of freedom, has an excellent global perception and fortunately for ex-pats living there, it recently became easier to naturalize as a citizen.

The Irish passport also came out on top thanks to having one of Europes lowest corporate tax rates, high visa scores and an excellent global reputation.

1)Sweden

1)Luxembourg

1)Ireland

4)Switzerland

4)Belgium

6)Finland

6)Portugal

8)Singapore

8)Czech Republic

8)Malta

The British passport ranks highly at number 11 as its citizens can visit 185 countries visa-free, are almost always allowed to hold another citizenship, have relatively high levels of personal freedom and are thought-about quite highly abroad.

Unfortunately for Brits, it is more difficult to become legally tax non-resident when moving abroad.

By comparison, the US passport which ranks at number 40,also allows visitors to visit 185 countries visa-free, but citizens are taxed on their worldwide income no matter where they live and are not perceived as highly as their British counterparts.

Japan, which ranked 21st on the list, is the best passport for traveling with access to 191 countries visa-free.

Turkey ranked 95th on the list after Russia (94th).

According to the research, the worst passport to own is the Afghan passport.

This passport only allows entry into 26 countries visa-free, its citizens are often refused entry to a substantial number of countries and also encounter substantial hostility, its citizens are strictly forbidden to hold other citizenships and they also experience less freedom.

Iraq is second-worst, with travel permitted to 28 countries, low perception from other countries and low levels of freedom and Yemen is third from the bottom.

See the full report here

Link:

The World's Best Passports According to A World-Leading Offshore Consulting Firm - FTNnews.com

Ohio unanimously approved the Icebreaker wind farm, North Americas first offshore freshwater project. It is planned for Lake Erie, near Cleveland (pictured). However, theres a rather large hitch.

Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. (LEEDCo), a Cleveland-based public-private partnership, is developing the freshwater offshore wind farm project with partner and investor Fred. Olsen Renewables of Norway. Icebreaker has been a decade in the making.

The plan controversially stipulates that the farm must cease operations between March and October to protect birds and bats due to it being located in an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area. LEEDCo is concerned that the lengthy downtime could defeat the project.

The American Bird Conservancy and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory wanted the project stopped, citing location, but the Sierra Club felt that limitations on when the wind farm can operate are too restrictive. Public comments were evenly split between those for and against the project.

Further, now bankrupt fossil-fuel company Murray Energy Corp. brazenly stated in January 2019 that they openly fought the Icebreaker project:

Murray Energy is pleased that its outside counsel can assist the Bratenahl residents to prevent Icebreaker from steam-rolling this project through the Ohio Power Siting Board certification process without the public scrutiny and opposition that it deserves.

Icebreaker was competition for coal, but Murray is finished.

David P. Karpinski, president of LEEDCo, which is planning and developing Icebreaker Wind, is concerned the cease of operations could put the whole project in jeopardy, and put out a statement on May 21:

We made it abundantly clear that a requirement to shut down the turbines from dusk to dawn for the majority of the year renders the project economically not viable.

LEEDCo has invested incredible amounts of time and money into studying and assessing potential impact to birds and bats. We have not taken it lightly.

Consider just the following:

In light of todays decision, LEEDCo will need to reconvene in the coming days and examine our options on how and whether we can move forward.

E&E News explains the projects planned specs:

The 20.7-megawatt Icebreaker project is planned for 8 to 10 miles off the Lake Erie shore and will be connected by an underwater cable to a Cleveland Public Power substation.

It is partially funded through Department of Energy grants and involves six turbines rising almost 500 feet above the lake that would generate about 75,000 megawatt-hours of energy per year to be sold into the grid operated by PJM Interconnection LLC.

The wind farm will hopefully be online by 2022, provided it can proceed. Turbines will also need to be able to withstand ice floes in the winter.

Photo: Cleveland Water Department

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Ohio OKs North Americas first freshwater offshore wind farm with a huge caveat - Electrek