Category Archives: Offshore

New Task Force Will Consider Leases For Offshore Wind Energy Developers In The Gulf Of Maine

A new task force will convene for the first time Thursday to consider how and where to lease potentially vast swathes of the Gulf of Maine to offshore wind-energy developers. The outcome could have big consequences for Maine's fishing industry, and for the state's role in the next wave of renewable energy development.

An earlier round of auctions awarded leases in federal waters off southern New England, where several large-scale wind projects should soon start churning out thousands of megawatts of electricity a big down payment on state commitments to ramp up the use of renewable energy.

Now, at New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu's request, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is starting a new process to designate the best areas for offshore wind projects farther north in the Gulf of Maine. Analysts say investments could be worth billions of dollars, with thousands of jobs in the offing.

"This is a really significant opportunity for our energy future and economy," says Dan Burgess.

Burgess directs Maine Gov. Janet Mills' energy office, and he is leading the state's delegation to the intergovernmental task force that will advise the Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management. The panel also includes representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, tribal governments and the feds.

One challenge for Maine, Burgess says, will be to pursue offshore wind opportunities without harming fishing or shipping industries and the Gulf's ecosystems.

"Any development really does have to consider existing commercial maritime interests and habitat as well. And we really do want to bring that full lens to this process."

Burgess says some major wind developers are showing interest in Maine. That would mark a change from the sector's recent doldrums in the state.

Jeremy Payne, the executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, says former Gov. Paul LePage stalled ocean wind development off Maine when he intervened in an offshore energy bid that had been won by a Norwegian company called Statoil which prompted the company to withdraw from the state altogether.

"Reputationally, the state really suffered, particularly in the last couple of years of the LePage Administration when there was so much uncertainty created by the Governor's constant public criticism, says Payne. So companies that were interested in Maine either started looking elsewhere or, at a minimum, put their early development projects on the back burner."

But Mills and the Legislature got things back under way again this year, directing utility regulators to finalize a contract for electricity from a pilot project for a floating turbine system led by the University of Maine, called Aqua-Ventus, to be located in state waters off Monhegan Island.

It's an important first effort, Payne says. He notes that the continental shelf extends far offshore of southern New England, allowing for the installation of well-developed fixed-platform wind technologies in those relatively shallow waters. But off Maine, the shelf drops off closer to shore, which would force the use of more experimental floating platforms.

But if the feds open up new lease areas, and Maine lawmakers authorize new long-term contracts, Payne says, the market is likely to follow.

"And perhaps a year or so from now we'll see another procurement, and that really will get the industry's attention and say 'you need to look at Maine.'"

But that worries some in the state's fishing industries. Ben Martens is the executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association.

"I think this could be much bigger than whales when it comes to the impacts it could have on our fishing industry in the Gulf of Maine," he says.

Martens says offshore wind development could rival pending federal action to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales that, right now, has the lobster industry up in arms.

He says fishermen are concerned about conflict with the multiple anchors and cables needed for floating platforms. And in the Monhegan area, he adds, fishermen feel burned by their experience with Aqua Ventus.

"They've really bungled the rollout of that project, to the extent where fishermen just don't trust them anymore because they keep on changing, they keep updating, the story is different every time they talk to the fishing communities, says Martens. And so there's a lot of fear right now around offshore wind that didn't exist before that project started."

Aqua Ventus officials could not be reached for comment.

State Energy Director Dan Burgess notes that there will be representatives of the Maine's Department of Marine Resources on the offshore wind task force. And fishing industry representatives will participate in Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management processes as well.

The agency's guidelines call for lease areas to be identified within two years, and for leases to be auctioned within four.

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New Task Force Will Consider Leases For Offshore Wind Energy Developers In The Gulf Of Maine - Maine Public

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark is moving forward with plans to build an artificial island tying in power from offshore wind farms of up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, more than enough to supply all households, as part of efforts to meet ambitious climate change targets.

Denmark is home to wind turbine giant Vestas and the worlds largest developer of offshore wind,, and recently approved a law which targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030.

The energy ministry is looking for the right location to build one or more islands surrounded by offshore wind farms with a total capacity of at least 10 GW - equivalent to 10 million European households electricity consumption.

Denmark covered 41% of its electricity demand from wind energy in 2018, the highest level in Europe.

The project is crucial to meet Denmarks legally binding climate act, one of the worlds most ambitious, which was passed by a broad majority in parliament on Friday.

But the plans could cost as much as 200-300 billion Danish crowns ($29.5-44.2 billion), the vast majority of which will be financed by private investors, according to the ministry.

Denmark, which has a population of around 6 million, has set aside 65 million crowns to research how the energy coming into the hub can be stored or converted into renewable hydrogen as all the power generated will not just be used by domestic customers.

It hopes that new technology will make it possible to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy in sectors such as transport and industry.

If we really are to realize the enormous potential of offshore wind we must develop technologies of the future to convert the green power into fuel for aircraft, ships and industry, said climate and energy minister Dan Jorgensen on Tuesday.

Hydrogen produces water when it burns rather than the greenhouse gas CO2, offering a clean fuel if it is produced from renewable sources such as wind or solar energy, rather than from oil and gas, the source for much of the hydrogen produced now.

Interest in renewable hydrogen is growing as heavy industry, aviation and shipping look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Energy firm Orsted has said it aims to invest in pilot projects that will use wind power and other renewable energy sources to make hydrogen fuel.

Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Louise Heavens

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Denmark plans $30 billion offshore wind island that could power 10 million homes - Reuters

A humpback whale feeds on a school of fish off Long Island, New York. Migrating whales have increased dramatically in this region in recent decades but they're also facing human challenges. David 'Dee' Delgado/WCS/Ocean Giants/Image taken under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit no. 18786-04 hide caption

A humpback whale feeds on a school of fish off Long Island, New York. Migrating whales have increased dramatically in this region in recent decades but they're also facing human challenges.

"Tail! Tail!" shouts Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, a marine biologist, before grabbing his crossbow, as we close in on a humpback whale.

Rosenbaum gets into position on the bow of the boat, stands firmly with legs apart, takes aim, and fires at the 40-foot cetacean. The arrow that he releases doesn't have a point it has a hollow 2-inch tip to collect skin and blubber, and a cork-like stopper to prevent it from penetrating too deeply.

"Oh, yeah!" come shouts from the small research crew. The hit looks clean. Sure enough, when they scoop the floating arrow out of the water, its tip is filled with a small white sliver of whale flesh, containing DNA that will help identify the humpback and its pod and potentially say something about its migratory patterns.

This is the sort of research that Rosenbaum, the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's "Ocean Giants" program, has been doing for decades around the globe. Recently, though, whale monitoring has taken on a new urgency in Rosenbaum's own native habitat the Atlantic waters off New York City and Long Island.

A pointless arrow tip, shot by crossbow into a humpback whale, captures skin and blubber for DNA testing. David 'Dee' Delgado/WCS/Ocean Giants/Image taken under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit no. 18786-04 hide caption

A pointless arrow tip, shot by crossbow into a humpback whale, captures skin and blubber for DNA testing.

As whale populations have grown, the WCS and its collaborator, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, have been monitoring them, with an eye toward mediating conflicts with the ocean's heaviest users: cargo ships, commercial fishing trawlers and the U.S. military.

Now, the whales are poised to get many new, potentially disruptive neighbors: hundreds of skyscraper-high wind turbines, rising from the ocean floor.

The New York Energy Research and Development Authority has awarded two large contracts for offshore wind and anticipates several more in the coming years. The first phase, expected to be complete by 2024, involves dozens of wind turbines in two different offshore plots, leased by energy companies from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. They would generate 1700 megawatts enough to power more than one million homes.

These would be the largest offshore wind farms in North America and among the largest in the world. Subsequent phases are slated to build hundreds of turbines to generate 9,000 megawatts by 2035.

Rosenbaum's mission is to share information about the whales, in particular their feeding and migratory patterns, with regulators and the energy developer, a Norwegian multinational corporation called Equinor, and together craft strategies to mitigate damage to the whales' habitat.

"Everyone is interested in the benefits of renewable energy and what that does for our climate and for society," Rosenbaum says, as the boat motors to Equinor's lease area, an 80,000-acre triangle 20 miles south of Queens and Nassau County. "We also want to protect the wildlife and these habitats.'

Equinor is primarily a fossil fuel developer, drilling for oil and natural gas around the globe. A spokeswoman for the company's North American operation says the company has a "zero harm mandate" when it comes to extracting natural resources which they hope to exceed in this project.

Environmentalists are naturally skeptical of such energy producers, but the major groups in the region believe the risks posed by climate change, to ocean life and all life, are so vast that they justify whatever risks to local habitat might come from offshore wind farms. They're hopeful the trade-offs will be minimal.

"It's possible to harmonize protections for marine life with ambitious efforts to fight the climate crisis," says Francine Kershaw, from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Catherine Bowes, from the National Wildlife Federation, praises Equinor for committing to a new construction technology that will lower enormous prefabricated cement foundations for the wind turbines, rather than pile-driving into bedrock to hold the 850-foot-tall steel towers in place.

Whales are extremely sensitive to noise, she says, so avoiding the extremely noisy process of pile-driving is a big step.

"These 'gravity foundations' are a really exciting technology that could change how everyone puts up turbines," says Bowes, who is a member of the Environmental Working Group overseeing New York's two projects. "They could potentially take one really large threat to whales off the table."

But Bowes would also like to see Equinor and the other company that won a New York contract, the Danish corporation Orsted, put into writing strict commitments comparable to one made recently by a Massachusetts developer, Vineyard Wind, especially on how they manage their boats during construction and then later, during the multi-decade-long operational period.

"Ship strikes are the single greatest risk to whales," she says. "We need to get all developers to commit to actively monitoring for whales and to reducing ship speeds to avoid hitting the animals."

In one study, NOAA estimated that 37 whales were killed by boat strikes between 2010 and 2014, from the Gulf of Mexico up the Atlantic coast to Canada, but more recent monitoring by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society found roughly that many whales killed by boats in a two-year period off New York alone.

"We believe we can actually be part of the solution here in bringing back whales and improving the whole ecosystem," says Julia Bovey, Equinor's director of external affairs in New York. "The data Howard and his team are collecting can make a massive difference in how we affect the marine environment."

Equinor is underwriting much of the research. The company declined to say how much it is spending, but Rosenbaum estimates that two sophisticated buoys they will soon deploy will cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars." These "near-real-time acoustic monitors" record whale calls and relay them to on-shore scientists via satellite.

Howard Rosenbaum, from the Wildlife Conservation Society, keeps an eye out for whales while a special high-tech buoy 'listens' for their calls. David 'Dee' Delgado/WCS/Ocean Giants/Image taken under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit no. 18786-04 hide caption

Howard Rosenbaum, from the Wildlife Conservation Society, keeps an eye out for whales while a special high-tech buoy 'listens' for their calls.

"We need to be able to stop construction when the whales are in the area and be able to construct responsibly when they're not there, and the information from these buoys will be crucial," Bovey says.

While all whales are considered vulnerable, the North Atlantic Right Whale is among the most endangered animals on earth. There are only about 400 of them, according to the latest research by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

There are two sets of dangers to whales that Rosenbaum hopes the data he's collecting will mitigate. The first is ship strikes during the construction period. The other is the long-term danger the massive underwater structures and the transmission cables might pose to the whales. That is largely unknown, as whales do not migrate through the massive offshore wind farms in Europe.

"Does it create better foraging areas for whales? Does it disturb an area they might use?" Rosenbaum wonders aloud. "I think these are all questions that are all going to be borne out in the years to come."

The wind farm project predates a massive greenhouse gas reduction package the state government passed earlier this year, but it has become a centerpiece of what Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling New York's 'Green New Deal.' The legislation calls for 100% renewable energy by 2040, with a plan for reaching that goal to be mapped out in the next two years.

Original post:

Offshore Wind May Help The Planet But Will It Hurt Whales? - NPR

COPENHAGEN: Denmark is moving forward with plans to build an artificial island tying in power from offshore wind farms of up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, more than enough to supply all households, as part of efforts to meet ambitious climate change targets.

Denmark is home to wind turbine giant Vestas and the world's largest developer of offshore wind,, and recently approved a law which targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent by 2030.

The energy ministry is looking for the right location to build one or more islands surrounded by offshore wind farms with a total capacity of at least 10 GW - equivalent to 10 million European households' electricity consumption.

Denmark covered 41 per cent of its electricity demand from wind energy in 2018, the highest level in Europe.

The project is crucial to meet Denmark's legally binding climate act, one of the world's most ambitious, which was passed by a broad majority in parliament on Friday.

But the plans could cost as much as 200-300 billion Danish crowns ($29.5-44.2 billion), the vast majority of which will be financed by private investors, according to the ministry.

Denmark, which has a population of around 6 million, has set aside 65 million crowns to research how the energy coming into the hub can be stored or converted into renewable hydrogen as all the power generated will not just be used by domestic customers.

It hopes that new technology will make it possible to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy in sectors such as transport and industry.

"If we really are to realise the enormous potential of offshore wind we must develop technologies of the future to convert the green power into fuel for aircraft, ships and industry," said climate and energy minister Dan Jorgensen on Tuesday.

Hydrogen produces water when it burns rather than the greenhouse gas CO2, offering a clean fuel if it is produced from renewable sources such as wind or solar energy, rather than from oil and gas, the source for much of the hydrogen produced now.

Interest in renewable hydrogen is growing as heavy industry, aviation and shipping look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Energy firm Orsted has said it aims to invest in pilot projects that will use wind power and other renewable energy sources to make hydrogen fuel.

Continue reading here:

Denmark plans $30 bn offshore wind island that could power 10 million homes - Economic Times

New Hampshires Governor Chris Sununu has signed an executive order preparing the US State for future offshore wind development and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Offshore Renewable Energy Task Force.

The Executive Order 2019-06 establishes four advisory boards focused on informing New Hampshires next steps, while calling on state agencies to report on key studies.

New Hampshire recognizes the tremendous potential that offshore wind power has to offer, said Governor Sununu.

With todays executive order, New Hampshire will ensure that this is an open and transparent process involving diverse stakeholders to balance existing offshore uses with a new source of clean energy. This will require enhanced coordination between state agencies, new studies, and continuous engagement with the public. Most of all, its imperative that we go through this process the right way from day one to maximize all the potential benefits of this new industry.

This executive order lays the foundation for a stakeholder process informed by best practices from other states and ensures New Hampshires interests are first and foremost, the announcement said. The first BOEM Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting for the Gulf of Maine is Thursday, 12 December, at the University of New Hampshire.

The executive order establishes four advisory boards to work with stakeholders, and advise New Hampshire members of the BOEM Task Force throughout the process. The four advisory boards are Fisheries, endangered species, and environmental impacts advisory board; Workforce, economic development, and supply chain advisory board; Existing offshore industries advisory board; and Siting, transmission, and infrastructure advisory board.

All meetings will be open to the public, and each advisory board will report updates to the New Hampshire members of the BOEM Task Force quarterly and in advance of formal BOEM Task Force meetings.

Additionally, the executive order also instructs the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI), the Department of Environmental Services (DES), and the Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) to jointly study and report on the historical and forward-looking greenhouse gas reduction potential of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine at varying levels of system installations; and New Hampshires existing port infrastructure, coastal transmission infrastructure, and opportunities for New Hampshire to attract offshore wind supply chain operations to New Hampshire.

These reports will be completed no later than January 2021.

Excerpt from:

New Hampshire Governor Signs Offshore Wind Executive Order - Offshore WIND

Bird conservationists filed a lawsuit in a federal court challenging the Icebreaker offshore wind farm in Lake Erie, Ohio.

Two groups claimed the Icebreaker demonstration project which is set to deploy six turbines to create Americas first freshwater offshore wind farm threatens multiple species of birds in the area.

The action is against the US Department of Energy and US Army Corps of Engineers for alleged failure to properly consider bird impacts in environmental assessments of the project.

LEEDCo, a non-profit, public-private partnership based there, is co-developing Icebreaker Wind with Norwegian equity investor Fred Olsen Renewables.

Mike Parr of the American Bird Conservancy claimed: American tax dollars are paying for more than a third of the project cost but a Norwegian corporation is in partnership with the nonprofit project implementer, LEEDCo.

Why are US taxpayer dollars supporting this in the first place? Migratory birds are a common good of the American people.

The campaigners claims Icebreaker could be precedent-setting for large-scale offshore wind development in the Great Lakes.

Icebreaker plans to use MHI Vestas 3.45MW turbines, specially adapted offshore versions of Vestas V126-3.45 onshore machines. It is targeting start of construction in 2021 and operation in 2022.

LEEDCo has been contacted by Recharge for comment.

Legal action over potential bird impacts has faced a number of major offshore wind projects around the world in the industrys short history.

Lengthy legal action by the RSPB in Scotland caused several years of delays to projects there, and bird conservationists in Germany have also turned up the legal heat on offshore wind developers.

Orsteds 2.4GW Hornsea 3 off eastern England in September saw a consent decision delayed for six months after bird charities raised last minute fears over its impact.

Read more:

US bird groups in legal challenge to Great Lakes offshore wind - Recharge

iM Global Partner, an investment and development platform focused on acquiring strategic investments in traditional and alternative investment firms in the US, Europe and Asia, has appointed Peter Stockall to lead sales in the US Offshore and Latin America region.

Stockall, based in Miami, will spearhead the companys business development efforts in this very important region within the Americas, and will offer US Offshore and Latin America investors access to a wide range of strategies managed by the outstanding partners of iM Global Partner, rangingfrom US equities to liquid alternative strategies. He will report to Jose Castellano, Deputy CEO and Head of International Business Development.

Stockhall has 16 years of experience working for leading asset managers. Before joining iM Global Partner, he was responsible for sales of the Carmignac Mutual Fund range in the US. He spent four years, between 2012 and 2016, as Offshore regional Sales Consultant for Pioneer Investments, where he was responsible for sales of offshore mutual funds and alternative investments to financial advisors across all channels in the Southeast, Caribbean, and Panama territories. Peter started his career at Merrill Lynch providing Financial Advisors with sales support and investment guidance in both New York City and Asia regions. Stockall has also been part of the Oppenheimer Funds and Capital Group sales teams.

Jose Castellano, deputy CEO and Head of International Distribution, says: I am delighted to welcome Peter to our international sales team to support our rapidly developing Latam and US Offshore platforms, which have already been in place for more than a year. His experience covering the Americas will be a valuable asset in helping to develop the operational distribution capability of our current and future US, European and Asian Partners.

Read more here:

iM Global Partner appoints head of sales for US Offshore and Latin America Markets - HedgeWeek

]]> Equinor buys a 50% stake in Batyk I offshore windfarm in Poland. Credit: WindEurope.

Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has acquired a 50% stake in the Batyk I offshore windfarm in Poland from Polish energy company Polenergia for an undisclosed fee.

Batyk I has the potential to have a capacity of 1,560MW under its location license when it is completed. As part of its ownership stake in the windfarm, Equinor will be responsible for the construction and operation phases of the project.

With the acquisition of Batyk I, Equinor now has an interest in all three of the Batyk offshore wind projects. Batyk II and III have the potential to have a combined capacity of 1,440MW when completed between 2025 and 2027, with Equinor also having a 50% stake in the two windfarms. Equinor and Polenergia will work together on the three windfarms as part of a 50/50 joint venture.

Equinor senior vice president for business development Jens kland said: The acquisition of Batyk I strengthens our presence in the Baltic Sea area. With interest in all three Batyk projects, we have the opportunity to build scale and value in what we see as an important energy region.

Poland is an important market for Equinor and we are pleased to continue our partnership with Polenergia, which is an experienced energy company with an in-depth knowledge of the Polish energy market.

Equinors stock price is currently NOK168 ($18.28) a share on the Oslo Stock Exchange, giving the company a market capitalisation value of NOK568.4bn ($61.8bn).

Historically an oil and gas company, Equinor has made several moves in the renewable energy industry in recent years.

Alongside its partnership with Polenergia, Equinor has also joined with UAE-based company Masdar to share offshore wind data as part of the UKs Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in November 2019. It has also joined with the Electricity Supply Board in Ireland to develop offshore wind projects together in the same month.

Equinor has also invested $500m to develop the Hywind Tampen floating offshore windfarm to power its Snorre and Gullfaks offshore oil platforms.

Originally posted here:

Equinor buys offshore windfarm projects in Poland - Power Technology

MO4 and Seaqualize have been declared winners of the Offshore Wind Innovation Award 2019, Offshore Wind Innovators said.

During the Q-meeting of Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa, the audience of 240 wind energy professionals awarded Seaqualize with the public prize. The prize of the professional jury went to MO4.

MO4 has developed a software that is said to forecast workability of vessels in offshore operations with much more accuracy than is currently possible, by computing the influence of waves, wind, and current on vessels. This innovation is said not only to make it safer to operate at sea, but it is also said to make the assessment of workability a lot more accurate. The innovation seems to be financially solid thanks to a clear revenue model, the jury has found. According to Jelte Kymmell, MO4s Managing Director, smarter calculations can considerably lower the chagrin of many installation companies because they can operate their expensive vessels more often.

Sequalize won the award for Seaqualize Delta, a flexibly deployable inline active heave compensator for loads of 600 mT and up, said to have an unprecedented precision, enabling floating installation or (parts of) offshore wind turbines. A credible working pilot system has been developed that can form the basis for a floating installation of wind turbines or parts thereof. This could potentially make a further contribution to the cost price reduction in offshore wind. The system uses 95% passive energy, needing only 30kW for a 600-tonne load, comparable to the capacity of 15 kettles.

Amphibious Energy was also in contention for one of the prizes with its EnergyPod, a transportable, autonomous energy container. This all in one, plug and play package of wind, solar and battery storage is designed to replace diesel generator sets on the monopile transition pieces during installation.

Continued here:

MO4 and Seaqualize Take Home Offshore Wind Innovation Awards - Offshore WIND

UPDATE, writethru: Sonys Jumanji: The Next Level is out in 18 early overseas release markets ahead of domestic next weekend, and in many, the movie is stepping up versus predecessor Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. Overall, the Jake Kasdan-directed sequel opened to $52.5M at the international box office, slightly down on the last films $54.8M (at historical rates and in like-for-likes) while also lower than where the industry saw The Next Level ahead of the weekend the culprit here is China.

There were 16 No. 1 openings for The Next Level across Europe and Asia, but rumble was lacking in the jungle in China as the film lags the previous installment with an estimated debut frame of $25.3M. It still topped the Middle Kingdom box office at No. 1 in a market that also had a local pic in the mix with The Wild Goose Lake taking in about $20M. Word of mouth is down on The Next Level, with a 6.2 on Douban and a 7.7 on Maoyan, versus the earlier films respective scores of 6.9 and 8.6.

Dwayne Johnson has a big base in the Middle Kingdom, but the movie didnt pin audiences down as hoped. Across the board, industry sources we spoke with were seeing The Next Level in China coming in at around $40M before the session began. That led to those projections of a $60M+ overseas opening. But China was ultimately flat from Friday to Saturday with no family bump. It also didnt help that Sonys release date changed very close to the last minute. The Middle Kingdom authorities are in charge of dating, and backed The Next Level up from an original December 13 to December 6 which impacted the ability to get Johnson and others to Beijing, particularly as the Thanksgiving holidays were in the mix. A dedicated press day for key Chinese media and social influencers had been handled out of Cabo in November and the team then did a three-city European tour, which has paid dividends so far (Frances $5.7M weekend is 93% ahead of Welcome To The Jungle, for example).

China repped just 14% of the last films overseas gross and is not required to be the major driver on what last time around was a global property that took in nearly $1B worldwide. With domestic still to come next session and many overseas markets to go, its early to make a call on this one. The previous film had a wild multiple, playing as counter programming to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This year, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker starts rollout on December 18 internationally.

Numbers elsewhere in Europe and Asia on The Next Level are much better, relatively, than in China. The Netherlands opened 58% ahead of the last film and the Nordics combined outperformed it by 30%. South East Asia as a whole did 47% better than Jungle including Malaysia which scored the 2nd biggest opening of the year and the biggest Sony opening ever for the market.

Given the small share of markets, Jumanji: The Next Level was not expected to lead overseas play, and particularly with the Frozen 2 ice-grip in the mix. That Disney movie added $90.2M this session in 48 offshore markets, retaining scores of No. 1s and seeing soft drops. The international cume is now $582.1M for $919.7M global as it looks towards $1B next weekend, and has helped push Disney past the $10B mark worldwide.

Other major titles like Fox/Chernins Ford V Ferrari and Lionsgates Knives Out are continuing to perform, with respective offshore cumes of $76.5M and $60.6M to date.

Breakdowns on the films above and more have been updated below.

NEWJUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVELSony PicturesSonys sequel to the reboot of the beloved 1995 original didnt step it up as well as hoped in its early offshore bow, but thats primarily down to one market. China can be fickle and the family/general audience simply didnt turn out this weekend.

The Next Level still took in $52.5M from 18 overseas markets, including $23.5M from the Middle Kingdom (which also includes $2.3M from IMAX there). Roundly, industry sources we heard from ahead of the weekend were pegging $40M in China for a $60M+ launch session. Ultimately, the numbers came in lower but with bright points in some areas.

Dwayne Johnson & Co launch next weekend in North America as well as the UK, Germany, Spain, Russia, Korea, Japan and Mexico. The idea is to jump start the holidays before Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker dominates discussion beginning December 18. The last Jumanji worked as leggy counter programming to The Last Jedi, so well see how that pans out this time around. Based on the initial 18 markets, its early to make a call and recalling that China repped only 14% of the earlier movies haul.

Diving down, Europe was powered by France where a $5.7M start was 93% ahead of Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. The team did local press, which helped, and a nationwide strike on Thursday also appears to have fueled some of the gross. The strikes, such as we are all too accustomed to here, are scheduled to continue next week.

In the Netherlands, The Next Level topped the chart with $1.4M, which is 58% ahead of the last film. The Nordics grabbed No. 1s in all five debut markets for a combined total of $2.4M (+30% vs WTTJ).In Asia, Taiwan played relatively like China with just $2.3M. However, Malaysia debuted to $4.6M for the 2nd biggest opening of the year and the biggest Sony opening ever for the market. Indonesia bowed to $6.4M, which is the 2nd biggest opening ever for a December release there, and Singapore and Philippines opened to $1.7M and $1.4M, respectively.

Ultimately, the top hubs for Welcome To The Jungle last time around were China, the UK, Australia, France and Russia. The movie played to a high multiple, continuing to beat the drum for weeks until its offshore final of $557.6M and $962.1M global (at historic rates). Well obviously keep an eye on this one going forward.

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONSFROZEN 2DisneyDisneys winter wonderland continues as Frozen 2 has packed another $90.2M into the sleigh this weekend internationally. That brings the offshore cume to a snow-stopping $582.1M and global to $919.7M with $1B worldwide in reach later this week.

The sequel is about to become the No. 12 animated release of all time overseas, and the 4th Walt Disney Animation Studiosmovie within that top group.

In IMAX, Frozen 2 this weekend set a new global record as its biggest animated film ever. The global cume is $38.6M to overtake Chinese title Ne Zha in the format.

F2 added South Africa this weekend where $800K gave Disney its best animated opening ever. Elsewhere, there were continued No. 1s in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and every territory released in Latin America. Brazil does not release until January 2.

In holds, the grip is tight. Overall, the drop was 47% overseas. The best holds included Poland (-13%), Spain (-18%), Chile (-22%), Germany (-25%), Israel (-25%), Netherlands (-30%), Japan (-30%), France (-40%), Hong Kong (-43%), Australia (-44%), Korea (-47%), Mexico (-47%), Italy (-48%) and Taiwan (-49%).

Frozen 2 has already become the highest grossing animated title of all time in Korea, Indonesia,Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand as well as the 2nd highest grossing animated title of all time in India and Ukraine.

The movie has further surpassed the original in Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Mexico, Vietnam, India, China, Poland, Hong Kong, Russia, Peru, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Albania, Bosnia/Herz, Croatia, Czech Rep, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hungary, Israel, Kuwait, Macedonia, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine.

Here are the Top 5 markets: China ($104.4M), Korea ($75.5M), Japan ($55M), UK ($43.1M) and Germany ($34.4M).

FORD V FERRARI20th Century FoxAdding Korea and Thailand, notably, Fox/Chernins awards-season racer has lifted its international cume to $76.5M. The Disney release picked up $8.3M in 52 material markets this lap, and raised the global total to $167.6M so far.

The Christian Bale/Matt Damon-starrer raced to $3.3M at No. 2 in Korea, behind only Frozen 2. Elsewhere, holds have been strong in Germany (-23%), Hungary (-24%), Austria (-28%), New Zealand (-31%), Australia (-33%), Spain (-36%), Denmark (-37%), India (-39%), Taiwan (-39%), Belgium (-40%), Netherlands (-43%), Brazil (-43%), Hong Kong (-44%), Switzerland (-49%) and Peru (-49%).

Still to come is the Japan release on January 10, and the China date is still TBD.

The Top 5 markets so far are Russia ($9.5M), France ($8.2M), UK ($7.3M), Australia ($5.8M) and Mexico ($4.6M).

KNIVES OUTClaire Folger/LionsgateLionsgates ensemble thriller is keeping audiences on the edge of their seats offshore with another $18.7M from 68 counter programmed markets this weekend. That cuts a fine figure of $60.6M international for $124.1M global.

Koreathis session was the top debut market with a strong$1.7M, ranked No. 4 from 686 locations. ItalyandMexicoalso kicked off well with$1.2Mfrom 361 locations and$1.1Mfrom 871 locations, ranked Nos 3 and 2, respectively.China, where the Daniel Craig pic had an impressive start last session, remains the top grossing market with$23.6M to date. In the UK, the gross is $8.1M so far, just a 20% drop from open.

Upcoming major markets include Brazil on December 12, followed by Germany and Japan in January.

LAST CHRISTMASUniversalUniversals romantic comedy added $10.9M in 61 markets this weekend, including 22 new outings. The offshore cume is now $51.3M for $84.8M global as play continues through the festive season. Overall overseas, the Emilia Clarke-starrer is tracking ahead of The Intern, Yesterday, Crazy Rich Asians and About Time.

Russia opened at No. 3 with $1.5M, ahead of Yesterday by 224% and About Time by 471%. In Korea, where About Time became a phenomenon, Last Christmas bowed to $1M, better by 29% than CRA. Mexico was also new at No. 3 with $848K two track ahead of The Holiday (+95%) and CRA (+144%).

The UK has now grossed $15.8M, with a 19% drop this 4th session. Australia dipped 22% for a running cume of $6M, while Germany was up 13% for a $5.2M gross so far.

Thailand and Italy are still to bow.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLEMGM/Universal/Kobal/ShutterstockThe Addams Family (UNI): $4.5M intl weekend (includes $4.3M from 41 UPI markets); $88.6M intl cume ($185.1M global)Joker (WB): $2.4M intl weekend (72 markets); $722.8M intl cume ($1.055B global)The Good Liar (WB): $2.4M intl weekend (43 markets); $9.6M intl cume ($25.7M global)Charlies Angels (SNY): $1.9M intl weekend (37 markets); $38.4M intl cume ($55.9M global)Motherless Brooklyn (WB): $1.7M intl weekend (24 markets); $4.2M intl cume ($13.4M global)Abominable (UNI): $1M intl weekend (includes $500K from 46 UPI markets); $116M intl cume ($176.3M global)

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