Category Archives: Offshore

WIND turbines for Scotland's newest and largest offshore wind farm are to be built by MHI Vestas a major Isle of Wight employer.

MHI Vestas has entered into a preferred supplier agreement with Seagreen Wind Energy Limited to supply and service up to 114 wind turbines for the wind farm.

SSE Renewables is building Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of Fife, which will be one of the most significant construction projects undertaken in Scotland.

John Hill, Seagreen project director at SSE Renewables, said: Were really pleased to welcome MHI Vestas to the Seagreen project as our preferred turbine supplier and look forward to working with them to harness the power of North Sea wind with their proven offshore turbine technology.

"As the project progresses towards a final investment decision, SSE Renewables and MHI Vestas will work together to continue to engage with the Scottish and UK supply chain to maximise Scottish and UK content.

Philippe Kavafyan, chief executive of MHI Vestas Offshore, said: We are proud to enter into a preferred supplier agreement with Seagreen for the supply of our proven wind turbine technology to Scotlands largest offshore wind farm.

Scotland is a burgeoning centre for offshore wind and we are keen to work closely with both the Scottish and UK supply chain to create real value for the local communities as this project becomes a reality.

"We see the project as a major step forward for the offshore wind industry in the UK, and Scotland in particular.

"This will be our fourth project in Scotland.

The site will provide around 5,000GWh annually of clean, low carbon renewable energy for around one million homes and saving around two million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Link:

Wind turbines for Scotland's largest offshore wind farm to be built by MHI Vestas - Isle of Wight County Press

Tropical Storm Nestor is bearing down on the Gulf Coast of Florida this weekend.

Tropical Storm warnings have been posted in this area; storm surge flooding, rainfall flooding, and possible damage from tropical storm force winds are the primary threats from this storm. For more information on the approach to the Gulf Coast, you can watch the above video from affiliate WFLA:

Once it makes landfall and moves further inland, it will likely eventually lose its status as a tropical storm. However, it will still bring heavy rain and wind to parts of Georgia and potentially the Carolinas.

We will then have to keep a close eye on this storm as it moves back out over the Atlantic. At this point, most of the data suggests that the core of the storm will stay offshore, but its possible we get clipped by the fringe late Sunday.

Under this scenario, we might get a few showers Sunday evening but the impact would be minimal. However, a track further north would bring the the potential of heavy rain, stronger winds, and dangerous surf as well (there could be some high surf even if the storm does not get that close). Regardless of the track, its likely that the storm will no longer be a tropical storm if it gets close to New England. We will monitor this carefully this weekend.

See the article here:

Nestor Heading To Gulf Coast, Then Maybe Offshore From New England By End of Weekend - WPRI.com

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla The inaugural Roar Offshore National Boating Race brought success to many businesses in the area this weekend.

The racing organization has decided to extend their contract with fort Myers beach for the next 20 years!

The event attracted people from all over the world to Fort Myers Beach, during a time of year that is typically slow for local hotels and restaurants. The owner of The Dog House says he sold tons of hot dogs to fans.

"We were so busy and I didnt even really have time to look up, said Adam Clark.

The owner of Shucker's at the Gulfshore and The Cottage Bar told Fox 4 that there was an astounding number of customers this past weekend.

We did have a record day last saturday, said Carlos Morales.

The event's organizers were even surprised by the turn out, president of Roar Offshore says

A first year event of this magnitude went better than expected. The crowds were phenomenal, the local sponsors and businesses were packed, everybody had a great time, said Hill.

Roar Offshore originally signed a 5 year contact to hold the races on Fort Myers Beach, but after this weekend they decided to re-visit the contract with the Offshore Boating Association (OPI).

Yesterday we sat down with the president of OPI, and he said I want you guys to have this race forever, said Tim Hill.

The contract now calls for the races to be held on the island for the next 20 years.

People in the community tell Fox 4 that after this weekend, they are looking forward to the races year after year!

Continue reading here:

Protecting Paradise Roar Offshore signs 20 year contract with Fort Myers Beach Miana Massey 11:50 - Fox 4

news, local-news,

LAKE Macquarie is set to be a buzz with heart-thumping action this weekend when Australia's most powerful boats thunder across the water for two days of racing. In what could be the Lake Macquarie's answer to Newcastle's Supercars weekend, round three of the the 2019 Offshore Superboat Championships will see super-sleek vessels reach speeds of up to 200km/h as they negotiate a 7km course around the lake. The boat races will start from Marmong Point Marina and traverse a course that passes the west, east and north sides of the lake. This year's races will see the return of crowd-favourite race teams, including Maritimo Australia, and Simrad SUV. Simrad SUV will be piloted for the first time by Lake Macquarie boating identity and Marmong Point Marina owner Les Binkin. Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser, who took a ride in one the superboats on Thursday, said the annual event had become a staple of the city's events calendar. "Community events like the Superboat Championships bring so much vibrancy to our city," Cr Fraser said. "They activate our lake foreshore and bring our community and visitors together to celebrate what we love about Lake Mac." The superboats will race at 1.20pm on Saturday and at 11am and 1pm on Sunday. The action will continue throughout the weekend with junior boat categories racing the course on both days. There will also be jet-ski racing between 10am and 3pm on both days from Lions Park at Eleebana. Off the water, there will be a range of activities. At Warners Bay, spectators can enjoy markets and pop-up licensed bars, open from 10am to 3pm both days. A vintage car display will also take place at the southern end of the foreshore on Saturday, along with fee family water sports at Marmong Point Sailing Club and a food and wine festival at Speers Point Park from noon to 8pm. The best Superboats viewing spots are considered to be Eleebana, Marmong Point and Warners Bay foreshore. Lake Macquarie council's manager arts, culture and tourism, Jacqui Hemsley, said other highlights included a show and shine contest at Speers Point Park on Sunday, and aerobatic displays over the lake at 11.45am on Saturday, and 9.45am and 11.45am on Sunday.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/45a97aa2-6aae-47e7-aa67-dd04ce78800e.jpg/r0_134_3612_2175_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

+3

LAKE Macquarie is set to be a buzz with heart-thumping action this weekend when Australia's most powerful boats thunder across the water for two days of racing.

In what could be the Lake Macquarie's answer to Newcastle's Supercars weekend, round three of the the 2019 Offshore Superboat Championships will see super-sleek vessels reach speeds of up to 200km/h as they negotiate a 7km course around the lake.

The boat races will start from Marmong Point Marina and traverse a course that passes the west, east and north sides of the lake.

This year's races will see the return of crowd-favourite race teams, including Maritimo Australia, and Simrad SUV. Simrad SUV will be piloted for the first time by Lake Macquarie boating identity and Marmong Point Marina owner Les Binkin.

Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser, who took a ride in one the superboats on Thursday, said the annual event had become a staple of the city's events calendar.

"Community events like the Superboat Championships bring so much vibrancy to our city," Cr Fraser said.

Community events like the Superboat Championships bring so much vibrancy to our city.

"They activate our lake foreshore and bring our community and visitors together to celebrate what we love about Lake Mac."

The superboats will race at 1.20pm on Saturday and at 11am and 1pm on Sunday.

The action will continue throughout the weekend with junior boat categories racing the course on both days. There will also be jet-ski racing between 10am and 3pm on both days from Lions Park at Eleebana.

Off the water, there will be a range of activities. At Warners Bay, spectators can enjoy markets and pop-up licensed bars, open from 10am to 3pm both days. A vintage car display will also take place at the southern end of the foreshore on Saturday, along with fee family water sports at Marmong Point Sailing Club and a food and wine festival at Speers Point Park from noon to 8pm.

The best Superboats viewing spots are considered to be Eleebana, Marmong Point and Warners Bay foreshore.

Lake Macquarie council's manager arts, culture and tourism, Jacqui Hemsley, said other highlights included a show and shine contest at Speers Point Park on Sunday, and aerobatic displays over the lake at 11.45am on Saturday, and 9.45am and 11.45am on Sunday.

Read the original post:

Lake Macquarie to host round three of 2019 Offshore Superboat Championships - Newcastle Herald

A development consortium made up WindPower Korea, EDP Renewables (EDPR) and Aker Solutions has been formed to build a 500MW floating wind project off the coast of South Korean, moving forward ambitious plans by the south-east Asia nation for a giant offshore power complex off the industrial port city of Ulsan.

The group, one of four that signed memoranda of understanding with the citys authorities in January, will use Principle Powers WindFloat platforms for the project, which will be developed by special purpose company Korea Floating Wind Power (KFWind).

The Ulsan area is well-suited for commercialising floating wind, due to the combination of industry-leading shipyards, maritime expertise and port facilities in the region, the consortium said in a statement. The consortium foresees that a potential project will contribute with significant positive economic and environmental benefits to the local community.

The consortium has been committed from the beginning to working hand-in-hand with the local fisheries associations and stakeholders to ensure that projects are well-sited and developed responsibly.

The floating wind farm, located a site some 50km (31 miles) offshore, will come under the umbrella of a joint venture between EDPR and French developer Engie announced in May.

Green Giraffe, a Paris-headquartered specialist renewables consultancy, advised KFWind on the plan. The project partners did not disclose the value of the transactions.

From a standing start, South Korea aims to develop 13GW of offshore wind plant off its coast by 2030 to drive toward a target of having at least 30% renewable energy in its national mix by 2040.

Go here to read the rest:

Offshore heavyweights launch giant floating wind project off Korea - Recharge

In the first part of this series, we discussed the emergence of a new generation of Offshore Growers. So why have the Offshore Growers succeeded now when the past is littered with the failed expansion moves of Australian companies? What makes them different? What changed?

Based on our exclusive interviews with the CEOs, chairpersons, directorsand founders of leading Offshore Growers, seven key factors emergedas being decisive in their ability to win in the world.

Australian companies have benefited from the globalisation and greater integration of the worlds economy.

In recent decades, Australia and many other countries liberalised trade by removing or cutting tariffs taxes levied on imports -- and other rules that restricted trade.

Australia has become more integrated with the world economy and has boosted trade. Merchandise trade has risen from 26% of nominal GDP in 1986 to 31% in 2016.

Australia has 11 free trade agreements: China, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, US, Chile, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (with New Zealand), Malaysia, and Canada and Mexico (1).

That environment has made it significantly easier and cheaper for Australian companies to do business internationally.

Gains from trade liberalisation and tariff reductions are obviously threatened by the emergence of trade wars, particularly the US-China trade war launched by US President Donald Trump in early 2018.

But, despite that, most of the gains of liberalisation will be protected and continue to facilitate international trade and company expansion.

One of the major factors underpinning the successful international growth of a new generation of Australian companies is technology.

Technology enables businesses to build scalable platforms across borders, and at the same time drives better consumer engagement and operational efficiencies. Technology is also delivering Australian management greater control, connection and collaboration.

The key globalisation technologies include

Technology is making successful global expansion from Australia possible because businesses can centrally control their global activities from Australia.

Lovisa, which launched in April 2010, now operates in 15 countries. Fallscheer remembers in the early 2000s doing global video calls. The sound didnt work and the frames constantly froze. Now it is so easy to communicate, he says.

In the past if a company wanted to build a global brand, they would need to spend huge sums on advertising and support those efforts with a large local sales force.

But the Offshore Grower is tapping into the huge global audiences that social media offers.

The explosive growth of social media networks has made it easier for companies to leverage the viral network effects of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to drive brand recognition.

A 20-year-old girl is inspired by the same global social media that other girls are around the world, Lovisas Fallscheer says. It is much easier to create a presence using social media and other forms of marketing. Once upon a time that was hard.

As at July 2019, the world had 4.3 billion internet users; some 3.5 billion are active social media users. That represents 46% of the worlds population (2).

Many senior directors have fantastic experience and add significant value. But many have been burnt by the spectre of failed global expansion by Australian corporates like AMP and NAB. Its not difficult to see them counselling against going offshore.

The Offshore Growers say a key to their success has been younger, more dynamic boards, with directors who boast international experience and are prepared to back it. They have the confidence to take on the world and win.

In the past, Australian companies expanded overseas with little competitive edge. It was expansion for expansions sake.

But the new generation of Offshore Grower has a laser-like focus on their value proposition and how it is going to solve the needs of their clients, especially overseas.

A2s Babidge was very much of the belief his product, by removing the a1 protein, was going to benefit those who were milk intolerant.

One of the biggest strategic shifts Offshore Growers have made is to expand offshore not through acquisitions, but organic growth: growing their own businesses in international markets.

They have learnt from the mistakes of the past.

Most of the overseas mis-steps have been acquisitions rather than organic, a2s Babidge says.

Former Afterpay executive director David Hancock says the past model was more buy than build. For Offshore Growers it is now build rather than buy.

Kay says that organic growth is a measured way of going global.

Lovisas Fallscheer says they key is to move in slowly and allow yourself to learn from your mistakes. He says the biggest mistake going global is letting ego get in the way.

Its not about flagship stores, he says. You cant take the eye off the end goal profitability.One of the reasons Offshore Growers tend to favour organic growth is they recognise the value of their products and services. A2s Babidge says the company believed it was unique so wanted to grow organically rather than being distracted with an acquisition.

Afterpay and Nearmaps Rosenberg says that Australian companies often have clients in the Australian market who have an international footprint. Those clients often request the Australian company to expand offshore to service their other locations. This can help facilitate global expansion in a less risky manner given these clients can help justify the (often considerable) investment required for overseas expansion.

Finally, rather than making all-out bets on global expansion, the Offshore Growers have adopted a test-and- learn strategy that typically follows three main steps.

Test

Firstly, they test their competitive advantage in the small open economies of Australia and New Zealand. Australia is a good test market, says IMF Bentham and City Chics Michael Kay. It is easy to get around and communicate.

Learn

Secondly, the Offshore Growers then pivot their businesses after learning from their mistakes in Australia. It is much easier to make mistakes and learn from them in Australia than in the US or Europe.

Expand

And thirdly, after testing and refining their model at home, the Offshore Growers then shift that model overseas.

More from this series

In the first part of our series, we discussed the emergence of a new generation of Offshore Growers.

Hit the 'follow' button below to be notified when we publish the third part in this series, How to identify Offshore Growers.

Understand how to predict a company's offshore growth potential

Ophir specialises in identifying and investing in Offshore Growers. For more information on Ophir and to get a copy of the full report please click the contact button bellow.

(1) Free trade agreements (FTAs), Australian Government Department of Agriculture.

(2) Global Digital Statshot, We Are Social/Hootsuite, published July 17, 2019

Link:

The 7 key factors driving the success of Offshore Growers - Livewire Markets

Having won nearly 5 gigawatts of orders for its Haliade-X offshore wind turbines over the past month, GE is thinking about where its next production facilities will be built and the U.S. looks like a prime candidate.

For us, I think its inevitable eventually to do something locally, Derek Stilwell, commercial leader for North American offshore wind at GE Renewable Energy, said Friday in New York.

A GE spokesperson later clarified that Stilwell was talking about the broader supply chain bringing investment to the U.S., and not GE specifically.*

"It's prematureto talk about whether GE will bring additional U.S. manufacturing capacity to the U.S. until the market matures and the company signs additional agreements to supply turbines," the spokesperson said.

For years, offshore wind executives have said the U.S. needed a larger pipeline of projects to warrant a local turbine factory. Europes mature supply chain is expected to provide many of the most valuable components for the first wave of American projects.

But with a 25-gigawatt pipeline now in play in U.S. waters, and numerous East Coast states having made significant commitments to offshore wind, the conversation about local factories is taking on a new light.

Local-content requirements for offshore wind projects can push up prices, Stilwell said, speaking at an event hosted by the American Wind Energy Association. But local factories can also help to offset the cost of transporting huge offshore wind equipment across the Atlantic Ocean.

GE, a relative newcomer to the offshore wind business, currently operates two factories for the market, both in France. The company has a nacelle plant in Saint-Nazaire, at the mouth of the Loire River, where it recently completed the first hub for its 12-megawatt Haliade-X model. And it has an offshore blade plant in Cherbourg, along the English Channel.

In July, GE announced plans to build a new offshore wind factory in Chinas Guangdong province, expected to be up and running in late 2021.

Theres a window right now where the existing capacity can serve [demand], Stilwell said. But increasing demand in Europe, increasing demand in Asia and the demand here in the U.S. mean that eventually well need to build additional capacity.

Last month, GE landed the first orders for its Haliade-X platform, with rsted planning to deploy 1,200 megawatts of the turbines at its Ocean Wind and Skipjack projects off Maryland and New Jersey between 2022 and 2024.

Less than two weeks later, GE announced another 3.6-gigawatt order for a trio of projects known as Dogger Bank in the U.K., developed by Equinor and SSE Renewables.

GEs decisions on future factory locations will be driven by the orders we get, Stilwell said. What were seeing now is the first large orders signed [in the U.S.], which means we need to support the developers in meeting their local-content commitments.

Well move as fast as we can in the next phase, as costs permit.

GE is not the only offshore turbine supplier to have won a big order in the U.S. market. Vineyard Wind chose MHI Vestas for its 800-megawatt project off Massachusetts, while rsted handed Siemens Gamesa a 1.7-gigawatt order for three projects set to deliver power into New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

rsted, the worlds leading offshore wind developer, has committed to helping German foundation manufacturerEEW establish a factoryin Paulsboro, New Jersey, as part of its winning bid for a 1.1-gigawatt project in the state.

GE makes nacelles for onshore wind turbines in Pensacola, Florida, in addition to operating several blade factories in the central U.S.

The company reentered the offshore wind market through its 2015 acquisition of Alstom's power and grids businesses. Despite the recent flurry of big orders for theHaliade-X, GE lags far behind Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas in terms of installed capacity and committed orders.

*Story and headline are updated based on clarification from GE.

See original here:

GE: Inevitable That Offshore Wind Manufacturing Comes to the US - Greentech Media News

MUMBAI: An ongoing probe against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal has revealed that the grounded carrier entered into illegal agreements with related offshore parties based in tax havens at rates way above market prices, causing losses to the airline as well as the national exchequer, said people aware of the matter. They said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has gathered details of the offshore entities, with which Jet Airways and its group companies entered into lease and maintenance and general sales agent (GSA) agreements, on the basis of information shared by the Toronto-based Egmont Group an international network of 164 financial intelligence units formed for the purpose of combating money laundering as well as terror financing.

The Jet Airways founder and his wife, Anita, were questioned earlier this month on the basis of information shared by the Egmont Group, of which India is a member, according to the people. They said the couple was questioned in connection with alleged violations of the foreign exchange law in an equity deal with Jet Privilege Private Ltd (JPPL), which operated the airlines loyalty and rewards programme.

FEMA ViolationThe probe has revealed that Jet Airways entered into related-party transactions, with most of the entities being ghost companies floated only for the purpose of creating fake transactions and thereby acting as a conduit to divert funds to tax havens or countries that have a liberal tax regime, an official told ET on condition of anonymity. This clearly amounts to violation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as fake invoices were floated and the monies that should have come to India were routed abroad.

Goyal was not reachable for comment.

He had stepped down as chairman of Jet Airways in March and the carrier ceased operations in April, after it ran out of cash. Jet Airways is currently undergoing resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

In the GSA matter, there are alleged irregularities in transactions between Jet Airways and its Dubai-based group firms, said another person. The airline was found to be paying commissions every year to its general sales agent in Dubai which was also part of a group unit. These may have been aimed at evading taxes to the tune of Rs 800 crore.

Investigators have also found that Jet Airways leased aircraft from ghost offshore companies and paid lease rentals to these companies, which in turn diverted the funds to accounts linked to Goyal, alleged a third official.

Besides, the ED has summoned Goyals alleged aide, Hasmukh Gardi, a non-resident Indian based in Dubai, and has asked him to join the probe. On August 23, the agency had carried out raids at multiple locations, including the residence and offices of the Goyals. It had also carried out raids at the premises of Gardi, who allegedly invested in Goyals Isle of Man-based Tail Winds Corporation, which had controlled all the financial activities of Jet Airways. He played a key role in the case and therefore his questioning is necessary to connect the dots, said an official.

In a related development, while probing the alleged FEMA violations by Jet Airways and its group companies, the ED stumbled upon cases of foreign exchange law violations by Gardis relatives and has summoned them in these cases, said officials. They said these cases are not linked to the probe against Jet Airways.

The probe into Gardis accounts is said to have revealed that he is a shareholder of British Virgin Islands-based entity, Hanbury Global Limited. A considerable amount of funds have been parked in tax havens. Gardis accounts in BVI are among them, said an official.

Gardi is also suspected of having links with the underworld. According to information on the website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Hanbury Globals intermediary is Mossack Fonseca & Co (UK) Ltd. An intermediary is a go-between for someone seeking an offshore corporation and an offshore service provider, usually a law firm or a middleman that asks an offshore service provider to create an offshore firm for a client.

Meanwhile, multiple revenue and enforcement agencies are probing Jet Airways for alleged irregularities. Other than the ED and the Income Tax department, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) is investigating the airline for alleged violations of the Companies Act. The ministrys regional office concluded in a May report that several transactions were of a suspicious nature. These agencies suspect that the airline siphoned off more than Rs 8,000 crore through fictitious contracts.

While the current case pertains to the JPPL deal, the ED has confronted Goyal with documents related to 19 privately held companies, of which 14 are registered in India and five abroad, said the people cited earlier.

Based on a request by the MCA, a lookout circular was issued against Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita to ensure that they did not leave the country while the investigations were on. Following this, they were taken off a Dubai-bound plane in Mumbai on May 26.

Link:

Jet formed illegal pacts with related offshore parties - Economic Times

A series of accidents and fatal events in the North Sea were catalysts for the formation of the Offshore Industry Liaison Committee (Oilc) 30 years ago.

In the months preceding it, 167 men lost their lives in the Piper Alpha disaster an incident which still reverberates through the sector to this day.

Just a day prior to Piper was a gas explosion on the Brent Alpha platform, and two months following it was a fatal gas blowout on the Ocean Odyssey rig which cost the life of a 25-year-old man.

Then on New Years Day 1989 there was another gas explosion, this time on the Brent Delta platform.

All of these led to the formation of Oilc in 1989, a group to bring unions together to improve health and safety standards, becoming a union itself years later.

Many of those who would come to form its membership were involved in protests in Aberdeen early in 1989 outside the inquiry centre into Piper Alpha.

They brought banners urging the government to bring the men up now for the 30 bodies that had not been -and never were recovered from the North Sea.

Please enable Javascript to view this gallery

Oilc was established on July 6, 1989, with thousands of workers downing tools to mark the first anniversary of Piper Alpha with a series of unofficial strikes across the North Sea.

Twenty years later the group would be merged into the RMT union as its dedicated offshore branch.

Regional officer Jake Molloy, who was involved in those first sittings for Oilc, reflected on the first 30 years.

He said: The objective then was to bring about union collaboration it was never the intention to create a trade union it was to try to bring the trade unions to a single table and work together and to try and improve health and safety standards.

It was the year after Piper, the first anniversary on July 6, 1989 that we stopped work in recognition of the first anniversary.

Subsequently we started stopping work and sitting in for two days, then going to work for a couple days, and then stopping work again. That continued through the summer of 1989 and that was when Oilc, the Offshore Industry Liaison Committee, was born.

The groups logo is similar to and inspired by Solidarnosc a trade unionist movement in Poland led by former president Lech Walesa.

Margaret Thatcher supported the movement in Poland as it opposed communism, so thats was why we came up with the Oilc logo to fit with the Solidarnosc movement, Mr Molloy remarked.

Still in the wake of the 1986 oil price crash, workers had also been galvanised into action over health and safety as well as cuts to wages and conditions.

Mr Molloy said: There was a whole culmination of events which led to the complete stoppage of work in 1990 and then hundreds I think it was 700 ended up getting blacklisted and never worked offshore again.

Oilc produced a video to mark the first 30 years, dedicated to the workers who put their livelihoods on the line in pursuit of fairness, justice and a safer workplace.

Writing for Energy Voice in 2015, Oilc founder Ronnie McDonald described Piper Alpha as a wake-up call for the North Sea.

He added: The offshore workers insurrection over an 18-month period to late 1990 refocused minds of operators and employers and led to reinstatement of our confiscated pay and conditions, plus some extra.

The main focus of the industrial action wasnt pay at all. We believed that only united trade unions could be capable of protecting us against a repeat of the bad treatment of the previous decade.

In 2008 Oilc merged into RMT with more than 2,500 offshore members which has today swelled to around 5,000 members, encompassing a wider scope of energy activities.

The branch has members from a range of groups including contractors, offshore caterers, divers, drilling staff and others.

In recent years RMT Offshore has been vocal around the issue of offshore rotas fighting for a standardised rota of two weeks on, three weeks off (2:3).

It has been described as one of the top concerns of the workforce, with some operators moving to 3:3 amid the last oil downturn to cut costs.

Unions have condemned the move, with warnings it could have implications for safety and mental health.

RMT Offshore has also been seen in recent years supporting the families of victims of a series of helicopter crashes in the North Sea.

A total of 33 people have lost their lives in crashes since 2009 in the now grounded super puma model of helicopter in the sector.

A fatal accident inquiry is being prepared into one of those incidents which took place off Sumburgh in 2013.

Mr Molloy said that the union will continue to play an important role in offshore safety while acknowledging the work of those who helped set up Oilc three decades ago.

He added: I think we need to acknowledge what those guys did back then.

They had a major involvement in shaping the regulatory structure that we have today and they will continue to have input into that.

Read more:

Marking 30 years of the RMT 'Oilc' offshore union branch - News for the Oil and Gas Sector - Energy Voice

Oil and gas exploration regularly use powerful air guns shown to be harmful to marine lifeoff the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador without environmental monitoring, according to documents obtained by CBC News.

Federal regulations require the presence of wildlife observers whenever companies hunt for new fields in the province's multibillion-dollar offshore industry.

But when factors as frequent as fog, high seas or darkness make visual wildlife observation impossible, seismic ships are under no obligation to stop work.

"These operations very clearly have the potential to cause a lot of harm to a lot of marine wildlife, " said Sean Brillant, a senior conservation biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

"If they are doing exploration in the dark or at times when observers are incapable of making adequate surveillance of an area then they are almost definitely causing harm [to wildlife]."

In theory, regulations set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada require observers to ensure the area around any seismic ship is clear of all mammals and turtles before seismic tests can begin. Once a seismic survey has begun, operations will only be shut down if a threatened or endangered species is spotted.

Seismic surveys use powerful sound waves capable of penetrating the ocean floor to map oil and gas reserves.

Documents obtained from the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board indicate that in 2017 and 2018,surveys already underway were never suspended due toenvironmental concerns.

Those same reports show that, on occasions when observation was possible, more than 5,200 marine mammals were observed while seismic air guns were firing. Those animals were not reported as threatened or endangered species, so testing was not stopped.

Seismic surveys were temporarily postponed before beginning on 14 occasionswhen marine life was spotted near vessels before air guns started firing.

In Nova Scotia, during low-visibility conditionsall seismic vessels must use a second form of environmental monitoring, called passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), to detect the presence of marine mammals.

Those measures are not required in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2017, no seismic companies in Newfoundland and Labrador used acoustic monitoring during work in oil exploration. In 2018, PAM was used by only one company, PGS, and on a voluntary basis.

Nova Scotia's oil and gas regulator, the C-NSOPB, says due to the presence of at-risk species of whales in the province's waters, "all vessels conducting seismic surveys in Nova Scotia waters during low visibility conditions are required to conduct PAM during operations."

The C-NLOPB declined an interview request from Radio-Canada. But in its own statement, it said "DFO has not identified any critical habitat"for at-risk marine mammals off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador that would require acoustic monitoring.

Stphanie Pieddesaux, a researcher with Merinov, a Quebec-based fisheries and aquaculture research centre, said, "Often, mitigation measures will be more lax because it isn't a critical habitat."

"But that doesn't keep an animal from entering that area," she added.

Lindy Weilgart, an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, said there should be a marine mammal observers and passive acoustic monitoring, at the very minimum, at all times.

"We're bowing down to industry," she said.

Weilgart, who has studied the impact of sound pollution on marine environments for more than two decades, said seismic surveys are increasingly being seen to have "an ecosystem-wide impact."

"To my count, there's about 130 marine species that have had documented impacts from seismic air guns," Weilgart said. "That much is clear."

Pieddesaux said the most powerful air guns used for seismic surveys can harm mammals' body tissue and lead to animals becoming disoriented. She said the use of air guns can also have an impact on whales feeding and migratory patterns, even if seismic activity doesn't necessarily lead to to an animal being injured.

Visual observation aboard seismic vessels is also limited by the fact marine mammals spend most of their time below the surface of the water,she said.

Acoustic monitoring can't detect sea turtles and can only monitor whales that make vocalisations.

For visual and acoustic monitoring to be effective, Pieddesaux adds, observers must be well qualified and experienced. A Radio-Canada investigation revealed last month that unqualified workers are regularly conducting environmental monitoring aboard seismic ships.

Weilgart said that if Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore industry wants to reduce its environmental footprint, it needs to not only improve wildlife monitoring, but also start using exploration methods that are less harmful to the environment and that create less noise pollution.

"There are alternatives," she said.

"But since the petroleum boards and the regulators, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, are not insisting on them, they will not happen."

Read morefrom CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

More here:

Offshore oil exploration in N.L. often occurs without wildlife monitoring - CBC.ca