Carbon capture and storage continues to be one of the leading technologies, especially at production sites to help achieve the global goals for decarbonization. Multiple efforts are underway to advance the technology with news that China has launched its first model offshore CCS project. Similarly, South Korea announced that it has received class approval for the first design of a platform to be used in offshore carbon storage.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced yesterday, August 30, that it has launched the country’s first offshore storage project as part of an oil field located approximately 118 miles Southeast of Hong Kong in the South China Sea. China has previously experimented primarily onshore exploring the potential for CCS.
CNOOC expects to extract and store up to 300,000 tons of CO2 annually from its Enping 15-1 oilfield with a total of 1.46 million tons of CO2 during the project’s lifetime. The CO2 will be injected into seabed reservoirs.
While the CNOOC project is the first to launch in China, other major Chinese oil companies are also actively pursuing CCS technology. Sinopec is also planning a CCS element for one of its new large projects in eastern China. CNOOC said that it hopes its project will serve as a catalyst for the expansion of the technology. CNOOC plans by 2025 to invest up to 10 percent of its annual budget on green energy projects.
In another advancement for CCS, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. and Hyundai Heavy Industries received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for an offshore platform to store carbon dioxide under the ocean floor. Designed as part of a project with the state-run Korea National Oil Corp., the platform will be used to inject CO2 into a decommissioned gas field located approximately 35 miles off South Korea’s coast. The field is due to end production in 2024 and the following year they plan to begin injecting CO2 into the old wells with the goal of storing 400,000 tons of CO2 each year for the next 30 years
Experts point out that there are about two dozen CCS projects in operation today with more than 30 additional pilot projects in development. By 2050, global CO2 capture and storage could top more than seven billion tons annually.
Bernice Gertrude Rosenthal was born on 1 September 1912 in New York City. After attending Long Island University, she earned her doctorate of medicine from Woman’s College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1936. After graduation, she moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, to complete her internship and her residency at St. Francis Hospital. She spent another 18 months working on her specialty in anesthesia at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. After drawing a 50-mile circle around Philadelphia, she chose Somerville, New Jersey, to establish her general practice with the hope of getting extra training in surgery at her alma mater.
Never one to sit still, Dr. Walters became a licensed pilot while waiting for patients for her new practice. After the outbreak of World War II, she briefly served as a medical officer with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). In late 1942, she applied to join the Women’s Auxiliary Service Pilots (WASP). Dr. Walters later said that she flew with the WASPs for three months before the President of the United States agreed to allow women doctors to join the Medical Corps. She immediately decided to make a switch. In July 1943, she accepted her commission as a medical officer in the Naval Reserve.
The newly commissioned Lieutenant (j.g.) Walters was sent to Bethesda, Maryland, where she spent three months in training on tropical medicine. Her first assignment was the dispensary at the Boston Navy Yard. She later served at the Naval Air Station at Cape Cod and at Bainbridge, Maryland. She wanted more training in anesthesia, but the Navy was not offering training to reserve officers. In 1946, she decided to go inactive for two years to train at the veterans’ hospital in Dallas, Texas and Alexandria, Louisiana. It was during this time when she met and married her husband, Lieutenant Herbert “Walt” Walters, a naval aviator.
When Walters returned to active duty in 1948, she reported to the naval hospital in Pensacola, Florida. In the spring of 1950, her husband reported to Norfolk, Virginia. He was assigned to an aircraft carrier, USS Wright (CVL-49). In hopes of following her husband, Walters applied to be selected for shipboard duty. After completing her required twenty-four months’ active duty at Pensacola, she received orders to serve aboard ship. Before this decision, only nurses had been allowed to serve at sea. After she received her orders, a columnist in a Florida newspaper targeted her marital status as being an issue. Nor was the fact that she outranked her husband overlooked by reporters.
Lieutenant Commander Walters refused to accept the resistance to women doctors serving on ships. In a 1952 interview, she said “There were twenty-nine nurses on board…What’s the difference between twenty-nine nurses and one woman doctor? A woman is a woman.” In spite of her reluctance to step into the spotlight, Dr. Walters was the envy of other Navy doctors who wanted to serve overseas.Lieutenant (j.g.) Patricia Pear, who was working at St. Alban’s Naval Hospital, said, “The place I’d like to go most right now is Korea, because that’s where the action is. But I’d take any overseas assignment.” Walters was one of five women physicians on active duty in the U.S. Navy at the time.
A month after she received orders to USS Consolation (AH-15), Lieutenant Commander Walters received notice that her husband, the flight deck officer aboard Wright, had been killed in a helicopter accident on the last day aboard his carrier. They had not seen each other since Christmas. She had to deal with the death of her husband and new orders halfway around the world. Four months later, she left for Korea.
In spite of her press coverage for her appointment aboard Consolation, Lieutenant Commander Walters seemed dispassionate to her position as a role model to other women. In an interview with the reporter from Collier’s Weekly in November 1950, she rejected her significance as a subject. She said, “Why should I be written up just because I’m a woman? I want to be accepted as a doctor, and that means, without the ‘woman’ always in front of it.”
Captain Robert E. Baker, of Consolation, complimented her bravery, intelligence, and even her stubbornness while aboard his ship. Although she was an accomplished surgeon, Walters was assigned to the ship as an anesthesiologist, and she was their only one. Therefore, she had not yet been sent to the frontline medical units in Korea, despite her regular requests to Captain Baker. She served for two years aboard ship in Korea and later received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for her service.
After her service aboard Consolation, she served for seven months in Japan before she reported to Corpus Christi, Texas. In March 1953, Lieutenant Commander Walters spoke at the founders’ day banquet for her alma mater, the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, during a brief absence from her new command. In Texas, she met and married Lieutenant Commander Harry C. Nordstrom, on 31 July 1954, at the NAS Dispensary in Corpus Christi, Texas. As a physician, he had served as a medical officer since 1943. After they married, they both continued to serve in the Navy. They were both transferred to California and later Hawaii.
Walters gave twenty years of service after she was given her first orders aboard ship, and she served in the reserves until January 1970. She retired with the rank of commander, which she received 1953. She continued to live in Hawaii serving as the chief of Anesthesiology Service at Queen’s Hospital from 1967 until she retired from civilian service in 1974. She died in Kailua, Hawaii, on 10 Feb, 1975. She was survived by her husband.
Kati Engel is a writer and editor for Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach Division. This article appears courtesy of NHHC and is reproduced here in an abbreviated form.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
Louisiana is the heart of America’s offshore oil and gas industry, and the region’s energy production quickly shut down in advance of Hurricane Ida, with more than 90 percent of all offshore oil output shut in as a precautionary measure. Most of the industry’s assets appear to have survived unscathed, but Port Fourchon – the primary support hub for the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico – was hit hard and may be closed for weeks.
In order to minimize harm from the hurricane, offshore operators evacuated about half of all platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, along with nine out of 11 currently operating non-DP drilling rigs. Four DP-enabled rigs ceased operations and relocated to avoid the storm’s path. As of Monday, 93 percent of offshore oil production and 94 percent of offshore gas production were still shut in, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. About 17 percent of the United States’ domestic oil production comes from offshore Gulf of Mexico wells.
The storm also affected refiners. According to S&P Global, about 75 percent of Louisiana’s refining capacity went offline as a result of the storm. These facilities are experiencing challenges due to downed powerlines and intermittent electricity supplies, and at least one facility located well outside of the storm’s path was forced to shut down because it did not have electrical power. Others wound down their operations in advance of Ida’s arrival as a precautionary measure.
Extensive damage in Port Fourchon
The logistical effort for getting U.S. Gulf platforms back up and running could be complicated by disruption in Port Fourchon, the hub for vessel support activity for Louisiana’s offshore industry. Aerial surveys showed extensive damage, including missing roofs and flooding. The port’s executive director, Chett Chiasson, told The Advocate that the area experienced damage from an extreme storm surge of 12-15 feet.
Video of Hurricane Ida from a property owned by David Tallo Jr. in Port Fourchon
As of Monday, the highway leading to the port was still shut due to downed power poles, debris and washouts, limiting the ability of port staff to begin damage assessment and cleanup. Fully restoring the port’s operations will take weeks, Chiasson told NPR.
“What we’re seeing is tons of damage . . . there’s vessels in places they’re not supposed to be, to say the least, and navigable waters have to be surveyed because there’s things everywhere,” Chiasson said. “In just a few hours we’re going to be clearing Highway 1 down to the port with heavy equipment. . . . There is no electricity and there will be no electricity for a long time. In our community we have no running water, so that’s really key at this point.”
In an advisory to shipping, the port authority said that waterways into and within Port Fourchon and along Bayou Lafourche are blocked by “multiple obstructions and sunken vessels.” NOAA’s Coast Survey teams are still en route to the area to conduct channel surveys in the port, and shipping interests should expect delays. “Vessels should not attempt to enter or exit the port until the Port Commission’s damage assessment has been completed and the all clear is given,” the authority advised.
When the highway is restored, port tenants will have first priority for entry from the shore side. All others are advised to stay out of the area until the port gives the all-clear, and the port’s harbor police are keeping watch, the authority said.
Despite elevated ldt prices for ship scrapping, vintage tanker tonnage and more particularly VLCCs, have remained far from the scrapyards so far in 2021, adding to the supply side of a lackluster tanker market. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “the latest VLCCs that have been reported as scrapped have joined a small, but up to recently growing number of tankers heading to recycling yards. The Sea Coral (1996-built, 298 k dwt) and the Jubilee Star (1996-built, 310 k dwt) have both been sold for record high scrap prices. The Jubilee Star was sold for $24.5 million, or equivalent to $572 per ldt, while the Sea Coral was sold for $24.7 million, equating to $578 per ldt. The timing of their departure from service has coincided with, what is seen as the peak of scrapping prices as well as the removal of vessels from the floating storage fleet”.
Source: Gibson Shipbrokers
“However, we had both vessels as FSOs and as such they were already removed from the active VLCC fleet as they were on permanent fuel oil storage off Malaysia. It may come as no surprise that these older vessels have been scrapped as the requirements for floating storage has been falling. Last June, at the peak of the storage cycle, according to Gibson Floating Storage database there were 77 non-Iranian VLCCs involved in all forms of storage, including crude, clean and dirty products. As oil production was moderated to take account of the developing Covid-19 pandemic, storage requirements declined. According to our records, there are 30 non-Iranian VLCCs currently providing some form of floating oil storage. Perhaps surprisingly, as the demand for floating storage declined, there hasn’t been a corresponding rise in scrapping of older vessels. So far this year, according to the Gibson Fleet Database there have been five active VLCCs scrapped. The oldest vessel was the 1996-built Em Vitality (343 k dwt), whilst the youngest has been the 2003-built Eurodestiny (343 k dwt). This compares to just one VLCC that was reported as scrapped during the whole of 2020, the 1996-built Sam (338 k dwt)”, Gibson said.
According to the shipbroker, “nearly non-existent levels of scrapping during 2020 were partly understandable due to record high TCEs reached in spring 2020. However, the drop in crude production levels and the decline in demand for storage vessels witnessed since 2H 2020 would normally have seen an uptick in scrapping candidates. However, this did not happen to a significant level. We wrote back in May that this might be due to demand for vintage tonnage to operate in sanctioned trades. Embargoes against Iran and Venezuela had forced buyers and sellers of sanctioned crude to find owners willing to undertake such trades. At the time we estimated that up to 10% of VLCCs were involved in such trades. This could partly explain the hiatus in scrapping. But what is surprising is that more vessels have not been sold for scrap during the recent run on scrap price. The average tanker scrapping price during 2020 in Pakistan was $357 per ldt, whilstup to July 2021 the average price was $509 per ldt. There was a rise in scrapping prices from August last year. This was partly due to the rise in commodity prices, including rising steel plate prices. But, this bull run seems to have come to a halt. Recent reports that scrapping deals have not reached conclusions as prices have been falling have meant that owners are unwilling to commit tonnage to a falling market. This is despite scrap prices still remaining historically high”.
“So what ray of hope can we provide? Well, there is the scheduled OPEC+ 400,000-bpd increase in crude exports every month. However this will only require around four VLCCs per month. Unless scrapping levels bounce back, it is highly unlikely that if current market conditions continue, there will be any prospects of tanker earnings lifting from their present doldrums”, Gibson concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
The White House and the US Department of Transportation have appointed a port envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. John D. Porcari – who served as the US deputy secretary of transportation in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013 – will work with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the National Economic Council to tackle congestion at US ports.
Through extensive outreach and engagement in the last few months with ports and port stakeholders – including the World Shipping Council, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, representatives and leading companies from the National Retail Federation, Commissioners of the Federal Maritime Commission and labour unions – the Department of Transportation determined that challenges at the ports require dedicated focus from an experienced, senior leader.
Porcari will work with the ports and stakeholders to address backlogs, delivery delays and product shortages being experienced by American consumers and businesses.
After a fire on August 22 that knocked out production at its E-Ku-A2 offshore platform, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) is reportedly injecting nitrogen into the oil wells to resume output. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company has been working to restore full production today, and has turned to nitrogen as a solution to push oil out of the wells in the absence of natural gas, also offline due to the fire.
Unlike natural gas, nitrogen can spread oil into pockets within the reservoir, causing long-term issues with exploration.
The fire, which killed at least five people and injured six others, shut down production of 421,000 barrels per day, about 25% of Mexico’s total production.
Bulk carrier THOR MONADIC entered Hong Kong waters on Aug 24 from Shanghai outer anchorage, and was anchored south of Lamma island. On Aug 25 crew tests were taken, 15 out of 23 crew were found to be test positive. Bulk carrier is put under quarantine, and while 1 crew with suspicious symptoms (cough, maybe high temperature), was transferred to hospital, the rest remain healthy. The ship arrived at Shanghai anchorage on Aug 10 from India, left anchorage on Aug 20.
It could be just one more covid-test positive-quarantine case, as regular and familiar, as a sunset, except for one moment – Hong Kong authorities suspect ship’s management attempted to conceal probable crew infection, and provided to authorities “false information”. So the Department of Health launched an investigation.
Who knows, what’s all about. The ship, most probably, is manned with Thai crew, so they should be vaccinated. What’s the penalty for “providing false information”? Hefty fine, long-term sentences?
Herbjorn Hansson-led Nordic American Tankers (NAT) said it has fixed one of its ships to an undisclosed oil major, again at fixtures much higher than those quoted in the current market.
The New York-listed suezmax specialist has landed a new contract for a minimum of six months at a day rate of $17,000. The deal is said to be almost identical to those announced last month.
“The rate levels concluded in the last two contracts are significantly higher than market reports for the spot market suggest,” said Hansson, founder, chairman and CEO of NAT.
Nordic American Tankers has 25 suezmax vessels, including two newbuildings set for delivery in 2022. The company is looking to renew its fleet by offloading at least two vessels built in 2000 and 2002 and purchasing two or more additional ships of more recent vintage.
Croatian bulker operator Jadroplov has entered into an agreement with an unnamed Chinese shipbuilder for the construction of two 63,000 dwt bulk carriers.
The deal, which should become effective next month, also includes an option for one more ship, the company said in a Zagreb Stock Exchange filing.
Jadroplov has been raising funds to renew its fleet with up to three new ships in the next two years. It also plans to dispose of two of its oldest ships and lower the average age of its fleet to between five and eight years.
The company’s fleet currently stands at three supramaxes and two handies with a total of 242,727 dwt and an average age of 15 years.
Bulk carrier CONSOLIDATOR in the afternoon Aug 29 suffered engine failure when about to enter Bosphorus from Marmara sea, ballasting from Italy to Ukraine. The ship was towed yo Ahirkapi anchorage by Bosphorus Traffic Control SAR tug.
İtalya’dan Ukrayna’ya seyir halindeyken Kınalıada açıklarında makine arızası yaşayan CONSOLIDATOR adlı 190 metre boyundaki dökme yük gemisi, Gemi Trafik Hizmetleri koordinasyonunda kılavuz kaptanımız ve KURTARMA-7 Römorkörümüz eşliğinde Ahırkapı’ya demirletildi. @UABakanligipic.twitter.com/X3hv6fMVIa
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Images courtesy Rep. Garrett Graves
