An investigation has been launched into a near-miss incident on the ExxonMobil-owned Hebron Platform off Canada. Even though the incident on 14th September claimed no injuries, it had the potential to cause severe fatalities.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) in its press briefing about the accident said it occurred when the auxiliary hoist hook along the south intervention deck, weighing approximately 3.6 kg, fell five to six meters to the deck.

The petroleum regulator also revealed that according to the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (DROPS) calculator, the accident had a high potential of causing multiple fatalities.

The statement added that the incident occurred when preparations for an upcoming lift with no load connected were underway. It also confirmed that the only individual in the proximity of the falling hook was a hoist operator, who managed a narrow escape with no injuries as he stood six meters away.

ExxonMobil on Thursday revealed that all auxiliary crane operations were suspended since the incident and an investigation had been launched into the root cause of the accident. The probe will be monitored by C-NLOPB.

The Hebron platform, situated about 350 kilometers offshore Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital St John’s, in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin. The platform has witnessed several accidents earlier, since it began production in November 2017.

In the most recent accident that occurred on 21st August this year, a worker on board a support vessel, AVALON SEA was injured during a lifeboat winch load testing. The worker sustained an injury on his face after the rigging hit him while it was being unhooked to get rid of a twist. He was then transferred to the Health Sciences Centre through medevac.

A similar investigation has been launched into the accident, monitored by the C-NLOPB. A series of such potentially fatal accidents on the Hebron platform raises serious concerns regarding the safety installations onboard and protocols followed by the crew.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/35401/exxonmobil-launches-investigation-near-miss-accide/

PUBLISHED SEP 20, 2021 5:49 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

The Philippines is rolling out a string of measures in the hopes of reviving its shipbuilding and ship repair sector, which was hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic.

According to a new article in The Manila Times, the Philippine government has identified shipbuilding as a strategic sector for the economic recovery and is taking new steps to encourage investment. The Philippines has one of the most vibrant shipbuilding economies, boasting about 118 shipyards. The recent economic slowdown has crippled the industry, which has contributed to material delivery delays, lockdown-induced workforce disruptions and and increased operational expenses, leading to production delays and serious cash flow problems.

Because of this, the Philippine government has included the shipbuilding sector among industries that should enjoy economic benefits under a newly enacted Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. The law proposes fiscal relief for both domestic and foreign shipyards doing business in the Philippines.

This could have significant benefits for a foreign bidder for the assets of the defunct HHIC-Phil shipyard in Subic Bay, the largest shipbuilding facility in the country. HHIC-Phil has been closed since it went bankrupt in 2019, and the Philippine government has hinted that a North American buyer is in talks to acquire the yard by the end of the year.

In a recent Philmarine 2021 virtual conference, Reynaldo Lignes, Chief Investments Specialist on Shipbuilding under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), apprised the industry on the benefits of the law.

The Philippines 2020 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2020, identified shipbuilding as one of the preferred investment activities for the country. Unlike in the past, when foreign-owned shipbuilding companies could only accept orders for exports, Lignes said the new IPP now allows them to cater to the domestic market. In addition, shipbuilding companies will be entitled to reduced corporate income tax (CIT) rate from 30 percent to 25 percent for both foreign and domestic shipyards, retroactively from July 2020.

Lignes also added that the president is allowed by law to grant further incentives to highly desirable projects with a minimum investment capital of $1 billion or capable of generating 10,000 jobs.

Shipyard owners will also be exempted from import duties for capital equipment, raw materials, spare parts and accessories, including an exemption from paying Value Added Tax (VAT).

These incentives are timely as the Philippines is experiencing significant domestic demand for ships due to a decision by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to phase out wooden-hulled boats. The Philippines Navy has also been allocated a $1.44 billion budget for modernization and acquisition of new vessels, and is calling for industry players to ramp up shipbuilding activity to satisfy the demand.

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https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/philippines-to-attract-shipbuilding-investors-with-new-incentives

PUBLISHED SEP 20, 2021 6:02 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

The world could commence large scale production of green hydrogen sooner than expected after researchers in Australia discovered what they described as a “gamechanger” catalyst in hydrogen production.

Researchers at Curtin University said they have identified a new, cheaper and more efficient electrocatalyst that can facilitate the making of green hydrogen from water. If confirmed, this breakthrough could open new avenues for large-scale production of the clean energy.

Green hydrogen is being touted as the fuel of the future for the maritime industry, which faces intense pressure to decarbonize in the coming decades. The industry accounts for approximately one-quarter of all emissions from the global transportation sector, emitting nearly one billion tons of CO2 annually.

According to Curtin researchers, scientists have typically been using precious metal catalysts such as platinum to accelerate the reaction to break water into hydrogen and oxygen.

However, they have found out that adding nickel and cobalt to cheaper, previously ineffective catalysts enhances their performance, which lowers the energy required to split the water and increases the yield of hydrogen.

“Our research essentially saw us take two-dimensional iron-sulfur nanocrystals, which don’t usually work as catalysts for the electricity-driven reaction that gets hydrogen from water, and add small amounts of nickel and cobalt ions. When we did this it completely transformed the poor-performing iron-sulfur into a viable and efficient catalyst,” said Dr Guohua Jia, lead researcher from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences.

He added the discovery could have far-reaching implications for sustainable green fuel generation in the future. Utilizing more abundant materials wpuld be cheaper and more efficient than the current benchmark material, ruthenium oxide, which is derived from the  ruthenium element.

“Our findings not only broaden the existing “palette” of possible particle combinations, but also introduce a new, efficient catalyst that may be useful in other applications. It also opens new avenues for future research in the energy sector, putting Australia at the forefront of renewable and clean energy research and applications,” he noted.

Dr Jia said the next steps would be to expand and test the team’s work on a larger scale to test its commercial viability.

Green hydrogen is one of the three available production paths for this fuel. Conventional gray hydrogen is produced from steam reformation of natural gas or syngas, and it is highly carbon-intensive. Blue hydrogen is produced in the same process, but with the addition of carbon capture, utilization and storage technology to remove most of the CO2 from the exhaust stream.

Despite the cost challenges of making green hydrogen at scale, many researchers believe that green hydrogen is the most promising clean fuel option for the global shipping industry, which has been given targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

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https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/game-changer-catalyst-for-green-hydrogen-production

PUBLISHED SEP 20, 2021 6:17 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

Cruising resumed from New Orleans this weekend as the ports of southern Louisiana continue to work to recover from Hurricane Ida that left a part of damage across the region less than a month ago. The resumption of cruising, which was the first since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, is seen as another step forward for the regional economy and recovery for the region.

Carnival Cruise Line had scheduled the resumption of cruising for the beginning of the month but delayed two weeks due to the impact of the hurricane. The Carnival Glory cruise ship rode out the storm in the Gulf of Mexico and then was used to provide emergency housing for recovery workers. The 110,000 gross ton cruise ship began its first revenue 7-day cruise from New Orleans to the Bahamas on September 19.

“Carnival Cruise Line has been a part of the New Orleans community for more than 25 years and we’re absolutely thrilled to provide our guests an opportunity to get ‘Back to Fun,’ while supporting the local economy in one of our most popular homeports,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

The Carnival Glory returned to cruising as an extensive refit carried out in Europe, which included the addition of the company’s new red, white and blue livery for its ships. She became the company’s eleventh cruise ship to return to service. Half of Carnival’s cruise ships have returned to service with the phased-in returns scheduled to continue into early 2022. On November 1, the Carnival Valor will join the Carnival Glory in New Orleans resuming short cruises and combined Carnival Cruise Line expects to carry 400,000 passengers annually from New Orleans.

While the return of the first cruise ship was seen as a positive development, several south Louisiana ports also partnered to request federal assistance to aid in the recovery from the impacts of Hurricane Ida on their infrastructure, waterways, and communities. The Ports of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Fourchon, Morgan City, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, South Louisiana, and Terrebonne formally submitted a request to President Biden to ensure ports are included in bills for urgent funding from Congress.

According to the ports, critical impacts to maritime facilities and infrastructure include damage and extended closures of grain terminals and ongoing extended closure of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Morgan City and New Orleans, resulting in four- to five-day delays for barge tows and shallow-water traffic. There was also damage sustained to maritime communication systems and pilot stations on the Lower Mississippi River, extended outages of four of nine oil refineries on the Lower Mississippi River, power grid failures resulting in ongoing delays for restarting critical operations, and an increasing resulting need for sufficient back-up power generating systems for maritime infrastructure.

“The Port of New Orleans and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad are resilient and strong. Our wharves are busy post storm and trains are moving, but we still have challenges to overcome in order to get back to previous levels,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of Port NOLA and CEO of NOPB. “To restore this economic engine fully and preserve the thousands of jobs that depend on it, we respectfully ask that the White House urgently request funding from Congress to address these issues as soon as possible to help us collectively move forward from these significant impacts.”

The Lower Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to the Gulf is one of the busiest port complexes in the world, with approximately 6,000 oceangoing ships annually transiting the river and handling 60 percent of the nation’s export grain and 20 percent of its energy.

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https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/new-orleans-cruising-resumes-as-ports-appeal-for-recovery-aid