This month sees the launch of SHIPMOOR, an innovative new mooring analysis tool which has been designed to improve safety for the LNG industry, reducing the risk of disconnections between LNG terminals and carriers.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) has set up a new business unit to focus on the oil and gas and offshore energy renewables markets.

After the successful commissioning of Service Operations Vessel (SOV) Bibby WaveMaster 1, Damen Shipyards started building its successor Bibby WaveMaster Horizon, purpose-built for the transfer and accommodation of support and maintenance engineers at offshore wind farms. Electrical system integrator Bakker Sliedrecht has once again been commissioned by Damen to supply all main electrical installations for the luxury hotel vessel.

In November, STAPEM Narval will undergo sea trials. During this testing phase, vessel’s performance and general seaworthiness will be measured. Technical representatives from the builder, certification officials and representatives of STAPEM Offshore will be present to conduct & follow these tests.

Seadrill Norway Operations Limited has been awarded a contract for drilling two exploration wells for Equinor in the Barents Sea by use of the West Hercules rig. Drilling is scheduled to start in the spring of 2019.

Westwood estimates 2017 global utilization reached a low of 32%, down from 55% in 2014.

The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) is supporting three new research projects centered on how digitalization can improve efficiency and provide cost savings to the oil and gas industry.

BP has successfully deployed Plant Operations Advisor (POA), a cloud-based advanced analytics solution developed with Baker Hughes, a GE company, across all four of its operated production platforms in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Marine Ventures International, Inc. (MVI) announces and welcomes Ms. Brittiny Bennett as the Protected Species Program Manager, effective September 3, 2018. This position was recently created in response to greater demand for protected species services for offshore geophysical and geotechnical surveys and coastal construction projects.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc., a marine environmental consulting firm that specializes in multidisciplinary projects concerning potential impacts of activities in coastal and marine ecosystems, announces that Bob Erickson has joined the Team as a Senior Scientist and the Northeast Market Manager.

The technology group Wärtsilä is to supply a newly updated propulsion control system as well as its advanced alarm and control system, the Nacos PCS/MCS Platinum, for Maersk Tankers’ six 110 DWT LR2 newbuildings. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in the first quarter of 2018.

Leading marine software company, Helm Operations, announces that it now has more than 3000 vessels subscribing to Helm CONNECT, its industry-leading maintenance, compliance, personnel, and vessel operations software. This achievement highlights the incredibly rapid growth of demand for the software platform, which was officially released just 24 months ago.

Expected drop in refining runs to produce product stock draws. Crude inventory to continue reducing but at slower pace. Hurricane Florence to impact products demand and potentially pipeline supplies in Lower-Mid-Atlantic region.

CGG has commenced acquisition of a high-density, rich-azimuth, towed-streamer multi-client survey in the UK West Shetland Basin. The 3,600 sq km survey has received strong industry support and been designed in collaboration with major international oil companies.

PETROBRAS has selected ZENTECH DO BRASIL SERVIÇOS TÉCNICOS LTDA., a subsidiary of ZENTECH, INC. of Houston, Texas, USA for a contract to provide engineering support for its fleet of Ship shape and Semi-submersible type Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Platforms along with the Fixed Gathering and Processing Platform.

Damen has supplied a DOP150 submersible dredge pump to Brazilian civil engineering contractor BELOV. It is now in operation, creating an access channel into the sea for a new power plant currently under construction. The access channel is for a critical pipeline for the plant’s cooling system and when completed it will extend 600 meters out into the sea. Over the course of the project the DOP150 is expected to remove around 30,000 cubic meters of material.