According to the latest news reports from Beijing, China will be deploying unmanned aircraft or drones over its Olympic sailing venue in Qingdao during the Games to watch for suspicious activities. The state-run Xinhua news agency said that police tested one of the drones last Friday during a drill
The final countdown to the start of one of Europe’s premiere regattas, ACCBank Cork Week, has begun with the arrival of three of the world’s most competitive yachts into Cork Harbour. 90ft Rambler, skippered by George David from the US, Moneypenny and Numbers both 52ft long, also from the US and ski
News – July 9, 2008 Massive economic growth is driving major seaport expansion in the Middle East worth in excess of US$33 billion to handle record volumes of containers and bulk cargoes, say leading maritime industry observers. “The emergence of strong and diversified maritime companies and operato
Project Updates – July 9, 2008 More than 50 leading experts on dredging and land reclamation have lauded the environmental and safety record at The Pearl-Qatar after touring one of the country’s most significant urban developments being built exclusively on reclaimed land, Gulf Times reports. “I can
Plexus Holdings has won a contract from Sweden’s Lundin to supply its proprietary POS-GRIP® wellhead systems and mudline suspension. The potential value of the contract, which is subject to completion of relevant terms, is estimated at £500,000, with revenues commencing in the first quarter of 2009.
StatoilHydro is preparing to lift a 1,300 tonne compressor module onto the Sleipner B platform this month. The compressor module will be transported from Haugesund to the Sleipner B platform in the southern part of the North Sea. Sleipner B is normally unstaffed and is the smallest of StatoilHydro’s
The UK Government and the oil and gas industry need to work together to help ensure not only increased, but more productive investment in the UK offshore if the full potential of its remaining oil and gas reserves is to be realized, according to Oil & Gas UK. The industry body’s 2008 economic report
Russia’s Vyborg Shipyard has seen a ceremony to mark the start of construction on the first of two semi-submersible platforms which will be built to serve the Barents Sea Shtokman project. The keel laying ceremony for the semi-submersible floating drilling rig – dubbed SSFDR – took place watched by
The crews of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race have arrived back in Liverpool at the end of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation. For the non-professional crew onboard the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts, the return to Albert Dock marks the end of a challenge. Crossing the finish line overn
Philippe de Villiers, President of the Vendée Council and organiser of the Vendée Globe presented the line-up for the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe at a conference in La Roche sur Yon in Western France on 2 July. The thirty places planned in the notice of race have now been filled and all 30 will be lining
News – July 7, 2008 CEDA’s seminar with the MSI will take place in Tallin 15-16 October. The Environment Commission of the Central Dredging Association (CEC) and the Marine Systems Institute of Tallinn University of Technology (MSI) have announced details a joint international seminar on environment
New Vessels – July 7, 2008 Cristóbal Colón is the world’s largest trailing suction hopper dredger. Nineteen months after placing the order of the trailing suction hopper dredger Cristóbal Colón with Construcciones Navales del Norte in Sestao, Spain, the vessel was launched on July 4th. This mega tra
New Vessels – July 8, 2008 Jan De Nul Group and La Naval shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, have signed an agreement for the construction of a 30,500m³ hopper dredger. This vessel completes the present investment programme for hopper dredgers at the company, ranging from the 46,000m³ mega hoppers Cristóbal
StatoilHydro has selected FMC Technologies to supply four new xmas trees plus other subsea hardware for the Ã…sgard field in a US $45 m deal. FMC, which is already supplying other subsea equipment for the field, has been contracted to deliver four new horizontal subsea production trees, plus wellhea
