The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today notified 13 companies whose deepwater drilling activities were suspended by last year’s deepwater drilling moratorium that they may be able to resume those previously-approved activities without the need to submit revised exploration or development plans for supplemental National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. Before resuming those activities without additional NEPA review, however, the companies must comply with BOEMRE’s new policies and regulations.
“Going forward, we are substantially enhancing our environmental reviews and analysis under NEPA,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “But as we move forward, we are taking into account the special circumstances of those companies whose operations were interrupted by the moratorium and ensuring that they are able to resume previously-approved activities. For those companies that were in the midst of operations at the time of the deepwater suspensions, today’s notification is a significant step toward resuming their permitted activity.”
Today’s notice lays out the steps these companies must take for previously-approved operations to restart. This includes compliance with new regulations and information requirements in Notices to Lessees (NTL) N06 and N10, and the Interim Final Safety Rule.
These operators will not be required to revise a previously submitted Exploration Plan or Development Operations Coordination Document (DOCD) if the worst-case discharge estimated for the project, as calculated pursuant to NTL-N06, is less than the worst-case discharge estimate included by the company in its Oil Spill Response Plan. However, if the worst-case discharge exceeds the Oil Spill Response Plan, further reviews will be conducted.
As described in guidance issued by BOEMRE on December 13, 2010, new exploration and development drilling operations must be conducted under new or revised plans subject to appropriate NEPA analysis.
The 13 companies that received today’s notice are: ATP Oil & Gas Corp., BHP Billiton Petroleum (GOM) Inc., Chevron USA Inc., Cobalt International Energy, ENI U.S. Operating Company Inc., Hess Corp., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp., Marathon Oil Company, Murphy Exploration & Production Company – USA, Noble Energy Inc., Shell Offshore Inc., Statoil USA E & P Inc., and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
Source: Press release
Korea's SPP Group merged its shipbuilding subsidiaries into SPP Shipbuilding as of 1st January 2011.
THE Queensland Government does not pay for ships to wait at the Gladstone Port to load coal, according to the Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC).
Whatever the electrical efficiencies of wind power, and there remain plenty of doubters in this respect who point to the need for conventional backup, there can be no denying the maritime business opportunities it offers.
Last April when BP's Macondo well started gushing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the sudden need for skimmers quickly became apparent. The need was especially great for inshore areas, especially in and around marshes. Mississippi alone spent $20 million to build and lease skimmers.
On December 4, the third in a fleet of 13 new tugboats purchased by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) began making its way from Hong Kong to Panama. The Sixaola is expected to arrive at the Panama Canal in mid-February.
Bergen Oilfield Services (BOS) has agreed with the governments of Senegal., Gambia, AGC, Guinea Bissau, and Guinea Conakry to acquire, process, and promote a 2D, long-offset, multi-client seismic data acquisition program offshore West Africa.
The International Maritime Bureau has said that there is good reason to believe that sea robbery will be more successful in 2011. The bureau added that the ship owners will feel increasing pressure from insurers,
This year is unlikely to bring many positive surprises for Indian shipbuilding and shipping companies. To start with, global oversupply of vessels has made order inflows difficult to come by for Indian shipbuilders.
Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. has entered into a turnkey contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. for construction of a new ultra-deepwater drillship with delivery scheduled for late in the second quarter of 2013. 
The Guam Shipyard is trying to determine whether its large dry dock was damaged after it took on water and partially sank over the weekend.
Noble Corporation today reported that Marathon Oil Company has provided notice that it is terminating the drilling contract for the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig Noble Jim Day. 
Seadrill has entered into an agreement to acquire the two ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rigs, Seadragon I and Seadragon II. The total project price for the two rigs, which are currently under construction at the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore, is estimated to be approximately US$1.2 billion (including project management for the remaining construction period, drilling and handling tools, spares, operations preparations and capitalized interest). Deliveries of the two rigs are expected in the first quarter and fourth quarter 2011, respectively. 
Iran is looking at ways to lift oil production from various offshore fields in the Persian Gulf.
Acergy and Subsea 7 today jointly said that they expect to complete the combination of the two by the end of this week. The new company will be named Subsea 7 S.A and will be the worlds biggest subsea seabed-to-surface engineering and construction company.
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