Tag: Shell

  US Senators sent a letter urging the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to halt all offshore oil and gas drilling permits in the Arctic region. "We are writing to express our extreme disappointment in the Administration’s recent decision to approve drilling in the Chukchi Sea within the Arctic Ocean. We strongly urge the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to halt all offshore oil and gas drilling permits in the Arctic Region, given the extreme and treacherous conditions and the severely limited capacity for response and cleanup." "Opening development on a new fossil fuel reservoir in the Arctic not only puts the natural resources, ecosystems and the dependent communities at risk, it also contradicts the President’s Climate Action Plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce climate change. It is an unacceptable and irresponsible decision." Last month, BSEE inspected an oil spill response equipment staged to support Shell’s Chukchi Sea oil response plan. BSEE Director Brian Salerno’s commented when demonstration completed:   "Arctic operations require extra effort to prevent safety or environmental incidents. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure operators have addressed all relevant risks. It is equally important that operators be prepared to respond in ...

  After a comprehensive review and consideration of comments received from the public, stakeholders, and Federal and state partner agencies and tribes, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) conditionally approved Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc.’s revised multi-year Exploration Plan (EP) for the Chukchi Sea. Among the conditions of approval is the requirement that Shell obtain all necessary permits from other state and federal agencies, including permits to drill from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and appropriate authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Another condition of approval prevents Shell from commencing drilling operations until all Biological Opinions under the Endangered Species Act have been issued and requires all operations under the plan comply with the terms and conditions included in those Biological Opinions. “We have taken a thoughtful approach to carefully considering potential exploration in the Chukchi Sea, recognizing the significant environmental, social and ecological resources in the region and establishing high standards for the protection of this critical ecosystem, our Arctic communities, and the subsistence needs and cultural traditions of Alaska Natives,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. “As we move forward, any offshore exploratory activities will continue to be subject to rigorous safety standards.” ...

  Since the implementation of Emission Control Areas (ECAs) on 1 January 2015, ships entering waters in the Baltic Sea; the North Sea; the North American ECA, including most of the US and Canadian coast, as well as the French overseas collectivities of St. Pierre and Miquelon; and the US Caribbean ECA, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Sea had to use fuels with up to 0.1% sulphur content. Shell Marine Products (SMP) introduced a complete line of ECA-approved marine lubricants in September 2014.  This complete portfolio includes Shell Alexia S3, formulated for use in two-stroke engines with low sulphur and distillate fuels up to 0.5% sulphur.  SMP also offers Shell Gadinia for medium-speed four-stroke engines like the one in the Harvey Energy, Shell’s new chartered offshore supply vessel (OSV) in the Gulf of Mexico.  Shell Mysella for gas-powered engines is used on Shell’s chartered barge Greenstream, the world’s first 100-percent LNG-powered barge which carries goods along Europe’s Rhine River. “We have been pleasantly surprised by the demand that our ECA-approved lubricants have gotten.  We have been quick to expand availability of our product range throughout our port network.  Today, Shell Alexia S3 is available in over 330 ports ...

  Gate terminal announced the ceremonial start of the construction activities for the new LNG break bulk infrastructure at its site at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The Port of Rotterdam has begun with the excavation of a new harbour basin next to Gate terminal. The new facility is expected to boost the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a cleaner and affordable transportation fuel in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe.  Break bulk (or small-scale) services aim to split up large-scale LNG shipments into smaller parcels. This enables the distribution and use of LNG as a cleaner fuel alternative for maritime vessels, ferries, trucks and industrial applications. Since 2011 Gate terminal enables overseas LNG import into Europe. Gate terminal contributes to diversifying the European gas supply by providing access to LNG from around the world. At Gate terminal, LNG is received, stored, reloaded or regasified for the Northwest European gas grid. These activities have formed the basis for the current development of small-scale services. To mark the start of the development of LNG break bulk infrastructure and services Gate terminal has organized a ground breaking event on 31 March. Chief Executives representing players from across the complete LNG and logistics ...

The dramatic decline in the oil price has resulted in big cuts in North Sea oil exploration and acceleration in the decommissioning of related infrastructure. Shell has recently announced plans to begin decommissioning the Brent Delta platform, weighing 23,500 tonnes and standing higher than the Eiffel Tower. Shell plans to transport the platform by sea to Teesside for onshore demolition. Rig decommissioning may cost €20 billion over the next decade and 60% of those costs will ultimately be borne by the government through tax relief, getting economic and environmental value matters. Recent research undertaken by Green Alliance which assesses the most cost effective and environmentally friendly ways of treating old rig infrastructure, concludes that the decommissioning of oil platforms could offer some promising opportunities for CCS. The study argues that the optimal treatment of old oil rig infrastructure would be not to remove it all, but rather repurpose it as part of a new CCS network. This would not only lower the cost of decommissioning, but would also facilitate the deployment of CCS and render it more cost effective. The viability of pipeline reuse for CCS infrastructure has already been demonstrated by the Peterhead CCS project. In order to deliver ...

Response crews completed the on-water cleanup and recovery of oil from a leak at the Shell Martinez Wharf. Overflight and shoreline assessments made throughout the response continue to show no impact to the shoreline or wildlife, including no impact to the Martinez Marina or nearby marsh. Absorbent boom deployed for the response is in the process of being removed. "This has been a robust response with outstanding cooperation," said Lt. Cmdr. Rhianna Macon, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, Deputy Incident Commander, Unified Command. "Now that the external response and recovery phase is complete, the public can expect to see much less activity along the water. Shell, with initial federal and state oversight, will focus on transitioning back to regular refinery operations."   "We would like to thank the local residents and neighbors for their patience while we implemented a comprehensive response. We appreciate all of the outstanding men and women involved for working at the speed of safety," said Dennis Lines, Shell Martinez Refinery, Deputy Incident Commander, Unified Command. "The safety focus has been to the high standard that the community demands and deserves."   "We are very pleased to report no impact to the shoreline or wildlife, and appreciate ...

Assessments conducted throughout Wednesday, 11 February,  continue to show no impact to the shoreline or wildlife, and no impact to the Martinez Marina or nearby marsh. Resources and personnel have been deployed to the affected area as a precaution to guard against any potential impact. Resources include absorbent boom, skimmers and a helicopter for aerial assessments, as needed.  Residents may continue to notice extra activity at the wharf and the Carquinez Strait area throughout the evening as cleanup operations are conducted. "We are pleased with the progress and response to the release, both in the initial actions from Shell and the joint-agency cleanup and recovery activities," said Lt. Cmdr. Rhianna Macon, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, Deputy Incident Commander, Unified Command. "As always, we would like to thank our outstanding emergency response personnel for their great cooperation and their immediate actions to stop this release and contain the spill." At approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday Shell personnel reported a leak from a crude oil line at the Shell Martinez Wharf and confirmed the leak was stopped within 30 minutes. Shell personnel estimated the leak to be approximately two barrels of oil (approximately 84 gallons), and two issues related to the pipeline ...

With recent developments, such as the prevalent practice of slow steaming, new environmental regulations such as the revised vessel general permit (VGP) in US waters and the change in fuel sulphur limits in ECAs, the importance of technical service is increasingly crucial to bringing peace of mind to ship operators. Shell Marine Products (SMP) employs a team of technical experts spread out around the world that is dedicated to help solve customers’ lubrication issues and also help improve equipment performance.  They answer technical queries, give product and changeover advice and provide technical troubleshooting.  An SMP technical expert also conducts onsite equipment inspections as well as consults with the ship’s chief engineer to verify if the proper feed rate is applied to optimise operations. Aside from its technical experts, SMP also offers Shell Rapid Lubricants Analysis, which includes a comprehensive lubricant sampling plan; recommendation of the most appropriate test suite for each piece of equipment; and advice on sampling frequency and how to take a representative sample of used oil. There is also the Shell Rapid Lubricants Onboard Alert, a unique portable device that provides on board measurement and recording of magnetic iron content in oils and greases. “These days, offering a ...