MarineEnergy.biz has compiled the top news from marine energy industry from July 23 – 29, 2018.Tides wash away OpenHydroFrench-based Naval Energies – the parent company of tidal stream technology outfit OpenHydro – has decided to stop further investments into development of its tidal energy business, forcing the liquidation of the Irish-based subsidiary.According to Irish media reports, Naval Energies requested the liquidation of OpenHydro and its associated businesses as the subsidiary has reportedly accumulated significant debts over the time, with the alleged figures reaching up to €280 million.The decision to cease any additional investments was reinforced, according to Naval Energies, with ‘the lack of commercial prospects’ for tidal stream project development.Three-bladed turbine positions for French tidal stream spinbackIn the fallout of the OpenHydro liquidation, the Chief Executive Officer of another tidal stream technology company Tim Cornelius said that SIMEC Atlantis Energy would be willing to engage in discussions with the French government to save the recently built Cherbourg tidal assembly plant, and deliver the EU-sanctioned Normandie Hydro tidal project within existing support mechanisms.Reacting to Naval Energies’ decision to liquidate its tidal technology subsidiary OpenHydro, Tim Cornelius hinted SIMEC Atlantis Energy was prepared to act as a replacement for the liquidated outfit should the UK-based developer make progress with the French government on the development of large scale arrays in Normandy and Brittany.In-stream tidal giant connects to Nova Scotia power gridTwo days after touching the Canadian seabed in the Bay of Fundy – the 2MW tidal turbine, deployed by Cape Sharp Tidal, has been connected to the Nova Scotia electricity grid.The turbine, plugged into the grid on July 24, 2018, is now undergoing initial commissioning in Minas Passage, at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) site, with operational and environmental monitoring device testing being conducted by the OpenHydro team.This is the second grid-connected tidal turbine to be deployed in the bay by Cape Sharp Tidal after the similar feat was achieved with the first demonstration turbine in November 2016.MeyGen tidal turbines come ashoreSIMEC Atlantis Energy has retrieved two MeyGen tidal power turbines for inspection and maintenance.The retrieval operation took place at an offshore site between Scotland’s northernmost coast and the island of Stroma with the support of Viking Neptun subsea construction vessel, and the ROV crew onboard. Both turbines were retrieved in ‘just over 24 hours’, according to SIMEC Atlantis, which also said the turbines made it safely back to shore for offload at Nigg Energy Park.The turbines – supplied by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest (AHH) – will now be inspected onshore.EU nods ‘yes’ for Raz Blanchard tidal energy demonstrationThe European Commission has found a French project promoting electricity generation from tidal energy – a 14MW Normandie Hydro array – to be in line with European Union State aid rules.The measure will contribute further the EU’s energy and climate goals without unduly distorting competition in the single market, the Commission declared.The Normandie Hydro plant is a demonstration plant that will be developed by OpenHydro and operated by EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) and will be located at Raz Blanchard, west of the Cotentin peninsula, on the English Channel.However – OpenHydro is now up for liquidation after its parent company Naval Energies declared it was no longer interested in making further investments into tidal energy sector.Following the announcement – deemed by many as a ‘schocker’ – SIMEC Atlantis Energy hinted it was interested in acting as a replacement company in the Normandie Hydro scheme, as well as other developments OpenHydro was involved in – should the French government also express its willingness to support the initiative appropriately.
Bladt Industries has installed the transformer on the offshore substation built for the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm in Belgium.According to the Danish company, three cranes were necessary for the installation of the 235t transformer on the substation.Source: BladtTo remind, the substation topside began its journey towards Bladt’s premises in Aalborg from Mostostal Pomorze in Poland in mid-April.Bladt is responsible for designing, building and installing the substation, as well as for monopile foundations which will house the turbines and the topside.The 219MW Northwester 2 wind farm will comprise 23 MHI Vestas 164-9.5MW turbines located some 50km north-west of Oostende in the Belgian North Sea.Offshore construction is expected to start in June this year, with commissioning expected in 2020.
Wave Venture, a specialist wave energy consultancy and software provider, is developing an innovative Techno Economic analysis product called “Wave Venture TE”. This software is a hybrid desktop-cloud integrated engineering and financial analysis package.Wave Venture have been developing components of this integrated Wave Venture TE software for several years. Supported by Marine-i, they aim to have an integrated product ready to launch soon that will significantly impact the wave energy industry.The software will allow for Wave Energy Converter (WEC) developers to rapidly and accurately analyse their devices. This software brings the additional benefit of optimisation that includes all stages of a commercial wave farm development.MD, Ronan Costello, says: “Receiving grant support from Marine-i has given a huge boost to the project. It will help us to validate the dynamic simulation component of the software by comparing these with published results.”“There is a wide range of customers who can benefit greatly from our services. These include businesses investing in wave energy technology , organisations conducting research and development on wave energy conversion systems, and companies planning the deployment of wave energy farms.”Professor Lars Johanning, who leads the Marine-i team, says: “We felt that it was important to support this pioneering project. Not only could it put Cornwall at the forefront of a new field of commercial analytics, but it could also help stimulate growth in the wider wave energy industry, by giving investors and WEC developers the accurate information they need to formulate optimum commercial strategies.”“The key elements of Wave Venture TE are currently being used by our team, who are all very proficient in the correct application of the software. However, there is a big difference between an ‘in-house’ system and one that can achieve success in the broader market.“There are therefore a number of key milestones that we need to reach before we are ready to take the product to full commercial launch. These include running the software on multiple example applications, verifying the accuracy of the software on these example applications, and ensuring that all the documentation needed for the development of user manuals and training materials is in place,” concluded Costello.
U.S. offshore engineering and construction company McDermott has appointed Chris Krummel as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.McDermott’s DLV 2000 vessel; Source: McDermottKrummel joined McDermott in 2016 and previously served as the company’s Global Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. He replaces Stuart Spence, who has resigned from McDermott to pursue other opportunities.“Chris has worked closely and collaboratively with our leadership team for the past three years and has clearly demonstrated the business and financial acumen that McDermott needs,” said David Dickson, McDermott’s President and Chief Executive Officer.“I’m confident in his ability to lead our Finance organization as we work to rebuild our capital structure to match and support the strength of our operating business. We wish Stuart success in his future endeavors and appreciate his significant contributions to McDermott over the past five years.”Krummel has 25 years of finance leadership experience. Prior to joining McDermott, he served as: a consultant of American Industrial Partners, a firm engaging in private equity investments in industrial businesses in the United States and Canada; Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of EnTrans International, LLC, a global manufacturer of aluminum tank trailers, heavy lift trailers and oilfield pressure pumping equipment used in hydraulic fracturing and other well services; and Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President and Corporate Controller/Vice President of Finance of Cameron International, a worldwide provider of flow equipment products, systems and services to oil, gas and process industries.In related news, McDermott on Monday reported a loss for the third quarter of 2019 compared to a profit in the same period last year mostly due to charges of $1.5 billion related to impairment.Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email. Also, if you’re interested in showcasing your company, product or technology on Offshore Energy Today, please contact us via our advertising form where you can also see our media kit.
Image courtesy of Sempra EnergyExports of liquefied natural gas from projects in the United States edged down during the week ending March 25. A total of 15 vessels departed U.S. LNG export facilities between March 19 and March 25, United States Energy Information Administration notes.The combined LNG-carrying capacity of the 15 tankers was at 55 billion cubic feet. This compares to 16 cargoes in the previous week with a combined LNG-carrying capacity of 59 Bcf.Out of the 15 cargoes, seven departed from Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG facility, three were shipped from the Freeport LNG plant and two cargoes each departed the Cameron LNG and Corpus Christi LNG facilities. The remaining cargo was shipped from the Cove Point LNG export plant in Maryland.EIA further noted that natural gas deliveries to liquefied natural gas export terminals jumped for the week reaching 9.2 Bcf/d, up from 8 Bcf in the previous week.Notice: LNG World News is soon to become part of a new environment Offshore-Energy.biz. This platform will provide you with daily news in the full spectrum of the markets and topics relevant to the energy transition. We will continue to provide you with all the relevant insights into the LNG market, in a new outfit.LNG World News Staff
Image Courtesy: MPA/Facebook “We hope the Maritime Perspectives series will be a useful platform to gather insights on these issues, exchange ideas and pave the way for collaborative solutions.” MPA’s Chairman, Niam Chiang Meng and the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, witnessed the signing on 28 July. Areas of cooperation As explained, the MoU to drive interoperability is timely as port authorities have developed or are developing maritime single windows to implement IMO’s Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic to facilitate the electronic exchange of information for port clearance. This collaboration will also support MPA’s digitalOCEANS initiative, where individual data platforms of port authorities, port operators, shipping lines, logistics companies and platform providers can exchange data and interoperate through a common set of APIs. “MPA and our partners have taken the first step with this MoU. We hope that more will join us in linking up ships, port authorities and platform providers into a seamless digitalOCEANS to facilitate port-to-ship connectivity and efficient trade transactions across the globe.” MPA and its partners will also hold a series of technical workshops to design, test and publish the API specifications. “The maritime sector is a global business. Different players in the maritime ecosystem are pursuing digitalisation at varying paces. To truly reap the benefits of effective information exchange, we need to move beyond digitising single nodes in the maritime supply chain,” Niam said. 
The six maritime players that signed the Mou agreed to cooperate in the following areas: “COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains on a scale never seen before. As the backbone of global trade, the maritime sector has to evolve to meet the challenges of a new normal economy. Digitalisation, decarbonisation and adaptation to new global trade order are issues that have to be addressed by the industry,” Niam pointed out. These partners are CargoSmart — a solution provider for the Global Shipping Business Network, GTD Solutions — representing TradeLens, GeTS and PSA International — jointly representing CALISTA, and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with five international partners to develop and adopt common data standards and application programming interface (API) specifications, which will facilitate data exchange for port and maritime services transactions. Generate awareness in the maritime industry about the importance of common data standards and common API specifications across international maritime jurisdictions and platforms; Sharing of information and best practices in the maritime industry pertaining to the harmonisation of data standards across international maritime jurisdictions and platforms; Development of common data standards and common API specifications to facilitate data exchange for business activities and transactions; Adoption of common data standards and API specifications to facilitate data exchange for business activities and transactions; Adoption of open data sharing by Parties with existing and/or future relevant platforms and databases for efficient flow of information across global maritime transport chains; Provision of resources, support, capabilities, expertise and setting up of jointentities, whenever applicable, to encourage research and development, test-bedding and adoption of solutions and technologies to facilitate wider adoption of the common API specifications in the maritime industry. The MoU was signed at the Maritime Perspectives Series Prologue: Digital Connectivity & Data Standards, the first webinar organised by MPA under the Maritime Perspectives series. The series, comprising four webinars to be conducted from 28 July to 8 October 2020, will bring together experts and industry leaders to share insights on digitalisation, decarbonisation and trade in the new normal post COVID-19. 
“The SR2000 was an industry break-through and its success is a testimony to the team who engineered, built and operated it. Heavy lifter Mammoet managed the tandem lift of the 516-tonne structure out of the water and onto the Blyth quayside. It was also the port’s largest heavy lift to date. Orbital Marine Power, working with Thompsons of Prudhoe and Port of Blyth, has decommissioned its 2MW SR2000 floating tidal turbine. The final phase of the full-scale demo follows a test programme which saw over 3,250 MWh of electricity generated by the SR2000 at EMEC in Orkney. Leask Marine towed the unit from Orkney to the Northumberland facility using the C-Odyssey vessel. “Completing the largest project lift the Port has ever planned and executed highlights the skill and competence of the Port of Blyth’s engineering and operations teams. Orbital are reclaiming key components and elements of the turbine to carry out engineering inspections. “A truly outstanding platform for us to be building on with our new O2 turbine.”
The O2 incorporates key innovations and lessons from the SR2000 which should boost its yield by a 35 per cent. Building on the SR2000, Orbital is currently manufacturing its 2MW O2 turbine set for EMEC early next year. Andrew Scott, Orbital CEO, said: “Not only did it validate the conceptual benefits of our floating tidal solution, but it re-set the performance bar for the sector. Alan Todd, Port Director of Port of Blyth, said: Additionally, the remainder of the structure will be dismantled for recycling and disposal. “The project also highlights both the strength and potential of our new decommissioning partnership with Thompsons of Prudhoe.”
National Review Online 10 May 2012This spring the journal Economic Inquiry published a study by Joseph Sabia and Daniel Reese which found very solid evidence that pro-life parental involvement laws reduce the suicide rate for teen females. This peer-reviewed study is both methodologically rigorous and well done. Analyzing state-level suicide data from 1987 to 2003 and holding constant both state-level trends and a range of economic and demographic factors, it finds that parental involvement laws reduce the suicide rate for teen females anywhere from 11 to 21 percent. The authors argue that this is because parental involvement laws reduce the incidence of stressful life events. These include unprotected sexual intercourse, STDs, pregnancies, and abortions.The authors utilize an impressive range of statistical tests to document their findings. For instance, the regression results indicate that parental involvement laws have only a marginal impact on the suicide rate of older females who would not be directly affected by the law. Also, parental involvement laws have little impact on the suicide rate for teen males. However, this is consistent with the hypothesis that unprotected sex imposes a greater psychological burden on female adolescents than on their male counterparts. Finally, parental involvement laws have less of an effect on teen female suicide rates — if adjacent states are not enforcing parental involvement laws.Overall, this study contributes to a growing body of peer-reviewed research which documents the positive public-health impact of pro-life parental-involvement laws. There exist at least 16 peer-reviewed studies which find that parental involvement laws result in statistically significant reductions in the in-state abortion rate for minors. Obviously some minors circumvent these laws by obtaining abortions in states without such laws. However, every study that tracks both in-state and out-of-state abortions finds that the in-state decline significantly exceeds the out-of-state increase.Additionally, a 2003 study in the Journal of Health Economics by Phillip Levine found that parental-involvement laws reduce the pregnancy rate of 15- to 17-year-olds by 4 to 9 percent. A 2008 study in the Journal of Law Economics and Organization by Jonathan Klick and Thomas Stratmann shows that parental involvement laws reduce gonorrhea rates anywhere from 12 to 20 percent for females under 20. Pro-choice opponents of parental-involvement laws frequently argue that they will lead to a higher incidence of child abuse. However, there is no comparable body of peer-reviewed evidence demonstrating the negative public-health impact of these laws.http://nationalreview.com/corner/299637/pro-life-parental-involvement-laws-reduce-teen-suicide-rates-michael-j-new
The Independent 26 July 2015On Friday, the Spanish government announced it was to raise the marriage age from 14 to 16 to bring it into line with the rest of Europe. Estonia now has the lowest marriage age in Europe with teenagers able to get hitched at 15 with parental approval.Globally, the average legal age of marriage for boys is 17 and 16 for girls but many countries permit them, particularly girls, to marry much younger.Several places, including the state of Massachusetts in the United States, allow girls as young as 12 to get married in “exceptional circumstances” with the consent of a judge.But in many cases this is a leftover from an earlier age and is rarely tested. Many countries with low marriage ages do not have a particularly high number of under 18s getting married.Other countries only permit marriage among the young for certain groups. For instance, according to the US state department’s humans right report on Trindad & Tobago from 2014, though the official marital age is 18 for men and women, Muslims and Hindus have a separate Marriage Act.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-lowest-age-you-can-legally-get-married-around-the-world-10415517.html
Breitbart.com 3 November 2015On Monday, the federal government declared itself fit for the madhouse by mandating that a Chicago high school allow a full biological male into the girls’ locker room for all purposes, including nudity. This biological male, the feds determined, was different because he thinks he is a female.The feds have ruled that the presence of a twig-and-berries in the girls’ locker room has been mandated by Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Yes, ladies and gents and non-cisgenders: it turns out that the battle against sexism enshrined in the ill-written Title IX was actually intended to force underage young women to look at the penises and testicles of mentally ill boys.Progress.The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights spent almost two years checking out the Township High School District 211 because of the transgender “girl.” He filed a complaint with the feds in 2013 after the school refused “unrestricted access” to the girls’ locker room. The district eventually agreed to allow the boy into the girls’ room so long as he used a privacy curtain while disrobing.That wasn’t good enough. The feds determined that this still constituted discrimination. Why? As John Knight, director of the alphabet-soup LGBT and AIDS Project at the ACLU, stated, this was “blatant discrimination.” He explained (well, we think it’s a he, unless he identifies differently today):Keep up with family issues in NZ. Receive our weekly emails direct to your Inbox.It’s not voluntary; it’s mandatory for her. It’s one thing to say to all the girls, “You can choose if you want some extra privacy,” but it’s another thing to say, “You, and you alone, must use them.” That sends a pretty strong signal to her that she’s not accepted and the district does not see her as a girl.Perhaps the district does not see “her” as a “girl” because “she” is not a she, a her, or a girl. Nonetheless, the Office for Civil Rights agreed, with Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon averring:All students deserve the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities – this is a basic civil right. Unfortunately, Township High School District 211 is not following the law because the district continues to deny a female student the right to use the girls’ locker room.The student is not female. But never mind that: the subjective opinion of a mentally ill person now governs a student body of some 12,000.So here, in a nutshell, is the government’s new policy with regard to sex and sexuality among youngsters:If you’re a boy who shows a picture of your penis to a girl in your class, you have likely violated both federal child pornography laws as well as local sexual harassment laws. If this happens consistently in your school, the school has violated Title IX.If you’re a boy who says he’s a girl, the girl must be placed in position to see your penis and testicles. If the school does not allow this, the school has violated Title IX.If you’re an adult who sexually touches a child with the consent of the child, you have committed a crime, since children are incapable of consent.If you’re an adult who gives a child hormone therapy or surgery to prevent normal development of the genitals, with the consent of the child, you are a hero.If this all makes sense to you, you should be working for the federal Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education.http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/03/feds-rule-force-high-school-girls-undress-next-naked-boys-think-theyre-girls/