Offshore drilling – Wikipedia

Mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled below the seabed

Offshore drilling is a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled below the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently extract petroleum that lies in rock formations beneath the seabed. Most commonly, the term is used to describe drilling activities on the continental shelf, though the term can also be applied to drilling in lakes, inshore waters and inland seas.

Offshore drilling presents environmental challenges, both offshore and onshore from the produced hydrocarbons and the materials used during the drilling operation. Controversies include the ongoing US offshore drilling debate.[1]

There are many different types of facilities from which offshore drilling operations take place. These include bottom founded drilling rigs (jackup barges and swamp barges), combined drilling and production facilities either bottom founded or floating platforms, and deepwater mobile offshore drilling units (MODU) including semi-submersibles or drillships. These are capable of operating in water depths up to 3,000 metres (9,800ft). In shallower waters the mobile units are anchored to the seabed, however in water deeper than 1,500 metres (4,900ft) the semi-submersibles and drillships are maintained at the required drilling location using dynamic positioning.

Around 1891, the first submerged oil wells were drilled from platforms built on piles in the fresh waters of the Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio. The wells were developed by small local companies such as Bryson, Riley Oil, German-American and Banker's Oil.[2]

Around 1896, the first submerged oil wells in salt water were drilled in the portion of the Summerland field extending under the Santa Barbara Channel in California. The wells were drilled from piers extending from land out into the channel.[3][4]

Other notable early submerged drilling activities occurred on the Canadian side of Lake Erie in the 1900s and Caddo Lake in Louisiana in the 1910s. Shortly thereafter wells were drilled in tidal zones along the Texas and Louisiana gulf coast. The Goose Creek Oil Field near Baytown, Texas is one such example. In the 1920s drilling activities occurred from concrete platforms in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo.[5]

One of the oldest subsea wells is the Bibi Eibat well, which came on stream in 1923 in Azerbaijan.[6][dubious discuss] The well was located on an artificial island in a shallow portion of the Caspian Sea. In the early 1930s, the Texas Company developed the first mobile steel barges for drilling in the brackish coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1937, Pure Oil and its partner Superior Oil used a fixed platform to develop a field 1 mile (1.6km) offshore of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana in 14 feet (4.3m) of water.

In 1938, Humble Oil built a mile-long wooden trestle with railway tracks into the sea at McFadden Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, placing a derrick at its end - this was later destroyed by a hurricane.[7]

In 1945, concern for American control of its offshore oil reserves caused President Harry Truman to issue an Executive Order unilaterally extending American territory to the edge of its continental shelf, an act that effectively ended the 3-mile limit "freedom of the seas" regime.[8]

In 1946, Magnolia drilled at a site 18 miles (29km) off the coast, erecting a platform in 18 feet (5.5m) of water off St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.[9]

In early 1947, Superior Oil erected a drilling and production platform in 20 feet (6.1m) of water some 18 miles (29km) off Vermilion Parish, La. But it was Kerr-Magee, as operator for partners Phillips Petroleum and Stanolind Oil & Gas that completed its historic Ship Shoal Block 32 well in October 1947, months before Superior actually drilled a discovery from their Vermilion platform farther offshore. In any case, that made Kerr-McGee's well the first oil discovery drilled out of sight of land.[10]

When offshore drilling moved into deeper waters of up to 30 metres (98ft), fixed platform rigs were built, until demands for drilling equipment was needed in the 100 feet (30m) to 120 metres (390ft) depth of the Gulf of Mexico, the first jack-up rigs began appearing from specialized offshore drilling contractors.[11]

The first semi-submersible resulted from an unexpected observation in 1961.[12] Blue Water Drilling Company owned and operated the four-column submersible Blue Water Rig No.1 in the Gulf of Mexico for Shell Oil Company. As the pontoons were not sufficiently buoyant to support the weight of the rig and its consumables, it was towed between locations at a draught midway between the top of the pontoons and the underside of the deck. It was noticed that the motions at this draught were very small, and Blue Water Drilling and Shell jointly decided to try operating the rig in the floating mode. The concept of an anchored, stable floating deep-sea platform had been designed and tested back in the 1920s by Edward Robert Armstrong for the purpose of operating aircraft with an invention known as the 'seadrome'. The first purpose-built drilling semi-submersible Ocean Driller was launched in 1963 by ODECO.. Since then, many semi-submersibles have been purpose-designed for the drilling industry mobile offshore fleet.

The first offshore drillship was the CUSS 1 developed for the Mohole project to drill into the Earth's crust.[13]

As of June 2010, there were over 620 mobile offshore drilling rigs (jackups, semisubs, drillships, barges, etc.) available for service in the worldwide offshore rig fleet.[14]

One of the world's deepest hubs is currently the Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico, floating in 2,438 meters (7,999ft) of water. It is operated by Royal Dutch Shell and was built at a cost of $3 billion.[15] The deepest operational platform is the Petrobras America Cascade FPSO in the Walker Ridge 249 field in 2,600 meters (8,500ft) of water.[16]

Notable offshore fields include:

Offshore oil and gas production is more challenging than land-based installations due to the remote and harsher environment. Much of the innovation in the offshore petroleum sector concerns overcoming these challenges, including the need to provide very large production facilities. Production and drilling facilities may be very large and a large investment, such as the Troll A platform standing on a depth of 300 meters (980ft).[20]

Another type of offshore platform may float with a mooring system to maintain it on location. While a floating system may be lower cost in deeper waters than a fixed platform, the dynamic nature of the platforms introduces many challenges for the drilling and production facilities.

The ocean can add several thousand meters or more to the fluid column. The addition increases the equivalent circulating density and downhole pressures in drilling wells, as well as the energy needed to lift produced fluids for separation on the platform.

The trend today is to conduct more of the production operations subsea, by separating water from oil and re-injecting it rather than pumping it up to a platform, or by flowing to onshore, with no installations visible above the sea. Subsea installations help to exploit resources at progressively deeper waterslocations which had been inaccessibleand overcome challenges posed by sea ice such as in the Barents Sea. One such challenge in shallower environments is seabed gouging by drifting ice features (means of protecting offshore installations against ice action includes burial in the seabed).

Offshore manned facilities also present logistics and human resources challenges. An offshore oil platform is a small community in itself with cafeteria, sleeping quarters, management and other support functions. In the North Sea, staff members are transported by helicopter for a two-week shift. They usually receive higher salary than onshore workers do. Supplies and waste are transported by ship, and the supply deliveries need to be carefully planned because storage space on the platform is limited. Today, much effort goes into relocating as many of the personnel as possible onshore, where management and technical experts are in touch with the platform by video conferencing. An onshore job is also more attractive for the aging workforce in the petroleum industry, at least in the western world. These efforts among others are contained in the established term integrated operations. The increased use of subsea facilities helps achieve the objective of keeping more workers onshore. Subsea facilities are also easier to expand, with new separators or different modules for different oil types, and are not limited by the fixed floor space of an above-water installation.

Offshore oil production involves environmental risks, most notably oil spills from oil tankers or pipelines transporting oil from the platform to onshore facilities, and from leaks and accidents on the platform (e.g. Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Ixtoc I oil spill).[21] Produced water is also generated, which is water brought to the surface along with the oil and gas; it is usually highly saline and may include dissolved or unseparated hydrocarbons.

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Offshore drilling - Wikipedia

W&T OFFSHORE INC : Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial…

W&T OFFSHORE INC : Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant, Regulation FD Disclosure (f  Marketscreener.com

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W&T OFFSHORE INC : Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial...

Governor McKee Announces 30-day Public Comment Period for Offshore Wind RFP | Governor’s Office, State of Rhode Island – Rhode Island Governor’s…

Published on Wednesday, September 07, 2022

PROVIDENCE, R.I. Governor Dan McKee today announced that a 30-day public comment period for a drafted offshore wind procurement request for proposals is now open through October 7. The States primary utility company, Rhode Island Energy, is administering the RFP and will issue the procurement to the market no later than Oct. 15, 2022.

In July, Governor McKee signed into law historic clean energy legislation that seeks to expand Rhode Islands offshore wind energy resources. The new law requires a market-competitive procurement for between 600 and 1,000 megawatts of newly developed offshore wind capacity.

Rhode Island is home to the nations first offshore wind farm making us a leader in the blue economy, said Governor Dan McKee. Offshore wind is a clean and reliable source of energy that will be essential for meeting our new 100 percent renewable energy by 2033 goal and our Act on Climate emissions reductions target. This public comment period gives stakeholders an opportunity to make their voices heard during the RFP process. This is an important step toward developing an RFP that will effectively help to reach our climate, economic and environmental goals.

Offshore wind is an incredible opportunity for our state, and were dedicated to making sure that every Rhode Islander has the chance to participate in its economic and environmental benefits, said Lt. Governor Sabina Matos. This massive addition to our offshore capacity will set our pace in pursuit the most ambitious path to 100 percent renewable electricity in the nation. We are looking forward to hearing from constituents about how we can expand in a way that feels equitable and accessible to all Rhode Islanders.

The RFP calls for an additional 600 to 1,000 MW of offshore wind, which has the potential to meet at least 30 percent of Rhode Islands estimated 2030 electricity demand. This electricity from the project has the potential to power about 340,000 homes each year. When added to the 30 MW Block Island Wind farm and the planned 400 MW Revolution Wind project, about half of the states project energy needs will be powered by offshore wind.

Offshore wind is an important clean energy resource to have in our portfolio because it offers a number of unique advantages, said Interim State Energy Commissioner Chris Kearns. As a steady resource, offshore wind can assist our state to meet high energy demands, particularly in the winter months. The public comment period will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to express their thoughts on the drafted RFP.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) will be collecting public comments on the drafted RFP through October 7, 2022, and will conduct a public hearing on September 21, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Rhode Island Energy will review and consider the comments prior to issuing the final RFP to the offshore wind market for competitive proposals in mid-October. The draft RFP may be viewed at the following URL, along with instructions for how to submit a public comment and attend the hearing: https://ripuc.ri.gov/Docket-22-22-EL [r20.rs6.net].

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TotalEnergies and partners to build offshore projects in South Korea – Power Technology

Energy companies TotalEnergies and Corio Generation have partnered with South Korean engineering firm SK ecoplant to develop the BadaEnergy offshore wind portfolio in South Korea.

Located offshore from Ulsan and South Jeolla province, the BadaEnergy portfolio features floating and fixed-bottom offshore wind farms with more than 2GW of combined capacity.

It includes Gray Whale, a 1.5GW floating offshore wind farm that is expected to become one of the worlds largest floating offshore facilities once completed.

Corio Generation Korea representative director Woojin Choi said: SK ecoplants broad experience and excellent capabilities in offshore development will serve as a great driving force for constructing offshore wind in South Korea, including one of the worlds largest floating offshore wind developments.

In order to support the countrys ambition to lead the way in offshore wind, we will have a dedicated focus on the localisation of capital, finance, and technology.

Using its offshore engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) knowledge, SK ecoplant will help its partners develop the projects through the planning, licensing, construction and operation phases.

In addition, the company will acquire a stake in the BadaEnergy portfolio subject to government approval.

To date, four of the portfolios five wind farm projects have secured electric business licenses (EBLs) from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energys Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Most of the projects have secured exclusive development rights and the partners have set the first commercial operation date for 2027.

SK ecoplant CEO Kyung-il Park said: By jointly developing the offshore wind business with global energy companies, we have laid the foundation to become a major player in the market.

We have completed the overall value chain of the energy business by achieving rapid growth through intensive investments in the renewable energy sector such as offshore wind, solar, and fuel cells.

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TotalEnergies and partners to build offshore projects in South Korea - Power Technology

Final turbine installed on Frances first offshore wind farm, with Macron pushing hard on renewables – Electrek

Installation of all 80 offshore wind turbines off the west coast of France has been completed, with Frances first offshore wind farm scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year. The Saint Nazaire site will produce enough power to cover 20% of total electricity consumption of the Loire-Atlantic, or around 700,000 people.

In a bid to promote renewable energy, French president Emmanuel Macron was set to visit the site this Monday, but it has been pushed back due to driving rain and rough seas this week. Back in February, Macron announced the governments plan to have around 40 GW of offshore wind capacity up and running by 2050, or about 50 offshore wind farms off the countrys coasts. And now he is working to urgently push a new bill that will increase the amount of land where wind turbines can be constructed as well as provide some compensation for residents living near wind farm sites.

France heavily relies on nuclear energy, which accounts for around 75% of total production, while renewable and fossil fuels make up around 18%, and the bulk of renewable energy comes from hydroelectricity. While France has been slow to adopt offshore wind power, the country is making a strong push from its reliance on fossil fuels, and by 2030 wind is expected to outpace hydropower in the country. In addition, Russias war with Ukraine has put further tensions on the situation with steep price hikes on electricity and potential cutoffs from gas supplies, should Russia decide to do so.

However, offshore wind turbines are hotly debated in France, with pushback from environmental groups and fishing industries, who make solid claims on the high stakes of the game, and of course the residents and tourism industries, who want a nice view. This project, which was originally approved by the government back in 2012, has been beset with local opposition and governmental delays, and like all renewable infrastructure of this scale, fraught with competing interests.

Back in April, the projects first wind turbine was set in place, and is now ahead of schedule and set to be fully operational by the end of this year. Developed by the renewables arm of Frances EDF and Enbridge, the wind farm will have a capacity of 480 MW and uses Haliade 150-6 MW turbines. With nearby Nantes Saint-Nazaire as the projects hub, Jan De Nuls jack-up vesselVole au ventinstalled the turbines in sets of four, where the 1,500-tonne main crane of the vessel mounted them on top of monopile foundations, which were placed anywhere from 12 km to 20 km off the coast. Installing one turbine took about 24 hours, with each installation trip taking around five days.

This summer, the French government also solidified two zones for offshore wind farms off the coast of the South Atlantic following a massive public debate involving 15,000 participants, with environmental protection being the top concern on the table, particularly the risk to migrating birds in the region, some of them already endangered. The first wind farm is targeted off the island of Olron, more than 35 km off the coast of La Rochelle, with a capacity of around 1,000 MW. The second wind farm will likely be located farther out at sea, and be either floating or a fixed-bottom foundation, depending on the results of ongoing ecological studies on both locations. The two wind farms would together produce the equivalent to the electricity consumption of 1.6 million people.

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Final turbine installed on Frances first offshore wind farm, with Macron pushing hard on renewables - Electrek

2022 High Net Worth (HNW) Offshore Investment Report: Key Challenges Facing the Industry – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Business Wire

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "High Net Worth (HNW) Offshore Investment - Drivers and Motivations 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report draws on the publisher's Global Wealth Managers Survey and Financial Services Consumer Survey to analyze the drivers behind offshore investments across the wealth pyramid. It examines and contrasts offshore investment preferences across multiple jurisdictions and wealth tiers, providing readers with an in-depth understanding of what is motivating investors to look to offshore booking centers. The report outlines key challenges facing the wealth management industry in 2022, taking into account the impact of inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and what this means for the offshore sector.

The offshore wealth management market has surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounding sharply after the volatility of Q1 2020. New investors have been drawn to the formerly niche market, while the traditional core of the market - HNW investors - have upped their allocations. The pandemic has truly reshaped the offshore investor profile and their behaviors, with the role of Asia Pacific growing as a destination for non-resident investors mainly based in North America and Europe.

Scope

Reasons to Buy

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. HNW Offshore Investors

2.1 The core HNW offshore segment is growing in most markets

2.2 Portfolio preferences of HNW offshore investors

3. Retail Offshore Investors

3.1 Retail offshore investors are mainly draw from developing market millennials

3.2 While many individuals have offshore accounts, few outside of the HNW client base are worth pursuing

4. Motivations and Drivers

4.1 COVID-19 encouraged more investors to offshore wealth to combat negative portfolio impacts onshore

4.2 HNW investors' business interests drive them to offshore

4.3 Retail investors are keen to offshore for better returns

5. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1g9yco

Source: GlobalData

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2022 High Net Worth (HNW) Offshore Investment Report: Key Challenges Facing the Industry - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

Norwegian Companies Looking to Pair Ammonia Production Vessels with Offshore Wind Farms – Offshore WIND

Norways H2Carrier and Statkraft have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding a study for the possible use of H2Carriers green ammonia floating production vessel, the P2XFloater, on certain offshore wind locations.

The P2XFloater will utilize renewable power to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia which in turn can be shipped to the international markets, the companies said.

H2Carrier recently received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for the use of the P2XFloater for near-shore production.

The purpose of this new study is to evaluate the use of the P2XFloater in a true offshore environment.

The P2XFloater is expected to contribute to improving the power flexibility of an offshore wind installation and make an offshore wind farm less dependent on grid and export cable facilities.

The study will assess the challenges of operating electrolyzers and an ammonia production process offshore with variable load handling.

Market demand for green ammonia is rapidly increasing due to the decarbonisation of the industrial and maritime sectors. The P2XFloater concept provide a low-cost, fast-track and flexible solution to produce green ammonia on an industrial scale and at a competitive price, said Mrten Lunde, CEO of H2Carrier AS.

H2Carrier will conduct the study together with the Norwegian engineering company KANFA who, together with its parent company, Technip Energies, has experience in the offshore production and installation industry.

We are very pleased to cooperate with Statkraft and KANFA to assess the impact of operating our P2XFloater in a true offshore environment. While we so far have focused on near shore operations, we are convinced that the P2XFloater will play an important role in the commercialisation of offshore wind resources, Lunde said.

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Norwegian Companies Looking to Pair Ammonia Production Vessels with Offshore Wind Farms - Offshore WIND

Water injection pumps to help increase oil recovery offshore Guyana – WorldOil

Guyana has some of the world's biggest offshore discoveries made in years, with 10 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas starting to come online since 2019. These offshore reserves are being extracted using floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, which are connected to well-heads on the seabed. Sulzer has delivered 11 high pressure water injection pumps, and the latest order for five more HPcp pumps will support the largest FPSO in the Stabroek block.

Sulzers expert support for the FPSO arena is based on both innovative pump design and the flexibility to meet the customers requirements.

Sulzers expert support for the FPSO arena is based on both innovative pump design and the flexibility to meet the customers requirements. These are essential to cope with the often-extreme conditions of the oceans and the specifics of the operators production methodology and philosophy. Water injection as a method of increased oil recovery (IOR) is well known and time-proven in the upstream Oil & Gas market. Typically, high-pressure pumps are used to inject treated seawater or produced water into the aquifer formation to stimulate and drive oil to the production riser.

In this project, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company will also lease and operate the FPSO for two years. Consequently, the efficiency and reliability of the major pumping equipment are very important. Sulzer has a long-standing partnership with the EPC, which appreciates the high-quality products that have been delivered for similar projects.

Steve Jackson - Head of Global FPSO Market for Sulzer, comments: Our expertise is widely recognized by this market where our pumps are renowned for delivering high-quality, robust products. The latest FPSO is designed to produce 250000 barrels of oil per day, with an associated gas treatment capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day and a water injection capacity of 300000 barrels per day. Operating in water around 1800 meters deep, the new vessel will have a storage capacity of around 2 million barrels of crude oil.

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Water injection pumps to help increase oil recovery offshore Guyana - WorldOil

Can the controllers of crypto exchanges in offshore jurisdictions be held liable for the funds stolen by crypto fraudsters through those exchanges? -…

Courts in offshore jurisdictions have started to adopt the decisions of the English Courts when granting relief with respect to the dissipation and recovery of crypto-assets. One example is the recent decision in ChainSwap v Persons Unknown where the BVI court granted a freezing order over assets held by persons unknown in relation to a crypto fraud and follows similar decisions in the UK and other commonwealth countries where such relief is now commonly granted. Therefore, we consider the recent English decision in D'Aloia v Persons Unknown and Others [2022] EWHC 1723 (Ch) which highlights the possibility that the controllers and operators of a crypto exchange may be considered a trustee of misappropriated assets flowing through any crypto wallet that it maintains and that it would therefore have a duty to account to victims of the misappropriation for any unauthorized profits or gain made as trustee.

Background

The case concerns an application by Mr Fabrizio D'Aloia for interim injunctive relief and disclosure against a number of defendants, arising out of what he alleged to be the fraudulent misappropriation of cryptocurrency in the form of approximately 2.1 million USDT, and 230,000 USDC by persons unknown. Mr D'Aloia alleged he was induced, by way of fraudulent misrepresentation, to transfer USDT and USDC from his Coinbase and Crypto.com wallets to the operators of the "tda-finan" website, who were persons unknown. By using crypto investigation specialists, Mr D'Aloia confirmed that some 2.175 million of USDT and USDC was transferred to a number of private addresses and wallets operated by, or under the control of, various cryptocurrency exchanges. The decision importantly considers the satisfaction of the test for injunctive relief as it relates to crypto assets, including whether the English courts are the most appropriate forum for such an application with reference to the lex situs of the crypto assets in question and where the damage occurred.

Can an exchange can be responsible for the proceeds lost?

One of the most significant developments from the decision stems from the Court's ruling that there was a good arguable case that Mr D'Aloia has a claim not only against the fraudsters who stole his cryptocurrency, but also against the controller and operator of one of the exchanges which controlled the wallets through which it was possible to trace the crypto assets stolen from Mr D'Aloia. In doing so, it highlighted the possibility that an exchange with sufficient control over wallets that it maintains will be considered a trustee of misappropriated assets flowing through those wallets and in turn have a duty to account to victims of the misappropriation for any unauthorized profits or gain made as a result of its role as trustee. It remains to be seen whether Mr D'Aloia's claim in this regard will be successful at trial. Nonetheless, the fact that such a claim has been allowed to proceed is a significant decision not only in the England and Wales, but also offshore and specifically in the Cayman Islands and the BVI where such decisions are highly persuasive and likely to be followed.

Practical consequences

The decision in D'Aloia v Persons Unknown is significant as it demonstrates the possibility for victims of crypto fraud to have direct claims against the controllers and operators of crypto exchanges for equitable compensation where a constructive trust claim is made out. In circumstances where taking action against the fraudsters is ordinarily very difficult given the pseudonymous nature of crypto assets and the associated difficulty of identifying the fraudsters, victims of crypto-related fraud will now consider the availability of direct claims against crypto exchanges, as the known parties, where those exchanges have been notified that they are in possession of fraudulently misappropriated crypto-assets. Where crypto-assets are the subject of a potential dispute, a Court may make an order requiring that such assets be properly ring-fenced and not withdrawn. Crypto exchanges in the Cayman Islands and the BVI will need to consider best practice, including the level of control they exercise over wallets, and the procedures needed to mitigate against the risk of misappropriated funds being held in wallets maintained by the exchange.

For more information on this issue, or if you require advice such matters or any other Cayman Islands or BVI legal issues, please contact any of the primary contacts from the Dubai Insolvency and Dispute Resolution team listed below.

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Can the controllers of crypto exchanges in offshore jurisdictions be held liable for the funds stolen by crypto fraudsters through those exchanges? -...

Dutch Coast Guard Responds to Product Tanker Fire Offshore – The Maritime Executive

Hafnia Tanzanite was disabled by an engine room fire off the coast of the Netherlands (Kustwacht Nederland photos)

PublishedSep 6, 2022 2:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Dutch Coast Guard responded to an engine room fire on a tanker offshore near Amsterdam on Monday morning. They are reporting that the fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished avoiding a serious incident and no individuals were harmed. There was no pollution but the vessel is disabled.

The 49,478 dwt product tanker Hafnia Tanzanite, registered in the Marshall Islands, was inbound from Malaysia with a cargo of bio-diesel fuel. The report of a fire aboard the tanker came to the Coast Guard command at 6:00 a.m. The vessel was approximately 40 nautical miles west of Scheveningen, with a major anchorage off the coast of the Netherlands, and has a crew of 20 aboard.

The Coast Guard alerted multiple units sending an aircraft to investigate along with a SAR helicopter and three lifeboats. They were preparing for the evacuation of the crew. In addition, they directed another rescue boat operating in the area to the tanker.

A specially trained fire crew with the Maritime Incident Group was airlifted to the vessel to assist with the firefight. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., they reported that they believed the fire had been extinguished through the use of the ships Halon system.

The MIG team later entered the engine room to confirm that the fire had been extinguished and to determine the extent of the damage. They reported that the fire began in the middle auxiliary engine of the six-year-old tanker.

So much damage has been caused to the engine room that the ship can no longer sail under its own power, the Coast Guard said in its follow-up statement to the incident. Two additional tugs were sent to the scene and the 600-foot tanker was taken to the anchorage, where it remains.

The Coast Guard is reporting that the vessel is disabled due to the extent of the damage. They are expecting that the ship will be towed to port by the owners for an additional survey and repairs.

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Dutch Coast Guard Responds to Product Tanker Fire Offshore - The Maritime Executive

UMaine to host international offshore wind conference Sept. 1213 in Portland and virtually – UMaine News – University of Maine – University of Maine

The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) will welcome industry leaders from around the world for the American Floating Offshore Wind Technical Summit (AFloat) in the wake of President Joe Bidens attention on floating wind in the Gulf of Maine. The ASCC will host the 2022 AFloat Conference from Sept. 1213 at the Westin Harborview in Portland, Maine, with a virtual option for remote attendees.

AFloat will bring together developers, policymakers, financiers, academics and other stakeholders to discuss the future of floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine and globally.

The conference will address the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements (BOEM) Request for Interest and a Request for Competitive Interest for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, which were published Aug. 18, 2022.

U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that the announcement represents one of the many milestones that this Administration has achieved to advance offshore wind development, create good-paying jobs and lower consumer energy costs while collaborating with our government partners.

The conference will feature presentations from University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy; Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King; and Gov. Janet Mills.

Other speakers and sessions at the conference include:

For information and to register, visit the AFloat 2022 conference website. Discounted rates are available for University of Maine students, researchers and employees looking to attend in person.

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UMaine to host international offshore wind conference Sept. 1213 in Portland and virtually - UMaine News - University of Maine - University of Maine

A map of Newfoundland and Labrador’s tsunami of offshore oil plans – Canada’s National Observer

Deep under the choppy waters off Newfoundland and Labradors coast lies the key to the province's financial future: billions of barrels of oil it hopes will be extracted over the coming years.

That's how Newfoundland and Labrador is framing its latest push into offshore drilling, anchored by the recent federal approval of Bay du Nord. That project, if built, will become Canadas first deepwater oil site, emitting 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution annually. Now, Newfoundland and Labrador hopes to attract more projects like it, inviting the worlds oil majors to further explore the area off its coast and add more oil production to the economically struggling provinces balance sheet all part of a plan to double offshore oil production by the end of the decade.

From the perspective of the provincial government, Bay du Nord is the next step in what's going to be an even wider opening up of the offshore, said Angela Carter, a University of Waterloo politics professor based in Newfoundland and author of Fossilized: Environmental Policy in Canada's Petro-Provinces. This is about a commitment to expand the offshore to an unprecedented level.

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To understand the scope of this expansion, Canadas National Observer has mapped all oil exploration, production and significant discovery licences as well as areas where companies have been invited to bid on projects this year. It also shows where exploration wells have been drilled in the past.

View the full-screen version of this interactive map by Esri Canada

The map is interactive, so you can click on an area to find information about who owns each licence, financial information, and more. Using the legend, you can click on the layers, toggling them on or off to help navigate the map. Active oil production and significant discoveries are labelled. All information included on the map was provided by the Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB), a joint provincial-federal regulator that oversees the provinces offshore oil and gas industry.

Active production licences (in red) show sites that are currently extracting oil. In yellow are whats called significant discovery licences: parcels where companies have found notable oil reserves but aren't extracting, at least yet. Exploration licences (in blue) are parcels companies have been awarded the right to explore and come with commitments to spend a certain amount by a certain date. The black dots show where wells have been drilled to look for oil. In purple are the parcels the regulator has open for bidding but that are not yet owned by any company. The red star shows where Bay du Nord is located (although it's worth mentioning, its owner, Equinor, owns several nearby parcels it collectively refers to as the Bay du Nord project).

The map reveals clusters of investment activity. Around producing oilfields like Hibernia and Hebron (shown in red on the map) are other significant discoveries in a region called the Jeanne dArc Basin on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland an area historically important to the provinces fishing industry.

Bay du Nord (where the red star is) is farther to the northeast and represents a new play for oil in an area called the Flemish Pass. The map shows other significant discoveries in the Flemish Pass, called Mizzen, Harpoon and Baccalieu all majority-owned by Equinor. Those other discoveries helped Equinor decide to proceed with the Bay du Nord project because the company can redesign its plans to tap those other wells, adding hundreds of millions of barrels to the projects business case.

The regulators call for bids also shows plans to expand further into the Flemish Pass, as well as a whole new region to the islands southeast. The province says its oil and gas reserves span an area larger than the Gulf of Mexico.

Andrew Parsons, the province's minister of industry, energy and technology, was not made available for an interview before publication, but in 2020, he said the plan to boost production was supported by the fact the offshore is rich with oil reserves. Existing oilfields have about two billion barrels of oil left, but its estimated billions more exist.

The first step for Newfoundland and Labrador is to increase exploration because without more sites to drill, more oil cant be extracted. Exploration drilling is of highest importance to unlocking hydrocarbon potential, according to the province.

To do that, Newfoundland and Labrador launched its Offshore Exploration Initiative in 2020, a reimbursement program aimed at increasing the number of exploration wells drilled off the coast between 2021 and 2024. At the time, Parsons said it was important to incentivize near-term drilling or else the provinces competitiveness in the global market would be hit.

If Newfoundland and Labrador continues to develop its offshore oil industry, it will be significantly more challenging for Canada to reach its emission reduction targets, and further development will impose devastating consequences for marine ecosystems.

Newfoundland and Labrador has three organizations working to attract investment in its oil industry. They are the provinces Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, a Crown corporation called the Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the provincial-federal regulator, the CNLOPB.

Together, these organizations study the offshore to find oil deposits and provide data to fossil fuel companies to attract exploration investment. Each year, the regulator opens up an area for investment and invites companies to bid on parcels ripe for exploration. It announced in May that 28 parcels spanning more than seven million hectares are up for grabs in the eastern region of Newfoundland, while 10 parcels covering 2.6 million hectares are available in the southeast area off the provinces coast. Together, thats an area nearly the size of New Brunswick. Bids are open until November and will be granted in early 2023, according to a press release from the board.

When the pandemic hit, major investments in offshore oil development were put on the backburner. Data shows that in 2019, three exploration licences were issued, compared to only one in 2020 and zero in 2021.

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A map of Newfoundland and Labrador's tsunami of offshore oil plans - Canada's National Observer

Offshore Dedicated Development Team: Everything You Need to Know – London Post

With the software development industry continuing to grow, moving your development team offshore makes good business sense for many reasons. An offshore dedicated development team ensures that companies can deliver the highest quality software in the shortest time by reducing the burden of hiring and empowering skilled resources. With such a team, an organisation can simplify hiring, empower qualified staff, minimise development time, and improve time-to-market.

Unfortunately, According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, out of the 7.8 billion people on the planet, only 27 million are software developers. That means there is one software developer for every 2,900 people worldwide. These numbers are alarming, given how much technology we depend on daily.

According to a report by the World Economic Forum on software developer shortages, we will need at least 18 million IT workers over the next decade. A global lack of software developers and tech talent isnt likely to subside anytime soon, causing damage to the tech industry and all sectors of the economy.

One reason the West cant find qualified candidates is that software development jobs are not particularly appealing to younger people in developed countries. It is no surprise that over half of the worlds software developers come from developing nations.

Consequently, companies are looking outside their local regions for talent. This necessity has contributed to the increase in offshoring.

You can build an offshore team alone but it is complicated as you have to deal with local legalities and navigate taxes etc., on your own. By teaming up with a partner on the ground, you benefit from dedicated, integrated developers without this extra hassle.

The right offshore partner can offer a great alternative to traditional outsourcing. They can solve your local skills shortage by building you a world-class, offshore dedicated development team, in a tech city like Bangalore or by setting up a remote team across India. Outsourcing involves working with people who divide their time between you and multiple clients, while offshoring delivers developers to work solely for you.

An offshore partner can handpick the best talent from the top 1% of engineers to build your team and help you access skills you couldnt find locally. They can build your team, set up operations on the ground, and support your operations, freeing you to focus on development and delivery. Say goodbye to lengthy and disruptive recruitment drives. With dedicated developers, creating a software development team has never been easier.

Offshoring provides simple scaling solutions, improves employee engagement, managed operations, and improves communication because it ensures that your developers are an integral part of your team. Offshore partners set you up with a dedicated team, and the partner handles all the heavy lifting. Also, Indias development industry speaks English, making communication more straightforward.

You can scale your development capacity without spending excessive time on hiring as the sourcing and initial testing phases are taken care of. In contrast to outsourcing, where engineers juggle multiple clients and projects, your teams developers are your companys full-time employees. Offshoring focuses on achieving long-term goals and aligning developers with your companys mission.

Traditionally, outsourcing was just about finding unattainable prices at home. The benefits of offshoring are also associated with lower costs, but it is more about finding the right talent to meet your business needs. You can grow with a dedicated team of highly talented developers from tech hubs like Bangalore. It does not mean, however, that outsourcing is not a suitable option. Its okay if youre looking to build an app that requires minimal maintenance. But, if the application is the core of your customer offering, a dedicated team would be a much better idea.

Offshoring your software development means you wont have to invest in additional IT infrastructure or devote more time than necessary to recruitment and hiring locally.

You can also access knowledgeable software engineers with extensive experience developing software applications of international standards and quality. If you have a dedicated team thats fully aligned with your vision and mission, you can rest assured that they can work around the clock to ensure a quality product. As a result, you can ensure your product reaches the market sooner.

You can focus on your core business strategy with offshore software development instead of managing complex and time-consuming software development processes. Your company can concentrate on core practices. Using this approach, companies of all sizes can access the same skilled labour force, reducing costs and time spent on software development.

When hiring an offshore dedicated development team builder, it is vital to consider three actionable strategies:

A companys case studies are an excellent indicator of their work, success, and the type of clients they deal with regularly.

Speak with the businesss senior management about its ethos, temperament, and attitude. Learn if your partner has a recruitment process based on their requirements to help procure the right skills and cultural fit. Find out how this partnership will benefit your existing company. Theyll be able to provide answers if theyre real.

Communicating effectively with a partner located a long distance away is essential. Have you experienced fast and polite responses to your emails and calls during early conversations? Are you confident in the companys ability to meet your requirements? Is the company asking the right questions? If there is not much to evaluate at the beginning of your cooperation, you should still look for anything that raises red flags.

Software development offshore makes good financial and business sense. When you plan correctly and understand the risks involved, you can carefully define your project, select the best offshore development partner, and use best practices to keep work transparent, communication easy, and project coordination seamless.

The process of hiring skilled developers in-house is a time-consuming one that is expensive in terms of time, effort, and overhead. You should build an offshore dedicated development team, with a partner on the ground, when you need to fill talent gaps in your team or if your in-house development team lacks skills and experience required by the business. The right developers can help organisations take advantage of the latest technologies and help you innovate and excel.

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Offshore Dedicated Development Team: Everything You Need to Know - London Post

Glendronach gas tie-in west of Shetland close to sanction – Offshore magazine

Offshore staff

LONDON TotalEnergies E&P UK and its partners should sanction the Glendronach gas development west of Shetland by year-end 2022.

According to Kistos, which farmed into the surrounding Greater Laggan Area (GLA) earlier this year, Glendronach should be onstream and producing through the GLA offshore pipeline system before the end of 2024.

The partners also plan an exploration well on the 638-cf Benriach prospect, which is close to the producing infrastructure.

As for Kistos E&P operations in the Dutch North Sea, the company has decided to continue exporting gas from Q10-A (Kistos 60%) via the P15-D platform, after considering various rerouting options. This should limit the future capex and the associated risk of interruptions to production that would have arisen.

Preparations are underway for a new work program to slow Q10-As production decline, with negotiations progressing for a rig to start work in first-quarter 2023. The schedule will include installation of velocity strings in the A-06 and A-05 wells, a sidetrack of the A-01 well into the Slochteren Formation and simulation of the Zechstein clastic formation in the A-04 well.

Estimated gross cost is about 30 million (US$29.7 million).

The Concept Assess phase has concluded for the Orion oil development, with three options under review. Two of these would make use of the Q10-A platform, while the third would involve installation of a new, minimal facilities Bridge Linked Platform alongside.

Orions oil is located directly above the Q10-A gas field in the Vlieland sandstone formation, a proven play in the area, although this reservoir has low porosity and permeability. However, it also contains natural fractures that could enhance productivity, as demonstrated by an appraisal well last summer that flow tested 3,200 bbl/d from an 825-m horizontal section.

As for the Q11-B appraisal well, which was suspended in February, Kistos is considering development options, in light of current gas prices.

The Dutch authorities have rejected the companys application for an extension of its operated M10a and M11 licenses north of the Wadden Islands beyond June 30, 2022. Kistos has lodged an appeal and will submit the full details of its reasons for doing so by the deadline of Sept. 14, accompanied by a draft field development plan. It expects the appeal to be heard before the end of the year.

09.07.2022

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Glendronach gas tie-in west of Shetland close to sanction - Offshore magazine

Copenhagen Energy Submits Third 3 GW Offshore Wind Proposal in Australia – Offshore WIND

Danish renewable energy company Copenhagen Energy has submitted a third offshore wind project proposal in Australia to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for initial assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

After filing two proposals earlier this year for 3 GW offshore wind farms in Western Australia, one in the waters between Mandurah and Bunbury and one offshore Kalbarri, the company has now revealed details for a project of the same size planned for an area 10 to 44 kilometres offshore between Lancelin and Two Rocks Two Rocks.

The third project, called Samphire Offshore Wind Farm, will comprise up to 200 turbines and six substation platforms in Commonwealth waters delivering 3 GW of renewable electricity, enough to power three million homes and businesses, for up to 50 years, according to the developer.

Subsea export cables through State waters will connect the wind farm to a transfer station on land at a site between 60 to 120 kilometres north of Perth.

Same as with the two previously announced projects, Copenhagen Energy said its modelling indicated that for every 1 GW of power, the Samphire Offshore Wind Farm will create 14,500 direct and indirect jobs during construction, and 200 jobs during operation.

The project can power around 3 million homes with clean electricity and is expected to offset up to 6 million tonnes of CO2 a year.

Subject to approvals, the company aims to start construction of the Samphire offshore wind farm in 2029.

The release of our Samphire proposal is just the start of a long process that will involve comprehensive studies to understand the environmental, economic, and social impacts of our project, said Copenhagen Energy Chief Executive Officer Jasmin Bejdic.

As with our other projects, we are talking to a range of local, State and Federal government agencies and local community, tourism, and fishing groups about our project and how we can develop it successfully.

Last month, Copenhagen Energy released details of its Midwest Offshore Wind Farm, some five months after introducing its first project in Western Australia, LeeuwinOffshore Wind Farm.

The developer has one more project planned for the Australian State, Velella Offshore Wind Farm, for which it will also file a proposal to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The fourth project is also planned to have an installed capacity of 3 GW, bringing Copenhagen Energys development portfolio in Western Australia to a total of 12 GW.

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Copenhagen Energy Submits Third 3 GW Offshore Wind Proposal in Australia - Offshore WIND

The Philippines makes its first move towards offshore wind – Energy Monitor

The Philippines is exploring the feasibility of installing up to 3GW of offshore wind by 2040, announced Aboitiz Power Corporation, one of the countrys main power distributors, on 18 August 2022.

The study, which is funded by the US Trade and Development Agency, is expected to conclude by mid-2023, the company said. It will work on the project in partnership with Climate Capital Management and the think tank RMI.

Currently, the Philippines has no installed offshore wind capacity. The World Bank estimates there is more than 178GW of technical offshore wind potential in the country.

In April 2022, the Philippines Department of Energy and the World Bank launched the Philippines Offshore Wind Roadmap, which presents research-based targets for building a robust offshore wind presence for the nation.

The road map identifies 3GW of offshore wind potential by 2040, which is 3% of the countrys electricity supply. In a high-growth scenario, the authors estimate the potential for 21GW of offshore wind, or 21% of electricity supply.

With rising energy demand and renewable energy targets to meet, the feasibility study aims to supplement the governments low-carbon vision.

It is our goal to contribute to our countrys energy transition journey by exploring more zero-emissions indigenous energy sources, said Emmanuel V Rubio, president and CEO of Aboitiz Power, at the launch of the study. This offshore wind feasibility study is a step in the right direction as we further diversify our extensive renewable energy portfolio to achieve our goal.

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The Philippines makes its first move towards offshore wind - Energy Monitor

South African court bans offshore oil and gas exploration by Shell – The Guardian

A South African court has upheld a ban imposed on the energy giant Shell from using seismic waves to explore for oil and gas off the Indian Ocean coast.

The judgment delivered in Makhanda on Thursday marks a monumental victory for environmentalists concerned about the impact the exploration would have on whales and other marine life.

The 2014 decision granting the right for the exploration of oil and gas in the Transkei and Algoa exploration areas is reviewed and set aside, the high court ruled in the southern city.

Civil rights organisations and civilians celebrated outside the courthouse following the verdict, according to local media.

A Shell spokesperson said the company respect[s] the courts decision and would review the judgment to determine our next steps. Shell did not say if it would appeal against the judgment or not. We remain committed to South Africa and our role in the just energy transition, he said.

Last December the same court had issued an interim order prohibiting the firm from going ahead with its plans.

Green Connection, one of the environmental and human rights organisations that filed the case against Shell, said that civil society, traditional communities and small-scale [fishermen] have once again been vindicated by the courts.

The petroleum firm was set to collect 3D seismic data over more than 6,000 sq km (2,300 sq miles) of ocean off South Africas Wild Coast - a 300km (185-mile) stretch of rich waters housing exquisite marine life and natural reserves.

Campaigners argued the research would have sent extremely loud shock waves every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day for five months, potentially harming marine species and disrupting their routines.

South Africas energy ministry had backed the scheme, and criticised those who opposed it as thwarting investment in the countrys development.

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South African court bans offshore oil and gas exploration by Shell - The Guardian

Port of Tallinn and Sunly agreed on cooperation in offshore wind – Baltic Times

Port of Tallinn and Sunly have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the goal of realizing offshore wind energy in the Baltic States and creating maximum local knowledge and business opportunities during the development, installation as well as operation and maintenance of Sunlys offshore wind farms.

Sunly is developing offshore projects at West of Saaremaa and North of Hiiumaa island in Estonia and has ambition to develop offshore wind energy also in Latvia and Lithuania.

Port of Tallinn recently decided to invest up to EUR 53 million to build a new 310-meter quay with a 10-hectare area beyond the quay in Paldiski South Harbour.The quay and hinterland area will be completed in summer 2025.

Ports are playing an important role in the installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms. So, we are very happy to have opportunities to produce concrete gravity foundations for wind turbines in Paldiski and use the port for installation works, said Erkki Kallas, the Head of Development & Production and Member of Sunlys Management Board.

Kallas added that Sunly also considers Saaremaa Harbour as its maintenance base and vessel MPSV Botnica for its surveys - both belonging to the Port of Tallinn.

Valdo Kalm, the CEO of the Port of Tallinn has said previously that due to the favorable location of Paldiski South Harbour, the construction of the new quay will create preconditions for Port of Tallinn to become an important partner in the construction and subsequent maintenance of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea region. The new quay will ensure the capacity of the port to receive high-draft special-purpose vessels for the construction of offshore wind farms and the transport of wind turbine components. commented Kalm.

The large rear area beyond the new quay allows various preparations for the manufacture and storage of generators and wind turbine blades before being loaded on a ship. In addition, the new quay can be used to service ro-ro vessels if required.

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Port of Tallinn and Sunly agreed on cooperation in offshore wind - Baltic Times

SALTWATER: Good catches of gag grouper reported offshore and inshore – The Ledger

Michael Wilson| Correspondent

Gag Grouper: Good catches of gag grouper are being reported both offshore and inshore along the channel, on the bay reefs and around structure.

Strike Zone, 2, 4, 5, 7,

1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel have been caught nearly every day again this week. Regular anglers are still catching some tarpon. Mangrove snapper, speckled trout, sheepshead and whiting are also steady catches. A keeper size redfish was caught over the weekend, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: At Madeira Beach, nearshore theres plenty of mangrove and lane snapper and all the grunts and porgies you could want. Theres still some hog snapper around the 50 to 60-foot mark. Bigger mangrove snapper are biting a little deeper around 80 to 100 foot. Deeper offshore, big grouper including gags, reds and scamp are biting and the American red snapper bite is excellent. Some peanut mahi have also been caught, reports Andrew Schleissing at Gulf Coast Bait and Tackle (727-343-4181).

3: At John's Pass, mangrove snapper are biting good in the inlet, around the bridge, the jetties, and most structure. Good numbers of snook are in the pass. The bite is best in the morning and at night on free lined, live shrimp. Snook are also out on the beaches during the day along with some whiting. Spanish mackerel are biting early in the morning from the jetty. Decent numbers of redfish are biting in the back bays and around Veterans Park. The trout bite is good at night inside around the lights, reports Schleissing.

4: At Fort De Soto Park, a lot of snook, bigger mangrove snapper around 14 to 15 inches and sheepshead are biting around the bridge and marina. A few tarpon are still around, but not many. Theres still plenty of crabs though. Decent size trout, around 15-17 inches, are biting on the flats around Tarpon and Bird keys. The redfish bite is good around Jackass Key. A few keeper size mangrove snapper are biting around the boat ramp in the park. Anglers targeting grouper are catching gags along the channel from the Skyway to Egmont Key. The Gulf Pier is good for mackerel in the mornings. Snapper and sheepshead are biting on the pilings. Snook are biting around the rocks and along the beach on shrimp, pinfish and topwater bait imitations. A few tarpon are rolling along the beach. Bunces Pass is producing snook, whiting and some flounder, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, despite the high water temps, the gag grouper bite remains good inside the bay. Trolling is best early in the morning and live bait is producing on any tide throughout the day. Mangrove snapper are biting on just about any structure and the bridges. Some good size redfish are being caught on the high tides around the mangroves in both Terra Ceia and Miguel bays. Snook are all over the flats and feeding on the small hatch bait that can be found everywhere right now. Larger size scaled sardine bait is at both Skyway piers, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).

6: At Anna Maria, theres good numbers of snook around Bean Point and Longboat Pass. Theres also a few snook on the beach, especially around any of the passes. Redfish are biting around some of the docks inside the sound and up against the mangroves on the high tides. Some trout are biting inside the pass on the deeper grass flats and channel ledges. Mangrove snapper can be found on structure around the pass, some of the docks and the area bridges. Nearshore, mangrove snapper are biting on all the reefs and hard bottom, reports Crawford.

7: At St. Petersburg, the gag grouper and mangrove snapper bite remains good on the reefs, hard bottom, the edge of the channel and most structure. Theres still plenty of snook in the passes and on the beaches. A lot of good size trout have been caught on the grass flats and cut just north of Tarpon Key. Trout action is also good on the deeper grass flats off Pinellas Point. A few tarpon are still around the Skyway. The oyster bars from Pinellas Point to the Misner Bridge are still producing decent catches of redfish, reports Larry Mastry at Mastrys Tackle (727-896-8889).

8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, theres still tarpon around the bridge at night. The mangrove snapper bite is steady at the bridges and around most structure. A few pompano are also at the bridges. Mangrove shorelines from Weedon Island to Double Branch and Rocky Creek are good for redfish. Snook are biting around the bridge approaches and areas with sandy beach and grass. Snook are also biting at Weedon Island. Tripletail can be caught on the markers and buoys with shrimp, reports Gandy Bait.

At Homosassa, redfish are on the outside islands anywhere from Homosassa to Crystal River. Look for the mullet schools and youll find the redfish. Live shrimp or a mud minnow on a jig head have been the best baits. Some snook have been caught, but theyre not feeding aggressively because of the spawn. Scallop numbers are pretty good this year and theyre also shallow. Good numbers are being found in about 3 to 4 feet of water, reports Capt. Marrio Castello of Tall Tales Charters (352-454-7719).

At Fort Pierce, offshore theres still a decent sailfish bite to the south on the troll and with freelined live baits. The mahi bite is steady at the 80 to 100-foot mark. Most of the mahi are 8 to 12 pounds, but a 25 pounder was caught this week. The bottom bite is good for mangrove snapper at 80 foot. A few large muttons, some vermilions, triggerfish and the occasional cobia are also in the mix. At the inlet, some whiting are in the surf, but theres a lot of weeds. The jetty and inside the inlet is good for snook, mangrove snapper and sheepshead. The bridges and the Melody Lane Pier are producing mangrove snapper and sand perch, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

Compiled By Michael Wilson / Ledger Correspondent

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SALTWATER: Good catches of gag grouper reported offshore and inshore - The Ledger

Conversation About Offshore Wind Litigation Podcast – The National Law Review

On this episode of the Bracewell Environmental Law Monitor, hostDaniel Popetalks withTyler JohnsonandTaylor Stuartabout offshore wind litigation over the energy transition, and more specifically over litigation regarding some of the challenges to new projects in the offshore wind space which are under development off the East Coast.

Tyler is senior counsel in Bracewells Seattle office and has a broad background advising international energy clients across a wide array of regulatory issues. Taylor is an associate in the environment, lands and resources group in Washington, DC.

Can you give us a snapshot of what's going on today in the offshore wind industry?

A better way to phrase it is what is not going on in offshore wind because there's so much happening right now. Since Biden's inauguration, the federal government has been pushing hard to push offshore wind forward and make up for some lost time during the Trump administration. There's been a lot of leasing efforts on the part of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) which is the sub-agency within the Department of the Interior that's tasked with leasing parcels of the outer continental shelf to developers for both oil and gas and renewable energy development.

In the past two years, BOEM has really been pushing forward on its East Coast leasing. Right now there are 25 active leases off the East Coast, and this includes the most recent New York Bight leases and the Carolina Long Bay leases that were recently auctioned off. But BOEM is also pushing forward on other coasts as well. Theyre planning lease auctions offshore California, both in Northern and Central California, and that will likely happen later this year.

Can you give an overview on what the prices for these leases go for, or what's the trend line on these leases?

They have been ranging over the years. In the very early stages of offshore wind development, they were as low as $5 million in 2016. They popped up to around $40 million. They're really getting up there and people were really shocked at those numbers. Over time, they went up to $100 million or so off the coast of Massachusetts, and then in this most recent New York Bight auction, they jumped up as high as we've seen them before, anywhere from $200 million to the highest lease area went for $1.1 billion, and collectively that New York Bight lease auction garnered $4.37 billion that went to the Treasury. A huge amount of money that's going toward just these leases alone, and that's only the right to submit plans for the project development. That's not any right to actually develop the project or anything like that. It's just to submit plans to the federal government to eventually develop the project years later.

What precedent is out there for offshore wind?

One surrounds the ill-fated Cape Wind project, which was proposed off the coast of Cape Cod in the sound between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. This project garnered a lot of media attention and ultimately, of course, was never constructed. It was mired in litigation, various suits filed at the district court and ultimately the appeal to the DC circuit. The litigation involved a host of violations of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The ultimate outcome here was that the DC circuits ultimately criticized how BOEM complied with NEPA, basically deferring on geophysical and geotechnical surveys.

What can you tell us about the challenges that are pending in court today?

There are about half a dozen cases that are pending today, and most of them are from fishing industry, resident groups, environmental NGOs, or in one case, an onshore solar developer. That's a little bit of an outlier. But those are the typical groups that we've seen in the past and that we're seeing now, and we're seeing a few cases that are challenging the project at different stages. The Fisheries Survival Fund case in the DC circuit was challenging the lease issuance. But right now, we're seeing cases that are challenging the first COP approvals that we've seen from BOEM.

What are some of the significant challenges for the offshore wind industry itself? Is this garden variety administrative litigation, or is there something else going on that the industry is really going to have to grapple with?

Some of the litigation is focused on trying to invalidate BOEM's leasing process, and its stage development process for offshore wind projects. One of the fundamental concerns that we hear from is that they don't feel like they got an adequate say in where an offshore wind project is located. And so, one project or one piece of litigation, the Save Long Beach Island case, which is a group based in New Jersey, looking to challenge BOEM's offshore wind leasing program, that regulatory paradigm that was established in 2009. If successful, there could be ramifications to the agency, and the entirety of its leasing process. Many of those same issues were successfully resolved in BOEM's favor, regarding Equinor's lease for the Empire Wind project, that DC circuit case that was mentioned, and the decision was issued just last year. So, there's some helpful precedent in defending the leasing program there. But nonetheless, I think we'll continue to see challenges to that leasing process.

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Conversation About Offshore Wind Litigation Podcast - The National Law Review