BP pushes ahead with offshore India gas plan – MarketWatch

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LONDON-- BP PLC said Thursday it is pushing ahead with long-delayed efforts to develop natural gas offshore India in a $6 billion investment with India's Reliance Industries Limited.

The companies are expecting to produce 425 million cubic feet of gas a day from deep water gas fields roughly 70 kilometers off India's east coast by 2020, in the first of three projects they plan to develop with the funds. Between 2020 and 2022 they're expecting to add another 1 billion cubic feet a day of new gas production, assuming the other two projects are approved by the government.

BP first partnered with RIL in 2011, spending $7.2 billion for a 30% stake in oil and gas fields operated by the Indian company. The deal was the company's first major investment since its fatal blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and came at a time when BP was desperately selling assets elsewhere to help pay for the fallout from the spill.

It was meant to mark a step toward new growth prospects in a market where demand for oil and gas was growing rapidly, but for years government caps on gas prices limited profitability and stymied investment.

"It's taken a while to develop a natural gas price to help develop these projects," BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley told the industry CERAWeek conference in Houston in March. "It is behind in developing these resources."

But recent reforms to encourage development of India's natural resources, have helped to remove uncertainty over the gas price energy companies can hope to achieve for new production.

Now, the British oil giant seems ready to pile in again, hoping to take advantage of India's rapidly growing market. The country already consumes over 5 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, according to BP. It hopes to double that number by 2022.

Though weak oil and gas prices have pressured spending across the industry and delayed new projects, BP has made it clear that it is back in growth mode after years of retrenchment. In addition to its latest investment in India, the company intends to add 800,000 barrels a day of new production by the end of the decade and has ambitious plans to increase profit from its refining and marketing arm.

In addition to their plans to boost gas production, BP and RIL also said Thursday they would look for other opportunities in India in conventional fuel retail as well as lower carbon alternatives.

Write to Sarah Kent at sarah.kent@wsj.com

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Higher data rates coming for offshore support vessels – OSJ Magazine

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Tore Morten Olsen: smart connectivity can include VSAT and 4G mobile networks

OSV owners need flexibility in communications packages to adapt to layups and increasing bandwidth demands when vessels are reactivated

by Martyn Wingrove

Offshore support vessel (OSV) owners can use flexible packages from satellite communications service providers to reduce cost during vessel layup and boost bandwidth after they have been reactivated.

There are signs that demand is picking up for OSVs, which is leading owners to bring some vessels out of layup. This means vessels need recommissioning and huge leaps in bandwidth. Inmarsat developed packages for OSV operators laying up vessels and will introduce flexible services for owners that will need significant increases in bandwidth.

According to Inmarsat Maritime president Ronald Spithout, the new packages will include two Ka-band very small aperture terminals (VSATs) and higher data rates. We are developing new packages for the offshore energy sector as owners need more flexibility and the ability to tune bandwidth up and down, he told OSJ.

Sometimes they need more bandwidth for a contract or if more crew come on board, or vessels will be working offshore in a static environment where there is the risk that structures could block the satellite link. There is a major requirement for installing two Ka-band antennas on OSVs.

Inmarsat offers its Ka-band Fleet Xpress service from the Global Xpress network of satellites and ground stations, backed up by its existing L-band constellation. Mr Spithout expects the dual Ka-band antenna service to be ready in the third quarter of this year. We are testing this as we are pushing into the OSV sector with higher bandwidths.

The packages currently available include provisions for postponing services on vessels as they go into layup, with bandwidth tuned down to levels that are just enough to keep vessels going, Mr Spithout explained. We will revive packages once a vessel has work. But operators need more bandwidth than they had to cover these contract requirements, he added, which is why Inmarsat started introducing the dual-antenna option.

Ka-band is one option for OSV operators. Another is using similar equipment to use Ku-band VSAT services from companies such as Marlink, which also has flexible packages for OSVs in layup.

Marlink president for maritime Tore Morten Olsen said there were positive trends in the market with fewer vessels in layup and more offshore activity. He said vessel reactivation times, of typically two weeks from a warm layup and up to three months from a cold stack, could be shortened by using remote checks.

Once vessels are back in service, they may need more satellite capacity and hybrid connectivity. The smart connectivity for vessels can include 4G mobile networks integrated within the total package, said Mr Olsen.

This forms reliable connectivity for the vessel and takes advantage of 4G networks from the shore and offshore platforms. OSVs operating around North Sea platforms can link to the growing nexus of wireless 4G base stations and fibre-optic communications that Tampnet is installing.

Brazilian owner Companhia Brasileira de Offshore (CBO) chose Cobham Satcoms VSAT, satellite TV and radio equipment for six newbuildings. CBO ordered six new OSVs from the Oceana Shipyard in Itaja, Santa Catarina in Brazil, to fulfil development contracts offshore Brazil. It turned to Cobham and its Brazilian partner Inovsat to deliver and install satellite communications terminals on these anchor handlers.

Each vessel has two Ku-band VSAT antennas, including a Sea Tel 4009 that is dedicated to client networks on board and a Sailor 900 VSAT for ship operational and crew networks. Each vessel also has a Sea Tel ST80 TV system for satellite TV in communal areas.

Equipment has been installed on the first of these six newbuildings, CBO Bossa Nova. Antennas are also due to be deployed on the second newbuilding in the shipyard in June. The other four newbuildings are due to be delivered to CBO through the second half of this year and into 2018.

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Higher data rates coming for offshore support vessels - OSJ Magazine

Teekay Offshore: Speculative Opportunity? – Seeking Alpha

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I've been following Teekay Offshore Partners (NYSE:TOO) for some time due to my interest in everything offshore drilling - related. Finally, a Morgan Stanley downgrade led to a decisive downside gap in Teekay Offshore units and I decided to take a closer look at the situation to determine whether the move presented a speculative opportunity.

On the surface, there were two catalysts behind the major downside moves in May and June. In May, Teekay Offshore reported its quarterly results where it stated that it received a notice of termination for the Arendal Spirit UMS (unit for maintenance and safety). In June, Morgan Stanley report assigned a $1.50 target to Teekay Offshore units.

At first glance, the market reaction is strange. Arendal Spirit has not been paid since November 2016, so the termination is hardly a surprise. As for the Morgan Stanley downgrade, the report did not include any new and surprising information that has not been available before. However, I'd argue that nothing strange happened - in fact, the stock market often operates in this way.

Arendal Spirit termination is minor news - the absolute majority of Teekay Offshore's revenue comes from FPSOs and shuttle tankers. At the same time, such negative news put the company in the spotlight and the market reacts to what it should have reacted previously - the refinancing concerns regarding Teekay Offshore.

Businesses like Teekay Offshore depend on open credit and equity markets for their operations. As of March 31 the company had $193 million of cash on the balance sheet while the current portion of long-term debt stood at $621 million. During the conference call, the company stated that it was working with lenders under the facility secured by the Arendal Spirit to grant an extension of the facility while the company was searching for the new job for the unit. Also, Teekay Offshore stated that it was considering partial asset sales and joint ventures to improve its liquidity.

In current circumstances, it looks increasingly unlikely that Teekay Offshore will be able to tap equity markets for short-term financial help. In this sense, Morgan Stanley's downgrade acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy, pushing Teekay Offshore's units down and almost eliminating the possibility of an equity raise. Another problem is the state of the offshore drilling market, which is yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

There was much talk about offshore drilling adaptation to lower oil prices during the recent earnings season but I have not seen factual confirmation for this. Oil price action itself is alarming, with both Brent (NYSEARCA:BNO) and WTI (NYSEARCA:USO) below $50 per barrel despite OPEC/non-OPEC deal. The outlook for the offshore drilling market will certainly influence the lender's decision regarding Teekay Offshore's indebtedness.

The main problem as I see it may be that lenders demand significant concessions from Teekay Offshore including the elimination of distribution. The elimination of distribution typically puts big pressure on the units as distribution is the main reason to invest in such companies.

In my view, the risk/reward balance is not great neither for the long nor for the short side here. Any real positive news on negotiations and the shorts could be killed as Teekay Offshore units are already at low levels. At the same time, the fundamentals of the offshore drilling business are bad in the short-term and will influence the company's negotiations with lenders. In these games, common unitholders carry a disproportionate amount of risk. I think that not all this risk has already been baked in Teekay Offshore's unit price so if additional negative information comes out there'll be more room to fall.

My verdict is that Teekay Offshore units are currently an avoid for everyone except short-term traders who rely on technical analysis for their entries and exists. I believe that it will be hard to control risk in both a long or a short position if it held for more than a couple of days.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I may trade any of the abovementioned stocks.

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‘Hornbelly’ leads to Wood’s ‘silver king’ offshore catch – TC Palm – TCPalm

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Ryan Wood, of Malabar and of RWood Outdoors on YouTube, caught and released this 100-pound plus tarpon Sunday off Melbourne Beach.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY RYAN WOOD)

Ryan Wood loves it when the ocean lays down. It means it's time to take the kayak out for a paddle off the beach.

Each summer, as the amountof daylight grows longer day by day, thenorthward migration of large tarpon departing the Florida Keys and Everglades reaches the beaches of the Treasure and Space coasts. Scores of anglers who enjoy the pursuit of the long-cherished trophy catch search for tarpon schools from Jupiter Islandto Port Canaveral anywhere from a few hundred yards to a mile offshore of where the sea meets the sand.

Wood, of Malabar, said this is his fourth season of targeting theocean-going run of memory-making fish aboard his sit-on-top kayak. On Sunday, he recorded video of the catch and release of a bona fide "silver king" off the shores of Melbourne Beach a few miles north of Sebastian Inlet. His fishing adventures can be watched by all on his YouTube channel, RWood Outdoors.

His "Alone in the Halls of the Silver King" is getting rave reviews by viewers.

"Tarpon is a humbling fish, for sure," said Wood, who first began fishing for them inshore while growing up in Hobe Sound. "But fighting a big tarpon while fishing from a kayak and trying to make sure it doesn't flip, well, that is really tough."

What increases the degree of difficulty with tarpon, Wood said, is the attempt to bring the fish alongside the kayak. He decided during this most recent tarpon catch he didn't want to simply chalk it up as a release when the leader touched the rod tip. So he reeled it all the way in, and removed the hook.

Wood discovered something about bait a couple of years ago that surprises some anglers when they hear it: Plenty of game fish, when they are hungry, will eat a hornbelly. The small, palm-sized bait fish often resembles the same profile as a threadfin herring (called "greenie" by many along eastern Florida's coast). While nearly everything that swims will eagerly eat a greenie, it is often believed the Atlantic bumper, or hornbelly as it is more commonly known, is avoided by most fish for which anglers are fishing.

"I prefer to use live baits like threadfin herring or sardines, but sometimes a hornbelly is all I've caught as bait," Wood explained. "I've been surprised with how well they work. I put them into my bait bucket and they hold up about as good as other white baits."

On Sunday, Wood used a multi-hook Sabiki rig to jig up some bait. Up came several hornbellies and little else. He then set his line to paddle while trolling a bait behind his kayak.

"I've had better luck trolling than drifting," said Wood, who caught and released two truly giant tarpon last summer. "The trick is to keep an eye out for tarpon as they roll. Then set up to paddle along the same 'line' as those fish travel along."

When tarpon "roll," they are gulping air. They have a specialized breathing system which enables them to enhance their strength and endurance by taking in air from the surface of the water. Often, during the summer tarpon fishing season offshore, these fish can be located by anglers who can see the fish as they break the surface momentarily to "roll."

Wood uses a Penn Spinfisher 4500 reel on a stout spinning rod rigged with 40-pound test Power Pro braided line. He ties to it 80-pound test monofilament leader and a 5/0 3x strength circle hook.

On Sunday, Wood's experience and techniques came together when a big tarpon decided to take his bait.

Then came the battle.

"One of the most exciting parts of tarpon fishing from a kayak is the 'sleigh ride,'" Wood said. "It'sexhilarating to be hooked up with a fish like that and have it pulling you and your kayak through the water."

Wood said what he has learned over the years is that each tarpon is a truly unique fish.

"You will observe very different behaviors from fish to fish," he said. "Some tarpon jump the whole time you fight them, some don't jump at all. Some will be acrobatic. Some will pull against you like a bulldog. Some are sprinters and some are marathon runners."

One tip he has is to try to keep the fish from taking a "roll" during the fight.

"It makes him instantly stronger," he said.

For example, Wood was able to conclude the fight within about 45 minutes versus about two hours for a similar-sized tarpon he caught and released last year. The shorter fight is better for the health of the fish.

"When the tarpon gets under the kayak, and you're fighting him straight up and down, you don't have much leverage," he said. "I fish a lighter drag and tend to palm the spool of the reel as I battle to help control the fish's runs."

Wood captured the catch to share with others using a multi-camera setup on his kayak. He began the YouTube channel as a way to share his videos with friends and family. He said he grew up a big fan of Blair Wiggins' "Addictive Fishing."

"I loved that show growing up, and started fishing for tarpon in spots like Peck's Lake in Hobe Sound," Wood said. "But since I fish alone a lot, I tend to think my videos are more like 'Survivorman'."

Either way, Wood said it has been great to see the evolution of the conservation mindset and ethical angling practices being employed. He said with the spreading power of social media, people who mishandle prized game fish get called out.

Capt. Chris Britton, of Grey Ghost charters in Stuart, caught and released this huge tarpon two weeks ago while fishing near the Crossroads in Stuart.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY CHRIS BRITTON)

"You think back 15 years ago and when a television host caught a tarpon, he slipped a short gaff through its bottom jaw and brought it aboard the boat to explain how beautiful the fish was," Wood said. "It's illegal now, but when you look at that practice through today's lens, it would be unheard of to do the same."

Wood plans to spend plenty of time exploring the nearshore waters for more tarpon through the summer and in the process will also catch sharks, bonito, kingfish and more.

In Florida, tarpon are a catch-and-release fishery only. By law, tarpon measuring longer than 40 inches must remain in the water. For complete fishing regulations go to http://www.MyFWC.com.

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Labor, environmentalists tout first US offshore wind farm – SouthCoastToday.com

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By Mary Ann Bragg Cape Cod Times

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. With the countrys first offshore wind farm up and running for the past six months, labor and environmental advocates are looking toward future collaborations on even larger projects.

Many years of hard work ensured that these were good quality union jobs that paid good solid wages, said Kimberly Glas, executive director of BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmentalists, as a chartered boat neared the Block Island Wind Farm on Tuesday.

As more offshore wind energy projects are developed off New England and New York more grassroots effort is needed, Glas said.

I ask folks to start calling their legislators and start showing up at city council meetings to figure out ways to ensure that these are quality jobs, she said.

The nonprofit National Wildlife Federation sponsored the boat tour of the 30-megawatt, five-turbine wind farm installed by Deepwater Wind, one of three offshore wind energy companies with plans to build more wind turbines on leased land south of the Islands. The federation, with 6 million members, wants to protect wildlife from the effects of climate change through clean energy options such as wind.

This kind of (boat) trip allows our company to talk about how offshore wind can be built and has been built in the United States, said Matthew Morrissey, Massachusetts vice-president for Deepwater Wind.

The partners in Block Island project were environmental groups, organized labor, government regulators, fishing groups and others, Morrissey said.

Its an opportunity to come together and see that you can actually build a new economy in America while protecting the environment, he said about the tour.

Among the 115 people on board the fast ferry Ava Pearl were labor leaders representing union members such as welders, painters and crane operators who helped build the wind farm.

Construction of the wind farm created 300 local jobs, according to Deepwater Wind.

They did sign an agreement to do it all union, said Scott Duhamel of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council.

The political strength of unions in Rhode Island, with the support of congressional and state legislators, along with union representatives showing up at and speaking at public meetings, all helped seal the deal, Duhamel said.

I have to admit they could do it without us but they didnt, he said.

Deepwater Wind could have used non-union labor, Duhamel said.

They did it with us, he said. We feel our people are better trained.

The typical wages of the union workers who worked on the wind farm ranged from $28 to $40 per hour plus benefits, union representatives said.

Were thankful to Deepwater for having trust not only in IBEW but the building trades in general, said Michael Monahan, a regional vice-president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

While the construction of a wind farm employs many people in the short term, the long-term maintenance of the equipment creates more jobs, said Monahan and Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Director Scott Jensen.

Were doing the commute that thousands and thousands of people are going to be doing over the next any number of years, Jensen said as the boat passed alongside the towering turbines.

Monahan and others said they are hoping for more union contracts in upcoming offshore wind energy projects.

At the end of June, theres an opportunity to bid on power contracts with three electric distribution companies in Massachusetts, which could attract Deepwater Wind, Bay State Wind and Vineyard Wind, all of which have signed leases for federal land south of the Islands. Bay State and Vineyard Wind officials said recently that they could start construction in the early 2020s.

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Hornbeck Offshore secures new $300m credit facility – Splash 247

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June 16th, 2017 Jason Jiang Americas, Offshore 0 comments

US offshore vessel operator Hornbeck Offshore has refinanced its existing $200m credit facility with a new credit facility providing for up to $300m of term loans.

The six-year term of the new credit facility extends the maturity of the current credit facility from February 2020 to June 2023.

The company will use the new credit facility for working capital and general corporate purposes, including the acquisition of distressed assets and the refinancing of existing debt.

Hornbeck Offshore announced in November 2016 that it would probably have to stack nearly 80% of its OSV fleet in 2017 due to the decline in the offshore sector.

Jason Jiang

Jason worked for a number of logistics firms following his English degree, then switched this hands-on experience to writing and has since become one the most prolific writers on the diverse China logistics industry writing for a host of titles including Supply Chain Asia, Cargo Facts and Air Cargo Week. Jasons access to the biggest shippers with business in China has proved an invaluable source of exclusives.

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Hornbeck Offshore secures new $300m credit facility - Splash 247

Coast Guard unloads 18 tons of cocaine seized on the high seas – The San Diego Union-Tribune

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On lookout duty on the deck of the Coast Guard cutter Waesche, Seaman Danielle Sanchez remembers spotting what looked like a silver barracuda gliding low through waves off the Central American coast.

It was after 2 a.m. on June 8, and Sanchez was nearing the end of her first sea patrol. It was a journey across 12,200 miles of the Eastern Pacific and it led her to a rendezvous with what counter-smuggling agencies call an LPV a low-profile vessel designed by drug cartels to ride low to the water, aiming to hide from Coast Guard helicopters and cutters.

The Waesche stalked this LPV for nearly 100 miles.

When we came up on them, we put the floodlights on them. It looked like a submarine. It was dark out, but it was super cool. Our boat crew was out there, both the small boat thats hanging out on the side and the one on the fantail, Sanchez said, pointing to the sleek interceptor vessel at the rear of the cutter.

The Coasties boarded the submerged boat 54 feet long and only six feet wide and detained four suspected smugglers and 2.79 tons of cocaine, the second-highest seizure at sea by the Coast Guard since October.

On Thursday at San Diegos 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, the Alameda-based Waesche unloaded that seizure and 15 more tons of cocaine seized in 17 other raids at sea since March by it and the cutters Valiant, Hamilton, Confidence, Active, Mohawk, Campbell and Dependable.

Called the Western Hemisphere Transit Zone, the area that the cutters patrolled is vast 6 million square miles, double the size of the continental United States. It runs from California down the western coast of Central and South America and then into the Caribbean Sea in an arc from Cuba to the Lesser Antilles, the string of islands south and east from Puerto Rico to Venezuela.

Counter-narcotics officials estimate that they seize about one out of every four tons of cocaine bound for the United States. About 69 percent of the haul is intercepted in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Federal drug-enforcement officials believe about 90 percent of cocaine shipments to the United States go across the sea at some point in their journey north, but usually are offloaded and then smuggled across the land border with Mexico.

The Coast Guards strategy is to forward deploy cutters to the waters off Central and South America to nab smugglers soon after they take to sea.

The Waesche alone interdicted seven narco-boats during its latest mission, capturing about $266 million worth of drugs, according to the cutters commander, Capt. James Passarelli.

In one 60-hour span, the cutter captured four smuggling boats, reflecting an operational tempo thats doubled for the Coast Guard since 2008.

This is about taking down the networks, Passarelli said. These transnational criminal organizations pose a significant threat to us here at home and to our partners in Central and South America.

In the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, the Coast Guard set a record for annual cocaine seizures more than 221 tons worth more than $5.9 billion to the underworld.

cprine@sduniontribune.com

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Disney PhotoPass coming to capture your high-seas adventure on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom – Inside the Magic

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Inside the Magic
Disney PhotoPass coming to capture your high-seas adventure on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom
Inside the Magic
Soon, though, you'll be able to hoist your colors and take home a piece of treasure from your high-seas adventure on Pirates of the Caribbean at the Magic Kingdom. Disney PhotoPass service is being added to the classic ride, giving you the opportunity ...

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Skull and Bones is pure high seas sailing fun from Ubisoft – Critical Hit

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Theres something magical about the ocean. Blue seas, rolling waves and a ship to sail the high seas on. Now imagine that ship being pursued through hell and back amidst a sea of salty water and cannonballs as dozens of ships chase you down in pursuit of your sweet booty. Thats the world of Skull and Bones, Ubisofts nautical title which takes that one idea that made Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag so memorable and builds an entire game around it.

A game of five freebooters sailing around as one armada in pursuit of silver by any explosive means possible. Its novel idea, that borrows heavily from its inspiration to create a product that plays almost identically to its source material. Theres a lot of that going on in Skull and Bones, but can it stand on its own two peg-legs and establish an identity for itself outside of Assassins Creed?

Yes and no.

One of the big takeaways with Skull and Bones is now on how your ship handles and just how well you the captain plot her course in treacherous waters to plunder some booty. That requires skill and patience, as the ancient ships of another century dont exactly handle like sportscars. Theyre massive collections of lumber and gunpowder, floating fortresses armed to the teeth that are highly dependent on you angling her into the wind to achieve the most knots possible.

Read A massive new patch for Injustice 2 is adding plenty of fixes

That layers on a more strategic use of maintaining your course and getting within range of your target, as youll have to make good use of your vessel which hails from one of three distinct types of attack-craft. A sniper ship may sacrifice armour for speed and distance, but the Sloop of War makes up for that with a level of marksmanship unmatched by any other ship around. Likewise with a heavier ship such as the Frigate that comes equipped with a battering ram as it may not be fast but it can hit hard right where it counts.

The Brigantine rounds out the lot, sacrificing its turning radius for an entire American towns worth of guns as it hits not only where it hurts but also hard. That selection of seaworthiness makes for a team dynamic where organising your team is just as strategic as knowing how to plot your course lest your teammate accidentally murders your ship and leave it to sink to the murky depths beneath you. Knowing which complement of cannons to use in an encounter makes all the difference here.

As does having enough friends to play with. Much like most of Ubisofts games, the online social space is the real decider here. My demo at E3 had the perfect setup for this, throwing me and fourth other random players into a gang of scurvy misfits who quickly learnt how to work the controls and become a team.

Read Its official! Vanquish is coming to PC on May 25

When we did manage to co-exist, the end result was magical. We were sinking ships, stealing silver and outrunning dozens of pirate-hunter vessels as we communicated and held our own. It was fantastic stuff, made even better by an engine that was built on small details as your salty crew raised the sails and shouted all manner of sailor curses at your foes in ye olde parlance.

Finding your own crew of regulars to join you for these matches will be hard enough, lest you manage to press-gang a few randoms into service. Its still utterly worth it, however, as Skull and Bones takes a solid idea and layers gorgeous visuals on top of it to create something which makes multiplayer exciting. If Ubisoft plans to supplement what I played today with a proper single-player and a world worth sailing, then sign me up for more as a pirates life sounds quite seaworthy to me.

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Skull and Bones is pure high seas sailing fun from Ubisoft - Critical Hit

Brazil Gets Ready to Fight on the High Seas and Sets Aside US$ 1.8 Bi for New Warships – Brazzil.com

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The Brazilian Navy finalized on May 10th the first stage of the process that will result in the construction of four Tamandar class corvettes. The kickoff was a public announcement inviting Brazilian and foreign companies and consortiums to participate in a future bidding process through which the party responsible for building these ships will be chosen.

Those interested must have proven experience building technologically complex military vessels with the potential to move more than 2,500 tons. Within a month, 21 companies and consortiums from different countries answered the Navys initial announcement. The next step will take place during the second half of 2017 with the release of the technical specifications of the ships design.

Acquiring the corvettes is one of the Navys top priorities, along with developing new conventional and nuclear-powered submarines, said Rear Admiral Petronio Augusto Siqueira de Aguiar, head of the Navys Program Management Board.

He explained that the decision regarding the Tamandar class vessels is based on a broader objective of expanding and modernizing the Brazilian Navys operational capacity. After that, a series of surface vessels is expected to be acquired, which includes not only corvettes, but also frigates, logistic support vessels, and amphibious ships.

The main advantage of acquiring Tamandar class corvettes is the new ships flexibility, able to perform an array of tasks like protecting naval units, attacks on submarines, patrolling Brazils territorial waters to protect economic activities, and even participating in areas under the auspices of international organizations in support of our foreign policy, Rear Adm. Petronio stated.

Security and Comfort

The Navys squadron includes two corvettes, both built at the Navy Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro and employed in various missions throughout Brazils territorial sea [nearly 22 kilometers from the coast] and abroad, explained Rear Admiral Flvio Augusto Viana Rocha, director of the Navys Social Communications Center.

The first to join the Brazilian warship fleet was the corvette Inhama, in 1989. While the corvette Barroso came along nearly 20 years later, in 2008, and has been used in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, in which it was the flagship vessel until March.

According to Rear Adm. Rocha, the Inhama and Barroso corvettes shall remain in service, even after the Tamandar class corvettes have joined the fleet.

Several aspects of the new corvettes design have been highlighted as significant enhancements in relation to the vessels currently in operation. Among them is being stealthier as a result of redefining the design of the hull lines to reduce the ships visibility on enemy radar screens.

The issue of stealth is related to the secrecy of operations and the ability to conceal the ship, Rear Adm. Petronio explained. With that the corvettes will be able to operate discretely in an area of interest and enable the element of surprise when conducting their activities in our territorial waters, he added.

The design of the Tamandar class corvettes also involves innovation in terms of service members comfort and security, in addition to environmental concerns.

Thus, the ships interior layout was designed to provide better conditions for those who are going to work inside of it. It is expected to accommodate 136 people, to include crew members, divers, marines, pilots, and aircraft mechanics.

In terms of the service members security, it aims to apply better monitoring resources of the ships various areas, and to incorporate labor-saving technologies in flood and fire prevention systems.

Additionally, a few technologies expected to be employed on these corvettes will reduce gas emissions and improve the treatment of sanitary waste, kitchen waste, and oily residue.

Regarding these ships combat system configuration, consisting of weapons, sensors, a tactical system, and weapons-firing direction systems, Rear Adm. Petronio stated that they will have the necessary requirements for top-notch operation in surface, anti-air, electronic, and anti-submarine warfare actions.

Investment in the four Tamandar class corvettes is estimated to reach upwards of US$ 1.8 billion. In the projects initial timetable, construction of the vessels is scheduled to commence in 2019. Deliveries are expected to occur within three years, between 2022 and 2025.

The four vessels should preferably be built in Brazil, Rear Adm. Petronio said, but the Navy believes it is necessary to select a foreign shipyard with proven experience in making this type of ship. By doing so, risks are expected to be mitigated in developing and obtaining the ships expected performance.

A foreign shipyards participation will enable Brazilian candidates to acquire the qualifications to execute the project, through the necessary transfer of technology, Rear Adm. Petronio said.

This article appeared originally in Dilogo https://dialogo-americas.com

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Brazil Gets Ready to Fight on the High Seas and Sets Aside US$ 1.8 Bi for New Warships - Brazzil.com

World’s Most Private Island Resort Opening September 1, 2017 … – Benzinga

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Enjoy the entire island for just one couple. Staff reside on the smaller island, full service and all inclusive.

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) June 14, 2017

HGTV host Chris Krolow (CEO of Private Islands Inc.) and developer David Keener (Founder of Vision Properties) have partnered to create for the first time a private island resort for just one couple, with no other guests in sight. Even the staff reside on a separate island.

Located on the most picturesque part of the Belize barrier reef, with a single villa and all-inclusive fully tailored service, Gladden Private Island takes privacy and luxury to a whole new level. The staff resides out of sight on a smaller island right behind Gladden where a 24/7 butler, chef, and concierge are ready to serve any request at a moment's notice. Everything from meals and drinks to spas and excursions is included. In case 2 is a lonely number, there's a second master suite in the villa to accommodate friends or family and an additional room on the staff island for a nanny or security.

A lot of people considering a once-in-a-lifetime trip find themselves troubled with expensive flights and long journeys half way across the world. Gladden is a short and affordable flight from most major cities in the United States and Canada. A 7 day stay even includes a one-way 35-minute helicopter ride with breathtaking aerial views of the barrier reef; a lifechanging bucket list item of its own.

"I'm so excited to see this dream project come to life and that we were able to price it so competitively," says Chris Krolow, host of HGTV's Island Hunters. "I cannot wait for you to experience what is truly one of the most amazing locations on earth."

Visit http://www.gladdenprivateisland.com

Media images available at http://gladdenprivateisland.com/media-kit

We welcome interview requests. Please email info(at)privateislandsinc(dot)com.

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World's Most Private Island Resort Opening September 1, 2017 ... - Benzinga

UNK professor’s dedication to recreation earns her Healthy Community Award – Kearney Hub

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KEARNEY When Marta Moorman was growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, her parents refused to allow TV in the house. So when the community started a summer recreation program that included archery, badminton, swimming, childrens theater and more, she became hooked on recreation as a way of life.

My community and my family forced us to find other things to do, so we tried everything. If its fun you stick with it, she said.

Moorman has stuck with it. Shes now a professor of recreation at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She teaches others to develop sports, fitness, wellness and community recreation activities for individuals and groups.

For her teaching and leadership, CHI Health Good Samaritan will present Moorman the Healthy Community Award in the area of Recreation. Nominated by Kearney Park and Recreation, she is recognized for showing outstanding leadership in organized sports for youths or adults.

Recreational activities are her life, including games, music, sports, cooking, exercise and reading.

Recreation isnt just about the body; its about the whole person. Its a lot about being social. We need to be around others. Recreation is so valuable because you are not just sitting in a room with somebody. Youre playing with them. Youre seeing how their mind works, and you see that their skills may be way better than yours. You think, This is somebody I really need get to know, she said.

Since joining the UNK faculty 21 years ago, Moorman has seen changes in recreation and how U.S. families and communities play.

Historically, the focus of community recreation was on team sports, but we have seen an increase in the number of individual activities and commercial providers. Recreation has become more intentional: were doing it for a reason, she said.

People are conscious about being active and staying healthy, she said. Outdoor and adventure activities have shown dramatic increases in the past few years. Kearney has the new water trail in the canal and Turkey Creek. UNK has a new rock climbing wall. These types of activities are very popular.

Over the years she also seen more variety in activities offered here, and how Kearney comes together to solve problems. Twenty years ago, the hike-bike trail to Cottonmill Park was a single dirt track. Now its part of a hike-bike trail network that stretches from Cottonmill Park to The Archway and ending at Fort Kearney State Historical Park, she noted.

Parks have evolved and added more options for organized sports. New, too, are activities like Community Olympics and Senior Games, adventure races and trail walks.

Kearney is good at deciding what they want and going for it. When the community decided that we needed more ball fields, we figured out a way to make it work. When Kearney decides what it wants, we make it happen. Were progressive in that way. I like that a lot.

Involving her UNK students in planning and organizing events is just as important as being involved herself, she said.

She was part of the Patriot Park Development Committee. She also sat on the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and the Rowe Sanctuary Committee, and is a member of the Nebraska and National Recreation and Park Associations.

In serving, she has aimed to elevate the importance of recreation as a community and individual need.

Recreation people always have to justify what they do. Its easy to justify health and exercise, but people look at recreation as oh, thats just for fun. But if its not fun, people wont participate. Activities that are fun and social are very important both for individuals and the community, she said.

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UNK professor's dedication to recreation earns her Healthy Community Award - Kearney Hub

Scientists Hypothesize That Space Travel Caused This Worm To Grow Two Heads – Futurism

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In Brief While studying the effects of space on a species of regenerating flatworm, scientists noticed that one of the subjects ended up growing two heads. Space travel is hypothesized to have facilitated this aberration. Space Hydra

The International Space Station (ISS) is an invaluable tool that helps us understand how our Earth-based technologies and biology operates in space. It has been confirmed that space travel does indeed impact human biology, even down to the genetic level. Even so, researchers looking into how a species of flatworms fare in space were not prepared forwhat they found.

To the great shock of the team, one of the fifteen amputated planarian flatworms that spent five weeks aboard the ISS ended up growing back two heads once back on Earth. These findings have been published in the journal Regeneration.

Planarian flatworms have remarkable regeneration abilities. They are able to regenerate complex body systems even from a tiny piece of their bodies. After their all-inclusive stay upon the ISS, the worms were brought back to Earth and observed for an additional 20 months. During this time, researchers noticed that one of the worms was regenerating its head, along with another. The scientists then amputated the two heads and the worm once again grew back two heads.

They may not have been able to pinpoint the exact changes that allowed for this phenomenon to occur, but the scientists had never seen this happen in eighteen years of studying these worms. This lead the team to hypothesize that space travel is what caused the change.

With humanity gearing up to launch the first humans to Mars, discovering how biology changes as a result of space travel is of the utmost importance. As humans continue to spend longer periods of time in space, we need to know what to expect so we can prepare for these changes or maybe even take steps to prevent them.

One possible implication of these findings is that once we figure out the mechanisms of space travel that triggered this change, we may be able to harness them to achieve desired results, like giving humans the ability to regenerate, for example. As the paper notes, it could be used to trigger desired morphological, neurological, physiological, and bacteriomic changes for various regenerative and bioengineering applications.

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Scientists ‘extremely surprised’ after flatworm grows 2nd head in space – CBC.ca

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Thursday June 15, 2017

Biologists at Tufts University in Massachusetts sent a bunch of flatworms to space for five weeks just to see what would happen, and were taken aback by the results.

"This one worm, due to its space travel experience, the cells got confused, and grew a head at the posterior end," biologist Michael Levin, co-author of the study, told As It Happens host Carol Off.

The researchers sent a group of planarian flatworms some amputated and some whole to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX commercial resupply vessel on Jan. 10, 2015, to find out how the experience would affect their regenerative abilities.

One of the dissected worms came back with an extra pair of googly eyes.

"We were extremely surprised," Levin said. "It's quite a change to their normal regenerative pattern, so we knew something important had happened to it up in space."

While flatworms are known for the ability to re-growtheir heads and tails,the spontaneous generation a second head is so rare it's almost unheardof. Under normal circumstances, the worm would have simply generated a new tail.

Levin says he's seen two-headed worms before. In fact, he's made some in his lab. But it's not something that occurs naturally.

"So we knew it was possible," he said. "We had no idea this would happen from space travel."

The change appears to be permanent. The scientists have since cut off both the creature's heads, andit grew them both back.

The flatworms lived on the International Space Station for five weeks inside sealed tubes filled with water and air. (NASA)

"As it turns out, the two-headedness is just the tip of the iceberg, because we also found out that these worms were different with respect to their microbiomes, their behaviour, and so on," he said.

When the wormsreturned to Earth, scientists took them out of their five-week-old water and put them in apetri dish with fresh water.

The worms went into "water shock,"curling up and refusing to move for about two hours something that would normally only happen if they'd been placed in an unfamiliar solution.

"So something happened to that water in space, which they obviously got used to," Levin said.

They also got over their natural fear of light.

Levin's team observed the space worms in their lab 20 months after they returned toEarth,comparing their bodies and behaviours to a group of worms that never left the planet.

When exposed to light in the petri dish, the space worms did not seek out darker corners, asother worms did.

"So their behaviour had changed and enabled them to spend more time in the light, Levin said.

When transferred to a petri dish of fresh water after returning from a five-week space voyage, these flatworms curled up and wouldn't move. (Junji Morokuma/Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University)

"This we measured about a year and a half after the worms had come back. So they had already been in our lab, eating the same foods and living in the same environment as the Earth-bound controls for well over a year, and still their behaviour was still altered."

The worms had also changed on a fundamental, biological level.

"We found out that even a year-and-a-half later, the complement of bacteria and the profile of different bacterial species that live in these worms is now quite a bit different between the ones that had been to space and the ones that had been left behind," Levin said.

It's not entirely clear what caused these changes, but there are numerous possibilities.

"I mean these worms have been through basically the space travel experience, and the space travel experience is not one thing," Levin said, noting they expected changes in vibrations, thegravitational field, the geomagnetic field and more.

While it would be unwise to compare worms to astronauts so far, Christ Hadfield has not grown any new limbs that we know of the results of the study could shed some light on how space travel affects us on a cellular level, Levin said.

What's more, the team's findings could have implications a little closer to home.

"Part of the importance of these kinds of experiments is not just for space travel, but for learning about how physical factors like geomagnetic fields, like gravitational forces and so on, how these affect cell behaviours," Levin said.

"We may be able to exploit those for regenerative medicine applications here on Earth."

The study was published Tuesday in the journal Regeneration.

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Singularity Summit comes to SA | IT-Online – IT-Online

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Singularity University (SU), a global community using exponential technologies to tackle the worlds greatest challenges, will hold its first international summit on the African continent. The two-day SingularityU South Africa Summit is being hosted in collaboration with Standard Bank, and with key strategic partners, including Deloitte, MTN, 702, and SAP and is being produced by Mann Made Media. SingularityU South Africa Summit will convene exponential thought leaders, SU faculty, and organizations from around the world to provide participants with insights into emerging exponential technologies and how they can be used to create positive change and economic growth in the region. Corporate South Africa realises the importance of change and the influence of innovation and technology across all sectors. In response, this unique summit in Johannesburg will present a display of advanced technologies, extensive debate, and collaborative discussions, offering an exchange of ideas and existing best practices in the fields of healthcare, cyberspace, AI, robotics, big data, finance, and design. In addition to expert presentations, participants will explore questions ranging from trending technological changes across the globe, to their impact on industry growth and region-specific challenges. The Summit will also showcase African entrepreneurs and innovations in the interactive exhibitor halls. Singularity University is proud to be working with Standard Bank and Mann Made Media to host this first-ever SingularityU South Africa Summit, and to connect with Africas leaders and organizations shaping the future, says Rob Nail, associate founder and CEO of Singularity University. South Africa represents a microcosm of the challenges facing humanity worldwide and is fast gaining a solid reputation as a global centre. Through this Summit, we hope to connect and inspire leaders in the region to effect global impact. SingularityU Summits are two-day conferences held around the globe to help local leaders understand how exponential technologies can be used to create positive change and economic growth in their region. Summits become an annual point of contact and inspiration for the local community, a catalyst to accelerate a local culture of innovation, and an opportunity to highlight breakthrough technologies, startups, and ideas. SingularityU Summits are attended by the general public, government officials, entrepreneurs, investors, NGOs, impact partners, and educators, and may include educational tracks for government and youth.

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Singularity Summit comes to SA | IT-Online - IT-Online

Engineering Ascension Island – Island Conservation News

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The challenge on Ascension Island is to maintain a balance of the new and the old. A novel ecosystem is an ecosystem engineered by humans. Over the last 150 years, non-native plant species were planted on the remote Island in the Atlantic Ocean. What began as an experiment to transform an ecosystem has left researchers to observe the relationship of native and non-native species. Island species are highly vulnerable to invasive species impactsis there room for non-native plants to grow on Ascension Island?

Green Mountain is Ascension Islands highest peak, standing nearly 3,000 feet tall. The beautiful green landscape is human-engineered. Credit:Clare Fieseler

Ascension Islands natural landscape is desolate. The foreboding terrain inspired Charles Darwin to include the word Devil in the name of several of Ascensions volcanic rock features. He arrived to Ascension from the Galpagos, calling the island Hideous. It was Darwin who conceived the ideato engineer a new environment on Ascension. Sir Joseph Hooker, a young botanist, took on the challenge. In 1843 he embarked on a life-long experiment and introduced 330 non-native plants to Ascension Island. By 1870, more than 5,000 trees were planted. The experiment transformed the island ecosystem.

The landscape on Green Mountain stands lush and stoic but is also covered with an artificial green ecosystem. Moisture is captured in the arms of the tall non-native trees and the water forms a pond on the forest floor. Not too long ago, merely one solitary tree stood swaying above the drylandscape of Ascension Island. However, the transformation onAscension Island comes at a cost. As an elderly man, Hooker expressed regret in his journals.

The intentional non-native species distribution, at this scale, made room for unintended consequences. Only a few native plant species survived. Hydrology and soil changes were noted, and the scarce endemic plant species, still left on the island, were observed competing for regeneration.

Ascension Island naturalist Stedson Stroud is leading the efforts to facilitate recovery of endemic species. Two native fern species grew on Ascension for thousands of years, and have found refuge from the onslaught of new competitors in the mosses of non-native trees. Stroud is planting more of these trees in hopes of sparking population growth in these two adaptive ferns. The trick to conserving these ferns is to help them adapt and coexist with the non-native trees. However,it is still too early to know whether the ferns are thriving in their new habitat.

Stedson Stroud surveying the artificial ecosystem in search any remaining endemic plant species. Credit: Clare Fieseler

Ascensions unusual history could be valuable as a reference point for some of todays greatest environmental puzzles. Island Conservation board member and invasive species expert Daniel Simberloff suspects that further research on Ascension Island could generate insight into challenges like greening Earths deserts and expanding local crop production to meet the human populations nutritional needs.

It is too late to erase the history on Ascension Island. For now, conservationists are concerned with maintaining a healthy relationship between the new and old ecosystems.

Feature photo: Tracking station on Ascension Island. Credit: Dominic Smith Source: National Geographic

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Engineering Ascension Island - Island Conservation News

Star Trek Legacy Lives On in Space Exploration [Video] – Scientific American

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Fifty years ago Star Trek beamed into television sets for the first time, igniting an international passion for an imagined future that has played out in movies, books and conventions ever since. Today devoted fans speak the Klingon language and the residents of Riverside, Iowa, claim dibs on the future birthplace of Capt. James Tiberius Kirkand many scientists trace their spacefaring curiosities back to this fantasy. The shows impact on the breadth of scientific imagination has proved as fathomless as space itself. Director Craig Thompson takes on the challenge of exploring Star Treks vast web of influence in the upcoming documentary The Truth Is in the Stars. Thompson discussed Star Treks influence on culture and scientific advancement in a live Webcast Wednesday night. He was joined by three other panelists from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario. Perimeter director Neil Turok, Perimeter researcher Avery Broderick and rocket scientist Natalie Panek expounded on the lasting impact Star Trek has made on them and on society.

Watch the video to hear what insights this collaboration of scientific and artistic minds has on an iconic fiction fixture that continues to inspire science. The discussion is part of Perimeters public lecture series presented by BMO Financial.

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Star Trek Legacy Lives On in Space Exploration [Video] - Scientific American

Neil deGrasse Tyson launches Kickstarter for space exploration video game – Blastr

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Some of the earliest popular video games were not just for fun, but were educational tools, too. After all, what child of the '80s doesn't know what dysentery is, thanks to a trail in the Pacific northwest? Now, world-reknowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is hoping to bring that concept back, with an engaging space exploration game that includes real science as the basis for its worlds and missions. Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents: Space Odyssey officially launched as a Kickstarter project at the E3 video game convention, where Tyson served as a panelist about world-building in media.

Im delighted to bring the wonders of space to everyone, and one of the most potent ways to accomplish this is through the visual and immersive power of gaming, said Tyson in a press release. Im excited to be part of the creative team bringing this educational game to life that is based on real science and driven by real physics. Space Odyssey embodies a shared vision of creators, storytellers and science lovers who want to get people of all ages into space and exploration in ways that encourage curiosity and imagination.

The game launched on Kickstarter this week with packages ranging from $29 to $10,000 that all offer the actual game with an estimated delivery of the end of 2018, plus perks like in-game items being named after you, special concept art and signed items, and more. The goal is around $314,000, and they have 43 days to reach that at press time.

As for the actual gameplay, the project is an ambitious one, hoping to send gamers across the galaxy, with the first stop being Proxima b, about 4.2 light years from Earth. There, you'll be able to customize your own ship, complete physics-based missions and challenges, and create personalized challenges. You'll be able to colonize and truly world-build, as you seek to bring these virtual worlds to life, with robots you can design and task out, and options for both single-player and multiplayer challenges and competitions. The goal is to put the galaxy in your hands, with not just exploring, but cultivating new worlds and life.

Tyson will be there as the voice of your digital assistant (and a helpful holographic projection), providing science facts and helpful hints along your journey. An all-star group of scientists including Bill Nye, Janna Levin, Charles Liu, Carolyn Porco, Loretta Falcone, Astronaut Mike Massimino, and more will contribute to the game and its database, and writers like Peter Beagle, Larry Niven, and head writer Len Wein (you may have heard of a couple characters he co-created like Wolverine, Swamp Thing, and several other X-Men characters) will bring the story to life.

Big Red Button Entertainment, known primarily for VR projects, is working on the game, and yes, that means some missions will be VR enabled. Section Studios is working on the visuals for the game, while Starbreeze works on the structure of the game itself. They're really creating multiple games in one, with spacecraft piloting, "Metroidvania" style planet-based missions, VR missions, and all the customization, as well.

The plan is to expand not just the game itself, but also move into other media, like books, comic books, and cartoons. But first, they need to meet the Kickstarter goal and make the game itself.

Check out the concept art for Space Odyssey below, and head to Kickstarter to join in the fun.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson launches Kickstarter for space exploration video game - Blastr

Dennis Rodman risks starting WW3 with North Korea with THIS gift to Kim Jong-Un – Daily Star

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FORMER basketball legend Dennis Rodman risked the wrath of Kim Jong-Un during his latest visit.

Rodman has become a regular in North Korea after becoming a close friend of the Supreme Commander.

The blossoming buddies apparently bonded over their love of basketball.

And Rodman headed to Pyongyang for a fifth time this week, but the 56-year-old might not get an invite back.

As par too his visit, he showed off some of the gifts he was giving to the tubby tyrant's sports minister to cameras.

AP

And among the basketball shirts was a copy of Donald Trumps book The Art of the Deal.

The US President has been vocally critical of Kim Jong-Un and his despotic rule in the secretive state, leading to mounting world tensions.

Trump has previously vowed to deal with North Korea and has continued to be bullish in his behaviour.

In response, Kim Jong-Un has ordered a series of missile tests as he looks to create nuclear weapons that could reach the US mainland.

North Korean news agency KCNA has released images which show another successful missile test inside the secretive state. This is sure to heighten tensions in the already fraught Korean Peninsula

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks on during a ballistic rocket test-fire

It has led to many fearing World War Three is an inevitability as neither leader looks to back down.

Its not clear what Kim Jong-Un made of the present from his pal Rodman, who once serenaded him Happy Birthday.

Former Chicago Bulls superstar Rodman, who won three championship rings alongside Michael Jordan during the 1990s, has claimed to use previous visits as a way of bridging divides between North Korea and the outside world using basketball diplomacy.

It comes as US student Otto Warmbier who had been held in North Korea for more than 17 months after being accused of stealing a poster from his hotel room was released.

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Dennis Rodman risks starting WW3 with North Korea with THIS gift to Kim Jong-Un - Daily Star

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Leven Kali’s Sensual Slow Jam Will Leave You In A Trance – The FADER

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Leven Kali is a Santa Monica singer, songwriter, and producer who recently featured on Playboi Carti's eponymous debut tape and is credited as a contributor on Drake's More Life. On his new song "Yours," he proclaims his admiration and loyalty to a mystery woman. "You say that you love me more/ I think you know what's good/ I'm here, I'm yours," he sings in a deep and raspy timbre. Two minutes into the sultry song, Kali takes on the rapping role: "I ain't got no plans/ Got no shit today/ We can take our time, babe." The synths undulate and introduce a darker and mysterious bass line that complements his nonchalant, sing-songy flow.

"'Yours' is a jam I made last week when the weather was kinda shitty in L.A. June gloom," Leven Kali told The FADER over email. "I just stayed in at the crib and cooked up. The homie ISM came through and sprinkled some sauce on it too."

Listen to "Yours" below.

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Leven Kali's Sensual Slow Jam Will Leave You In A Trance - The FADER