Daily Archives: April 7, 2017

President Trump is preparing to issue an executive order aimed at reversing former President Barack Obama's ban on offshore drilling off the Atlantic and Arctic coasts while directing the Interior Department to redo its five-year energy leasing plan.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly discussed the new executive order during remarks to the industry on Thursday, according to a report citing sources in attendance. The order would reopen the Obama-era 2017 to 2022 five-year offshore drilling plan to include federal lease sales in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic seas in Alaska.

The Obama administration had teased the idea of including first-time sales off the Atlantic coast in a draft plan in 2015, which it later reneged on with little justification.

It also pulled back on Arctic lease sales in the final lease plan, saying low oil prices made it economically unfeasible for the industry to deploy the resources necessary to drill in the Arctic. The oil and gas industry opposed the final decision on the 2017 to 2022 plan.

Later, Obama took separate actions to ban offshore drilling in both Alaska and the Atlantic, using a 1953 law that governs offshore leases. There is no provision in the law that allows the next president to repeal the decision. But Trump's executive order apparently will direct the Interior Department to find a way.

Bloomberg News, which first reported the executive order on Thursday, said the order would reverse the ban. The report did not say whether other offshore drilling rules would be rolled back in addition to the ban reversals and the five-year plan revamp.

Zinke said the order would come soon, potentially coinciding with the seven-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20. The 2010 disaster resulted in the deaths of nearly a dozen oil rig workers in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the largest oil spill in the industry's history.

The spill caused the Obama administration to restructure the Department of Interior's offshore regulators to improve federal oversight of the industry. The disaster also spawned a number new regulations from the Interior Department that the oil industry called duplicative and costly. The industry said it had developed its own industry rules that addressed the increased need for safety that make the federal rules moot.

Also from the Washington Examiner

"It was planned as a one-strike mission," Sen. Ben Cardin, of Maryland.

04/07/17 8:39 PM

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Trump to lift Obama's bans on offshore drilling - Washington Examiner

New York Times

Offshore Money, Bane of Democracy New York Times The government recently granted FinCEN authority to peek behind the veil of secrecy provided by offshore shell companies, and what the bureau has seen is disturbing: There is a flood of dirty capital pouring into United States real estate, and it isn't ...

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Offshore Money, Bane of Democracy - New York Times

An undated supplied image from Amnesty International shows children at the Australian-run detention centre on the Pacific island nation of Nauru. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Controversies over abuses in Australias offshore detention regime could harm its multimillion-dollar bid for a seat on the UNs Human Rights Council.

Nauru whistleblowers have told a global womens event in New York that Australia should be blocked from winning a seat on the influential UN body, because of systemic physical and sexual abuse in the island camps, and the international law violations of its indefinite detention regime.

Speaking at the Women in the World conference in New York between the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Nauru whistleblowers Viktoria Vibhakar and Alanna Maycock detailed abuses they witnessed in the camps and said Australias attempt to secure a seat on the council was inconsistent with running an offshore detention regime.

The Australian government could demonstrate its respect for human rights by evacuating these camps and bringing people to safety, Vibhakar said. If they were to do so, we would all applaud and support their bid. But this [human rights] council is supposed to protect and promote the very same human rights laws that Australian governments detention camps so flagrantly violate.

I have seen the human rights violations myself, I have given hundreds of documents recording abuse to inquiries the government cannot say it is unaware of the harm being perpetrated against people in these camps.

How can Australias bid be taken seriously in the face of such ongoing and unlawful treatment of vulnerable people?

Jennifer Robinson, Australian human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Hakawati Project, said Australias offshore detention regime had already been criticised by the council. But she said Australia was acutely sensitive to international pressure, especially as the council vote approached.

I think theres hope for change Australia reacts to international pressure.

At the councils universal periodic review of Australia in 2015, when more than 100 countries commented on the countrys human rights record, many were critical of offshore detention.

Other arms of the UN, including the special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and the UN committee against torture, have criticised offshore detention as unlawful.

Australia will compete with Spain and France for two seats on the council in elections in November. The successful nations will earn a seat on the 47-member council for three years from 2018. Australia has a solid chance of being elected, particularly given no country from the Pacific has ever sat on the council.

Lobbying for a seat in a speech to the council in February, the minister for international development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, said Australias bid for a council seat, its first, reflected a commitment to advance human rights.

It is more important than ever for nations like Australia to ensure that human rights remain a fundamental pillar of our foreign policy and global outreach.

We see holding a seat on the council as bearing a significant responsibility: a responsibility to work with partners to address international human rights violations; to stand up for universal values globally and in Australia; and to hold those responsible for violations to account especially in grave situations of human rights abuses, such as North Korea and Syria.

Fierravanti-Wells said Australia would promote the empowerment of women and girls, as well as freedom of expression, good governance, the rights of Indigenous people and strong national human rights institutions.

The council is not without controversy. Current members include Egypt, China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia, all countries with their own human rights abuses including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary imprisonment and restrictions on freedoms of association, religion and speech.

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Offshore detention may hurt Australia's bid for UN Human Rights Council seat - The Guardian

4/7/2017

LONDON -- Alpha Petroleum Resources Limited, an upstream oil and gas operator focused on the UK sector of the North Sea and backed by private equity firm Petroleum Equity, has entered into a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study agreement with Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. for its Varg Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit. Alpha intends to use the FPSO for the development of Cheviot oil field. Cheviot is 100% owned by Alpha Petroleum and is one of the largest undeveloped oil fields in the UK sector of the North Sea.

Source: Teekay Offshore.

Alpha has also entered into an Exclusivity Agreement with Teekay Offshore and during FEED will negotiate a Lease and Operate contract for the entire expected life of Cheviot oil field. Alpha expects to achieve sanction for the development during third-quarter 2017 and is targeting first oil production in 2019 at an expected rate of at least 30,000 bpd.

The Cheviot development program will consist of a minimum of 18 wells: 13 production wells, two water injection wells and two gas injection wells. It also includes one production well established in the satellite Peel oil reservoir. Options exist to use additional processing capacity on the Varg FPSO, which will be considered during the FEED process. This would allow for infill wells to increase ultimate recovery. Development of Cheviot field is predicated upon rigorous evaluation of historical production data and new 3D seismic surveys. Alpha Petroleum has concluded that maximum recovery would be achieved via re-injection of produced gas and water and use of horizontal wells to minimize drawdown.

Andy Crouch, Alpha Petroleums executive chairman, commented: This is a key milestone in the development of Cheviot field and follows innovative thinking and continued investment during a downturn in the market. Teekay Offshore has a strong track record of operational excellence in the North Sea, and we are very pleased to see their commitment to this project.

Alphas collaborative approach with contractors has resulted in a project that is economically robust in a low oil price environment, minimizes our delivery risk and time to first oil and meets the UK Governments MER requirements. We are focused on creating long-term value by bringing Cheviot to production and building a hub around Cheviot field to unlock further upside in nearby undeveloped discoveries.

Teekay Offshores Varg FPSO was selected for its ability to meet all of the projects requirements, which include minimal Cheviot-specific modifications; minimal FPSO work to meet the anticipated 10-year project life; and being a proven, reliable North Sea FPSO Varg has an average 98% availability record.

Alpha Petroleum is backed by Petroleum Equity, an alternative investment firm established in 2012 to address the significant lack of alternative capital providers focused on upstream oil & gas investment opportunities outside North America. Petroleum Equitys senior industry team has deep and specialist expertise in oil & gas investments, with an average of 27 years experience in the sector.

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Alpha Petroleum enters into FEED study agreement for Teekay ... - WorldOil (subscription)

Its early days for the Trump administration, but we already know a few things. Our new president favors swift action to meet his campaign promises. Hes also shown himself to be a no-holds-barred cost-cutter.

These two prongs create a dilemma. Mr. Trump pinned his reputation on job creation, but given recent events he will now lack expected health care savings to reinvest in stimulus in a budget-neutral manner. Fortunately, significant opportunity exists to unshackle offshore drilling and simultaneously unleash hiring activity and boost federal revenues. Some moves will require only the stroke of a pen.

All it will take to spark a hiring spree is smart deregulation that balances human and environmental safety with American energy independence.

At stake are over 100,000 energy jobs, many offering six-figure salaries to hard-working, high-skilled Americans with or without a college degree. These would be in the oil and gas sector, the second largest contributor to U.S. revenues. Industry growth could also dramatically increase taxes, royalties, and rents from offshore production to help fund other pressing government priorities.

That this potential is untapped today is the consequence of the previous administrations abnegating its stewardship of our national energy independence. Obamas anti-fossil fuel onslaught spanned 145 new regulations and executive actions designed to delay and derail domestic exploration.

The effects were unsurprisingly harmful. In just one year from 2008 to 2009, acres open to offshore drilling fell from 8 million to 3 million. By 2010, the Gulf of Mexico went from contributing 30 percent of U.S. energy to just 20 percent. Only a doubling of output on private and state-owned onshore lands over the decade ending in 2015 kept America in a relatively safe zone for domestic supply. A new policy direction is urgently needed.

President Trump has signaled a more rational approach to fossil fuels, committing to reverse overly stringent power-plant restrictions and approving pipeline construction. Regarding offshore drilling, however, the administration has only put a toe in the deep waters of change.

The recent auction of 73 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico was welcomed but represented a modest difference from Obama-era plans. Similarly, appointing energy realists Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke were inspired decisions, but filling remaining positions has been slow.

Staffing is only a first step on the path toward a top-to-bottom regulatory review a project that can deliver transformational impact without adding a dollar to the federal budget.

For example, in 2016 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) pushed through a Notice to Lessees (NTL)thatimposed new financial-assurance obligations on oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico. This regulation dramatically overhauled the existing framework for financial assurance that had been in practice for decades and had ushered in an era of responsible development while protecting our taxpayers from decommissioning obligations.

The purported goal of the change was to ensure that there are sufficient funds available to plug and abandon wells and decommission infrastructure once an offshore oil and gas facility reaches the end of its economic life. But there was no crisis in well decommissioning to compel the action. The NTL is one of the most egregious cases of hijacking arcane bureaucratic authority to debilitate an industry. According to industry experts, overturning the BOEM decision is worth over 360 million barrels in annual oil production, $10 billion in GDP, and 85,000 jobs. And this is just one regulatory action in need of immediate reevaluation.

A convincing nod in favor of energy production can have immense impact. Already ExxonMobil is creating more than 45,000 American jobs in Texas and Louisiana from Gulf investments. Imagine the employment impact if other companies could follow suit.

All it will take to spark a hiring spree is smart deregulation that balances human and environmental safety with American energy independence. Perhaps most importantly, increases in homegrown production will enable the U.S. to disentangle from foreign engagements and perhaps increase our national security.

Jobs, revenues, and more security these are the results of an oil and gas resurgence, which the Trump administration should be proud to spearhead and own.

Randall Luthi is National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) CEO and President.

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White House can pursue smart energy deregulation worth tens of thousands of new jobs - LifeZette

Editors note: The brochure from which this post was drawn, is a compilation of 10 recent and brief news items covering the logistics development in the offshore wind industry.

Walking to work across a gangway has become commonplace for technicians in the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind industries. Early, first generation systems provided the ability to transfer personnel from vessels to a fixed structure, but a new generation of walk-to-work technology has recently been introduced that enables technicians and their equipment to be transferred from a suitably sized vessel directly to an offshore platform, wind turbine or other offshore structure, such as a substation.

The first of two specialized roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessels commissioned by Siemens for transporting nacelles, tower sections, and rotor blades was launched in the Danish port of Esbjerg December 2016. We are stepping into a new era of cost-efficient offshore wind logistics, said the companys offshore CEO, Michael Hannibal.

Statoil secures logistics support for offshore wind farm Statoil has awarded Peterson two long-term contracts to provide logistics support for the Dudgeon offshore wind farm in the southern North Sea. Peterson will deliver comprehensive logistics services including stevedoring, ship agency services, provisions delivery, and transportation of personnel for walk-to-work security. It will also be responsible for the supply of fueling services from its facility in Great Yarmouth.

For the rest of the five-page brochure of 10 brief news items, register here: https://goo.gl/NdgXqP

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Ten latest developments in the offshore wind logistics industry - Windpower Engineering (press release)