Daily Archives: April 21, 2020

Nearly 10 years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe began in the Gulf of Mexico, a leading ocean conservation group warned Tuesday that the threat of another similar disaster looms large and that the fossil fuel industry and U.S. government have learned practically nothing from the world's worst ever such disaster.

Oceana's new publicationtitled "Hindsight 2020: Lessons We Cannot Ignore from the BP Disaster"provides a broad look at what led up to the "preventable tragedy," the ongoing ecological and economic consequences of the disaster, and how the spill failed to act as a wake-up call on the inherent dangers of offshore drilling.

"Offshore drilling is still as dirty and dangerous as it was 10 years ago," said Diane Hoskins, Oceana campaign director. "If anything, another disaster is more likely today as the oil industry drills deeper and farther offshore. Instead of learning lessons from the BP disaster, President Trump is proposing to radically expand offshore drilling, while dismantling the few protections put in place as a result of the catastrophic blowout."

By pulling together information from a number of sourcesincluding government documents, scientific studies, and interviews with Gulf Coast residents and policy expertsthe report conveys a chilling reality: It's not a question of another offshore oil spill happening, but simply when.

"What we found was disturbing," says the report.

While the date of the disasterApril 20, 2010is well in the rear view mirror, the consequences are not.

"Nobody was ready for this scale of pollution," Nova Southeastern University Professor Tracey Sutton told Oceana. "As far as we know, the actual impact of the spill is not over yet."

Among the impacts that are known are that as many as 800,000 birds died in the midst of and following the disaster. The oil gushing from the ocean floor also devastated bottlednose dolphinsover 75% of all dolphin pregnancies failed in the oiled area. The spill also ravaged frontline communities.

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"They failed our people," Clarice Friloux, who worked as outreach coordinator for the United Houma Nation during the spill recovery, told Oceana. "At one point, I remember thinking, 'Wow, this could kill off a whole generation of Native Americans living off the coast of Louisiana.'"

Contributing to the threat of another Deepwater Horizon-like spill is that the fossil fuel industry has pushed for riskier drillingfurther out and in deeper waters. Yet safety measures matching hose riskier moves have not been rolled out.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has done nothing to dampen the industry's appetite for more drilling.

Instead of strengthening safety regulations, the industry and the Trump administration are dismantling the few protections put in place after the BP catastrophe. Without effective oversight and a more robust safety culture, another disaster at the level of Deepwater Horizon may be just as likely today as it was 10 years ago.

The report also points to weak approach taken by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)a panel tasked with oversight of offshore drilling safety and was created in the year after Deepwater Horizon.

The only significant thing that happened was that BSEE did issue a regulation around blowout preventer devices," Cyn Sarthou, executive director of the New Orleans-based environmental policy organization Healthy Gulf, says in the report. "Under the new administration, they have rolled that back. Even that one regulation, which was very little ... has now been rolled back."

Simply put, the report states, "A decade later, the safety culture has not improved, and oversight of the industry remains deficient."

Oceana's report also points to Trump's move to greatly expand offshore drilling which further paved the path for another diaster. To prevent a similar tragedy, the new report outlines a number of recommendations and called on Congress and the White House to:

"When they drill, they spill," said Hoskins. "The BP disaster devastated the Gulf, and we cannot afford to repeat it. Protecting our environment has never been more important than it is today."

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10 Years After BP's Deepwater Horizon Offshore CatastropheWorst Spill in Historyand Nothing Learned, Says New Report - Common Dreams

Cemre Shipyard has launched the first of the three service operation vessels (SOVs) currently under construction for MHI Vestas and Esvagt at its yard in Turkey.

The vessels are of the Havyard 831 L SOV design and will service the Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, the Triton Knoll wind farm offshore England, and the Moray East wind farm off Scotland.

The Borssele III and IV SOV is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2020 when it will start servicing the wind farms 77 MHI Vestas V164 9.5 MW turbines installed some 22 kilometres off the coast of the Zeeland Province.

The Triton Knoll SOV is slated for delivery in the first quarter of 2021 to start work on the wind farms 90 MHI Vestas 9.5 MW turbines some 33 kilometres off the coast of Lincolnshire.

The Moray East SOV is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2021. This wind farm will feature 100 MHI Vestas 9.5 MW turbines.

All three vessels are under 15-year charter contracts with MHI Vestas.

The 70.5-metre-long SOVs will be equipped with a compensated walk-to-work gangway and daughter craft, as well as multiple other features, and will have the capacity to accommodate up to 60 persons.

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MHI Vestas SOV Touches Water in Turkey - Video - Offshore WIND

4/15/2020

HOUSTON Weatherford International saved an operator 27.5 hours of deepwater rig time with an Integrated Completion Solution it developed to install downhole equipment in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.

A deepwater challenge is the ultimate equation of time equals money and Weatherford saved this operator more than 27 hours of rig time, said Brent Baumann, President, Completions and Production, Weatherford. RFID technology enabled Weatherfords Optibarrier, Optimax and OptiValve to seamlessly work together and successfully complete the job in one-fifth the time it would have taken using competitors equipment.

The RFID Optibarrier valve required 2.5 hours to fully open to access the formation. Compared to valves from Weatherford competitors, which can take 12 hours to open, the Weatherford valve saved at least 9.5 hours. A unique assembly process enabled the tubing hanger assembly to be rigged up and tested in the workshop, saving at least 6 hours of rig time. The OptiValve tubing isolation valve facilitated production tree installation without requiring slickline intervention, saving 12 hours of rig time.

Originally posted here:

Weatherford tallies three deepwater firsts offshore Brazil - WorldOil

Key Companies Covered are Archer Well Company, Borr Drilling, Odfjell Drilling, Pacific Drilling, Noble Drilling, Valaris plc, Transocean, Shelf Drilling, Maersk Drilling, KCA Deutag, COSL - China Oilfield Services Limited, Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc., Saipem, Nabors Industries

PUNE, India, April 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global offshore drilling market size is slated to reach USD 56.97 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. Surging demand for electricity worldwide is expected to drive the growth of this market, states Fortune Business Insights in its new report, titled "Offshore Drilling Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Rig Type (Drill-ships, Semi-submersibles, and Jackups), By Water Depth (Shallow Water, Deepwater, and Ultra-Deepwater), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026". According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global demand for electricity is projected to rise by 2.1% annually till 2040, representing an increase from 19% in 2018 to 24% in 2040 in terms of share of electricity in total energy consumption. Moreover, presently, non-renewable sources account for 36% of the total electricity generation around the world. Fossil fuel-powered plants require oil and gas to function smoothly and generate a stable amount of electricity. With the accelerating pace of urbanization and industrialization in emerging economies, the demand for electricity will necessitate higher production of oil and gas, which will drive the offshore drilling market trends.

Offshore Drilling Market Analysis (USD Billion)

As per the report, the value of this market stood at USD 31.26 billion in 2018. Additionally, the report contains the following:

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An Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market:

The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic.

We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future.

To get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market.Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/offshore-drilling-market-102636

Market Restraint

Devastating Environmental Impacts of Offshore Drilling to Dampen Prospects

The offshore drilling market outlook is likely to get dampened owing to the grave threats that offshore drilling activities pose on the environment. One of the biggest risks is that oil spills that can inflict long-term harm on ocean ecosystems. For instance, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska continues to affect marine ecosystems after 30 years of the event, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Another threat posed by drilling activities is that of marine pollution. For example, the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council observes that waste drilling muds, an essential part of drills, house large amounts of toxic metals such as mercury and lead. These toxic materials can bio-accumulate and bio-magnify, causing irreparable damage to marine organisms. Thus, these ill-effects on marine ecology may inhibit the growth of the market in the near future.

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Regional Analysis

Asia-Pacific to Occupy Commanding Position; Middle East & Africa to Show Promising Growth

Asia-Pacific, which boasted a market size of USD 11.23 billion in 2018, is anticipated to command the offshore drilling market share during the forecast period on account of potential presence of undiscovered oil & gas reserves. The Middle East is well-known for its vast hydrocarbon reserves and countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are further ramping up their exploration & production (E&P) capabilities through extensive fleet expansion activities. Africa is fast emerging as a major hotbed of hydrocarbon sources, prompting huge investments by companies and governments in the continent. European energy majors, namely Norway, UK, Germany, and Russia, are making significant investments in increasing their offshore E&P activities, especially in the North Sea and the Norwegian continental shelf.

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Competitive Landscape

Geographic Expansion to be the Central Focus of Key Players

The offshore drilling market forecast suggests that key players in this market such as Maersk and Archer will focus on expanding their operations in unchartered territories in the coming years. This expansion will enable them to broaden their business horizons and exploit early-bird advantage in regions with untapped sources.

Industry Developments:

List of Key Players Covered in the Offshore Drilling Market Report are:

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Detailed Table of Content

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Have a Look at Related Research Insights:

Directional Drilling Services MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Location (Onshore, Offshore), By Type (Conventional, Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS)), By Service (Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS), Mud Motors, Others) and Geography Forecast, 2019 2026

Well Cementing MarketSize, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Primary Cementing and Remedial Cementing), By Application (Onshore and Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Well Intervention MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Light Intervention, Medium Intervention, Heavy Intervention), Service (Logging & Bottom Hole Survey, Tubing/Packer Failure & Repair, Stimulation, Remedial Cementing, Zonal Isolation, Sand Control, Artificial Lift, Fishing, RE-Perforation), Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Well Testing Services MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Service (Real Time Testing, Downhole Testing, Reservoir Sampling, Surface Well Testing), By Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Regional Forecast 2019-2026

Oilfield Services MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Service (Seismic Service, Drilling Service, Completion & Workover Service Production Service, Processing & Separation Service, Others), By Application (Onshore, Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Wireline Services MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Electric line, Slick line), By Well Type (OpenHole, CasedHole), By Application (Wireline Logging, Wireline Intervention, Wireline Completion), By Location (Onshore, Offshore), and Regional Forecast 2019-2026

Artificial Lift System MarketSize, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Electric Submersible Pump (ESP), Sucker Rod Pump (SRP), Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP), Gas Lift, Others), By Application (Onshore, Offshore) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) MarketSize, Share & Industry Analysis, By Process (Seamless and Welded), By Product (Well Casing, Production Tubing, Drill Pipe, and Others), By Application (Onshore and Offshore) Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Logging While Drilling MarketSize, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application (Onshore, Offshore {Shallow Water, Deepwater, Ultra-Deepwater}), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

Offshore Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance MarketSize, Share & Industry Analysis, By Service Type (Inspection {Visual Inspection, Ultrasonic, Electromagnetic}, Maintenance {Reactive Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance}, Repair), By Type (Offshore Support Vessels, AUVs/ROVs, Others), By Application (Oil & Gas, Wind Farms, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

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Offshore Drilling Market to Reach USD 56.97 Billion by 2026; Heavy Investment in Offshore E&P Activities by National Governments to Bolster Sales:...

TAS Offshore Berhad (KLSE:TAS) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 41% in the last month alone, although it is still down 38% over the last quarter. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down 16% in the last year.

Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

View our latest analysis for TAS Offshore Berhad

TAS Offshore Berhads P/E of 32.91 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (11.7) for companies in the machinery industry is lower than TAS Offshore Berhads P/E.

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that TAS Offshore Berhad shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesnt guarantee future growth. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. Thats because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the E in the equation. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others and that may attract buyers.

TAS Offshore Berhad shrunk earnings per share by 46% over the last year. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 44% annually. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio.

The Price in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

TAS Offshore Berhads net debt is 12% of its market cap. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth.

TAS Offshore Berhads P/E is 32.9 which is above average (12.4) in its market. With modest debt but no EPS growth in the last year, its fair to say the P/E implies some optimism about future earnings, from the market. What we know for sure is that investors have become much more excited about TAS Offshore Berhad recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 23.3 to 32.9 over the last month. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is blood in the streets, then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. People often underestimate remarkable growth so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. We dont have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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How Does TAS Offshore Berhads (KLSE:TAS) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After Its Big Share Price Gain? - Simply Wall St

As the offshore market entered 2020, many within the industry had an optimistic outlook for the future and the consensus was the worst is behind us.

However, nobody could have foreseen the events that would unfold in Q1 2020 and the impact that would be felt throughout every corner of the global economy.

The coronavirus or Covid-19 swept through the world from the epicenter of Wuhan, first impacting surrounding Asian and Middle Eastern countries, quickly followed by Europe and the US.

The global economy was sent into a tailspin and as a result, the demand for oil plummeted. To add another twist, Saudi Arabia and Russia entered an aggressive oil price war and the price of the commodity fell sharply. In January 2020 Brent Crude was $63/bl and by 1st April it was c. $25/bl.

This article will discuss the regional impact of both COVID-19 and oil price decrease on key operating regions.AsiaAsia hasnt had an easy ride in the last 5 years, especially Singapore. The last thing Singaporean offshore players wanted or needed was a dramatic fall in oil prices.

The region was hit quickly by the oil price war and large companies such as Keppel, Sembcorp, Nam Chong and Mermaid, Marco Polo all saw their share price drop dramatically in a matter of days. Not good for a region still hurting from its past mistakes.

As discussed in last months article several early S.E. Asian adopters turned their attention to the growing windfarm industry in the region. This employment will be a welcomed relief now oil and gas contracts are under pressure. However, the vessels that have had contracts canceled, or are struggling to find new employment must go somewhere and renewables work will be on their radar.

Europe

European owners, especially the Norwegians, are feeling the effects of the current market. Even before the events unfolded over the last 2 months, they were under huge amounts of pressure and many in the industry questioned, one, how they had survived this long and two, not if, but when they would have to seek restructuring plans.

The recent oil price crash has made the decision for them and most have been forced to find a solution. For example, Solstad Offshore the largest Norwegian offshore player was earlier this month taken over by Banks and bondholders as a $946m debt deal was agreed. Solstad will also be trimming its fleet to 90 vessels by disposing of 37 ships either in the second hand or demolition market. Other players in the region also forced into action include Havilla, DOF, Siem Offshore, Vroon etc. Solstads total fleet value 16/04/2020 is USD 1.304B (excluding the companies' two pipelay vessels).

US

The US oil and gas majors have reacted quickly and aggressively to the economic situation, ExxonMobil, Chevron, HESS, ConocoPhillips, Philips 66 have all cut 2020 CAPEX to adjust to this new price environment. These cuts will have huge implications for vessel owners in the region, the US Gulf already suffers from an oversupply of tonnage and investment cuts will certainly tip the supply and demand scales further out of favor.

Hornbeck Offshore this month announced they are entering chapter 11 restructuring. Unlike many other publicly US-listed OSV owners Hornbeck had not gone down the Chapter 11 route and instead sought other alternatives with their lenders. However, continued challenging market conditions over the last year combined with Covid-19 and the drop in oil price proved too potent a combination.

Conclusion

The current global economic situation is showing no signs of improving and how far into the future the repercussions will be felt is still very much unknown. What we do know is that the offshore industry is retracting, and 2020 is going to be a very large stress test for the industry and its players. Just as we thought we had seen the last of the mergers, bankruptcies, forced sales, delistings and chapter 11s it looks as though more pain is on the horizon.

Originally posted here:

The Year 2020 Will be a Large Stress Test for the Offshore Industry - Offshore Engineer

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has announced the results of a new national poll which shows that over 80% of the country favour offshore wind energy. Every demographic group across the US support offshore wind, according to the survey.

The national survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies between 16-19 March 2020, with ardent supporters emerging from both major political parties, indicating that the issue transcends political lines.

Voters across the board appreciate the benefits wind energy delivers, with Republicans overwhelmingly viewing wind as a clean, renewable, affordable power source that also reduces carbon emissions (88%) and keeps utility costs stable, while providing critical power to Americas densely populated areas (80%).

Related Stories:US: Coronavirus to delay utility-scale solar projects even in 2021Annual revenue for global wind turbine supply chain to hit $600bnRenewables could drive Australias COVID-19 economic recovery

AWEA said that both Democrats and Republicans prefer wind to the increased use of coal, nuclear or natural gas. Voters currently believe both oil and natural gas and wind energy play an important role in todays economy (93% and 86%, respectively), with more than half of Republican voters saying the United States should put more emphasis on producing domestic energy from both wind and solar (58% and 66%) than other forms of energy.

A majority of voters think the wind energy industry will be more important to the countrys economy than oil and natural gas ten years from now (57% to 43%), and 85% of voters agree wind energy is a clean, renewable, and affordable power source of the future, including 80% of Republicans.

The offshore wind industry possesses a power potential of more than 2,000GW, nearly double the nations current electricity use. AWEA estimates that the industry will support 83,000 jobs by 2030 and that it will drive $25 billion dollars per year in new economic activity by 2030.

Support for offshore wind is favoured across the country, not just in coastal states. With 90% of those in the South and 89% of those in the Midwest viewing it the most favorably. There are also no generational divisions on the issue.

Additionally, those who identify as conservative, moderate or liberal all are in high percent ages for their overall approval rating of offshore wind.

Republicans strongly believe that offshore wind:

Support is strong for Independents as well; 70% say the US needs to put more emphasis on wind energy and 82% of Independents favor offshore wind energy specifically. Support for offshore jumps after voters learn more about the industry.

The strong bipartisan support for offshore wind among voters is very encouraging, said AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan. Consumers clearly see that offshore wind provides significant environmental benefits and will serve as a real economic game-changer in the coming years, helping the nation recover and adding family-supporting jobs where theyre needed most at the local level following the coronavirus pandemic.

This story first appeared on our sister site, Renewable Energy World.

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80% of US consumers in favour of offshore wind says AWEA - Smart Energy

By Henry Schneider, senior communications associate, Stove Boat Communications

In April 2019, the Embassy of the United Kingdom and the state of New York brought two veteran British fishermen across the Atlantic Ocean to speak about their experiences working with offshore wind developers. While offshore wind is relatively new to the United States, with just one wind farm and 30 MW of capacity, the industry has exploded in Europe, with over 100 wind farms and more than 22,000 MW of capacity.

The British fishermen described an early disagreement: an offshore wind developer had done its surveys and determined the placement of a transmission cable, even though this meant laying the cable over a hard rock cliff where it would be exposed to damage and interfere with longstanding fishing activity. The fishermen recognized that this placement would be bad for both industries, hurting the cables longevity and creating a potential snag for fishing activity. The two industries hit the drawing board and found an alternative plan: the fishermen knew of nearby soft bottom ocean habitat where the cable could be buried, reducing the developers risk and preserving fishing in the area.

Issues like these are ones where fishermens knowledge of the seas they have worked on their whole lives and previous generations worked on before them can be invaluable, both for maintaining their livelihoods as offshore wind farms are constructed in or around fishing grounds, and for helping developers make the best decisions for their wind businesses.

It was in this spirit that in 2018, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) was formed. Comprised of fishing industry members from every Atlantic coastal state from North Carolina to Maine, as well as Pacific coast members in California, Oregon and Washington, RODA works directly with developers, regulators, scientists and other experts to promote coexistence between the offshore wind industry and fishing communities. To minimize conflicts with commercial fishing, RODA is committed to applying scientific and evidenced approaches to the expanding U.S. offshore wind industry.

Although there is only one U.S. offshore wind farm currently in operation and located in state waters, 16 sites have been leased throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic, with additional sites proposed in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Offshore wind development is also complicated by the sheer number of developers, fishery sectors and regulators in play. On the regulatory side alone, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the U.S. Coast Guard, regional fishery management councils and state agencies all have some jurisdiction over offshore wind and fisheries interactions. With so many different groups involved, RODAs ability to speak with a unified voice on behalf of the fishing industry is critical to the process.

One of RODAs most important projects conceived during a meeting between RODA and rsted leadership in 2019 is its Joint Industry Task Force with wind developers, a first-of-its-kind initiative created to improve direct communications between the two industries. In addition to RODAs fishing members, the task force consists of wind developers rsted, Equinor, Vineyard Wind, Mayflower, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, Avangrid and EnBW, comprising almost every offshore wind leaseholder on the Atlantic coast. The driving concept behind the task force is to take the best lessons learned from all regions like the British cable example apply them early and often, and continually improve upon them to reduce risk for both industries.

The Joint Industry Task Force is bringing the offshore wind and fishing industries together to pool their knowledge in a way thats never been attempted before, said Peter Hughes, RODAs Chairman and Director of Sustainability at Atlantic Capes Fisheries. Its groundbreaking work.

The task force first convened in June 2019 to determine how the industries could best work together and finalize a charter, with principles including promoting coexistence, identifying areas of conflict and cooperating to identify solutions, and ensuring fishing representation in the offshore wind process. Last October, the task force co-convened a Joint Industry Educational Forum in Warwick, Rhode Island a two-day informational exchange in which fishermen, developers, state leaders and regulators presented on everything from U.S. fisheries law to the physical components of a wind project to fish stock assessment surveys. More recently, the task force prepared a joint letter to BOEM on draft navigation guidelines and created a survey for mariner input on what kinds of navigational aids would benefit them most, from lighting and markings on turbines to AIS (automatic identification systems) to sound signals.

From our experience in other regions around the world, we believed that creating a forum made up of a broad fishing geographic and gear type representation, alongside of offshore wind developers, only leads to better communication and outcomes for both industries, said John OKeeffe, Head of Marine Affairs for rsted. We must still maintain strong direct ties with other regional fishing organizations and state and federal agencies, but having a national body can be extremely helpful. We wont agree on everything, but solid outcomes and practical solutions can be achieved.

In many ways just as important as the concrete developments that have emerged from the task force is the collaborative space that has resulted for both industries to work together. Through the task force, wind developers have an on-going and regular means to inquire about commercial fishing ideas and concerns, and vice versa. Some task force members have even engaged RODA in site-specific, detailed layout meetings on their wind projects something that almost certainly wouldnt have happened before the task force brought the two industries into closer collaboration.

One thing the fishing industry has learned from the task force is that not all offshore wind developers relate to the U.S. commercial fishing industry the same way, said Annie Hawkins, RODAs Executive Director. And I think the dialogue of the task force has provided offshore wind developers with a much deeper appreciation of the significant differences of needs across our different fisheries.

There remain plenty of issues to be resolved as offshore wind moves forward in the United States. As relationships continue to grow and trust evolves, task force participants hope that early identification of potential conflicts and adaptive learning once projects begin operations will minimize conflict in the future. Structured communications can assist in identifying and de-risking potential issues long before they become entrenched sources of conflict.

For example, some fisheries are managed on a days at sea basis whereby fishermen are allotted a certain number of days to make their catch without fishing input, developers wouldnt have known that spending extra time transiting offshore wind areas can directly impact how much fishermen are able to catch.

Other fisheries use low-altitude spotter planes that radio down to fishing boats where to go to catch schools of fish. These planes wouldnt be able to fly through large wind energy areas. In others, such as tuna fisheries in several regions, fishermen who have traditionally pursued their catch by following birds are concerned about potential disturbances.

Through initiatives like the Joint Industry Task Force, RODA is able to bring the fishing industrys knowledge and concerns directly to wind developers early in the process. And because of the open channels of communication created by the task force, the industries have the ability to collaborate on solutions early to avoid confrontation later on. As offshore wind becomes a major player in the U.S. energy system, this is the type of win-win work that must occur to ensure the industry is successful and historic U.S. commercial fishing communities are able to continue their way of life.

Henry Schneider is the senior communications associate at Stove Boat Communications, where he advises organizations across the U.S. commercial fishing sector, including RODA.

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Bringing fishing and wind communities together to site US offshore wind projects - Windpower Engineering

The offshore wind industry will need 77,000 GWO-trained on-site workers to deliver forecast installations in six key emerging markets for offshore wind between 2020-2024, a new report has found.

Published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Global Wind Organisation (GWO), Powering the Future: Global Offshore Wind Workforce Outlook 2020-2024 provides a qualitative analysis of the workforce training needs required to fulfill offshore market forecasts in North America, China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Research determined that 2.5 workers per MW per project are needed to deliver the 31 GW forecast for these six markets.

The research was built upon GWO training data and GWEC Market Intelligence forecasts, combined with data from Renewables Consulting Groups GRIP database and a series of industry interviews.

The offshore wind industry is growing exponentially and there is no doubt that it will become a major driver of the energy transition across the world, with GWEC Market Intelligence forecasting 51GW of new offshore installations globally by 2024, Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC, said.

The findings in this report are an important tool to match global market trends with local training needs and build a coherent roadmap for thriving offshore wind industries in emerging markets. These markets are moving faster than we have ever seen before, and it is crucial that workforce training keeps up to build a good reputation for the sector and ensure growth opportunities for years to come.

The Powering the Future report also underscores key workforce supply chain bottlenecks that must be addressed in order to realise these large-scale training needs.

Barriers include a lack of training centres, lack of familiarity with standards and risk of standards being perceived as imposed and unreflective of local context.

Additionally, the current COVID-19 crisis will pose a new challenge to both workforce and turbine supply chains to reach the worlds offshore wind ambitions.

Having a GWO trained workforce is often the missing piece of the puzzle when considering a new offshore wind project in any given market, but this should be seen as a top priority in nascent markets to secure their long-term growth and create thousands of local jobs, Jakob Lau Holst, CEO at GWO, said.

GWO already has training centres in China, the US and Taiwan, but we will need to ramp up training centres in these regions drastically to train the necessary workforce of almost 78,000 people. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, GWO is also rolling out digital training platforms to ensure continuity in training and continue driving forward the global energy transition.

This report is the first output of GWEC and GWOs partnership signed in November 2019 and is supported by research partners Renewables Consulting Group.

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Report: Over 77000 Trained On-Site Workers Needed in Emerging Offshore Wind Markets by 2024 - Offshore WIND