New partnership aims to boost cybersecurity in shipping

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May 9, 2019

Aon PLC, a services firm providing cybersecurity solutions, is partnering with HudsonCyber, a division of HudsonAnalytix, Inc. of Camden, New Jersey, to provide cybersecurity capability assessment, integrated cyber breach response, and mitigation support to the global marine industry.

Today, the shipping industry is highly exposed to the cyber threats and attacks due to the increasing technological connectivity and the few cybersecurity laws and regulations.

Therefore, the Hudson’s HACyberLogix cybersecurity assessment program and Aon’s cyber risk transfer is a collaboration that provides incident response and mitigation services, protecting shipping companies from cyber attacks.

The partnership has merged cybersecurity standards with maritime compliance regimes; As so, the HACyberLogix platform provides to companies and organisations an enterprise view of their cybersecurity capabilities and in the meantime enables them to acknowledge what their best practises are in order to better invest in sustainable controls, processes and solutions.

Striking examples of cyber attacks from the past show the importance of cybersecurity and the lack of measures in order for companies to quickly response to the dangers.

In light of this partnership, Lee Meyrick, CEO of Global Marine at Aon commented that it is of a great importance to understand cyber risk exposures, mitigation strategies and maximizing the effectiveness of their programs.

In addition, Cynthia Hudson, CEO of HudsonAnalytix noted"Our integrated approach will provide the maritime industry with an unprecedented opportunity to implement a cyber response in an accelerated, disciplined, and comprehensive fashion, helping to mitigate damages arising from a cyber incident."

Nevertheless, Hudson's cybersecurity capability along with Aon's integrated response proficiency reflects the collaboration's dynamic on assessing, managing and responing to the expensive impacts of a cyber incident, in favour of the shipping industry stakeholders.

Source:safety4sea

USCG’s next icebreaker details revealed

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May 9, 2019

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The US Coast Guard’s next icebreaker is based on a German research vessel, and is also equipped with a Finnish propulsion design. The vessel will be driven by American diesels, according to shipbuilder VT Halter Marine.

The US Department of the Navy had appointed VT Halter Marine to be the prime contractor of a $745,940,860 contract for the construction of USCG's Heavy Polar Icebreaker.

The ship will be designed based on the 'Polar Stern II', while the construction team has also gradually adjusted the design and carried out a series of five ship model tank tests, aiming to achieve the ideal design.

The vessel will be 460 feet in length, featuring a beam of 88 feet, and a full load displacement of about 33,000 long tons. As for the propulsion, it will be diesel electric and able to break ice between six to eight feet thick.

It will also accommodate 186 personnel for a period of 90 days.

VT Halter Marine cooperated with ABB/Trident Marine for its Azipod propulsion system, Raytheon for command and control systems integration, Caterpillar for the main engines, Jamestown Metal Marine for joiner package, and Bronswerk for the HVAC system.

Subsea system provided to Barossa’s project

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May 9, 2019

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ConocoPhillips Australia, as operator of the Barossa joint venture, has awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the Barossa project to Technip Oceania (TFMC). According to the contract, Technip Oceania will supply the Subsea Production System (SPS) and associated SPS installation support.

For the time being, the Barossa offshore gas and light project is in the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase.

Barossa will provide a new source of gas to the existing Darwin LNG facility when the current offshore gas supply from Bayu-Undan is exhausted.

Barossa's offshore concept consists of a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, SPS and gas export pipeline, located in Commonwealth waters, 300 kilometers north of Darwin, Australia.

In light of the above, Chris Wilson, ConocoPhillips Australia West president commented "This award represents a significant milestone in the Barossa Project. The SPS facilities include critical, long lead time equipment which is required to be ordered prior to a final investment decision in order to meet the project schedule."

Source:safety4sea

Aker Solutions’ digital services provider helps accelerate field development and optimize operations

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May 9, 2019

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Aker Solutions says it launches ix3™ – a software and digital services company that enables operators to accelerate field development projects and optimize asset performance.

ix3™ has created a digital twin platform called Integral™ that brings together engineering, manufacturing and test data with live-streamed operational data. Integral™ monitors, assesses, maintains and optimizes energy assets from concept to decommissioning. It can improve the design and operating efficiency of energy assets by enabling teams to make better decisions.

"Our software solutions have contributed to improved quality and performance on 140 projects in the last 15 years, with benchmarked results. We have combined our cutting-edge software with deep domain knowledge in ix3™ to help our customers deliver more efficient projects and operations. Our digital offerings are a key differentiator and contributor to Aker Solutions growth and profitability," said Dean Watson, Chief Operating Officer of Aker Solutions.

One of the main barriers to digitalization in the sector to date has been data quality. Integral™ addresses this by bringing together structured and easily searchable information via applications. All information about a field or facility is maintained in an up-to-date, centralized place and connects the operator with contractors and other service suppliers. It brings together cloud computing, Industrial Internet of Things, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

"The ix3™ suite of apps is radically transforming how we work. They accelerate time to first oil and increase safety and performance throughout the full life of an energy asset. ix3™ is named after its core offering: integrated, innovative insight," said Are Føllesdal Tjønn, head of ix3™. "We can reduce months of design and engineering work to weeks. Administration and coordination costs can be significantly reduced during the construction phase while also increasing quality during fabrication."

ix3™ has four software portfolios addressing the full life of field of an energy asset:

Concept Insight enables customers to fully test and trial multiple field development scenarios at a fraction of the time and cost previously possible
Engineering Insight portfolio automates engineering, design and modeling processes in the FEED or detailed design stages, reducing engineering hours and allowing more time to be spent on creative innovation and value-added activities
Construction Insight supports continuous improvement and operational efficiency through real-time insight and by supporting a connected workforce working from centralized data
Operational Insight provides access to real-time condition, risk and performance data from a facility or field enabling quick, confident and targeted decision making

Aker Solutions ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Aker Solutions"), is a leading global oil services company that provides engineering services, technologies, product solutions and field-life solutions for the oil and gas industry. The Aker Solutions group is organised in a number of separate legal entities. Aker Solutions is used as the common brand/trademark for most of these entities.

FEED issued for Upper Zakum production expansion

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May 8, 2019

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ADNOC and its partners in the offshore Upper Zakum oilfield have awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to increase the production capacity to 1 MMb/d by 2024.

The partners are ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Co. Ltd. and INPEX Corp.

ADNOC says the scheme is integral to its target of raising its oil production capacity to 4 MMb/d by 2020 and to 5 MMb/d 2030.

Estimated cost is around $8 billion, including drilling-related expenditure. The program will also be designed to exploit synergies from the existing UZ750 project, with a view to optimizing costs and maximizing value.

The Upper Zakum development employs extended-reach drilling to optimize well numbers and to provide maximum reservoir contact. In recent years, the partners drilled one of the world’s longest wells at 35,800 ft (10,912 ft) MD.

In addition, the development is implementing synergies with the Lower Zakum Concession through shared multi-well pad drilling and streamlined rig.

A new round of extended-reach drilling is scheduled to start on the Lower Zakum Concession later this year from Upper Zakum’s Al Ghallan Island.

Artificial islands provide cost and environmental benefits in shallow water by enabling use of lower-cost land rigs instead of higher-cost offshore jackups.

Source:offshore-mag

PSA International to take over Halterm Container Terminal

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May 8, 2019

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PSA International, a Singapore-based port operator, has finalised an agreement to take over the Halterm Container Terminal in the Port of Halifax, Canada, and multipurpose Penn Terminals in Pennsylvania, USA.

According to PSA International, the terminals are acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).

However, the company didn't provide any financial details related to the transactions.

By taking over the terminals, PSA will expand in Canada, after entering the market with an investment agreement to acquire 60% of Ashcroft Terminal business, an inland port facility in Western Canada, in July 2018.

Almost two months ago, agreed to buy Poland’s largest container terminal, DCT Gdańsk, jointly with the Polish Development Fund (PFR) and the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF).

At the time, the parties said that the shares would be purchased from MIRA-managed fund Global Infrastructure Fund II, MTAA Super, AustralianSuper and Statewide Super.

How will the 2020 sulphur cap affect downstream, upstream, LNG and bulks sectors

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May 8, 2019

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WoodMac's experts focused on the approaching IMO 2020 and the impacts it could possibly have beyond refining and shipping. Research director Sushant Gupta marks that the industry should expect wider light-heavy and sweet-sour crude price differentials.

She specifically commented..."Because of the IMO regulation, we expect a stronger gasoil (S<0.5 wt %) and a weaker high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) crack (the price difference to crude), meaning wider light-heavy and sweet-sour differentials, which in turn translate to knock on effect on crude price differentials."

In addition, research director Angus Rodger noted that upstream producers of sour crudes could face many challenges with the IMO 2020 sulphur cap comes into force. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Russia should expect the decrease of sour crudes' value.

He continued that these countries are amongst the lowest global producers, and although there is a possibility of the revenue being negatively affected, it will not directly influence field breakevens or output.

Thus, he highlighted that the impact will be most likely felt more by the top five global sour crude producers as Canada.

Additionally, the sulphur cap implementation will boost countries as the US and Brazil as they produce large quantities of heavy-sweet and light-sweet crudes respectively.

Moreover, research director Nicholas Browne noted that the sulphur cap will affect LNG in two ways:

Shipping;
Contracting.

He highlighted that the first impact is on LNG bunkering, as it is expected for it to reach 9 mmtpa by 2025.

The second concerns the value of LNG within contracts.

The Japanese crude cocktail is used for around 40% of LNG contracts. Its value will fall relative to Brent. For North East Asian buyers this could mean a saving of approximately US$2.5 billion in 2020 alone.

Continuing, Rohan Kendall, principal analyst, addressed that the impact of the sulphur cap on ocean freight means higher cost for bulks.

As Mr Kendall noted"Ocean freight is where the largest impact from IMO 2020 regulations lie for bulk commodities. Limited uptake of scrubber installation so far and a limited availability of VLSFO will mean most bulk carriers switch to higher priced diesel for compliance."

Iron ore shipments from Brazil to China will experience significant increases because of the distant voyage. Also, similarly, freight from Australia and Indonesia to North Asia will increase by between US$1.7/tonne and US$2.9/tonne.

Diesel price increases will only lead to a US27cents/tonne (1.3%) increase in average FOB costs for iron ore mines. However, the impact will not be evenly spread. Mines that use trucking for long-distance transport, have diesel-fired power generation, or have a high ratio of material moved to marketable production will be affected most.

He concluded that, Indonesia's thermal coal will see its cost making a leap upwards in comparison to Australia. This is because Indonesian mines almost exclusively use diesel powered mining equipment, have long truck hauls to barge ports, and utilize diesel powered barges for river based transport. Australia, on the other hand, has a higher proportion of electrified mining equipment and conveyors.

Source:safety4sea

Keppel-Aibel Team Wins German Offshore Gig

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May 8, 2019

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Norwegian energy services provider Aibel AS and a unit of Singaporean conglomerate Keppel Corporation have jointly won a contract to deliver two converter stations as part of the DolWin cluster servicing German offshore wind farms.

The grid operator TenneT Offshore has tasked Aibel and Keppel O&M, a unit of Keppel Corp, with the design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of a 900-MW offshore High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station along with an onshore converter station as part of the DolWin5 project.

Together with its subcontractor ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri), the consortium will also undertake the installation and start-up operations of the offshore and onshore converter stations on site at Germany.

Scheduled to be completed in 2024, the two converter stations will be part of the DolWin cluster servicing offshore wind farms in the German sector of the North Sea.

The offshore converter station will be located approximately 130km from the onshore converter station and they will provide grid connection for the offshore wind power plants to transmit and supply electricity to approximately a million households in Germany.

Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M said, "This is Keppel O&M's first major project of this scale and extends our track record in supporting the renewable energy industry. We see opportunities in this segment as the offshore renewables market is expected to increase significantly over time with increasing concerns over climate change. Keppel O&M is able to leverage our expertise in offshore energy infrastructure to offer customised and high quality solutions across the offshore wind farm value chain."

"We are pleased to be selected by TenneT, a leading European transmission system operator, for this large-scale offshore wind project with our partner Aibel. Together with ABB, the consortium is able to provide a comprehensive and cost effective solution for TenneT. Keppel had previously completed a mobile application barge for an offshore substation in Germany as well as an offshore wind turbine installer," he added.

How a clean desk can reduce cyber risk incidents

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May 8, 2019

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55% of all theft at work takes place within the victim’s work area. A clean desk area can reduce the risks of unauthorised access, loss of and damage to information during and outside normal working hours.

The clean desk and clear screen policy regard practices that ensure sensitive information are protected.

In addition, a clear screen policy directs all employees to lock their computers when leaving their desk and log off when leaving for a long period of time. This aims to make sure that the contents of the computer screen are protected.

Namely, 1 in 4 employees said that they leave their computers unattended, while 63% of confirmed data breaches include weak, default or stolen passwords. Furthermore, 9% of small companies do not have a policy for disposing confidential documents.

What is more, a clean desk and clear screen policy should be established because of several benefits that it can provide to organisations, such as:

Prevent Prying Eyes: Computers that are left logged on and unattended are a potential target for prying eyes. Many employees entrusted with sensitive information often leave documents in plain view when leaving their desk. This could expose sensitive information;
Prevent Unauthorised Access: A clear screen policy also prevents unauthorised access. Unattended computers provide the opportunity for malicious data modification;
ISO 27001/17799 Compliance: A clean desk and clear screen policy are necessary for the global standard ISO 27001/17799 compliance.

Moreover, GoldPhish offers some simple, low-tech clean desk and clear screen practices that anyone can implement:

Use of locked areas: Lockable drawers, archive cabinets, safes, and file rooms should be available to store information media or easily transportable devices when not required, or when there is no one to take care of them;
Protection of devices and information systems: Computers and similar devices should be positioned in such a way as to prevent people passing by to have a chance to look at their screens, and configured to use time-activated screen savers and password protection to limit chances that someone takes advantage of unattended equipment;
Restriction on use of copy and printing technology: Printers, photocopiers, scanners, and cameras should be controlled by reducing their quantity or by using code functions that allow only authorised persons to have access to them;
Paperless culture: Documents should not be printed unnecessarily, and sticky notes should not be left on monitors or under keyboards;
Disposal of information remaining in meeting rooms:All information on white boards should be erased and all pieces of papers used during a meeting should be subject to proper disposal.

Source:safety4sea

Watch: First ever 3D printed crane hook for offshore vessel

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May 8, 2019

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Huisman informed that it delivered the first ever class certified, 3D-printed crane hooks. The 3D-printed hooks were certified following load testing at more than double their safe working load. The hooks are certified for offshore use based on ABS standards.

The OOS Serooskerke will be the first ship to have a 3D-printed crane hook installed. In addition, the OOS Walcheren will also have a 36 tonne SWL 3D-printed crane hook. Huisman produced both of the hooks.

Huisman researched the 3D-printed material's qualities, taking into consideration strength and fatigue. It also examined it for potential anisotropy, meaning different material properties in different dimensional directions.

Before that, in 2018, Huisman successfully tested the 3D printed offshore crane hook to 80 tonnes, before ending up installing the first 3D-printed crane hook globally.

Source:safety4sea