In this edition of DNV Forum you can read about the US Coast Guard's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Also inside: Focus on Americas, LNG: a new era for tankers, RCI: sisters of success
Date: 2011-03-08
A wake-up call
The Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico was a wake-up call for the oil and gas industry worldwide, not only in the US.
Americas now
The Americas are seeing encouraging signs of an economic resurgence. Still, while the causes of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe are fully examined, the industry leaders are anxious to better understand their risks and expected changes.
The New Normal
When we’re caught in a storm, we focus all our attention on the now – the immediate imperatives of a dangerous and uncertain environment. But when the bad weather lets up, we might find that we have emerged in a place different than where we entered. This is the concept of the “New Normal”.
A step change for safety
After one year as Chief Operating Officer of DNV’s Division Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa, Elisabeth Tørstad takes a deep breath. 2010 was a tough year for many managers and regulators in the oil and gas industry. The Deepwater Horizon accident moved health, safety and environment to the top of the public agenda. And now, everyone is redrawing their risk picture.
Always ready
The US Coast Guard response to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe was the largest US Coast Guard response ever undertaken.
A sober view on integrity
US Congressman Bart Stupak thinks that we will see companies take a much more sober view of their integrity, corporate behaviour and the consequences of an accident. And that the US needs a regulatory regime that blends prescriptive and performance based regulations.
Research in the pipeline
While operating oil and gas pipeline systems will always involve risk, the continued advancement of technology can help minimise it. Cliff Johnson, president of the pipeline research consortium PRCI, discusses how collaborative research efforts can ensure that pipelines operate with the highest safety and efficiency, both today and for future generations.
Cruise centre in Miami
The establishment of a global cruise centre will enable DNV to respond more quickly to local customer demand and serve as a hub for a network of DNV cruise ship service centres around the world.
Sisters of success - why not?
It looked like a bad idea at the time. Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise ship, pulled into port in Florida a year ago just as the US economic recession hit bottom. The company’s motto, “Why Not?” has driven its business decision.
New regulations will change the game
“The environmental agenda is shipping’s biggest challenge. The new regulations can be game-changers and will drive innovation,” says Captain Graham Westgarth, President of Teekay Marine Services.
Towards new heights: South America’s biggest shipyard
Brazilian OSX, an EBX Group company, is to start building South America’s biggest shipyard in 2011.
The wave of the future
Gabriel Alonso, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Wind Energy and Chief Operating Officer of EDP Renewables North America, is confident that wind power is the wave of the future, despite today’s challenges. Of all forms of renewable energy, he sees wind power’s economics as the best investment.
New standard floating turbines
In order to support faster progress in the offshore floating wind industry, DNV and key players are developing a common design standard.
Contract with Cape Wind
Boston based Cape Wind is developing America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound, offshore Maine, Massachusetts. The project, counting 130 wind turbines, will produce up to 420 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to cover three quarters of the nearby Cape and Islands’ electricity needs.
Making a difference
Ecotrust leads the way in bringing ecosystem services and nontraditional revenue streams to conserve forests and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.
A new era for tankers
DNV recently introduced Triality – a new crude oil tanker concept that is fuelled by liquefied natural gas, has a hull shape that removes the need for ballast water and will almost eliminate local air pollution. This concept vessel also recovers hundreds of tonnes of cargo vapours on each voyage and represents a major step towards the new environmental era for the tanker shipping industry.
What a match!
DNV has acquired Behnke, Erdman and Whitaker Engineering, Inc. (BEW) in California; a consulting company with a particular focus on solar power, wind energy, power transmission and grid integration.
Arctic voyage completed
When the tanker SCF Baltica arrived safely at the Chinese port of Ningbo with 70,000 tonnes of gas condensate on board, a path-breaking voyage through the Northern Sea Route had been completed.
In my backyard, please
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a critical part of stopping global warming. Germany´s RWE is moving the debate in Germany toward an opportunity to change things for the better.
The man with a mission
China is striving to improve health care for its citizens. Central to shaping its reforms is Professor Zhenzhong Zhang, Director-General of the China National Health Development Research Centre in Beijing.
A new perspective on offshore safety
Surely, we all agree that 20 April 2010 changed offshore drilling forever. Sadly, 11 men lost their lives and the United States struggled with its biggest pollution event and largest response effort ever.