The number of large-scale oil tanker spills has decreased significantly in the last five years with the current figures showing less than two per year. “At a time when focus on protecting the marine environment is high, this trend should provide encouragement to tanker owners. It is also a testament to the ongoing work by industry and governments to maintain high standards of operations in sea-borne transportation.
During the year, ITOPF recorded 1 large spill of bitumen (~3,000 MT) from a tanker in the South China Sea, and 4 medium spills of various oil types, totalling 5 spills of 7 tonnes and over. Interestingly, a number of tanker incidents reported in the media in 2014 involved fire and explosion, where potentially significant quantities of cargoes and bunker fuel burned. The cargoes involved included condensate, diesels and fuel oils.” [Green4Sea]
Royal Dutch Shell has reported a significant loss in earnings as a result of the drop in global oil prices and the high volatility of energy markets since the last quarter. “But the results were weaker than analysts had expected. A main culprit was that average oil prices in the quarter tumbled to about $72 a barrel, from about $95 a barrel.
Shell’s shares were down more than 4 percent in London on Thursday.
The financial picture for the sector should become clearer in coming days, as other major energy companies report results for the last quarter of 2014, which began with oil at about $95 a barrel but ended at about $55. On Thursday, the international benchmark, Brent crude, was trading at about $49 a barrel.” [NY Times]
Carso Energy announced a representing consortium had been successful in its bid to secure rights to construct a natural gas pipeline in Western Texas. “The consortium made up of Carso Energy, a unit of Slim’s Grupo Carso industrial conglomerate; and two U.S. companies – Energy Transfer Partners and MasTec, Inc. – won the contract for the pipeline to transport natural gas from the Waha Hub to the U.S.-Mexico border near San Elizario, Texas, Mexican state electric utility CFE said in a statement Wednesday.
It presented a $596.3 million bid, which the CFE said offered a “high technical level and the lowest economic cost.”
The project involves the design, engineering, delivery, construction, operation and maintenance of the natural gas pipeline, which will be 42 inches in diameter and have the capacity to transport 1.14 billion cubic feet of gas per day.” [Fox News Latino]
