The Russian federal government has approved an adjusted financial scheme to support construction of Novatek’s new Utrenneye natural gas terminal on the Gydan Peninsula located across the Gulf of Ob from Sabetta in the Russian Arctic. The revised agreement will see the federal government’s investment in the project increased to 103.2 billion rubles while Novatek will account for the remaining 60.9 billion rubles, an overall increase of 14 percent from the project’s original projection. At the same time the construction period of the project will be extended by two years with the facility now expected to come on line in 2024. The new terminal will house major LNG production components, including several gravity-based structures currently under construction at the Belokamenka yard in Murmansk. Upon completion the terminal will serve Novatek’s…
The Switzerland-based UBS Bank has joined several other investment companies in pulling funding and support for new offshore drilling projects in the Arctic, a move that could affect future funding for oil and gas projects in Alaska. A number of US banks, including Wells Fargo & Co, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, have already announced similar policy shifts, stating they were no longer supporting new projects in the region in an effort to tackle climate change. Although major oil companies in Alaska are not too dependent on banks for their projects because they can use their own cash flow, the bank announcements could make it difficult for smaller operators to borrow money for future plans.
Alexander Krutikov, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, has indicated that dredging is being planned to deepen a number of rivers in the Russian Arctic to enhance commercial traffic for both cargo and passengers. Some of the rivers flow into the North-Siberian Sea, part of the Northern Sea Route, which means that cargoes could be transshipped between river and ocean carriers. This past December Russian officials noted that they were also discussing dredging of the Ob and Irtysh rivers as well as the Anabar, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, and Koluma rivers, all of which are located in northern Siberia.
Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard expects to deliver two Arctic-capable cruise ships to the Russian river cruise company Vodohod by 2021 and 2022. The twin luxury vessels will measure 113-meterd by 20.2-meters and will be finished to Russia’s PC5 ice class standards. They are intended to operate both in the Arctic and Antarctic but will also be capable of operating in tropical waters during the spring and fall seasons.
SMART LNG, the joint venture established by Russia’s Sovcomflot and Novatek last year to own and operate a fleet of LNG carriers that will serve Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project, has obtained financing for the first four ships from VEB.RF Group, the Russian state development corporation. The enhanced Arc7 icebreaking tankers will be constructed at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex in the Russian Far East to a design that will draw upon Sovcomflot’s experience gained while operating the 2017-built Christophe de Margerie, the world’s first icebreaking LNG carrier. The expertise of South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industry will also be enlisted to give the vessels a higher degree of icebreaking capability and maneuverability than previous ships. The gas tankers will be operated under the Russian Federation flag while the Russian Maritime Register…
This month, the US Coast Guard offered coverage for Navy and Marine Corps personnel who took part in the Arctic Expeditionary Capabilities Exercise (AECE) 2019 in Alaska, making sure participants were safe during the exercise. Coverage included supplying search and rescue, law enforcement crews, and assistance in navigating Alaskan waters at exercise locations. "As one of the nation’s Armed Forces, the Coast Guard integrates with the Department of Defense, including the US Navy and the US Marine Corps as evidenced during this exercise," said Capt. Melissa L. Rivera, chief of staff for the Seventeenth Coast Guard District. "Our helicopters, planes, equipment and personnel can fully integrate with the other military services as our HC-130 airplane is conducting refueling operations with the Navy and Marines, our MH-65 helicopter is landing on…
U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) and Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) have secured federal funding for the purchase of a commercially available icebreaker ship, they announced March 21. The Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act includes $125 million to purchase the icebreaker. The delegation has also secured commitments from the Coast Guard that the icebreaker will be homeported in Juneau, Alaska to afford the vessel greater access and reach into the Arctic. “The inclusion of funding for the first icebreaker in a generation is significant progress for our state and our country’s national security,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Our national security interests in the Arctic have never been more critical. We have a lot more work to do, but this is an important milestone and…
Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has announced that it has formed a ‘strategic partnership’ with Anchorage, Alaska-based marine engineering and naval architect firm Coastwise Corp. As a result, Coastwise has been rebranded as Coastwise Engineering and is now a division of Elliott Bay Design Group, EBDG said in a February announcement, adding that the division would continue to superior naval architecture services to both public and private clients, using existing Coastwise Corp. contact methods. “With a dedicated team of 57 professional staff members, the new EBDG division will provide Coastwise Corp.’s clients in Alaska, as well as the lower 48, with quality marine technical services and a broader industry reach,” Elliott Bay Design Group said in a statement. This partnership, EBDG explained, brings together the expertise and design portfolio of…
Elliott Bay Design Group is expanding its reach in Alaska and beyond. The Seattle-based company announced Feb. 21 that it’s teaming up with Anchorage-based marine engineering and naval architect company Coastwise Corp. in a strategic partnership that combines EBDG’s designs with Coastwise’s portfolio. Under the agreement, Elliott Bay is acquiring Coastwise’s assets and would be rebranded as Coastwise Engineering, a new division of EBDG with 57 staff members that continues to offer “naval architecture services to both public and private clients, using existing Coastwise Corporation contact methods,” according to EBDG. “EBDG is excited to expand our presence in Alaska and strengthen our position in the industry through this acquisition,” Jim Towers, principal in charge at EBDG said. “We believe that combining forces with Coastwise Corporation’s talented team will open up…
On Dec. 4, the Coast Guard published a Request-for-Information (RFI) pertaining to vessel response plans (VRP) for western Alaska. VRPs are developed in order to prepare for an oil spill and have to detail both the equipment and resources carried on a vessel as well as shoreside assistance that can quickly respond. This is a new effort focused on developing distinct response plan criteria for the Western Alaska and Prince William Sound Captain of the Port zones. The criteria must include minimum response times, improvements to wildlife response and consideration of prevention and mitigation measures. Taken together, the Western Alaska zones form the entire mainland coastline of Alaska plus thousands of additional miles of the coastlines along the state’s major and minor islands. According to the state, Alaska’s coastline extends…
