From Houston (BN): BW Offshore announced it has recovered the last of the missing personnel following the 11 February explosion (SEN, 31/23) aboard the fpso Cidade de Sao Mateus. The final death toll stands at nine.

Two of the 27 crew members reported injured remain hospitalised in stable condition. BW operates the fpso for Petrobras on the CAMARUPIM and CAMARUPIM NORTE fields about 120km east of the Espirito Santo coast. Investigation of the cause continues, but preliminary indication is a gas leak in the pump room. Discussions are underway about restarting the unit with no target date in view.

From the editor: While on BW, it was interesting to note, gleaned from a corporate presentation this week, that its current chartering priority is the redeployment of the unit Azurite (30/17), following the early termination of the contract.

Originally deployed on the eponymous field in the Congo for Murphy, it was the first ever fdpso with the ‘d’ for drilling. BW never owned the drilling equipment - it was leased by Murphy - and has now been removed. While it is being marketed now simply as an fpso, it does have a unique design with a substantial moonpool.

If the current market wasn’t so depressed, it might have found a use for well intervention. Now it just needs to find a warm weather location and be used as a ‘pool’!

Ithaca Energy has taken a $10mn hit after pushing back start-up of production from the GREATER STELLA AREA (SEN, 31/21) hub in the UK North Sea because of delays to modification and upgrade work on the FPF-1 semi floating production unit.

FPF-1 is being modified by Petrofac at the Remontowa yard in Poland, but Ithaca boss Les Thomas said completion of the work programme has ‘proved difficult.’ Progress has been slower than expected and the vessel will not be ready to sail-away as planned in spring of this year.

This milestone is now set for early 2016, resulting in first hydrocarbons in Q2, a delay from the planned Q3 2015 start-up.

Ithaca said over three-quarters of the construction work has been finished on the FPF-1 and the unit and risers have been designed for year round installation.

The remainder of the GSA development programme is progressing well, Ithaca stressed. The Stella drilling campaign is almost complete, with the results of the cleanup flow test on the fifth and final well (Stella Ekofisk) anticipated this month.

The majority of the subsea infrastructure has already been installed and the rest is scheduled for installation in the second quarter of 2015.

The £10mn added cost to Ithaca relates to project management for the overall development, as the FPF-1 modifications are being borne by Petrofac.

From Houston (BN): It is difficult to continue growing without any operating cashflow. As a result, Cobalt Energy has executed what it calls the Gulf of Mexico’s first reserve-based loan facility to fund most of its remaining share of the Anadarko-led HEIDELBERG (31/8) spar development. Societe General is providing the $150mn senior secured reserve-based loan facility, which is expected to be further syndicated.

While SEVAN MARINE continues to find study work for units based on its circular fpso design - for Shell Penguins (31/23) and Premier Vette, the field formerly known as Bream (31/21) - it is putting a big focus on floating LNG using the HiLoad technology for offloading purposes.

While on FLNG, Höegh LNG has linked up with US-based Delfin LNG on its LNG DEEPWATER PORT project in the Gulf of Mexico. The scheme is to pipe onshore gas in a 42in line to FLNG vessels moored 80km offshore. Delfin aims to export up to 13mt/a of LNG to approved countries.

From Australia (RW): Neptune Marine Services has completed the structural grouting of the riser support structure at the ICHTHYS (31/23) gas field in the Browse basin off Western Australia.

The work was done under a sub-contract with McDermott which is the principal SURF EPCI contractor on the project.

Neptune employed a team of seven including two engineers on a round the clock basis to complete the work on schedule.

Testing of the grout mix design was undertaken prior to the offshore work and after the work was completed. All compressive strength requirements were met. On completion of the job, Neptune began subsea grouting of the scour protection systems under a second sub-contract.

From Australia (RW): The first custom-built LNG carrier for the PNG-LNG project (31/21) has docked at the Port Moresby LNG plant.

Named MV Papua, the 172,000m3 vessel has begun loading its maiden cargo bound for Sinopec in China. The vessel will be used to supply the project’s customers in Asia.

Papua was built in Shanghai by Hudong-Zhongua Shipbuilding Co and is the largest carrier ever built in the country. The vessel is owned by a joint venture of Aquarius LNG Shipping, Mitsui OSK Lines, China Shipping Group and Sinopec. It is operated by Mitsui on behalf of the PNG-LNG joint venture participants at the direction of ExxonMobil.

The project will have four dedicated carriers. Three of them - The Spririt of Helga, Gigira Laitebo and now Papua - are in operation. The fourth vessel is still under construction.

FES International has won a $2mn contract to supply bend stiffener connectors for Total’s EGINA (31/20) fpso development off Nigeria.

The bscs are being supplied under a subcontract with SURF contractor Saipem. The field, currently under development, is scheduled to begin production by the end of 2017. The bscs will be used to connect five dynamic umbilicals to the Egina fpso.

Offshore service company BUMI ARMADA which has a growing slice of the floater market - it has three vessels under conversion - took a profit hit of 35% in 2014 compared with the previous year.

Like others, it is looking to cut costs and carry out what it calls ‘a headcount rationalisation’, nice phrase for cutting jobs.