From the North Sea (NT): Teekay’s HILOAD DP (SEN, 31/12) unit finished its oil loading trials in Brazil for Petrobras late last year, but failed to meet certain test criteria required by the Brazilian company, the tanker operator has reported.

The anticipated charter with Petrobras has therefore not come into effect, it appears. Various options are being pursued, Teekay tells SEN, including opportunities in Brazil which is considered a strategic market for Remora, the Norwegian company which developed the technology and from which Teekay purchased the first and so far only unit.

SEN understands that Petrobras’ oil lifting needs are currently covered and a future contract for HiLoad services is not precluded.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with BG, Remora has developed a more powerful version of the HiLoad which it says is capable of achieving uptime of 98-99% for loading vlccs in Brazilian environmental conditions and extreme water depths. The tests performed for Petrobras involved suezmax tankers. The new version is to be classed by ABS.

From Houston (BN): BP executives have made clear that filing a plan for a new semi fpu for the long-delayed MAD DOG 2 (32/1) does not mean it’s about to happen. In remarks during a recent earnings call, executives said that in light of the oil price collapse, the project likely will be re-evaluated yet again.

From London (MT): Dutch floater specialist Bluewater is understood to be well-placed to receive some good news from MEXICO.

SEN heard at the MCE Deepwater Development event in London recently that the contractor’s talks with Pemex have gone well and are now at an advanced stage. The company is hoping to receive an award within the month for the revamp and chartering of its Munin fpso - currently in Batam, Indonesia - for well testing on the operator’s heavy oil Ayatsil-Tekel development in the Gulf of Mexico.

The development team leading the revamped SEA LION (30/1) floater development offshore the Falklands is expected to award the new FEED contract before the end of June. Sanction for the project is now expected during 2016.

With new floater contracts thin on the ground, BW Offshore can be pleased to have picked up extensions to two existing charters.

Ithaca Energy has extended the contract - to its benefit - covering the fpso BW Athena which is working on the ATHENA (31/12) field in the UK sector. The deal which will carry on beyond 2015, the last year of the original five-year charter, has a revised payment structure and will see Ithaca and BW share positive cashflow from production. For BW also comes an advance demob payment for the unit.

Down in Brazil, the contract for the fpso Polvo working on the eponymous field is extended through Q3 2016 with options until 2022.

The partners in E.ON’s HUNTINGTON (31/21) field fpso development in the UK are hoping to be back in full production shortly. Noreco and Iona have reported that the CATS gas export system has resumed normal operations and that production through the fpso Sevan Voyageur is ready to be ramped up when access to the gas system has been confirmed.

BMT Scientific Marine Services will provide an integrated marine monitoring system which will measure environmental conditions for Hess’ STAMPEDE (31/21) tlp in the Gulf of Mexico...Bridon will provide the steel cables for the mooring system for Total’s EGINA (31/23) field fpso, offshore Nigeria...

Heerema Marine Contractors has signed a letter of intent with the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore for what will be the largest SEMI CRANE VESSEL in operation. It is due for delivery in 2018.

The unit, to be 214m by 97.5m, will have a pair of 10,000t lifting capacity cranes designed and fabricated by Huisman. The current biggest mobile cranes are 7,000t on Saipem’s S7000 crane vessel and Heerema’s Thialf.

The crane vessel is aimed at the decommissioning market - in competition with Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit (31/23) - as well as the deepwater installation sector.

The Norwegian environmental group Bellona has joined forces with Dutch shipbuilder Damen to develop new conceptual designs for LOW-EMISSION offshore vessels. The aim is to produce designs for offshore units with power-generation packages that emit lower amounts of CO2, SO2. NOx and other polluting gases.

Offshore