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oil transport

July 26 2022

Oil Transportation by Sea

k999content Blog maritime, oil and gas, oil tanker, oil transport, routes 0

Following the extraction of crude oil from the ground, the next step is transportation to refineries and points of consumption globally. Pipelines are one of the common means of transportation, and there are others like rail cabs and heavy goods vehicles. However, the earliest method of oil transportation is via water. This is due to the fact that our planet is predominantly water based and traveling over seas to new destinations has been prevalent since ancient times. So, what are the types of oil tankers and maritime routes which are popular for transporting oil via the seas? This blog will look to answer some of these questions.

Types of Oil Tankers

The U.S. Coast Guard defines a tank vessel (such as Water tank Thailand supplier) as one that is constructed or adapted using steel fabrication to carry oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue. There are various types of tankers: oil tanker, parcel tanker (chemical vessels), combination carrier (designed to carry oil or solid cargoes in bulk), and barges. International bulk chemical codes govern the safe transport of chemical cargoes and provide various levels of protection against the uncontrolled release of substances. Tank vessels are classified by the trade in which they routinely operate over a period of time. The three most common categories are crude oil carriers, product carriers: which can carry clean (e.g., gasoline, jet fuel) and dirty (e.g., black oils) fuels. Tankers tend to remain in one trade but market conditions can dictate a change, even though the process to change a vessel’s trade involves extensive work.

Oil Transport Concerns

One of the major concerns in the safe transport of bulk liquid cargos by tank vessel is the stress on the hull. Bending in the form of sagging (concentration of weight in the mid-section of the vessel causing the deck to be subjected to compression forces while at the same time the keel is under tension), hogging (concentration of weight at both ends of the vessel causing the deck to experience tensile forces while the keel is under compression), and shear force, which occurs when two forces act in opposite directions parallel to each other, such as at a bulkhead between an empty ballast tank and a full cargo tank. The weight or gravitational and buoyant action experienced on either side of the bulkhead causes the shear force phenomenon.

Oil Routes and Strategic Straits

The most commonly used crude oil shipping routes originate in the Middle East. They pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates Djibouti in Africa from Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, or the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s main oil shipping lane, which separates the United Arab Emirates and Oman from Iran. After this, during trips that last two weeks to a month, the tankers travel to:

The United States and the rest of North and South America via the Cape of Good Hope.
Asia via the Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia.
Europe via the Suez Canal or, if they are too wide, via the Cape of Good Hope, then on to Northern Europe via the Strait of Dover.

The amount of oil transiting through the Panama Canal, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in August 2014, has increased considerably due to growing demand in Asia. In August 2014, Egypt too announced plans to double the capacity of the Suez Canal, though the financing terms have yet to be finalized.

Last Words

It is quite evident that maritime oil transport is a booming business and, with the development of new oil routes and opening of new markets, it is expected to grow further. The environmental risk caused by oil spills is ever-present, however the role played by oil transport over the seas is a crucial component in meeting worldwide demand. Oil maritime routes can also be good conduits among nations – thus making the world a more interconnected place!

July 23 2022

Putin Says Nord Stream Will Restart – With Conditions

k999content News oil and gas, oil economics, oil transport, pipeline, Russia 0

Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled that Europe would start getting gas again through a key pipeline but warned that unless a spat over sanctioned parts is resolved, flows will be tightly curbed.

Europe is on tenterhooks, waiting to see whether gas flows resume on Thursday when maintenance on the Nord Stream pipeline is set to end. Putin gave the clearest signal yet that Moscow plans to restart at least some flows. But if a pipeline part that was caught up in sanctions isn’t returned to Russia, then the link will only work at 20% of capacity as soon as next week — as that’s when another part that’s now in Russia needs to go for maintenance via pipe fabrication, Putin said. After frantic diplomatic efforts by Germany, the turbine is on its way home from Canada.

“If another comes, two will operate. If not, just one, so 30 million cubic meters will be pumped per day,” Putin told reporters after a summit in Iran late Tuesday. He wants the part back in Russia, along with all its paperwork, he said. Currently, no gas is flowing through the biggest pipeline to Europe because of maintenance, just as the continent is trying to refill its storage for winter. Before maintenance, gas was flowing at about 40% of capacity. Gazprom PJSC is poised to restart flows, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, but at reduced levels, according to people familiar with the situation. Ultimately, it’s a decision for the Kremlin. Across the region, officials and businesses have been on edge as to whether Russia will reopen the tap for Nord Stream. The European Union is working on the assumption flows will be cut and scrambling to find ways to reduce consumption. The bloc is facing its worst energy crisis in decades, with the threat of shortages undermining the euro and adding to the risks of recession.

Governments have been racing to secure alternate supplies after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, sparking a wave of EU sanctions and retaliatory measures from Moscow. Officials are aware the clock is ticking toward the colder months when European gas demand for heating is high. “What Gazprom is going to do tomorrow is your best guess as well as ours,” said European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer, referring to Russia’s state-run supplier. “What is clear is that when we are preparing winter contingency plans, we base ourselves on the worst possible scenario.” Even before the works, Gazprom slashed deliveries through the pipeline, citing technical issues at a separate asset that compresses gas for the link. Earlier this year the company cut supplies to some EU countries over a pay dispute, and more recently it declared force majeure on shipments to several European buyers.

Near Russia’s Baltic coast, Gazprom’s Portovaya compressor station is where gas supplies start their 745-mile journey to Germany through Nord Stream. Russia cited issues with the station — a separate legal entity from the pipeline, with different ownership — when it cut supplies last month. Portovaya has six major gas turbines, enabling it to build sufficient pressure to send gas over such a long distance. Only two of those units were operating before Nord Stream shut for maintenance earlier this month, according to Gazprom. The other components needed to be serviced with regard to steel fabrication by their manufacturer, Siemens Energy AG. One turbine got stranded in Canada — where it was being repaired — due to Ottawa’s sanctions against Moscow. Canada released the component to Germany, following calls from Berlin, and other turbines can now go for similar work. But there’s no clarity on when this might happen, and no details on the remaining two turbines or their condition.