Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1415432
WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF 8 Spring 2019 Ecoslops has announced that the European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed up to €18 million in financing for its Marseille and Antwerp projects, as well as for corporate R&D needs. Such financing will allow the company to dedicate its current corporate resources (more than €7 million at the end of 2018) to future projects as well. Australia will account for all floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) planned for deployment in Oceania during 2019 – 2025, according to GlobalData. Hartree Partners LP and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management L.P. have announced that they have formed a liquids storage, terminalling and logistics platform company, Hartree Bulk Storage LLC, with an initial equity commitment of up to US$735 million. The newly formed platform will provide independent solutions to refiners, petrochemical manufacturers, marketers and producers of crude oil, refined products, NGLs and other bulk liquids. Whitehelm Capital, Groningen Seaports and Royal Vopak intend to jointly invest in a 27 MW solar park. The new solar park will be situated on 19 ha. of land adjacent to Vopak Terminal Eemshaven, land which is currently already leased by the terminal. The produced green electricity will be made available for local use in Groningen, Vopak terminals and the general electricity market. Roll-Lift USA has announced that its activities on Elba Island have come to an end. After working for more than two years on the expansion of the LNG plant at the Elba Island Project in Savannah, Georgia, US, the last equipment was removed in mid-January 2019. New Zealand | Shell announces sale completion of New Zealand entities R oyal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) has completed the sale of its shares in Shell entities in New Zealand to OMV for US$578 million. This includes the Maui, Pohokura, tank farm assets, and the sale of Shell's interest in (and operatorship of) the Great South Basin venture, which was subject to a separate agreement. USA | Moda Midstream announces Ingleside expansion and VLCC loading berth L iquids terminalling and logistics provider Moda Midstream LLC has announced that it has successfully commissioned upgrades to Berth 2A at the Moda Ingleside Energy Center (MIEC) in Ingleside, Texas, US, to enable loading of very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Moda developed these upgrades to provide existing and potential customers the ability to safely and cost-effectively load VLCCs at rates of up to 80 000 bbl/hr. As part of the expansion programme, Moda has commenced construction of an additional 10 million bbls of crude oil storage. The new storage tanks will be placed in service throughout 2019, and the expansion will be complete by 2Q20. Furthermore, Moda has begun construction of a new manifold and interterminal piping to allow MIEC to receive direct 'basin to berth' deliveries from the Cactus II Pipeline, Gray Oak Pipeline and Epic Crude Oil Pipeline. These upgrades will be completed prior to the pipelines' expected in-service dates. MIEC will be able to receive simultaneous deliveries from these three new 'next generation' long-haul crude pipelines at their full mainline rates. Already one of the largest crude export terminals in the US, MIEC has approximately 2.1 million bbls of oil storage capacity and receives deliveries from the Cactus Oil Pipeline. MIEC has ample footprint for additional expansion opportunities. Worldwide | RIMS receives two new certifications for use of drones R IMS BV has received a further two certifi cations from DNV GL and the Indian Class Register for the use of Remote Inspection Techniques (drones) during surveys of enclosed spaces. New regulations issued by IACS ensure a certain quality standard to service suppliers who want to use drone technology during close surveys, and RIMS is the fi rst company to meet these requirements. Now with certifi cation from nine Classifi cation Societies, RIMS has been able to demonstrate that drone technology with skilled pilots reduces the safety risks and offers a cost-effi cient solution for inspections of assets. Although being recognised by the classifi cation societies globally, drone inspections can be a complex business. Local permits to fl y drones can vary from country to country, with restrictions on outdoor fl ights in some areas.