TechnipFMC and DOF Subsea announce the delivery of Skandi Olinda and contract with Petrobras

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TechnipFMC and DOF Subsea (DOF) announce that the Skandi Olinda, a Brazilian-flagged flexible lay and construction vessel owned by the joint venture formed between TechnipFMC (50%) and DOF (50%), has commenced its 8-year charter contract with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), said the company.

Skandi Olinda has state-of-the-art pipelay and marine technology. She has a 340-ton Vertical Lay System tower capacity, a 2,500-ton underdeck carousel, and two work-class ROVs, allowing her to lay flexible pipes in water depths up to 2,500 meters. She was built by Vard Promar Brazilian yard, where her sister ship, Skandi Recife, was also constructed.

Under the TechnipFMC/DOF joint venture agreement, TechnipFMC will manage flexible pipelay, and DOF will be responsible for marine operations.

Arnaud Pieton, President Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented: "We are delighted that the Skandi Olinda is joining our fleet of specialized vessels. This new charter contract with Petrobras reinforces our commitment to the development of the Brazilian market and our extensive ultra-deepwater pipelaying experience. We are looking forward to seeing the vessel delivering projects in the field."

DOF Subsea CEO, Mons S. Aase, said: “The extensive newbuild program of 4 PLSVs*** together with TechnipFMC has combined the subsea and vessel expertise across our organizations. Taking final delivery of Skandi Olinda and commencing the contract with Petrobras marks the successful conclusion of the newbuild program of the joint venture, which now has 6 vessels."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Praxair, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde plc, has announced the completion of a major investment project at its Geismar, Louisiana facility, bringing a new plant online that will increase carbon monoxide supply to customers in the Geismar area, said the company.

The plant incorporates a new carbon monoxide purification train with more than 13 million cubic feet per day of capacity. This facility is part of a much larger investment that Praxair has embarked upon in Louisiana and the US Gulf Coast and leverages proprietary technologies to improve the overall efficiency of the site and maintain its long-term reliability and competitiveness.

"Praxair has been an integral part of the Geismar chemical industry for over 50 years and with this latest investment, we are demonstrating our commitment to remaining a reliable and efficient source of industrial gases in the region well into the future," said Dan Yankowski, Praxair’s president of Global Hydrogen.

Carbon monoxide is essential for the manufacture of a wide array of products, such as polyurethane precursors and other specialty chemicals. Hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gas products required by the local chemical and refining industries were first produced at this site in the early 1970’s. Over the years the site has been expanded and more recently, the Geismar facility has been integrated into a 90-mile pipeline network stretching from Baton Rouge to St. Charles. This latest investment further strengthens Praxair’s ability to reliably serve the increased demand from customers, ranging from world scale refineries to technology leading biofuel companies.

Praxair, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde plc, is a leading industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide. Praxair produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Our products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, primary metals and many others.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global chemical and specialty materials company, has announced it has completed the acquisition of a 365 kilo tons per annum synthesis gas production unit from Linde AG, as per the company's press release.

The production unit is located at the Celanese Clear Lake acetyl intermediates manufacturing facility located in Pasadena, Texas.

"With on-site production capability of synthesis gas - a crucial intermediate raw material for the production of acetic acid, hydrogen and methanol - Celanese is able to manage future productivity and growth configuration options for the world's largest acetyl intermediates production facility, as well as the production network of Celanese acetyls plants globally," said Todd Elliott, Celanese Senior Vice President, Acetyls.

Synthesis gas, or syngas, is a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Syngas can be produced from many sources, including natural gas, coal, biomass, or virtually any hydrocarbon feedstock, by reaction with steam or oxygen.

Celanese announced its intent to acquire Linde's CO production unit on January 15, 2019.

As MRC wrote before, Celanese Corporation has raised its February list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) sold in Asia Outside China (AOC) by USD50/mt.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement to supply Pakistan with crude oil and petroleum products to secure its fuel needs, reported Reuters with reference to Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih's statement on Twitter.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Pakistan on Sunday and said Saudi Arabia has signed investment agreements worth USD20 billion during his visit to the country.

As MRC informed previously, Saudi Arabia plans to set up a USD10 billion oil refinery in Pakistan’s deepwater port of Gwadar, the Saudi energy minister said on 12 January 2019, speaking at the Indian Ocean port that is being developed with the help of China. He said then Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would visit Pakistan in February to sign the agreement. The minister added that Saudi Arabia would also invest in other sectors.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF’s Master Builders Solutions experts will be presenting their innovative solutions in the concrete admixtures segment at this year’s BetonTage exhibition, held from 19 through 21 February 2019 in Neu-Ulm. At the exhibition booth 54/55, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about products such as MasterEase, MasterFiber, Master X-Seed and MasterFinish and their benefits for use in concrete production, said BASF.

"Concrete admixtures can make a substantial contribution toward meeting the challenges currently faced by the construction sector: From a commitment to sustainable construction, to tighter time schedules, to an increasing cost pressure", says Herwig Heegewaldt, responsible for the concrete admixtures business of Master Builders Solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “Using the right concrete admixtures helps concrete producers as well as building owners to reduce expenses and emissions, save time, preserve their machinery and reduce the manpower required at construction sites."

BASF’ s construction branch provides custom-tailored solutions for all construction-site requirements and, with its global team of researchers, is constantly working on the development of innovative products. One of the results of this was Master Builders Solutions’ 2018 launch of the innovative MasterFinish CLN 689 formwork cleaner, ensuring the production of spotless fairfaced concrete.

"MasterFinish CLN 689 leaves a permanent micro-layer on the surface. On steel formwork, this layer provides high-level rust protection while simultaneously forming an excellent base for the subsequent application of the release agent”, explains Cengizhan Zor, application engineer for form release agents in Germany, Austria and Switzerland at BASF. Combined with release-agent emulsions from Master Builders Solutions, MasterFinish provides major advantages in terms of environmental protection and applicator safety: Based on renewable raw materials, the cleaner is exempt from labeling and virtually odorless. In addition to formwork cleaners, the MasterFinish range also comprises novel release agents and products for machine care and protection. At precast-concrete plants, MasterFinish facilitates easy formwork removal and prevents rust formation on formwork surfaces. Ready-mixed concrete manufacturers benefit from MasterFinish products for the cleaning, care and preservation of concrete vehicles, jobsite machinery and mixing equipment.
MRC