BOEM Seeks Public Comment for Eleventh National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
On April 18, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) would soon initiate the first step in an engagement process to develop the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program). A Request for Information and Comments (RFI) will publish in the Federal Register on April 30, 2025. BOEM is seeking an array of information and comments, including but not limited to information associated with the economic, social, and environmental values of all OCS resources, as well as the potential impact of oil and gas
Trump Order Fast Tracks Subsea Mining
leadership in deep-sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources," Trump said in the order.The order directs the administration to expedite mining permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Resource Act of 1980 and to establish a process for issuing permits along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.It also orders the expedited review of seabed mining permits "in areas beyond the national jurisdiction," a move likely to spark friction with the international community.The International Seabed Authority - created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which
Equinor: Statement on Halting Empire Wind Project
In accordance with a halt work order issued by the US government, Empire Offshore Wind LLC (Empire) will safely halt the offshore construction in waters of the outer continental shelf for the Empire Wind project.On 16 April, Empire received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), ordering Empire to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review.Empire is engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order.The federal lease for Empire Wind was signed with the US Administrat
Grander Canyons
deep.The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 kilometers) long, but the Kroenke Canyon in the western Pacific Ocean is 480 miles (700 kilometers) long. It is the longest and the most voluminous submarine canyon yet discovered.There are around 10,000 submarine canyons on Earth, covering around 11% of the continental slope, and they are an important source of ocean biodiversity, they transport sediment and pollution and they can create hydrocarbon reservoirs.Despite their size and importance, they are still a frontier for scientific research - a new 6,890-foot (2,100 meter) canyon was discovered last year
Sewage Contaminates British Waters
, Europe's largest offshore mussel farm was built by the Holmyard family in Lyme Bay, where they believed it would be free of the millions of gallons of sewage pumped into UK waters each year.But even this far offshore, harmful bacteria such as E.coli can pollute the water, blocking exports to continental Europe for weeks and damaging the prospects of a business producing sustainable food."It's criminal that they're allowed to dump what they dump in the seas and get away with it," sales manager Sarah Holmyard said during a visit to the farm. "It's affecting all sorts
Denman Glacier Has Already Lost Over 250 Billion Tons of Ice
largest and fastest-melting glaciers in East Antarctica and alone holds a potential sea level rise of 1.5 meters.In nearly three decades, the 20-kilometer (12-mile) wide glacier has already retreated some five kilometers (nearly three miles) and lost over 250 billion tons of ice.The deepest point on continental Earth has been identified under the glacier. This ice-filled canyon reaches 3.5km (11,500ft) below sea level. Only in the ocean are there deeper ones. The canyon (known as the Denman Trough) is mostly cut off from the sea due to all the glacial ice inside and atop of it.Unlike other glaciers in
Cyprus: Subsea Power Cable Project to Move Forward
A project on a subsea power cable to link continental Europe to the East Mediterranean will materialize, Greek foreign minister said on Thursday after meeting his Israeli and Cypriot counterparts.Media reports earlier this week suggested that the project had stalled over territorial differences.Greek power grid operator IPTO ADMr.AT is building the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) cable, which will link transmission networks of Europe to Cyprus. It will later stretch to Israel through the Mediterranean Sea.(Reuters)
NKT Concludes First Cable Installation Phase for O&G Scheme Off Norway
been deployed for the first installation campaign.Once finished, the 145 kV cables will provide a stable, low-emission power supply.“This milestone is a result of strong collaboration with Equinor during cable design, production, and installation. The development of Yggdrasil on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is headed by operator Aker BP with Equinor and Orlean Upstream Norway as license partners,” NKT said in a social media post.Yggdrasil consists of the Hugin, Fulla and Munin license groups. The area is located between Alvheim and Oseberg in the North Sea.Aker BP’s partners for
Turbidity Currents and Their Effects on Subsea Fibre Optic Cables
under the influence of gravity. This is termed a turbidity current. These high-energy currents can form through several different processes but three of the most common are offshore of rivers during flooding events, where large amounts of sediment are carried out to sea and then begin to move down the continental slope following volcanic eruptions such as Tonga as the eruption column collapses and during landslides caused by earthquakes, where the finer sediment thrown up by the main slide becomes suspended in the water.Turbidity flows are most commonly a threat to cables laid across submarine canyons
February 2025
