Alabama Demopolis lock reopens early
The failed Demopolis Lock, at the intersection of the Tombigbee Waterway and Black Warrior rivers in Alabama, has reopened two weeks earlier than projected.
The lock reopened on 16 May, ahead of the scheduled 30 May opening.
Vessels carrying commodities such as asphalt, coal, petcoke, metals and fertilizers have been able to pass through the lock without a long queue since the reopening, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The lock had been closed since 16 January when the concrete sill underneath the lock doors failed. The lock was largely rebuilt over the ensuing four months
Traffic that would typically pass through the lock was rerouted during the closure.
Multiple steel mills in Alabama and Mississippi move some of their feedstock and finished product through the Demopolis lock. Those mills have 8.16mn short tons (st)/yr of flat, long, semifinished and pipe steel production capacity.
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FAA, EASA probe Boeing, Airbus Ti parts
FAA, EASA probe Boeing, Airbus Ti parts
Houston, 14 June (Argus) — The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are investigating whether falsified documents were used to verify the authenticity of titanium used in parts manufactured by Spirit Aerosystems and others for Boeing and Airbus jets. The US probe arose after Boeing alerted the federal regulator that material was procured through a distributor "who may have falsified or provided incorrect records," the FAA told Argus . The FAA is looking into the scope and impact of the issue. The EASA was notified by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac) of the issue and has subsequently started an investigation to determine if the traceability issue also has safety implications, an EASA spokesperson told Argus . There is currently no evidence of a safety issue in the fleet, it added, but it will investigate the root cause and monitor new developments. "This is about titanium that has entered the supply system via documents that have been counterfeited," a Spirit spokesperson told Argus . Boeing added that the issue affected some titanium shipments received by a "limited set of suppliers," including its fuselage maker Spirit, and relates to a "very small number of parts" on any of its aircraft. Boeing declined to specify on which programs and for what components the titanium in question was used, but it said the correct titanium alloy was used. Affected parts were produced from 2019-2023, Spirit said. Boeing is removing suspect parts on its planes before delivering them to customers for compliance purposes, but confirmed its in-service fleet is safe to operate based on an internal analysis, it said. Airbus confirmed the airworthiness of its A220 aircraft after conducting "numerous tests" on parts coming from the same source of supply, and said it is working in close collaboration with its supplier, an Airbus spokesperson told Argus . Spirit removed the units from production and performed over 1,000 tests to ensure the "mechanical and metallurgical properties" of the titanium continued to meet airworthiness standards. Spirit supplies an array of parts to Airbus and Boeing including fuselages, pylons, and wing structures. Titanium alloys are typically used in engine components such as turbines and compressor blades, landing gears and fasteners. Aerospace companies including Airbus and Boeing earlier this year formed a coalition to help prevent unauthorized parts from entering the supply chain. It followed actions taken by CFM International, and its parent companies GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, last years in response to engine parts sold by British distributor AOG Technics with forged documents. By Alex Nicoll and Samuel Wood Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houthis strike bulk carrier in Gulf of Aden: Update
Houthis strike bulk carrier in Gulf of Aden: Update
Adds ship evacuated, drifting Singapore, 14 June (Argus) — A bulk cargo carrier struck by Yemen-based Houthi militants in the Gulf of Aden has been abandoned and is drifting, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated Verbena was hit three times by missiles, US Central Command (Centcom) said earlier today. The Palau-flagged bulker most recently docked in Malaysia and was headed to Italy carrying wood construction material, according to Centcom. UKMTO said the ship's crew has been evacuated by military authorities and Verbena is now drifting, unlit. UKMTO urged caution in the area. A Houthi unmanned surface vessel struck the Greek-owned and operated bulk carrier Tutor in the Red Sea on 12 June, which resulted in severe flooding and damage to the engine room. Tutor most recently docked in Russia, according to Centcom. It was heading to Jordan's Aqaba port, according to global trade analytics platform Kpler, with its last known cargo being corn. By Tng Yong Li and Ben Winkley Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Q&A: Phillips 66 to balance fossil and renewable fuels
Q&A: Phillips 66 to balance fossil and renewable fuels
Houston, 14 June (Argus) — With Phillips 66's Rodeo, California, refinery expected to ramp up to over 50,000 b/d of renewable fuels production by the end of this quarter, all eyes are on the refiner for what is next. Zhanna Golodryga , executive vice president of emerging energy and sustainability for Phillips 66, talked to Argus at the refiner's Houston headquarters about how the company looks at investments, its focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and why Texas might be the Silicon Valley of the energy transition. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length. When Rodeo reaches full capacity, it will represent about 3pc of your overall output. What will your fleet look like longer-term and what will be the renewables/petroleum split? Not all the refineries in our portfolio are created equal, and when we look at them what I call them is "lower-carbon energy hubs". Not low, lower, because it's going to be a combination of everything. We're looking at the assets we have in the portfolio and what we can do to help bring in lower carbon solutions and what can we build out. Our focus is going to continue to be SAF. We understand the limitations of feedstocks and we have a very strong commercial organization that is now working on providing feedstocks just for Rodeo. But we're also thinking about what we can do to bring in different feedstocks. Energy transition opportunities aren't going to replace our traditional fossil fuel refining. It's an "and", not an "or". You've highlighted a future focus on SAF. Does that mean a move away from renewable diesel (RD)? I think we have flexibility to do both and it will be market driven going forward. We have to look at demand but there is demand for SAF globally, not just in the US. Demand for gasoline is not as strong as demand for diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. That is what our focus is and then we want to diversify the feedstock. What is your outlook for RD? I think RD is here for quite some time. It's hard to predict what's going to happen by 2050 but I think we will have the demand. It's going to take a long time to electrify all future transportation. I think we have a much better opportunity for now to focus on what we're really good at. That's fuels, renewable fuels. You have faced activist investor pressure calling for Phillips 66 to focus on its core refining business. How do investors feel about the Rodeo conversion and your future plans? We have taken a pragmatic approach to the energy transition. We have criteria that we follow prior to taking any projects over the line, specifically the energy transition type projects. They must meet five key prerequisites: the right returns, the right technology that has been proven at scale, the right regulatory environment, preferably involve a partnership and be done at the right time. We have to prove with Rodeo that this is, as I call it, our license to continue to grow the business. This is our license to operate additional energy transition business. This one is going to be done extremely well. What are the policy tailwinds and headwinds to your renewables investments? When we look at our opportunities in our energy transition portfolio, we are building our economic model for them to produce the right returns without any incentives. That is our starting point. On the other hand, the IRA [US Inflation Reduction Act] has been a bipartisan initiative and we think it's going to stand for the greater good of the planet. We have to think globally, as we have the Humber refinery in the UK. It's interesting for us to see what's possible in the US with the IRA incentives, versus more of a stick in Europe. But the challenge for us is permitting and timing. We probably could have brought Rodeo online sooner if we didn't have to wait for some permits. Our headquarters are in Texas and Texas is the "energy transition Silicon Valley". I'm repeating someone's words and those are the words of Bill Gates. But I believe that. We're perfectly positioned on the Gulf coast to go to the next phase and build something here. You've mentioned Phillips 66's 265,000 b/d Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Texas, as a low carbon energy hub. Does that mean it is a candidate for renewable fuel conversion or co-processing? It could be an option, maybe not at Sweeny, but in the Gulf coast, maybe Lake Charles. It's driven by our hardware, just like what we've done at Rodeo. By Nathan Risser Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
S Africa's ANC, DA agree to form government
S Africa's ANC, DA agree to form government
Cape Town, 14 June (Argus) — South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA) political parties today agreed to form a government while the first sitting of the new parliament was underway. The agreement, which includes the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), paves the way for ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa to be re-elected president. The parties will assume various positions in government broadly in proportion to their share of seats. The government of national unity (GNU) agreement is the result of two weeks of intense negotiations after the ANC lost its long-held majority in the national election on 29 May. It secured 40.2pc of the vote, and the centre-right, pro-market DA retained its position as the official opposition with 21.8pc. The deal scuppers the possibility of an alliance between the ANC and the two largest left-wing parties, MK (uMkhonto weSizwe) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which credit ratings agency Fitch warned could pose risks to macroeconomic stability . MK party unseated the EFF in the election to come third, winning 14.6pc of the vote. The EFF secured 9.5pc, and the IFP came a distant fifth with 3.85pc. The MK and EFF are populist parties that campaigned on agendas including wide-scale land expropriation without compensation, nationalisation of economic assets — including mines, the central bank and large banks and insurers — halting fiscal consolidation and aggressively increasing social grants. The GNU parties agreed the new administration should focus on rapid economic growth, job creation, infrastructure development and fiscal sustainability. Other priorities include building a professional, merit-based and non-partisan public service, as well as strengthening law enforcement agencies to address crime and corruption. Through a national dialogue that will include civil society, labour and business, parties will seek to develop a national social compact to enable South Africa to meet its developmental goals, they said. The GNU will take decisions in accordance with the established practice of consensus, but where no consensus is possible a principle of sufficient consensus will apply. By Elaine Mills Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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