Do-it-yourself funeral kits go on sale in Japan

If funeral hall prices are killing you, this Nagano-based company wants to help make your final purchase an affordable one.

Do-it-yourself projects aren’t just fun, they’re financially rewarding too. When you consider all the things you can do yourself, it seems like you’re practically throwing your money away by paying someone else to build your furniture, repair your car, or hold your funeral, doesn’t it?

What’s that? You said you’ve never heard of anyone having a DIY funeral? To be honest, neither have we, but there’s now a company in Japan that’s offering to set customers up with a kit to let them handle the ceremony themselves.

Tsubasa, a funerary services company based in Nagano Prefecture, has begun taking orders for its new DIY Funeral Set. The set includes a wooden coffin, with a fold-open window to show the face of the deceased, as well as a pillow, mattress, and blanket. The package also provides an urn for ashes and a silver-accented box to hold the bones left over after cremation, as well as three furoshiki wrapping cloths. Finally, there’s a handbook that explains how to perform the ceremony’s rites to put the soul of the departed at ease.

Priced at 25,800 yen (US$240), the DIY Funeral Set is a major savings over the services of a professional funeral hall. Not that we’re planning on dying anytime soon, but a bit of online research shows that the average price of a funeral in Japan is somewhere around 2 million yen, so Tsubasa’s kit is a huge savings.

We should point out that the kit is only meant to give buyers what they need for the funeral ceremony itself. The handbook doesn’t teach you how to use cosmetics to prepare the deceased’s face, so you may still need to contact a mortician for that, and you’ll also need the services of a licensed crematorium after the ceremony.

Oh, and since SoraNes24 is deeply devoted to linguistics, we must also mention that the DIY Funeral Set is really a do-it-for-someone-else funeral kit, since no matter how industrious you are by the time it’s your turn to be the one in the casket, you’re really not going to be in any position to carry out the ceremony yourself.

But provided you’ve got a friend or family member who you think would be willing to do you one last favor, Tsubasa’s DIY Funeral Set can be ordered online.

Source: https://soranews24.com/

Uber makes JFK airport helicopter taxis available to all users

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) is taking to the air in New York City where users with a little cash to spare will soon be able to book helicopter flights to John F. Kennedy International airport through their apps.

The company announced its Uber Copter offer on Thursday, saying flights to and from Lower Manhattan will become available to all Uber users on Oct. 3. Uber made the feature available to its premium members in June.

The roughly eight-minute flight will cost between $200 and $225 per person and include ground transportation on either side of the trip. Passengers can bring along a small suitcase and have to watch a safety video before takeoff, similar to that on an airplane.

The flights are operated by HeliFlite Shares, a licensed company, and Uber’s prices roughly compare to those of competitors offering helicopter rides to JFK.

For now, Uber rides shuttling passengers to the heliport in Manhattan are only available from the southern tip of the island.

Uber says the service is intended to reduce travel times, but when Reuters tried Copter on Wednesday, a trip from its Midtown office to the airport took 70 minutes, including a subway ride downtown and two Uber rides to and from the heliport. That’s about the same time it would have taken by regular taxi in moderate traffic.

An Uber spokeswoman on Thursday said that trip was not realistic as part of the commercial rollout, however, as the Copter option is only shown to customers located in the geofenced Lower Manhattan area.

“Uber Copter won’t appear as an option in the app if you are outside of the geofence because it wouldn’t provide time savings,” the spokeswoman said.

But Uber might gradually expand the Manhattan pick-up zone, said Eric Allison, head of Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-hailing program.

“Helicopters are certainly expensive and it will be a premium product, but we think we’re actually able to offer a fairly accessible entry point with Uber Copter,” Allison said during an interview on Wednesday.

JFK is one of the countTry’s largest airports and car trips from congested Manhattan can take anywhere from one to two hours, while public transit takes between 50 and 75 minutes.

With concerns mounting over congestion and vehicle emissions, Uber hopes its NYC Copter project will pave the way for Uber Air, a taxi service of electric “vertical take-off and landing” aircraft.

Source: https://www.reuters.com

In case you were wondering, this is what an $8.4 million wedding looks like

As we all know, it’s not hard for wedding budgets to spiral out of control.

It starts with a longer-than-anticipated guest list. Then there’s accommodation for out-of-town relatives. The perfect but over budget wedding dress, an exorbitantly priced cake, wanting flowers that are out of season… the list goes on.

But a wedding that comes in at US$8.4 million as Folarin Alakija and Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar’s did last weekend? Now that’s one hell of a commitment ceremony.

Held at Blenheim Palace (the birthplace of Winston Churchill, no less), the reception reportedly included approximately $1 million in flower arrangements created by celebrity stylist Jeff Leatham, a 3.56-metre wedding cake, a five-course sit-down menu, a performance by Robin Thicke, and naturally, a fireworks display to round out the evening.

Oh, and did we mention guests included Australian model Shanina Shaik and her partner DJ Ruckus?

Discussing the wedding with Harper’s Bazaar earlier this week, Bridebook.co.uk founder, Hamish Shephard, said, “Venue hire would likely be up to $190,000 with the bespoke marquee with marble floor and production around $250,000 on top. The spectacular endless flowers by Jeff Leatham are likely to have cost at least $256,000. With food and drink, Robin Thicke (at $190,000) and all the other items for the big day, including the dress, on top, the wedding will have no doubt cost more than $1.3 million and potentially several million more.”

But it seems Shephard’s estimation was incredibly conservative, with the final cost now being estimated at a much, much higher price tag.

According to the Daily Mail, Alakija, who is a UK-based entrepreneur and the son of a Nigerian oil tycoon, and Ghaissarifar, an Iranian-born model and bioengineer, became engaged last year.

In addition to their incredible weekend festivities, the pair also celebrated their love with a traditional Nigerian ceremony in November.

Source: www.msn.com

UAE Opts To Develop Sour Gas Reserves Amid Uncertainty Over Qatari Supplies

The natural gas shortage in the Middle East has again cast its shadow over the ongoing crises in the Arabian Gulf region. While the region as a whole controls more than 40% of global gas reserves, its countries, with the exception of Algeria and Qatar, face a critical lack of supply.

The combined gas reserves in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) total about 1,500 Tcf, but much of it is associated gas and expensive to extract.

Because it is dependent on the Dolphin gas pipeline that links it to Qatar, the UAE has relatively limited immediate options to replace the 2 Bcf/d of gas it imports if Qatar decides to cut off exports to that country. That is considered unlikely to happen.

The UAE also has an LNG import terminal in Dubai with a capacity of 3 mpta and plans to build another terminal in Fujairah with a capacity of 9 mtpa. The country also faces a deficit of 2 Bcf/d during the peak summer season. It is estimated the UAE will need another 5 Bcf/d for extra power capacity by 2019.

The UAE is having difficulty producing enough gas to meet domestic requirements, though it holds about 5% of the world’s proven reserves. Much of it is sulfur-laced sour gas, which is expensive to produce. Sour gas is highly corrosive, and generally more challenging to process because of its high sulfur content, which requires special handling and infrastructure.

The UAE has already identified this issue and tapped the development of its sour gas fields, one of the most challenging types of fields, which are mainly located in Abu Dhabi. The sour gas prospect is estimated by analysts to contain about 5 Tcf of gas and forecast to produce 1 Bcf/d, which would equate to about 18% of the UAE’s current demand.

“Tapping into undeveloped gas reservoirs is part of ADNOC’s focused strategy to drive a more sustainable and economic gas supply,” the director of upstream activities at ADNOC, Abdul Munim al-Kindy told local media.

Production costs of deep and mildly sour gas projects in the Gulf are between $5 per million Btu (MMbut) and $6/MMbtu, but domestic sales prices range from  75 cents to $2, with negligible prices for household, according to local analysts.

Amid the soaring local gas consumption, the UAE decided to develop its sour gas reserves and had already started up production from Shah gas field. For Shah, selecting the right foreign partner wasn’t easy and included many setbacks. Initially, ADNOC selected ConocoPhillips Co. (NYSE: COP) as a partner to develop the project, but in April 2010, ConocoPhillips withdrew from the $10 billion development saying that it intended to shift its operational focus from midstream and downstream activities to upstream work.

But in January 2011, ADONC selected Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) as a partner, and set up Al Hosn Gas, a joint venture between ADNOC and Oxy. The project was successfully started up in early 2016. Shah produces a total of 1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), of which 500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) is delivered to the UAE’s gas grid, as well as producing 33,000 bbl/d of petroleum condensates and 4.4 mtpa of natural gas liquids. Already, Al Hosn has laid out plans to increase output by 50%.

Meanwhile, Bab gas field, another sour gas field, witnessed setbacks as Shell announced in early 2016 that it has pulled out of the $10 billion Bab sour gas project in Abu Dhabi, citing “technical challenges” and the falling price of oil as key factors in its decision. But despite the setbacks, ADNOC is determined to boost its gas output.

In early June, local media reports said that the company is considering greenlighting another huge gas project which could meet nearly 20% of the UAE’s gas demand by the end of the decade. The state oil company’s investment committee is considering proposals for a $20 billion development of the Hail and Ghasha, Delma, Nasr and Shuwaihat “ultra-sour” gasfields, which lie in relatively shallow water southwest of Abu Dhabi.

Source: http://www.epmag.com

One map shows how much trouble Qatar Airways may be in

As Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates sever diplomatic relations with Qatar, the nations have also closed their airspace to its neighbour.

Unfortunately for Qatar Airways, the lack of access to Bahrainian, Emirati, and Saudi airspace could have a devastating effect on its operations.

 "Losing Saudi, Bahrain and UAE airspace would effectively ground Qatar Airways," CAPA -- Center for Aviation wrote in a report.

That's because Qatar actually has very little airspace relative to the size of the country.

"It is largely surrounded by Bahrain airspace (the Bahrain FIR), a slither on the south is managed by Saudi Arabia while the UAE is on the eastern border," CAPA stated.

While losing access to Saudi airspace will force Qatar Airways into the costly manoeuvre of rerouting its Africa-bound flights, losing access to Bahrainian airspace could be catastrophic because it almost completely encircles Qatar.

That means, should the ban hold up, Qatar Airways flights will need to fly through airspace that it is currently banned from in order to reach its home base in Doha.

Qatar Airways did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how they plan to overcome this challenge.

While the countries are free to refuse landing rights, it is unclear if Bahrain and the UAE can legally ban Qatar Airways from its airspace. As signatories to the International Air Services Transit Agreement, Bahrain the UAE can't legally shut off its airspace to fellow signatory Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, however, is not an IASTA member country and can legally shut Qatar Airways out of its airspace.

According to Flightradar24, Bahrain sent notified pilots that it will limit flights to and from Qatar by Qatari aircraft through its airspace to a single air route. This means, even if Qatar Airways isn't grounded, it will be subject to heavy air traffic congestion.

Over the past two decades, Qatar Airways has grown to become one of the most influential international airlines in the world. In 2015, consumer aviation website Skytrax named it the best airline in the world.

Source: www.msn.com

Eni signs up for Oman offshore hunt

Italian major Eni has acquired rights over the only maritime block offered during the Oman’s latest licensing round, launched late last year. The move comes as a considerable fillip to Muscat’s long-standing efforts to find and develop offshore oil and gas reserves.

The allocation was made in the context of a broader co-operation agreement with state-owned Oman Oil Co. (OOC). It coheres with the broader strategy of enlisting the assistance of IOCs to partner the parastatal’s upstream arm in developing undeveloped acreage across the sultanate.

The block is the only one of four offered during the bid round to have been allocated thus far – presumed to reflect a continued bearishness in the industry rendering investment in Oman’s challenging and dispersed fields relatively unattractive.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Milan by OOC CEO Isam al-Zadjali and his Eni counterpart, Claudio Descalzi, called for the two parties to “to explore co-operation opportunities in the oil and gas sector”. It granted the Italian firm, in partnership with OOC subsidiary Oman Oil Company for Exploration & Production (OOCEP), exploration rights in Block 52 – with neither the size of the respective shareholdings nor the precise nature of the licence agreement revealed.

The block covers a 90,760-square km area off the sultanate’s southeast coast and was described in information released by the Ministry of Oil & Gas (MOG) when launching the latest licensing round in October as being primarily an oil target.

As in the rest of Oman’s offshore territory, the area has a long history of unsuccessful exploration. Ireland’s Circle Oil relinquished the licence in 2015 as part of a wider withdrawal from the country in response to the global industry downturn. Previous work had been carried out by the US’ Sun Oil, Amoco – subsequently acquired by BP – and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

The last of these – the government-led joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell that is the sultanate’s largest oil and gas producer – drilled the only well in the block in 1991.

Circle said it had found good leads but was unable to attract partners to share the undeniable risk. Meanwhile, the MOG made a case in the bid round documentation for prospective bidders to renew the exploration efforts. It said that the southern and “potentially attractive deeper water” areas were only recently added to the block, while the northern portion had undergone various shape changes, causing it to pass between concession operators.

A wider strategy was enacted by Muscat in the four-block auction of providing more comprehensive information than in past rounds on the acreage on offer. This reflected the fact that all had recently been relinquished by the latest in lines of operators as well as the diminished risk appetite of IOCs under prevailing market conditions.

However, with Block 52 the first to be awarded – more than two months after a decision had been due – and under unique and unusual terms, the approach appears thus far to have proved unsuccessful.

Block 52 was a particularly challenging prospect, with more than a century of exploration off the mainland coast having yet to yield production. However, the MOG’s pitch rested heavily on the renewed hopes raised by the first commercial discovery in the area in 2014 by Masirah Oil, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Rex International, in the adjacent Block 50 to the north.

A second well completed last year was said to have confirmed the presence of a working petroleum system and plans for early production were only abandoned in the wake of the oil price slump shortly after the first strike.

The other concessions awaiting award from the bid round are the 15,438-square km Block 49 in the Rub’ al-Khali Basin along the border with Saudi Arabia – also exited by Circle in 2015 – and the contiguous Blocks 30 and 31 in the north-west. These were both operated previously by Norway’s DNO and are said by the ministry to be predominantly tight gas plays.

All were scheduled to have been allocated by the end of the first quarter. In January OOCEP revealed that it had submitted a joint bid for Block 30 with the US’ Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) – the sultanate’s largest existing independent foreign producer and operator of two adjacent concessions – making the lack of an agreement particularly puzzling.

Al-Zadjali earlier in the year laid out a local expansion strategy for OOCEP calling for partnership with leading IOCs to boost reserves and production from the sultanate’s diverse and complex fields. In April, he signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with Shell for exploration in the 25,600-square km Block 42 in the north-east.

Harnessing Eni’s technical prowess in offshore exploration – demonstrated in the Middle East with the discovery of Egypt’s giant Zohr gas field two years ago – for the Italian company’s first investment in the country was a particular coup.

Descalzi explained the move in the context of a “strategy aimed at diversifying our exploration portfolio across basins with liquid hydrocarbon potential while keeping high-quality stakes throughout the exploration phase”.

In November, the Italian firm signed an agreement with the Bahraini government’s National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) to “study and assess the potential of some exploration and production assets in the country” and granted access to existing data on onshore and offshore fields.

Manama has likewise long harboured unfulfilled ambitions to find and develop offshore reserves as its sole onshore oilfield experiences long-term decline.

Source: www.oilpro.com

Rosneft expands in Iraq's Kurdistan with exploration, pipeline deals

St. Petersburg (Reuters)—Russian oil major Rosneft has agreed to explore and develop five fields in Iraq's Kurdistan as the company seeks to become a key player in one of the world's newest and fastest-growing oil provinces.

Kremlin-controlled Rosneft this year became the first oil major to pre-finance Kurdish crude exports, an activity long dominated by trading houses, which bankrolled the semi-autonomous region amid its fight against Islamic State and a budget crisis caused by low oil prices.

On Friday, Rosneft and the Kurdistan government signed production-sharing deals for five oil blocks, with Rosneft saying it would also aim to explore for gas in the future.

Igor Sechin, Rosneft chief executive and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the company was widening cooperation with Kurdistan following the first direct purchases of Kurdish oil for Rosneft's German refineries earlier this year.

Increased feedstock access. "The agreements...set an example of well-weighed investments in one of the key Middle East regions, which will make it possible for the company to expand its exploration and production geography, provide feedstock for Rosneft's growing refining network and raise profitability of our international assets," Mr. Sechin said.

Iraq has long opposed Kurdish independent oil sales, but has lately eased its stance amid joint efforts by the regional government and Baghdad to defeat Islamic State.

Rosneft and Kurdistan also said they had agreed on the "monetization of the export oil pipeline in Kurdistan," with Rosneft getting access to the regional transportation system, which has throughput capacity of 700 Mbpd.

By the end of 2017, Kurdistan plans to expand the pipeline to 1 MMbpd, or 1% of global output, betting on the arrival of new volumes from fresh developments.

Kurdish oil production has been mainly led in recent years by mid-sized firms, including Genel. Larger companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron are still in the exploratory stage and have recently returned some blocks to Kurdistan after disappointing searches.

Rosneft said the deals signed would allow it to talk about "full entry in one of the most promising regions of the developing global energy market.” Kurdistan estimates its recoverable reserves at 45 Bbbl of oil and 5.66 Tm3 of gas.

Source: www.oilpro.com

Fernando Alonso fifth in Indy 500 qualifying as Scott Dixon takes pole

Fernando Alonso will start his first Indianapolis 500 from the middle of the second row of the grid after qualifying fifth for the race on 28 May.

The McLaren Formula 1 driver set an average of 231.300mph on his four-lap qualifying run, while New Zealander Scott Dixon took pole at 232.164mph.

It was an impressive performance from the two-time F1 champion - he had not driven an IndyCar until this month.

Alonso said he was "happy" but had been slightly delayed by an engine issue.

"I think the car was better than yesterday," he said. "We had an over-boost problem (with the turbocharger) in the final corner, so the engine was like hitting the brakes and I lost a bit."

The Spaniard said this cost him 0.3-0.4mph on his average, which equates to the difference between fifth and either second or third.

Alonso, whose engine needed to be changed between final practice earlier on Sunday and qualifying, added on his Instagram account: "With everything that has happened today being among the top five is a dream.

"Fifteen days ago I would never have thought about fighting for the pole. Thanks to the whole team. Now another week of learning and race next weekend."

To put Alonso's performance into context, 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell qualified eighth on his debut in 1993, in what was the Englishman's fourth IndyCar race after switching to the US-based series.

Alonso's first taste of Indianapolis was in his 'rookie' test on 4 May. He is missing next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix to race at the speedway as part of his quest to win the so-called 'triple crown' of Monaco, which he has won twice, Indy and the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is directly behind two former F1 drivers on the grid.

American Alexander Rossi, who had a brief career with the back-of-the-grid Caterham and Marussia teams, was third and Japan's Takuma Sato, who raced in 90 grands prix for the Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri teams, was fourth.

American Ed Carpenter takes the middle slot on the three-car front row.

Rossi won the Indy 500 from 11th on the grid last year, an illustration of the fact that qualifying positions are not of great importance in predicting race form at the so-called 'Brickyard'.

That is because the set-up of the cars is changed significantly between qualifying and race to ensure drivers can run consistently in heavy traffic during a 500-mile race that is usually punctuated by several 'caution' periods in which drivers are restricted to reduced speeds behind a pace car.

Alonso was consistently fast through the days of practice last week, whether running in qualifying or race trim.

None of the British drivers in the field were in the 'fast nine'. Ed Jones was 11th on his debut, followed by Max Chilton in 15th, Jay Howard in 20th, Jack Harvey in 27th and Pippa Mann in 28th.

Source: http://www.bbc.com

Pipelines are simply the safest way to move energy

Robert Bradley contrasts the safety of pipelines – the safest way to move energy – with the myths perpetuated by anti-growth opponents of energy development.

Our associates from the Institute for Energy Research, who shared this guest post, recently published in Forbes, with us.

Have you heard? Transporting oil through pipelines is a threat to humanity! The many accidents highlighted in the press speak for themselves.

Except that pipeline accidents are rare enough to be big news—and many of those accounts contain exaggerations. Too often, they imply that pipelines, really the energy they carry, should be phased down and out.

Before (left) and after (right) photos of pipeline development

Welcome to the war on fossil fuels, where every mishap is portrayed as the Bad News Bears. It is as if accident-free, effortless alternatives were at the ready.

Consider the recent article from Michigan that Enbridge Line 5, piping crude oil through the Great Lake State’s upper and lower peninsulas, has spilled 1.1 million gallons of oil since 1968.

The catch is, the majority of these incidents happened decades ago, the most significant occurring in 1968, 1972, and 1990.

The real news, in other words, is that technological advances have made pipelines safer than ever. But that lead goes unmentioned. Or it is buried, which may be how the author wishes fossil fuels to remain.

Then, there’s this: an article in the Philadelphia Inquirerreports that “fearful” parents of children attending schools near the soon-to-be-built Mariner 2 pipeline are demanding evacuation routes in case of pipeline leakage.

It is barely mentioned that construction of this pipeline, which will move liquid gas from Pittsburgh to the Marcus Hook refinery in Eastern Pennsylvania, will be heavily regulated and subject to strict oversight. And, more importantly, self-regulated since accidents can ruin the reputation and finances of any company.

Have there been accidents in the 150 years since oil pipelines have been in use? Of course. And a spill or a crack, no matter the magnitude, is never good. But the happy truth is that rapidly advancing technology in pipeline construction and operation is improving safety.

Headlines aside, what is the record of pipeline safety?

In 2016 the number of oil pipeline accidents fell 10 percent from the previous year. Trend-wise, incidents that specifically affected the public and environment ticked up about five years ago, but have since levelled off. That’s because any spike in accidents spurs an immediate, industry-wide effort toward brining numbers back down.

What’s more, nearly 70 percent of pipeline accidents in 2016 only affected operator facilities like pump stations and tank farms. And 60 percent of incidents leaked only miniscule amount of liquid – five barrels or less.

So where are the good-news headlines?

Also, consider that America’s 500,000 miles of interstate pipeline are far safer than any other method of moving crude and petroleum products.

This is evident when comparing the number of pipeline accidents to oil transportation by road and rail. The former, with 19.95 accidents per billion ton-miles, is the least safe method, followed by the latter, with 2.08 miles per billion ton miles. Oil pipelines, by comparison, have .058 mishaps per billion ton-miles.

Similarly, pipelines keep operators and the general public out of harm’s way. Between 2005 and 2009, for example, the average fatality rate for natural gas pipelines was one per year. During the same time span, rail averaged nearly three, and road transport more than 10.

The statistics are so convincing that even those who oppose pipelines can’t credibly deny their safety.

“Many studies say that using a pipeline as a conduit is safer than rail travel and truck travel,” noted New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo — who has repeatedly blocked pipeline projects in his state. “Realistically you have to move fuel, so a pipeline is the safest way if it’s done right.”

The most interesting part of Cuomo’s statement is the qualifier “if it’s done right.” The governor likely knows, though his fellow skeptics are loath to admit, that there are a multitude of measures in place to ensure that oil travels securely through pipelines.

Pipeline operators are constantly evaluating safety procedures and launching new initiatives, including several that help prepare the public to spot and report any possible defects.

Back in 2014, the industry launched the Pipeline Safety Initiative — tasked with revamping everything from inspection technology to emergency response resources.

And 100 percent of pipelines are regularly monitored, both on the ground and aerially.

No wonder then that 99.999 percent of crude oil shipped via pipeline reaches its destination safely.

Another category of the untold (versus the bad news) is the benefits of pipelines for America’s economy.

Consider the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, both long-delayed but now green-lit by President Donald Trump. The Keystone will support 42,100 jobs and generate $2 billion in earnings, while the Dakota Access has already created 12,000 and $3.5 billion worth of investment.

Currently, workers are getting Dakota ready for action by June 1. And despite headlines to the contrary, Dakota is completely safe. The steel that walls the pipe is 50 percent thicker than legally mandated, and the pipeline will be monitored aerially on a weekly basis.

These projects are consumer-driven and pay taxes, not politically-driven tax takers. And that oil feeds refineries that fuel 253 million cars and trucks, 7,000 airplanes, and trains on 600 freight railroads traversing the United States.

Americans should read any news of petroleum pipeline mishaps with caution. While any spill or other accident is one too many, as anyone in the industry will tell you, the trends are positive.

Pipelines are not only the safest way to move oil, but they are now, thanks to technology and rigorous industry standards, safer than ever. All across the country, construction is underway on pipelines that will provide energy and jobs to millions of Americans.

Now that’s something worth reporting.

Source: http://naturalgasnow.org

Eni starts production from Jangkrik offshore Indonesia

Italian energy company Eni has kicked off gas production from its Jangkrik fields offshore Indonesia.

Eni said production from the fields would ramp up to 83,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The 10 wells are connected to the Jangkrik floating production unit.

From there, gas will be transported ashore through a 79kilometre long pipeline.

Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi said: “We are very proud of what we have achieved with the Jangkrik Development Project.

“The completion of the project and the start-up of production ahead of schedule further confirm Eni’s strategy and global capabilities.

“Furthermore, it provides the opportunity for the Jangkrik Floating Production Unit to become a hub for the development of our nearby gas discovery Merakes, which could start production within the next two years.

“We will consolidate our near field exploration strategy and operating model and maximize the integrated development of our projects also in Indonesia.”

Eni is the operator with a 55% stake of the Muara Bakau PSC through its subsidiary Eni Muara Bakau BV.

The other partners are Engie E&P with 33.334% and PT Saka Energi Muara Bakau with 11.666%.

Source: www.energyvoice.com

How Shell, Eni got enmeshed in $1 Billion Scandal: QuickTake Q&A

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA have become entangled in a $1.1 billion bribery scandal involving a field in Nigeria that could potentially hold enough crude to meet three months of the world’s demand. At least three countries are probing the companies, and Italian prosecutors have named Eni’s Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi and Shell’s former head of exploration and production, Malcolm Brinded, among people who could be prosecuted. Nigeria’s anti-graft agency also filed charges against the companies in March.

1. How did this begin?

In 1998, Nigeria’s military dictator Sani Abacha awarded Oil Prospecting License 245 in deep waters off Nigeria’s southern coast to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd., a Lagos-based company connected to then-Petroleum Minister Dan Etete. Under successive governments, the license was canceled, awarded to Shell, and then awarded to Malabu again. Finally, in 2011, Shell and Eni paid the government $1.3 billion, including about $200 million as a signature bonus -- a onetime fee charged by some oil-producing nations -- to nail down the contract once and for all.

2. Was that improper?

Not on the face of it. The problem arose, according to prosecutors, when it became clear that most of the money paid by Shell and Eni had been passed on, rather than kept, by Nigeria’s government.

3. Where did the money go?

Prosecutors in Milan allege that Shell and Eni paid almost $1.1 billion -- everything but the $200 million “signature bonus” -- into an escrow account for the Nigerian government, from which about $800 million was later transferred to the Nigerian accounts of Malabu to be distributed as payoffs. Almost half a billion dollars was transferred to money changers around the Nigerian capital to convert into cash to be divvied up among officials, including then-President Goodluck Jonathan (who has denied wrongdoing), according to the court papers. They include more than $50 million withdrawn by a single local businessman and another $50 million in cash delivered to the Nigerian home of Eni executive, Roberto Casula, the prosecutors allege.

4. What does Shell say?

For years Shell maintained it hadn’t known that any of the money would go to Malabu. In April it made an about-turn, conceding it had known that Nigeria “would compensate Malabu to settle its claim on the block” and that “the only way to resolve the impasse through a negotiated settlement was to engage with Etete and Malabu, whether we liked it or not.” The admission followed the publication by Buzzfeed and Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore of leaked internal emails showing Shell staff discussing the risk that the money could ultimately be used for payoffs. Still, Shell maintains its 2011 purchase was “fully legal”; its legal director Donny Ching said the company believes there was “no inappropriate conduct by any Shell company or its staff.”

5. And Eni?

Eni too denies any wrongdoing. The company said in February that an independent investigation found no credible evidence of the involvement of Eni staff in corrupt activities.

6. Which executives might face charges?

Italian prosecutors are targeting 11 people. They include five Eni executives, among them Descalzi and Paolo Scaroni, the former Eni CEO who is now vice chairman of NM Rothschild & Sons. Four Shell employees including Brinded, Nigerian officials including Etete, and various others who acted as intermediaries are also identified in the court papers. Eni shareholders re-elected Descalzi as CEO in April. Scaroni didn’t immediately return a call to his mobile phone, and Brinded didn’t return a call to his office. Etete’s lawyer, Antonio Secci, said by phone: “We believe Malabu’s business is lawful and transparent.”

7. What’s the status of the investigations?

Judge Giuseppina Barbara in Milan is hearing arguments to decide whether the case against Eni, Shell, Descalzi and 10 others should go ahead, with a final decision due as soon as June. Prosecutors are bringing separate proceedings against Shell employees including two former members of British intelligence who acted as advisers and Brinded, now chairman of the Shell Foundation, its charitable arm, according to the Milan court papers. In March, Nigeria’s anti-graft agency filed new charges against Shell and Eni alleging they “corruptly” paid the $800 million, according to court papers. Officials from the Dutch Financial Intelligence & Investigation Service and public prosecutor have also been investigating the matter, visiting Shell offices in The Hague last year.

8. What’s at stake?

The 9 billion barrels of potential resources in OPL 245 could be worth $450 billion at a $50-a-barrel oil price. Though some of that will go to the Nigerian government, the companies still stand to make a lot of money. If found guilty, they face fines and revocation of licenses to do business. Descalzi, Brinded and others could go to prison. There’s also the damage to the corporate reputations. The Shell Foundation has poured millions into local development to project an image of a good corporate citizen acting responsibly in the developing countries where it does business. Violation of “anti-bribery and corruption legislation or anti-money laundering legislation could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and, financial condition,” Shell said in its last annual report.

9. How important is Nigeria to Shell?

Shell, which first exported crude from Nigeria almost 60 years ago, has been selling its leases in the country after militant attacks forced it to shut some operations. Still, Shell remains Nigeria’s biggest producer, and it gets about 7 percent of its global output from the country, according to the annual report. Its biggest liquefied natural gas project is in Nigeria and is fed by gas from its fields in the area.

Source: www.bloomberg.com

NASA auditors criticize spacesuit development

Despite spending nearly $200 million on spacesuit development over the last eight years, NASA runs the risk of not having a next-generation spacesuit ready for testing on the International Space Station before the station is retired, the agency’s auditors warned.

In an April 26 report, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) also warned that NASA’s declining current inventory of spacesuits, developed in the 1970s, pose a risk to continued operations of the ISS, particularly if its life is extended to the late 2020s.

Those current spacesuits, formally known as Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), are used for spacewalks outside the ISS. A key element of the suit is its Primary Life Support System (PLSS), the backpack-like structure that houses equipment to regulate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the suit and control its temperature.

NASA built 18 PLSS units, but only 11 remain available for use today. Of those 11, four are considered flight-ready today and are on the ISS, with the other seven in various stages of disassembly or testing on the ground.

The OIG report warned that further losses of PLSS units, either from launch failures or because of irreparable damage, could jeopardize NASA’s ability to perform spacewalks outside the station, which in turn could affect station maintenance. The agency said that the current supply of spacesuits should be sufficient to support station operations, but auditors were not convinced.

“NASA will be challenged to continue to support the EVA needs of the ISS with the current fleet of EMUs through 2024 — a challenge that will escalate significantly if Station operations are extended to 2028,” the report concluded.

NASA has ruled out building additional PLSS units, citing a cost as high as $250 million per unit given their old technology. Instead, NASA has worked on new spacesuit designs, including those that could support future missions beyond Earth orbit. Those efforts, though, have suffered a series of problems, according to the OIG report.

Auditors were particularly critical of the Constellation Space Suit System program, which started with a 2009 contract to Oceaneering International to develop a spacesuit as part of the Constellation exploration program. NASA kept that contract active until January 2016 despite the cancellation of the overall Constellation program in 2010, spending a total of $135.6 million on it, including $80.8 million after NASA cancelled Constellation.

The report criticized NASA for extending the program, with a new focus on developing spacesuit technologies, in part because it duplicated work on another NASA effort, the Advanced Space Suit Project. Technologies being developed by that project were often more advanced than those being developed simultaneously by the Constellation suit program, auditors found, even though NASA spent nearly three times as much on the Constellation contract.

The Advanced Space Suit Project, though, has had issues of its own, including a lack of defined destinations for NASA exploration missions that affect spacesuit design as well as “competing funding priorities” that meant that the project was funded for only half of the 2016 fiscal year.

That project is now working on a spacesuit design known as an Exploration EMU, or xEMU, that will start with a prototype called xEMU Lite to be tested on the ISS. Current schedules call for that suit to be delivered to the station in 2023 for testing. “This schedule leaves only one year for testing before the Station’s planned 2024 retirement,” the report stated, but added that “extending ISS operations beyond 2024 would alleviate this schedule pressure.”

A third program, the Orion Crew Survival Suit, is a pressure suit designed for use in the Orion spacecraft and is based on the Advanced Crew Escape System suits used during the shuttle program. That program, too, is facing schedule pressures, with a delivery of the suits currently planned just five months before the current launch date for the first crewed Orion mission in August 2021. That date, though, may be delayed, based on a recent separate OIG review of NASA’s exploration programs.

NASA has spent nearly $200 million on those three next-generation spacesuit programs. “Despite this investment, the Agency remains years away from having a flight-ready spacesuit capable of replacing the EMU or suitable for EVA use on future exploration missions,” the report concluded.

Auditors made several recommendations to NASA, including creating a formal plan for developing a next-generation spacesuit, performing a trade study comparing maintaining the current EMU spacesuits versus developing a new one, and apply lessons learned from existing spacesuit efforts to new designs. NASA accepted all three recommendations, and plans to have a spacesuit development plan completed by the end of September.

Source: http://spacenews.com

Happy Birthday! Jack Nicholson Turns 79 Today

Today is actor Jack Nicholson’s birthday.

Considered one of the best actors of several generations, Nicholson’s award-winning career is highlighted by several iconic performances. No performance may be more iconic, however, than Nicholson’s role as The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman. In a celebrated turn as the Clown Prince of Crime, many fans cite Nicholson’s Joker as one of their favorites.

But just as he’s synonymous with the Joker, Nicholson is equally known as Jack (or Johnny) from Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Shining. As the axe-wielding psychopath, Nicholson and his performance have been referenced by several different films and actors. Heck, he turned a line of dialogue into a catch-phrase. Nicholson has also held memorable roles in The Departed, Mars Attacks, Chinatown, and As Good As It Gets.

Born in New York City, Nicholson turns 79 today. Happy Birthday, Jack Nicholson.

Source: http://comicbook.com

Lotte World Tower opens in Seoul setting world records

After six years of construction, the 555-meter-tall (1,820 ft) Lotte World Tower opened in April, setting three world records and redefining the Seoul skyline.

Not only is it the tallest tower in South Korea and fifth highest in the world -- dwarfing the Korean capital's next highest building, Three IFC Office Tower, by nearly 300 meters -- it's also home to the highest glass-bottom observatory at 478 meters (1,568 ft).

But its most impressive feat?

The Lotte World Tower features the world's tallest and fastest double-decker elevator, the Sky Shuttle, which whisks passengers from the basement to the 121st-floor observation deck in one minute, or at 10 meters per second.

From the top of the half kilometer-tall tower, visitors can survey the edges of Seoul's vast urban sprawl and the mountainous terrain beyond -- only a handful of other skyscrapers in sight.

Lotte hired American elevator manufacturer the Otis Elevator Company to bring its double-deck Sky Shuttle to life.

Consisting of two attached cabins stacked on top of each other, it simultaneously carries passengers to separate floors. Other famous structures featuring this type of technology include the Canton Tower, in Guangzhou; the Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur; the Eiffel Tower, in Paris; and the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.

Boasting twice the capacity of a conventional elevator -- each cabin holds 52 passengers -- the tower's lift directly connects the basement and the observation deck, skipping the floors in between which are full of shopping complexes, offices, and even a "seven star" hotel.

"A double-deck elevator was used because the observatory would be crowded at certain times of day," Wonixuk Choi, manager of Lotte Corporation, tells CNN.

Inside the lift cabins, it feels like a video game -- 15 OLED displays offer a virtual tour of Seoul during the 60-second ride.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com

Iran struggles to expand oil exports as sea storage cleared

Iran has sold all the oil it had stored for years at sea and Tehran is now struggling to keep exports growing as it grapples with production constraints, shipping and oil sources say.

Since the easing of international sanctions in January 2016, Iran tried to make up for lost sales by releasing millions of barrels parked on tankers offshore.

Tanker tracking and oil sources said Iran had sold its last stocks from the floating storage in the past two weeks. Much of the oil stored was condensate, a very light grade of crude.

With no more stocks at sea, Iran has lost a vital resource that had propped up exports.

"We do think that (floating storage) has been the primary cause of the boost in exports," Energy Aspects analyst Richard Mallinson said, adding that now floating storage had ended total exports of crude and condensate were likely to slip.

"We see a very difficult path for Iran to raise crude output until it can get the Western expertise and investment back into the upstream, which has been notably slow to materialize," he added.

After Western sanctions were eased, Iran's output jumped from about 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) to about 3.6 million bpd in June.

But it has barely risen since - fluctuating between 3.6 million and 3.7 million bpd - even though Iran fought hard with fellow OPEC members to be excluded from production cuts that came into effect on Jan. 1 and will last till June.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pledged to reduce output by about 1.2 million bpd, but Iran was allowed a small increase to compensate for years of isolation. Yet it has produced less in the past three months than it was allowed.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said last month Tehran was prepared to produce 3.8 million bpd if OPEC agreed to extend cuts to the second half of 2016, effectively signaling there was little hope of a steep rise in Iranian output.

Prior to the lifting of sanctions, Iran stored unsold oil on ships, which peaked in 2015 at 40 million barrels on around 25 tankers. The country has up to 60 oil tankers in its fleet.

Iran's drawdown of floating storage gathered pace in September. By the start of 2017, Iran still held an estimated 16 million barrels of oil on ships. Since then, they have emptied.

While the EU and United Nations lifted sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program more than a year ago, the United States has held separate measures in place and President Donald Trump's administration has promised a tough line.

This has increased concerns among Western banks about offering finance to Iran, slowing energy investment decisions.

French oil company Total said in February it planned a final investment decision on a $2 billion gas project in Iran by the summer, but said this hinged on a renewal of U.S. sanctions waivers.

"The uncertainty over the U.S. position on further sanctions is casting a huge shadow on the oil trade with Iran," said Paddy Rodgers, chief executive of tanker company Euronav.

In addition, the oil minister's efforts to secure deals with Western firms has run into internal opposition in Iran, which holds the world's fourth biggest oil reserves. The plans have now been postponed until after a May presidential election.

"Iran needs billions of dollars of investment to boost crude oil production and natural gas capacity," said Mehdi Varzi, a former official at state-run National Iranian Oil Company and now an independent consultant.

"Most of the fields were discovered many decades ago and are way beyond their production capacity," he said.

Source: www.oilpro.com