Latest News
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Budget request from FAA includes a proposal to hire 2,300 air traffic control officers
Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that it is proposing to hire 2,300 trainee air traffic controllers to address the 'persistent shortage of personnel. FAA is?about 3500 air traffic controllers behind its targeted staffing levels. It employed 13,164 air traffic controllers at the end of September, or 6% less than a decade ago. Many controllers work six-day weekends and mandatory overtime. The?FAA air traffic control academy is also having serious retention issues. The FAA wants to spend $95.4 million on bringing 2,300 new controller trainees aboard, compared to 2,038 by 2025. The FAA also wants $39 million for increased aviation safety oversight as well as to strengthen commercial space transport oversight, compliance, and enforcement. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to upgrade the U.S.?air?traffic?control system, and to increase hiring. Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, said last week that he wanted another $7 to $10 billion in new software and tech upgrades. The USDOT Office of Inspector General announced in February that it was investigating high failure rates among trainees of air traffic control. In December, the FAA reported that it lost between 400 and 500 trainees due to the shutdown of government last year. Congress approved funding earlier this year to hire 2,500 more?controllers by 2026. The FAA offers retirement-eligible control rs who are below the mandatory?retirement?age of 56 an annual lump sum payment equal to 20% of their base pay. The FAA increased starting salaries by 30% for candidates attending the FAA Training Academy and has shortened the time to hire process from more than four months. The FAA has begun moving its headquarters to the main USDOT Building and the Trump Administration wants $60 million for the relocation of thousands of employees. (Reporting and editing by David Shepardson)
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Russia claims that Ukraine has damaged the CPC terminal at the Black Sea using drones
Russia?on Sunday said that Ukrainian?drones?attacked the Caspian?Pipeline?Consortium’s Black?Sea Terminal, which handles 1,5% of the global oil supply. The drones damaged the single point mooring, loading infrastructure, and four large storage tanks. This strike may be the largest ever on Russia's Black Sea Export Facilities during the four-year war with Ukraine. Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure in the past month. Ukraine failed to respond to a comment request immediately and could not independently verify the statement of the Russian Defence Ministry. CPC declined comment. The Russian defence ministry claimed that Ukraine attacked CPC's loading facility with drones. Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Chevron are shareholders of the?CPC Yuzhnaya Ozereevka Terminal. The defence ministry stated that "the Kyiv regime deliberately attacked the facilities of the international oil transport company Caspian Pipeline Consortium to inflict maximum damage on its biggest shareholders - energy firms from the United States, and Kazakhstan." CPC Terminal, located south-west of Novorossiysk handles 80% Kazakhstan crude exports. RUSSIA'S SHESKHARIS TRADING TERMINAL WAS ALSO ASSAULTED Separately two industry sources reported that an overnight fire broke out at the Sheskharis Oil Terminal, located about 15 km (9 miles) away from the CPC Terminal. The sources claim that the fire engulfed the main pier for?Russia's oil pipe monopoly Transneft, near berths 1a and 2 According to sources, berth 1 can service tankers up to a deadweight limit of 250,000 tons. Berth 2 is capable of loading tankers up to 90,000. It was not immediately apparent what impact the incident would have on loading operations. Transneft didn't?respond to a comment request. Sheskharis typically loads between 600,000.00 and 700,000.00 barrels of crude oil per day. According to industry sources, it exported 19,8 million tons worth of oil products last year. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Guy Faulconbridge
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Novatek, a Russian LNG producer, has established a company to build ships
According to the registry of authorized companies, Russia's largest producer of liquefied gas, Novatek, has set up a firm to build its own vessels and floating facilities. This is due to a shortage in gas tankers caused by sanctions. Ilya Luschchikov, the?head of Novatek’s Murmansk LNG Project, is responsible for the?new company, Severny Inzhiniring or?Northern Engineering. According to the registry, it was established on March 25. Novatek didn't?reply a?"request for comments. The Western sanctions that were imposed on Russia in 2022 severely limited the number of tankers capable of transporting LNG cargoes. Zvezda is Russia's leading shipbuilder. They specialize in building large Arc7 ice class tankers that can break through ice up to 2 metres thick. Novatek, the company that owns 60% of Arctic LNG 2, has said 15 Arc7 tankers of the ice class will be built at the Zvezda Shipyard. (Reporting and writing by Oksana Kobieva, editing by Susan Fenton; written by Vladimir Soldatkin)
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Sources claim that Ukrainian drones started a fire in the Sheskharis oil storage terminal in Russia.
Two industry sources reported on Monday that a fire was started overnight at the Sheskharis Oil Terminal of 'Russia's Black Sea Port - Novorossiysk, following an attack by a Ukrainian drone. Ukraine intensified its aerial attacks against?Russian energy infrastructure including ports in an effort to reduce Moscow?s revenue from the sale of oil, which is the lifeblood for Russia?s economy. According to?sources, the blaze consumed?the main pier of Russia's oil pipe monopoly Transneft close to the berths 1a, 1b and 2. According to sources, Berth 1 can'service tankers up to a deadweight of 250,000 metric tons. While berth 2, 'can load tankers up to 90,000. It is not clear what impact the?attack will have on loading operations. Transneft?did not respond to a comment request. (Reporting and editing by Guy Faulconbridge).
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Kremlin: It's 'highly probable' that Ukraine planted explosives in the vicinity of a gas pipeline bound for Hungary
The Kremlin said on Monday that although there was not conclusive proof, it was "highly probable" that evidence would be found that 'Ukraine planted explosives near a pipeline in Serbia that carries Russian gas into Hungary. Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister who is facing a tough reelection campaign on Sunday, convened a?emergency defense council' on Sunday following explosives found near the TurkStream pipeline in Serbia. Orban claimed that Ukraine has been trying to cut Europe off from Russian oil for years, but he did not directly blame Kyiv. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry rejected any attempt to?link it with the?explosive. "The situation could be very dangerous." It is a vital energy channel that is under severe strain. As we all know, the Kyiv government was directly involved with such "acts of sabotage" against critical energy infrastructure prior to this. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters. He added that it was highly likely that signs of Kyiv's involvement would?be discovered?this time as well, and said Moscow hoped Budapest and Belgrade will act to minimise the threat. "We hope that during recent talks (Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy) held in Ankara the head of 'the Kyiv regime' was made aware if such aggressive actions against infrastructure of South Stream and Blue Stream pipes are unacceptable". Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Anna Peverieri, Editing by Andrew Osborn
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Ship-tracking data indicates that Qatar LNG vessels with cargoes of LNG are retreating after approaching the Strait of Hormuz.
Ship-tracking data revealed that two LNG-laden vessels from Ras 'Laffan in Qatar turned around after moving?eastward toward the Strait of Hormuz. If the vessels had successfully crossed the strait, it would have been first transit of LNG cargoes along the waterway after the U.S. Israel war with Iran began February 28. The data from Kpler and LSEG shows that the Al Daayen tanker and?Rasheeda vessel loaded their cargoes at the end of February. Data also showed that the tanker?Al Daayen was currently signaling for China. Also, Kpler data showed that both tanks were controlled by QatarEnergy. QatarEnergy has not responded to an immediate request for comment. A Japanese LNG tanker named Sohar LNG had previously managed to cross the strait. Lines announced on Friday. Lines said on Friday. The U.S. and Israel have been attacking Iran for more than five weeks. This war has caused thousands of deaths and has damaged economies through the increase in oil prices. Tanker traffic along the Strait of Hormuz has also been slowed by the fighting and retaliatory strikes on this route, which carries a fifth of the global oil and LNG flows. Qatar is the second largest LNG exporter in the world, with most of its shipments going to Asian buyers. The Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's LNG?capacity. Repairs are expected to take three to five more years to complete.
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Official: Senior Russian commander killed by March air crash
According to a senior official quoted by Russian media, a senior Russian air force officer?was killed in a crash of a military transport aircraft last week that?killed 30 people. The crash killed Alexander Otroshchenko who was the commander of the 45th Army of the Northern Fleet Air Force and Air Defence. An-26 military transportation plane crashed on March 31,?into the cliff of Crimea. The Russian Defence Ministry announced shortly after that the initial cause of the crash was a technical malfunction. The An-26 is a model that has been in service since the 1960s. It has been used to transport freight by airlines, but it has also been involved in several deadly crashes during the past decade. One person was killed when a Ukrainian An-26 aircraft crashed in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine in 2022. In 2020, a?training?flight was lost in the?northeast Ukraine. All but one person on board died. In 2020, eight people, including five Russians?were killed in a crash of an An-26 in South Sudan. In 2017, four?of the 10 people onboard?were fatally injured when an An-26 crashed in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Reporting by Felix Light. Writing by Andrew Cawthorne. Editing by Andrew Cawthorne.
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AirAsia X is committed to opening Bahrain hub despite Middle East Conflict
'Budget carrier AirAsia X' said on Monday it remained committed to opening a planned Bahrain hub in 'June. However, the airline’s?chief exec was non-committal about if?the plans will go ahead if?the Middle East conflict continues. AirAsia X announced in February that it would resume flights between Kuala Lumpur and London via its Bahrain hub. This was the airline's first flight outside Asia. Services were due to start on June 26. This announcement was made before the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran that took place later in the month. These airstrikes disrupted air travel across the Middle East and many airlines cancelled routes to avoid the airspace. Bo Lingam, AirAsia's X chief executive, told a news conference that the Bahrain service will definitely be offered if the conflict ends before June. However he declined to confirm if they would continue in the event of a prolonged conflict. When asked if AirAsia?X would explore alternative routes to Europe via existing flights in Turkey, he replied, "Anything is possible." Jet fuel prices have soared during the conflict and the airline, which took over the short-haul business in January from its former parent Capital A, has been?hit hard. Bo stated that fuel shortages in Asia led to some countries - including Thailand and Vietnam - limiting plane refuelling. Tony Fernandes, a Capital A CEO and AirAsiaX co-founder, said that the airline would need to increase fares in areas where it cannot cover fuel costs. Jet?fuel is now up to $300 a barrel in certain markets. Fernandes, however, said that demand for flights was still 'high' and he felt confident that?the airline will return stronger once the crisis is over. Fuel surcharges have been raised by around 20% and fares increased between 31% to 40%.
Bridger's Canada to Wyoming crude line is estimated at $2 billion and can produce up to 1 million barrels per day
According to the latest details released by Bridger Pipeline, the proposed 'project' to transport Canadian crude oil from the U.S. Canada border to Wyoming would cost about $2 billion. It could transport up to 1 million barrels per day.
In January, the company presented plans to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to build a pipeline that would transport 550,000 barrels of Canadian crude per day from the Phillips County area near the U.S. Canada border to eastern Montana and then to Wyoming before terminating in Guernsey.
The?filings' submitted late in March indicate that the proposed 36" pipeline would stretch nearly 650 miles (1050km) and have the capacity to deliver as much as 1.13 million barrels a day to Guernsey Wyoming. Bridger anticipates that the pipeline will initially run at around 550,000 barrels per day.
The developers claim that the project will largely follow existing corridors in order to?minimize land disturbance'. It would cost about $1.96 billion, for the 435.2 mile stretch of pipeline within Montana.
Plainview Energy Analytics stated that batching of light crude oil to maximum capacity would push volumes well beyond the typical 800,000 bpd limit for heavy oil on a line of this size.
Plainview reported that although the application mentions specifically moving Canadian oil, the detailed maps show possible tie-ins for the Bakken shale field at key points, providing access to the majority of Bridger’s North Dakota gathering networks.
Matthew Lewis, founder of Plainview, said: "This optionity positions the Bakken project for future expansion beyond the 550,000 bpd limit and creates the potential for a new competitive exit option for Bakken shippers."
Bridger 'Pipeline' is viewed as a possible U.S. Partner for Canadian company South Bow. South Bow is currently working to revive parts of the Keystone XL -oil pipeline that was cancelled.
Analysts say that if the project is approved by U.S. president Donald Trump, and if additional?links are built to U.S. refinery hubs, Canada's crude oil exports to the U.S. could increase by more than 12 percent.
These additional?links will be needed to transport oil?to major refinery hubs like Cushing, Oklahoma; Patoka in Illinois; and U.S. Gulf Coast. Analysts point out that Guernsey does not qualify as an end-market for crude oil. This means additional infrastructure is needed to connect the project with downstream demand centers. Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York Editing Keith Weir
(source: Reuters)