EIN Presswire: BP Energy Featured Press Releases

FRP Training Courses Slated for Houston and Frankfurt

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:11:40 +0000

/EINPresswire.com/ St. Louis, Missouri - February 7, 2012- The Materials Technology Institute (MTI) is sponsoring a two-day training program on Inspection of New FRP Equipment & Piping March 5-6 in Houston, Texas and a one-day session in Frankfurt, Germany March 26. These unique programs will provide a comprehensive overview of the areas that are of critical importance for evaluating the quality and conformance of new FRP equipment and piping.

The classroom sessions are intended for personnel who are professional inspectors, but have little or no background in FRP inspections. An engineering degree or certificate and/or experience in fabrication, repair, or inspection of FRP equipments are recommended prerequisites.

"While there are quite a few public courses, seminars, and training classes to help younger and less experienced Inspectors develop inspection competencies for metallic equipment, the same does not apply for fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) equipment," points out Hardin Wells, Sr. Advisor - Mechanical Tech Service at Albemarle Corporation and MTI Project Champion. "The membership of the Materials Technology Institute recognized the lack of similar training for FRP equipment. The MTI FRP Inspector training class is designed as a first step towards filling that void.

"Unlike metallic equipment, where the raw materials (plate, pipe, fittings) are homogeneous and built in accordance by others per longstanding industry standards, the FRP materials used for FRP equipment are very much non-homogeneous, and are created by the fabricator as the equipment is being produced," explains Wells. "These features create significantly greater inspection challenges than are present for metallic equipment, where the inspector must validate both the creation of the raw material alongside creation of the equipment."

Presenter and FRP inspection expert Juan Bustillos, Bustillos & Associates, LLC, will cover the following topics in the training sessions:

• FRP Materials - Resins, Reinforcements & Cure Systems
• FRP Manufacturing Methods Overview
• Manufacturing Specifics - Vessels & Piping
• Inspection & Testing
• Inspection Safety
• Applicable Codes & Standards
• Flaw Definitions - Descriptions of all common flaws
• FRP Flaws & Imperfections
• Dual Laminates (Frankfurt session only)

In addition to classroom training, attendees will receive a CD including all course materials and presentations. Upon completion of a comprehension test (Houston-only), attendees will also receive a certificate.

For more information or to register for the Houston event, contact Lori Elgin at lelgin@mti-global.org. For the Frankfurt session, contact Katherine Reinecke at kreinecke@mti-global.org. Please be aware that space for these sessions is limited.

About MTI: Founded in 1977, MTI is a unique, not-for-profit technology development organization representing private industry. It sponsors projects focused on both developing new technology and transferring existing knowledge to day-to-day practice. Practical, generic, nonproprietary studies are conducted on the selection, design, fabrication, testing, inspection, and performance of materials of construction used in the process industries. The scope of work includes evaluation of metallic, and nonmetallic materials, optimum design applications, fitness-for-service, mechanical integrity and life cycle determinations, and economic factors affecting performance of vessels, tanks, piping and other components. For more information, visit www.mti-global.org.

FIND HIGH PRESSURE VALVES AND COMPONENTS 24/7, ONLINE, FASTER AND EASIER

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:50:05 +0000

/EINPresswire.com/ Haskel International Inc., manufacturer of BuTech high pressure valves, fittings and tubing, has announced the launch of an interactive e-catalog, comprised of a comprehensive product catalog and configurator. The e-catalog features the complete selection of standard BuTech high pressure valve and component products.

The e-catalog's intuitive navigation menu walks users, step-by-step, through a selection process using formula-assisted parameter selection, full/partial product number, or description/ keyword. It also includes side-by-side comparison functionality, downloadable product details pages, and an RFQ Cart. The self-service eCatalog is available at butechvalvecatalog.haskel.com.

Using their website to better serve prospects by allowing design engineers, product specifiers, distributors and end users, a convenient, hassle-free way to intuitively discover, evaluate, and select the exact BuTech valve components they need for their application is part of Haskel's strategy to make BuTech products easy to buy and easy to sell. Within the next 12 months Haskel plans on integrating 3D CAD models into the e-catalog to further enhance its capabilities.

Since establishment in 1973, BuTech has become a leading source for high pressure valves, fittings and tubing. BuTech became a part of Haskel International, Inc., a world leading manufacturer of highly engineered, high pressure liquid and gas handling equipment, in 2000. BuTech products include both, standard off-the-shelf, to fully customized, high pressure needle valves, ball valves, check valves, and components, for a variety of industries, including the oil and gas industry.

Contacts:

Haskel International, Inc. USA
sales@haskel.com
Erie, Pennsylvania
Tel + 1 814 833 4904
Fax + 1 814 833 2612
Burbank, California
Tel +1-818-843-4000
Fax +1-818-556-2549

Haskel Europe Ltd.
sales@haskel.co.uk
Tel: 44-191-549-1212
Fax: 44-191-549-0911

Haskel Asia
sales@haskel.com.sg
Tel: 65-6455-7559
Fax: 65-6455-2841

Haskel Middle East
sales@haskel.ae
Tel: 971-4886-2686
Fax: 971-4886-2684

National Oilwell Varco sued over bribing employees in connection with a Saudi government

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:27:46 +0000

...drilling project

/EINPresswire.com/ Houston, Texas - October 19, 2011 -- Prominent Saudi business man Rasheed Al Rushaid has brought an action against National Oilwell Varco (NOV) asking the court to award judgment of 1 Billion Dollars. The case is currently pending in Houston Texas.

At the center of the dispute are payments from NOV to a company in the BVI called TSJ Consulting. TSJ Consulting was incorporated by Shekhar Shetty, Tomas Caplis, and Jim Wight, three former senior employees of the Al Rushaid Group. The complaint alleges that NOV made payments to TSJ in exchange for purchase orders which were approved by Shetty, Caplis, and Wight.

The fraudulent payments made by NOV were discovered by a Swiss prosecutor who froze the Shetty, Caplis and Wight accounts at Pictet Bank in Geneva. All three former employees were indicted for money laundering in Geneva and are awaiting trial.

Proceedings have also been commenced against Pictet & Cie. in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Pictet has close ties to New York. Pictet states on its website "Thanks to its business relations in New York and in England and its solid reputation in Bern, the Bank was responsible for negotiating three federal loans in the United States on behalf of the Swiss Confederation between 1915 and 1920"

In its 2010 Annual Report, NOV discloses that the company has received federal grand jury subpoenas and subsequent inquiries from governmental agencies requesting records related to its compliance with export trade laws and regulations. NOV states that it has cooperated fully with agents from the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Industry and Security, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in responding to the inquiries. NOV further discloses that is has also cooperated with an informal inquiry from the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the inquiries previously made by the aforementioned federal agencies. NOV further disclosed that it has conducted its own internal review of this matter. At the conclusion of its internal review in the fourth quarter of 2009, NOV identified possible areas of concern and discussed these areas of concern with the relevant agencies. NOV disclosed that it is currently negotiating a potential resolution with the agencies involved related to these matters. NOV currently anticipates that any administrative fine or penalty agreed to as part of a resolution would be within established accruals, and would not have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations. NOV further states that to the extent a resolution is not negotiated as anticipated, NOV cannot predict the timing or effect that any resulting government actions may have on its financial position or results of operations.

For further information contact:
Chris Lyons
Phone: +1 (305) 379-5554
Email: clyons@llpalaw.com

Network at one of the industry's biggest regular gatherings - Gas to Liquids 2011

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:26:28 +0000

/EINPresswire.com/ Message from the conference chairman: Alex Forbes

For the gas-to-liquids (GTL) industry, the past decade was one of significant achievements but also one of disappointments. The coming decade, in contrast, looks very promising.

Two proprietary technologies have been proven at world scale, and other technology providers are on the threshold of proving their technologies at commercial scale. Market fundamentals look more supportive than ever, with oil prices expected to remain strong and natural gas prices, in some markets at least, looking soft for the foreseeable future. Little wonder, for example, that attention has turned to North America as a potential location for new world-scale GTL plants.

As Shell's Pearl GTL plant ramps up to full production in Qatar, the profitability of GTL will be amply demonstrated. This single project will materially impact the financial and production profiles of one of the world's largest energy companies.
To find out more about the potential of GTL technology, join us later this month at SMi's GTL conference - one of the industry's biggest regular gatherings - and experience for yourself the buzz of excitement spreading through the industry.

>> Visit www.gas-to-liquids.co.uk for the conference programme

Key Speakers Include:

Daniel Ashade, Deputy Project Manager for the Escravos GTL project, Chevron
Overcoming challenges of executing a greenfield GTL project in the Niger Delta

Neils Fabricius, Senior Technical Advisor, Qatar Shell
The delivery of Pearl GTL

Paul van Rijssen, Senior Business Development Manager XTL, Shell
Gas revolution and global energy markets

Dr Grant Forman, Product development, application and CO2 manager - GTL, Sasol Synfuels International
Greenhouse gas emission evaluation of the GTL pathway

Dr Arthur Bell, Principal Engineer, Sasol Technology
Neat GTL Diesel: On road experience in a variety of applications

Matthias Wagner, Managing Director, GTL.F1
The impact of technology of GTL project performance

Dr Narsi Ghorban, Managing Director, Narkangan GTL International
Future drivers and challenges of GTL

Gas to Liquids will also host an interactive pre-conference workshop on:
Market Fundamentals and Technology Breakthroughs Herald a New Dawn for GTL
Presented by Alex Forbes, Forbes Communications

>> Register for this conference and workshop at www.gas-to-liquids.co.uk

------------------- PRESS RELEASE ENDS ---------------

About SMi Group: Gas-to-Liquids is just one of the many conferences that are a part of the SMi Group portfolio.
The SMi Group is a world leader in business to business information. With nearly two decades in the business, thousands of senior executives from blue chip companies have already benefitted from SMi's highly targeted conferences, workshops and publications. For more information visit www.smi-online.co.uk

For further information, contact:
Andrew Gibbons
Tel: +44 0 207 827 6056
Email: agibbons@smi-online.co.uk

United Oils Jeff Appel to announce "I Got It" Makes Cents Charity for 2011...

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:40:28 +0000

... at Grand Opening of 130th location in Carson, CA. United Oils most unique location to date.

The Community Distribution Center Food Bank has been chosen by United Oil for their 2011 Charity.

/EINPresswire.com/ Gardena, CA - September 21, 2011-- During the grand opening of their new location on
September 23, 2011 at 22235 Figueroa Street. Carson, Ca. 90745, United Oil will announce
at 4pm that they will be donating 2 cents per gallon fueled over the Help Feed the Hungry Weekend, November 4-6, 2011 to this years recipient, the Community Distribution Center Food Bank.
The funds will be used by the Community Distribution Center to purchase a new refrigerated vehicle to increase capacity and to purchase much needed product for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday dinner. There will also be a can and coin drive at all United Oil locations including their Branded stations and the sale of Hope Thru Water to raise additional funds for local food banks.

About the CDC

The Community Distribution (CDC) is a not-for-profit food bank that serves Southern California. Community Distribution Center (CDC)'s goal is to alleviate hunger by soliciting, collecting and packaging food for distribution through a network of service agencies and programs that serve our target population group.

About United Oil

United Oil, uniting the brands you trust was started over 50 years ago as a small, family owned company operating a handful of gas stations in the Los Angeles market. United Oils first class retail facilities are operated with the belief that it is more important to provide the customer with a pleasant buying experience rather than just another visit to a gas station. Today the company operates over 130 retail stations throughout Southern California, including their own brand, United Oil, Chevron, 76 and Shell stations. While pride of ownership is apparent when you visit any United Oil retail outlet, it is our employees living the "I Got It!" philosophy that truly distinguishes our company as the best in the industry.

###

Leading Oil and Gas operators and owners gather at the 12th Annual FPSO Congress

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:33:16 +0000

/EINPresswire.com/ Operators and owners from development hot spots including Brazil, UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia to discuss the pressing challenges and opportunities in the industry.

A recent report from Visongain indicated that "2011 to be a promising year for the FPSO market, with spending worldwide expected to reach $6.8bn. The industry will expand considerably over the forecast period, with high growth rates in capital expenditure."

More than 50 operators and owners including ExxonMobil, Petrobras, ConocoPhillips, OMV, Maersk Oil and BP Migas will be at the 12th Annual FPSO Congress (20 - 21 September 2011, Grand Hyatt Hotel Singapore)

By attending the congress, attendees will explore the changing role of FPSO in today's field development strategy as well as be updated with key developments in the industry including new compliance and regulations for FPSO projects in Australia from Simon Schubach, regulatory operations GM, National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority.

The congress will involve more than 50 speakers from:
ENI Australia, Department of Energy Philippines, Petrofac, EOC Limited, Aker Floating Production ASA, Modec, Premuda, Teekay Petrojarl, MIGAS, DNV - South East Asia & Pacific DNV, Kongsberg, GL Noble Denton, SBM, Vanguard Solutions, ABB, Siemens, Wartsila, HIMA, Framo Engineering, Castrol Offshor,e Dunlop Oil and Marine, IFC, Watson Farely and Williams LLP, Unicredit Bank, ANZ, Sherwin-Williams, Navicom, DNV

The 12th Annual FPSO Congress, held from the 19th to the 22nd of September will cover the commercial and technical aspects of FPSOs globally.

More than 300+ attendees will be at the global forum. Log on to www.fpsoasia.com for further details.

To register for the 12th Annual FPSO Congress, send an email to enquiry@fpso.com.sg

For more information, please contact:

Rani Kuppusamy
IQPC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6722 9399
Email: rani.kuppusamy@iqpc.com

FPSO activity and financing set to increase dramatically by 2012

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:35:05 +0000

The FPSO Network, along with the 12th annual FPSO congress conducted a survey with close to 3,000 FPSO professionals and the general consensus in the industry at the moment seems to be that FPSO activity levels in 2011 and 2012 will surpass that in 2010.

And it seems that the growth of activity in FPSO sector seems to be a result of increased financing which disappeared during the financial crisis. 86.1 percent of those polled believes that FPSO financing is set to rise again in 2011 and 2012, 44.4 percent believe that the dynamics of the operator - owner contracting regime will shift towards a 50 - 50 percent risk division, 47.2 percent of the respondents expects financing to remain at its current status.

Unsurprisingly, 44.4 percent of the survey respondents predict equity fund raising to be the most viable financing option for FPSO projects in the next couple of years. And although a quarter of the respondents believe that alternative project funding structures - leveraging on export credit will be the way forward for FPSO financing, 16.7 percent of the respondents believe that debt financing will be the future of FPSO financing.

The 12th Annual FPSO Congress, held from the 19th to the 22nd of September will cover the commercial and technical aspects of FPSOs globally.

Log on to http://www.fpsoasia.com for the complete survey results and list of topics that will be covered at the 12th annual FPSO Congress.

To register for the 12th Annual FPSO Congress send an email to enquiry@fpso.com.sg

About IQPC Worldwide:
For over thirty years, IQPC has helped the world's leading corporations solve their business challenges through the sharing of practical industry solutions and global best practice. In the process, the company has built a formidable reputation for quality and value. The world's most progressive companies have benefited from IQPC's unrivalled global reach, which has connected international expertise with regional and local leaders.
For more information, please contact:
Rani Kuppusamy
IQPC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6722 9399
Email: rani.kuppusamy@iqpc.com.sg

8th MidEast North Africa Upstream 2011

Mon, 30 May 2011 09:12:52 +0000

13th-14th June 2011
Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, Geneva, Switzerland
http://petro21.com/events/?id=590
Contact: babette@glopac-partners.com

15% Discount for EIN subscribers

The 8th MidEast-North Africa Upstream 2011 Conference in Geneva is part of our worldwide suite of senior management conferences that we have conducted annually for over two decades. It showcases the regional exploration, oil/gas-LNG and energy game in the Middle East-Central Asia and North African arena, and focuses on the governments, state oil firms and corporate players now shaping the fast-moving dynamics in this rapidly growing upstream world and key anchor in world oil/energy markets.

The Conference, recognised as a business-led, deal-driven and high-level event, focuses on the exploration and development ventures of national oil companies, governments and companies in the region where large oil and gas reserves remain, acreage leasing is accelerating, new gas-LNG ventures are afoot, and investment opportunities have attracted greater commitments from Super-Majors, a growing suite of Independents, including local oil firms, and increased positioning by National Oil Companies from around the world.

Key themes include: state oil/gas policies, discoveries and development, regulation and interventions in the oil/energy market, strategies of oil/energy investors, private upstream investments and joint-venture interests, corporate assets/portfolio and strategies, bid rounds, licensing, new ventures, business development, OPEC reserves, plus critical market issues impacting the Middle East and North Africa.

The Conference features a Special Roadshow on the Eastern Mediterranean sponsored and hosted by CGGVeritas.

Factoring Financing Keeps Freight Haulers In High Gear

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:50:36 +0000

Factoring financing provides freight, trucking and logistics companies reliable cash flow to meet ongoing expenses and a stable financial foundation to capture new business.

March 1, 2011 - Fredericksburg, VA - (http://www.smart-business-financing.com) Freight haulers and logistics companies are discovering new way of financing their businesses. A unique factoring financing program specifically designed to meet the demands of this cash-intensive industry gives trucking and logistics companies a powerful small business financing tool that both eliminates the usual 30 to 60 day wait for payment on trucking invoices and reduces the burden of collections and bookkeeping.

In the lucrative freight and logistics industry, cash flow is a nagging problem. And this is particularly true for trucking companies, which often find themselves in need of cash to pay drivers and equipment and fuel expenses before they are paid for jobs. While many freight customers wait 30, 60, sometimes up to 90 days to pay their bills, a trucking company does not have the option to defer payroll or repair broken equipment for months at a time.

"Companies in the freight and logistics businesses face a constant challenge meeting expenses," said Mike Lieber, Smart-Business-Financing.Com contributor and president of AEGIS Financial Solutions. "A factoring program allows them to get cash for their invoices immediately to meet ongoing expenses and pay bills."

Although many factoring companies offer traditional transportation factoring to trucking and logistics companies, Lieber's 13-year old Frederickburg, VA firm is one of few that can offer the service to trucking brokers.

"A trucking broker can use factoring financing to get their trucking invoices paid in as little as one day so they can pay their truckers quickly," he said. "The competitive advantage and productivity benefits it gives to a brokerage company are huge."

A factoring financing line is very different than a business line of credit or loan and much quicker to establish too -- services can usually be set up in a few days. Selling freight or trucking invoices requires no complicated applications, no debt and no monthly payments.

Most small and mid-size trucking and transportation companies should easily qualify for a factoring program. The one main requirement to qualify is that the freight or logistics company must do business with commercially creditworthy clients.

For new and emerging companies, factoring financing simply cannot be beat. Invoice factoring companies are generally comfortable working with new businesses, so a small business start up should be able to qualify.

"Best of all," says Lieber, "as the business grows, the amount of financing available from the factoring financing line increases automatically. This makes factoring the most flexible form of business financing available anywhere."

About AEGIS Financial Solutions, Inc.: Founded in 1998, Mike Lieber's company has been on a mission to help people solve financial problems and get money when they need it most, using the fast and flexible resources of the cash flow industry.

Press Contact:
Mike Lieber, President
AEGIS Financial Solutions, Inc.
88 E. River Bend Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
mjl@aegisone.com
PH: (540) 548-2270

###

BP Gulf Spill Fund Inundated With Rushed Claims

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:17:47 +0000

Nov 30, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ -- The $20 billion fund set up to pay for Gulf spill damages received an overwhelming amount of emergency claims right before the key Tuesday deadline ended.

Approximately 450,000 emergency claims were filed before the deadline and out of those 30,000 were filed on Monday or later, four times more than what was expected.

Most of the claims will be denied, according to fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg, because they lack proper evidence. An estimated 325,000 claims are believed to have inadequate documentation, and an additional 1,000 claims are suspected of being fraudulent.

The people and businesses with approved claims will be able to ask for a lump sum payment as compensation as long as they agree to not sue BP or any of the other companies involved in the April spill.

For more environmental news, visit Environmental News Today (http://environment.einnews.com), an environmental media monitoring service from EIN News.

Doubt Cast on Safety of Gulf Seafood

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:13:56 +0000

Nov. 4, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ -- Is Gulf of Mexico seafood safe to eat?

Earlier this week two federal agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), gave Gulf seafood products their stamps of approval. Testing the waters and sealife, they said they found no health risks.

But many independent observers are not so sure.

The FDA and NOAA cited tests for a compound in chemicals used to disperse oil from the BP spill. Those who dispute the findings say that the tests ignored other chemicals that are also highly toxic.

Samples taken immediately after the spill showed serious fish kills and toxic pollution deep below sea level and up to eight miles from the spill site. Many believe that the tides and currents have carried the poisonous brew even further.

Other concerns include the potential for dispersants to mutate into new chemical forms and to evaporate and fall back to earth as rain.

Gulf residents exposed to the chemicals used to clean up the oil are still reporting health problems six months after exposure. This is a condition that also affected Alaskans contaminated in the cleanup of oil from Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez disaster.

BP is investing tens of millions of dollars in partnership with Gulf states to promote fish and shellfish products as safe. The science of that claim remains an open question, even after the FDA and NOAA seals of approval.

For more food industry news, visit Food Industry Today (http://food.einnews.com), a food industry media monitoring service from EIN News.

Agencies Give Gulf Seafood Green Light

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:56:59 +0000

Nov. 1, 2010 /EIN Presswire/---The FDA and NOAA have developed a new chemical test to check for potentially harmful dispersant residue in fish, oysters, crab and shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dispersants were widely used to attack oil spilled by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling platform. Seafood industry workers have been concerned that the chemicals could affect the quality and safety of Gulf seafood.

In a statement, the two federal agencies said that they have tested for dispersants for many years, since trace amounts of the chemicals have been common, even before the spill. They have augmented these tests with "rigorous sensory analysis" from recently reopened fishing waters, the agencies said.

Gulf scientists have tested 1,735 tissue samples, with only a few showing trace amounts well below safety thresholds. he agencies said the residue doesn't post a threat to human health.

The new test detects dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, known as DOSS, a major component of the dispersants used in the Gulf. DOSS is also approved by FDA for use in various household products and over-the-counter medication at very low levels. The best scientific data to date indicates that DOSS does not build up in fish tissues.

"The rigorous testing we have done from the very beginning gives us confidence in the safety of seafood being brought to market from the Gulf," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., Under Secretary for Commerce and NOAA Administrator. "This test adds another layer of information, reinforcing our findings to date that seafood from the Gulf remains safe."

Samples tested including grouper, tuna, wahoo, swordfish, gray snapper, butterfish, red drum, croaker, and shrimp, crabs and oysters collected from June to September.

About 4 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf are still closed to commercial and recreational fishing.

For more seafood news, visit Seafood Industry Today (http://seafood.einnews.com), a seafood news monitoring service from EIN News.

Official: BP Turns Back on Louisiana Seafood Industry

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:30:32 +0000

Oct. 29, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ - Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham told a Gulf community audience this week that BP is continuing to refuse to pay for a testing and publicity campaign that could help rescue the depressed market for Gulf seafood.

In May the state proposed a $173 million long term seafood safety and certification plan which would battle the widespread perception that Gulf seafood is no longer safe. BP has refused to back the plan, Barham said, even though it has reached seafood marketing and safety agreements with other states.

"I wish I could tell you that it's been easy dealing with BP, but it's not," Barham said. "Deny, delay, defer. That's the mode they're in. All we're asking them to do is what their commercials say they're doing," Barham said. "They say, 'We're going to be here for the long run. We're going to make this right.' "

According to the Louisiana Seafood Marketing and Promotion Board, seafood is a $3 billion industry for Louisiana. The state is the top U.S. provider of domestic shrimp and blue crabs.

Barham said many fishermen are reluctant to go back to fishing until the market recovers. So far this fishing season, shrimp, crab and oyster landings are half of what they were before the BP oil platform collapsed, pouring countless millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf.

For more seafood news, visit Seafood Industry Today (http://seafood.einnews.com), a seafood media monitoring service from EIN News.

FRLA Selects Cooney & Conway to Help BP Victims

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:59:37 +0000

BP Oil Spill Press Release
The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) has announced that it has selected a consortium of three law firms, including Cooney & Conway, Weitz and Luxenberg, and Levin Papantonio to provide legal representation to hotels and restaurants that have suffered losses due to the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In many cases, BP has either rejected the claims of these hotels and restaurants or has not yet paid them any recovery for economic damages-more than four months after the event.

Cooney & Conway, a nationally recognized firm based in Chicago, was chosen for its long history of working on behalf of individuals and businesses injured by a common event, whether it is asbestos exposure or, now, the catastrophic Gulf oil spill.
For months after the April 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig-a tragedy that took 11 lives-oil gushed uncontrollably into the Gulf, creating an environmental and financial disaster and impacting countless lives and livelihoods across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Engaging top-tier legal representation became essential for FLRA's members as "the BP claims process denied requests for emergency payments and/or paid merely pennies on the dollar in interim payments to our members," said the association's president and CEO, Carol Dover.

"We realized we had to seek legal counsel now to protect our membership and the future of Florida's tourism," she said.

Cooney & Conway, added Dover, is "well known for complex and mass tort litigation and for litigating against the largest corporations in the world."
Along with the other two law firms selected, Cooney & Conway will be submitting, managing, and advocating claims before the newly established Gulf Coast Compensation Fund (GCCF) and its administrator, Kenneth Feinberg.

The firms will also spearhead any necessary litigation to obtain a single goal: complete compensation for hotels and restaurants that have suffered financial losses due to the Gulf spill. Those losses have been substantial. FLRA members have seen cancelled bookings and empty tables at a time when tourism should be booming. But they have not seen the just recovery that BP has publicly pledged.
"It is essential that Mr. Feinberg and the representatives of British Petroleum make good on their early promises in the media to make this right," said John Cooney, founding partner of Cooney & Conway. "They have assured people throughout the Gulf region that their carelessness will not ruin businesses. It is now time to prove that."
In its announcement selecting Cooney & Conway, the FLRA noted that it had interviewed a number of well respected and capable law firms, considering:
• Their creativity in mapping out members' damages-both obvious (cancellations) and less clear (for example, lost profits that
could have been used for renovations and improvements that would have increased future bookings);
• The size of their legal and support staff;
• Their ability to fund what will inevitably be expensive litigation;
• Their relationship with GCCF administrator Kenneth Feinberg;
• Their approaches to helping FRLA members recover damages resulting from the oil spill.

In announcing the FRLA's selection, Dover also noted that Cooney and the other firms "have a well-established system in place for submitting claims and, because of this system, are typically able to review and turn around materials for delivery to the GCCF within 48 hours."
With so many businesses struggling to stay afloat, speed, of course, will be of the essence. For many, it will be their lifeline.

About Cooney & Conway

For more than half a century, the attorneys of Cooney & Conway have taken on the toughest causes -- like asbestos litigation, mass torts, and catastrophic injuries -- and gone up against some of the largest and most well-financed companies in the world. Our cases may be complex, but our philosophy is simple: We believe that people who are seriously injured or whose businesses are seriously impacted by the wrongful conduct of others deserve full compensation. They deserve highly qualified, experienced and ethical legal representation to assist them in achieving justice. That's been our goal -- and our mandate -- since we opened our doors in 1958.

Energy Data Storage

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:44:43 +0000

3rd & 4th November 2010, Copthorne Tara Hotel, London,UK

SMi's Energy Data Storage conference is the perfect opportunity for the oil & gas and utility sectors to determine the tangible value of their IT strategies. Whether companies follow Shell's lead and turn their IT divisions into profit centres or BP, who have opted to outsource these functions, managing the various IT infrastructures enables these assets to become a competitive advantage.

This conference forms a platform for the energy sector as a whole to discuss and compare a range of unique digital data storage needs. Various issues associated with business continuity and information security will be incorporated into this two day event to illustrate how these contribute to consolidating a data storage strategy.

With our expert speaker line-up this really is a fantastic opportunity to find out all the relevant data storage information and network with some of the industries leading figures. Speakers include; Amr Morsy, Data Management Specialist for KUWAIT OIL COMPANY, Mark Ossel, Vice President of ECHELON ENERGY AND UTILITY, Duncan Sedgwick, former CEO of ENERGY RETAILERS ASSOCIATION and many more.

For more information, a full programme and the opportunity to register online for this unmissable event, please visit http://www.smi-online.co.uk/energydatastorage15.asp
Or alternatively contact please contact Andrew Gibbons on Tel. +44 (0)20 7827 6156 or Email. agibbons@smi-online.co.uk