Brazil – February 2025 – The Salesian Apprenticeship Program in Brazil has recently expanded its network to Guarapari a coastal city in the state of Espírito Santo the program is currently engaging over 20 students from the Salesian education center CESAM who will gain practical work experience at a newly opened supermarket chain in the city. Theoretical training sessions are being held at the Doctum Guarapari College in the Olaria district This Salesian-led apprenticeship initiative aims to promote the safe and legal integration of adolescents into the job market apprenticeship is the only legal and secure way for individuals under 16 to enter the workforce and serves as an effective means of combating child labor. Fernanda Aparecida Chisté expressed her satisfaction with this milestone emphasizing that it will provide many young people with protected and secure employment opportunities throughout their contract duration ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements The Areia Preta beach in the Brazilian city of Guarapari is famous for its black sand which has external radiation levels of almost 400 times the normal background radiation recorded in the US but none are quite like “Praia Da Areia Preta” a phosphate mineral rich in several rare-earth elements Research has shown that background radiation on Areia Preta can reach 175 mSv per year particularly those with lost of black sand the average radiation exposure level across the United States is about 0.34 μSv/h while an X-ray gives people a one-time exposure to about 100 μSv Photo: Marcelo Moryan/MTur Guarapari’s monazite-rich black sand was first noticed in 1880 by Austrian scientist Carl Auer von Welsbach He was looking for thorium for his newly invented incandescent mantles and monazite sand proved to be the perfect source Brazilian monazite mines dominated the industry of rare-earth elements up until World War 2 but it wasn’t until the late 20th century that monazite sand beaches became a health tourism attraction the radioactivity of monazite sand was already known for almost a century but that year physician Silva Mello started promoting a radioactive sand therapy that she claimed could treat a variety of health problems thousands of tourists try to cure diseases by lying on or even covering themselves with this radioactive sand ignoring the danger of prolonged exposure to radiation 50 years after Silva Mello’s publication on the benefits of monazite sand many in Brazil still believe that exposure to the sand is actually good for their health The tourism industry of Guarapari has definitely benefited from this narrative and the city wears its nickname “The Healthy Town” with pride despite the controversy surrounding the effects of exposure to the sand most parts of Guarapari have relatively low levels of background radiation – 0.6 µSv/h on average – which doesn’t pose any real health risk Sea waves continuously pound coastal mountains rich in monazite and some of the radioactive compounds wash up on the shore in the form of black sand Over the years, research has shown that gamma radiation alone on Areia Preta poses a serious danger to tourists One 2002 study found that gamma radiation doses on Areia Preta beach were comparable to those in the immediate vicinity (l km) of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant The authors point out that while the radionuclide composition in the two locations is undoubtedly different the gamma radiation on Areia Preta requires protective equipment Radiation absorbed through the skin can reportedly increase the risk of skin cancer while inhaled radioactive compounds can cause lung cancer It is for these reasons that the Brazilian Nuclear Agency does not recommend spending too much time on radioactive beaches like Areia Preta it was proposed that monozites be removed from the sand and then sold as valuable ore rich in rare-earth elements the iconic black sand of Guarapari could be preserved for its tourism value without exposing people to harmful radiation NEW YORK CITY – Drilling contracting activity has slowed in March with only a few contracts announced so far this month according to Evercore ISI’s latest Offshore Rig Market Snapshot This follows a “busy” February where five drillships and four jackups secured new multi-year terms This included a new three-year contract from Petrobras for the Valaris DS-8 which was cold stacked at the start of the pandemic as well as new one-year extensions for two Stena drillships operating offshore Guyana for ExxonMobil With all available sixth and seventh-generation drillships spoken for and only eight floaters rolling off contract over the next few months “contracting activity is likely to remain limited in the near term,” the firm said “Meanwhile we count 14 cold stacked and 12 newbuild drillships available of which seven are scheduled [to be] delivered this year,” Evercore said in the report This includes the 99% finished seventh-generation CAN-DO the lone Singapore-based drillship transferred to Rigco Holding Pte Ltd following the merger of Keppel and Sembcorp Marine; and the reportedly 74% completed Guarapari one of four remaining floaters originally ordered for Sete Brasil “We believe [that] four or five newbuild drillships from the South Korean yards are more likely to be delivered including the Valaris DS-13 and Transocean’s Deepwater Aquila from DSME; and the Stena Evolution (former Ocean Rig Crete) and Dorado from Samsung,” the firm commented Stena Drilling paid $15 million for the option to purchase the Crete for $245 million,” Evercore said “While the purchase option has yet to be exercised preparation of the seventh-generation drillship is underway with the rig leaving the shipyard for sea trials.” Subscribe today to receive more inspiring articles like this one delivered straight to your inbox twice a month Your donation helps us not only keep our quality of journalism high but helps us continue to reach more people in the Churches of Christ community {amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees “We decided to feed those who really need it.”Everything was beautiful The details came out just the way the bride and groom had dreamed they would Ana Paula Meriguete and Victor Ribeiro got married in the Catholic Church and received the congratulations of their guests at a brief reception afterwards and it was not a traditional one: Instead of a typical wedding banquet the young couple decided to offer a meal for poor children and their families in the coastal city of Guarapari The newlyweds, who sing in the choir at their parish, said that the idea of offering the meal was inspired by a popular Brazilian hymn, “My kingdom has much to say,”  which is often sung during communion at Mass. The lyrics of the second verse say: These words, of course, are taken straight from the Gospel (Luke 14:12-14). The bride and groom wanted to finance the celebration on their own. However, their friends and family wanted to help out too. That was just the beginning; monetary donations and offers to work as volunteers started to pour in. The network of solidarity grew, and the meal even ended up being offered for free by a professional catering company. Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free! Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you. Please make a tax-deductible donation today! Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more. Churros, a golden retreiver, barked and jumped on a police officer who allegedly pulled out a gun and proclaimed, ‘I’m going to kill your dog’ Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. barked and jumped on a police officer who allegedly pulled out a gun and proclaimed I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A dog was shot and killed in front of his family after jumping up at a police officer Churros, a golden retriever, was out for a walk with his owner Iasmin Lima, 32, her sons, nine and 12, and her one-year daughter on 9 September, Jam Press reports. The three-year-old dog was not leashed as the family down Praia do Morro in Guarapari, Brazil. He barked and jumped on the nearby officer who allegedly pulled out a gun and proclaimed, “I’m going to kill your dog.” “Everyone begged, but the children were the ones who asked the most, for God’s sake, for him not to do anything, not to shoot,” said Ms Lima. The suspect, a 52-year-old Military Police officer, from Minas Gerais, shot Churros three times. He claims the golden retriever attacked him and he asked the owners to hold the dog. When they didn’t, he says he was attacked again before taking out his pistol and shooting the dog once. He allegedly fled the scene following the incident, offering no assistance to the family. Churros was rushed to the local vet but his injuries were too severe, and he died shortly afterwards. The family called the Military Police who found the officer and escorted him to the 5th Regional Police Station in Praia do Morro. He was charged with mistreating animals and taken to the Guarapari Provisional Detention Center. In a statement, issued by the deputy of the department, the unnamed officer stated he was defending himself from the animal’s attack. On 10 September, the officer was released without bail, the court determining he was to follow precautionary measures, such as not leaving the area and not using his firearm. The case is currently under investigation by the Civil Police of Espirito Santo. Churros, the dog who was shot by a police officer A Vineyard Haven store that caters to the Island Brazilian community is getting a makeover a convenience store located at 25 Beach Road in Vineyard Haven “I hope to have everything ready for a grand opening on May 26,” she said “I want to earn the trust of new customers.” Santos has lived on the Vineyard since 1999 raised a daughter and ran a cleaning business Ludmilla Alves has been working as a cashier at Island Star for three years She said she is happy the about the recent changes “I used to open [the store] at nine and close at five,” said Ms Island Star sells coffee and breakfast cake They also sell cardboard boxes and offer moving services The store has a Brazilian flag in its window Santos hopes to have new window dressing by Memorial Day Weekend The interior has two aisles with ethnic foods and dry goods one with drinks and another with frozen meat Alves said she is excited about the new product selection Santos is conducting money transfers using BB Remessa On Thursday Carlos Costa visited Island Star to send money to his wife in Brazil Subscribe or become a Friend of the Vineyard Gazette and receive our free newsletters and free and discounted tickets to Gazette events along with our award-winning news and photography Editor's note: This story first appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Offshore magazine. Click here to view the full issue. The ongoing multi-year drilling upcycle has resulted in a scarcity of available rigs and dayrates have reached levels not seen since the 2010-14 upcycle The appetite for additional rigs is certainly still visible as national oil companies are looking to increase domestic production and international oil companies have increased forecasted capital expenditures investors and drilling contractors have acquired numerous stranded newbuilds in shipyards The few stranded rigs that are left are hot takeover objectives in a booming offshore drilling market There are still 42 rigs in shipyards that are considered under construction The amount of stranded assets has decreased compared to last year and there are currently 28 rigs that are owned by the shipyards while the remaining 14 are owned by drilling contractors or investors Only three of the rigs under construction are contracted for work after delivery as most of the contracted rigs have already been delivered These rigs are the ARO Drilling jackups ARO 2005 and ARO 2006 which will move to the US Gulf of Mexico on a five-year contract with Shell starting in 2024 Most of the rigs under construction are in China with almost 50% of the newbuild fleet located in the country almost all of the Korean drillships have been acquired and will likely be delivered in 2024 and 2025 Singapore comes in third and has already had several deliveries this past year both through acquisition and bareboat charters The remaining newbuilds are located in Brazil (4) High dayrates and increasing demand for rigs in the Middle East have created a lot of interest for jackups and several units have been acquired either through bareboat charter or purchase Keppel FELS’ Fecon 1 (now Admarine 683) and Fecon 2 (now Admarine 684) were delivered to ADES on a bareboat charter while Fecon 3 (now Arabdrill 110) and Clearwater B-Class4 (now ArabDrill 120) were delivered to Arabian Drilling Company on a bareboat charter in 4Q 2022; while Saipem contracted Gulf Driller VII (now Perro Negro 11) from CIMC Raffles ADNOC Drilling bought the three newbuilds Huldra each of which have been awarded a 10-year contract with ADNOC Offshore Sinopec Offshore Oilfield Services bought the Kan Tan VIII from Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) COSL has also shown interest in expanding its fleet and the Chinese drilling contractor purchased two ex-Seadrill jackups The deepwater activity has also generated a lot of interest in drillships as dayrates have been moving toward the $500,000 mark Transocean announced in November 2022 that its joint venture with Perestroika AS and Lime Rock Management has agreed to purchase the 12,000-ft seventh-generation drillship West Aquila (now Deepwater Aquila) from DSME for about $200 million The drilling contractor also took delivery of the two 20k BOP drillships Deepwater Atlas and Deepwater Titan in 2022 both of which moved to the US Gulf of Mexico to work for Beacon and Chevron purchased the 12,000-ft seventh-generation drillship West Dorado in January 2023 and the 10,000-ft seventh-generation drillship Pacific Zonda in April 2023 each at around $200-230 million (the exact purchase price was not reported) Eldorado is reported to have purchased a third Korean drillship Valaris has confirmed that it will exercise its purchase options for two drillships and will issue $400 million (upsized from $350 million) in 8.375% senior secured second lien notes to finance the acquisition Valaris agreed with DSME (now Hanwha Ocean) in 2021 to amend and delay the delivery date to December 2023 and was given the option to take early delivery or terminate the contracts the purchase price of $119 million for the DS-13 and $219 million for the DS-14 are too attractive to pass on Newbuild rig values increased significantly last year and the growth has certainly not stopped in 2023 Values for rigs under construction have on average increased by 16% year-to-date (YTD) with semisubmersibles seeing the highest growth among higher dayrates Semisubmersible newbuilds increased by 23% YTD Esgian Rig Values (ERV) estimates the most valuable newbuilds to be Nordic Spring and Nordic Winter jackup newbuilds have increased by over 10% YTD with the most valuable units being the ex-Seadrill jackups being built at DSIC with values in the $150-million range Nearly all the rigs under construction were ordered during the 2010-2014 upcycle with only a handful of rigs ordered after the 2015 downturn The drilling market was experiencing a careful optimism in 2018-2019 and two harsh-environment semisubmersibles were ordered from KeppelFELS during this time by the Norwegian drilling contractor Awilco Drilling Both newbuilds were later cancelled and Dolphin Drilling secured the marketing rights for the two rigs with expected delivery dates in 2024 and 2025 The Saudi Aramco-Valaris joint venture ARO Drilling also ordered jackups to be built by Lamprell and International Maritime Industries as part of a 20-rig newbuild program over the next ten years Although there is currently a lot of demand for newbuilds there are a few rigs that still have a questionable future The four Sete Brasil rigs remain stranded in Brazil and their situation remains uncertain as Petrobras has indicated that its board of directors will be considering the possible conclusion of an agreement with Sete Brasil The four rigs under construction are the two semisubmersibles The rigs were part of Sete Brasil’s large rig construction program which failed after the company was linked to the larger corruption scandal An agreement appeared to have been reached with Petrobras in 2018/19 when the Brazilian operator planned to award each rig a 10-year contract at a dayrate of $299,000 with Magni Partners acquiring the four rigs partnered by Etesco and Mubadala Gorup the number of incremental rigs available to enter the market is limited to the non-competitive fleet this fleet consists of mostly operator-owned rigs and cold-stacked vintage rigs that have been stacked for a very long time Many of these rigs are too old and too costly to reactivate and remain scrapping candidates despite the improving market The global fleet has been decreasing after a prolonged downturn and still almost one third of the fleet was built before 2000; many of these were built in the 1970s and 1980s the current supply of newbuilds is not enough to cover the increasing demand Although additional newbuilds are needed to cover future demand the current capacity of shipyards for offshore rig construction is unclear The extended downturn led to large financial losses for the shipyards and that led to a strategic shift towards the energy transition and renewable industries Keppel O&M and Sembcorp marine (now Seatrium) completed their megamerger earlier this year which saw Keppel Corporation exit the offshore and marine industry The new entity will certainly continue to play an important role in the future of rig building but will also have an increasing focus on the renewable industry and offshore wind The stranded units available are financially advantageous compared to a newbuild the higher dayrate environment and global fleet reduction will likely spur a new newbuild cycle when most of the stranded rigs are in the market It is not a question of if but when the next newbuild orders will start to happen most of the stranded assets will be acquired which will free up space for additional newbuilds The first rigs ordered will probably be jackups while drillships are more likely to be ordered before new semisubmersibles The earliest lead times will likely be two or three years for completion if the first orders were placed in 2025-2026 these orders would not enter the market before 2027-2028 the offshore rig market has been experiencing intense demand signals rig contractors are exercising caution when it comes to building new units Despite marketed utilization rates above 90% and significantly increased day rates – up to and above $180,000 for jackups and over $500,000 for drillships – there have been no new orders This reluctance is primarily due to limited access to capital and rising costs with jackups priced at $250-300 million and drillships at over $850 million Financial analysts indicate that long-term contracts with high day rates are necessary to justify newbuilds three drillships and six jackups have been delivered Six rigs are slated to be delivered this year it should be noted that it is unlikely that many of these rigs will be delivered as planned and some will probably never be delivered only five were ordered with contracts in hand or by operators themselves but four of those rigs are part of Sete Brasil and those original charters were cancelled years ago and there is no sign they will ever be re-awarded The future of the four units remains unclear as market sources suggest that the rigs may either be converted Sete Brasil drillships Arpoador and Guarapari were relocated to Singapore from Brazil in 2023 while semisubmersibles Urca and Frade remain stranded in Brazil Chinese shipyards are currently constructing more rigs than their counterparts in other countries Singaporean shipyards are constructing a total of six rigs Diamond Offshore also secured marketing rights for the seventh-generation Draco drillship from Eldorado Drilling earlier this year to market the rig in Latin America Diamond is now working through a planned merger with Noble Corp that is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025 As for semisubmersibles nearing the end of construction Beacon Pacific remains at the CIMC Raffles Shipyard in China where it is undergoing preparation work for potential opportunities The rig is not yet completed but the final class certification is ongoing and outstanding activities include the final system integration test and renewing the Certificate of Compliance Beacon Pacific remains available for charter or purchase Nearly all of the rigs currently being built were ordered speculatively and very few have actually picked up a contract in the time since construction started Of the 27 speculative units currently being built only two newbuild jackups in China have been awarded contracts since construction started COSL completed the acquisition of four jackups initially ordered by Seadrill from Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Company West Hyperion was scheduled to be delivered to COSL in August and is now named Hai Yang Shi You 948 the rig is expected to begin operations in China As for the second newbuild jackup that has secured a charter China Petroleum Offshore Engineering (CPOE) jackup Zhong You Hai 21 is expected to leave a Chinese shipyard in August after finishing its re-activation program The DSJ-design unit will be put to work in Bohai Bay for CNOOC under an initial one-year charter The rig is a sister unit to Zhong You Hai 20 which was delivered in 2023 and also working in Bohai Bay for CNOOC The two units were ordered speculatively in 2012 and built by China Petroleum Liaohe Equipment Company shipyard but later fell under the auspices of parent company China National Petroleum Company and CPOE after the yard quit the offshore construction sector Gulf Energy entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Titan Drilling to utilize the newbuild jackup TS Jasper for an exploration well Gulf Energy plans to use the rig to drill its Lion prospect offshore Australia in mid-2026 which could potentially contain up to 10 Tcf of recoverable gas resources The KFELS N Plus design unit was initially ordered in 2014 but Keppel terminated the rig contract in 2022 due to non-payment by the owners the rig is expected to be delivered by the end of 2025 and will be available in the Australian market for about a year before Gulf Energy deploys it The average slippage in delivered rigs over the last decade has been about 2.4 years (longest 13 years After being left with unfinished rigs and huge debts the decision of several shipyards to limit their involvement in rig building going forward and instead focusing on other shipbuilding has limited the industry’s rig construction capabilities which was exacerbated by a shortage of experienced workers and supply chain issues High downpayment requirements – over 70% in Singapore and 30% in China – have priced out speculative investors many contractors are shifting focus to reactivating stranded or cold-stacked units which have become more attractive due to their lower costs and quicker market availability The Middle East has recently absorbed over 50 jackups bargains are becoming rare as the most desirable rigs have already been acquired leaving fewer options for potential new orders Reactivating cold-stacked floaters costs between $70-125 million and can take up to 18 months Jackups are generally cheaper to reactivate although in some cases it can go up to $40 million rig contractors are benefiting from higher day rates and are starting to return dividends to stakeholders the industry may shift towards upgrading existing rigs to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions Popular upgrades include offline capabilities for jackups and advanced drilling systems for floaters such as managed pressure drilling (MPD) and backup blowout preventer (BOP) systems The introduction of the 20,000-psi BOP stack represents the latest in drilling technology offering new opportunities in challenging environments albeit with a significant investment and lead time similar to newbuilds Looking at rig orders and deliveries since 2012 ordering of new rigs has been minimal with only eight orders made in the last nine years and none so far in 2024 while rig deliveries have averaged around 11 units per year since 2020 Any future rig orders will only take place on the back of a substantial long-term contract at an extremely attractive rate but given the number of units already in the market and that high cost such a scenario looks unlikely in the short term initially focusing on the offshore supply vessel market in the Americas until 2021 He then transitioned to Petrodata’s international team Angel oversees North America reporting and leads the team analyzing the rig market across the Americas He actively contributes to the market intelligence tool Petrodata Rigs by S&P Global including the World Rig Forecast: Short Term Trends Angel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality from the University of Houston Editor’s Note: INSPIRED is an ongoing series where we feature uplifting stories of ordinary people overcoming unthinkable adversity by harnessing the restorative power of the ocean But I still had to get used to it — I had to find ways to adapt The biggest thing for me has been to learn how to surf “I should give up.” But my God is powerful and I have faith in Him and he helped me overcome I never imagined I could surf or do things like this As Derek Rabelo will tell you and has told you, he was born blind, unable to see even the faintest glimmer of light, in the small beautiful city of Guarapari, Brazil. Deciding he wasn’t going to confine his life to being blind, he pursued surfing, and now he finds himself doing the unthinkable — surfing the North Shore’s gnarliest waves. His journey to Pipeline has been documented in Beyond Sight an upcoming story told by Walking on Water Films Magno experienced and continues to experience Derek’s very visible strength and determination firsthand: “The will of Derek to surf crazy and dangerous waves is incredible I would never say to him that is impossible for him to do though we know his limits and some days we don’t take him the biggest challenge at Pipe is the crowd and the first days at Pipe only a few people knew he was blind People were really upset with me because they thought it wasn’t cool to let Derek surf at Pipe.” I first started to surf when I was 17 years old I wanted to surf because I lived close to the beach My dad is the first person to teach me how to surf we have to be really prepared mentally to be out there [at Pipe] and that is exactly it what calls my attention in Derek: he never really gets nervous after a big wipeout How you react to those critical moments matters Derek has had many wipe outs in many sessions and yet I have never seen him nervous or anxious — maybe his blindness helps him in these moments… that’s the real difference in Derek.” I went to surf Pipe because I have a friend who talks so much about Pipe Pipeline is a dream wave for every surfer that enjoys barrels And that wasn’t any different for me and even more to surf it — the best wave in the world My favorite part of surfing is that I can make many friends And everyone in the lineup is pretty nice to me I don’t have a fear ’cause my faith in God is bigger than my fear I intend to keep sharing my faith in God through my experiences in surfing — as well as get some other waves like Indonesia and maybe Jaws soon — and of course keep helping and inspiring people A dog was filmed standing over the dead body of another in the middle of a busy highway in Guarapari The female dog seems determined to protect the deceased dog despite being in the middle of a busy lane amid oncoming vehicles Passing motorists are seen slowing down as they passed the dog and the lifeless body of another dog The video was filmed by traffic police while a team from EcoRodovias Details of the accident that killed the large The female dog was released on a ranch in nearby Serra (Edited by Fern Siegel and Judith Isacoff)