Crowley Maritime sold their twin screw tug "Sioux" to Island Tug & Barge of Seattle.

The U.S. "Orion Pioneer" was sold by WesternGeco Overseas to private buyers.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - Crude oil inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub reached a record 45.1 million barrels on May 11,after rising 16.9 million barrels since January 13, a marked contrast to the relatively flat level of inventories over January through April in recent years.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - Vietnam is an important oil supplier to regional and domestic markets and may emerge as a significant natural gas supplier in the next decade.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - EIA’s current forecast of the average U.S. refiner acquisition cost of crude oil in 2012 is $110 per barrel, which is $2.50 per barrel lower than in last month’s Outlook, but still about $8 per barrel higher than last year’s average price.

Monday, May 07, 2012 - Baker Hughes Incorporated announced today the average U.S. offshore rig count for April 2012 was 45, up 2 from the 43 counted in March 2012 and up 16 from the 29 counted in April 2011.

Thursday, May 03, 2012 - Peru is currently a net oil importer and a natural gas exporter, but rising exploration and development may lead to increased production and exports of both oil and gas in the next few years.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - Although most Caribbean countries are energy importers, the Caribbean has important centers for oil refining and storage, and Trinidad and Tobago is one of the largest LNG exporters in the world.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - The National Waterways Foundation released an update of a 2007 study comparing selected impacts of utilizing inland river barge transportation to highway and rail transportation. Titled "A Modal Comparison of Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public," the study was conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Port and Waterways at Texas A&M University.

Of the 11,180 vessels and 3,398 barges that Marcon currently tracks, 4,376 are tugs with 658 currently officially on the market for sale worldwide, up 3.95% since November 2011.

Of the 3,398 barges and 11,180 vessels we currently track, 702 are tank barges with 14 inland and 34 ocean or coastal barges officially on the market for sale.

Out of 11,180 vessels and 3,398 barges tracked by Marcon, 420 are utility boats. Since the last report in November, the total number of utility boats Marcon has officially on the market for sale has remained steady at 79.

Of 11,180 vessels and 3,398 barges tracked by Marcon, 2,678 are supply and tug supply boats. Tug supply boats officially on the market for sale have decreased from 218 to 195 vessels since February 2011.

Of the 11,180 vessels (excluding barges) Marcon currently tracks, 574 are inland river pushboats with 69 officially on the market for sale.

Of the 11,180 vessels and 3,398 barges Marcon tracks, 912 are crew, fast supply & pilot boats with 169 officially on the market for sale.

Putting the recovery back on track will be harder than it was a year ago, but as IMF’s Oliver Blanchard says "the alternative is just too unattractive". There will be risk, but like after past recessions, there will be also be opportunities.