The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority said a delivery ceremony for the newly constructed Chevron Legacy was held at the Ketchikan Shipyard Dec. 1.

Gov. Sean Parnell was scheduled to deliver keynote remarks at the ceremony, which celebrated the first steel marine vessel manufactured in Alaska for export in the international shipbuilding market, a notable achievement for any U.S. shipyard.

The new 116-foot Chevron Legacy marine fueling station is to replace Chevron's existing Coal Harbour Marina in Vancouver, British Columbia, and will double the current facility's diesel fueling capacity.

Ketchikan Shipyard is owned by AIDEA and operated by Alaska Ship and Drydock Inc. In recent years, AIDEA has expanded and improved the shipyard, and the Chevron Legacy was the first vessel delivered from the new facilities.

"The delivery of the Chevron Legacy is a milestone for the Ketchikan Shipyard and its role in expanding economic development opportunities for Alaska," AIDEA Executive Director Ted Leonard said in a written release.

ASD commenced building the Chevron Legacy in March 2009. The project utilized state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and provided employment for an average of 60 workers.

ASD is also nearing completion of the M/V Susitna, an advanced ship design that ASD and the Office of Naval Research are building at the Ketchikan Shipyard. The Susitna will deliver in early 2010 and will operate as a ferry serving the Mat-Su Borough upon completion of its demonstration period.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is a public corporation of the state. AIDEA's purpose is to promote, develop and advance the general prosperity and economic welfare of the people of Alaska.

Wyo. officials concerned about Sinclair mishaps

SINCLAIR, Wyo. (AP) - Officials with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality have asked managers of a Sinclair Oil refinery in the tiny town of Sinclair in south-central Wyoming for assurances that a series of mishaps this year involving spills and a fire will not continue.

DEQ Administer John Corra said refinery personnel are scheduled to soon meet with regulators, but he didn't name a date.

The company so far this year has reported 13 liquid or gaseous spills to either state or federal agencies. A fire in March forced the refinery to operate at about half-capacity in April.

Carbon County Commission Chairman Terry Weikum said he's concerned the company didn't make a good enough attempt to notify residents of one mishap that could have resulted in an explosion involving 3 million gallons of spilled fuel.

Officials with the DEQ said they have asked refinery managers to report information about the mishaps.

The mishaps are being investigated, state officials said, and the refinery could face fines.

"We know that there are malfunctions, stuff will happen from time to time," Corra said. "But there has been one heck of a lot going on at that refinery this year. So we're bringing them in to see if we can get some comfort level that there is an end to this series of events."

9 EU nations to build offshore wind power grid

BRUSSELS (AP) - Nine European nations have pledged to build more links between wind power stations in the North and Irish Seas, which could help them, boost output of renewable energy.

Wind energy producers complain that the few links between countries and power stations allow little wind-generated electricity to be piped quickly where it is needed. The EU's executive also has called for more cross-Europe links to secure the power supply and prevent blackouts.

Energy ministers from Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg promised to develop a new offshore power grid to link up electricity produced from sea-based wind power turbines.

The European Union aims to generate a fifth of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020 to reduce reliance on imported oil and gas, and to meet climate change goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Wind power will likely play the major role. The European Wind Energy Association says wind could generate up to 16 percent of all EU energy - or a third of all electricity - by 2020, if governments help fund more wind farms and power links.

Offshore wind farms use bigger and more powerful wind turbines planted in the seabed and can generate around a third more power than land-based wind stations. They also are far more expensive to build and maintain.

Blackfeet sign oil exploration agreement

BROWNING, Mont. (AP) - An official says the Blackfeet Tribe in northwestern Montana has signed the largest oil exploration agreement in the tribe's history.

Oil and Gas Manager Grinnell Day Chief says the tribe signed an agreement with Houston-based Newfield Production Co. to allow test wells in the middle of the reservation.

Day Chief says the company will be drilling horizontal wells into the Bakken Formation and other formations.

New drilling technology has made the Bakken Formation one of the nation's hottest oil exploration areas in recent years.

Uruguay assigns offshore exploration blocs

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay is hiring an international consortium to explore a swath of its offshore continental shelf for oil and gas reserves.

The energy ministry says the consortium comprises Brazilian state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, the Spanish-Argentine company Repsol YPF and the Portuguese oil company Petrogal SA.

Industry and Energy Minister Raul Sendic says exploration of the 3,000-square-kilometer (1,150-square-mile) area begins in January.

Petrobras President Irani Varella said Wednesday that the project has an initial investment of $80 million. The consortium has four years to search for hydrocarbons and make recommendations.

Uruguay has petitioned the United Nations to extend its offshore rights to 350 nautical miles from the standard 200.