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As the U.S. offshore wind industry endures a predictable number of stops and starts during its adolescence, common mantras are ‘learn from the established European model’ and ‘embrace technology transfer from the offshore oil and gas sector.’ In Robert Langford, the American Bureau of Shipping has all of that and more bundled in one neat package.Rob Langford has worked in the offshore industry for more than three decades, ‘cutting his teeth’ in a UK design firm working in the North Sea oil and gas platforms, the holy grail of rigorous conditions in offshore energy production.

Marine geosciences and offshore construction support services company NextGeo has appointed Frank Koopman as Offshore Wind Strategy Director.Koopman is an experienced executive and leader in the offshore energy sector, with over 20 years of experience in leading complex organizations, projects and innovation programs. He was Global Director Offshore Wind and Global Director Marine Site Characterization at Fugro from 2019 to 2023.Giovanni Ranieri, CEO of NextGeo, said, “We are thrilled to confirm our collaboration with Frank Koopman, who will serve as NextGeo's Offshore Wind Strategy Director.

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has appointed Cathrine Kristiseter Marti as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).Starting from June 1, 2024, Marti will take over from the current CEO, Alberto Maestrini, who will remain in his position as Chairman of the Board.Maestrini will continue to lead the Offshore and Special Vessels business in Fincantieri and through this continue to support Vard’s integration in the Fincantieri Group.The appointment…

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Offshore announced that Rick Musiol, Jr. has joined the company as Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement. In this newly created position, Musiol will lead community engagement and corporate citizenship programs everywhere Vineyard Offshore has a presence.“As Vineyard Offshore expands its work on the East and West Coasts, our top priority is to be an active and engaged member of the community,” said Christian Scorzoni, Chief External Affairs Officer for Vineyard Offshore.

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has published an updated information paper, Guidelines for the Control of Drugs and Alcohol in the Maritime Industry (2024).The paper aims to provide general guidance and recommendations for the maritime industry (operators of tankers, barges, offshore vessels and terminals associated with the ship-shore interface) in developing and implementing controls for the use of drugs and alcohol.In the guidelines, drug and alcohol use includes the use of prescribed and over-the-counter medication…

As the offshore oil and gas industry transitions to more sustainable practices, drilling rig operators are faced with demands to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement measures as part of their workload. Being the owner of the first ever drillship that secured DNV’s Abate(P) notation, Scotland-based offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling discusses everything the company is doing to make its drill-ships ‘greener’.The first step to reducing its carbon footprint for Stena…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set out plans to invest $4.75 million to establish a new national center of excellence to accelerate offshore wind deployment across the United States.The Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst with approximately 40 partners, will focus on workforce development, targeted research, and partnerships and strategies to advance offshore wind development.As offshore…

Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner Edda Wind announced it has appointed Hermann Hovland Øverlie as its new chief financial officer (CFO) following the resignation of Tom Johan Austrheim. Øverlie will join Edda Wind March 1, 2024.Øverlie is currently senior vice president of business development at Flex LNG and was previoulsy CFO at Amar Group. Øverlie has also extensive experience from financial/liquidity planning, risk management and financial analysis from Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers and DnB. He holds a master’s degree in financial economics from BI Norwegian School of Management.

A ‘Connected Future’ seminar, organized by Inmarsat in collaboration with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and moderated by Greg Trauthwein, encapsulated the critical roles technology and data sharing play in enabling more efficient and sustainable workboat operations, and in improving conditions for crew.Insights from leading Offshore Supply Vessel owners and operators capture the extent to which technology and data sharing are driving greater efficiency, sustainability and…

Liberty Green Logistics LLC, an offshore wind supply chain company, acquired Renewable Strategy Ltd. (RSL), a digital platform offering marine coordination software, asset monitoring, emissions tracking, personnel records tracking, Global Wind Organization (GWO) training, consultancy and analytical solutions to the renewables and maritime industry. The platform’s software has been used through deployment in Europe, Asia and America. Most notably in the USA, RSL is the contracted Marine Coordinator for the first industrial wind farm in the USA, Vineyard Wind1.

Woodside Energy has reached agreement with three Australian maritime unions on the Australian crewing of an LNG vessel.The agreement with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union – Maritime Union of Australia Division; the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers; and the Australian Maritime Officers Union preserves a role for Australian-resident seafarers in the maritime industry delivering LNG to customers across Asia.The agreement will support employment of around 70 Australian-resident seafarers on an LNG carrier within Woodside’s chartered fleet.

Yinson Production officially named its latest addition to the fleet, FPSO Atlanta, during a naming ceremony held at Dubai Drydocks World on December 13, 2023.FPSO Atlanta has a production capacity of 50,000 BOPD and a maximum storage capacity of 1,251,000 bbls. It will feature a carbon management process plant, which uses fuel gas for cargo tank inertization that will significantly reduce flare gas emissions through a closed flare system.Yinson Production and Enauta entered into…

N-KOM, an offshore and marine repairs facility in Qatar, is rebranding as Qatar Shipyard Technology Solutions. The company adopted launching its new identity in alignment with its 13th anniversary, confirming its endeavor to make a qualitative leap to the service provided to its customers in all fields, including technology. This adoption came in the form of the company's new name to become Qatar Shipyard Technology Solutions emphasizing the importance of its geographical location in the State of Qatar.

Vattenfall and BASF are in advanced and exclusive discussions to partner on the Nordlicht 1 and 2 projects through a sale of 49 percent of the project shares to BASF. Both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formally express their joint ambition. The Nordlicht wind park zone is located 85 km north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea and consists of two separate sites: Nordlicht 1 with a capacity of 980 MW and Nordlicht 2 with 630 MW. Vattenfall develops and constructs the Nordlicht sites.

DNV appointed Jamie Burrows to head its Energy Systems business area’s Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) unit. The appointment comes as a response to growing demand from these fossil fuels-reliant industries to reduce their CO2 emissions, and aligns with DNV's recent studies, emphasizing the role of CCUS in future energy systems. Burrows, who joined DNV in 2021 as Head of Business Development for CCUS, brings over 20 years of experience in the engineering and energy industries.

A new labor forecasting tool (LFT) is predicting around 16,000 additional workers could be needed in the UK’s offshore wind industry by 2030, and 12,000 extra workers will be needed specifically for carbon capture and hydrogen projects by 2027. It also highlights a significant increase in demand for workers in the West of Shetland oil and gas basin.The new resource, the first of its kind to focus on the engineering construction industry (ECI), provides insights into workforce numbers across regions and sectors…

bp's search for a new chief executive is set to extend into the first quarter of 2024, three sources told Reuters, while the board's probe into whether previous CEO Bernard Looney breached the code of conduct in his undisclosed personal relationships with staff drags on.The oil company has been in turmoil since Looney's resignation in September, company sources told Reuters, and the share price has underperformed rival Shell since then amid investor uncertainty over bp's future strategy.bp's shares have dropped 9% since Looney's departure, while Shell's have gained 2% over the same period.

Floating platform developer Gazelle Wind Power has appointed clean energy finance industry expert Álvaro Ortega as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).Ortega is the former Vice President of Finance at Avangrid Inc., a publicly traded company on the NY Stock Exchange and the U.S. subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola.“Finding someone with a track record like Álvaro’s is rare. Due to his financial expertise and passion for renewable energy, his joining the team is a home run for Gazelle as we enter an exciting phase in our company’s development,” said Gazelle CEO and Founder Jon Salazar.

Corvus Energy, a Norway-based provider of battery energy storage solutions and fuel cell systems for maritime, offshore and port applications, has appointed Fredrik Witte as the new CEO, starting January 1, 2024. Until Witte starts, CFO Mette Rokne Hanestad will serve as the Interim CEO.Witte joins from his position as the Managing Director of Cargill Aqua Nutrition. Commenting on the new appointment, Chairman of the Board, Mikael  Mäkinen, said: "Corvus Energy is entering an…

M3 Marine (Offshore Brokers) UK Ltd (M3OBUK) – a newly established London-based broking company focusing on the offshore and renewables sectors, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Robert Day as its Managing Director.Day brings with him almost a decade of experience, having previously held the role of Associate Director and Head of Offshore at VesselsValue, where he ran the offshore desk which specialized in valuations, broking, market analysis, and business development with a focus on offshore support vessels…

Norwegian energy industry giant Equinor has appointed of Samuel Byrne as Vice President of Operations at Equinor Renewables Americas to lead Equinor's offshore wind operations in the U.S.Bryne most recently served as Vice President responsible for Operations & Maintenance at maker Vestas Wind Systems in Asia-Pacific for both onshore and offshore wind farms, as well as solar and battery storage sites. His responsibilities covered 13 countries and approximately 15GW of wind farms either in operations or being commissioned…

Shuttle tanker owner KNOT Offshore Partners will appoint Derek Lowe as new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer with effect from the week of September 11, 2023.The new appointment comes following the decision of Gary Chapman to step down as the Partnership’s CEO/CFO announced on April 10, 2023. Lowe will join the KNOT Offshore Partners from Telford Offshore, a provider of accommodation, construction, and pipelaying in the global offshore energy services industry. He has served as the Group Company Secretary of Telford Offshore since its formation in 2018, having provided consultancy services to its predecessor since 2015. He worked from 2011 to 2015 for the debt capital markets group of Pareto Securities, and from 1994 to 2010 for the equity capital markets group of UBS. Mr.

Geir Bjørkeli has decided to step down as CEO of marine battery solutions provider Corvus Energy.He will continue in his position until at the latest December 31st 2023, ensuring a seamless transition to new leadership.Bjørkeli said: "After leading Corvus for five and a half years, I believe it is time for the company to have a new leader. Together with the rest of the team, I have dedicated extensive efforts to elevate Corvus into a prominent green industrial company within the maritime sector.