Industry News

Astro Offshore has added a new ultra-deepwater multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) to its fleet, strengthening its subsea capabilities and expanding into international markets.The vessel, Energy Savannah, which will be renamed Astro Atlas, is a 97-metre DP2 multipurpose support vessel and the largest in the company’s fleet.Equipped with a 150-tonne subsea active heave compensated crane, a 25-tonne secondary crane, a moonpool and accommodation for up to 100 personnel, the vessel is designed to support offshore operations including subsea construction…

LD TravOcean, a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) Group, has acquired a DP2 multipurpose support vessel as part of efforts to expand its subsea capabilities.The vessel, SIDDIS Mariner, will be renamed TVO Mariner and is scheduled for delivery in summer 2026.The company said the acquisition is aimed at enabling the delivery of integrated subsea solutions combining vessel operations, equipment and expertise.The vessel will support activities including telecom cable work…

UK-based shipowner/operator North Star has strengthened its executive team with new senior appointments as it expands its offshore wind and maritime operations.North Star appointed Duncan Palmer as its first Chief Human Resources Officer, promoted Joanna Lang to Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, and named Kenneth Coughlan as Chief Technology Officer.The company said the changes support its strategy to grow its client base, talent pipeline and offshore wind activities, as well…

Perdana Petroleum has secured contracts to provide two anchor handling tug and supply vessels (AHTS) to Petronas Carigali.The company said its wholly owned unit Perdana Nautika received the work orders on April 8 for the provision of the vessels to support offshore operations.The contracts cover charter periods of 303 days and 224 days respectively, each with an option to extend by a further 40 days.Perdana said the vessels will be deployed to provide 24-hour services including support for drilling rigs…

Glamox, a global leader in lighting, has secured a contract to supply lighting for four Offshore Energy Support Vessels (OESVs) being built for Sea1 Offshore.Glamox will supply a total of 8,000 marine lights for the exteriors and interiors of four vessels that will be used to support offshore energy installations.OESVs are specialized vessels that deliver logistics, transport, installation, maintenance, and operational support to offshore energy infrastructure - including offshore wind farms…

Exmar said it has launched conversion works for a new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to support the expansion of the EemsEnergyTerminal in the Netherlands.The move follows the signing of a conditional charter agreement covering both the extension of the existing Eemshaven LNG FSRU and a newly converted unit, with EemsEnergyTerminal expected to take a conditional final investment decision in the first half of 2026.Exmar said it has secured a dual-fuel diesel electric membrane LNG carrier for the conversion and has begun engineering activities…

Toyo Engineering Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with OneSubsea to explore collaboration in subsea carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.The agreement aims to combine the companies’ capabilities to develop integrated system solutions for subsea CCS, focusing initially on projects in Japan and Southeast Asia.The companies said the collaboration will explore opportunities in areas including system design optimization and marketing strategies for offshore CO2 transport…

Oil and gas producer Eni this week finished loading a 1-million-barrel cargo of Venezuelan heavy crude bound for Spain, the first the Italian company receives in almost two years following the issuance of U.S.

The Philippines' Secretary of Energy Sharon Garin on Tuesday said the country has asked the United States to extend a waiver to purchase Russian oil and petroleum products.Garin said the government is optimistic about extending the waiver which expired on April 11, but is preparing alternative supply arrangements in case the request is declined."We are awaiting their response, but we are very positive on getting this other window," Garin said at a news briefing.The Philippines is diversifying its energy sources and supply options are not limited to Russia…

CoreMarine & Jumbo Offshore have announced the award of a significant contract to perform the transport and installation of the soft-yoke (SSY) mooring systems, and hook-up of both the Hilli Episeyo FLNG and MKII FLNG vessels, in Argentina’s Golfo San Matías. The award represents a milestone for both companies as well as a breakthrough project for Argentina’s gas sector as it ramps up in export capabilities.The contract has been awarded by Southern Energy S.A. (SESA), supported by an international consortium comprising Pan American Energy, YPF, Pampa Energía, Harbour Energy, and Golar LNG.

The Spanish shipyard C.N.P. FREIRE, S.A. (Freire Shipyard) held the launch ceremony of the diving support vessel, hull number 739, built for the Armada Logistics Support Command: A22 Proserpina in Vigo. Delivery is scheduled for later this year.The ceremony was presided over by the shipyard's General Managers, Marcos and Guillermo Freire, accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Armada (AJEMA), His Excellency Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez. Also in attendance were civil and military authorities.

NYK has jointly implemented a crew transfer vessel (CTV) newbuilding project that applies 3D technology as a core platform throughout the design and construction process.This project is being carried out in collaboration with Kosaba Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Smert Design Co., Ltd.CTVs transporting crews to offshore wind farms must meet high standards of safety, operability, and maintenance and inspection efficiency. Consequently, the design and construction phases now demand…

Vineyard Wind has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a wind turbine-supplying unit of GE Vernova  from terminating agreements and abandoning work on a $4.5 billion offshore wind farm in Massachusetts on the eve of completion.Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Spain's Iberdrola IBE.MC and Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, filed a lawsuit this week in a state court in Boston accusing the GE Vernova subsidiary of wrongly trying to terminate their contract at the wind…

China urged calm and restraint by all sides on Monday, following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Iran war.Before the war, most Iranian oil exports were shipped to China, the top global importer of crude.Keeping the key Strait of Hormuz waterway safe, stable and unimpeded served the interest of the international community, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Maritime has secured a two-year extension of the current contract for the subsea construction vessel (CSV) Normand Fortress with Petrobras.The extension will start in early July 2026. Under the extended contract, the vessel will provide accommodation services to support production activities on the Brazilian continental shelf.The gross contract value for the contract extension is approximately $56 million.The vessel will be on bareboat contract from Solstad Maritime to Solstad Offshore, which is the contract holder with Petrobras.

Oil prices surged on Monday as the U.S. moved to impose a blockade on Iranian shipping after the collapse of weekend peace talks, while the dollar rose and stocks and bonds fell.The U.S. move, aimed at putting pressure on Tehran, leaves a fragile ceasefire hanging in the balance and no end in sight to the choke on Middle East energy exports - though the mood on trading floors leaned toward hoping for a resolution.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 7% at $102 a barrel - a gain of more than 40% since the war shut navigation of the Strait of Hormuz.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz."We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened."It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put all of our efforts in the last few and we'll continue to do so," Starmer said.Britain had minesweepers in the region…

The Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have shattered a status quo that prevailed among Middle East oil and gas producers for decades. Even if the current, shaky ceasefire holds, the uneasy “new normal” has likely set the stage for yet another round of conflict.Tehran has now demonstrated both its ability and willingness to seal off the critical waterway and strike vital infrastructure across the region, fundamentally altering the risk calculus for its neighbours…

Producers in the Middle East have asked Asian refiners to submit crude oil loading programmes for April and May in preparation for the eventual resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.A two-week ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran announced on Wednesday lifted hopes for a reopening of the Strait, through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies travelled before the war.But there has been no sign yet of Tehran lifting its near-total blockade of the critical waterway…

The Middle East war is giving fresh momentum to Europe's push for energy independence andbolstering the case for offshore wind farm developments, the CEO of Denmark's Orsted said on Thursday.Europe, a major importer of fossil fuels, has seen energy prices soar in recent weeks as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, and Teheran's blockage of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, led to a worldwide scramble for oil and natural gas."There is a major task for Europe... in ensuring the necessary energy security…

The Northern Lights JV has added a third liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier to its fleet, as it expands transport capacity for Europe’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) network.The vessel, Northern Phoenix, was formally welcomed in Bergen and will support the scaling of cross-border CO2 transport under the Northern Lights project.Designed to transport liquefied CO2, the ship will carry captured emissions from Yara to the Northern Lights receiving terminal in Øygarden, where…

Oil prices rose on Thursday as doubts over a fragile two-week Middle East ceasefire raised concerns that energy flows through the crucial Strait of Hormuz will remain restricted.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $2.18, or 2.3%, at $96.93 a barrel at 0645 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 rose $3, or 3.18%, to $97.41 a barrel.Both benchmarks fell below $100 per barrel in the previous trading session, with WTI recording its biggest decline since April 2020…

Malaysia-based offshore support vessel (OSV) provider Nam Cheong has secured OSV charter contracts worth up to $25 million, as demand for vessels remains firm in Southeast Asia.The contracts cover one anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel and one maintenance work vessel, each with a firm charter period of up to two years starting in 2026, with options to extend for an additional year.The AHTS vessel has been chartered to Offshore Oil Engineering and began operations in the first quarter of 2026…