Subsea 7 News

Finnish police on Wednesday seized a ship sailing from Russia on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki to Estonia across the Gulf of Finland, an area hit by a string of similar incidents in recent years.The seized cargo vessel "Fitburg" was en route from the Russian port of St Petersburg to Israel at the time of the incident, Finland's Border Guard authority told a press conference in Helsinki."At the moment we suspect aggravated disruption of telecommunications and also aggravated sabotage and attempted aggravated sabotage…

Saipem has been awarded two offshore contracts in Saudi Arabia, known as Contract Release Purchase Orders (CRPO), under its existing Long-Term Agreement with Aramco.The first contract (CRPO 162), with a duration of 32 months, encompasses the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) of approximately 34 km of pipeline, with diameters of 20” and 30", and related works on topside structures at the Berri and Abu Safah oil fields.The second contract (CRPO 165)…

Fincantieri’s underwater systems subsidiary WASS has secured its largest contract to date, winning an order from the Indian Navy to supply Black Shark Advanced (BSA) heavyweight torpedoes for the service’s Scorpène-class submarine fleet.“This agreement represents a strategically important step for Fincantieri in India,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and General Manager of Fincantieri, noting the country’s growing role as a global naval hub and a key player in maritime security.The contract…

Throughout 2025 we have seen the subsea vessel market transitioning from a period of record highs towards a more cautious, but still fundamentally strong, outlook. While short-term activity and rates have softened in the latter part of the year, long-term demand - driven by deepwater projects and global energy infrastructure- remains robust. The market is watching closely how the influx of newbuilds and ongoing corporate consolidation will shape competition and vessel availability…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has secured an approval in principle (AiP) from ClassNK for the basic design of specialized vessels to joint and bury subsea power cables.MOL is working with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Furukawa Electric and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) to develop fundamental technologies-including a new type of cable-laying vessel-as part of a project subsidized by the Japanese government's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).One of MOL's roles in this project is to develop technologies for cable jointing and burial vessels…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner and subsea services provider DOF Group has secured two contracts for its vessels and services in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.DOF signed a three-year frame agreement for the provision of subsea inspection, maintenance and repair services with associated assets in the APAC region.A call off under the contract has also been confirmed and will utilize DSV Skandi Singapore and all related diver-less subsea services on a brownfield tieback campaign…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner and subsea services provider DOF Group has secured several new project awards in the Atlantic region and a separate contract in North America with Shell.The Atlantic region awards, amounting to over $60 million, will be executed primarily using DOF’s regional fleet during the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. The contracts represent more than 250 firm vessel days, excluding optional work.In West Africa, DOF will deploy Skandi Hera and Skandi Master under direct contracts with an operator.

Subsea7 has secured a sizeable extension of an existing frame agreement by Equinor for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair services using the vessel Seven Viking.The extension continues a frame agreement first signed in 2018 and runs through the end of 2027.Under the terms of the deal, Seven Viking will carry out inspection, maintenance and repair services at Equinor’s oil and gas wells across the Norwegian Continental Shelf.Project management and engineering work will continue to be handled from Subsea 7’s office in Stavanger…

Our fascination with the depths of the ocean revealed itself in some of our most-read stories of 2025.What’s really down there? asked New Wave Media President Greg Trauthwein in his interview with Matt Grove, Regional Segment Manager Offshore at Seequent in September, in the most watched Offshore Engineer TV show.Working underneath the world’s waters is a challenge in and of itself, a challenge exacerbated if an operator does not have a clear picture of the make-up of the seabed with insights on the potential traps that might await.

VARD has recently signed an agreement (MoU) with the major Norwegian research institute NORCE, establishing a strategic partnership to cooperate on research and innovation.The agreement encompasses topics such as design, construction, on board and underwater maintenance and drone technology for ships and subsea technology, with particular focus on the planned standardized vessels of the Norwegian Navy. Furthermore, remote control solutions for lean-manned vessels, zero-emission energy technologies…

Belgian offshore contractor Jan De Nul has concluded the 2025 transport and installation campaign of three HVAC grid connection cables at TenneT’s DolWin kappa platform.When finalized, these cables will ensure the transport of almost 660 MW renewable electricity from two offshore wind farms, which is enough energy needed to power more than 800,000 German homes.Jan De Nul and partner Hellenic Cables are responsible for design, production, transport, installation and protection of three 155 kV HVAC cables with a total length of 37 km.

Ocean Infinity has reached a significant milestone with the delivery of the final vessel in its 14-vessel Armada fleet, featuring advanced underwater robotic systems capable of a wide range of data collection tasks.Over the past five years, Ocean Infinity has built and deployed a fleet of cutting-edge lean crewed vessels unlike anything the industry has seen before.This latest delivery completes the 86-meter class of Armada ships, following the successful introduction of the 78-meter class in 2023.

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has secured an extension to its existing frame agreement with Equinor for the provision of subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services.As a part of the renewal, DeepOcean will deploy specialized IMR vessels, along with comprehensive subsea services, throughout 2026 and into 2027.The scope of work also includes onshore engineering and project management services for various subsea operations.With this contract, DeepOcean will deliver uninterrupted IMR activities for Equinor from 2006 to 2035…

Fincantieri is advancing its push into high-tech maritime infrastructure through a new agreement with WSense, a fast-growing underwater technology scale-up specializing in subsea communication and environmental monitoring systems. The partnership—signed by Giorgio Bellipanni, CEO of Fincantieri Infrastructure Opere Marittime, and WSense CEO Chiara Petrioli—aims to integrate real-time underwater sensing and Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) capabilities into major port and coastal projects.Under the collaboration…

Dong Fang Offshore (DFO), one of Asia’s largest offshore wind service providers, has signed a major shipbuilding contract with Norwegian yard Westcon for a new subsea and cable lay vessel (CLV), set for delivery in 2027.Westcon will take over and complete construction of a large cable lay vessel already under build.DFO said the order supports its recent growth and replaces installation capacity lost in Taiwan after DeepOcean exercised an option to keep the Orient Adventurer working in Europe until 2028…

Havila Shipping has not had its case upheld in Oslo District Court and will appeal the judgment.In January and March, the company filed a lawsuit against DnB Bank ASA, Danske Bank AS NUF, and Swedbank AB (publ).The banks have maintained that Havila Shipping breached refinancing terms by converting of debt to equity and conducting a bond issue.In a statement, Havila said: “Havila Shipping does not agree with the judgment, and the district court's ruling is not a final decision in the matter.

Belgium’s Jan De Nul is commissioning what it calls its most advanced offshore wind installation simulator, a digital twin of its vessels Les Alizés and Voltaire designed to train crews to install the latest generation of giant wind turbines and foundations at sea.The crane simulator, installed at the company’s Aalst office, features a seven-meter-wide dome offering a 360-degree view and allows operators to rehearse complex installation operations at heights exceeding 150 meters.Wind turbine tip heights now reach 300 metres…

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a major contract with Sea1 Offshore to deliver Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) for the company’s four new offshore construction vessels. Each vessel will be equipped with two advanced LARS units, supporting subsea construction and ROV operations.The scope of supply per vessel includes two telescopic A-frames, fully electrical umbilical winches, energy efficient hydraulic power units, and a dedicated control system. Each system offers a safe working load of 15 tonnes (vehicle dry weight) and winch cable capacity of 4…

A survey on Thursday showed that oil firms in Norway are planning to drill 18% less exploration wells next, as they focus on existing fields. This could undermine the government's aim of maintaining production from Europe's biggest petroleum producer.Offshore Norway's survey of its members shows that drilling and investment will decline next year.The survey revealed that oil companies on the Norwegian continental Shelf, such as Equinor Aker BP Vaar Energi, intend to drill 37 exploration wells by 2026.

Oil majors operating in Brazil have closed ranks to oppose a proposed merger between energy contractors Subsea7 and Saipem, and antitrust agency Cade has asked the two firms to provide its probe with new data on Friday, public documents seen by Reuters show.The resulting new firm, to be called Saipem7, would have a strong enough position to impose additional costs, delay projects and pressure some clients into exclusive long-term contracts, Brazil oil industry group IBP said in a November filing to Cade.On Friday…

A consortium led by UK unmanned vessel developer ACUA Ocean has secured government support to develop a new 145-foot uncrewed offshore support vessel, aiming to scale up autonomous operations for offshore energy, logistics and surveillance.The Project MROS consortium, which includes Houlder, Ad Hoc Marine Designs, Trident Marine and the University of Southampton, received funding earlier this year under the UK Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

On November 25, 2025, at the Offshore Energy Conference in Amsterdam, Windcat signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for a new Multi-Purpose Accommodation Support Vessel (MP-ASV), with the option of five additional vessels of this type. To be known as the Innovation Series, the vessels will combine a large open deck with a subsea crane with fuel efficient operations and comfortable, high-quality accommodation for personnel working in the offshore energy sector for extended periods.

The 2022 sabotage of gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea marked a turning point: maritime infrastructure is no longer seen as a passive utility, but as a strategic asset at risk of disruption. The Joint Baltic Declaration on Security in the Baltic Sea was signed on November 20 by the Norwegian State Secretary Marte Gerhardsen, in the presence of the Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.According to an official statement by the Norwegian State Secretary…