Activity News

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed update to the Santa Clara Unit Development and Production Plan, which includes the use of hydraulic fracturing on 16 existing wells at Platform Gilda, located 8.8 miles offshore Ventura County, California.BOEM has deemed the plan complete and is launching an environmental review under the Department of the Interior’s “Alternative Arrangements for NEPA Compliance During a National Energy Emergency,” published on the April 23, 2025.

U.S. officials are drafting agreements to pay nearly $1 billion to oil major TotalEnergies as compensation for the cancellation of leases for wind farms in federal waters off New York State and North Carolina, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.Under the terms of the proposed settlements, the U.S. Interior Department will cancel the leases in federal waters for two projects, known as Attentive Energy and Carolina Long Bay, the NYT said, citing documents.The Justice Department will then pay more than $928 million to TotalEnergies…

Sable Offshore on Monday said it had begun pumping oil on a long-disputed pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries after emergency orders from the Trump administration directing the restart.The restart marks a major win for the Houston-based oil company in its years-long battle with California regulators and environmental groups, which have sued to stop the Santa Ynez project. Santa Ynez had been shut since 2015 due to an oil spill from the pipelines that Sable has now restarted.The matter is among the slew of conflicts between U.S.

U.S. officials responding to economic uncertainty over high oil prices predicted on Sunday that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran would end within weeks and that a drop in energy costs would follow, despite Iran's assertion that it remains "stable and strong" and ready to defend itself.U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more strikes on Iran's main oil export hub Kharg Island over the weekend and said he was not ready to reach a deal to end the war which has shut off the vital Strait of Hormuz and shaken up global energy markets.Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate…

Maersk Offshore Wind has officially christened its new Seatrium-built wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Maersk Viridis, marking the entry of the first vessel in the company’s new offshore wind installation fleet.The naming ceremony was held on board the vessel, where its godmother, Charlotte Nørkjær Larsen, formally named the ship by smashing a bottle of champagne against the main crane pedestal.Delivered by Seatrium, the 40,000-tonne vessel was recently delivered following sea trials and final readiness evaluations.

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill has appointed Samir Ali as its new chief executive officer (CEO).Effective immediately, Samir Ali will step up from its Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) position to its new role, succeeding Simon Johnson.Ali has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer of the company since August 2022. Prior to joining Seadrill, Ali was with Diamond Offshore, most recently serving as Vice President of Investor Relations…

Iranian crude oil has continued to flow through the Strait of Hormuz at a near-normal pace even as Tehran-linked attacks on ships in the narrow waterway have decimated exports from other Gulf countries, a Reuters review of tanker tracking data showed.Iran has exported about 13.7 million barrels of crude oil since Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on the country on February 28, according to analysis from TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence company that specializes in tracking the so-called shadow fleet…

Oil prices rose sharply on Thursday as Iran stepped up attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East, fuelling concerns of a prolonged conflict and potential disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.Brent futures LCOc1 climbed $5.95, or 6.47%, to $97.93 a barrel at 0915 GMT, having hit $100 per barrel in earlier trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up $5.25, or 6%, to $92.50.Brent hit $119.50 a barrel on Monday, its highest since mid-2022, then dropped after U.S.

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from strategic stockpiles to combat a spike in global crude prices since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, with the U.S. contributing the bulk of the supply.The IEA said all 32 member countries backed the move, the sixth coordinated stockpile release since the agency's creation in the 1970s. The United States will take a lead role by contributing 172 million barrels, according to U.S.

G7 energy ministers stopped short of agreeing on a release of strategic oil reserves on Tuesday and instead asked the International Energy Agency to assess the situation before acting.The IEA said it was convening an extraordinary meeting of its member states on Tuesday.Members would "assess the current security of supply and market conditions to inform a subsequent decision on whether to make emergency stocks of IEA countries available to the market," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said."We have asked the IEA to elaborate scenarios for a potential oil stock release…

The economic risks of the world’s heavy dependence on oil and gas have been laid bare twice in four years - first with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and now with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran - undermining U.S. President Donald Trump’s flagship push to double down on fossil fuels.The dramatic supply disruptions and price spikes unleashed by the latest Middle East conflict are likely to harden the resolve of many governments to accelerate the drive for greater energy self‑sufficiency…

Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC has shut its Ruwais refinery, a source said on Tuesday, after a fire broke out at a facility within the complex following a drone strike, the latest disruption to energy infrastructure due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.Abu Dhabi authorities were responding to a fire at the facility following a drone attack, the emirate's government media office said on Tuesday, adding there were no injuries.

Jan De Nul has selected Ulstein Design & Solutions to provide the vessel design for a new subsea trenching vessel that will be added to the company’s offshore fleet.The vessel, scheduled for delivery in 2028, will be based on a proven subsea vessel platform adapted to support large-scale trenching operations.Subsea trenching involves creating protective channels on the seabed to bury pipelines, power cables and telecommunications lines.The vessel design will feature a modular configuration allowing it to support activities across several offshore sectors…

N-Sea Group has entered into a long-term charter agreement with Rederij Groen for the newbuild offshore support vessel Dominus, which is being constructed by PASSER at Shipyard De Hoop in Tolkamer, the Netherlands.Construction of the vessel is underway following a keel-laying ceremony held in the final week of February. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for April 2027.The vessel will measure about 69.85 meters in length with a beam of 15.77 meters and a draught of 4.5 meters.

Oil prices plummeted 7% on Tuesday after soaring to a more than three-year high in the previous session as U.S. President Donald Trump predicted the war in the Middle East could end soon, easing concerns about prolonged disruptions to oil supplies.Brent futures LCOc1 fell $6.79, or 6.9%, to $92.17 a barrel at 0840 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was down $6.55, or 6.9%, to $88.22 a barrel. Both contracts fell as much as 11% earlier before paring some losses.Oil surged past $100 a barrel on Monday to the highest since mid-2022…

Saudi Arabia's Aramco, the world's top oil exporter, said on Tuesday there would be "catastrophic consequences" for the world's oil markets if the Iran war continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.Oil shipments have been largely blocked from traversing through the shipping artery, where normally roughly 20% of the world's oil would pass through daily. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East if U.S.

Unlike larger jackup regions where scale provides greater flexibility, relatively minor changes in supply can have an outsized impact. The availability, reactivation, or retirement of a single rig can materially shift utilisation levels, dayrate negotiations, and contracting dynamics, often with limited visibility.There are currently five jackups drilling in the region, operating across Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Several of these units are contracted into 2026 and beyond, which is meaningful in a market of this size.© EsgianDespite this coverage, active supply remains constrained.

Semco Maritime and Zamakona Yards have formed a strategic alliance to establish Las Palmas Shipyard, a new hub for rig upgrades, vessel maintenance and offshore modification projects in the Canary Islands.The partnership combines Semco Maritime’s engineering and project execution expertise with Zamakona’s shipyard infrastructure and marine services capabilities. Operations at the Las Palmas facility have already begun.The shipyard is designed to support rig owners, offshore operators and special vessel clients by providing integrated services covering upgrades…

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation began cutting oil output on Saturday and declared force majeure, adding to earlier oil and gas reductions from Iraq and Qatar as the U.S.-Iran war blocked shipments from the Middle East for the eighth consecutive day.The war has blocked the world's most important oil artery the Strait of Hormuz which is responsible for 20% of global oil and LNG supply. Analysts predict the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will have to also cut output soon as they run out of oil storage.Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) declared force majeure…

Saudi Aramco has offered more than 4 million barrels of Saudi crude in rare tenders as the U.S.-Iran conflict disrupted exports from the Middle East, several traders said.In a tender that will close at 5 p.m. Beijing time (0900 GMT) on Monday, Aramco offered 2 million barrels of Arab Heavy crude to load at the Ain Sokhna port of Egypt.The loading date, subject to confirmation, is from March 10 to March 30, according to a tender document shared by the traders. The sale, on a free-on-board basis…

Governments scrambled to limit the impact on economies and consumers from the widening Iran war, which fuelled a record surge in oil prices on Monday after key producers cut output and Tehran signalled that hardliners would remain in charge.In a sign of mounting governmental concern over supply disruptions, the Group of Seven finance ministers will discuss the possibility of a joint release of emergency oil reserves in a meeting on Monday, a French government source said.In South Korea…

Bapco Energies has declared force majeure on its group operations following the impact of the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and a recent attack on its refinery complex.The Bahrain-based integrated energy company said the declaration applies to operations affected by the incident.Despite the disruption, the company said local fuel supply remains secure and that domestic demand continues to be met through contingency plans already in place.According to reports, thick smoke was seen rising from the direction of the Bapco refinery on March 9.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has agreed to jointly own two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) with Cyprus-based shipping company Schoeller Holdings, marking the Japanese company’s first entry into the European offshore wind support vessel market.The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2027. MOL has also decided to invest in Germany-based offshore vessel developer and operator Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt (DOS), which will operate the ships.The move expands MOL’s offshore wind vessel business beyond Asia…