Industry News

The Philippine Coast Guard has accused China of conducting illegal marine scientific research near the oil and gas-rich Reed bank within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, according to a statement on Thursday."We will continue to challenge any illegal activities that undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights," PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said.PCG aircraft spotted Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33 near Iroquois Reef during a maritime patrol on May 6.The PCG said the Chinese vessel was seen deploying a service boat toward the reef, confirming the o

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has demonstrated autonomous docking, charging and redeployment capabilities for its WAM-V autonomous surface vehicle as part of efforts to support longer-duration offshore operations.The company said the system enables the maritime drone to approach a dock, secure itself, recharge and return to operation without human intervention.OPT is preparing the technology for integration with its PowerBuoy platform to create offshore charging points capable…

Solstad Offshore has signed a letter of intent with an international subsea contractor for the charter of construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Maximus.The contract is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027 and run through the first quarter of 2029, with an option to extend it to the first quarter of 2030.Under the agreement, Normand Maximus will support worldwide operations for the client, Solstad said.The company added that it will provide two work-class remotely operated vehicles…

The Iran war has already led to a loss of about 120 billion cubic metres of global liquefied natural gas supply over the 2026 to 2030 period, Gergely Molnar, an analyst from the International Energy Agency, said on Thursday.Speaking at the Budapest LNG Summit, Molnar said the conflict was reshaping the medium-term gas outlook, with tighter market conditions likely to persist longer than previously expected.He said the crisis had cut LNG supply by around 15%, but a strong increase in new liquefaction capacity was expected to offset lost volumes from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Iranian at

Europe's offshore wind expansion is running into a structural supply constraint where the turbine market is becoming increasingly concentrated. GE Vernova, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas have historically anchored Western offshore turbine supply, but with GE Vernova having paused new offshore wind orders following a series of technical and operational setbacks, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas now account for virtually all turbines available to European developers. Rystad Energy’s analysis of the offshore wind market outlines a sharp increase in per-megawatt (MW) costs…

DOF Group has secured four 12-year charter and services contracts in Brazil following a competitive tender process, supporting Petrobras’ deepwater subsea inspection, maintenance and repair operations.The contracts will lead to the construction of four new remotely operated vehicle support vessels (RSVs), with operations expected to begin from 2030, DOF said.The vessels are expected to be built by Brazil’s Navship yard, with delivery of the first two planned within four years of contract signing.The newbuilds will be DP2-class vessels designed for deepwater operations…

Multidisciplinary consultancy AGR has entered into a partnership agreement to onboard the offshore support vessel Aquaman II, expanding its capacity for subsea operations, plug and abandonment (P&A) and decommissioning work in the North Sea.The vessel, owned by Star Matrix and to be operated by AGR, will be configured as a light construction anchor handling tug supply vessel to support subsea and offshore campaigns.AGR said the addition strengthens its marine spread as activity increases across vessel-based subsea operations…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner and subsea services provider DOF Group said it has secured a contract for subsea commissioning support services in the Asia-Pacific region, with offshore operations planned in North Australian waters.The company said its vessel Skandi Inventor will be deployed for the campaign, which is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and is expected to last between 120 and 180 days.The scope of work includes project management, engineering, procurement…

Brent crude futures retreated on Tuesday but held near $114 a barrel following fresh hostilities in the Middle East, while investors monitored developments in the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.The U.S. and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they wrestled for control over the Strait of Hormuz with duelling maritime blockades, shaking a fragile truce.Brent crude futures LCOc1 eased 93 cents, or 0.8%, to $113.51 per barrel at 0719 GMT after settling up 5.8% on Monday. U.S.

California energy officials on Monday opened an investigation into the Trump administration's agreement with an offshore wind company to cancel a planned project off the state's central coast.The state said it was seeking information about the $120 million government payout to determine whether it violated the law.The refunds of offshore lease payments, in exchange for fossil fuel investments, are part of a recent strategy in President Donald Trump's year-long effort to stymie…

Guyana has asked judges at the International Court of Justice to rule that Venezuela does not have a legitimate claim on the potentially oil-rich region around the Esequibo river, which has been the subject of a dispute between the Latin American neighbours since colonial days."Facing a larger and more powerful neighbour's designs on our territory has not only threatened our peace and security, it has held back our development," Guyana's Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd told judges at the start of week-long hearings at the ICJ…

President Donald Trump's administration has brought U.S.

The Chouest Group announced it has completed the acquisition of the Alliance business from Helix Energy Solutions Group. Alliance will be integrated into Champagne Energy Solutions (CES), expanding the Group’s offshore decommissioning and plug & abandonment (P&A) platform.The transaction builds on the recent formation of CES and advances the Chouest Group’s strategy to deliver fully integrated, end-to-end offshore solutions focused on late-life asset management and decommissioning.The combined platform will provide services including P&A…

The changing global bottom-fixed offshore wind turbine and foundation installation marketThe last two or three years have seen a change in the underlying stakeholder support for the energy transition, resulting in the energy trilemma being focused more on energy security and affordability than transition, which means a pivot away from renewables to increased support for oil & gas. At the same time, inflation and interest rates have impacted project economics. Needless to say,…

A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has shrunk Tehran's oil exports, stranding a growing stockpile of crude on tankers as Iranian storage sites run out of space, shipping data showed and analysts said.With some vessels switching off tracking systems and U.S. forces turning back Iranian tankers, how much crude Iran is delivering to customers, particularly main customer China, is impossible to measure.Just a handful of carriers carrying Iranian crude have left the Gulf of Oman between April 13-25, oil analytics firm Vortexa said.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) released a new report, Unlocking the New South-Central Gulf of America for Energy Development: Potential Economic Impacts and Opportunities, highlighting the opportunity to strengthen U.S. energy security and economic growth through expanded energy development in the New South-Central region of the Gulf of America.The report, prepared by Energy and Industrial Advisory Partners (EIAP), finds that extending responsible oil and natural gas development in the region…

Dutch grid operator TenneT is preparing to begin horizontal directional drilling at Maasvlakte as part of efforts to connect three offshore wind farms to the onshore grid.Steel casing pipes have been installed at three beach work sites, allowing drilling beneath the beach and seabed to begin, weather permitting.The drilling will be carried out in three stages, starting with a pilot bore from the beach towards the sea, followed by widening of the borehole and the installation of…

Norwind Offshore has doubled its fleet through the acquisition of six commissioning service operation (CSOV) vessels from Edda Wind.The transaction was completed in partnership with Navigare Capital Partners, the company said.The vessels have either recently been delivered or are in the final stages of delivery and are designed for offshore wind operations, featuring Vard 4 25 and SALT 0217 designs.“This transaction marks a significant step forward for Norwind Offshore. It is not just about the scale – it is about readiness.

North Star, a fully integrated offshore infrastructure service provider, has completed the acquisition of four new Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) from Edda Wind.The transaction takes its offshore wind fleet to 14 vessels, among Europe’s largest.The four SOVs, which are currently deployed on offshore wind contracts, provide immediate access to high-specification capacity and enhance North Star’s flexibility in meeting customer needs across key European markets. North Star's financial…

Brazilian maritime logistics and port operator Wilson Sons has started testing drone deliveries for offshore logistics operations in Guanabara Bay, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.The company is conducting its first drone operations to deliver and collect documents for platform supply vessels, with trials underway since April 6 from its offshore support base in Rio.The drones, operated by Speedbird Aero, are being tested under a proof-of-concept phase to assess technical feasibility.Wilson Sons said all required approvals have been obtained from Brazilian authorities…

GLO Marine appointed Thomas Wittlin as Chief Executive Officer, effective Q2 2026, signaling the start of a structured growth phase in which the company will evolve from a retrofit-led contractor into a production-enabled marine engineering and integration business.Wittlin brings more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of shipyard operations, commercial leadership, and global maritime business development. He spent nearly eleven years as Sales Director at Grand Bahama…

Mooring and anchoring specialist Mooreast Holdings has granted an option to sell its leasehold property in Singapore for $23.3 million, aiming to boost offshore wind activities at new location.The company said it expects net proceeds of about $15 million after settling outstanding loans and transaction costs related to the 51 Shipyard Road property, with funds to be redeployed toward its newly acquired facility at 60 Shipyard Crescent in Singapore.The property sale remains subject to conditions including approval from Jurong Town Corporation and Mooreast shareholders…

Petrodec, a specialist in integrated solutions for decommissioning and part of the Dixstone group, has started its second decommissioning project for Perenco UK with its OBANA jack-up platform, moving to the Pickerill field in the UK Southern North Sea.The platform has mobilized from its yard in Vlissingen-Oost in the Netherlands and is now on location to remove the jackets from Pickerill A and Pickerill B.Following this work, OBANA is scheduled to return to the Amethyst field to remove the jacket of Amethyst A1D…