Vessels News

Middle East oil producers face a reckoning. The Iran war exposed the dangers of relying on a single chokepoint for vital oil and gas exports, leaving Gulf governments with a clear strategic imperative: diversify – at all costs.An Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had long been viewed as a “Doomsday” event that would never happen. Experts assumed it would require a massive military effort and that Tehran would be reluctant to choke off its own exports.Those assumptions were proven painfully wrong.

At least three tankers carrying Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, with a fourth, an empty vessel, heading towards the Gulf of Oman, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed.The shipments indicate a gradual resumption of Iranian oil exports that are expected to add to global supplies although demand from China, its biggest buyer, has been lacklustre due to poor domestic margins.Very Large Crude Carriers Hero II and Diona…

Europe will require a dedicated fleet of around 65 CO2 carriers and a network of 33 ports by 2050 to support the large-scale deployment of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), according to a new study led by energy consultancy Xodus.The CCUS Enabling Infrastructure Study, prepared by Xodus on behalf of the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) and supported by EBN, the Port of Rotterdam, Gasunie and Offshore Energies UK, examined the infrastructure needed to transport captured…

Gulf Marine Services (GMS) has retuned to service all four of its self-propelled, self-elevating support vessels that were temporarily evacuated from one Gulf country due to the prevailing geopolitical situation.The UAE-headquartered offshore support vessel operator said the fourth and final vessel has successfully resumed operations, restoring the affected fleet to full contracted utilization under its existing contracts.GMS maintained its adjusted EBITDA guidance for 2026 in the range of $105 million to $115 million…

Offshore services provider Bourbon has secured a multi-month subsea services contract for operations on the Jubilee field offshore Ghana, deploying the multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) Bourbon Evolution 802 for a campaign covering inspection, maintenance and repair activities.The contract includes the use of the Bourbon Evolution 802, equipped with two work-class heavy-duty remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), to perform inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) services on subsea wellheads…

AD Ports Group and offshore wind equipment manufacturer Dajin Heavy Industry have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore cooperation in offshore wind supply chain development, maritime logistics, port infrastructure and strategic vessel investments.The agreement builds on AD Ports Group's recent expansion in the offshore renewable energy sector, including partnerships with Masdar, Siemens Energy and Green Parrot, as well as its acquisition of Spain's Balenciaga Astilleros shipyard…

Japanese shippers welcomed on Monday the U.S.-Iran peace agreement which will reopen the Strait of Hormuz but are awaiting more details of the deal and clearance of mines before allowing their ships to pass the chokepoint.According to the association, 38 Japanese-linked vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28 has largely stopped shipping through the strait, the transit route for roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply…

Norwegian maritime technology company Nereida Energy has raised $3.3 million (NOK 32 million) through a private placement of shares backed by a group of industrial and financial investors, including Grieg, Eviny, Nysnø and Nye Aasen.The company, which develops battery and energy storage solutions for vessels ranging from ferries and service vessels to offshore ships and wellboats, said the proceeds will be used to strengthen its organization, advance product development and support strategic growth initiatives.Founded in 2025 by a team of maritime electrification specialists…

JERA has received its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from the Barossa gas project in Australia, marking the start of LNG deliveries from the offshore development to Japan's largest power generation company.The cargo arrived aboard the LNG carrier Sohshu Maru at JERA's Futtsu LNG terminal on June 12, following the start of production from the Barossa project in late 2025.Located offshore Australia's Northern Territory, the Barossa gas field supplies gas to the Darwin LNG facility for processing and export.

Three more liquefied natural gas tankers have exited the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders off and are bound for destinations in Asia, although the exact timing of their transit is unclear, ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed.This comes as the United States and Iran traded air attacks for a second straight day on Thursday, with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing further strikes unless Tehran agrees to a peace deal and Washington saying it fired on a vessel carrying…

Caspian Offshore Construction (COC) has acquired an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel from Sinopacific Engineering & Contracting (SPEC), marking the first vessel in the SPA90 series to join the Kazakh offshore marine service provider's fleet.The shipbuilding contract was signed on April 30, 2026, at Siying Shipyard, where the vessel is under construction. A launching ceremony for the vessel was held on May 20.Named Caspian Yili, the vessel is the first of its kind in COC's fleet and will be the company's largest vessel to date.

COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers has completed the transport and float-over installation of an offshore converter platform for the Qingzhou V & VII offshore wind project, a key milestone in what the company described as the world's first 2 GW offshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.The converter platform, weighing about 25,000 tonnes, is among the largest offshore structures installed for the offshore wind industry and was transported and installed using…

Compute Maritime, the deep tech company behind NeuralShipper, the world's first Al platform for ship design, has revealed the results of its UK Government-funded project, GenDSOM, to bring generative Al and additive manufacturing into ship design.Working with consortium partners Siemens Digital Industries Software, Rapid Fusion, HP, BYD Naval Architects and the University of Southampton, the project has produced a next-generation crew transfer vessel (CTV) for the offshore wind sector that…

Acta Marine has taken delivery of the Acta Gemini, a new walk-to-work DP2 construction service operation vessel (CSOV) that is set to begin a long-term charter supporting operations at the Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.The vessel, built by Tersan Shipyard in Turkey, is the third in a series of four newbuild CSOVs ordered by the Dutch offshore vessel operator.Following mobilization, Acta Gemini will start work at the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm on Dogger Bank, operating…

Hong Kong-listed provider of offshore, marine and clean energy technologies CM Energy has unveiled the design of its Meridian Class commissioning and service operation vessel (CSOV).The Meridian Class has been developed to meet growing demand for offshore support vessels, and is suitable for commissioning, operations, maintenance and major component exchange campaigns in the offshore wind sector.Designed to North Sea standards, the vessel platform aims to provide offshore wind developers…

Norway-based TMC Compressors has secured a contract from Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore to supply marine compressed air systems for two subsea rock installation vessels being built for Dutch marine contractor Van Oord.Under the contract, TMC will provide a complete marine compressed air system for each vessel, including instrument air compressors and air dryers. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.The vessels are being built to support subsea rock installation operations…

The OranjeWind offshore wind project, a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies, has signed a five-year charter agreement with Purus for the construction and service operation vessel (CSOV) Purus Power.The vessel will support planned and unplanned maintenance activities at the OranjeWind offshore wind farm under a contract that includes an option for extension.Purus Power has been purpose-built for offshore wind operations and is designed for extended stays at sea. The vessel features accommodation…

According to the latest figures from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, 36 new orders for alternative-fuelled vessels were placed in May 2026.Activity was primarily driven by LPG/ethane carriers, which accounted for 26 of the orders. A further eight LNG-fuelled vessels were ordered, including six container vessels and two car carriers, alongside two ethanol-fuelled bulk carriers.So far in 2026, a total of 119 orders have been placed for alternative-fuelled vessels.

A combination of contract terminations, spiraling insurance costs and the threat to EPC projects are creating a complex combination of risk for offshore operators in the Middle East Gulf.In its latest HORIZON Monthly Offshore report, MSI notes that, whilst contract terminations for rigs have been few, a return to pre-conflict levels could take months as fields are brought back onstream and construction projects get back up and running.Despite the relatively short-lived nature of many drilling suspensions…

Northern Lights JV has awarded a consortium comprising Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K" LINE) and Malaysia's MISC Berhad a time charter contract for a newly built 12,000 cubic meter liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier, supporting the expansion of Europe's carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure.The award follows Northern Lights' January 2026 announcement of four additional CO2 carriers to support planned capacity expansion. The latest contract marks the second vessel awarded to the “K” LINE-MISC consortium.The vessel will be constructed by Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore.

GustoMSC, NOV’s offshore design and engineering business, has developed a new asymmetrical rack-and-pinion technology designed to increase the jacking capacity of offshore wind installation vessels without increasing vessel size, weight or system complexity.The patent-pending asymmetrical rack-and-pinion (ASYM R&P) technology builds on the company’s existing rack-and-pinion jacking systems and is designed to improve load distribution within the existing system architecture, allowing…

SBM Offshore and Solstad Offshore have formed a joint venture that has entered into a letter of intent with a shipyard for the construction of a multi-purpose deepwater installation and construction vessel, with delivery targeted in the first half of 2029.The vessel will be owned by a joint venture in which Solstad Offshore will hold a 50.1% stake and SBM Offshore 49.9%. Solstad Shipping will act as ship manager, while SBM Offshore will charter the vessel for its own projects.

Dutch maritime design firm Vuyk Engineering has been selected by heavy-lift shipping and offshore transportation contractor Jumbo Maritime to design its newly ordered L-Class heavy-lift transport vessels.The two vessels are designed to support offshore transport and lifting operations, combining cargo transportation capabilities with lifting capacities of up to 2,400 tonnes.The L-Class vessels are intended to transport a range of heavy cargoes, including wind turbine components, modules and carousels.