Construction Vessel News

Heerema Marine Contractors has reduced the North Atlantic transit time of its semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir by 2.5 days following a voyage optimization pilot with French ocean intelligence company Amphitrite.The data-driven pilot reduced the vessel's sailing distance by 240 nautical miles and lowered carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 18%, while maintaining higher average sailing speeds without increasing fuel consumption.The optimization program combined Heerema's offshore operational expertise with Amphitrite's vessel-specific voyage optimization platform…

OMS Group has started construction of CS Resilience, the third vessel in its next-generation GREAT-Class fleet, with a first steel cutting ceremony held at CRIST's shipyard in Gdynia, Poland.The milestone marks the start of construction of the cable-laying vessel, which is scheduled to enter service in 2028 and forms part of OMS Group's long-term fleet expansion program.CS Resilience is one of two next-generation cable-laying vessels being built under OMS Group's partnership with Ulstein, announced in January 2026.

DOF Group ASA announced a large contract award for Subsea Construction and Pre Commissioning Support services in the APAC Region.Skandi Inventor will be deployed for the execution of the offshore operations scheduled to commence in Q4 2026 in North Australian waters.The scope of work includes DOF’s in-house project management and engineering, procurement and logistics support services. The duration of the offshore campaign is estimated to be between 160 and 250 days.

CY Shipping and BigLift Shipping christened CY Frontier, the first of four BC-Class Heavy Transport Vessels (HTVs). The vessel was christened by Jenny Jung, who served as its godmother. Representatives of CY Shipping, BigLift Shipping and Jing Jiang Nanyang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. attended the ceremony.Developed jointly by CY Shipping and BigLift Shipping, the BC-Class has been designed to meet the growing demand for the transportation of increasingly large offshore, energy and industrial modules.

Bahri Logistics, a business unit of Bahri, the Kingdom’s leading shipping, maritime transportation, and logistics company has signed a newbuild agreement with Grandweld Shipyard for the construction of two offshore service vessels.The two vessels will be custom-built to meet the operational requirements of offshore activities at Ras Tanura Port, one of the world’s busiest energy hubs. Each vessel will be equipped with the latest navigation, communication, and safety technologies, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability.

Solstad Maritime has secured a one-year contract extension for the construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Vision with Ocean Installer, keeping the vessel in operation under the agreement through the end of 2028.The extension will begin in direct continuation of the current agreement.The deal also includes two additional annual options covering 2029 and 2030, as well as a mechanism for a further extension until 2031.Normand Vision is a multi-purpose CSV designed and built for subsea structures, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) installation.

Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO) has taken delivery of Windea Clarke, the fourth and final commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) in its latest newbuild series, with the vessel set to enter a seasonal charter on a UK North Sea offshore wind project.The vessel was christened on June 30 at Ulstein Verft in Norway and completes a series of four new CSOVs integrated into BSO’s offshore fleet since mid-2025.With the latest delivery, BSO’s offshore fleet comprises seven vessels.Like its sister vessels…

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has christened the Windpiper, which it describes as the world’s largest subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel, following an 18-month conversion project.The 227-meter-long and 40-meter-wide vessel was officially christened on July 3 by Ms. Jones-Bos, a member of the Boskalis Supervisory Board, Boskalis said.The Windpiper has a rock cargo capacity of 45,500 tons across two holds and will double Boskalis’ rock installation capacity.The large cargo…

Kongsberg has signed a contract with an unnamed international customer to deliver technologies for the protection of critical infrastructure.The project will focus primarily on underwater surveillance and protection, according to Kongsberg, which did not disclose the value of the contract.Critical infrastructure includes oil and gas installations, telecommunication cables, energy grids, ports and transportation networks.“Preventing and detecting threats and attacks are essential to protect people and critical infrastructure.

MODEC has completed the forward hull section of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Gato do Mato, marking a key construction milestone for the Brazil-bound offshore production unit.The forward hull section, built at Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering's Yokosuka shipyard in Japan, has departed for China, where it will be integrated with the aft hull section before the vessel moves to the next stage of construction.The project is the first to use…

Belgian marine contractor DEME has ordered a next-generation trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) as part of a fleet expansion aimed at improving efficiency in dredging, land reclamation and offshore seabed preparation.The new vessel will have a hopper capacity of 22,000 cubic meters and is designed to reduce greenhouse gas intensity and lower dredging costs compared with existing vessels in the same segment, the company said.The dredger will feature an advanced propulsion system, a hydrodynamically optimized hull, improved dredging technology and a high level of automation.

Danish marine equipment supplier Svanehoj has secured its first contract to supply LNG tank gauging systems for the conversion of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier into a floating storage unit (FSU).The company will deliver four LNG density and temperature (LTD) gauging systems to Drydocks World Dubai for the conversion of the LNG carrier LNG Bayelsa into the FSU Cap Lopez.The conversion is being carried out for Dixstone Lower Gulf FZCO as part of a floating LNG development aimed at expanding Gabon's offshore gas infrastructure.

SBM Offshore has secured project financing worth $465 million for the Chalchi floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, being built for Woodside Energy's Trion project offshore Mexico.The financing has been provided by a consortium of international banks and institutional investors and includes partial insurance cover from China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation.SBM Offshore said the financing would be drawn during the construction period and would become non-recourse after the vessel starts operations.

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has delivered a hybrid construction and cable laying vessel (CLV) to Japan's Toyo Construction, marking its first vessel delivery to the Japanese offshore wind market.The vessel was handed over at Vard Langsten in Norway on June 26. It is also the first vessel Toyo Construction has ordered from Vard.The CLV was outfitted, commissioned and delivered on time from Vard Langsten, while the hull was built at Vard Shipyards Romania-Tulcea.Spanning 151 meters long and 28 meters wide…

How well do we really understand the electrical systems powering today’s vessels? Many of us realize how important electricity is to our modern world but may be a bit shaky on the specifics. The Welsh comedian Tommy Cooper once joked, "Electricity is a wonderful thing. Do you realize that if we didn't have electricity, we'd be watching television by candlelight?"For those who have worked on vessels for many years, the increasing complexity may be a sore point, especially for those who have been hands-on in their careers and been zapped a few times.

For decades, floating nuclear power occupied a niche position in the energy debate – technically feasible, strategically intriguing, but commercially marginal. Today, however, combined pressures of decarbonization, energy security, land constraints, rising electricity demand and water scarcity are making floating nuclear power a more serious proposition for policymakers, utilities, and infrastructureFloating Nuclear offers a potential source of reliable, low-carbon electricity and heat (and…

Faced with declining production post-2030, across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the Majors have started the process of reloading exploration hoppers. Targeting predominantly deep and ultra-deep waters, they have signed numerous agreements aimed at unlocking acreage and discovering the next Namibia or Guyana. But while there have been agreements for acreage that were offered as part of traditional licensing rounds – such as the award to TotalEnergies of PPLs 2000 and 2001 in Nigeria in September 2025 – there has been an increasing trend to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)…

Japanese offshore services company MODEC has secured a contract to supply a SOFEC internal turret mooring system for the Coral Norte floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project offshore Mozambique, being developed by Eni and its partners.MODEC is collaborating with the Technip Energies-JGC joint venture on the project to support integration and execution of the mooring system.The Coral Norte project is being developed by Eni together with CNPC, ENH, XRG and KOGAS.The project…

Yinson Production has held a naming ceremony for the floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit PTSC Lac Da Vang ahead of the vessel's deployment to the Lac Da Vang oil project offshore Vietnam.The FSO vessel has been contracted to Murphy Cuu Long Bac Oil, a wholly owned subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation, to provide storage and offloading services for the Lac Da Vang field in Block 15-1/05 offshore Vietnam.The contract has a firm term of 10 years and includes an option to extend…

Italy's business lobby Confindustria has called for emergency action from the government to speed up the roll-out of renewable energy in the country, which is grappling with much higher power costs than in most of Europe.The recent increase in gas prices triggered by the Iran war has highlighted the cost for Italian families and firms of the slow development of renewables, and sparked fresh calls for more decisive action to promote green policies.Confindustria President Emanuele…

Microwave-based method to upcycle old lithium-ion cathodesInstead of letting old lithium-ion batteries pile up as waste, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have developed a microwave-based process to recover and remake their cathodes, potentially turning spent batteries into a new domestic source of critical materials.Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones and electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage and earbuds, but their cathodes — the part of batteries denoted by a plus sign — are expensive to make and rely on minerals sourced from a limited number of countries…

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…

Siemens Energy on Thursday warned of possible wind turbine capacity cuts in Europe if governments fall behind in efforts to expand offshore power, saying a lack of determination could become an "existential threat" to the industry.The comments by one of Europe's biggest industrial firms reflect growing concerns about the future of the continent's manufacturing capabilities, which have come under intense pressure from high energy costs and Asian competitors.Europe is currently facing delays in its offshore expansion, hampered by regulatory challenges that have caused some developers to rethink