Vessels News

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.

After several years of strong activity, the Middle East offshore market has become more volatile, with geopolitical tensions disrupting day-to-day operations. Following US and Israeli military action and subsequent Iranian attacks on neighbouring Gulf states, operators introduced precautionary measures, including temporary rig suspensions and down-manning in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.This triggered a sharp short-term slowdown from late February into March.The April ceasefire allowed offshore activity to recover gradually…

SeaBird Exploration, a wholly owned subsidiary of SED Energy Holdings, has secured a contract for ocean bottom node (OBN) source work in West Africa.The company said the Fulmar Explorer vessel will be deployed for the campaign, which has a total duration of about three months, including mobilization and demobilization.Mobilization is expected to begin after the vessel completes its five-year classing, which is currently scheduled for August 2026."We are pleased to secure additional work for Fulmar Explorer, further strengthening our backlog.

Indonesian offshore vessel operator PT Wintermar Offshore Marine (WINS) has acquired the remaining stakes in Singapore-based Fast Offshore Supply (FOS) and its subsidiary PT Fast Offshore Indonesia (FOI), gaining full control of both companies and expanding into the building and operation of aluminium crew transfer vessels (CTVs).WINS acquired the remaining 52.5% shareholding in FOS and the remaining 49% stake in FOI, which it previously owned jointly with FOS.FOS won an international…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has completed the installation and testing of all inter-array cables at the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm in Germany.DeepOcean's contract included project management and engineering, the provision of cable protection systems, offshore preparatory works, pre-installation cable route surveys, transport and installation of inter-array cables, cable pull-in and cable burial activities.Cable-laying operations began in January 2026, with a total of 48 inter-array cables installed between January and April.

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…

Oman said it would keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping without imposing any tolls and had designated two temporary routes north and south of the existing shipping lane to facilitate the safe passage of vessels departing the region.In coordination with the International Maritime Organization, Oman established temporary maritime corridors to help ships leave the area safely amid heightened security risks.The Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war…

Italian energy services company Saipem has launched operations for the GranMorgu offshore project in Suriname with the arrival of the multi-purpose construction vessel Normand Navigator at the Jules Sedney Harbour commercial port in Paramaribo.The vessel is berthed and ready to begin preliminary activities for the project, which is located in Block 58 around 150 km offshore and is scheduled to start production in 2028.GranMorgu is operated by TotalEnergies, which holds a 40% interest…

Logistics and materials management company ASCO has opened its first office in the Middle East, establishing a presence in Qatar as it looks to expand its regional operations and support growing demand for logistics and environmental services.The new office in Doha will support ASCO's clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as the wider Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions, bringing the company's services closer to customers in energy, port and marine markets.The Middle East business will be managed by Craig Revie…

Four liquefied natural gas tankers controlled by Qatar headed into the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, despite a fall in ship traffic after Iran announced that it had again closed the waterway over the weekend, shipping data showed.The tankers - Wadi Al Sail, Mekaines, Al Sadd and Mesaimeer - entered the strait via the Iranian route for the first time since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran started, shiptracking data from analytics firm Kpler showed.QatarEnergy, whose LNG exports have been heavily curbed since the war began on February 28…

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…