Flng News

Our fascination with the depths of the ocean revealed itself in some of our most-read stories of 2025.What’s really down there? asked New Wave Media President Greg Trauthwein in his interview with Matt Grove, Regional Segment Manager Offshore at Seequent in September, in the most watched Offshore Engineer TV show.Working underneath the world’s waters is a challenge in and of itself, a challenge exacerbated if an operator does not have a clear picture of the make-up of the seabed with insights on the potential traps that might await.

Norwegian offshore supply vessel owner DOF Group has secured seven new contract extensions with Petrobras for its offshore support vessels (OSVs) in Brazil, valued over $160 million.Five of DOF's Brazilian-flagged anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, all with ROVs on board, including Skandi Fluminense, Skandi Paraty, Skandi Angra, Skandi Urca and Skandi Iguaçu, have had their current contracts with Petrobras extended until the first quarter of 2027.The new four-year contracts…

Dong Fang Offshore (DFO), one of Asia’s largest offshore wind service providers, has signed a major shipbuilding contract with Norwegian yard Westcon for a new subsea and cable lay vessel (CLV), set for delivery in 2027.Westcon will take over and complete construction of a large cable lay vessel already under build.DFO said the order supports its recent growth and replaces installation capacity lost in Taiwan after DeepOcean exercised an option to keep the Orient Adventurer working in Europe until 2028…

Belgium’s Jan De Nul is commissioning what it calls its most advanced offshore wind installation simulator, a digital twin of its vessels Les Alizés and Voltaire designed to train crews to install the latest generation of giant wind turbines and foundations at sea.The crane simulator, installed at the company’s Aalst office, features a seven-meter-wide dome offering a 360-degree view and allows operators to rehearse complex installation operations at heights exceeding 150 meters.Wind turbine tip heights now reach 300 metres…

Floatel International has selected Semco Maritime’s Hanøytangen facility outside Bergen in Norway, to perform a series of modifications and service works on the Floatel Endurance rig ahead of an upcoming contract on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.Following completion of its current assignment in Canada, Floatel Endurance will sail across the Atlantic to Hanøytangen, arriving in the first quarter of 2026 for yard stay and energy optimization works.Under the contract, Semco Maritime will be in charge of thruster removal and overhaul…

Lebanon and Cyprus signed a long-awaited maritime demarcation deal on Wednesday, paving the way for potential exploration of offshore gas fields and energy cooperation in the Mediterranean.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signed the agreement at Lebanon's presidential palace and told reporters it would signal deeper cooperation between Lebanon, European Union-member Cyprus and the broader EU."This is a historical agreement, concluding an issue pending for many years and now look forward to what our countries can jointly create…

Golar LNG Limited has announced that it has successfully closed and drawn a new $1.2 billion asset backed debt facility agreement with a consortium of banks including ABN AMRO, Citibank, DNB, Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered Bank for the refinancing of FLNG Gimi. The new $1.2 billion bank facility replaces an existing bank facility with an outstanding amount of $627 million as at Q3 2025.The new debt facility has a 7-year tenor, 16-year amortization profile and will incur interest at SOFR plus a margin of 2.50% p.a.

ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Encomara for its Squid system, an approach that adapts proven disconnectable mooring technology to support floating offshore wind developments.The Squid system builds upon the established Disconnectable Turret Buoy (DTB) concept long used in floating production projects. By utilizing existing, well-understood offshore technology and installation methods, the system aims to enhance safety and reduce complexity during floating wind turbine installation and off-station operations.“The potential efficiency gains…

Technip Energies Loading Systems has secured a contract to supply three fully electric marine loading arms for phase 2 of the Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage project in Øygarden, Norway.The loading solution will be installed at the new Northern Lights jetty and will consist of three marine loading arms fully qualified to transfer liquefied CO2.For this second phase, Technip Energies Loading Systems will deliver a fully electric design, a first-of-a-kind eliminating the use of hydraulics and setting a new industry benchmark in terms of operability…

Saipem has launched the LiSa Hyper Harness, a smart safety harness equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence designed to enhance worker safety during operations at height.The device monitors how workers connect to fall protection systems and alerts both the operator and a supervisor if the connection is missing or incorrect. The harness emits an acoustic signal, similar to a car seatbelt warning, and automatically sends a notification to a central platform for immediate…

The UK offshore renewables sector has been put through its paces in a major emergency response exercise designed to test coordination among industry, government, and emergency services during a large-scale offshore incident.Organized by the Offshore Renewable Energy Emergency Forum (OREEF), the triennial TRIREX exercise — titled Exercise Blyth — brought together Ocean Winds, Police Scotland, HM Coastguard, Esvagt, Vestas, and other stakeholders at the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm to conduct realistic emergency response drills.The two-day exercise…

A new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, Elisa Halcyon, ordered by France LNG Shipping SAS from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in Korea, was completed and delivered on October 31. The vessel will be chartered on a long-term basis (up to 20 years) to EDF LNG Shipping SAS for LNG transportation under the ship management of Gazocean.Elisa Halcyon is equipped with a WinGD-manufactured dual-fuel slow-speed diesel engine capable of operating on fuel oil and boil-off gas (natural gas vaporized during transport).

DOF Group ASA ("DOF") is pleased to announce that three PLSVs (pipelay support vessels) owned through a joint venture between DOF (50%) and TechnipFMC (50%) have secured contract extensions with Petrobras in Brazil.Skandi Vitória and Skandi Niterói have had their current contracts extended from Q4-2025 until Q1-2027. The 3-year contracts announced in June 2024 will now commence following the extension period. Skandi Açu has had its current contract extended from Q3-2026 until Q1-2027.

Emerson, an industrial technology leader delivering automation solutions, has launched the world’s first native WirelessHART non-contacting radar level transmitter. The Rosemount 3408 Wireless Level Transmitter – Non-Contacting Radar reduces the complexity, time and costs associated with installing cabling in automated measurement points. By eliminating measurement blind spots and the need for manual readings, the transmitter enhances plant safety, boosts operational efficiency, and enables more reliable, continuous level monitoring in industrial environments.

United Oil & Gas has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TDI-Brooks to secure a specialist survey vessel for a campaign offshore Jamaica.The work is related to the planned piston coring and surface geochemical program on the company’s Walton Morant Licence.The campaign forms a key part of United's forward work program under its extended license to January 2028. The survey will involve the collection of 40-60 seabed core samples across the Walton and Morant Basins…

U.S. oil major Chevron is in early-stage talks to explore opportunities in European regasification terminals, as part of its strategy to expand its global presence in the liquefied natural gas market, a senior executive told Reuters.The U.S. has become Europe's top LNG supplier since the continent sharply reduced its imports of Russian gas following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Chevron, which is contracted to export 7 million tons per annum of LNG from the U.S. starting in 2026, has significantly ramped up its LNG trading operations.

Dutch offshore services provider Boskalis has engaged its heavy transport vessel Blue Marlin to move a recently converted floating production unit (FPU) to Angola, ahead of its deployment at Congo’s first natural gas liquefaction project.The cargo, formerly one of the largest semi-submersible drilling rigs of its generation, has been converted into an FPU is currently en route to Angola on Blue Marlin vessel.Even though the 80-by-68-meter, 41,000-ton structure is five meters wider than the 63-meter-wide deck of the Blue Marlin, the colossal FPU stands rock-solid on deck, according to Boskalis.

Norwegian subsea services firm Reach Subsea has been granted a trading permit to operate its Reach Remote 1 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) entirely through remote operations - without a support vessel.The permit was issued by the Norwegian Maritime Authorities, with technical validation and support from DNV. Reach Remote 1 has already been in full commercial operation, and this permit initiates the final phase towards full certification.This is the first approval of its kind for an USV of this size with integrated Work Class ROV capability…

Subsea technology company Seatools has been awarded a contract by Jan De Nul for the design and delivery of a Fall Pipe ROV (FP-ROV) that will form a key system of the Belgian contractor’s recently ordered subsea rock installation vessel, the George W. Goethals.The ROV will play an essential role in the vessel’s mission to protect critical subsea infrastructure by enabling highly accurate and controlled rock placement around cables and foundations, safeguarding assets that underpin…

Norwegian offshore supply vessel owner DOF Group has secured long-term contracts for two of its vessels with Petrobras for work offshore Brazil.The contracts, with a combined value of approximately $200 million, are for Skandi Chieftain high-spec subsea vessel and Skandi Olympia DP2 construction support vessel.The vessels have been awarded four-year charters with Petrobras.Both vessels will operate with one WROV and are expected to be delivered in October 2026.The contracts follow the same competitive tender process that resulted in the contract awards for DOF’s Skandi Achiever…

U.S. energy firms this week added oil and natural gas rigs for a third week in a row for the first time since February, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday.The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose by three to 542 in the week to September 19, its highest since July. Despite this week's rig increase, Baker Hughes said the total count was still down 46 rigs, or 8% below this time last year. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by two to 418 this week…

Poland will seek binding offers for capacity that would be available in the expanded floating liquefied natural gas terminal near Gdansk following ample interest from shippers, the country's gas pipeline operator Gaz-System said on Monday.Gaz-System is building a terminal with a regasification capacity of 6.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year and considering adding a second unit which could regasify 4.5 bcm annually."Nearly half of the regasified LNG would be exported to Ukraine…

U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 7.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in May 2025, the most of any month on record as Mexico's demand for natural gas increases, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Monday.On an annual basis, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 6.4 bcfd in 2024, a 25% increase compared with 2019 and the highest on record in data going back as early as 1975, the EIA report stated."Total consumption of natural gas in Mexico increased from 7.7 bcfd to 8.6 bcfd during the same time (2019-2024) period…