Offshore Energy News

The US Senate is nearing a deal to reform laws to speed up permitting of large infrastructure projects after the White House compromised on how renewable energy is treated, though a vote is uncertain before the midterm elections, a top Senate Democrat said on Thursday.Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the environment committee, and fellow Democrat Martin Heinrich have negotiated permitting legislation with Republican counterparts for months, after the talks had been cut off in December when President Donald Trump halted five near-complete offshore East Coast wind farms.Whitehous

Stillstrom by Maersk has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Semco Maritime to manufacture and deliver a key part of its offshore vessel charging system, moving the technology into manufacturing following completion of its design phase.Semco Maritime will manufacture the local equipment room, or local equipment room (LER), which controls power, communications and safety functions across Stillstrom's offshore charging infrastructure.The containerized unit houses the transformer and medium-voltage switchgear used to transfer offshore-generated electricity from a wind farm to a vessel…

Subsea Cable Assets (SCA) has secured its first contract, a roughly $20 million award from Saipem Contracting Netherlands for cable transportation and handling work supporting a major offshore energy project in the Caspian region.The scope covers engineering, equipment fabrication, installation and operation, demobilization and reinstatement, with SCA managing the campaign from equipment supply through to deployment.SCA will provide five cable transport carousels, each with a capacity of 1…

Global LNG prices could shoot higher this winter as Europe holds its lowest stocks in years and North Asian buyers face increased competition with the Strait of Hormuz still closed, executives said at an industry conference this week.Europe will enter this winter more vulnerable than usual amid storage levels that are lower than last year, industry executives and analysts said at Gastech in Bangkok.At the same time, the war on Iran has prevented Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from shipping liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz…

China dipped into its massive crude oil stockpile in August for the third month in the past four as increased refinery processing exceeded a modest increase in oil imports.Refineries processed about 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) more than what was available to them from imports and domestic oil production, according to calculations based on official data.China, the world's biggest crude importer, slashed its purchases to the lowest in a decade in the wake of the higher oil prices caused by the disruption to supplies from the Middle East after the U.S.

MacGregor has expanded its offshore technology portfolio with a certified floating-to-floating personnel transfer capability for its Horizon gangway and a new bow transfer system designed for direct ship-to-well transfer of LCO2.The Horizon gangway has received DNV certification under DNV-ST-0358 for floating-to-floating personnel transfers following a successful sea acceptance test. The certification enables motion-compensated connections between two vessels moving independently…

Excessive humidity can damage sensitive equipment in offshore measurement systems, impair data quality and necessitate costly service call-outs. Customers in offshore data collection and marine research therefore use ThoMar's SeaDry to reduce humidity inside protected enclosures and technical cavities.SeaDry was developed to cope with high levels of humidity and extreme climatic changes during transport at sea. Manufactured in Germany, this salt-and-starch-based high-performance…

C-Job Naval Architects and Glomar unveiled the design of a next-generation Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) that the pair claims provides a breakthrough in versatility and sustainable engineering.Purpose-built as Glomar’s first vessel of its kind, the design eliminates the need for multiple specialized ships. Engineered for peak performance across diverse offshore tasks — from subsea inspections and cable trenching to ROV operations — this vessel sets a new industry benchmark as a “Swiss Army knife” for offshore work.“This project reflects C-Job’s drive to deliver innovative…

For generations, the Gulf of America has served as the proving ground for offshore innovation. Every major chapter in modern offshore energy has depended upon American engineers, geoscientists, mariners, fabricators, regulators, and offshore workers to solve problems many believed were beyond reach.From the earliest fixed platforms to deepwater production, subsea systems, floating facilities, and today's 20,000 psi reservoirs, the Gulf of America has consistently demonstrated…

Moby Robotics is a new entrant to the subsea swarm autonomous robotic space, created in 2025 and aiming to take a leadership role in the discovery and recovery of subsea minerals market.The race to secure critical minerals from the deep ocean has accelerated dramatically over the past two years, driven by geopolitical concerns, energy transition goals and growing demand for rare earth elements. While much of the industry's attention has centered on regulatory debates and large mining contractors…

When maritime autonomy is discussed, the image is often a large cargo ship crossing an ocean without a crew. That remains a longer-term regulatory and technical challenge. The more immediate commercial market is developing elsewhere – smaller uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are already surveying seabeds, inspecting pipelines and cables, monitoring offshore wind farms, and collecting hydrographic and geophysical data.Intelatus Global Partners identifies 825 USV…

The Trump administration will offer more than 81 million acres (32.8 million hectares) in the Gulf of America to oil and gas drillers as part of an effort to boost domestic energy production with regular offshore lease sales.The sale is the second since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted global crude flows and sent oil prices to four-year highs. It is the third of 30 mandated by U.S. President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending law passed in 2025.The Interior Department will offer 15,100 unleased blocks located between 3 and 231 miles (4.8 to 372 km) offshore on the U.S.

Cadeler completed the final turbine installation at the 960 MW He Dreiht Offshore Wind Farm in the German North Sea. The final turbines were installed by Wind Keeper, under its long-term contract with Vestas.Cadeler’s scope of the installation campaign was executed using two of Cadeler's offshore wind installation vessels. Wind Orca commenced the project in April 2025 before Wind Keeper took over the remaining installation scope in the first quarter of 2026 under Cadeler's long-term contract with Vestas announced last year.

A few months ago, I authored an article for Marine News focused on just one of the many successful features of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA 90,” Pub. L. No. 101-380 (1990)) — Alaska’s regional citizen advisory councils (RCACs). The Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet RCACs were established under OPA 90 to work with oil and gas industry interests on behalf of the surrounding communities to ensure safe operations and community buy-in. I was heartened by the positive responses I received from friends…

Saipem and Subsea7 have cleared a key U.S. regulatory hurdle for their planned merger after the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 expired, allowing the transaction to close in the United States once all remaining conditions are met.The companies said all applicable waiting periods under the U.S. antitrust law have expired, while noting that the proposed merger remains subject to certain regulatory approvals outside the United States.The merger was agreed under a binding agreement signed in July 2025…

Seatrium has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 30 MW Floating Data Centre (FDC) concept, marking a milestone in the development of offshore digital infrastructure designed to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.The concept features a jetty-moored, non-propelled barge incorporating six independent 5 MW Data-In-A-Box modules, each integrating IT equipment, cooling systems, power distribution and supporting infrastructure in a modular design.The company said the concept combines modular construction…

SMD has delivered the first of two heavy-duty power cable ploughs to Prysmian for deployment on the company's new-generation cable laying vessels (CLVs).The second system is scheduled for delivery later this year. The ploughs will be mobilized on Prysmian Alessandro Volta and Prysmian Mona Lisa CLVs.The systems are designed to bury conventional multi-core power cables, bundled two-pole power cables and quad bundles at depths of up to five metres below the mean seabed level.SMD…

Saitec Offshore Technologies, through DemoSATH Lab, is using its operating floating wind demonstrator as a real-scale testing ground to study environmental interactions, improve monitoring methods, and explore solutions that support coexistence with marine biodiversity.Following the successful deployment of biomimetic reef solutions on the submerged section of the platform, the company is now testing new methods to co-locate floating wind and aquaculture.The recent offshore operation marks a new step in DemoSATH Lab's biodiversity program and forms part of the AQUASATH Project…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has agreed to acquire majority stakes in four companies for an initial expenditure of about $687 million (€600 million), expanding its capabilities in marine drones, subsea services and underwater communications across commercial and defense markets.The agreements cover acquisitions of majority stakes in Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech, and Defcomm, which will be integrated into Fincantieri’s Underwater technological hub.Next Geosolutions…

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.

German federal prosecutors said on Thursday that a Ukrainian national tied to the Nord Stream pipeline blasts has been charged with being an accomplice to a war crime, disruption of public services, causing an explosion and destroying structures.Serhii K, as the suspect is known under German privacy rules, is suspected of acting on behalf of Ukrainian government entities, along with other military personnel, to destroy the pipelines in 2022.The aim was to permanently halt gas deliveries…

Aker Solutions has been awarded a substantial contract to deliver a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) substructure for a European offshore wind project by an undisclosed customer.The company's scope of work includes engineering, procurement and construction.Aker Solutions said it will book the award as order intake in the second quarter of 2026 in its Renewables and Field Development segment.The company defines a substantial contract as having a value of between $250 million (NOK 2.5 billion) and $400 million (NOK 4.0 billion).The customer and the offshore wind project were not disclosed.

The offshore energy industry is in the midst of a new investment cycle, driven by major developments in South America, renewed demand for energy security and an increasing reliance on digital technologies to improve asset performance. For Matt Tremblay, Senior Vice President, Global Offshore at the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), the opportunities are significant — but so are the challenges.Speaking with Offshore Engineer in Houston, Tremblay described an industry that is “very busy…