Incat Crowther Designs OSV for Carpentaria Marine
            Carpentaria Marine Services, a marine services provider in northern Australia, is expanding its fleet after commissioning Incat Crowther to design a new multi-purpose offshore support vessel.Construction of the vessel, which will be deployed across northern and eastern Australia including Cape York and the Gulf of Carpentaria, is now underway at Richardson Devine Marine’s shipyard in Hobart, Australia.The new vessel will be utilized by Carpentaria Marine for a range of services including marine construction, dive operations, underwater surveying and remotely operated vehicle operations.
DOF Scores $200M in Vessel Contracts with Petrobras
            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…
Seagems Extends Wärtsilä Partnership to Boost Fleet Reliability
            Technology group Wärtsilä has renewed and expanded its Lifecycle Agreement with Seagems, a Brazil-based offshore operator formerly known as Sapura, covering its fleet of offshore support vessels.The renewed agreement expands the scope of services and strengthens the strategic partnership between the companies, aiming to enhance vessel reliability and reduce carbon emissions.The new deal reflects broader trends in the maritime industry toward collaborative, long-term partnerships…
GLO Marine, VMS Group Land Multi-Vessel Retrofit Job for Tidewater
            GLO Marine and VMS Group Denmark have secured a multi-vessel retrofit work for offshore support vessel operator Tidewater, expanding their role in the offshore energy sector.Covering 16 vessels across three continents, including several in U.S. waters, the retrofit program marks an important step in both companies’ strategy to provide fleet-scale retrofit solutions to the international offshore vessels market.The companies are executing a full-scope BWTS retrofit and lifecycle project management plan for Tidewater.To date…
Line Thrower Extends Wind Vessel Capabilities
            Pneumatic Line Thrower (PLT®) specialist Restech is offering service operation vessel (SOV) owners in the wind industry a preview of a new system developed to satisfy rising demands for flexibility in towing and mooring operations.A scale model of an innovative Remote Launcher TI will be on display on the VIKING Life-Saving Equipment stand (EC-40) at WindEurope 2025, held at Copenhagen’s Bella Center, April 8-10. As part of the modular design, its remotely triggered launcher will…
Procedural and Safety Failures Implicit in High-Voltage Panel Fatality
            The US Coast Guard has released its report into the death of a crewmember onboard the Red Stag while moored at the Adriatic Marine Dock, in Port Fourchon, LA, on October 14, 2023. The incident occurred when an unqualified engineer (UE) opened the panel for the mud pump system and touched the high voltage conductors containing 480 volts.The 184-foot OSV moored at the dock the previous day with a crew consisting of a Master, Relief Captain and three crewmembers. The vessel had been in dry dock and had recently moved to the Adriatic Marine Dock to prepare for an upcoming work assignment…
Kongsberg Bags Equipment Supply Order for DOF’s New OSV
            Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply an integrated package of equipment for a new Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) being built for ship owner DOF.The new 110-meter OSV, with a capacity to accommodate 164 people, is designed by MMC Ship Design and constructed at CRIST shipyard in Gdynia in Poland. The vessel will operate offshore Newfoundland, known for its harsh environmental conditions.It will be equipped with a comprehensive range of Kongsberg Maritime systems, including the DC main switchboard…
Steerprop Propulsion Chosen for Canadian OSV
            A new field support vessel being built by Crist S.A. in Gdynia, Poland, to operate on the Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, will feature a full propulsion scope from Steerprop.Vessel operating conditions on the Grand Banks are extremely challenging due to heavy seas, fog and icebergs. This emphasizes the importance of the ship’s propulsion thrusters in maintaining dynamic positioning and facilitating safe and reliable operations.Steerprop’s capabilities…
Petrobras Ups Ship Orders to 48 by 2026
            Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras will commission four more support vessels by 2026, Chief Executive Magda Chambriard told Reuters, increasing the number of new ships aimed at supporting its operations to 48 by 2026.The reinforcement of Petrobras' fleet comes amid expectations of higher offshore oil output in the next few years as new production units come online at the Buzios field, where it expects to produce up to 2 million barrels per day by 2030.The commissioning of…
Tidewater's 2024 Net Income Jumps
            Tidewater has announced that its net income for the 12 months ended December 31, 2024 was $180.7 million, compared to $97.2 million for the previous year.The company’s revenue for the three and 12 months ended December 31, 2024 of $345.1 million and $1,345.8 million respectively, compared with $302.7 million and $1,010.0 million, respectively, for the previous year.Quintin Kneen, Tidewater’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “2024 proved to be a successful year by all measures.
Havila Shipping Reports Stable Q4 2024 Results
            Havila Shipping ASA announces its Q4 2024 financial results, highlighting steady freight revenues, strong fleet utilization, and the successful completion of a major debt restructuring.Key Financial Highlights (Q4 2024):Freight revenues: NOK 148.0 million, consistent with Q4 2023 and up NOK 7.1 million from Q3 2024.Fleet utilization: Maintained at 92%, with a higher average rate than the previous quarter.Operating expenses: NOK 87.7 million, down NOK 1.6 million from Q4 2023 but…
Tidewater Appoints New Vice President of Marine Operations
            Tidewater has appointed Chris Mack as the company's new Vice President of Marine Operations.Mack brings over two decades of industry experience to the Tidewater team.He earned his Bachelor's degree in Maritime Transportation from the California Maritime Academy and received his Master of Marine Transportation and Engineering Management from California State University Maritime Academy in 2023. He began his maritime career as an Able Seaman, progressing to the role of Captain within the Ocean Towing Fleet.
WFW Advises Eurazeo on Investment in Offshore Service Vessel Platform
Watson Farley & Williams (‘WFW’) advised Eurazeo, acting as lead investor via its Eurazeo Transition Infrastructure Fund, on a $73m investment in new offshore service vessel platform MPC OSE Offshore. The platform, a joint venture between MPC Capital and O.S. Energy, helps develop, build, and manage service support vessels for offshore wind farms. The consortium of investors comprised the European family office and others in addition to Eurazeo.A leading European investment group with $37bn AUM, Eurazeo supports 600+ mid-market companies across Europe, Asia, and the United States.MPC Capital is a global investment and asset manager with $5bn AUM specializing in transport…
Offshore Service Vessels: What’s in Store in 2025
            After what we would argue has been an incredibly eventful 2024 with massive deals, tremendous dayrate developments, further charterer backlog build, and the first series of newbuild orders in years, now comes the time when we turn our gaze towards 2025. What are some of the main trends we expect for next year, and how do we see the continuation of today's developments impact the year to come. Overall, we find continued strides for the better in the offshore support market although we foresee an industry that will not fire on all cylinders…
Huisman Hooks Crane Supply Deal for Sea1 Offshore’s New Vessels
            Crane specialist Huisman has secured a contract for the delivery of two 250 mt Knuckle Boom Cranes, which will be installed on the Sea1 Offshore’s new offshore energy support vessel.The contract was signed with COSCO (Qidong) Offshore. The cranes will feature Huisman’s proprietary Active Heave Compensation system.The system connects the crane’s electric setup to the vessel’s DC grid, enabling efficient interaction with the vessel’s electrical energy storage system. This integration…
OSV 2Q Recap: Entering the Capital Distribution Phase
            The OSV sector has concluded its second quarter earnings season, marking another quarter with strong profitability and favorable market conditions. However, negative oil market sentiment, with the Brent price down by 19% since the start of July, has impacted the overall oil services market with the wider PHLX Oil Service Index trading down 4% year-to-date. The OSV sector has returned 5% year-to-date at the time of writing, led by DOF’s 57% performance.Image courtesy Fearnley SecuritiesDayrates Continued to RiseTidewater was the first out of the blocks this earnings season…
MSI: Offshore Vessel Market Rebounds as Investors Reactivate Earlier Contracts
            Strong confidence in the offshore vessel market has seen orders placed in the previous market upcycle re-activated to take advantage of renewed investor interest, according to a new report from Maritime Strategies International (MSI).In its third quarter offshore support vessel (OSV) sector report MSI notes that of the 17 vessels delivered to date in 2024, 13 were ordered more than a decade ago, leaving just over 50 vessels still pending from the previous upcycle, some of which…
Cyan Renewables to Buy MMA Offshore
            Singapore's Cyan Renewables, which operates vessels for offshore wind farms, said on Thursday it will buy its Australian peer MMA Offshore for A$1.1 billion ($725.67 million), marking the largest take-private deal in this space in the Asia Pacific region.MMA shareholders will receive A$2.70 per share in cash, a 36% premium over its 90-day average price, according to a joint statement from Cyan and MMA.Cyan, which is backed by infrastructure investor Seraya Partners, had initially offered A$2.60 per MMA share in March before sweetening the offer last month.MMA's shares have climbed almost 44% y
Bourbon, Opsealog Form Digital Partnership to Cut OSV Fleet Emissions
            Enhanced fleet monitoring and data-driven optimization will be deployed across Bourbon’s global marine and logistics fleet of 104 vessels as part of partnership with Opsealog, aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The multi-year agreement follows a six-month pilot on 25 Offshore Supply Vessels (OSVs), which demonstrated average monthly emissions savings of 45 to 50 tonnes of CO2 per vessel, according to French maritime services provider Bourbon.These…
Does an OSV Newbuild Boom Loom?
            The market for offshore support vessels has experienced tremendous development in the last couple of years. And while we expect the market to continue its positive journey, we would argue that, at least on an overall basis, the market has already recovered to healthy levels at the time of writing.There are solid underlying fundamentals that are driving the increased vessel demand, chief among them is the increased offshore upstream investment on a global level. Overall, spending on exploration and production is set to increase roughly 45% from 2021 to 2025…
Subsea Vessel Market is Full Steam Ahead
            Since our last market update in the subsea space about a year ago both our current market view and forecasts have strengthened significantly.While the demand picture is looking solid and arguing for a strong multi-year upcycle, the supply side has also started to wake from its slumber albeit ever so slightly at the time of writing. Moreover, we register an interesting dynamic on the shipowner side, where everyone is trying to position themselves for the impeding market boom.Please note that vessel definitions and abbreviations in this part of our industry can vary…
The APAC Offshore Market: Riding the Wave of Success into 2024 and Beyond
            2023 was the first year of real recovery for owners in the offshore supply market and yet we have barely skimmed the surface of what’s to come.The market is still on an upward trajectory with charter rates accelerating month-by-month, availability changing day-by-day, leading to earnings doubling and, in some segments, tripling since the lows of 2020. Current rates will remind many of the glory days of pre-2014 with the demand for OSVs projected to remain elevated for years to come.In general…
Will 2024 be the Year of AHTS Recovery?
            As 2023 is drawing to a close we would once again invite the readers of Offshore Engineer Magazine to gaze into our crystal ball to see what 2024 might have in store for the offshore support vessel industry. Before diving straight into our forward-looking sentiments however, it is important to address some of the main trends in the year that past as these lay the foundation for the year to come.Continuing the market development from the year before, 2023 very much advanced the ongoing recovery for offshore support vessels further.