Europe News

Vard has started construction of the UPO Atlantic commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) for U-Ming Purus Offshore (UPO), following a steel-cutting ceremony at its Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam.The ceremony, held on November 2, marked the first construction milestone for the vessel, designated NB 1004 and based on Vard's VARD 4 19 design.The UPO Atlantic is being developed to support offshore wind projects in Taiwan and across Asia, as part of UPO's expansion into the…

Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich has taken delivery of Carlotta Cosulich, the third of four methanol-ready bunker tankers being built under its fleet expansion program.The 8,585 deadweight tonne (DWT) vessel was officially delivered at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipyard in China on October 28, following the earlier deliveries of sister vessels Anna Cosulich and Lucia Cosulich.The new IMO II bunker tanker is designed to support a range of bunkering operations, with features including MarineLINE cargo tank coating…

BOURBON has taken delivery of the first of two new 34-meter crew boats from Grandweld Shipyards in Dubai, expanding its fleet of offshore personnel transport vessels.The first vessel was officially delivered on November 3 following successful sea trials.Designed to transport offshore personnel, the new vessels have capacity for 60 passengers, with business-class-style seating, a cruising speed of up to 38 knots and improved fuel efficiency compared with the previous generation…

Cadeler has signed a firm contract to support turbine transportation and installation at the 1.2 GW Dogger Bank C offshore wind project in the UK, with its newbuild Wind Apex wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) scheduled to join the campaign in the third quarter of 2027.The contract will mark the first deployment of Wind Apex following its delivery from the shipyard, according to Cadeler.The vessel will work alongside the project's existing installation vessel, providing additional…

Shipbuilders, missile makers and drone manufacturers showcased their wares at an arms fair starting near Paris on Tuesday, as European governments, doubting the United States as a defence ally and alarmed by Russian aggression, rush to bolster navies.The increasing use of drones at sea, attacks on critical undersea infrastructure and the targeting of commercial shipping in conflicts including in the Middle East mark a shift in the challenges that European naval forces face.Last month…

Dutch-based Jack-Up Barge, backed by the Van Es Group, has expanded its fleet with the three-legged accommodation and services jack-up unit JB 121, following a naming ceremony in Dalian, China.The ceremony took place on November 3 at Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore, ahead of the unit's scheduled departure for the Netherlands in early November.Jack-Up Barge, a company that provides support services across the offshore wind, oil and gas, and maritime infrastructure sectors, initiated the acquisition of JB 121 earlier in 2026 as part of its fleet expansion strategy…

Stillstrom by Maersk has completed the construction and factory acceptance testing of what it describes as the world's first 11 kV vessel-mounted connection unit designed to charge service operation vessels (SOVs) directly from offshore wind farms.The milestone, witnessed by DNV, marks the completion of testing for Stillstrom's Vessel Container Unit (VCU), a modular system designed to transfer electricity from offshore wind infrastructure to vessel batteries.The containerised unit houses an 11 kV connector package and can be installed at the bow…

German propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL has introduced a new submersible auxiliary thruster designed to improve maneuverability and positioning accuracy for crewed and uncrewed underwater vehicles, including submarines.The SCHOTTEL PumpJet Submersible SPJ-S provides continuously adjustable thrust through 360 degrees and is designed for civil and military underwater operations, including deepwater missions and maneuvering in confined spaces.The electrically driven system uses an impeller without a gearbox…

MacGregor reported record profitability in the third quarter of 2026 as new orders more than doubled to $340 million (€305.4 million), driven by strong demand across all its divisions.Orders increased 126% from $150 million (€135 million) in the same quarter last year, lifting the company's order book to $1.49 billion (€1.34 billion) at the end of September, compared with $1.11 billion (€998.6 million) a year earlier.Quarterly revenue rose 1% to $218.7 million (€196.5 million)…

Big Oil is reaping near record cash windfalls from the eight-month-old Iran war, but Western energy producers’ reluctance to ramp up spending reveals persistent doubts about the industry’s long-term outlook.BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and TotalEnergies reported combined net profits of $56 billion in the third quarter, driven by surging oil and gas prices, record-high refining margins and strong trading results.BP posted its highest quarterly profit ever, $8.5 billion, as earnings from its refining business rose tenfold from a year earlier.

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards has delivered a new harbour tugboat to Bulgarian operator VTC S.A., marking the fifth vessel supplied to the company since their partnership began in 2003.The tug, renamed KASTRITSI by its new owner, will join VTC's fleet at the Black Sea port of Varna, supporting harbour towage and marine operations.Based on the RApport 2500 design by Robert Allan, KASTRITSI is a shallow-draft Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug designed for operations in confined and shallow waterways.The vessel measures 25.2 meters in length and 12 meters in beam…

French shipbuilder Piriou has secured a contract from France's Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) for 16 new-generation RP30NG tugboats designed to support French Navy port operations, including maneuvers involving nuclear submarines and major surface combatants.The vessels, derived from Piriou's civilian tugboat range and adapted for military requirements, will also undertake firefighting, pollution response, maritime surveillance, fisheries inspection and assistance missions.Designed to operate up to 200 nautical miles offshore for several days…

Huisman has secured a contract from Siem Industries to supply four knuckle boom cranes for two offshore subsea construction vessels under construction at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China, with deliveries of the vessels scheduled for 2029 and 2030.The contract covers two 400-tonne knuckle boom cranes with below-deck winches and two 50-tonne auxiliary cranes with deepwater capabilities, Huisman announced on October 29.The cranes will be manufactured at Huisman's production facility in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China, while the vessels are being built at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in Fuzhou.Th

Solstad Maritime has secured two contracts for its Normand Australis construction support vessel (CSV) in the Asia Pacific region, with a combined firm duration of 250 days.The contracts will be executed consecutively, with operations expected to begin in December 2026, Solstad Maritime announced on October 30.The agreements also include options for a combined 75 additional days beyond the firm contract periods.The estimated value of the contracts is at the lower end of the $10 million to $30 million range.Under the contracts, Normand Australis will provide remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and

Dutch geological data specialist Fugro said on Friday that Iran war-linked disruptions had dented its earnings by €25 million ($28 million) this year, including €10 million in the third quarter alone, while GPS jamming and restrictions on vessel movements continued to hamper Gulf offshore operations.Some clients in the region have altered project plans and, in some cases, used their own vessels for work that would otherwise have been contracted to Fugro, CEO Mark Heine told Reuters."We have work…

DNV has issued a Statement of Feasibility for Aker BP and Höegh Evi's concept to transport liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) by shuttle carriers and inject it directly into subsea wells for permanent storage at the Atlas project offshore Norway.The assessment covers the offshore infrastructure required to transfer CO2 from vessels into the reservoir, with DNV concluding that the main technical challenges and uncertainties identified are manageable at the current stage of development.The Atlas project…

Shipbuilder Vard has launched a new energy construction vessel (ECV) being built for Wind Energy Construction, a Norwegian company partly owned by the founders and owners of Norwind Offshore, with delivery scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.The vessel, designated NB985, was successfully launched on October 27 and is under construction at Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, Vard announced.Based on Vard's VARD 3 11 design, the vessel is intended for offshore wind and subsea operations, including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea pipelines, as well as the construction and installation of o

The Research Council of Norway has awarded $2 million (NOK 20 million) in initial funding to the Emerald Nuclear Norway-led Marine Nuclear Propulsion System (MarNuPS) project, which aims to develop and test an integrated nuclear propulsion system for offshore vessels, with first deployment targeted for 2031-32.The project brings together Emerald Nuclear Norway, VARD Group, Vard Electro, Island Offshore, NTNU, Imperial College London and Maskindynamikk to advance maritime nuclear…

Seaway7, part of Subsea7 Group, has completed the final inner-array cable lay at the 1.4 GW East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm, developed by ScottishPower Renewables and Masdar, marking another milestone in the project's offshore construction.The campaign involved the installation of 95 inner-array cables, with more than 240 kilometers of cable loaded, laid and pulled into the foundations, Seaway7 announced on October 26.The milestone follows the installation of all 95 monopile foundations and transition pieces earlier this year…

Siem Industries has ordered two offshore subsea construction vessels (OSCVs) from Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030.Each vessel will be equipped with a 400-tonne active heave compensated (AHC) subsea crane and an additional 50-tonne AHC subsea crane to support subsea construction and offshore support operations.The vessels will measure approximately 145 meters in length and 27 meters in beam, with designs developed by Sirius Design…

Fugro has secured a contract from 50Hertz to carry out unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey, identification and clearance work for the LanWin3 and LanWin6 offshore grid connection projects in the German sector of the North Sea.The work will help prepare cable routes for the installation of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables connecting offshore wind farms to Germany's electricity network.The two grid connections will each have a transmission capacity of up to 2 GW, providing…

Reach Subsea and Eidesvik Offshore have completed the sale of the inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) vessel Viking Reach, with the vessel delivered to its new owners on October 26.The transaction was completed through Eidesvik Reach, a joint venture between Reach Subsea and Eidesvik Offshore, following a deal first announced in August 2026.Neither company identified the buyer in its latest announcement.Although not confirmed by October announcement, Asso Group reported on August 4 that it had signed a memorandum of agreement to acquire Viking Reach…

Shipping through Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta was stable and grain exports had increased by end-September, the port authority said, despite a spike in marine insurance premiums driven by increased attacks on cargo vessels.In September, London's marine insurance market widened the area in the Black Sea it lists as high risk, as Russia's war in Ukraine escalated, with only the territorial waters of Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey exempted.The Black Sea is a vital route for grain…