Offshore Oil And Gas News

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, today announced another major step toward expanding offshore energy development pursuant to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BOEM released the Final Notice of Sale for Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 2 (BBG2), the second of 30 Gulf of America lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law No: 119-21). BOEM will again invite lease sale bidders to attend the live bid reading, per BOEM instructions, on March 11, 2026, starting at 9 a.m. Central Time.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure called a draft law proposing to allow offshore oil and gas exploration in its overseas territories "anachronistic" during a debate in the country's Senate on Thursday.In a world first, France banned new oil and gas exploration and production licenses in 2017, hoping other nations would follow suit. But energy security fears following the loss of Russian gas, along with worries over increased reliance on U.S. liquefied natural gas have led senators to reconsider developing domestic resources."The government is not favourable to this proposal ...

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the issuance of two Calls for Information and Nominations to solicit industry nominations and public comments on areas of interest for potential offshore oil and gas leasing in Southern California and Central California under President Trump’s 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Program.Publishing these calls in the Federal Register marks the first step in BOEM’s offshore oil and gas leasing process under 30 CFR 556.301.

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.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) completed and redelivered HOS Rocinante, a first-of-its-kind U.S.-flagged Service Operation Vessel (SOV) converted for Hornbeck Offshore Services.The vessel marks a milestone in the evolution of the U.S. offshore service fleet to be future-ready for both the offshore wind and petro-energy sector demands for broadly capable marine support vessels.Originally built by ESG as an offshore supply vessel, HOS Rocinante unerwent extensive conversion at ESG’s Allanton and Port St Joe Shipyards in Panama City…

This week, the Department of the Interior issued the Draft Proposed Program for the next five year federal offshore oil and gas leasing program, and the response from industry has been positive.Under the new proposal for the 2026–2031 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, Interior includes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing Outer Continental Shelf planning areas, covering approximately 1.27 billion acres. That includes 21 areas off the coast of Alaska…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced a Proposed Notice of Sale for the second offshore oil and gas lease sale under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The proposed lease sale, known as Big Beautiful Gulf, or BBG2, is scheduled to take place on March 11, 2026.This sale is the second of thirty Gulf of America oil and gas lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. By committing to a predictable sale schedule, the Department is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand American energy production and strengthen U.S. energy dominance.

The Trump administration will hold an auction for drilling oil and gas off the U.S. Gulf next month and has proposed another in a waterway in southern Alaska, it said on Friday.The lease sale in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump refers to as the Gulf of America, will make about 80 million acres available. The sale, which will take place on December 10, will be the first of 30 sales in the region through 2040 that were included in Trump's tax law which he signed in July.The Gulf's offshore continental shelf spans roughly 160 million acres…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean and Saudi Arabia-based Jana Marine Services have signed a heads of terms agreement to establish a joint venture company that will offer integrated subsea solutions to the offshore energy industry in the Middle East.The intended joint venture, to be named JADE Subsea Services, plans to enter into a five-year charter agreement with Jana Marine for a newbuild DP2 hybrid diving support vessel (DSV) capable of performing subsea construction, inspection…

Rigs drilling beneath the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico will drive U.S. oil industry growth this year and next as onshore production slows due to lower prices and maturing shale fields, and analysts and consultants expect the trend to continue as new technology and friendly regulations attract investment offshore.The offshore oil and gas sector took a backseat to shale in recent years because drilling at sea requires years of construction work and higher upfront investments. Entry costs were lower for shale production and returns quicker, so rapid expansion in shale made the U.S.

Baker Hughes has signed a multi-year contract with Petrobras to extend deployment of its Blue Marlin and Blue Orca stimulation vessels, supporting offshore oil and gas production in Brazil’s post and pre-salt fields.The award, which followed an open tender, also covers the supply of associated chemicals and services.The vessels will deliver advanced chemical treatments to maximize production in brownfield and greenfield wells, and support well construction through gravel pack and frac pack operations.Baker Hughes said Blue Marlin and Blue Orca combine trained crews with onboard laboratories…

Intermoor, Acteon’s Moorings and Anchors business line, and Jumbo Offshore, an offshore transportation and installation specialist, have entered into strategic alliance aimed at jointly delivering fully integrated project management, engineering, transport and installation services to the offshore oil and gas as well as floating wind sectors.This partnership brings together Intermoor’s expertise in mooring systems and offshore engineering with Jumbo Offshore’s capabilities in heavy-lift transport and mooring installation.Under the alliance…

Houston-headquartered defense company Eureka Naval Craft is ramping up production of its AIRCAT BENGAL MC warship in Asia after signing an MOU with Singapore shipbuilder Strategic Marine (S) Pte Ltd.Eureka Naval Craft CEO Bo Jardine said the aim of the partnership is to bring a highly advanced Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) to the US Navy and allied navies quickly at a time of increased threat. The versatile catamaran vessel design can further be retooled for the commercial…

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive schedule to hold more than 30 offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Cook Inlet over the next 15 years.The plan fulfills a directive in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed last month, and is aligned with his administration's energy dominance agenda to boost domestic fossil fuel production.The schedule marks a significant departure from former President Joe Biden…

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will delay by two years a final rule designating protections for the endangered Rice's whale in the oil and gas drilling region of the Gulf of Mexico, according to an agreement with environmental groups filed in a federal court.The U.S. Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service agreed with green group Natural Resources Defense Council to finalize by July 15, 2027 the geographic area deemed critical for the Rice's whale survival. The previous deadline had been Tuesday, July 15, of this year.The agreement filed in the U.S.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the publication of a Proposed Notice of Sale (PNOS) for an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of America.As directed by Secretary of the Interior and outlined in the PNOS, Lease Sale 262 will offer approximately 15,000 unleased blocks located 3 to 231 miles offshore across the Gulf’s Western, Central, and Eastern Planning Areas. Covering roughly 80 million acres, these blocks are situated in water depths ranging from 9 feet to more than 11…

Russia signed an investment agreement with Myanmar on Friday that it said could open up new opportunities for Russian energy companies in the south Asian country."We especially note the readiness of the Myanmar side to attract Russian companies to the development of offshore oil and gas fields," Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said after signing the agreement in St Petersburg with Kan Zaw, Myanmar's minister of investment and foreign economic relations.Russia said the deal would help accelerate projects including in Myanmar's Dawei special economic zone…

The Republican governor of South Carolina appealed to the Trump administration on Monday to leave his state out of an impending plan to increase offshore oil and gas production.The letter comes as the administration wraps up a 45-day request for public input into a federal offshore oil and gas leasing program that could include new zones in the Arctic and elsewhere to maximize domestic energy development.The current five-year plan, developed by the administration of former President Joe Biden, includes just three sales of oil and gas development rights in the Gulf of Mexico.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Akselos have completed the technical assessment for structural digital twin technology, marking an advancement in the application of the solution for Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units.Akselos’ SPM software provides a high-fidelity, near real-time digital twin of the entire FPSO. By combining inspection records, metocean conditions, and cargo operations into one dynamic model, operators gain a live, continuous view of structural performance.

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday said it would begin taking public input for a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program that could include new zones in the Arctic and elsewhere to maximize energy development.President Donald Trump has ordered government agencies to identify ways to increase already record high U.S. oil and gas production, arguing past administrations had unnecessarily curtailed drilling to combat climate change. He had also repealed former President Joe Biden’s efforts to block oil drilling in the Arctic and along large areas off the U.S.

US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to begin a public engagement process to develop a new schedule for offshore oil and gas lease sales on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.“Launching the process to develop the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Program marks a decisive step toward securing American Energy Dominance,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Through a transparent and inclusive public engagement process…

Saipem has signed a renewal for its framework agreement with Saudi Aramco. The Long-Term Agreement (LTA) now extends until the end of 2027.With the renewal of the LTA, Saipem is reconfirmed in the exclusive list of contractors selected by Saudi Aramco who are eligible to bid for work orders, known as CRPOs (Contract Release Purchase Orders). These contracts may relate to both the construction of new investment projects and any projects aimed at maintaining production capacity from Saudi Arabia’s offshore fields.Should Saipem be awarded contracts for activities within the Kingdom under the LTA…

The $5.4 trillion global maritime industry faces a perfect storm of cyber vulnerabilities, and a new government regulation aims to be the lighthouse guiding stakeholders to safer digital harbors.On January 17, 2025, the US Coast Guard (USCG) published a final rule titled “Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System,” aiming to bolster the cybersecurity posture of the nation’s marine transportation system (MTS). This rule introduces mandatory cybersecurity measures for US-flagged vessels…