BY THE NUMBERS: Copper is Cargo Theft King
For decades, cargo criminals followed a familiar playbook: steal consumer electronics, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals or luxury goods. These products were easy to fence and commanded healthy profits. But according to the latest BSI Consulting and TT Club 2025 Cargo Theft Report, the economics of cargo theft are changing rapidly—and nowhere is that more evident than copper. The report reads less like a crime summary and more like a lesson in commodity markets. Criminal organizations are no longer simply stealing what is valuable today…
Sea1 Offshore’s First Offshore Energy Support Vessel Hits Water in China
Sea1 Offshore has launched the Sea1 Diamond, the first vessel in a series of four offshore energy support vessels under construction at COSCO Shipping.The float-out marks a key milestone in Sea1 Offshore's newbuild program, with the company describing the vessel as the start of a new chapter for its fleet.Sea1 Diamond is the first of four offshore energy support vessels ordered from the Chinese shipyard. The initial two vessels were contracted in November 2024, followed by two additional units in March 2025 as Sea1 expanded the program.Based on the ST-245 design…
Batteries at Sea: Not All-Electric, Not Everywhere but Increasingly Essential
For much of the maritime industry, the energy transition has been discussed in terms of alternative fuels – primarily LNG, methanol, ammonia, or hydrogen. Batteries have often been treated as a narrow tool for limited-purpose vessels, such as water taxis and harbor craft. That view is becoming too constrained.The importance of batteries comes not from technology enthusiasm alone. Global shipping accounts for roughly 3% of planet-warming emissions. Meanwhile, International Maritime…
Balenciaga Returns to Shipbuilding After AD Ports Unit Takeover
Spain's Balenciaga Shipyard has restarted operations with the keel laying of its first vessel under new owner SAFEEN Drydocks, marking the revival of the historic Basque shipbuilder following its acquisition by the AD Ports Group subsidiary.The vessel is an offshore support tug and is one of two tugs currently in the yard's order book, which the company said positions Balenciaga to compete for work in the European offshore and renewable energy sectors.The keel laying ceremony…
US, Iran Renew Conflict With Strikes on Bridge, Desalination Plant
The United States struck bridges and an airport in Iran on Friday, provoking Tehran to respond by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as the warring foes risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure.At sea, where the renewed conflict has again cut off energy supplies from the Gulf, U.S. Marines boarded a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. Another vessel was seized by armed men off Yemen, raising concern over security in the Middle…
ECITB, GWO Launch Wind Turbine Maintenance Cross Skill Program
Following two successful pilots, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), in partnership with the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, have officially launched the Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician Cross Skill Program to support worker transferability between oil and gas and wind operations and maintenance.The six-week program gives existing Instrument and Controls, Mechanical and Electrical Technicians the requisite…
SMD, Prysmian Advance Power Cable Installation with New Plough
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…
Controversial $3.6B, China-backed Dam Project Restarted
Myanmar's new government aims to complete within roughly eight years a contentious $3.6 billion dam project at Myitsone in northern Kachin state, said two sources with knowledge of comments by Khet Htein Nan, who leads the state administration.The comments came after junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing returned from a visit last month to China, which has long sought to build the massive hydropower project in the northermost province of the war-torn country."It will begin shortly…
ABL Expands Asset Integrity Services in Brazil
Energy and marine consultancy ABL has opened a new office in Salvador, Brazil, expanding its presence in the country and strengthening its asset integrity management offering for the oil and gas, maritime and industrial sectors.The new office will support asset integrity management projects in Brazil and across the wider Americas region, while also serving as a platform to expand ABL's broader portfolio of maritime, offshore, engineering and renewable energy services.The Salvador office will be headed by Mauricio Viana…
OPEC Maintains Robust Oil Growth Forecast Over Next Four Years
OPEC maintained its forecast for robust global oil demand growth in the next four years on Thursday and nudged up its longer-term view, citing a worldwide shift towards more supportive policies for oil use and saying there was no sign demand would peak.The 11-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries depends on oil for a large part of government income, and its views on demand are higher than those of others in the industry, such as the International Energy Agency.World demand will rise to 113.3 million bpd in 2030 from 105.1 million barrels per day in 2025…
RINA Gets Safety Assessment Role on Indonesia's H2WATT Hydrogen Hub
Italian engineering, certification and consulting company RINA has secured a contract to provide safety assessment services for Indonesia's Green Hydrogen Hub Project H2WATT, a key initiative being developed by PLN Puslitbang, the research and development arm of state-owned utility PT PLN.The H2WATT project is aimed at supporting Indonesia's energy transition through the development of an integrated green hydrogen ecosystem and forms part of the country's broader efforts to build a low-carbon energy framework.Under the contract…
Italian Business Lobby Calls to Speed up Roll-Out of Renewables
Italy's business lobby Confindustria has called for emergency action from the government to speed up the roll-out of renewable energy in the country, which is grappling with much higher power costs than in most of Europe.The recent increase in gas prices triggered by the Iran war has highlighted the cost for Italian families and firms of the slow development of renewables, and sparked fresh calls for more decisive action to promote green policies.Confindustria President Emanuele…
ABL Group to Rebrand as Aqualis
Oslo-listed consultancy company ABL Group plans to change its name to Aqualis, seeking to eliminate confusion created by the use of ABL as both the name of the listed parent company and one of its operating businesses.The group provides marine, energy, engineering and technical consulting services to the renewables, maritime and oil and gas industries through a portfolio of specialist brands.Under the new structure, Aqualis will serve as the parent company, while the group's four operating brands will continue to operate independently.
AD Ports Group, Dajin Heavy Explore Offshore Wind Partnership Opportunities
AD Ports Group and offshore wind equipment manufacturer Dajin Heavy Industry have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore cooperation in offshore wind supply chain development, maritime logistics, port infrastructure and strategic vessel investments.The agreement builds on AD Ports Group's recent expansion in the offshore renewable energy sector, including partnerships with Masdar, Siemens Energy and Green Parrot, as well as its acquisition of Spain's Balenciaga Astilleros shipyard…
France Opens Tenders for 10GW of Offshore Wind Projects
The French energy ministry announced that it will open on Friday the long-awaited tenders for 10 gigawatts worth of offshore wind project, mainly located on France's westcoast.Some companies have scrapped their offshore wind development plans due to rising costs in some countries and political opposition, including that of the Trump administration.The new projects will significantly increase France's capacity for offshore wind, which it aims to grow from under 2GW to 15GW in 2035.
Norwegian Parliament Votes to Review Floating Wind Subsidies
Norway's parliament on Tuesday ordered the government to review its planned subsidy for the country's first commercial floating offshore wind farm, raising concerns of a full development stop and a wider impact on energy transition projects.A proposal by the opposition Conservative Party seeking financial scrutiny of a 35 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.70 billion) subsidy for floating wind was supported by the Progress Party, the Christian People's Party, and the far-left Red Party.The minority government wants to support the construction of a 500 megawatts (MW) project at Utsira Nord off Norway
H2DO Kicks Off North Sea Green Hydrogen Feasibility Study
Hydrogen of Dutch Origin (H2DO) and its partners have launched a feasibility and concept study for a 30-50 MW offshore green hydrogen project in the Dutch North Sea, aimed at demonstrating how offshore hydrogen production could support the expansion of offshore wind capacity while reducing pressure on onshore infrastructure.The study, funded under the Dutch Topsector Energie (TSE) program, will evaluate the development of an offshore hydrogen production facility connected to shore by pipeline.The project seeks to convert electricity generated by offshore wind farms into green hydrogen at sea…
deugro Expands Offshore Wind Leadership Team
Danish logistics specialist deugro has appointed Daniel Kjær as Vice President, Global Wind Renewable Energy, effective June 1, 2026.Based in Aarhus, Denmark, Kjær will be responsible for further developing and executing deugro’s global offshore wind strategy.In the newly announced role, Kjær will oversee global offshore wind business development while helping strengthen and expand the company’s wind chartering solutions and broader service offering. The position is intended to…
Mitsui Eyes New LNG Investments to Power Data Center Growth
Japanese trading house Mitsui is looking to invest in LNG projects across the Middle East, the U.S.
SEA-LNG: LNG Bunkering is Surging
2026 data shows that the methane decarbonization pathway is moving forward despite geopolitical disruption and regulatory uncertainty, says industry coalition SEA-LNG.LNG bunkering volumes are surging in major bunkering hubs, liquefied biomethane sales have grown six-fold in major ports and LNG-fueled vessels now account for about 90% of the entire alternative fuel vessel orderbook.LNG bunkering volumes are rising in key ports. Singapore recorded a 48% increase in LNG bunkering in Q1 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, reaching 150,000 tonnes.
CIP Remains Eager to Invest in Italian Offshore Wind
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a Danish firm eager to invest in Italian offshore wind farms, is getting impatient.Two years after the country's 2024 law offered incentives to would-be developers to provide offshore wind capacity, the government has yet to announce a calendar for auctions it said it would hold by 2028.The inertia reflects a reluctance to embrace the transition from fossil fuels as a complex and polarised international debate pits clean energy campaigners against some governments and companies. U.S.
Triton Partners to Acquire Flender
Global investment firm Carlyle announced that it has agreed to sell Flender, a global market leader in mechanical drive technology, to Triton Fund 6 advised by Triton Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q4 2026.Headquartered in Bocholt, Germany, and with over 125 years of engineering heritage, Flender is a supplier of gearboxes, couplings and generators for a broad range of industrial and wind power applications.
Consortium to Advance e-Fuel Green Corridor Between Brazil and Belgium
A new consortium facilitated by the Global Maritime Forum and RMI will work to establish a green shipping corridor between the Port of Açu in Brazil and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium.In addition to the port teams on both ends of the corridor, the consortium includes HIF Global, Fuella, NYK Line, Höegh Autoliners, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen.The consortium will assess infrastructure, vessels, and business models to create a roadmap for transporting zero-carbon fuels produced in Açu, such as e-ammonia or e-methanol.
