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Offshore Rig News

28 Aug 2023

New Product: Robust, Stylish Marine Luminaires

Image courtesy Glamox

Glamox launched new range of energy-efficient indoor lighting for vessels and offshore installations, with an eye on style.The AL40 LED range of indoor luminaires is specially designed to light the interior of vessels and offshore installations. The luminaires are designed to provide comfortable and glare-free lighting for locations where crew and passengers spend a lot of time. This includes offices, cabin corridors, staircases, crew cabins, control rooms, and the bridge. On an offshore rig…

05 Jun 2023

AD Ports and Crystal Offshore Sign Deal to Set Up Offshore Rig and Vessel Repair Base in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port

Credit: AD Ports

Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has signed a 25 years agreement with Singapore-based Crystal Offshore a logistics solution provider to the marine & offshore Industry to build an offshore rig and vessel repair base in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port.Under the agreement, a 20,000 square meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base, featuring office facilities and fabrication workshops to provide advanced repairs and refits to jack-up rigs as well as marine and offshore vessels.Saif Al Mazrouei…

07 Mar 2023

ONE-Dyas Opts for LiMain for Unmanned Offshore Rig

Artist impression of platform N05-A and the connection to windfarm Riffgat. Image courtesy Liebherr

The Dutch oil and gas company ONE-Dyas is the first to purchase a Liebherr offshore crane, type RL 2600, in combination with the recently launched service concept Liebherr Intelligent Maintenance (LiMain). LiMain is a fully digital, remote, and semi-automatic maintenance system, and with it ONE-Dyas can remotely maintain the new Liebherr craneon the unmanned platform.ONE-Dyas will install the first electrified gas production platform in the North Sea, designed to run entirely on offshore wind power from the nearby Riffgat Offshore Wind Farm.

23 Feb 2023

Supreme Court Sides With Offshore Worker in Overtime Case

© W.Scott McGill / Adobe Stock

An oil rig supervisor who earned more than $200,000 a year working for Houston-based Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc is entitled to overtime pay, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a decision with costly implications for the oil and gas industry.The court in a 6-3 decision authored by liberal Justice Elena Kagan decided that because the rig supervisor, Michael Hewitt, was paid a daily rate of $963 and not a salary, an overtime pay exemption in federal wage law for highly paid workers did not apply to him.The justices affirmed a 2021 ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S.

16 Jan 2023

Ecochlor to Install EcoOne Container Unit on Island Drilling's Offshore Rig

©Island Drilling

Norwegian offshore drilling contractor Island Drilling has contracted Ecochlor to install their new EcoOne Container Unit on board the Island Innovator semi-submersible rig.Vidar Vik, Technical Section Leader at Island Drilling, said: "Our research in choosing a BWMS for the Island Innovator was a very difficult process because of the unique ballasting needs for offshore rigs. "We were interested in the EcoOne Container Unit because it was filterless, which allowed for a very simple installation…

14 Jun 2022

West Africa Market Harbors Positive Potential for MODU Operators

Chart courtesy MSI

The region could be a key growth market for the oil and gas industry going forward, writes Joshua Belo-Osagie, Maritime Strategies International (MSI).Improving sentiment surrounds energy market prospects offshore West Africa, the positive mood underpinned by higher oil prices, reformed regulatory frameworks in key markets including Angola and Nigeria and the discovery of major prospects off the Ivory Coast and Namibia.In addition, the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have only reinforced some of these pre-existing dynamics…

27 Apr 2022

Offshore Rig Builders Keppel O&M and Sembcorp Marine Set to Combine

Caption: From left: Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Corporation and Chairman of Keppel O&M; Mr Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M; Mr Wong Weng Sun, President & CEO of Sembcorp Marine, and Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, Chairman of Sembcorp Marine at the signing of definitive agreements between Keppel Corporation and Sembcorp Marine for the Proposed Combination of Keppel Offshore & Marine and Sembcorp Marine.

Singapore's Sembcorp Marine (Sembmarine) has agreed to a multi-billion dollar merger with Keppel Corp's larger offshore and marine unit, a year after the Temasek-backed firms began deal talks to cope with an industry downturn.The loss-making oil rig builders have been whiplashed by years of oversupply and oil price volatility as well as a drop in new orders.Such troubles have been exacerbated by the global transition towards renewable energy, consolidation at Chinese and South Korean rivals…

11 Apr 2022

Yesterday’s or Tomorrow’s Offshore Energy: Which to Pick?

Copyright Inna/AdobeStock

Looking back, it is easy to wonder if one could have done better by taking the other fork in the road. I grew up in Holland in a maritime family and am pretty sure I would have stuck with maritime there. In 1968, when I was 8 years old, my father left Holland America Line and joined the United States Salvage Association. At the same time, their main customer, the U.S. marine insurance industry, became heavily involved in the development of North Sea offshore oil and gas, and it resulted in an economic boom that made USSA’s Rotterdam office wildly profitable.

31 Mar 2022

Keppel Offshore & Marine, Sembcorp Marine Working on Merger

©Keppel Offshore & Marine

Keppel Corp's offshore and marine (O&M) arm and smaller rival Sembcorp Marine are working towards having an agreement over their business unification in place by the end of April, the companies said on Thursday.The companies had first announced plans to combine their loss-making O&M businesses in June last year. The deal would see Keppel spin off the new business into a listed entity, with Singapore state investor Temasek becoming the largest shareholder in the combined company.

29 Oct 2021

“It’s alive!”: Offshore Drillers Start Resuscitating Idle Drillships

Drilling rigs stacked in Las Palmas/Credit:Larry - AdobeStock

Offshore drilling rig reactivations have begun as utilization and dayrates continue their rapid recovery, Esgian's Teresa Wilkie writes.We expected it to happen just not necessarily this soon. But now it’s official, several cold-stacked rigs are about to be reactivated for new jobs in the Golden Triangle, and Valaris is taking the lead. Just last week, the driller confirmed that it will reactivate 6th generation, ultra-deepwater drillship Valaris DS-4 for a minimum 580-day deal with Petrobras Brazil.

20 Oct 2021

Port Houston's Container Surge Continues

(Photo: Port Houston)

Port Houston recorded its seventh consecutive month of double-digit container volume growth as increased consumer spending continues in the U.S.Container activity for September 2021 was 281,500 TEUs, up 11% compared to the same month last year, the port said. Year-to-date, TEUs are up 16% compared to 2020.Port Houston said its steel imports are also up, increasing 161% this month compared to September 2020 and are up 28% year-to-date. This growth reflects increased activity in the energy industry.

23 Oct 2023

Transocean Sees Multiple Offshore Rig Deals Awarded, One Terminated in Q2

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean on Wednesday released its quarterly offshore drilling rig fleet status report, which shows one contract terminated in Norway, and several new deals secured Norway, U.S. Gulf, Brazil, Angola, Brunei, and, possibly, Myanmar. The rig owner's total backlog is now around $7.3 billion.While some of the contracts were already announced as they were coming in during the quarter, Transocean shared some new information, too.It said Thursday that the Hungarian oil firm MOL had in July terminated the Transocean Barents semi-sub drilling contract for convenience. The drilling rig was supposed to stay with MOL between May and December 2021…

24 Jun 2021

Keppel, Sembcorp Marine in Talks to Merge Offshore and Marine Units

Keppel Tuas Shipyard - File Photo: Keppel Corp.

Temasek-backed Singapore conglomerate Keppel Corp and smaller rival Sembcorp Marine are exploring a potential tie-up which would see them combine their struggling offshore and marine (O&M) businesses after years of losses in an industry downturn.A successful deal would see Keppel spin off the new business into a listed entity and ultimately exit from the legacy business. Temasek would become the largest shareholder in the combined unit, while Sembcorp will also own a stake in it.Keppel's O&M unit…

19 Apr 2021

Keppel in Talks with Petrobras to Build FPSO for Buzios Field

An FPSO offshore Brazil; Credit: Ranimiro/AdobeStock

Singapore's Keppel Corporation has confirmed it has been in talks with the Brazilian oil company Petrobras to built an FPSO vessel for the Buzios field offshore Brazil.In a statement on Friday, responding to an article by Upstream Daily News, Keppel Corp. said: "The company wishes to confirm that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Shipyard Limited, is in advanced discussions with Petrobras in respect of a contract to build a floating production storage and offloading vessel for the Buzios field offshore Brazil…

09 Mar 2021

Samsung Heavy Ordered to Pay $411M to Stena Drilling in Canceled Offshore Rig Order Case

Illustration only - Credit:  Arild/AdobeStock

South Korean shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries must pay $411 million to offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling, a London arbitration tribunal has ruled.The spat between the two companies began after Stena Drilling in 2017 terminated the order for the construction of the harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig Stena Midmax.Stena Drilling had ordered the rig in June 2013, with the delivery expected in March 2016. Citing excessive delay, Stena Drilling on June 1, 2017, terminated the rig order.

11 Feb 2021

Seadrill Seeks Bankruptcy Protection—Again

(Photo: Seadrill)

Offshore drilling rig contractor Seadrill has filed for bankruptcy protection at a court in the U.S. state of Texas, it said on Wednesday, the second time in four years the company has entered into so-called Chapter 11 restructuring.The Oslo-listed group controlled by Norwegian-born billionaire John Fredriksen returned to court along with several subsidiaries after failing to win consent from bank lenders to postpone payments on $5.7 billion of debts.Its total debts and liabilities…

28 Jan 2021

Keppel to Exit Offshore Rig Building Business

A Keppel-built drilling rig - File Photo: Keppel

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine, a company famous for its offshore rig construction, is set to undergo a major transformation, look for opportunities as a developer and integrator of offshore energy and infrastructure assets, and exit the offshore rig building business.The company will be restructured into three parts, separating construction and ownership of legacy drilling rig assets from its core operations, "which will be slimmer, asset-light and people-light.""Keppel Corporation announced today that amidst the global energy transition and major disruptions facing the oil industry…

30 Oct 2020

Op/Ed: Candidates Should Not Ignore Offshore Safety Advances

© Mosto / Adobe Stock

The American Gulf of Mexico is home to impressive industry and even more incredible beauty. Every day, fishermen, conservationists, tour guides, canal and port dredgers, offshore oil and gas workers and countless others go to work in and around the Gulf of Mexico. What links them together is a passion to safely do their jobs in a way that strengthens the Gulf Coast’s natural resources.When candidates and elected officials advocate for “no more drilling, including offshore,” they…

20 Oct 2020

Grounded Offshore Rig Limits Sabine Pass Ship Traffic

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that a large semi-submersible rig drifted into and ran aground in the Sabine Bank Channel, limiting vessels entering the Sabine-Neches Waterway to those with a maximum draft of 32 feet (9.8 meters).The waterway sits on the Texas-Louisiana border and connects the Gulf of Mexico to Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant and to oil refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas.That area is west of where two hurricanes struck in recent weeks. Nearby refineries are owned by Exxon Mobil Corp, Valero Energy Corp, Total SA, and others.The semi-submersible rig, called the Jasminia, drifted into the Sabine Bank Channel and ran aground on Friday, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The rig had housed offshore workers in the past.

24 Jun 2020

Cox Powertrain Leverages the Power of Digitalization

(Photo: Cox Powertrain)

It is not something that pops to mind often: the massive, market-changing advantages of a high-powered, fuel-efficient, cleaner V8 diesel outboard engine. Then, you aren’t a salmon farmer with aquaculture farms in the Norwegian fjords or an islander in the Maldives who drives a Zodiac to work. But, if you are Joel Reid, these are just some of the many things on your mind.Joel Reid is the Global Sales Director of Cox Powertrain a British start-up based in Shoreham-by-Sea, close to Brighton, UK.

15 Jun 2020

Surge in Maritime Cyber Attacks Reported

© Denys / Adobe Stock

Maritime and offshore energy companies are facing a number of new challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One of these is an increase in cyber security threats, reports Naval Dome, who says there's been a 400% increase in attempted cyber attacks in these sectors since February 2020.While an increase in malware, ransomware and phishing emails exploiting the COVID-19 crisis is the primary reason behind the spike, cyber security specialist Naval Dome says travel restrictions…

29 Apr 2020

Keppel O&M Says Pivot to Gas, Renewables Pays Off

(File Photo: Keppel)

Keppel Offshore & Marine, an offshore construction subsidiary of Singapore's Keppel Corp, expects challenging conditions ahead due to the drop in oil prices but says its business diversification into gas and renewables has paid off.The company has traditionally been called an "offshore rig builder" as this was the Keppel O&M's core business in the heydays before the 2014-16 collapse in oil prices when oil fell from over $100 a barrel to below $30.However, with offshore drilling rig orders dwindling…

24 Apr 2020

Maersk Drilling to Mothball Several Rigs, Reduce North Sea Headcount

A Maersk Drilling rig - Image Credit: Maersk Drilling

Danish offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling is set to mothball several offshore drilling rigs, and as a consequence, reduce the number of offshore workers, citing low oil prices and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the reason."The COVID-19 pandemic and the lower oil price environment are impacting offshore drilling activity. Some tenders and projects are being delayed or canceled which adversely affects commercial prospects," Maersk Drilling said Friday.As previously reported, Tullow Oil in March sent an early termination notice for the Maersk Venturer drillship in Ghana.

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