Offshore Oil And Gas News

As the U.S. offshore wind industry endures a predictable number of stops and starts during its adolescence, common mantras are ‘learn from the established European model’ and ‘embrace technology transfer from the offshore oil and gas sector.’ In Robert Langford, the American Bureau of Shipping has all of that and more bundled in one neat package.Rob Langford has worked in the offshore industry for more than three decades, ‘cutting his teeth’ in a UK design firm working in the North Sea oil and gas platforms, the holy grail of rigorous conditions in offshore energy production.

2024 marks 50 years of ship design work for Kongsberg Maritime. From setting the benchmark that set the standard for offshore supply vessels in the 1970s, to advanced anchor handlers that transformed the oil and gas industry, and a growing reference list in fishery and merchant ships, Kongsberg Maritime’s range of ship designs has continued to evolve over the past five decades.The early 1970s, at the dawn of the offshore oil and gas industry, saw the very first vessels, designed…

The International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has highlighted the importance of robust vessel design reviews and related insurance coverage throughout the construction process following a recent dispute between a naval architect, a shipowner and a shipyard regarding a vessel’s operational performance post-delivery.The vessel, a 24-metre catamaran servicing the offshore oil and gas industry, faced considerable operational limitations. This was attributed to unexpected vibration issues in the vessel's rudders…

Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Ulstein has developed a new subsea vessel - ULSTEIN SX232 – designed to service the offshore wind market for floating and fixed installations as well as offshore oil and gas industry.Designed for walk-to-work operations in the offshore energy market, the ULSTEIN SX232 features an optimizes hull based on the ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN design.The vessel is equipped with smart power and propulsion system developed to minimize energy consumption during DP operations and an integrated energy recovery system utilizing all the waste heat in the machinery systems…

A floating offshore wind farm planned in Arctic waters on Friday received 2 billion Norwegian crowns ($193 million) in state funding, with Norway viewing the still costly technology as a key contributor for industry development and emission cuts.The GoliatVind project in the Barents Sea, consisting of five 15 megawatts turbines and seeking to supply power to the Arctic town of Hammerfest, beat out six other applicants in a tender by government agency Enova.Norway hopes that floating offshore wind will provide an industrial future for its offshore supply industry as well as a means of cutting e

“The winds of change are blowing wild and free.” – Bob DylanIn the U.S. offshore wind industry, developments over recent months have placed an exclamation point on the word “wild”. Yes, the wind still blows “free”, but mounting challenges have proven that harnessing its power offshore is anything but. In fact, far from it, as rising materials costs, high interest rates, labor shortages and supply chain delays, among other issues, have delivered heavy blows to the commercial viability of several projects.

Norwegian oil companies resumed helicopter flights to offshore oil and gas fields on Friday following Wednesday's deadly crash off the country's west coast, operator Equinor and airports said on Friday.On Thursday helicopter traffic was halted to oil and gas platforms following the crash in which one person died and five were injured. Norway said it was considering grounding Sikorsky's S-92A aircraft model while investigating the accident."Based on dialogue with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)…

As the offshore oil and gas industry transitions to more sustainable practices, drilling rig operators are faced with demands to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement measures as part of their workload. Being the owner of the first ever drillship that secured DNV’s Abate(P) notation, Scotland-based offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling discusses everything the company is doing to make its drill-ships ‘greener’.The first step to reducing its carbon footprint for Stena…

Danish shipowner CBED has signed a contract with Hughes Subsea, a subsidiary of OEG Energy, for Wind Evolution’s first offshore project, just three weeks after acquiring the service operation vessel (SOV).With the new walk-to-work contract, CBED has secured full activity for Wind Evolution SOV until early first quarter of 2025, with two additional one-year options to extend the project contract.OEG Energy’s Hughes Subsea specializes in subsea services across the offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, and other sectors.CBED will take delivery of Wind Evolution end of March 2024.

Subsea solutions provider N-Sea Group has entered into an agreement with Rederij Groen for long-term charter of the vessel Aquarius-G, an offshore support vessel (OSV) built in 2016.With the length of 68.04 meters, 14.95 meters beam and a draught of 5 meters, Aquarius-G is said to be a well-suited vessel to execute inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM), survey, UXO, and cable operations in the North Sea.With the long-term charter of the 4-WINDS in November 2023 and now the Aquarius-G…

Singapore's Strategic Marine has signed a shipbuilding contract with Bruneian Amarco for the delivery of its fast crew boats that will serve Bruneian offshore oil and gas sector.The collaboration marks a key milestone for both companies with the latest 4th Generation Fast Crew Boat (FCB) entering the Bruneian market for long term operations.The comprehensive shipbuilding contract encompasses the enabling of the vessel to be future ready for a gyro stabilizer, coupled with the option for the installation of a motion compensated gangway as future capabilities.In line with sustainable practices…

Panama City Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced it has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra high-spec 400 class multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the contracts in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues". Gulf Island then sued Hornbeck, claiming the two shipyard construction contracts were wrongfully terminated.

Esgian's last roundup of the year for the Week 52 puts spotlight on new developments for Dolphin Drilling semisub, Seadrill drillships, as well as Shell’s plans for Australia and ONGC’s new tender for jackups in India.ContractsDolphin Drilling has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed operator for the 1,500-ft semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin to undertake a 500-day drilling campaign in the UK. The drilling campaign is planned to begin directly after the firm part of the contract period with EnQuest, which was announced in late November 2023.

A Biden administration auction of Gulf of Mexico drilling rights raised $382 million on Wednesday as oil companies claimed offshore acreage for what is set to be the last time until 2025.The auction total was the highest of any federal offshore oil and gas lease sale since 2015, according to a Reuters tally.Shell, Hess, Anadarko, BP, Chevron, Repsol and Equinor were among the 26 companies that participated in the sale.Anadarko had the auction's highest bid of more than $25 million for a block in the deepwater Mississippi Canyon area, according to an online broadcast of the sale by the U.S.

Despite short-term obstacles driven by high inflation and interest rates coupled with supply chain issues, we maintain that the foundations supporting long-term offshore wind activity remain solid. As we prepare for the new year, let us look at 10 factors that will shape the offshore wind sector in 2024.1. A Continuously Dynamic Energy TrilemmaThe dynamic relationship of the three key drivers of affordable energy, energy security and energy transition was clearly evident in 2023 as energy affordability and security were generally more prominent themes than the transition.

MODEC and Toray Industries have jointly developed a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) patch technique for repairs on Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO), and Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) systems.FPSO and FSO repair services provided by MODEC, a general contractor specializing in engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance services of offshore oil and gas vessels, will utilize this CFRP patch technique for pitting corrosion repair from 2024.The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)…

Like so many other industries in transportation, the marine industry is being challenged on multiple fronts—from a shortage of manpower and emerging digital technologies to sustainability requirements. In the face of these growing pressures, ship designers increasingly rely on digital transformation to stay competitive and deliver higher-quality products. Digital transformation offers many solutions across a ship’s lifecycle, from design and crew training to interconnectivity and automation…

Yinson is aiming to leverage advanced carbon capture technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its FPSO operations.The company announced its Yinson Production Offshore Pte Ltd arm has made a strategic investment in Ionada, developer of innovative carbon capture technology.According to Yinson, Ionada's technology has potential to support the offshore oil and gas industry's transition to low-carbon operations. Furthermore, the technology presents new business opportunities…

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday temporarily paused a federal judge's order last month that had required the Biden administration to expand a planned offshore oil and gas auction in the Gulf of Mexico by 6 million acres (2.4 million hectares).The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed the September decision pending an appeal, according to a court document. Oral arguments are scheduled for Nov. 13 in New Orleans.The order was the latest in a legal fight over offshore drilling and federal protection of an endangered species of whale.

Increased activity in the Brazilian offshore oil and gas sector could help strengthen the market recovery for offshore supply vessels (OSV) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.In early October, Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras issued requests for quotations (RFQ) for up to 20 OSVs ranging from 3,000 to over 4,500 deadweight tons to support upcoming drilling and production activities. The value of all of these potential long-term charters could approach $1 billion.While Petrobras typically prefers to use Brazilian-flagged vessels…

A Norwegian Navy ship shadowed a Chinese container ship investigated over damage to a gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland for about 15 hours as it sailed along the western coast of Norway on Monday, vessel tracking data showed.Finnish investigators on Tuesday said they were looking into the Chinese vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, and a Russian-flagged ship, the Sevmorput, as well as other vessels, present in the area when a Baltic Sea pipeline was damaged on Oct. 8.They said the incident was due to "outside activity" and could have been deliberate.The NewNew Polar Bear is a container ship travelling between Europe and China via the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic.

A converted offshore support vessel has taken on a new life as a dedicated underwater surveillance ship for the U.K.'s Royal Navy.Christened during a ceremony in London on October 10, RFA Proteus will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a launchpad for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and a home to a suite of specialist capabilities similar to those found in the offshore oil and gas industry.The ship, built in 2017 as a subsea construction vessel named Topaz Tangaroa, was acquired by the U.K.

French shipyard PIRIOU has delivered a second offshore patrol vessel to the Senegalese Navy.The vessel is part of the OPV 58 S class vessel program. The contract, signed in November 2019, covered the acquisition of three offshore patrol vessels. After the Walo, delivered last June, and while the Cayor is being fitted out in Concarneau, the Niani is now flying the Senegalese flag ahead of schedule.Minister of the Armed Forces Omar Youm stated that “the acquisition of three offshore patrol vessels is an excellent demonstration of the significant investments made by the State of Senegal…