Europe News

Danish offshore wind installation company Cadeler reports it has secured vessel reservation agreements with both MFW Bałtyk II Sp. z.o.o. and MFW Bałtyk III Sp. z.o.o., each a joint venture project owned 50% by Equinor and 50% by Polenergia.The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 projects are wind farms situated in the Baltic Sea, approximately 27 and 40 kilometers from the port of Łeba, respectively. The projects entail the installation of 100 offshore wind turbine generators in the Polish Baltic Sea.

Global heat transfer, separation and fluid handling company Alfa Laval has appointed Rachel Bridges as its Managing Director, who also became the first female to take the post.Having spent 20 years at global power technology company Cummins in both the marine and aftermarket businesses, Bridges brings a wealth of experience to Alfa Laval as it gets poised for further growth.Bridges will now oversee business in a multitude of sectors including marine, energy, food and beverage…

Brunvoll has signed a contract with Vard for the delivery of a comprehensive propulsion and maneuvering system for Cyan Renewables' new Service Operation Vessel (SOV).The vessel will have the first azimuth propulsion thrusters from Brunvoll with an 8-degree tilted propeller and nozzle, for enhanced performance during dynamic positioning operations.The delivery for the new SOV consists of two azimuth propulsion thrusters, two retractable azimuth thrusters, a tunnel thruster, and…

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has welcomed new, including University of Michigan, Maritime Research Alliance, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and World Maritime University, in a move to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between industry and academia.The introduction of Academic Partners marks a strategic expansion of the center's partnership platform and is a strengthening of the collaboration between scientists in the research…

Maris Fiducia Norway has entered into cooperation agreements with maritime technology company HAV Hydrogen and the hydrogen producer and distributor Norwegian Hydrogen with the objective of developing, building and operating hydrogen-powered dry-bulk vessels in Europe.The vessels are being designed by the Dutch ship designer Ankerbeer. Upon successful completion of the project, the vessels will go on hire through a zero-emission time charter agreement with Schulte & Bruns, establishing a commercial operation for vessels operating on hydrogen fuel…

Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has secured vessel reservation agreements with Equinor and Polenergia joint ventures MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III, marking the first contract between the companies.Both MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III are 50% owned by Equinor and 50% by Polenergia.The aggregate potential value of the contracts to be negotiated during the pendency of the vessel reservation agreements is anticipated to fall within the range of $118-140 million.Operations are scheduled to begin in 2027…

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has signed a contract with an undisclosed Taiwanese customer for the design and construction of two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs).The customer has appointed VARD to design and construct two CSOVs’ of VARD 4 39 design.This is a new design from VARD, said to be highly versatile all-round platform for sustainable windfarm support operations both as a service vessel for the wind farms and for the building and installation phase.The first vessel will be built…

VARD announced it has been awarded a contract to design and build a hybrid power Ocean Energy Construction Vessel (OECV) for the Norwegian shipping group Island Offshore. The deal includes options for two more vessels.The vessel, to be named Island Evolution, is of VARD 3 25 design developed in close collaboration between Island Offshore and VARD for work in offshore oil and gas as well as renewables."We are proud to present the next generation OECVs with versatile capabilities that will ensure long-term employment as the energies of the ocean evolve.

The second in a series of new construction service operation vessels (CSOV) being built for Olympic has entered the outfitting phase.The newbuild was towed from the Crist hull yard in Poland, arriving on Wednesday at Ulstein Verft in Norway where the outfitting phase will now begin. The vessel was towed into the dock hall where the paint work will be performed. Commissioning and testing will take place in the project's concluding months.In 2022, Olympic and Ulstein signed a contract on ship design and construction of two CSOVs of the ULSTEIN SX222 design from Ulstein Design & Solutions AS.

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has hired TMC Compressors (TMC) to supply a complete marine compressed air system to a newbuild cable laying vessel being built for Prysmian.Under the contract, whose value was not disclosed, TMC will deliver a marine compressed air system consisting of control and service air compressors to the vessel.The company will manufacture the equipment in the Nordic region and deliver it to one of Vard’s shipyards in Norway.“This modern cable laying vessel will have a number of innovative features to enable sustainable subsea operations.

Bluestone Group, a maritime technical services company, has secured a contract for plan approval and site supervision of two new cutting-edge cable-laying vessels operated by Prysmian.The two new cable-laying vessels, the first of which is under construction and the second under design, will reinforce Prysmian’s submarine project execution capabilities.The first vessel, which will be an evolution of Prysmian’s preceding vessel, Monna Lisa, is being built by the VARD Group, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group.With a length of approximately 190 meters and a breadth of about 34 meters…

Compagnie Maritime Monegasque (CMM) has secured $94 million in financing from Summit Ridge Capital Partners, which will help the company construct pioneering ethanol-powered fleet of Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs) in Brazil.The financing will enable CMM to recompose its shareholder structure and to expand its fleet, the company said. Panorama Capital Partners sourced and advised on the transaction, and participated as a co-investor.As part of this expansion, CMM will construct pioneering ethanol powered PSV fleet in Brazil.

Norway-based Höegh LNG has made an agreement with Australian Industrial Energy (AIE) and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for the deployment of the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Hoegh Galleon. The aim of the deployment is to support energy security in Egypt, Höegh LNG said.Hoegh Galleon will be located in Ain Sokhna in Red Sea for a likely period of 19-20 months, after which it is expected to be deployed to AIE’s LNG terminal currently under construction at Port Kembla, Australia.

Van Oord’s Svanen vessel has received a major upgrade which increased its total height to 125 meters, making it one of the largest heavy-lift vessels in the world suitable for handling the next generation of monopile foundations for offshore wind.Svanen grew 25 meters taller with the installation of an A-framed gantry extension, weighing 1,200 tonnes, on top of the vessel.The extension had been constructed by Holland Shipyard. One of the largest cranes in the world was used for the installation at Mammoet Schiedam.Besides the gantry extension…

In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.

German shipowner Windward Offshore has ordered 3D Electric Controlled Motion Compensated (ECMC) cranes from Seaonics for two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) being built by Norwegian shipbuilder VARD.The order marks Seaonics' first equipment delivery to Windward Offshore, a company founded by Blue Star Group, Diana Shipping and SeraVerse, in collaboration with and under the leadership of SeaRenergy Group.The first CSOV is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2025…

Bibby Marine has signed a shipbuilding contract with Gondan Shipbuilders to construct what is said to be the world’s first zero-emission, electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV).The eCSOV will be built in Gondan’s Asturias shipyard in Spain and is scheduled to be delivered in 2026.Designed in collaboration with UK-based ship designers Longitude, the eCSOV, will feature a powerful battery system, complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines for emissions-free operations.

Norwegian offshore vessel operator DOF Group has secured two contracts with Brazil’s state-run oil and gas company Petrobras, worth over $192 million.Petrobras has awarded new long-term charter and service contracts to Norskan Offshore. and DOF Subsea Servicos Brasil, after a competitive tender process.The vessel Skandi Amazonas, which was on the spot market, is chartered for three years firm with two years mutually agreed option via Petrobras tender issued late in 2023, to operate…

Dutch offshore contractor Allseas informs it has secured the contract to perform transport and installation (T&I) of two major substations (so called OSS) for the Gennaker offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea, developed by transmission operator 50Hertz.Located 15 kilometers off the German coast near the Darß peninsula, and with a production capacity of 900 MW, Gennaker will be the largest and most powerful offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea to date.Awarded by the Dutch-Belgian HSI consortium – HSM Offshore Energy…

UK-based Exail has secured a contract with French maritime services provider Bourbon to supply several units of its Octans Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) for integration into Bourbon Subsea Services’s fleet.These units will be installed on multiple Bourbon Evolution 800 Series multi-purpose support vessels (MPSVs) dedicated to subsea operations at depths down to 3,000 meters.IMO-HSC certified, the Octans AHRS will enhance Bourbon vessels’ efficiency in installation…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a long-term time charter party agreement for one floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with the Polish gas transmission system operator Gaz-System, which is the developer and operator behind the future LNG terminal.The FSRU will be constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard and is expected to be completed in 2027. Thereafter, the FSRU will be managed by the MOL group.The FSRU is being built for the project that involves the…

Danish shipowner CBED has signed a contract with Siemens Gamesa for the first offshore wind project for its new SOV Wind Creation as part of the CBED fleet.With the new walk-to-work project, the SOV joins commissioning an offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.The project starts at the end of the second quarter of 2024 and runs for the remainder of the year, thereby securing full activity for Wind Creation until the first quarter of 2025.CBED now has all three vessels in the fleet…

At least five people, including a child, died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda to try to deter the dangerous crossings.The deaths of one child, a woman and three men occurred on an overcrowded small boat carrying around 110 people attempting to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The French coastguard was still searching for survivors."After becoming initially stranded on the shore, the boat set out to sea again.