Abu Dhabi News

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's navy said on Tuesday Israel's presence in the United Arab Emirates was viewed as a threat by Tehran and it could close the Strait of Hormuz if deemed necessary.Iran has threatened to retaliate for suspected Israeli airstrikes on its consulate in Syria's capital on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards officers including two senior commanders - stoking tensions between the arch enemies already heightened by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza."We do not get hit without striking back…

Esgian reports various drilling contractors disclosing details of discussions with Saudi Aramco regarding jackup contract suspensions in its Week 14 Rig Analytics Market Roundup. These contractors include Shelf Drilling, ADES, Borr Drilling, Arabian Drilling, COSL, and ARO Drilling.Meanwhile, Transocean, Noble, and COSL rigs have firmed up new work in the US Gulf of Mexico, Suriname, and the North Sea, respectively.Report overview:ContractsShelf Drilling has received a notice of suspension of operations on four jackup rigs from a customer in the Middle East.

Energy storage group VTTI will get a 70% stake in Italy's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, with grid operator Snam owning the rest, the Milan-listed group said on Wednesday, announcing a deal to be finalised by year-end.Snam, which is controlled by the Italian government, said in a statement it had exercised its pre-emption right to increase its stake in the infrastructure dubbed Adriatic LNG to 30% from 7.3%.The move comes after ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy last week agreed to sell their stakes in the terminal to a consortium led by Dutch group VTTI.

Newcastle United football club co-owner Amanda Staveley on Monday lost a London High Court battle with a Greek shipping tycoon over a historic debt of nearly 3.5 million pounds ($4.4 million).Staveley, who owns 10% of the Premier League side with her husband, denied she was liable to Victor Restis for a sum that had snowballed with interest to over 36 million pounds.The total bill had included around 31 million pounds in interest, accruing at 505,000 pounds per day. Restis' lawyers…

Candela, manufacturer of zero-emission, electric hydrofoil boats, and Al Seer Marine, a global maritime organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi, announced a partnership to revolutionize waterborne public transportation within the emirate.The partners will work together to introduce Candela's electric hydrofoil boats for public transport use. They will also establish a sales and service network within Abu Dhabi and explore further collaboration opportunities to develop and implement innovative and sustainable public waterborne transport solutions for Abu Dhabi's needs."At Al Seer Marine…

Singapore's Temasek Holdings has shortlisted energy giants Shell and Saudi Aramco among a handful of companies to purchase most of the assets of liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading firm Pavilion Energy, sources with knowledge of the matter said.The sale process comes a decade after the state investment firm set up Pavilion Energy to focus on LNG-related investments, and takes place as spot Asian LNG prices LNG-AS have fallen more than 40% since mid-August, potentially weighing on the deal's valuation.Temasek is evaluating bids for the sale of Pavilion Energy's assets…

Hong Kong based ocean carrier Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) announced it has taken delivery of its eighth 24,188 TEU containership, OOCL Abu Dhabi.The vessel is the fourth in a series of six 24,188 TEU newbuilds to be delivered to OOCL by the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (DACKS) shipyard in China. The ultra large containership is 400 meters long and 61.3 meters wide.OOCL Abu Dhabi was officially named during a ceremony at the shipyard on February 25.

DP World has signed a partnership agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to explore and implement renewable energy systems across its global port operations in the Middle East and Africa.The agreement aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS) within DP World’s global supply chain.Over the course of the three-year partnership, DP World and Masdar will work together to identify optimal sites for the potential deployment of solar and energy storage systems…

EDGE Group, a United Arab Emirates-based advanced technology and defense group, and Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, have entered into a term sheet aimed at creating a joint venture (JV) that will focus on the manufacturing of a broad range of sophisticated naval vessels.EDGE will hold a 51% stake in the venture, which has a commercial pipeline valued at approximately $32.4 billion (€30 billion), with management direction provided by Fincantieri.The Abu Dhabi-based JV will be awarded prime rights to non-NATO orders…

The United Arab Emirates' Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has taken delivery of ADNOC MD 01, the first in a series of two new dive support vessels.The aluminum catamaran was designed by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Grandweld Shipyards in Dubai for local diving operations in the UAE.ADNOC MD 01 and its to-be-delivered sister vessel were designed and constructed to the following notation: BUREAU VERITAS 1 ✠ HULL • MACH, SPECIAL SERVICE, FAST DIVING SUPPORT…

A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, potentially halting construction of the facility.In its decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) failed to impose the same emissions limits on the Port Arthur plant as on other projects, including the Rio Grande LNG project which is now under construction.The approximately 13.5 million-metric…

The Abu Dhabi Ports Group has commissioned Penguin Shipyard International and Incat Crowther to design and deliver two new 56-metre ro-pax catamaran passenger and vehicle ferries.The new vessels will be built by Penguin International in Indonesia and can transport up to 194 passengers and 25 vehicles.Replacing two older vessels in the Abu Dhabi Ports Group fleet, the new vessels will service Delma Island from Jebel Dhanna on the UAE mainland – a 42-kilometer route. Powered by four MTU engines and Kamewa 71 S-4 waterjets…

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a new Shoalbuster 3209 to SAFEEN Group, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group. The vessel was named Al Mirfa, after a coastal community located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, in a ceremony that took place at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem in the Netherlands.The vessel, which will primary be used for buoy maintenance, features a shallow draft, extensive unobstructed deck, a heavy-duty deck crane, waterfall winch and towing pins, stern roller and a FiFi1 fire-fighting system. Additional buoy clamps and chain stoppers have been added.

OOCL’s 24,188 TEU ultra-large container ship OOCL Felixstowe has been officially named at COSCO Dalian Kawasaki shipyard.The Oriental Felixstowe is the fourth of 12 ultra-large container ships which are among the world’s largest. They are being built by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry for OOCL, and the third, OOCL Piraeus, entered operation on May 30.Yang Zhijian, Chief Executive Officer of OOCL, said: “We ordered this series of ultra large container vessels not only to provide better services to our customers…

Al Seer Marine has taken delivery of its first very large gas carrier (VLGC) from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries.The 84,300-cubic-meter-capacity Lucky Gas is employed on a 10-year charter with UAE-based BGN International DMCC.The VLGC forms part of an AED 495 million transaction signed in 2021 by ABGC DMCC, the joint venture between Al Seer Marine and BGN International.Al Seer Marine, a unit of Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company, is in the midst of a fleet expansion program…

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply its Kamewa waterjets for two fast ferries to be built by Singapore's Penguin Shipyard for a Middle East client. Each of the new 56-meter Ropax ferries will be equipped with four Kongsberg Kamewa 71 S-4 waterjets and control systems.Designed by Incat Crowther UK, the ferries will have a capacity of 250 passengers and 25 cars. The 71 S-4s are from the Kongsberg Kamewa Steel series of waterjets, with a maximum power of…

Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) announced it has taken delivery of another 24,188 TEU mega ship.The OOCL Turkiye, recently named during a ceremony at Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (NACKS) shipyard, is the third 24,188TEU vessel to be received by OOCL in a series of12.Being a part of OOCL’s strategic plan for further growth in Asia -Europe trade, OOCL Turkiye will join her sister vessels OOCL Spain and OOCL Piraeus in serving OOCL’s Asia-Europe LL3 service loop.

DNV and Zakher Marine International (ZMI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Nor-Shipping to collaborate on solutions to reduce offshore greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.Abu Dhabi based ZMI, which owns and operates jack up accommodation barges and offshore vessels, has set sustainability goals, in alignment with the vision of the United Arab Emirates, to reduce emissions substantially by 2030. To support this ambition, DNV will be working with ZMI on a joint feasibility study that will assess the safety…

ADNOC L&S, the shipping and maritime logistics arm of the Abu Dhabi-based oil firm ADNOC, has signed an agreement with SeaOwl for the design of unmanned remotely operated vessels capable of transporting vehicles, equipment, and supplies to and from offshore sites.ADNOC L&S said these vessels would reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% as the vessel will be lighter and smaller, as facilities for a crew are not required. "In addition, the smart automation systems will optimize routing and propulsion…

Hong Kong-based shipping line OOCL announced it has taken delivery of another ultra-large containership The 24,188 TEU vessel OOCL Piraeus is the first in the series of six container vessels to be delivered by Dalian Cosco KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (DACKS).OOCL placed an order for a total of twelve 24,188 TEU container vessels in 2020. Of this set of 12, OOCL Piraeus is the second vessel to be delivered following the delivery of the OOCL Spain earlier in the year."Vessels in this series are equipped with advanced smart systems and green designs to reduce carbon emissions…

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…

Shell has cut crude oil imports at its Singapore refinery this month and is relying on smaller tankers after extending repairs at its single buoy mooring (SBM) facility to June, according to government notices and shipping data.The company is moving crude from Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) onto smaller Aframax tankers through ship-to-ship transfers before discharging them at another jetty on Pulau Bukom, the island south of Singapore where the refinery is located, shipping…

University of South Florida (USF) Associate Professor Joseph Dituri has broken the world record for living underwater, previously set at 73 days.Dituri is studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to pressure from an underwater habitat located at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo where he’s been living since March 1.His 100-square-foot underwater home has subjected him to an isolated and extreme-confined environment. With this new record, Dituri's officially reached uncharted territory for science, and he hopes his research may have far-reaching impacts, even in space.