Global Offshore News

At a high-level, there are three solutions to transferring technicians from shore bases to offshore wind farms for construction and O&M activities: crew transfer vessel (CTV), helicopter, and SOVs/CSOVs.SOVs and CSOVs generally house 60-120 technicians offshore for a few weeks at a time, allowing them to transfer to structures on integrated heave compensated gangways, by daughter craft or on CTVs. The vessels are also equipped with cranes, storage, and small workshop areas.SOV: Service operations vessels…

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.

MHWirth, a subsidiary of Norwegian oil services investment firm Akastor, has received an arbitration award issued by a tribunal in a dispute with Seatrium’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard over the termination of four drilling rig unit contracts.As part of the ruling, MHW has been awarded an amount of $101 million as payment of termination fees.In addition, MHW has been made eligible for the reimbursement of legal costs and certain suspension costs (totaling about $7 million), as well as interest.Although the drilling rig unit contracts are held by MHW…

UK-based offshore vessel designer Chartwell Marine has started the construction of its new Brevity Class crew transfer vessel (CTV) at the Diverse Marine shipyard, becoming the latest in its growing pipeline of new vessel builds to supply the global offshore wind market.Chartwell Marine’s current new build pipeline now exceeds 15 vessels across six local shipyards – with 14 offshore wind vessels launched and operational at major offshore wind farms, including two in U.S. waters.The company’s latest CTV entered build in March 2024…

Ocean Infinity signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with Shell to provide its robotic fleet for servicing the offshore energy sector.The GFA marks a significant milestone in the provision of lean-crewed and robotic seabed geomatics, spanning geophysical and geotechnical services, within the offshore energy sector.It covers a 5-year period, encompassing all countries where Shell is currently active or plans to operate in the future.Services governed by the GFA include the Armada fleet of uncrewed and lean-crewed vessels."This agreement enables new…

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit has notched up a new annual sales record for another consecutive year after seeing its order intake surge by 76% in 2023 on high demand from the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors, as well as increased sales in its core naval market.Vestdavit has expanded its market position in offshore wind after both gaining new customers and winning repeat orders with existing clients, including Esvagt and Rem Offshore, with orders in this sector accounting for more than $9.4 million (NOK 100 million)…

Classification society ABS said it has granted an approval in principle (AIP) to OceanSTAR Marine & Offshore Investment Pte. Ltd., for its newbuild floating storage and offloading (FSO) design.The OceanSTAR FSO-01 is a shipshape hull design specifically developed to cater to midsize FSOs with a storage capacity to scale up to 750,000 barrels of oil for operational demands in Asia Pacific and African coastal offshore fields. Other features include a larger strengthened deck area…

The American Bureau of Shipping dominates the global market in the classification of Floating Production. Offshore Engineer recently sat with Matt Tremblay, ABS’ Vice President of Global Offshore Markets, at American Bureau of Shipping HQ in Houston for his insights on market drivers and technical trends in this dynamic market.Matt, big picture, how do you see the Floating Production market developing in the coming years?At a macro level, I think we're going to be supply limited over the next five years.

Classification society ABS reports it has issued approval in principle (AIP) to Chinese shipbuilder Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. for its design of a dual-fuel methanol, heavy-duty, offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).The WTIV is capable of transporting and installing the largest wind turbines in the world, those capable of producing up to 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and promises to reduce carbon emissions with its dual-fuel methanol propulsion system. The design also features a 3…

Dutch company Huisman has secured a contract from Subsea 7 for the delivery of its 500MT offshore mast crane for one of pipelay vessels for deep water installations.The 500mt Offshore Mast Crane will be equipped with a passive and active heave compensation system on the main hoist to counter-act the vessel’s heave motion when landing a product onto the seabed.Huisman has upgraded its heave compensation system with a variety of new control modes to extend the operational window…

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced its MARAD Title XI Financing application for its offshore wind rock installation vessel, the Acadia, has been updated to the "completed" category, indicating the loan process is moving towards the final phase.Lasse Petterson, Great Lakes president and CEO, said, “We have fostered a strong relationship with MARAD and are pleased to have reached this significant milestone in the application process. We continue to make great strides in our strategy to be a leading contributor in the evolving U.S.

Dutch offshore survey firm Fugro has reached an agreement to acquire two platform supply vessels (PSVs), Sea Goldcrest and Sea Gull, which will be converted to geotechnical vessels to address the needs of growing offshore wind sector.The addition of the Sea Goldcrest and Sea Gull, built in 2019 and 2020 respectively, to its owned fleet will further strengthen Fugro’s ability to address the market demands and shortage in geotechnical capable vessels, the company said.With the purchase of these strategic assets Fugro will operate a balanced fleet of owned and chartered vessels…

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.

U.K. headquartered naval architecture and marine engineering firm BMT is teaming up with Singapore-based shipbuilder Strategic Marine to drive the offshore wind crew vessel industry toward a more sustainable future.Under a new Long-Term Agreement (LTA), the partners will introduce emissions-reducing design solutions, specifically focusing on advancing the StratCat range of crew transfer cessel (CTV) designs.Martin Bissuel, BMT’s head of sales commercial maritime, said, “Our partnership with Strategic Marine brings together extensive expertise into this market…

The American Bureau of Shipping has awarded an approval in principle (AIP) to Malaysian floating production firm Bumi Armada for a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG)  infrastructure design. The new concept incorporates a barge-based liquefaction unit and utilizes existing LNG carriers for storage. ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements."We are pleased to support Bumi Armada in their ongoing efforts to offer  safe and reliable LNG storage solutions.

Classification society ABS announced it has granted approval in principle (AIP) for a the Sterling Streamline, a next generation concept design for large floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) newbuild hulls from India's Shapoorji Pallonji Energy (SPE).The design features flexible mooring configurations, 60 risers and an umbilical slots riser balcony, with an oil processing capacity of up to 250,000 barrels per day and storage capacity of minimum 2.2 million barrels of crude oil.

Naval architecture and engineering firm Friede & Goldman (F&G) and OIM Wind Ltd on Monday announced the FO-146 Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV). "The FO-146 is based on F&G’s WindSetter Class WTIVs. It combines the industry’s latest technology and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the global offshore wind market," F&G said.According to F&G, the FO-146 WTIV is the result of a collaboration between Friede & Goldman and OIM Wind, with the vessel set to offer "unparalleled performance…

Shapoorji Pallonji Energy Pvt Ltd (SP Energy) said Monday it had obtained a Class Approval-in-Principle for the Concept and Design Basis of its FPSO Newbuild Hull from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). SP Energy has been working on the concept design of ‘STERLING STREAMLINE’, described as a new generation of its standardized newbuild hull concept design for large FPSOs, since July this year. According to SP Energy, the new FPSO hull will be designed for a circa 33-year lifespan with a topside capacity of up to 65,000 MT of wet weight.

Dutch offshore survey firm Fugro will convert the Fugro Resilience and the Topaz Endurance, two ULSTEIN PX121 platform supply vessels (PSVs), to geotechnical vessels, targeting their deployment in the global offshore renewable energy market.Fugro acquired the two platform supply vessels, the Topaz Endurance and the Topaz Energy (renamed Fugro Resilience), in February 2023.Ulstein Design & Solutions AS is responsible for the redesign of the two vessels, and on September 22, 2023, Fugro awarded Ulstein Verft a contract to convert the Fugro Resilience. Both vessels were built in 2015.

Digitalization in the maritime industry continues to grow. Technology is constantly evolving, providing organizations with new ways to transform and manage their operations with adoption of technology creating first-mover advantage and future relevancy, and positivity impacting margins. The offshore services industry has been a major driver in the trend towards utilization of remote inspection and monitoring technology for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) of critical assets and infrastructure.

Wave measurement specialist Miros said Tuesday it had secured numerous contracts with new clients in the offshore vessel market during the first half of this year for its sea state as a service offering.The new as a service (aaS) contracts span the global offshore vessel market, with particular emphasis on the key markets of UKCS, Norway, and Brazil, Miros said, without providing details on contract values or client identities.The projects will see the Miros WaveSystem deployed across vessels…

Shuttle tanker owner KNOT Offshore Partners will appoint Derek Lowe as new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer with effect from the week of September 11, 2023.The new appointment comes following the decision of Gary Chapman to step down as the Partnership’s CEO/CFO announced on April 10, 2023. Lowe will join the KNOT Offshore Partners from Telford Offshore, a provider of accommodation, construction, and pipelaying in the global offshore energy services industry. He has served as the Group Company Secretary of Telford Offshore since its formation in 2018, having provided consultancy services to its predecessor since 2015. He worked from 2011 to 2015 for the debt capital markets group of Pareto Securities, and from 1994 to 2010 for the equity capital markets group of UBS. Mr.

Offshore wind vessel firm Purus Wind has appointed Oliver MacManus as general manager, with immediate effect.MacManus will focus on overseeing the running of the construction/service operation vessels (“C/SOV”) business. "The appointment is integral to positioning Purus Wind for future growth as the business continues to expand its fleet of next-generation battery hybrid C/SOVs and crew transfer vessels (“CTVs”)," Purus Wind said.Tom Nevin, business head, Purus Wind said: “Oliver is a great asset to the team, strengthening its leadership as the business continues to grow.