Activity News

The Trump administration will offer more than 81 million acres (32.8 million hectares) in the Gulf of America to oil and gas drillers as part of an effort to boost domestic energy production with regular offshore lease sales.The sale is the second since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted global crude flows and sent oil prices to four-year highs. It is the third of 30 mandated by U.S. President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending law passed in 2025.The Interior Department will offer 15,100 unleased blocks located between 3 and 231 miles (4.8 to 372 km) offshore on the U.S.

Cadeler completed the final turbine installation at the 960 MW He Dreiht Offshore Wind Farm in the German North Sea. The final turbines were installed by Wind Keeper, under its long-term contract with Vestas.Cadeler’s scope of the installation campaign was executed using two of Cadeler's offshore wind installation vessels. Wind Orca commenced the project in April 2025 before Wind Keeper took over the remaining installation scope in the first quarter of 2026 under Cadeler's long-term contract with Vestas announced last year.

Romanian army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the country's Black Sea exclusive economic zone near the offshore gas project Neptun Deep, Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Tuesday.The NATO state shares a 614-km (382-mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly breach its airspace over the last four years, as well as mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes.In July, Romanian F-16 fighter jet pilots shot down…

Lloyd's Register (LR) has appointed Wouter Pattynama as Executive Client Solutions Manager, Offshore, strengthening its offshore energy expertise and expanding support for clients across Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region.Based in Perth Western Australia, Wouter brings nearly 30 years of experience spanning maritime, offshore energy, and oil and gas. Wouter joins LR from Australia's offshore regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA)…

SLB and Equinor have signed a multi-year agreement for advanced reservoir stimulation services across the Norwegian Continental Shelf, including a major upgrade of the well stimulation vessel MV Island Captain.The agreement provides dedicated stimulation capacity to support the development of tight offshore reservoirs and help maximize recovery from future wells.As part of the contract, MV Island Captain will be converted into a fully proppant-capable stimulation vessel.Planned upgrades include expanded proppant storage…

Oil extended gains on Friday amid further concerns around the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran, working with Oman, suggested banning vessels deemed hostile from the strait and heavily fining those which violated the proposed rules.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 85 cents, or 1.03%, at $83.34 a barrel by 0634 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 rose 52 cents, or 0.67%, to $77.81.Oil futures settled up more than $3 a barrel on Thursday as Iran reviewed a bill to ban U.S.

German energy company RWE said on Thursday that it had reached a $1.22 billion agreement with the Trump administration to cancel three offshore wind leases in U.S. waters and to direct the funds to LNG and natural gas power plant projects.The arrangement is the fifth, and largest, the administration has entered into this year as part of its wide-ranging effort to stop development of U.S. offshore wind projects, which U.S. President Donald Trump regards as costly and ugly. His…

NOAA-supported scientists announced that this year’s Gulf of America hypoxic zone is approximately 1,332 square miles, making it the 2nd smallest zone on record in 40 years of measurement. Hypoxic areas, also called “dead zones,” are areas with little to no oxygen in the water, which can negatively impact fish, shellfish, corals and aquatic plants by making critical habitat unavailable to bottom species. The annual hypoxic zone survey was led by scientists at Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON).

China-based offshore wind foundations manufacturer Dajin Heavy Industry has delivered KING TWO, the second 40,000 DWT heavy deck carrier in its self-developed and self-built KING series.The delivery represents a step in expanding the company's offshore vessel-building capabilities, marking the transition of the vessel class into standardized batch construction following the commercial deployment of KING ONE.KING TWO has an overall length of 239.8 meters, a beam of 51 meters, a 12…

ADNOC, in collaboration with SLB, has deployed its AI-enabled Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC) platform across its fleet of over 120 rigs, providing teams with a faster and more connected way to monitor, analyze and manage drilling operations across its onshore and offshore assets. The RTOC replaces multiple tools and reduces engineering effort by 30-40%, enabling engineers to support two to three times more rigs while maintaining effective oversight. Through automated dashboards and AI-powered performance insights…

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict remained uncertain, while disruptions to oil flows through key shipping routes persisted.Front-month Brent futures LCOc1 rose $1.04, or 1.24%, to $84.81 a barrel by 0800 GMT after dropping 7% in the previous session to a three-week low.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was up 30 cents, or 0.37%, at $80.64 a barrel after falling more than 5% in the previous session to its lowest in nearly a week.Prices had dropped after U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused ExxonMobil and Chevron on Monday of making "too much money" off higher fuel prices and said the oil giants should "give some of that back to the public," a notable break from his usual alliance with the industry."I don't like it," Trump told reporters on Monday, three days after the companies reported blowout second-quarter earnings as the ongoing war in Iran keeps oil prices high. “Chevron, too much money. ExxonMobil, too much. Too much money.”Exxon…

Saipem and Subsea7 have cleared a key U.S. regulatory hurdle for their planned merger after the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 expired, allowing the transaction to close in the United States once all remaining conditions are met.The companies said all applicable waiting periods under the U.S. antitrust law have expired, while noting that the proposed merger remains subject to certain regulatory approvals outside the United States.The merger was agreed under a binding agreement signed in July 2025…

Dutch lifting equipment specialist Huisman has secured a contract from CIMC Raffles Offshore to supply lifting and handling systems for a next-generation deepwater offshore installation vessel being built for a joint venture between Solstad Offshore and SBM Offshore.The contract covers an integrated equipment package comprising a 350-tonne A-frame, a 500-tonne knuckle boom crane, a 20-tonne auxiliary crane, and a 2,500-tonne basket for the storage of flexibles, fiber ropes and…

France has selected five ports to receive nearly $300 million (€260 million) in funding under the France 2030 investment program to support infrastructure upgrades for the country's floating offshore wind industry.The projects, located at the ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos, were chosen under a 2024 call for projects aimed at adapting French port infrastructure for the manufacture, assembly and integration of floating offshore…

DOF Group has secured long-term contract extensions with Petrobras for the Skandi Buzios and Skandi Recife pipelay support vessels (PLSVs), extending both contracts into January 2028.Following negotiations with Petrobras, Skandi Buzios was awarded a 516-day extension, while Skandi Recife secured a 550-day extension, DOF said.The contracts had previously been due to expire in the third quarter of 2026.Both vessels are owned by a joint venture between DOF and TechnipFMC, with each company holding a 50% interest.

DOF Group ASA has been awarded firm contracts with a duration of more than 1 year and expected commencement in Q1 of 2027 for two of its AHTS vessels. The expected value of each contract is Significant, which DOF defines as contracts with value between USD$15 and 25 million.

A drone caused the fire that engulfed two gas vessels at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta, the Egyptian cabinet said on Thursday, confirming for the first time that the blaze which erupted a day earlier was the result of an attack rather than an accident.No party has claimed responsibility, and authorities were continuing their investigations and taking necessary measures to protect Egypt's national security, the cabinet added.British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday that a drone had hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at the port…

Oil prices rose for a second day on Thursday as renewed attacks between the United States and Iran disrupted oil flows through key shipping routes.Brent futures LCOc1 rose $1.06, or 1.17%, to $91.80 a barrel as of 0812 GMT after touching a low of $89.02 in the session.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 gained 39 cents, or 0.46%, to $84.85 a barrel after hitting a session low of $83.21.Geopolitical tensions continued to simmer after the U.S. military said it had hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran…

A QatarEnergy-controlled liquefied natural gas tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, the first such vessel recorded by ship-tracking data leaving the waterway since July 11, data from analytics firms showed on Thursday.The Al Areesh, which loaded a cargo at Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal around July 4 to July 6, sailed on July 29 from the strait blockaded in the Iran war, data from Kpler and LSEG showed.LSEG data shows it is currently heading to Port Qasim in Pakistan, estimated to arrive on July 31.

Northern Lights joint venture has taken delivery of its fourth dedicated liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier, completing the vessel fleet required for the first phase of its carbon capture and storage (CCS) transport and storage operations.The Northern Purpose has arrived in Norway following delivery from Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Company (DSOC), joining sister vessels Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder and Northern Phoenix to provide CO2 transport capacity for customers across Europe.Northern Lights said the vessel fleet forms the core of its transport solution…

Tehran has ruled out Oman's proposal for regional joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, scuppering hopes for a resolution to the impasse that has choked off Gulf trade for months.Oman proposed a new regional deal aimed at resolving the conflict over the critical strait, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.However, Tehran ruled out Oman's proposal for regional joint management of the strait, saying it had no chance of success.The U.S.

Seatrium has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 30 MW Floating Data Centre (FDC) concept, marking a milestone in the development of offshore digital infrastructure designed to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.The concept features a jetty-moored, non-propelled barge incorporating six independent 5 MW Data-In-A-Box modules, each integrating IT equipment, cooling systems, power distribution and supporting infrastructure in a modular design.The company said the concept combines modular construction…