Helix, Hornbeck Merger to Form ‘Premier’ Offshore Services Company
Helix Energy Solutions and Hornbeck Offshore Services have agreed to combine in an all-stock transaction to create an integrated offshore services company.Under the agreement, Hornbeck shareholders will own about 55% of the combined company, while Helix shareholders will hold around 45%.The combined company will operate under the Hornbeck Offshore Services name and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ‘HOS’.The companies said the combination will bring together fleets of specialty vessels and capabilities including subsea robotics and well intervention services…
Offshore Service Vessels: A Measured Market Recovery
The outlook for the offshore support vessel (OSV) business has brightened considerably since the dark days of the previous decade and is possibly in a “Goldilocks moment” — not too weak and not too strong. While strengthening, it has not yet reached the point of significant new vessel ordering. Paradoxically, across maritime markets, observers are often concerned when exuberance gets out of hand. For now, newbuild activity remains limited.On the Q3 2025 earnings call for listed company Tidewater (NYSE: TDW)…
HOS, Saronic Link Up to Trial Autonomous Vessels Offshore
When we interviewed Saronic Co-Founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas late last year, he insisted that Saronic's mission was to deliver commercially viable autonomous vessels first, and in turn parlay that into a ready package for defense. That vision comes to fruition as Saronic announced a partnership with Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (HOS), to accelerate innovation and deployment of autonomous platforms, advanced software, and maritime solutions to the markets HOS serves. Specifically…
ESG Completes Service Operation Vessel Conversion for HOS
Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) completed and redelivered HOS Rocinante, a first-of-its-kind U.S.-flagged Service Operation Vessel (SOV) converted for Hornbeck Offshore Services.The vessel marks a milestone in the evolution of the U.S. offshore service fleet to be future-ready for both the offshore wind and petro-energy sector demands for broadly capable marine support vessels.Originally built by ESG as an offshore supply vessel, HOS Rocinante unerwent extensive conversion at ESG’s Allanton and Port St Joe Shipyards in Panama City…
Offshore Service Vessels: Regional Bright Spots Emerge
As oil exploration and production goes, so goes the market for Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) and Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). Throughout 2025, the prices of oil- which drives exploration and production (E & P), have softened, moving down towards $60/barrel amidst economic uncertainty and a wider than anticipated opening of the taps by major oil producers. In the past year, the Baker Hughes overall count of U.S. rigs working has declined. September 2025’s U.S. Rig count of…
Unwinding the Morass that is U.S. Offshore Wind
In the last decade, changing U.S. Administrations have become increasingly tumultuous, as the swings in priorities and directives have a real, material impact on business. Read on for insights on the current and future of U.S. Offshore Wind.In the weeks preceding his late January inauguration, then President-elect Donald Trump referred to wind turbines (both onshore and offshore) as “garbage in a field” and described electric power produced through offshore wind as “…the most expensive energy ever…”In the same briefing…
OSVs Gain New Life
Faced with an aging fleet, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has turned to converted offshore support vessels (OSV) to breathe new life into its ferry operations.The operator announced its purchase of the OSVs HOS Shooting Star and HOS Lode Star from Hornbeck Offshore Services in 2022, to replace its open-deck freight vessels Gay Head and Katama, and several months later, the operator exercised an option to acquire a third OSV, HOS North Star…
Hornbeck Enters US Navy Mentor Protégé Agreement with NGL
Covington, La. based offshore service provider Hornbeck Offshore Services announced that the U.S. Department of the Navy Office of Small Business Programs recently approved a Mentor Protégé Agreement between the company and Next Generation Logistics (NGL).The Mentor Protégé Program helps small businesses like NGL expand their footprint in the defense industrial base through the development of technical capabilities and mentoring.New Orleans-headquartered NGL is the only firm certified under the U.S.
Hornbeck Offshore Installs New DP Simulator
Hornbeck Offshore said it has installed a dynamic positioning (DP) simulator that provides an interactive and immersive training experience for current and future mariners who serve in DP officer (DPO) roles.The Wärtsilä NaviTrainer Professional 6 Offshore Simulator (NT Pro 6) is designed to make training more efficient, cost effective and risk free via a ship-like environment that can subject mariners to realistic failure situations in a controlled atmosphere.The new NT Pro 6 at Hornbeck Offshore's headquarters office in Covington, La.
Unfinished Hornbeck MPSV Arrives at Eastern for Build Completion
The first of two incomplete ultra high-spec multipurpose support vessels (MPSV) has arrived at Eastern Shipbuilding Group's Port St. Joe Shipyard, where the builder will finish constructing the vessel for Hornbeck Offshore Services.Earlier this year, Eastern secured a contract to complete construction of the two 400 class MPSVs after Hornbeck terminated the original build contracts with Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues".
Marine News' 2024 US Shipbuilding Report
If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…
OMSA Announces New Board Members
Industry trade group the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) announced the addition of four CEOs to its board of directors.The new board members include Wes Bordelon, Chief Executive Officer, Bordelon Marine; Stacy Jo Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Offshore Oil Services, Inc.; David Dantin, Chief Executive Officer, Odyssea Marine; and Lasse Petterson, Chief Executive Officer, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock."With the addition of these four executive leaders, OMSA pays homage to its roots while welcoming expanded opportunities in emerging energy frontiers…
Eastern Awarded Contract to Complete MPSV Builds for Hornbeck
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.
Hornbeck Offshore Discloses Revenue Growth in Its IPO Paperwork
Marine transportation services provider Hornbeck Offshore on Thursday made public its paperwork for a stock market listing in New York, which showed its revenue rose in the three months ended September.The listing will test the appetite for another stock flotation at a time when green shoots in the U.S. IPO market have been overshadowed by the poor post-debut performances of some high-profile firms that listed recently.Hornbeck intends to list its shares on the New York Stock…
The $1 Billion Offshore Wind Prize for US Shipyards
The U.S. offshore wind market presents a $1 billion long-term opportunity to builders of crew transfer vessels (CTV) and service operation vessels (SOV) that will support both wind farm construction and long-term operations and maintenance. Unlike many of the construction vessels to be deployed on U.S. wind projects, CTVs and SOVs must be Jones Act compliant, meaning they will be built, owned and operated by U.S. companies and personnel.However, although seen as somewhat commoditized vessels…
Hornbeck Offshore Services to Complete Ultra-High-Spec MPSVs After Legal Settlement
U.S.-based offshore vessel operator Hornbeck Offshore Services confirmed Monday it had reached a final settlement agreement with the surety (the “Surety”) for two Multi-Purpose Support Vessels (MPSVs) that had been under construction at Gulf Island Shipyards.Gulf Island Shipyards (GIS) sued Hornbeck Offshore in 2018 over what it said was the wrongful termination of two shipyard construction contracts for the final two vessels in the company's fifth offshore support vessel (OSV)…
Gulf Island Settles Lawsuit with Hornbeck Offshore Over MPSV Dispute
Gulf Island Fabrication said Thursday that its subsidiary, Gulf Island Shipyards, had resolved its lawsuit with the U.S. offshore vessel operator Hornbeck Offshore Services relating to the construction of two multi-purpose supply vessels (“MPSV”).Gulf Island Shipyards (GIS) sued Hornbeck Offshore in 2018over what it said was the wrongful termination of two shipyard construction contracts for the final two vessels in the company's fifth offshore support vessel (OSV) newbuild program.Hornbeck…
Offshore Wind: Support Vessel Bottlenecks Loom in the US
An offshore wind industry is growing in the U.S. with an aim to meet the Biden Administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, and eventually 110 GW by 2050.But as is the case for any new industry that is building up, there are going to be bumps along the way. The U.S. offshore wind industry is currently grappling with rising costs amid unprecedented supply chain issues and inflation, among other issues.One of the main challenges unique to offshore wind is a shortage of vessels.
Offshore Wind: US Shipbuilders Answering the Call
It’s a big deal when a U.S. president visits an American shipyard, and these trips always send a message. When President Obama spoke at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in 2013, he warned of the consequences of sequestration. President Trump’s 2020 speech at Fincantieri Marinette Marine touted a $5.5 billion naval contract that gave a welcome boost to the Wisconsin shipyard and its supply chain partners. Most recently, President Biden traveled to Philadelphia’s Philly Shipyard…
Shipyard Capacity: A Brake on Decarbonization?
The IMO’s latest crunch meeting in early July may not have aligned global shipping with mid-century targets established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, its 2023 Strategy indicates a clear direction of travel. Energy supplies by sea are essential for many countries and therefore ships have a key role in supporting the world’s energy transition – not only on their own account, but at a global level.As world shipping accounts for about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, its environmental importance attracts wide attention. And plenty of criticism.
Norwegian Firm to Supply Helideck for Hornbeck's Offshore Wind Vessel
Marine Aluminium AS has won a contract to supply the U.S. offshore vessel firm Hornbeck Offshore Services a helideck for its new conversion project. The 21-meter helideck has a landing capacity of up to Sikorsky S-92-sized helicopters.As previously reported by Offshore Engineer, Hornbeck Offshore will convert one of its recently acquired 280-foot offshore supply vessels (OSV) to a service operation vessel (SOV) to meet the growing demand of the U.S. offshore wind market, as well as to serve the demands of the offshore flotel market.
BHGI Hires Naval Architects Althouse and Kennedy
Bristol, R.I. based naval architecture, marine engineering and consulting firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) announced the continued expansion of its naval architecture and marine engineering firm with two new hires: Taylor Althouse and Kasey Kennedy.Althouse joined BHGI as a Naval Architect. Althouse graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. During his time at the University of Michigan, Althouse interned at Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC.
Hornbeck Offshore Eyes U.S. Offshore Wind Work with OSV-to-SOV Conversion Project
U.S. offshore vessel owner Hornbeck Offshore Services, best known for its offshore oil and gas support vessel services, is looking at business opportunities in the growing U.S. offshore wind sector as well as in offshore accommodation services in the oil and gas area.For that, Covington, La. based Hornbeck Offshore said Wednesday it had contracted Eastern Shipbuilding Group to convert one of its recently acquired 280-foot offshore supply vessels (OSV) to a service operation vessel (SOV) to meet the growing demand of the U.S.