Hydrocarbons News

An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on a planned $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will be signed this year, the head of Morocco's hydrocarbons and mining agency (ONHYM) said.Agreed a decade ago, the project - known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline - would run 6,900 km on a hybrid offshore-onshore route with a maximum capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm), including 15 bcm to supply Morocco and support exports to Europe, ONHYM's Amina Benkhadra told Reuters by email.The pipeline, which has the backing of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has completed its

One of North America’s busiest ferry routes is joining the growing trend for U.S.-based operators to make the efficiencies of electrification central when they modernize their fleets, after an integrated hybrid-electric propulsion system from ABB was selected for the new ship ordered by Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA).Shipbuilder Senesco Marine contracted ABB to deliver full propulsion and automation systems for the 75-car passenger and vehicle ferry, which will replace the 45-year-old Cape Henlopen in connecting Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.

U.S. President Donald Trump went into the Iran war convinced that America’s vast oil wealth would insulate the country from the kind of energy shock now battering much of the world. Four weeks into the conflict, that shield is looking fragile.Trump’s wager has only partly paid off. U.S. oil prices have risen less sharply than those elsewhere since U.S.-Israeli air strikes against Iran on February 28 ignited a regional war that rapidly engulfed the Middle East’s energy infrastructure…

Sable Offshore on Monday said it had begun pumping oil on a long-disputed pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries after emergency orders from the Trump administration directing the restart.The restart marks a major win for the Houston-based oil company in its years-long battle with California regulators and environmental groups, which have sued to stop the Santa Ynez project. Santa Ynez had been shut since 2015 due to an oil spill from the pipelines that Sable has now restarted.The matter is among the slew of conflicts between U.S.

Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) Commission awarded a contract for the construction and outfitting of a new 75-car passenger/vehicle ferry to SENESCO Marine LLC of North Kingstown, RI. The project low bid was $78.6 million.The new ferry will eventually replace the MV Cape Henlopen, an over 40-year-old diesel engine ferry that currently serves passengers who travel between Lewes, Delaware, and Cape May, New Jersey. DRBA Executive Director Joel Coppadge realizes the historical…

Japanese shipping company NYK has invested in XFuel, a company developing technology to refine waste-derived liquid hydrocarbons into low-carbon fuel for marine applications.The investment is aimed at advancing collaboration with XFuel, including the recycling of fuel sludge generated from NYK’s operating vessels, to support the development of decarbonization technologies that utilize existing fuels.XFuel has developed proprietary Chemical Liquid Refining (CLR) technology capable of converting waste-derived hydrocarbon liquids into high-purity, low-carbon fuels suitable for marine use.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has contacted seven maritime shipping companies as part of an inquiry into cartel-linked fuel smuggling between the United States and Mexico, asking the firms to explain their vetting procedures for ensuring their tankers aren't used to transport illicit hydrocarbons, according to copies of the letters seen by Reuters.The letters from Wyden, who is the most senior Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, were dated Friday. They come as stolen crude and bootleg fuel have become the second-largest revenue source for Mexican cartels after drugs…

On the afternoon of March 8, a petroleum tanker named Torm Agnes entered the Port of Ensenada on Mexico’s Pacific coast carrying almost 120,000 barrels of diesel.Such a vessel was a rare sight in that port, which mainly hosts cruise liners, luxury yachts and container ships. Ensenada lacks the infrastructure needed to unload cargos of flammable hydrocarbons safely – making what happened later that day odder still.Waves of fuel-hauling trucks rolled up to the dock to cart away much of the Torm Agnes’ load.

United Oil & Gas has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TDI-Brooks to secure a specialist survey vessel for a campaign offshore Jamaica.The work is related to the planned piston coring and surface geochemical program on the company’s Walton Morant Licence.The campaign forms a key part of United's forward work program under its extended license to January 2028. The survey will involve the collection of 40-60 seabed core samples across the Walton and Morant Basins…

The Arctic is no longer a remote expanse beyond the edges of global commerce — it is now a contested arena where strategic competition, energy development, and maritime innovation converge. As climate change accelerates sea ice retreat, previously impassable waters are opening to navigation for longer periods each year. This change unlocks shorter trade routes, exposes massive untapped hydrocarbon and minerals reserves, and creates demand for ships able to operate in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.In this evolving environment…

A new study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin shows that oil is still seeping from the wreck of the USS Arizona, more than 80 years after its sinking at Pearl Harbor. The study focuses on samples collected by the National Park Service in 2016 and 2018.Researchers, led by the University of Houston and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), analyzed oil samples collected from multiple leak points on the sunken battleship, using advanced molecular fingerprinting techniques. The results confirm the oil is a heavy fuel oil refined from California crude, consistent with U.S.

Svanehoj, an ITT company, acquired Germany-based Köhler & Hörter GmbH (KOHO Kompressorsysteme, or KOHO), a family-owned company specializing in high-quality compressors for a wide range of industries, including shipbuilding. The acquisition closed on October 1, 2025. In recent years, Svanehoj has expanded its position as a supplier of marine pumps, tank control systems, and related service solutions. The acquisition of KOHO Kompressorsysteme represents the next strategical step for Svanehoj in the gas segment as the global gas tanker market continues to grow.

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has been awarded a SIMOPRO – simultaneous marine operation and production – installation contract by Equinor on the Norwegian continental shelf.DeepOcean’s scope of work entails SIMOPRO installation work on both the Åsgård and Visund fields. The company will undertake onshore project management, engineering and procurement services as well as offshore operations.A SIMOPRO operation refers to a complex offshore job where marine construction or…

The current standards for LNG for marine use (ISO 23306:2020) don’t define limits for Methane Number even though it is an important fuel characteristic that can vary with fuel source and the addition of bioLNG into fuel blends.Power generation organization CIMAC’s Working Group 17 says Methane Number is like the Octane Number of gasoline in that it is a measure of the fuel’s resistance to auto-ignition or engine knock.In diesel engine combustion, gaseous fuel in the cylinder is put under high temperature and pressure as the flame front advances.

The General Directorate of Merchant Marine (DGMM) of the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has issued a series of warnings to Panamanian-flagged vessels due to rising tensions in the Middle East, through Maritime Notice MMN-04/2025.The DGMM highlighted the security risks faced by vessels operating near Iran, Israel, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the ongoing regional conflict, which could directly impact ships and their crews.The PMA…

Inert gas specialists Maritime Protection, a brand of global survival technology solutions provider Survitec, has been secured a contract valued o supply dry inert gas systems for 24 LNG carriers being constructed at a major shipyard in China as part of Qatar’s second LNG fleet expansion program.The contract, valued $26 million (€22.7 million), represents the most significant single order in Maritime Protection’s history and includes the delivery of high-capacity dry inert gas generators…

The first European built CO2 carrier, dedicated for work at the Greensand carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, will be christened and launched on May 14, 2025.All ship sections of the vessel have now been successfully constructed and assembled at Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the north of the Netherlands.The dedicated CO2 carrier currently under construction at Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands is a cornerstone in Greensand’s mission to deliver EU’s first…

Researchers from MIT and Georgia Tech have concluded that burning heavy fuel oil with scrubbers in the open ocean can match or surpass using low-sulfur fuels when a wide variety of environmental factors is considered.The scientists combined data on the production and operation of scrubbers and fuels with emissions measurements taken onboard a bulk carrier owned by Oldendorff Carriers. Gaseous and particulate matter (PM) emissions data were collected while the bulk carrier  was burning 3%S HFO…

Australia and Singapore have selected eight projects for funding as part of a A$20 million ($12.6 million) initiative to help reduce emissions in the maritime sector.The Australia-Singapore Initiative on Low Emissions Technologies (ASLET) supports the objectives of the Singapore and Australia Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), which will help accelerate decarbonization and digitization of shipping routes between Singapore and Australia. It is jointly delivered by the CSIRO…

As the global shipping industry wrestles with the challenges of meeting its 2050 decarbonization goal, additive manufacturer Fuelre4m aims to enable ship operators to improve efficiency and reduce emissions now.Fuelre4m’s Re4mx products use nano-biotechnology. When added to any liquid fossil fuel (HFO, LSFO, VLSFO or (up to) B30 Biodiesel fuel), the product reforms the fuel molecules, releasing impurities and changing the structure of complex hydrocarbons.The result is a significant increase in the combustion rate, releasing more power from the fuel and producing fewer harmful emissions.

The offshore wind sector is bracing for transformative changes as it navigates shifting political landscapes and evolving market demands. To shed light on the current state of the industry, Maritime Reporter TV interviewed Phil Lewis, Director of Research at Intelatus, an international offshore energy markets expert, to discuss the trends shaping the Service Operation Vessel (SOV) and Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) markets and the future of U.S. offshore wind under…

MODEC and Toyo Engineering have jointly obtained an Approval in Principle (AiP) from ABS for a Blue Ammonia FPSO that will produce ammonia from the gas supplied by a traditional FPSO located nearby.Blue ammonia is produced from hydrocarbons where the CO2 emitted during production is sequestrated.The Blue Ammonia FPSO will use gas which has conventionally been reinjected as feedstock.The FPSO will be equipped with a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system to capture the CO2 generated…

The maritime industry’s elusive quest to achieve so-called ‘zero’ emissions continues. Where it ends is not a one-size-fits-all discussion.The year-end maritime industry discussions tend to move away from global influence and back drift to national and domestic debates. As this happens, a positioning of a relatively small group of American owners and operators prepare for the upcoming business year and markets. The propulsion debate continues to be future fuels based upon sustainability and climate change.