Robert Allan Ltd. Develops RApide 1800 Design for Brazilian Bunkering Operations
Robert Allan Ltd. in conjunction with Indústria Naval Catarinense Ltda. (INC), has announced the development of a new pushboat design. The vessels will support Transpetro’s bunkering operations at terminals in Brazil and form part of a newbuild program for pushboats and barges serving the fuel logistics market.This project marks Robert Allan Ltd.’s first vessels designed for Transpetro, part of Brazilian Oil and Gas major, Petrobras. The program represents a step in Transpetro’s expansion into barge-based fuel transportation…
Sugar Prices Rise Ahead of Iran War Fears
World sugar prices headed higher on Monday on fears the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, which is disrupting global energy supplies, will prompt Brazilian cane mills to produce more ethanol and less sugar.Ethanol is a cane-based biofuel.
Floater Backlog Showing Signs of Strengthening
After a softer 2025, floater backlog is strengthening for 2026 and beyond, driven by early contracting, strong South American demand, and a growing pipeline of 2027+ programs.By the close of 2025, total floating rig backlog days had fallen 25% compared with 2024. This was in large part due to few contract awards coming out of Brazil, the world’s biggest user of floating rigs. As of the end of January 2026 however, the number of rig days already booked for this year is up 4% from…
Petrobras Awards Acteon Mooring Services Contract
Intermoor, Acteon’s Moorings and Anchors business been awarded a new contract by Petrobras for the provision of stack-up mooring system services in Brazil.This work will support light-workover interventions and abandonment operations on installed subsea Christmas trees across both anchored and dynamically positioned mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and well intervention vessels (WIVs). The assets are located in water depths from 80 to 600 metres.A key strength of this award…
Tidewater to Acquire Wilson Sons Ultratug Offshore in $500M
All-Cash Deal, Expanding Brazil FootprintTidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wilson Sons Ultratug Participações S.A. and its affiliate Atlantic Offshore Services S.A. (collectively, WSUT) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $500 million, including the assumption of existing debt.The acquisition significantly strengthens Tidewater’s position in the global offshore support vessel (OSV) market while marking a decisive expansion in…
AKOFS Offshore Inks New Vessel Deal with Petrobras
Norway-based subsea well intervention and installation services company AKOFS Offshore has signed a firm contract with Petrobras for its Aker Wayfarer vessel.AKOFS Offshore, majority owned by Akastor, said the 2010-built vessel will continue to perform services as a Subsea Equipment Support Vessel (SESV) for Petrobras in Brazil.The contract, valued at $330 million, has a duration of four years, with operations expected to begin in September 2027, following the expiry of the current…
Seatrium Unit Launches Arbitration Against Petrobras over FPSO Contract
Seatrium, through its wholly owned subsidiary Jurong Shipyard, has started arbitration proceedings against Petrobras Netherlands in connection with a legacy contract for the conversion of the P-54 floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO).The dispute relates to a settlement agreement reached in 2008 following amendments to the original 2004 contract. Under the settlement, Petrobras Netherlands agreed to pay Jurong Shipyard a close-out amount of $152.3 million,…
Kongsberg Maritime to Equip Four Tanker Newbuilds in Transpetro’s Fleet
Kongsberg Maritime has been hired by Consórcio Marenova to design and equip four methanol- and ethanol-ready handy-size product tankers for Petrobras Transporte (Transpetro).The vessels will be built by Consórcio Marenova, a partnership between Ecovix in Rio Grande and MacLaren in Niterói, and will be operated by Transpetro.Kongsberg Maritime said the contract is valued at more than $31 million (NOK 300 million) and includes delivery of complete ship design and a range of integrated systems.These include propulsion systems with Promas and controllable pitch propellers…
Petrobras Signs $521M Contracts for Gas Carriers, Barges and Pushers
Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras and its logistics subsidiary Transpetro on Tuesday signed contracts with shipyards for five gas carriers, as well as 18 barges and 18 pushers, for 2.8 billion reais ($520.82 million).The companies made the deal official at an event in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has prioritized boosting the country's shipbuilding sector, attended the ceremony.($1 = 5.3761 reais)(Reuters)
Petrobras and Transpetro Invest in Gas Carries, Inland Vessels
On January 20, Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will sign contracts for the construction of vessels for the Mar Aberto Program, an initiative aimed at renewing and expanding the Petrobras fleet.Petrobras and Transpetro are contracting five gas carrier ships, in addition to 18 barges and 18 pushboats, in a total investment of R$ 2.8 billion, with the potential to generate more than 9,000 direct and indirect jobs.All vessels will be operated by Transpetro and built in shipyards in three states.
Solstad’s Normand Turquesa AHTS on Extended Stay with Petrobras
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has extended the previously agree four-year contract with Petrobras for its anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel Normand Turquesa.The current Normand Turquesa contract with Petrobras has been extended by one year, and the start of the previously announced four-year contract has been amended from the first quarter of 2026 to the first quarter of 2027.This represents an additional gross value of approximately $15.4 million, according to Solstad Offshore…
Petrobras FPSO Initiates Búzios 6 Production
The FPSO P-78 can produce up to 180,000 barrels per day and will increase the gas supply.Petrobras began oil production from the P-78 floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the Búzios field, in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin, this Wednesday, December 31, 2025. Búzios 6 (P-78) has the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of oil and 7.2 million m³ of gas per day. The FPSO will increase the field's installed production capacity to approximately 1.15 million barrels of oil per day.
Offshore Rig Outlook: As 2025 Challenges Fade, Path Ahead Brightens
While challenges linger from the 2025 offshore rig market, there are signs it will look brighter from late 2026 onwards.Main Events of 2025One of the biggest talking points of 2024 and 2025 was Saudi Aramco’s suspension of 36 jackups from April 2024, but by 3Q 2025 21 units had been re-deployed into other regions of the world. Fast forward to today, the national oil company (NOC) has confirmed it will restart work with eight of the remaining suspended rigs in early 2026. It has…
DOF Inks $150M ROV Support Vessel Contract with Petrobras
Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF Group has secured a new four-year contract with Petrobras for the remotely operated support vessel (RSV) Skandi Commander.The contract was awarded following the same competitive tender process that led to six previous four-year RSV contracts announced earlier.The Skandi Commander will be equipped with both a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), the latter being a unique feature of this agreement.The contract…
Subsea Vessel Market Outlook 'Robust' for 2026
Throughout 2025 we have seen the subsea vessel market transitioning from a period of record highs towards a more cautious, but still fundamentally strong, outlook. While short-term activity and rates have softened in the latter part of the year, long-term demand - driven by deepwater projects and global energy infrastructure- remains robust. The market is watching closely how the influx of newbuilds and ongoing corporate consolidation will shape competition and vessel availability…
DOF Bags Multiple Vessel Deals with Petrobras in Brazil
Norwegian offshore supply vessel owner DOF Group has secured seven new contract extensions with Petrobras for its offshore support vessels (OSVs) in Brazil, valued over $160 million.Five of DOF's Brazilian-flagged anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, all with ROVs on board, including Skandi Fluminense, Skandi Paraty, Skandi Angra, Skandi Urca and Skandi Iguaçu, have had their current contracts with Petrobras extended until the first quarter of 2027.The new four-year contracts…
Oil Majors Oppose Subsea7-Saipem Merger in Brazil
Oil majors operating in Brazil have closed ranks to oppose a proposed merger between energy contractors Subsea7 and Saipem, and antitrust agency Cade has asked the two firms to provide its probe with new data on Friday, public documents seen by Reuters show.The resulting new firm, to be called Saipem7, would have a strong enough position to impose additional costs, delay projects and pressure some clients into exclusive long-term contracts, Brazil oil industry group IBP said in a November filing to Cade.On Friday…
Solstad Offshore Awarded Contract for AHTS Normand Topazio
Solstad Offshore ASA (SOFF) has announced that the company has been awarded a new contract by PETROBRAS for the anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) Normand Topazio.The contract has a duration of 4 years firm and is scheduled to commence in 1Q 2026. The vessel will support Petrobras operations in Brazil.The total gross value of the contract is approximately $73 million.
Petrobras Sandwich Hull Tank Design Receives ABS Approval
ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Petrobras for its safety-enhancing “sandwich hull” design concept for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) tanks.The design uses parts of longitudinal and transverse elements constructed with steel-concrete-steel sandwich structures that allow tanks to remain free of internal obstructions, promising to improve operational efficiency during tank inspections and enabling activities to be performed using remotely operated tools and automated devices such as robots.ABS completed design reviews based on class requirements.
Seatrium Maintains $12.8B Order Book on Renewables and FPSO Progress
Singapore-based engineering group Seatrium has reported strong execution in the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, bolstered by major offshore and wind project deliveries, a high-value order book and strategic asset sales.The group’s net order book stood at about $12.8 billion (S$16.6 billion), covering 24 projects slated for delivery through 2031. During the third quarter of 2025 the company completed the wind turbine installation vessel Charybdis and the offshore substations Greater Changhua 2b and 4…
DOF Group gets Extension for Pipelay Support Vessels in Brazil
DOF Group ASA ("DOF") is pleased to announce that three PLSVs (pipelay support vessels) owned through a joint venture between DOF (50%) and TechnipFMC (50%) have secured contract extensions with Petrobras in Brazil.Skandi Vitória and Skandi Niterói have had their current contracts extended from Q4-2025 until Q1-2027. The 3-year contracts announced in June 2024 will now commence following the extension period. Skandi Açu has had its current contract extended from Q3-2026 until Q1-2027.
DOF Scores $200M in Vessel Contracts with Petrobras
Norwegian offshore supply vessel owner DOF Group has secured long-term contracts for two of its vessels with Petrobras for work offshore Brazil.The contracts, with a combined value of approximately $200 million, are for Skandi Chieftain high-spec subsea vessel and Skandi Olympia DP2 construction support vessel.The vessels have been awarded four-year charters with Petrobras.Both vessels will operate with one WROV and are expected to be delivered in October 2026.The contracts follow the same competitive tender process that resulted in the contract awards for DOF’s Skandi Achiever…
AKOFS Offshore Inks $246M Vessel Deal with Petrobras
Norway-based subsea well intervention and installation services company AKOFS Offshore has signed a firm contract with Petrobras, for its subsea equipment support vessel AKOFS Santos, which will continue to operate offshore Brazil.Following a competitive tender process, the vessel will continue to perform services as a multi-purpose supply vessel (MPSV) for Petrobras in Brazil under a new contract.The contract has a duration of four years, with operations expected to start in January 2027…