Asia News

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a long-term charter agreement with India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for two newbuilding very large ethane carriers (VLECs) to be constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries.MOL established two joint ventures with ONGC, with the joint ventures and ONGC signing a 15-year charter contract for the vessels.The two vessels, each with a cargo capacity of 100,000 cubic metres, will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje shipyard in South Korea.

China and Denmark renewed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in green maritime technology and shipbuilding during a meeting between the two nations' industry ministers in Beijing on Tuesday, China's industry ministry said in a statement.China is willing to jointly conduct research and development with Denmark on low-carbon and zero-carbon fuel-powered ship technologies and explore cooperation potential in the new energy vehicle sector, Li Lecheng, the Chinese minister, told Denmark's Business and Industry Minister Morten Bodskov.(Reuters - Reporting by Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Rya

Swan Defence and Heavy Industries (SDHI) has signed its first newbuild contract for six IMO Type II chemical tankers, marking a milestone for India’s commercial shipbuilding sector and the country’s first chemical tanker order placed with a domestic shipyard.The contract, valued at $227 million, was awarded by European shipowner Rederiet Stenersen AS and covers six 18,000 deadweight-tonne vessels to be built at SDHI’s shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat. The agreement also includes an…

U.K. defense contractor Babcock has secured its first agreement under the $5.3 billion (£4 billion) Maritime Partnership Program (MPP) with Indonesia, covering the sale of two Arrowhead 140 frigate licenses to be delivered over the coming months.The agreement includes a Letter of Intent outlining Indonesia’s procurement ambitions under the MPP, alongside the initial license deal. It builds on Babcock’s original export of two Arrowhead 140 licenses to Indonesia in 2021 and follows…

ADNOC Gas has signed a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement worth between $2.5 billion and $3 billion with India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).The 10-year sales and purchase agreement covers the supply of 0.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG and converts a previously signed heads of agreement into a binding contract.India is now the UAE’s largest LNG customer, and by 2029 around 20% of LNG operated by ADNOC Gas is expected to be supplied to Indian buyers.

Energy assets investment firm Samos Energy has signed an agreement to acquire the Suksan Salamander floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit from Altera Infrastructure, expanding its offshore asset portfolio in Southeast Asia.The Suksan Salamander FSO is currently deployed on the Bualuang oil field offshore Thailand, which is operated by Medco Energi Thailand. Under the transaction, Samos will take ownership of the vessel and the associated bareboat charter contract following delivery from Altera.As part of the deal…

Singaporean shipbuilder Strategic Marine has delivered the second 27-metre Z-Bow Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) to Taiwan for an undisclosed customer.With the delivery, Strategic Marine completed the two-vessel program for the client.Purpose-built for offshore wind farm duties, the vessel was developed in close collaboration with BMT Limited and features advanced marine engineering to ensure reliable performance in demanding operating conditions.Equipped with controllable pitch propellers…

Woodside Energy Trading Singapore has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Japan’s JERA for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) during Japan’s peak winter period, strengthening long-term LNG supply arrangements between the two companies.Under the agreement, Woodside will supply three LNG cargoes per year, equivalent to around 0.2 million tonnes annually, for a period of five years starting in 2027. The LNG will be delivered on a delivered ex-ship basis to Japan during…

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued approval in principle (AiP) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) for its new design of a floating offshore substation to support deepwater wind farms.The substation concept received a SMART (SHM) Tier 3 AiP from ABS. The approval acknowledges the proposed structural health management system’s alignment with the Tier 3 requirements in the ABS Guide for Smart Functions for Marine Vessels and Offshore Units.The recognition supports the system’s design to integrate high-fidelity measurements with predictive modeling…

Thailand's Gulf Energy has issued a tender seeking four to six cargoes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over a 10-year period, said two industry sources on Tuesday.It is seeking the cargoes for delivery from 2028, in a tender that closes on January 19.(Reuters - Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Vantris Energy, formerly known as Sapura Energy, has divested its 40% equity stake in L&T-Sapura Shipping to joint-venture partner Larsen & Toubro for total consideration of about $30.5 million, as part of a broader portfolio optimization strategy.The transaction includes equity consideration as well as the full repayment of an outstanding shareholder loan and accrued interest owed to Vantris Energy. The divestment was executed through the group’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary Sapura Nautical Power…

State-owned Petrovietnam Gas has awarded its first-ever term supply tender seeking liquefied natural gas (LNG) to energy major Shell, which will deliver the super-chilled fuel to Vietnam from 2027 to 2031.The five-year supply deal will see Shell deliver about 400,000 metric tons a year of LNG to the Southeast Asian nation, according to a Petrovietnam Gas statement issued late on Tuesday.The LNG will be supplied on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis to Petrovietnam Gas' Thi Vai terminal.Vietnam began importing LNG in 2023, with its first cargo delivered to its inaugural Thi Vai import terminal.

Chinese multinational oilfield equipment and services provider Jereh Group has delivered slop treatment units and oil purifiers to CIMC Raffles for Petrobras’ P84 and P85 floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, bound for deployment at the Atapu and Sépia fields, off Brazil.The equipment will support slop water and oil separation during deepwater production. The systems are designed to handle complex wastewater streams including deck drainage, machinery space oily water…

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued approval in principle (AIP) to Seatrium for its next-generation offshore substation (OSS) design.Seatrium’s design features 500 MW OSS modules, engineered for scalability and aligned with the highest international standards, according to the company.The OSS-500 A substation design is said to offer flexibility across a wide range of water depths, grid configurations, and project scales, integrating robust structural design, advanced electrical systems…

China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises to encircle the democratically-governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has secured an approval in principle (AiP) from ClassNK for the basic design of specialized vessels to joint and bury subsea power cables.MOL is working with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Furukawa Electric and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) to develop fundamental technologies-including a new type of cable-laying vessel-as part of a project subsidized by the Japanese government's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).One of MOL's roles in this project is to develop technologies for cable jointing and burial vessels…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner and subsea services provider DOF Group has secured two contracts for its vessels and services in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.DOF signed a three-year frame agreement for the provision of subsea inspection, maintenance and repair services with associated assets in the APAC region.A call off under the contract has also been confirmed and will utilize DSV Skandi Singapore and all related diver-less subsea services on a brownfield tieback campaign…

Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has launched its Wind Ace wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) newbuild at the COSCO Qidong yard in China.With the launching complete, Wind Ace has moved into the final construction phase, which entails installation of the remaining leg sections, the main crane, and the start of commissioning activities.According to Cadeler, Wind Ace A-Class WTIV will be delivered to the company in 2026, and will become the 11th vessel in its expanding fleet of wind turbine installation vessels.“Thanks to close collaboration between our local Cadeler site team…

Dong Fang Offshore (DFO), one of Asia’s largest offshore wind service providers, has signed a major shipbuilding contract with Norwegian yard Westcon for a new subsea and cable lay vessel (CLV), set for delivery in 2027.Westcon will take over and complete construction of a large cable lay vessel already under build.DFO said the order supports its recent growth and replaces installation capacity lost in Taiwan after DeepOcean exercised an option to keep the Orient Adventurer working in Europe until 2028…

Seatrium has issued a notice of arbitration against an affiliate of Maersk Offshore Wind, escalating a dispute over the termination of a contract for a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) intended for the Empire Wind 1 project in the United States.The move follows a notice of arbitration delivered by the buyer on October 21, one day after Seatrium notified the buyer that the vessel would be ready for delivery by January 30, 2026. The dispute will be heard in London under the…

Strategic Marine has delivered two 42-metre next-generation fast crew boats to NMDC LTS, marking the company’s first vessel delivery to the Middle East offshore services provider.The Generation 4 aluminium vessels were developed in partnership with Prima Marine of Thailand and designed with Southerly Designs to support offshore operations across the region. Strategic Marine said the delivery strengthens its growing footprint in the Middle East market.The fast crew boats feature a high-efficiency hull form, hybrid-ready systems and a reinforced cargo deck.

Lebanon and Cyprus signed a long-awaited maritime demarcation deal on Wednesday, paving the way for potential exploration of offshore gas fields and energy cooperation in the Mediterranean.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signed the agreement at Lebanon's presidential palace and told reporters it would signal deeper cooperation between Lebanon, European Union-member Cyprus and the broader EU."This is a historical agreement, concluding an issue pending for many years and now look forward to what our countries can jointly create…

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai's shipbuilding business, has signed a shipbuilding contract with HMM for eight 13,400-TEU dual-fuel container ships.The vessels ordered are 337 meters in length, 51 meters in width, and 27.9 meters in height.They will be equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines and a significantly enlarged fuel tank, expanded by approximately 50%, to enhance operational efficiency.Of the eight vessels…