Rigs News

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…

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) has completed several rig repair and upgrade projects for Saudi-based ADES Holding, strengthening the partnership between the two companies.In 2025, several ADES jack-up rigs underwent major works at ASRY’s facilities in Bahrain.The ADM-501 and ADM-504 units were prepared earlier in the year for drilling operations in Nigeria, while upgrade works on ADM-503 and ADM-511 were recently finalized ahead of upcoming drilling campaigns…

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…

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…

Belgium’s Jan De Nul is commissioning what it calls its most advanced offshore wind installation simulator, a digital twin of its vessels Les Alizés and Voltaire designed to train crews to install the latest generation of giant wind turbines and foundations at sea.The crane simulator, installed at the company’s Aalst office, features a seven-meter-wide dome offering a 360-degree view and allows operators to rehearse complex installation operations at heights exceeding 150 meters.Wind turbine tip heights now reach 300 metres…

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a major contract with Sea1 Offshore to deliver Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) for the company’s four new offshore construction vessels. Each vessel will be equipped with two advanced LARS units, supporting subsea construction and ROV operations.The scope of supply per vessel includes two telescopic A-frames, fully electrical umbilical winches, energy efficient hydraulic power units, and a dedicated control system. Each system offers a safe working load of 15 tonnes (vehicle dry weight) and winch cable capacity of 4…

Floatel International has selected Semco Maritime’s Hanøytangen facility outside Bergen in Norway, to perform a series of modifications and service works on the Floatel Endurance rig ahead of an upcoming contract on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.Following completion of its current assignment in Canada, Floatel Endurance will sail across the Atlantic to Hanøytangen, arriving in the first quarter of 2026 for yard stay and energy optimization works.Under the contract, Semco Maritime will be in charge of thruster removal and overhaul…

ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Encomara for its Squid system, an approach that adapts proven disconnectable mooring technology to support floating offshore wind developments.The Squid system builds upon the established Disconnectable Turret Buoy (DTB) concept long used in floating production projects. By utilizing existing, well-understood offshore technology and installation methods, the system aims to enhance safety and reduce complexity during floating wind turbine installation and off-station operations.“The potential efficiency gains…

Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group (Nikkiso CE&IG) announced it has secured a significant contract to provide 12 bespoke cryogenic submerged pumps to be installed on three LNG carriers which are being converted into floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs).The agreement, signed with a major European engineering, procurement and construction firm, is for submerged centrifugal high-pressure pumps which will transfer the LNG within the FSRU to the regasification system.

Belgium-based offshore installation services company DEME has taken delivery of its new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Norse Wind at the CIMC Raffles Shipyard.Designed to install the next generation of offshore wind turbines, the vessel combines advanced technology and sustainable design features to offer enhanced installation capability.Built by CIMC Raffles and designed by GustoMSC, Norse Wind is equipped to install turbines with rotor diameters of more than 300 meters and XXL monopiles weighing up to 3…

Norwegian subsea services firm Reach Subsea has been granted a trading permit to operate its Reach Remote 1 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) entirely through remote operations - without a support vessel.The permit was issued by the Norwegian Maritime Authorities, with technical validation and support from DNV. Reach Remote 1 has already been in full commercial operation, and this permit initiates the final phase towards full certification.This is the first approval of its kind for an USV of this size with integrated Work Class ROV capability…

Robosys Automation, a leader in maritime autonomy, vessel control systems, and smart shipping solutions, has announced that it has secured a new contract to retrofit a 26-meter Damen 2610 Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) Twin Axe High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV), with its flagship VOYAGER AI advanced maritime autonomy software.The vessel, built in 2015 to Lloyd’s Register classification standards, is powered by twin Caterpillar C32 engines with direct drives and is equipped with an Alphatron autopilot…

Aker Solutions and Kongsberg Discovery have teamed up to deploy a drone detection system aimed at protecting offshore infrastructure, beginning with a demonstrator at Aker Solutions’ site in Stavanger.The system uses Kongsberg’s Drone Detection Radar and is part of a broader plan to roll out surveillance technologies across the North Sea to bolster situational awareness around energy assets and transit lanes.Kongsberg Discovery develops navigation, acoustic and marine robotics systems…

Reach Subsea has exercised the first in a series of exclusive options with Kongsberg Maritime for the delivery of the next two uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), Reach Remote 3 and 4.The contract terms have been mutually agreed and remain confidential between the parties.Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2027, marking a key milestone in Reach Subsea’s USV scaling program.The specifications for Reach Remote 3 and 4 will mirror the first two vessels, with targeted adjustments…

Roll Group has signed the long-term charter of the wide deck carrier Bigroll KMC Beaumont from its partner KMC Bluewhale.The vessel was delivered in Singapore and will immediately begin operations to support of Roll Group’s expanding global project logistics and transportation services.With its 139-meter length overall and 32-meter deck width, the Bigroll KMC Beaumont is expected to enhance the company’s ability to transport heavy and oversized cargoes across key markets, particularly…

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that environmental agency Ibama should be satisfied with the results of an emergency drill done by state-run oil firm Petrobras in the country's Foz do Amazonas basin, ahead of Ibama's official assessment."Petrobras has already carried out the test. Ibama should be satisfied with the results of the research, and Ibama will now grant us the license to carry out the first experiment," Lula said in an interview with local news channel Rede Amazonica.Despite Lula's claims…

Kongsberg Maritime has developed a simplified mooring system for offshore floating structures. Building on its patent-pending integrated tensioning and remote pull-in technologies, the company is now focused on reducing cost, complexity, and environmental impact across the mooring system lifecycle.The latest developments center on minimizing mooring components and enabling future layouts that avoid active tensioning equipment in permanent systems. The solution provides a controlled…

The development Argentina’s vast Vaca Muerta share is transforming the nation into a rising energy exporter, with oil and pipeline gas already flowing abroad and an ambitious multi-phase ‘Argentina LNG’ initiative aiming to secure a permanent place in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. While geological resources appear sufficient, the scale and pace of development, however, present challenges.‘Argentina LNG’ is a large-scale LNG scheme designed to massively develop Vaca Muerta's resources to deliver energy to domestic and international market.

Germany’s largest utility RWE and U.K.’s largest shipowner-operator North Star have signed long-term agreements for next-generation service operation vessels (SOVs) to maintain RWE’s growing offshore wind fleet.The companies have agreed that RWE will charter two SOVs, the Grampian Eagle and the Grampian Kestrel, from North Star, both capable of using alternative low-emission fuels.Full marine services will be delivered by North Star as part of the charters.RWE and North Star have also signed reservation agreements for two newbuild vessels delivered by the Norwegian Vard Group.

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a development program framework agreement with Noble Corporation, marking a key step forward in the co-development of advanced marine technologies for the offshore drilling sector.The long-term strategic partnership will focus on the joint development, piloting, and commercialization of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, risk assessment, and sustainability in offshore operations.The first pilot project under this agreement will be launched later in 2025 on the drillship Noble Sam Croft…

Houston-based designer of mobile offshore drilling units Friede & Goldman (F&G) has signed an engineering agreement with Peak Ocean Offshore, a specialist in offshore asset conversion and lifecycle optimization, for the design and engineering of a major semi-submersible accommodation conversion project.The agreement formalizes F&G’s role as the design and engineering authority for the project, which involves converting a legacy F&G ExD design drilling semi-submersible into a high…

Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has ordered two next-generation subsea rock installation vessels, which will built by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore in China.Capable of operating on methanol and with a focus on innovation and automation, the vessels will strengthen Van Oord’s position in subsea rock installation and offshore energy infrastructure protection.The first vessel is expected to enter the market in 2028, with a second vessel expected to follow within one year.The new vessels will be equipped with a loading capacity of 35…

The Rotra Futura Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vessel has entered operations, with the transportation of wind turbine blades from Denmark to the United States.The project supply vessel, specifically designed to handle larger and heavier offshore wind turbine components, collected the 108-meter-long blades at the Port of Aalborg, Denmark, under the supervision of deugro Denmark’s wind experts.The vessel, delivered in late March 2025, was developed as part of the the partnership between Danish logistics specialist deugro…