Rigs News

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to deliver a fully integrated suite of technology and equipment for a new multi-purpose deepwater installation and construction vessel that will be owned and operated by Solstad Offshore and SBM Offshore.The vessel, which will be built in China, represents a new generation of offshore construction assets designed to perform complex installation, subsea construction and heavy-duty offshore operations. With advanced mooring installation and subsea construction capabilities at its core…

MacGregor has expanded its offshore technology portfolio with a certified floating-to-floating personnel transfer capability for its Horizon gangway and a new bow transfer system designed for direct ship-to-well transfer of LCO2.The Horizon gangway has received DNV certification under DNV-ST-0358 for floating-to-floating personnel transfers following a successful sea acceptance test. The certification enables motion-compensated connections between two vessels moving independently…

Early design decisions and robust qualification of subsea connectors can materially shape the long-term integrity of subsea pipelines warns Lloyd’s Register (LR), as part of a new study delivered for the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil).The report, commissioned by Havtil, provides an updated industry experience base for assessing the performance of welded and mechanical connectors used in subsea systems and pipeline infrastructure.Pipelines and subsea facilities are critical components of offshore energy production…

A new liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) transfer solution built on proven technology from MacGregor enables the flexible, direct ship-to-well injection needed to support the EU’s carbon capture and storage goals.If the European Union is to meet its objective of net-zero emissions by 2050, carbon capture and storage (CCS) will have a significant part to play. The EU-funded CCS research and innovation project, COREu, targets a 6.8- and 36-megatonne reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 and mid-century…

Kongsberg Maritime won a contract with a major energy operator to deliver advanced deck machinery for a new Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for an offshore development in Asia.The contract covers a fully integrated mooring and deck machinery solution, including chain pull-in winches, chain stoppers, fairleads, riser pull-in winches, and associated control and automation systems. Delivery of the equipment is scheduled for mid-2027.A notable technical feature of the project is the large mooring chain dimension…

ADNOC, in collaboration with SLB, has deployed its AI-enabled Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC) platform across its fleet of over 120 rigs, providing teams with a faster and more connected way to monitor, analyze and manage drilling operations across its onshore and offshore assets. The RTOC replaces multiple tools and reduces engineering effort by 30-40%, enabling engineers to support two to three times more rigs while maintaining effective oversight. Through automated dashboards and AI-powered performance insights…

ABL has been awarded a contract by Oil Search (PNG), a subsidiary of Santos, to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services for Papua New Guinea's first offshore floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility.The work will support the supply, transportation, installation, pre-commissioning and commissioning of the FSO, which will be deployed at the Kumul Marine Terminal as part of the Kutubu Pipeline System.The FSO will provide storage and offloading for crude oil and condensate produced from multiple fields…

Premium jackup dayrates have improved from 2025 lows and are now holding within a higher range, but pricing remains uneven across fixtures and geographies. That is important, but dayrates are only the starting point. On their own, they say very little about how much of that recovery is already priced into company valuations.© EsgianEsgian rig values suggest that the market has already started to move. Average premium jackup values declined through 2025, stabilised toward the end of the year, and have recovered gradually into 2026. The path is visible, but the move remains measured.

DOF Group ASA announced a large contract award for Subsea Construction and Pre Commissioning Support services in the APAC Region.Skandi Inventor will be deployed for the execution of the offshore operations scheduled to commence in Q4 2026 in North Australian waters.The scope of work includes DOF’s in-house project management and engineering, procurement and logistics support services. The duration of the offshore campaign is estimated to be between 160 and 250 days.

Bahri Logistics, a business unit of Bahri, the Kingdom’s leading shipping, maritime transportation, and logistics company has signed a newbuild agreement with Grandweld Shipyard for the construction of two offshore service vessels.The two vessels will be custom-built to meet the operational requirements of offshore activities at Ras Tanura Port, one of the world’s busiest energy hubs. Each vessel will be equipped with the latest navigation, communication, and safety technologies, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability.

ADNOC’s XRG has completed the acquisition of an additional equity interest in Trains 4 and 5 of the Rio Grande LNG project in Texas, increasing its participation across all five trains currently under construction at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility.The transaction increases XRG's overall participation in the NextDecade-operated project through the acquisition of an additional 7.6% equity interest in Trains 4 and 5 from an acquisition vehicle of Global Infrastructure Partners…

While oil and gas are once again flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of the vital waterway for over 100 days could prove to be a turning point in global energy markets. The Arab oil embargo of 1973, a similarly disruptive supply shock, offers clues about where we might be headed.The latest Middle East crisis tested the limits of the modern energy system, which has evolved over recent decades into a highly interconnected global market held together by thousands of tankers…

Norway-based TMC Compressors has secured a contract from Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore to supply marine compressed air systems for two subsea rock installation vessels being built for Dutch marine contractor Van Oord.Under the contract, TMC will provide a complete marine compressed air system for each vessel, including instrument air compressors and air dryers. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.The vessels are being built to support subsea rock installation operations…

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) has completed its 200th offshore rig project following the delivery of the VALARIS 250 (Bob Palmer) offshore rig project.The milestone was marked during a ceremony attended by executives and officials from ASRY and representatives from Valaris.ASRY said the VALARIS 250 belongs to the Gorilla Class category of offshore rigs, which it described as among the largest offshore rig designs currently operating worldwide.The project recorded more than 700…

GustoMSC, NOV’s offshore design and engineering business, has developed a new asymmetrical rack-and-pinion technology designed to increase the jacking capacity of offshore wind installation vessels without increasing vessel size, weight or system complexity.The patent-pending asymmetrical rack-and-pinion (ASYM R&P) technology builds on the company’s existing rack-and-pinion jacking systems and is designed to improve load distribution within the existing system architecture, allowing…

The substructures for fixed offshore wind turbines weigh thousands of tonnes. Only about five vessels in the world can lift that much weight. So now researchers are testing an alternative: an unusually wide barge.Using experience gained from the oil and gas industry, Aker Solutions, the Belgian contractor Sarens, and the maritime group BOA recently spent time at SINTEF’s Ocean Basin in Trondheim. There they used models to test the feasibility of employing an extra-wide barge to transport several substructures simultaneously.

Multidisciplinary consultancy AGR has entered into a partnership agreement to onboard the offshore support vessel Aquaman II, expanding its capacity for subsea operations, plug and abandonment (P&A) and decommissioning work in the North Sea.The vessel, owned by Star Matrix and to be operated by AGR, will be configured as a light construction anchor handling tug supply vessel to support subsea and offshore campaigns.AGR said the addition strengthens its marine spread as activity increases across vessel-based subsea operations…

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on autonomous robotic systems for hull cleaning and inspection.The agreement, announced at Singapore Maritime Week, aims to support the deployment of robotic systems for vessel maintenance.“It is an honor to work alongside Fleet Robotics to advance autonomous robotic systems for the industry. This collaboration is about more than innovation, we are working to establish…

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has changed the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG), providing a boost to producers outside the Middle East that will likely last long after the current conflict ends.One of the major beneficiaries is Australia, which last year slipped to the third-largest exporter of the super-chilled fuel behind the United States and Qatar.But the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has shut off Qatar's LNG exports, meaning that it will likely lose second place back to Australia this year…

A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest liquefied natural gas plants run by Chevron and Woodside, exacerbating a global supply crunch caused by the conflict in the Middle East.Australia became the world’s second-largest LNG exporter after Qatar shut down production this month following damage to its facilities from Iranian strikes. Global LNG flows out of the Middle East have also been upended by Iran’s blockage of…

Major industry announcements and new product launches continued to drive significant visitor numbers and plentiful business activity as Oceanology International 2026 (Oi26) surpassed expectations on the second day at Excel London.Among the companies taking center stage, expanding platform OceanSight used Oi to unveil its new collection of ocean technology brands built to advance marine sensing and subsea intelligence, celebrating an exciting new chapter focused on accelerating innovation and strategic growth.OceanSight…

Unlike larger jackup regions where scale provides greater flexibility, relatively minor changes in supply can have an outsized impact. The availability, reactivation, or retirement of a single rig can materially shift utilisation levels, dayrate negotiations, and contracting dynamics, often with limited visibility.There are currently five jackups drilling in the region, operating across Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Several of these units are contracted into 2026 and beyond, which is meaningful in a market of this size.© EsgianDespite this coverage, active supply remains constrained.

Semco Maritime and Zamakona Yards have formed a strategic alliance to establish Las Palmas Shipyard, a new hub for rig upgrades, vessel maintenance and offshore modification projects in the Canary Islands.The partnership combines Semco Maritime’s engineering and project execution expertise with Zamakona’s shipyard infrastructure and marine services capabilities. Operations at the Las Palmas facility have already begun.The shipyard is designed to support rig owners, offshore operators and special vessel clients by providing integrated services covering upgrades…