Vessels News

Orders for alternative-fueled vessels totaled 137 in the first half of 2026, down from 155 in the same period a year earlier, according to figures from DNV's Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform.DNV’s AFI has recorded 15 new orders for alternative-fueled vessels in June 2026.This consisted of 10 orders for LNG-fueled vessels, nine of which were car carriers and one a CO2 carrier. The remaining five orders were for LPG/ethane carriers.Two LNG-bunker vessels were also ordered in June…

Boskalis and Van Oord have been awarded a dredging contract worth approximately $570 million (€500 million) for the expansion of the Port of Luleå in Sweden.The contract was awarded by the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Port of Luleå and will be executed by a joint venture between the two companies, with the contract value split equally.Under the contract, the joint venture will deepen the port's fairway and harbor basin to accommodate vessels with a draft of up to 14.7 meters and a cargo capacity of up to 85…

MODEC has completed the forward hull section of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Gato do Mato, marking a key construction milestone for the Brazil-bound offshore production unit.The forward hull section, built at Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering's Yokosuka shipyard in Japan, has departed for China, where it will be integrated with the aft hull section before the vessel moves to the next stage of construction.The project is the first to use…

Belgian marine contractor DEME has ordered a next-generation trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) as part of a fleet expansion aimed at improving efficiency in dredging, land reclamation and offshore seabed preparation.The new vessel will have a hopper capacity of 22,000 cubic meters and is designed to reduce greenhouse gas intensity and lower dredging costs compared with existing vessels in the same segment, the company said.The dredger will feature an advanced propulsion system, a hydrodynamically optimized hull, improved dredging technology and a high level of automation.

A.P. Moller Holding has agreed to acquire 100% of Oslo-based ship leasing company Ocean Yield from funds managed by investment firm KKR, expanding its maritime portfolio.Ocean Yield has interests in more than 70 vessels across several shipping segments, including gas carriers, LNG carriers, container ships, crude, product and chemical tankers, and dry bulk carriers.Under KKR's ownership since 2021, Ocean Yield has invested more than $3 billion to expand its portfolio, diversify its investment-grade customer base and nearly double its long-term contracted backlog to more than $5 billion…

DOF Group has secured a contract from TotalEnergies to provide subsea construction and mooring services for the floating storage and offloading (FSO) Unity Replacement Project.The contract covers engineering, transportation and installation of mooring systems, as well as subsea construction work, including the disconnection of the existing floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit and the connection of its replacement.Project management and engineering activities will begin immediately from DOF's offices in Aberdeen…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and IBM Japan have jointly developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform designed to support decision-making in vessel operations by integrating operational, weather and geopolitical information.The platform, which went live on July 1, is centered on MOL's Safety Operation Supporting Center (SOSC), which monitors and supports the safe operation of MOL-affiliated vessels worldwide.The companies said the platform consolidates weather and sea condition data…

On 29 May 2026, Vantage Drilling International and Eldorado Drilling signed a merger agreement under which Eldorado will acquire Vantage, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. As part of the transaction, Vantage shareholders will receive $19 per share in cash, valuing the company at approximately $257.6 million. The combined entity will continue to operate under the name Vantage Drilling International.Post-transaction, the company’s fleet will comprise four drillships - including…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF has secured a one-year contract extension for its multi-purpose supply vessel (MPSV) Skandi Darwin in Australia.The company said the vessel's current client exercised an extension option that will keep the 2012-built vessel working in Australia until the third quarter of 2027.DOF did not disclose the name of the client or financial terms of the extension.Skandi Darwin is of the MT 6015 MPSV design and is equipped with a multi-application cargo system, with tank capacities dependent on configuration and the products carried.

SBM Offshore has secured project financing worth $465 million for the Chalchi floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, being built for Woodside Energy's Trion project offshore Mexico.The financing has been provided by a consortium of international banks and institutional investors and includes partial insurance cover from China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation.SBM Offshore said the financing would be drawn during the construction period and would become non-recourse after the vessel starts operations.

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has delivered a hybrid construction and cable laying vessel (CLV) to Japan's Toyo Construction, marking its first vessel delivery to the Japanese offshore wind market.The vessel was handed over at Vard Langsten in Norway on June 26. It is also the first vessel Toyo Construction has ordered from Vard.The CLV was outfitted, commissioned and delivered on time from Vard Langsten, while the hull was built at Vard Shipyards Romania-Tulcea.Spanning 151 meters long and 28 meters wide…

How well do we really understand the electrical systems powering today’s vessels? Many of us realize how important electricity is to our modern world but may be a bit shaky on the specifics. The Welsh comedian Tommy Cooper once joked, "Electricity is a wonderful thing. Do you realize that if we didn't have electricity, we'd be watching television by candlelight?"For those who have worked on vessels for many years, the increasing complexity may be a sore point, especially for those who have been hands-on in their careers and been zapped a few times.

After several years of strong activity, the Middle East offshore market has become more volatile, with geopolitical tensions disrupting day-to-day operations. Following US and Israeli military action and subsequent Iranian attacks on neighbouring Gulf states, operators introduced precautionary measures, including temporary rig suspensions and down-manning in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.This triggered a sharp short-term slowdown from late February into March.The April ceasefire allowed offshore activity to recover gradually…

SeaBird Exploration, a wholly owned subsidiary of SED Energy Holdings, has secured a contract for ocean bottom node (OBN) source work in West Africa.The company said the Fulmar Explorer vessel will be deployed for the campaign, which has a total duration of about three months, including mobilization and demobilization.Mobilization is expected to begin after the vessel completes its five-year classing, which is currently scheduled for August 2026."We are pleased to secure additional work for Fulmar Explorer, further strengthening our backlog.

Indonesian offshore vessel operator PT Wintermar Offshore Marine (WINS) has acquired the remaining stakes in Singapore-based Fast Offshore Supply (FOS) and its subsidiary PT Fast Offshore Indonesia (FOI), gaining full control of both companies and expanding into the building and operation of aluminium crew transfer vessels (CTVs).WINS acquired the remaining 52.5% shareholding in FOS and the remaining 49% stake in FOI, which it previously owned jointly with FOS.FOS won an international…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has completed the installation and testing of all inter-array cables at the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm in Germany.DeepOcean's contract included project management and engineering, the provision of cable protection systems, offshore preparatory works, pre-installation cable route surveys, transport and installation of inter-array cables, cable pull-in and cable burial activities.Cable-laying operations began in January 2026, with a total of 48 inter-array cables installed between January and April.

Yinson Production has held a naming ceremony for the floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit PTSC Lac Da Vang ahead of the vessel's deployment to the Lac Da Vang oil project offshore Vietnam.The FSO vessel has been contracted to Murphy Cuu Long Bac Oil, a wholly owned subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation, to provide storage and offloading services for the Lac Da Vang field in Block 15-1/05 offshore Vietnam.The contract has a firm term of 10 years and includes an option to extend…

Oman said it would keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping without imposing any tolls and had designated two temporary routes north and south of the existing shipping lane to facilitate the safe passage of vessels departing the region.In coordination with the International Maritime Organization, Oman established temporary maritime corridors to help ships leave the area safely amid heightened security risks.The Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war…

Italian energy services company Saipem has launched operations for the GranMorgu offshore project in Suriname with the arrival of the multi-purpose construction vessel Normand Navigator at the Jules Sedney Harbour commercial port in Paramaribo.The vessel is berthed and ready to begin preliminary activities for the project, which is located in Block 58 around 150 km offshore and is scheduled to start production in 2028.GranMorgu is operated by TotalEnergies, which holds a 40% interest…

Logistics and materials management company ASCO has opened its first office in the Middle East, establishing a presence in Qatar as it looks to expand its regional operations and support growing demand for logistics and environmental services.The new office in Doha will support ASCO's clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as the wider Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions, bringing the company's services closer to customers in energy, port and marine markets.The Middle East business will be managed by Craig Revie…

Four liquefied natural gas tankers controlled by Qatar headed into the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, despite a fall in ship traffic after Iran announced that it had again closed the waterway over the weekend, shipping data showed.The tankers - Wadi Al Sail, Mekaines, Al Sadd and Mesaimeer - entered the strait via the Iranian route for the first time since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran started, shiptracking data from analytics firm Kpler showed.QatarEnergy, whose LNG exports have been heavily curbed since the war began on February 28…

Middle East oil producers face a reckoning. The Iran war exposed the dangers of relying on a single chokepoint for vital oil and gas exports, leaving Gulf governments with a clear strategic imperative: diversify – at all costs.An Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had long been viewed as a “Doomsday” event that would never happen. Experts assumed it would require a massive military effort and that Tehran would be reluctant to choke off its own exports.Those assumptions were proven painfully wrong.

At least three tankers carrying Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, with a fourth, an empty vessel, heading towards the Gulf of Oman, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed.The shipments indicate a gradual resumption of Iranian oil exports that are expected to add to global supplies although demand from China, its biggest buyer, has been lacklustre due to poor domestic margins.Very Large Crude Carriers Hero II and Diona…