Construction Vessel News

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.

For decades, floating nuclear power occupied a niche position in the energy debate – technically feasible, strategically intriguing, but commercially marginal. Today, however, combined pressures of decarbonization, energy security, land constraints, rising electricity demand and water scarcity are making floating nuclear power a more serious proposition for policymakers, utilities, and infrastructureFloating Nuclear offers a potential source of reliable, low-carbon electricity and heat (and…

Faced with declining production post-2030, across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the Majors have started the process of reloading exploration hoppers. Targeting predominantly deep and ultra-deep waters, they have signed numerous agreements aimed at unlocking acreage and discovering the next Namibia or Guyana. But while there have been agreements for acreage that were offered as part of traditional licensing rounds – such as the award to TotalEnergies of PPLs 2000 and 2001 in Nigeria in September 2025 – there has been an increasing trend to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)…

Japanese offshore services company MODEC has secured a contract to supply a SOFEC internal turret mooring system for the Coral Norte floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project offshore Mozambique, being developed by Eni and its partners.MODEC is collaborating with the Technip Energies-JGC joint venture on the project to support integration and execution of the mooring system.The Coral Norte project is being developed by Eni together with CNPC, ENH, XRG and KOGAS.The project…

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…

Italy's business lobby Confindustria has called for emergency action from the government to speed up the roll-out of renewable energy in the country, which is grappling with much higher power costs than in most of Europe.The recent increase in gas prices triggered by the Iran war has highlighted the cost for Italian families and firms of the slow development of renewables, and sparked fresh calls for more decisive action to promote green policies.Confindustria President Emanuele…

Microwave-based method to upcycle old lithium-ion cathodesInstead of letting old lithium-ion batteries pile up as waste, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have developed a microwave-based process to recover and remake their cathodes, potentially turning spent batteries into a new domestic source of critical materials.Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones and electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage and earbuds, but their cathodes — the part of batteries denoted by a plus sign — are expensive to make and rely on minerals sourced from a limited number of countries…

Offshore services provider Bourbon has secured a multi-month subsea services contract for operations on the Jubilee field offshore Ghana, deploying the multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) Bourbon Evolution 802 for a campaign covering inspection, maintenance and repair activities.The contract includes the use of the Bourbon Evolution 802, equipped with two work-class heavy-duty remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), to perform inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) services on subsea wellheads…

Siemens Energy on Thursday warned of possible wind turbine capacity cuts in Europe if governments fall behind in efforts to expand offshore power, saying a lack of determination could become an "existential threat" to the industry.The comments by one of Europe's biggest industrial firms reflect growing concerns about the future of the continent's manufacturing capabilities, which have come under intense pressure from high energy costs and Asian competitors.Europe is currently facing delays in its offshore expansion, hampered by regulatory challenges that have caused some developers to rethink

Caspian Offshore Construction (COC) has acquired an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel from Sinopacific Engineering & Contracting (SPEC), marking the first vessel in the SPA90 series to join the Kazakh offshore marine service provider's fleet.The shipbuilding contract was signed on April 30, 2026, at Siying Shipyard, where the vessel is under construction. A launching ceremony for the vessel was held on May 20.Named Caspian Yili, the vessel is the first of its kind in COC's fleet and will be the company's largest vessel to date.

COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers has completed the transport and float-over installation of an offshore converter platform for the Qingzhou V & VII offshore wind project, a key milestone in what the company described as the world's first 2 GW offshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.The converter platform, weighing about 25,000 tonnes, is among the largest offshore structures installed for the offshore wind industry and was transported and installed using…

Compute Maritime, the deep tech company behind NeuralShipper, the world's first Al platform for ship design, has revealed the results of its UK Government-funded project, GenDSOM, to bring generative Al and additive manufacturing into ship design.Working with consortium partners Siemens Digital Industries Software, Rapid Fusion, HP, BYD Naval Architects and the University of Southampton, the project has produced a next-generation crew transfer vessel (CTV) for the offshore wind sector that…

Acta Marine has taken delivery of the Acta Gemini, a new walk-to-work DP2 construction service operation vessel (CSOV) that is set to begin a long-term charter supporting operations at the Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.The vessel, built by Tersan Shipyard in Turkey, is the third in a series of four newbuild CSOVs ordered by the Dutch offshore vessel operator.Following mobilization, Acta Gemini will start work at the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm on Dogger Bank, operating…

Hong Kong-listed provider of offshore, marine and clean energy technologies CM Energy has unveiled the design of its Meridian Class commissioning and service operation vessel (CSOV).The Meridian Class has been developed to meet growing demand for offshore support vessels, and is suitable for commissioning, operations, maintenance and major component exchange campaigns in the offshore wind sector.Designed to North Sea standards, the vessel platform aims to provide offshore wind developers…

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…

SBM Offshore and Solstad Offshore have formed a joint venture that has entered into a letter of intent with a shipyard for the construction of a multi-purpose deepwater installation and construction vessel, with delivery targeted in the first half of 2029.The vessel will be owned by a joint venture in which Solstad Offshore will hold a 50.1% stake and SBM Offshore 49.9%. Solstad Shipping will act as ship manager, while SBM Offshore will charter the vessel for its own projects.

Dutch maritime design firm Vuyk Engineering has been selected by heavy-lift shipping and offshore transportation contractor Jumbo Maritime to design its newly ordered L-Class heavy-lift transport vessels.The two vessels are designed to support offshore transport and lifting operations, combining cargo transportation capabilities with lifting capacities of up to 2,400 tonnes.The L-Class vessels are intended to transport a range of heavy cargoes, including wind turbine components, modules and carousels.

Strategic Marine and Mainprize Offshore have signed a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance (PODA) for the MO15 and MO16 crew transfer vessels (CTVs), extending a multi-vessel offshore renewables vessel program announced in 2024.The agreement follows the earlier delivery of the MO10, MO11, MO12 and MO14 Supa Swath vessels.The new vessels are intended to support offshore wind operations and maintenance activities in Europe as Mainprize Offshore continues expanding its fleet.The vessels…

Dajin Heavy Industry, via its subsidiary Tangshan Dajin Offshore Engineering, has signed a contract with a Dutch shipowner Jumbo Maritime to build two next-generation multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels.The contract is valued at approximately $156 million and covers the design, construction and delivery of two 25,000-deadweight-tonne vessels scheduled for phased delivery in 2028 and 2029.Each vessel will measure about 163 meters in length with a beam of around 30 meters and depth of approximately 16 meters.The ships will be equipped with two heavy-lift cranes rated at 1…

Guice Offshore, a leader in the offshore maritime mini supply vessel specialty market, announced the return of GO Searcher to its fleet, bringing the total number of Guice Offshore-owned vessels to 19.The GO Searcher, which has played a role in pioneering aerospace operations since 2014, is a 170-ft. multi-purpose DP1 vessel featuring a helipad. She is dually certified Subchapter L&I, as well as approved for full international operations.Currently outfitted to support aerospace recovery programs…

Equinor has exercised remaining options to extend the contract for the platform supply vessel (PSV) Viking Avant from Norwegian vessel owner Eidesvik Offshore.The extension runs in direct continuation of the current contract and extends the firm charter period through the end of 2026.Viking Avant PSV was built in 2004, and has a deadweight capacity of 5,784 tonnes and a deck area of 1,010 square meters.The vessel is 92.17 meters long with a beam of 20.4 meters.

PALFINGER has secured a contract to supply davit cranes for five offshore converter platforms in the North Sea, expanding its presence in the offshore wind market as Europe accelerates grid infrastructure development tied to renewable energy projects.The Austrian company said it would deliver seven PF200-7m davit cranes to Spanish engineering contractor Dragados Offshore for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platforms linked to projects for German transmission system operators Amprion and TenneT Germany.Under the agreement…

Dutch offshore services provider Boskalis has decided to invest in a new high-capacity cable laying vessel (CLV) to support growing demand in the offshore wind and interconnector markets.The vessel, expected to enter service in 2029, will target long-distance cable installation projects, particularly for high-voltage direct current cables.Boskalis said the CLV will feature two 12,000-ton cable carousels, including a concentric carousel, enabling installation of longer continuous…