Decommissioning News

Seadrill Limited, an offshore drilling contractor, Kongsberg Maritime AS, a global technology leader, and Hanwha Drilling, a provider of offshore drilling services, announced a strategic alliance to develop the next generation of remote Dynamic Positioning (DP) technology in offshore drilling.This collaboration represents a shared commitment to defining a global operating model for the future of DP operations for the industry. The initiative will develop the technical and regulatory…

After a softer 2025, floater backlog is strengthening for 2026 and beyond, driven by early contracting, strong South American demand, and a growing pipeline of 2027+ programs.By the close of 2025, total floating rig backlog days had fallen 25% compared with 2024. This was in large part due to few contract awards coming out of Brazil, the world’s biggest user of floating rigs. As of the end of January 2026 however, the number of rig days already booked for this year is up 4% from…

The diplomatic route in Iran is now exhausted, as last night the United States and Israel attacked Iran, sharply escalating security risks for commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters, prompting immediate operational and insurance repercussions across the global maritime sector.According to Jakob Larsen, Chief Safety & Security Officer at BIMCO, the attacks “dramatically increase the security risk to ships operating in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters,” particularly for vessels with business ties to U.S.

Germany’s Ernst Russ has acquired two multi-purpose vessels, MV Ronnie and MV Charlie, as part of its long-term fleet strategy to expand exposure to the project cargo segment and strengthen predictable earnings.The Hamburg-based shipowner said both vessels have been fixed on seven-year charters to dship Carriers, a globally operating European company specialized in project cargo, providing long-term employment and improved cash flow visibility.The vessels, scheduled for handover in the first quarter of 2026…

Seatrium has put in motion a series of non-core asset divestments set to complete by early 2026, targeting over $40 million (S$50 million) in annualized operational cost savings.The Singapore-based offshore and marine group said the savings will follow recent divestments of the AmFELS yard in Texas and the GNL Platform Supply Vessels disclosed in 2025, alongside additional transactions earlier.The company said the divestments form part of its strategy to rationalize non-core assets…

Martens en Van Oord, a contractor in roadworks, civil and hydraulic engineering, is taking a step toward further sustainability and modernization of its fleet by investing in the latest generation of the V4000 autonomous unmanned survey vessel (USV) from Demcon unmanned systems, a specialist in high-tech autonomous vessels for hydrographic and maritime applications. The selected 4‑meter variant provides increased range and longer endurance thanks to the additional hull length…

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has agreed to acquire Valaris in an all-stock transaction valued at about $5.8 billion, creating one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors with a fleet of 73 drilling rigs.The combined company will have an enterprise value of roughly $17 billion, with Transocean shareholders expected to own about 53% of the merged entity and Valaris shareholders the remaining 47% on a fully diluted basis.The transaction will combine fleets to form a portfolio of 73 offshore rigs…

Progress on the BorWin6 Project continues with the successful completion of a fabrication yard milestone in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. Mammoet has completed the transport, loadout and mooring of the 5,461-ton offshore jacket foundation, set to support the BorWin6 offshore converter platform BorWin kappa in the German North Sea. Developed by TenneT and delivered by McDermott International, the BorWin6 offshore grid connection is a 980-megawatt high voltage direct current connection that will transmit offshore wind energy from the German North Sea to the mainland…

MacGregor has been selected to supply a substantial 400-tonne Active Heave Compensated (AHC) subsea crane for a new 127-meter Floating Wind Farm Construction Vessel (FWCV).Purpose-built for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market, the new vessel is a significant development for the industry and requires one of the largest subsea AHC cranes ordered in recent years.The order is booked into MacGregor's first quarter 2026 order intake.The contract for MacGregor is with Chinese shipyard, Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry.

Seatrium has completed divested its AmFELS Yard located at Brownsville in Texas to Karpower Valley, a related party of Karpowership.The divestment, first announced in September 2025 and completed on January 30, 2026, will allow Seatrium to enhance capital and operational efficiencies, while unlocking value from one of its surplus facilities, the company said at the time.All projects carried out at the AmFELS yard have been completed and delivered prior to completion the asset sale…

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract to deliver a comprehensive deck machinery package for a new-generation 127-metre Floating Wind Construction Vessel (FWCV) being built for Hana Shipping of Korea.Scheduled for delivery in July 2027, the FWCV represents one of the most advanced vessels ever designed for floating offshore wind operations and marks the first large FWCV order globally in recent years.The vessel, designed by Focal, will operate at the Ulsan Floating Wind Farm Construction, located 70 km off the coast of Ulsan, Korea.

European governments including Germany, Britain and Denmark will reinforce their plans to massively expand wind power projects on Monday, despite U.S. President Donald Trump stepping up criticism of their green energy agenda, a draft declaration due to be signed by government leaders showed.Trump has been openly critical of European countries' efforts to shift to low-carbon energy.

Belgium-based offshore installation services company DEME has taken delivery of its second new wind turbine installation vessel, Norse Energi, at the CIMC Raffles Shipyard.As the sister vessel of the recently delivered Norse Wind, Norse Energi is purpose‑built to install the next generation of large-scale offshore wind turbines.Featuring advanced technology, exceptional lifting and loading capabilities, and sustainable design features, both vessels will help reinforce DEME’s position at the forefront of offshore wind installation.Designed by GustoMSC and built by CIMC Raffles…

Vard, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has signed a new contract with existing customer Ocean Infinity for the design and construction of four Multi-Purpose Robotic Vessels (MPVs).The contract, whose value exceeds $230 million (€200 million), also includes a comprehensive scope of supply from Vard Electro, which will deliver the full suite of SeaQ systems for remote operations.Also, Vard Interiors, responsible for the complete interior solutions, will combine…

Drydocks World, a unit of Dubai-owned ports and logistics group DP World, has signed a contract with Dixstone Lower Gulf FZCO to convert an LNG carrier into a floating storage unit (FSU) for use in Gabon’s offshore gas development.The engineering, procurement and construction project will see the LNG carrier transformed into the FSU Cap Lopez, supporting Gabon’s floating LNG development by enabling offshore gas liquefaction, storage and export.The project is also expected to contribute…

The offshore division of Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) in Bahrain is on track to deliver its 200th project milestone in the first quarter of 2026. It will be a landmark achievement for ASRY since its Offshore Division was established in 2011 and reinforces ASRY’s expertise in drilling rig repair, upgrade, conversion, and refit work in the Gulf region.ASRY’s Offshore Division is currently carrying out a number of rig projects for a diverse spread of clients, including major offshore drilling companies Valaris…

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…

Saipem has obtained ISO 55001:2024 certification, the international standard for asset lifecycle management, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards operational excellence and offshore sustainability.The certification, issued by DNV, confirms Saipem’s Asset Management system compliance with the most advanced requirements, covering all operational phases - design, procurement, installation, commissioning, maintenance and decommissioning, ensuring a robust and effective “Asset Integrity” framework.The certification applies to Saipem’s entire offshore asset portfolio…

Belgian offshore contractor Jan De Nul has concluded the 2025 transport and installation campaign of three HVAC grid connection cables at TenneT’s DolWin kappa platform.When finalized, these cables will ensure the transport of almost 660 MW renewable electricity from two offshore wind farms, which is enough energy needed to power more than 800,000 German homes.Jan De Nul and partner Hellenic Cables are responsible for design, production, transport, installation and protection of three 155 kV HVAC cables with a total length of 37 km.

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…