Renewables News

Our fascination with the depths of the ocean revealed itself in some of our most-read stories of 2025.What’s really down there? asked New Wave Media President Greg Trauthwein in his interview with Matt Grove, Regional Segment Manager Offshore at Seequent in September, in the most watched Offshore Engineer TV show.Working underneath the world’s waters is a challenge in and of itself, a challenge exacerbated if an operator does not have a clear picture of the make-up of the seabed with insights on the potential traps that might await.

Poland allocated 3.4 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in its first competitive offshore wind auction, the country's energy regulator URE said on Thursday, a boost for the renewable energy sector after setbacks in neighbouring markets.The auction was seen as a test of investor confidence in offshore wind, coming after U.S. President Donald Trump's opposition to renewables effectively froze the U.S. market and recent auctions in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands failed to draw bidders.Poland awarded 25-year contracts at a price range of 476.88 zlotys ($133.09) and 492.32 zlotys per megawatt hour…

Jumbo Offshore has signed two contracts for the Transport and Installation (T&I) of Transition Pieces (TPs) for an upcoming offshore wind farm development.Jumbo Offshore will install the TPs using one of its two DP2 heavy-lift vessels during the project campaigns.In addition to T&I, the awarded scope includes full management and operation of the marshalling yard.This includes responsibility for receiving the TPs from the transport vessel at the quayside, transferring them to the storage area…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has secured an extension to its existing frame agreement with Equinor for the provision of subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services.As a part of the renewal, DeepOcean will deploy specialized IMR vessels, along with comprehensive subsea services, throughout 2026 and into 2027.The scope of work also includes onshore engineering and project management services for various subsea operations.With this contract, DeepOcean will deliver uninterrupted IMR activities for Equinor from 2006 to 2035…

Crude oil production in the United States is booming, reports Poten & Partners in its weekly opinion.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil reached 13.8 Million barrels per day (Mb/d) in September 2025, a remarkable recovery since bottoming out in 2008 below 5 Mb/d.The shale oil boom was primarily responsible for this turnaround. The decision to allow crude oil exports from the U.S. at the end of 2015 also contributed, because it made U.S. crude accessible to the international market. This export access converged U.S.

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 Petrobras for its safety-enhancing “sandwich hull” design concept for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) tanks.The design uses parts of longitudinal and transverse elements constructed with steel-concrete-steel sandwich structures that allow tanks to remain free of internal obstructions, promising to improve operational efficiency during tank inspections and enabling activities to be performed using remotely operated tools and automated devices such as robots.ABS completed design reviews based on class requirements.

As COP30 kicks off its second week in Brazil, much has changed since the landmark Paris climate agreement was penned 10 years ago.The spirit of cooperation that once reigned has been shattered by economic rivalries and a stark divergence in climate policies among the world’s biggest polluters.The landmark UN COP21 climate agreement signed in Paris on December 12, 2015 saw 195 nations commit to setting binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels.

Noatum Maritime, Siemens Energy and Green Parrot Tech (GPT) have signed a partnership agreement to explore collaboration in the offshore renewable energy sector.Noatum Maritime, an AD Ports Group company, Siemens Energy and GPT plan to combine their capabilities to support the development of offshore renewable infrastructure including substations and power grid networks.The partnership aims to integrate expertise in electrical systems, engineering and design, subsea solutions…

Eneos Holdings, Japan's top oil refiner which has been expanding into renewable energy, on Wednesday warned of the surging cost of developing its offshore wind project, with its CEO saying returns were difficult to achieve.Eneos unit, Japan Renewable Energy, won a government auction to develop the Happo-Noshiro 375-megawatt offshore wind project in Japan's northern Akita prefecture together with Spain's Iberdrola and Tohoku Electric Power Co in March 2024.

A new generation of hybrid vessels is demonstrating significant gains in both fuel economy and operational output. For Olympic Subsea’s owner and CEO Stig Remøy, it proves that technology-led efficiency is the fastest path to decarbonization—and a powerful business case.When Stig Remøy began pivoting Olympic Subsea toward subsea and renewables a decade ago, the move was met with some internal skepticism. “Naturally, there were internal discussions — some believed oil and gas was the future,” he recalled.

Vard Electro, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri-owned Vard Group, has signed an agreement with the German shipyard Lloyd Werft for the delivery of complete automation and power management systems to a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) currently being converted into a research vessel.The scope of supply covers the removal of the vessel’s existing automation systems, replacing it with Vard Electro’s advanced SeaQ Integrated Automation System (IAS) and SeaQ Power Management System (PMS)…

Mermaid Subsea Services (UK) has completed a fast-track subsea recovery campaign in the North Sea for a major operator.The operation involved the internal and external severance of casing, conductor, guide pipe and cement lines, as well as local seabed excavation and recovery of the CAN-Basic structure.Mermaid also handled waste management of recovered items and backfill operations to prepare for an over-trawl survey. “This was a time-critical project, and our team responded with professionalism and agility to ensure safe and efficient delivery.

Offshore wind developers and equipment suppliers are bracing for a slowdown in business in France where a political crisis has stalled changes to the country's energy framework and government tenders.The threat of a further hit to France's economy comes after data released on Friday shows business activity declined faster than expected in October.President Emmanuel Macron has churned through six prime ministers in two years as a fractured legislature struggles to agree on a belt-tightening budget.

Belgian marine contractor Jan De Nul has launched its newest cable laying vessel (CLV), the Fleeming Jenkin, at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China, which has now entered the final phase of construction ahead of delivery planned for second half of 2026.The 215-meter-long vessel has a loading capacity of 28,000 tonnes, making it the world’s largest of its kind.Jan De Nul will use the vessel to install subsea cables for the transmission of renewable energy, as the Fleeming Jenkin was specifically designed to install longer and heavier cables in ultra-deep waters up to 3…

Rigs drilling beneath the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico will drive U.S. oil industry growth this year and next as onshore production slows due to lower prices and maturing shale fields, and analysts and consultants expect the trend to continue as new technology and friendly regulations attract investment offshore.The offshore oil and gas sector took a backseat to shale in recent years because drilling at sea requires years of construction work and higher upfront investments. Entry costs were lower for shale production and returns quicker, so rapid expansion in shale made the U.S.

Norwegian offshore supply vessel owner DOF Group has secured long-term contracts for two of its vessels with Petrobras for work offshore Brazil.The contracts, with a combined value of approximately $200 million, are for Skandi Chieftain high-spec subsea vessel and Skandi Olympia DP2 construction support vessel.The vessels have been awarded four-year charters with Petrobras.Both vessels will operate with one WROV and are expected to be delivered in October 2026.The contracts follow the same competitive tender process that resulted in the contract awards for DOF’s Skandi Achiever…

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…

Norway-based subsea well intervention and installation services company AKOFS Offshore has signed a firm contract with Petrobras, for its subsea equipment support vessel AKOFS Santos, which will continue to operate offshore Brazil.Following a competitive tender process, the vessel will continue to perform services as a multi-purpose supply vessel (MPSV) for Petrobras in Brazil under a new contract.The contract has a duration of four years, with operations expected to start in January 2027…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has been awarded a SIMOPRO – simultaneous marine operation and production – installation contract by Equinor on the Norwegian continental shelf.DeepOcean’s scope of work entails SIMOPRO installation work on both the Åsgård and Visund fields. The company will undertake onshore project management, engineering and procurement services as well as offshore operations.A SIMOPRO operation refers to a complex offshore job where marine construction or…

Maritime Developments (MDL) has secured a subsea installation project in the Asia-Pacific region, covering the lay of two cables and two umbilicals.The work will be done in water depths between 800 and 1,200 meters.For the 60-day campaign, scheduled to mobilize from Singapore in 2026, MDL will provide a complete flex-lay spread, including one of the company’s Horizontal Lay Systems – a compact integrated package proven globally on installation and decommissioning scopes - mobilized…

The Dutch government will grant around 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) in subsidies next year for the construction of offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 2 gigawatt (GW), it said on Tuesday.Tenders for the wind farms had been put on hold in May, as prospective builders had said they saw no viable business case without subsidies.The Netherlands last year already pushed back plans to increase offshore wind capacity from 4.7 GW to 21 GW to the end of 2032 instead of 2030, citing costs and supply chain difficulties.($1 = 0.8450 euros)(Reuters)

The Port of Tyne has unveiled plans to invest around $200 million to redevelop 230 acres into the Tyne Clean Energy Park, adding 400 meters of deep-water quayside to support offshore renewables, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.The project could create up to 12,000 jobs and deliver $7.6 billion to the economy, according to an independent study by WSP.The investment program will transform the north and south banks of the Port of Tyne and add an additional 400 meters of deep-water quayside.The plan for Tyne Clean Energy Park includes a kilometer of both new and redeveloped deep-water…