Well Operations News

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…

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…

Deployable Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hornbeck Offshore to transform five strategic maritime and offshore markets through the utilization of Deployable Energy's Unity Nuclear Battery. Hornbeck Offshore has also made a strategic investment in Deployable Energy.The collaboration will combine Deployable Energy's transportable microreactor technology with Hornbeck Offshore's marine operating fleet expertise to develop maritime nuclear applications in inland waterways…

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…

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict remained uncertain, while disruptions to oil flows through key shipping routes persisted.Front-month Brent futures LCOc1 rose $1.04, or 1.24%, to $84.81 a barrel by 0800 GMT after dropping 7% in the previous session to a three-week low.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was up 30 cents, or 0.37%, at $80.64 a barrel after falling more than 5% in the previous session to its lowest in nearly a week.Prices had dropped after U.S.

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…

Bordelon Marine has completed the conversion and redelivery of the MV Lilly Bordelon, a Stingray Series 260 Class DP-2 Ultra-Light Intervention Vessel (ULIV).Repurposed from an existing platform, the Lilly Bordelon has been transformed into a subsea intervention vessel designed to deliver solutions for offshore operations. The vessel features over 5,500 sq. ft. of clear deck space, a mezzanine deck supporting two work-class ROVs, with an integrated ROV control room.Equipped with a 60-ton active heave-compensated crane with over 3…

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.

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

Western Australian premier Roger Cook said on Wednesday he had been "assured" by federal Resources Minister Madeleine King that a new government policy of reserving 20% of gas output for domestic use would not harm his state's large LNG industry."Maddie King is a very good friend of mine, she's my local member of parliament (and) we’ve talked at length about this and she is determined to make sure that it doesn’t have an adverse impact in terms of Western Australia’s established practice…

Brent crude futures rose more than 2% on Tuesday after the U.S. military carried out strikes in Iran, keeping markets on edge as a deal to end the war and open up the Strait of Hormuz remained elusive.Brent futures LCOc1 were up $2.36, or 2.5%, to $98.50 a barrel as of 0630 GMT, after settling 7% lower in the previous session.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was at $91.95 a barrel, up slightly from Monday's last traded price but down $4.65, or 4.8%, from Friday's close. There was no settlement on Monday due to the U.S.

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.

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has demonstrated autonomous docking, charging and redeployment capabilities for its WAM-V autonomous surface vehicle as part of efforts to support longer-duration offshore operations.The company said the system enables the maritime drone to approach a dock, secure itself, recharge and return to operation without human intervention.OPT is preparing the technology for integration with its PowerBuoy platform to create offshore charging points capable…

CoreMarine & Jumbo Offshore have announced the award of a significant contract to perform the transport and installation of the soft-yoke (SSY) mooring systems, and hook-up of both the Hilli Episeyo FLNG and MKII FLNG vessels, in Argentina’s Golfo San Matías. The award represents a milestone for both companies as well as a breakthrough project for Argentina’s gas sector as it ramps up in export capabilities.The contract has been awarded by Southern Energy S.A. (SESA), supported by an international consortium comprising Pan American Energy, YPF, Pampa Energía, Harbour Energy, and Golar LNG.

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 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed update to the Santa Clara Unit Development and Production Plan, which includes the use of hydraulic fracturing on 16 existing wells at Platform Gilda, located 8.8 miles offshore Ventura County, California.BOEM has deemed the plan complete and is launching an environmental review under the Department of the Interior’s “Alternative Arrangements for NEPA Compliance During a National Energy Emergency,” published on the April 23, 2025.

President Donald Trump's administration said on Monday that it had reached a deal to end two more U.S. offshore wind leases in exchange for $885 million in pledged investments in domestic fossil fuels.The projects, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific, are managed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between France's ENGIE and Portugal's EDP Renewables.The announcement comes a month after French energy giant TotalEnergies reached a similar agreement with the Interior Department to redirect $1 billion from offshore wind leases to U.S. oil and gas production.

Prysmian, a leader in energy and data wire and cabling solutions, recently announced changes to its leadership structure in North America to further strengthen the company’s market position in the region. 2025 marked the best year yet for Prysmian, with global revenues reaching USD$23.08 billion (€20 billion). North America’s net profit exceeded $9 billion, accounting for 40% of the company’s total sales. Over the past two years, Prysmian’s North American footprint has grown through the acquisitions of Encore Wire and Channell…