Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract for the design and integrated equipment package for a new walk-to-work offshore service vessel (OSV), to be built by ST Engineering Marine in Singapore for an oil and gas company.

The 97-metre vessel of Kongsberg Maritime UT 5520 design will accommodate 106 people and features a motion-compensated gangway to enable safe transfer of personnel between to and from offshore installations.

The new design is a further development of Kongsberg Maritime’s extensive range of vessel types for the offshore energy market.

It builds on recent experience with the successful UT5519DE commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs), which are deployed on offshore wind projects in the North Sea.

The vessel is designed for oil and gas operations and will have a greater endurance of up to nine weeks away from shore, compared to a CSOV industry standard of four weeks.

“We are delighted to have been chosen by ST Engineering Marine to supply our latest UT5520 vessel design and an extensive range of Kongsberg Maritime technology for this new vessel.

“Our design teams have drawn on our extensive know-how from decades of offshore operations, to provide a vessel that is optimised for long-distance offshore operations, where…

Finland-based Valmet has booked an order for a marine methanol fuel automation control system for two cable-laying vessels (CLVs) being built for Jan de Nul in China.

The vessels will be built in the China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) shipyard for Jan De Nul, a company providing engineering solutions in maritime and offshore energy infrastructure and construction projects.

The value of the order will not be disclosed.

“Valmet has experience in green fuel supply system control. Their technical expertise can add value to our operations,” said Philippe Hermans, Manager Vessel Construction, Jan De Nul.

“Valmet DNA has strong processing capability and reliability, which can meet the high safety standard of Jan De Nul. I am confident the investment will support Jan De Nul in leading a green and low-carbon operating model in the subsea cable business,” added Gavin Wang, Marine Sales Manager, Automation Systems, Valmet.

In May 2024, Jan De Nul ordered the second XL CLV, identical to the Fleeming Jenkin, which boasts ‘unrivalled cable-carrying capacity’.

Like the Fleeming Jenkin, the vessel will be 215 meters long and can transport 28,000 tonnes of cables.

The vessels will be able to lay cables in both shallow and ultra-deep waters up to…

The Shenandoah floating production system (FPS) has been transported to the Gulf of America ahead of wet tow and offshore installation at the Shenandoah deepwater field at Walker Ridge project site, developed by Texas-based exploration and production company Beacon Offshore Energy.

On December 13, 2024 the Shenandoah FPS sailed away from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, where it was built.

COSCO Shipping and Guangzhou Salvage Heavy Transport (CSGS) delivered the Beacon Offshore Energy’s Shenandoah FPS to Ingleside, Texas, on February 10, 2025.

The 26,050 metric ton FPS was transported to the Gulf of America onboard the 80,000mt dwt semi-submersible vessel Xin Yao Hua.

The Shenandoah FPS was scheduled to arrive to Kiewit Offshore Services’ fabrication yard in Ingleside for limited final preparations and regulatory inspections to be followed by wet tow and offshore installation at the Shenandoah Walker Ridge project site.

The Shenandoah FPS will be placed into service with a nameplate capacity of 120,000 bopd. Mooring pile installation has been completed with infield pipelay activities to be performed in the first quarter of 2025.

The 102-mile, 18-inch SYNC oil export pipeline installation and associated upgrades to…

Belgian offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has secured a contract for the installation of monopiles for 72 offshore wind turbines that will make up the 1.1 GW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.

Inch Cape offshore wind farm, being developed by ESB and Red Rock Renewables as equal joint owners, recently reached financial close and is now progressing into construction.

In that regard, Jan De Nul has been contracted for the installation of the monopile foundations with the offshore heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, starting in late 2025.

The monopiles are up to 110 meters long and weigh up to 2,500 tonnes, equal to the weight of about 2,500 average cars.

They will be loaded at a newly built quayside at the entrance to the Port of Leith in Edinburgh.

The project will mark third consecutive assignment for Jan de Nul’s heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, which is customized for the transport and installation of offshore energy infrastructure.

In December 2024, the vessel finished her first project, installing 107 monopile foundations on German wind farms Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3.

In spiring 2025, the vessel will continue operations with the installation of 72 monopiles on RWE’s Thor, Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date.

At…

Detention and demurrage charges are among the most persistent and costly challenges in freight forwarding and supply chains. Forwarders, importers, and exporters operate in a chaotic, high-volume environment with fragmented ecosystems and contracts that differ by carrier, port, cargo type, currency, and customer terms. D&D charges range from $75 to $300 per container, per day. 

The sheer complexity of navigating carrier tariffs, port-specific regulations, and last-minute policy changes makes it nearly impossible to accurately calculate and control D&D costs, creating financial strain and operational chaos.

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Windward’s D&D Automation solution eliminates inefficiencies by providing a real-time, automated approach to detention and demurrage management. The platform takes into account customer-specific tariffs, account port-specific terms, free…

Global demand for liquefied natural gas is estimated to rise by around 60% by 2040, driven largely by economic growth in Asia, AI impact and efforts to cut emissions in heavy industries and transportation, Shell said in an annual report on Tuesday.

Demand for natural gas continues to rise globally as the world transitions to cleaner fuels. Industry forecasts LNG demand to reach between 630 million and 718 million metric tons a year by 2040, Shell said in its 2025 annual LNG outlook.

The latest view from the world’s largest LNG trader is higher than last year’s forecast, which pegged global LNG demand in 2040 at 625 million to 685 million tons per year.

“Upgraded forecasts show that the world will need more gas for power generation, heating and cooling, industry and transport to meet development and decarbonisation goals,” said Tom Summers, Shell’s senior vice president for LNG marketing and trading.

China, the world’s top LNG importer, and India are increasing LNG import capacity and gas related infrastructure to meet rising demand, Shell added.

Natural gas imports into China are forecast to rise this year as economic stimulus plans lift industrial demand, although trade tensions with the U.S. may cap growth.

China saw total natural gas imports,…

Spanish wind propulsion systems supplier bound4blue has installed its eSAIL wind assisted propulsion system on Pacific Sentinel tanker, owned by Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS).

Three 22-meter, DNV-Type Approved eSAILs were installed on the 50,000 dwt Pacific Sentinel in under a day per unit, as planned, bound4blue said.

The installation occurred during a scheduled vessel drydock, with preparatory work completed in advance.

The fully autonomous wind assisted propulsion system will help the vessel reduce overall energy consumption with forecasted energy consumption savings of around 10% depending on vessel routing, slashing OPEX and emissions to air and enhancing regulatory compliance.

The Spanish-based wind pioneer has undertaken a fast-track ‘single-stop’ process, ensuring minimal vessel downtime with all work undertaken during planned vessel maintenance at the shipyard. 

The fast-track installation combined vessel groundwork, such as fitting pedestals for the eSAILs and welding, with the simultaneous preparation and programming of the sails.

The installation was also completed in collaboration with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), ensuring compliance with the highest classification and safety standards.

EPS, which signed the agreement for…