Vessel Hunter News
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US finalises $3.3bn contract for six Arctic Security Cutters
The United States has finalised $3.3bn in contracts for six new Arctic Security Cutters, the Coast Guard's first major new medium-icebreaker fleet in decades. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed a $2.2bn deal…
US LNG exports to Europe fall below half as Asia pulls cargoes
For the first time in nearly two years, less than half of US LNG exports went to Europe last month, as stronger Asian prices and record imports by Egypt diverted cargoes, according to ship-tracking data from LSEG. It is…
SeaBird wins 2D seismic survey contract offshore India
Marine seismic specialist SeaBird Exploration, part of SED Energy Holdings, has won a 2D seismic survey contract offshore India. The company will deploy the Eagle Explorer, expected to begin mobilisation in mid-July, wi…
DOF lands two-year Equinor extension for Skandi Vega
Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF has secured a two-year contract extension for its anchor handling tug supply vessel Skandi Vega. Energy major Equinor exercised options on the 2010-built AHTS, taking the firm charter…
Wison wins EPCIC deal for Ivory Coast Baleine FPSO
China's Wison New Energies has signed the EPCIC contract with Eni and Altera Infrastructure for the Baleine Phase 3 FPSO offshore Ivory Coast. The award carries Wison from FEED through EPCIC execution, underlining its e…
Boskalis debuts world's largest rock installation vessel
Boskalis has put the world's largest subsea rock installation vessel into service, sharply raising its capacity in a key offshore-wind support market. The Dutch marine contractor's new Windpiper has a rock-carrying capa…
Indonesian owners give older LNG carriers a second life
Indonesian owners are continuing to buy up older large LNG carriers, giving laid-up ships a second life just as segment values slide. About a month ago brokers flagged MISC's sale of the 158,000 cu m sisters Seri Balhaf…
Advantage Tankers orders suezmax pair at Samsung
Geneva-based Advantage Tankers has confirmed two suezmax newbuildings at Samsung Heavy Industries. The 157,000 dwt dual-fuel-ready crude tankers Advantage Spirit and Advantage Synergy are listed on the owner's newbuildi…
France fines shadow-fleet tanker owner EUR 1m over false flag
French prosecutors have fined the owner of the shadow-fleet tanker Tagor EUR 1m after the vessel was detained in the Atlantic on suspicion of sailing under a false flag. The 2004-built tanker was stopped by French autho…
Cargo vessel attacked in Red Sea off Yemen
A cargo vessel came under attack in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, a reminder that the region's maritime security crisis is far from resolved. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a distress alert fro…
Panama Canal tightens neopanamax draught limits again
ño over the watershed in the months ahead. It said lake levels and projections would be monitored, with more adjustments if needed. This is not yet a repeat of the severe 2023-24 drought restrictions that slashed bookin…
China's electric cargo ship fleet scales up fast
China is scaling battery-powered shipping faster than anywhere else, moving from pilots into commercial cargo operation, according to new International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) data. China had more than 44…
CMA CGM set to overtake Maersk as world's #2 boxline
é reported by French daily Les Echos. Saadé expects the Marseille-based carrier to move ahead of its Danish rival within roughly 18 months, though Linerlytica data suggests the switch could come as early as July 2027. T…
Brittany Ferries axes two Channel routes over €27m carbon bill
Brittany Ferries is closing two Channel routes and selling two ferries in response to a €27m EU carbon bill, weaker demand and Covid loan repayments.
Bureau Veritas to sell oil and coal testing arm for €470m
Bureau Veritas is in exclusive talks to sell its oil, coal and petrochemicals testing business to Triton Partners for €470m as part of its LEAP 28 portfolio overhaul.
WinGD to power Dynacom’s $1.47bn dozen-VLCC order
WinGD will supply main engines for 12 VLCCs ordered by Dynacom at Hudong-Zhonghua for around $1.47bn, as VLCC contracting breaks annual records.
Danish yard becomes last in Europe servicing Russia’s Arctic LNG fleet
Denmark’s Fayard has become the last European yard maintaining Russia’s Arc7 icebreaking LNG carriers, ahead of an EU ban on such services from 2027.
Report says Jones Act waiver handed US cargo to Chinese-linked ships
A study of the US Jones Act waiver’s first 60 days found no military justification, available US-flag ships, and heavy use of Chinese-built and Chinese-controlled tonnage.
Eni takes 32% of Vaca Muerta blocks feeding Argentina LNG
Eni is acquiring a 32% stake in three Vaca Muerta blocks in Argentina, feeding a floating LNG export project targeting 12m tonnes a year.
Petrobras buys into Equinor’s Itaimbezinho pre-salt block
Petrobras is acquiring a 50% stake in the Equinor-operated Itaimbezinho pre-salt block in Brazil’s Campos Basin, deepening its push into deepwater production.
Cosco and Shell seal four LNG carriers at Jiangnan
Cosco Shipping Energy and Shell have contracted four 175,000-cbm LNG carriers at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard, with the ships set to run on long-term charter to Shell.
SBM Offshore orders seventh Fast4Ward FPSO hull in China
SBM Offshore has ordered its seventh generic Fast4Ward FPSO hull from China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, extending its standardised floating-production programme.
Brazil clears Subsea7-Saipem merger without conditions
Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE has approved the proposed merger of Subsea7 and Saipem without conditions, a milestone for the combination of two leading offshore engineering contractors.
IMCA warns on diver safety as Hormuz reopening drives hull-cleaning surge
The IMCA has warned of high fatality rates in underwater ship husbandry as demand for hull cleaning and inspection surges, with hundreds of vessels returning to service after the Strait of Hormuz reopening.
GasLog LNG carrier lands industry-first ABS smart maintenance notation
A GasLog LNG carrier has become the first vessel to receive ABS’s SMART (MHM) machinery health monitoring notation combined with the class society’s preventative maintenance programme.
DOF wins TotalEnergies FSO replacement contract
DOF has won a contract from TotalEnergies for subsea construction and mooring work to replace the FSO Unity off Nigeria, in a deal it considers large.
Norwegian offshore unions in last-ditch talks to avert wider strike
Norwegian offshore unions have entered state-mediated wage talks to prevent a wider strike, as a separate service dispute already curbs oil and gas output.
Eldorado-Vantage tie-up underlines offshore drilling consolidation
The completed Eldorado-Vantage merger is the latest in a run of offshore drilling deals, with analysts expecting more targeted rig and distressed-asset acquisitions as contractors chase scale.
China opens first zero-carbon sea-river electric container route
China has launched its first sea-river zero-carbon container route, running a 742 teu battery-electric boxship between Jiaxing and Ningbo-Zhoushan as it scales up electric shipping.
Tsakos adds second LNG carrier at HD Hyundai
Tsakos Energy Navigation has ordered a second LNG carrier at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, lifting its newbuilding programme to 20 vessels as it deepens its push into gas shipping.
CMA CGM buys FedEx Supply Chain in $1.4bn US logistics push
CMA CGM is buying FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4bn, folding it into CEVA Logistics and roughly tripling its North American contract logistics business as it pushes beyond ocean shipping.
Pirates board and damage tanker off southern Yemen
Armed pirates boarded and damaged a tanker in the Gulf of Aden south of Yemen, the latest in a spate of attacks that has pushed the regional threat assessment to severe.
Hormuz standoff shifts from access to control
Talks between Washington and Tehran remain stuck over control of the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran pushing joint sovereignty and passage fees while a grounded containership is used to press its case.
AP Moller Holding buys Ocean Yield from KKR
AP Moller Holding is taking full ownership of Norwegian ship-leasing specialist Ocean Yield from KKR, adding a fleet of more than 70 vessels and a $5bn contracted backlog to its growing maritime portfolio.
Australia reports 4,174 marine incidents in 2025
AMSA's Marine Incident Annual Report 2025 records 4,174 incidents across the fleet, including four fatalities and 228 injuries on domestic commercial vessels, with operational shortfalls the leading factor.
Maersk to order 1,000 made-in-India cargo containers
Maersk is set to place a commercial order for 1,000 steel containers with India's DCM Shriram, backing the country's push to break China's near-monopoly on cargo container manufacturing.
ABB to buy Norwegian marine automation specialist Høglund
ABB has agreed to acquire Norwegian marine automation specialist Høglund, whose control systems are installed on more than 600 vessels, for its Marine & Ports division.
El-Sisi reviews Suez Canal rates and marine unit manufacturing
President El-Sisi has reviewed Suez Canal navigation rates and Egypt's local marine manufacturing drive, as canal revenues rose 18.5% in the first half of the 2025/26 fiscal year.
SolarDuck and MARIN win $3.6m for offshore floating power hub
SolarDuck and MARIN have won a $3.6m Dutch subsidy for the Steady Seas program to advance an offshore floating power hub for remote offshore and subsea assets.
Bordelon Marine to provide commercial support vessel for US Coast Guard
The US Coast Guard has awarded Bordelon Marine a contract for a commercial support vessel to deliver supplies and personnel to cutters operating in the Caribbean, the Gulf and other areas under its HSC-Ocean initiative.
Somalia joins 15 maritime conventions
Somalia has acceded to 15 international maritime conventions in a push to tighten its legal framework across ship safety, navigation, pollution response and maritime security.
Artemis launches world-first electric hydrofoil pilot boat
Artemis Technologies has launched what it says is the world's first fully electric hydrofoil pilot boat, the 12-metre EF-12 Pilot, now undergoing sea trials ahead of customer deliveries.
Vitol sails stranded aluminium cargo out of Strait of Hormuz
Vitol has shipped a stranded cargo of about 35,000 tonnes of aluminium out of the Strait of Hormuz, an early sign of normalising trade flows after months of disruption.
France brings detained Deliver tanker to Marseille in flag probe
France has brought the detained tanker Deliver to an anchorage near Marseille for a prosecutor-led investigation into an alleged flag offence, part of a wider European crackdown on shadow-fleet tankers.
DEME orders new 22,000 m3 trailing suction hopper dredger
DEME is strengthening its dredging fleet with the order of a new 22,000 m3 trailing suction hopper dredger, aimed at higher productivity and lower greenhouse gas intensity per dredged cubic metre.
Oceaneering lines up six months of offshore survey work
Oceaneering International has secured about six months of multi-discipline offshore survey work for its Ocean Intervention II vessel, spanning Trinidad and the US Gulf of Mexico.
Aker Solutions lands European offshore wind substation deal
Aker Solutions has won a substantial EPC contract to deliver an HVDC substructure for a European offshore wind project, worth an estimated NOK 2.5bn to 4bn.
Equinor hands Transocean $1bn Norwegian rig deal
Transocean has agreed to deploy three harsh-environment semisubmersible rigs for Equinor on the Norwegian shelf, adding over $1bn in backlog across seven rig years.
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