Norwegian minister of petroleum and energy, Kjell-Børge Freiberg, will start cutting the first sheet for the topside of the Johan Castberg vessel at Kværner's yard at Stord. The construction will create major ripple effects throughout Norway.

The Newton Labs M3200UW Underwater Laser Scanner was recently used in a high accuracy laser survey of a drill center by DOF Subsea.

Rough seas with wave heights up to 50% above the stipulated heavy weather testing requirements proved no obstacle for VIKING’s innovative LifeCraft™ system, paving the way for cruise ship operators worldwide to benefit from all the advantages that this new hybrid - intended to replace lifeboats/liferafts - has to offer.

Explorers interested in Argentina’s upcoming offshore bid round will benefit from a new geological study which constrains the timing and structural context for Triassic to Early Cretaceous basin development prior to and during continental rifting of the South Atlantic Ocean. This new framework for basin evolution will inform exploration strategy and reduce investment risk in the unexplored and underexplored Argentina and Falklands regions.

Aberdeen-based company EC-OG has been using Nortek’s Aquadopp current profiler to ensure that tests of its innovative subsea power generator were based on reliable ocean current data.

Production still growing despite looming capacity constrains in Permian

McDermott International, Inc. has announced a contract award for concept and engineering services for Talos Energy Inc. for the Zama field development project – the first offshore Mexico block awarded to a private operator. The contract award is for engineering services, including concept selection and follow-on pre-FEED.

Leading international oilfield services company, Expro, has strengthened the opening of its new purpose-built facilities in Baku, winning a four-year contract extension for BP’s Shah Deniz Stage 2 project.

Ten months after the final assembly of the offshore substation (OSS) for the new Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm started at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV), the substation topside has now been moved outside the construction hall so that further outfitting can take place.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has launched ‘The Fender Quality Framework’, a new online resource hub designed to help port owners, operators, and specifiers take a smarter approach to fender design and selection.

Arundo Analytics, a software company enabling advanced analytics in heavy industry, and Dell Technologies announces the launch of the IoT Bundle at The Royal Norwegian Consulate Shipping Conference held in Houston, Texas. The bundle consists of Dell Edge Gateway 5100 series devices combined with Arundo Edge Agent software.

Damen Shipyards Group has handed over four new Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2610 to Allianz Middle East Ship Management. The handover took place between Ahmed T. Khalil, general manager of Allianz, Menno Kuyt, managing director Maritime Craft Services (MCS) and Pascal Slingerland, Damen regional sales director.

Rimorchiatori Spezzini, a subsidiary of the Scafi Group, has contracted Damen Shipyards Group for two new Damen ASD Tugs 2411. The order comes as part of Scafi’s plans to expand its fleet in response to the newly assigned harbour towage concession in the port of Safi, Morocco.

Enpro Subsea announces that it has reached a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Kosmos Energy (formerly Deep Gulf Energy) aimed at providing enhanced subsea architecture and smart standardization via Enpro’s patented Flow Access Module (FAM) technology.

The consolidation between GulfMark and Tidewater is a positive for the market. With Tidewater’s steadfast and unyielding attitude towards the scrapping of non-performing vessels, this is a good chance for the market to reduce some of its oversupply. Hopefully with this new entity taking the lead, other market players might follow suit.

In September, MacArtney Singapore delivered a TRIAXUS ROTV with customized sensor payload to the Chinese Academy of Science for oceanographic research projects in the South China Sea.