Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced the award of a contract worth $1.53 billion (AED 5.62 billion) to ADNOC Drilling. The award supports the expansion of ADNOC’s offshore operations and its objective to responsibly increase production capacity and meet the growing global demand for reliable, lower carbon intensity oil and gas.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA), an international marine environmental consultancy, has opened a new corporate office in Suriname to help meet the growing demand for expert marine environmental, geophysical, and geotechnical services in Latin America, most notably from the offshore energy sector amid increased exploration and drilling activity in the Guyana-Suriname basin.

As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goals of permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and deploying 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced it has completed its environmental review of potential impacts from offshore wind energy leasing activities in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA), located 20 miles offshore central California.

GTMaritime has appointed Richard White as its new Global Commercial Director, with a brief to drive further growth at the leading provider of secure maritime data communications software. GTMaritime currently delivers solutions to over 12,500 vessels, including some of the largest ship owners and operators in the world.

T. Parker Host (Host) announces the grand opening of the former Avondale Shipyards as Avondale Global Gateway. The former shipyard has been transformed during the past four years since its acquisition into a global logistics hub for intermodal commerce.

Situated on the Mississippi River, Avondale Global Gateway combines river, road and rail connections with ample storage and laydown space with a strategic location. Accommodating ships, barges, rail and trucks, the site offers immediate access to regional and interstate highway systems and is positioned at the interchange of six Class I railroads, creating capability to distribute cargo in all directions. Space is plentiful at Avondale, with almost 300 acres of for development directly ashore and 1.5 million square feet of convertible warehouse or manufacturing space, including indoor and outdoor Foreign Trade Zone storage.

“I am proud to be part of the Host team that took on the herculean task of transforming the former shipyard upon our acquisition in 2018,” Adam Anderson, CEO of T. Parker Host, said. “We have taken a site with great bones and repurposed it into a working, world-class multi-modal terminal with fully operating docks, working buildings and rail access at the site for the first time in half a century. Renaming the site to Avondale Global Gateway better represents what Avondale is now and will become as we continue our efforts.”

Since beginning cargo operations in 2020, Host has moved well over a million tons of breakbulk, bulk and project cargo across the docks and now has 300 employees on-site to support this continued growth with the expectation of hiring another 50 employees before the end of the year. Host has invested over $100 million in the redevelopment of the site and up to $1 billion in capital investments is expected by Host and current and future tenants, according to a recent economic impact study released by Dr. Stephen Barnes, director of the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center. The master plan is expected to create a total economic impact of $32 billion in output and increase Louisiana payrolls by $8.6 billion by 2027.

“We felt the responsibility of bringing this site back into commerce in a way that pays tribute to its pasts and its connection to this community. The next phase of our redevelopment is to bring on anchor tenants that add value to Avondale,” said Anderson. “Now that we are open and fully capable of handling cargo with our cranes, docks and transportation connections we are looking to the future and how we can add value to the region in the form of jobs and economic development.”

Avondale has a long history as one of the state’s top economic drivers and at one point was home to the largest employer in the State of Louisiana. Before the 2018 acquisition by Host and Hilco Redevelopment Partners (Hilco), the site had fallen into disrepair with no docks, no rail connections and dilapidated buildings. Host worked through the challenges of record high water on the Mississippi River, which restricted work on all waterfront properties and the COVID-19 pandemic transforming the idle site into a global economic gateway.

Excel Guyana Inc. announces the launching of Excel’s Marine and Offshore Services Division to serve the growing needs of the local marine and offshore oil & gas exploration sectors. The launch and strategic growth of this division will be led by Mr. Steve Sinanan, a 30-year veteran in the marine and offshore services industry.

In 2020, CMA CGM ordered HydroPen™ sets to equip its larger containerships. The latest order means that CMA CGM will use the system on over 270 ships.

ADC Energy Ltd (ADC) formally known as Aberdeen Drilling Consultants Ltd, through its local partner, Onyx IES Sdn. Bhd. (Onyx) has secured a three-year contract to deliver its rig integrity and inspection services to PETRONAS Carigali Sdn.Bhd (PCSB), a subsidiary of PETRONAS. PETRONAS is a global energy and solutions partner and ranked amongst the largest corporations in Fortune Global 500 ®.

On October 6th Corvus Energy, a world's leading producer of battery systems for the ocean space, opened a brand-new test area for hydrogen fuel cells at their production site in Bergen, Norway.

As part of the H2NOR project, Corvus is going full blast with the development and production of sustainable, large-scale maritime-certified hydrogen fuel cell systems, with Toyota onboard as key partner and supplier of mass-produced fuel cell technology.

In March the project received Approval in Principle (AiP) by DNV and the test area is an important part of the prototype testing and validation. The test area was officially opened by Vice County Mayor of Vestland County Municipality, Natalia Golis (The Greens).

Thor Humerfelt, Senior Vice President Product Architect of Corvus Energy explains, “Batteries and fuel cells are complementary products, and they need to work together in order to achieve optimal efficiency and extended lifetime. We will test multiple combinations of batteries and fuel cells for various operational profiles, and this is why the test site is so unique and important. In the end, we will have a system that will give recommendations for the vessel’s crew on the most optimal operation." He continues: "Corvus Energy has extensive knowledge in battery systems and marine safety. Through cooperation with Toyota, the world leader in fuel cell technology, we are now able to combine the best from both companies’ expertise.”

Thor Humerfelt, Senior Vice President Product Architect of Corvus Energy, Natalia Golis and Ivan Østvik, Project Manager Hydrogen of Norled. Photo: Marius Knutsen, Maritime CleanTech

Emerging market for hydrogen solutions

"The interest in hydrogen as a marine fuel is increasing significantly. A dedicated marine and optimized hydrogen fuel cell solution is a vital step toward the decarbonization of shipping. Being able to test both battery and fuel cell systems together and make them work in perfect harmony will potentially revolutionize the global maritime industry," Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy, said.

Another central project partner, Maritime CleanTech, emphasized the test area and the projects importance related to reducing cost of fuel cells, as well as increasing access to technology:

"Reducing the cost of fuel cells and increasing access to the technology is crucial to accelerate the green transition in the maritime industry. Innovation is hard work – and the validation processes are no quick fixes. Systematic testing and validation ensure the responsible and safe use of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. This test site is a great example of how this should be done," Håvard Tvedte, interim CEO of Maritime CleanTech, said.

Testing of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell system is in full progress.

Corvus Energy aims to have the first marine hydrogen fuel cell system type approved in 2023 and start scalable production and commercial delivery in 2024.

Energy security is essential for social, economic and climate progress and the responsibility of the energy industry in maintaining energy security has never been clearer, according to His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded nearly $39 million in grants to 12 marine highway projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP).

Caledonia Offshore Windfarm has submitted its first major public document, the Offshore Scoping Report, to Marine Scotland.

The Department of the Interior has announced next steps that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will take to comply with congressional direction on oil and gas leasing through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Aker Solutions, in a consortium with Siemens Energy, has been awarded a limited notice to proceed contract from Vattenfall for the Norfolk Boreas offshore wind project off the coast of Norfolk, UK. Photo: Vattenfall

The Middle East, in particular Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, are investing heavily in their respective oil and gas industries and making no bones about their growth and expansion plans.

Decom Engineering (Decom) is developing a new lighter Chopsaw capable of cutting piping and infrastructure in excess of 30” following a successful project on the Pioneering Spirit heavy-lift vessel on behalf of offshore contractor Allseas.