Decommissioning specialists Well-Safe Solutions has secured more work for Eni across its assets in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.

The Italian energy major has recently exercised another 90-day option for the Well-Safe Protector jackup under a newly agreed contract amendment. The work on subsea and platform wells is to be executed in direct continuation with the previously declared option, which started last November.

Further longer-term options have also been agreed with Eni, giving the operator an additional 120 days of work to decommission platform wells, along with two further options at 180 days each.

After completing this latest option with Eni, the jackup will move directly onto the Spirit Energy contract Splash reported in November. The unit has already decommissioned 25 wells across Dutch and UK waters since August 2023 for Eni, Ithaca Energy and Neptune Energy.

Additional options with Eni could start immediately after the Spirit Energy work, and if all of them are exercised, the Well-Safe Protector could stay committed until Q4 2026 outside the UK Continental Shelf.

Indian offshore vessel operator Seamec has secured a long-term charter from Saudi-based Safeen Al Behar for the dive support vessel Seamec Swordfish.

The 2007-built DSV has been fixed for 730 days in a deal worth $57.4m.

The charter with extension options attached, will see the vessel utilised in Saudi and UAE waters from March.

Mumbai-based Seamec bought the vessel as Subtech Swordfish from UK marine service provider James Fisher and Sons for $24m in 2022. The unit had previously worked in the Middle East for contractors Zamil Offshore and Mermaid Subsea Services.

Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd has lined up financing for its 24-ship newbuilding spree signed off last year.

The Hamburg-based global carrier said the financing consists of four parts. Around $900 will be financed using the company’s own funds, $500m using bilateral mortgage loans from two banks, $1.8bn will be financed via three leasing structures, and $1.1bn through a syndicated credit facility backed by the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure).

The 24 ships ordered last October for delivery between 2027 and 2029 will be built in China at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and New Times Shipyard and equipped with the latest low-emission and fuel-efficient high-pressure LNG dual-fuel engines. The vessels can also be operated using biomethane and will be ammonia-ready.

The financing will be carried out based on Hapag-Lloyd’s Green Financing Framework, which in turn complies with the standards of the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA).

The green financing covers around 80% of the investment volume, with maturities ranging between 10 and 18 years, the company said.

Once delivered, the ships will add about 312,000 teu of new capacity to the world’s fifth-largest liner.

“We are continuously modernising our fleet in order to deliver a high quality of service and to achieve our ambitious decarbonization goals,” said Mark Frese, chief of finance at Hapag-Lloyd., adding: “The successful conclusion of several attractive financial transactions confirms that green financing components are becoming increasingly important.”

More than 50 years in shipping is ending as Greek kamsarmax specialist Chronos Shipping is letting go of its last ship, the 2012 built, 81,000 dwt Patra, built at  Japan Marine United. The bulker is noted to have been sold by several brokers who tie a price tag of just under $16m to the deal.

Last week, the Greek owner reportedly sold three Japanese-built eco kamsarmaxes to compatriot owners paying generously for Japanese-built eco kamsarmax tonnage, ships still in demand, despite uncertainty in the spot market. 

The Chronos fleet has been sold piece by piece, with brokers reporting that a trio in the 10-year-old age bracket was sold last week. Two Sanoyas-built units were sold.

The 2015-built  82,000 dwt Athina 11 and the one year older, Volos, sold for $25m and $24m each, respectively while the Japan Marine United-built Kleisoura was noted sold for $28m. Several Greek accounts have been tied to theships including Sealestial, Sea Tribute, Polforce, and Brave Maritime. 

Piraeus-based Chronos was founded in 1972, originally making a name for itself in the asphalt transport business, before moving into dry bulk in 2012.

Offshore support services provider Interocean Marine Services has won a three-year contract to provide marine vetting and assurance to the Morgan, Mona, and Morven offshore wind projects.

The three projects are being developed under a joint venture between energy giant BP and Energie Württemberg (EnBW).

Morgan and Mona are located in the Irish Sea approximately 22-37 km from the coast, covering a combined area of approximately 580 sq km.

Situated in the North Sea, approximately 60 km from the coast of Aberdeen, Morven spans an area of approximately 860 sq km, with water depths varying from 21 to 76 m.

With a total projected generating capacity of 5.9GW – enough to power the equivalent of around six million UK households annually – the three wind farms are expected to contribute to the UK’s target of 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

“As a UK headquartered company, we take immense pride in supporting initiatives that have the potential to enhance energy security and benefit local communities,” said Alex Reid, Interocean COO.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has pulled the plug on the state’s fourth offshore wind solicitation due to the withdrawal of prospective bidders and Shell freezing its involvement with the Atlantic Shores offshore wind project.

There were three initial bidders in the fourth solicitation with two withdrawing and only Atlantic Shores submitted a best and final offer.

“A number of reasons led to this decision, notably Shell backing out as an equity partner in the Atlantic Shores project and backing away from the American clean energy market, as well as uncertainty driven by federal actions and permitting. The Board concluded that an award in New Jersey’s fourth offshore wind solicitation, despite the manifold benefits the industry offers to the state, would not be a responsible decision at this time,” said Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of NJBPU.

The Board was initially supposed to announce its latest round of offshore wind power agreements in December but decided to wait for what would happen when president Donald Trump took over the White House.

One of his first moves on his first day as president was to sign an executive order stopping new offshore wind leases on the country’s outer continental shelf.

Through the order, the Interior Department was instructed to lead a review of the environmental impacts of offshore wind leasing in collaboration with the Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce departments. It also directs the review to analyze offshore wind’s effects on bird and marine mammal life.

However, these areas could still be considered for oil, gas or mineral extraction as well as environmental conservation.

American Clean Power Association CEO, Jason Grumet, said that the decision to cancel this offshore wind procurement is a direct consequence of the uncertainty created by the recently issued executive order.

“Each offshore wind project represents a multibillion-dollar investment in American infrastructure. While the merits of each project must be evaluated based on the economic and energy needs of state and local interests, US offshore wind represents the critical investment necessary to maintain our nation’s competitive energy advantage,” he said.

New Jersey approved three offshore wind developments which were supposed to be part of the solicitation round – Atlantic Shores southern project, Attentive Energy Two, and Leading Light Wind. There used to be four projects but Ørsted cancelled its Ocean Wind project in 2023.

But, considering these recent developments and the order signed by Trump, the consortium of TotalEnergies, Corio Generation, and Rise Light & Power pulled its Attentive Energy Two project from the bidding process, just as Invenergy and energyRe did for Leading Light.

Atlantic Shores has a different situation where Shell abandoned its involvement in the project and took a nearly $1b write-down on the project. Also, a proposal for a second Atlantic Shores project was declined by the Board. Despite all this, the other partner in the project, EDF, said it would be pushing forward with the already permitted project.

More pilot use is recommended in Gibraltar, according to a new accident report surrounding one of the most high-profile casualties to hit the British overseas territory in recent years.

On August 29 2022, the OS35 bulk carrier was departing the Bay of Gibraltar anchorage and collided with the LNG carrier Adam LNG. The impact caused a breach in holds two and three of the OS35, leading to the vessel’s controlled beaching to the east of Gibraltar, where it was subsequently dismantled with the ship becoming a feature of the tiny British territory’s coastline for many months.

The investigation found that the master and bridge team of the OS35 did not monitor the manoeuvre out of the Western Anchorage effectively and made an error in their understanding of the effects of the tidal flow and wind.

The Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) has been recommended to consider introducing compulsory pilotage for vessels departing from the Western Anchorage.

Had a pilot been onboard the report suggests that the manoeuvre astern by the OS35 would not have been their chosen option for the location and conditions that were found on the day. Had the OS35’s turn to port been initiated as the anchor was being lifted there was sufficient sea room to continue moving ahead and turn to port to depart the anchorage to the west.

There was also suitable sea room to pass between the vessels ahead, which would have provided greater control of the vessel than by manoeuvring astern, where the manoeuvre is more difficult to control and monitor.

Flex LNG has set out to leave the Oslo Stock Exchange in favour of listing its shares solely in the US.

The Øystein Kalleklev-led company, backed by John Fredriksen, plans to present its plan for voluntary delisting from Oslo in May.

Flex, which also trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), said the move was driven by the relatively high costs of maintaining a dual listing, specifically the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Central Securities Depository Regulation (CSDR), which would drive administrative costs of complying with dual reporting requirements.

The company with 13 LNG carriers in its fleet also noted that the majority of its trading takes place in the US and that loss of Oslo trading should be mitigated by NYSE’s plan to increase its trading hours.

“Having to deal with two sorts of regulations, which is quite costly in terms of consultants, auditors, and such, and given the fact that 95% of our trading today is on the NYSE…we have decided to propose to the board to delist in Oslo and save that money and focus on one set of requirements instead of having to deal with two conflicting sets of reporting,” Flex LNG chief executive Kalleklev told investors at the fourth quarter earnings presentation.