Several top energy executives were dropped from the schedule of the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, as Saudi authorities pressed ahead with the event despite deadly attacks on the capital claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and BP had all been expected at the event, which began on Sunday, but were no longer on the agenda that conference organizers released early Monday.
Iran is still reviewing a US response to its proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington via intermediaries when the review is over, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.Baghaei also told a press conference that Iran continues to exchange messages via intermediaries, without elaborating. Qatar and Pakistan, among others, have acted as mediators in efforts to end the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia proposed a European Union ban on Friday on Russian grain exports through the bloc in a letter addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.The Baltic states are seeking to end shipments of Russian grain through their ports after Moscow stepped up the transits in response to attacks by Ukraine on its Black Sea ports, with Estonia last week announcing the first ban."The EU must not become a channel through which Russia compensates for the economic consequences of its own aggression," the letter read.
Oil fell on Friday as Middle East supply concerns eased after President Donald Trump said the US would not attack Iran before midterm elections next month and talked of "productive" talks to end their war that has disrupted global energy markets.Plans by China, the world's top oil importer, to resume refined fuel exports after a brief halt during its Golden Week holiday, also weighed on the market. Reuters reported the development on Friday, citing sources.Brent crude futures dropped $1.10, or 1.1%, to $103.18 a barrel by 1328 GMT.
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, British navy affiliated agency UKMTO said, citing multiple sources.While there was no claim of responsibility, maritime security sources said on Friday that the strike was outside of the Hormuz area and indicated a widening of risk for ships.Earlier this week a tanker was struck off the coast of Qatar inside the Gulf.
Robosys Automation, a developer of intelligent marine autonomy systems, took part in a test campaign with its VOYAGER AI Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) software at MARIN (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands) against the 55 recognized DNV benchmark marine traffic scenarios.Robosys contributed in MARINs development program of the Autonomy Testbed, a testbeddesignated to test, compare and, once mature, be able to validate Collision Avoidance systems.
Abu Dhabi-based NMDC Group has inaugurated its new Abu Al Bakhoush heavy-duty cutter suction dredger in Nantong, China, expanding its fleet of more than 170 vessels and strengthening its capacity for offshore and marine infrastructure projects.Built by Jiangsu Haixin Shipping Heavy Industry, the self-propelled vessel measures 148 meters in length and has a maximum dredging depth of 38 meters.The dredger is equipped with a 7.
KENC Engineering has delivered and commissioned a semi-automated boat landing system for Nexans' cable-laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Electra, enabling the equipment to be deployed and secured without using the vessel's crane.The system allows a single operator to deploy and secure the boat landing without additional rigging, reducing manual handling requirements during offshore operations.KENC developed a mechanical movement system incorporating gearboxes and a compact electric motor to control the positioning of the boat landing during deployment and securing.
Japanese shipping company NYK has conducted a maritime emergency response drill simulating the grounding of a large bulk carrier and a subsequent fuel oil spill in Japan's Seto Inland Sea.The full-day exercise, held on September 30, involved a simulated accident aboard an NYK-owned and operated bulk carrier managed by NYK Bulkship Partners (NBSP), an NYK Group company.The scenario involved a vessel approximately 300 meters long and measuring about 100,000 gross tons suffering steering failure while navigating waters off Kagawa Prefecture.
CMB.TECH's Mineral Europa, described by the company as the world's first ammonia-powered dry bulk vessel, has embarked on its maiden voyage to Australia, signalling a significant step forward for alternative-fuel shipping.The 210,000-deadweight-tonne vessel, built in 2026, is the first of 21 ammonia-powered ships scheduled to join CMB.TECH's fleet by 2029.The company's ammonia-powered newbuilding program comprises 18 dry bulk carriers, one container ship and two chemical tankers, with most of the vessels expected to be delivered within the next nine months.
Green Yard Kleven will build hull modules for a vessel for Salthammer Båtbyggeri. Together, the two shipyards will deliver a complete vessel built in Norway. The modules will be constructed at the shipyard in Ulsteinvik and delivered to Salthammer Båtbyggeri in Vestnes.“We are very pleased to have secured this contract,” said Hans Jørgen Fedog, CEO of Green Yard. “Equally important is preserving our expertise. The skilled workers building hulls today are the same people who will build and maintain Norwegian vessels in the future.
Norwegian construction company Veidekke has signed a contract worth approximately $10.7 million (NOK 103 million) with Vestland County Council to upgrade two ferry terminals in western Norway.The contract covers the Hatvik and Venjaneset terminals serving the Hatvik–Venjaneset ferry route on county road 552 in Bjørnafjorden Municipality.The project includes the construction of new ferry ramps, extensions to auxiliary quays, foundation works, land reclamation, new abutments and associated technical installations at both terminals.