U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is on a mission to weaken China's global network of ports and bring more strategic terminals under Western control, according to three sources familiar with the plan.The drive is part of the most ambitious effort to expand U.S. maritime influence since the 1970s and is designed to address growing fears in Washington that it would be at a disadvantage
The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has announced that the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $8.75 million in grants to revitalize U.S. shipyards and advance America’s maritime dominance.The funding is part of the Small Shipyard Grant program, which supports advanced training, workforce development and new technologies that strengthen U.S. shipbuilding and repair capabilities.
Norwegian oil and gas company Aker BP has completed the installation of a jacket for a new production platform at the Valhall field in the Southern North Sea.The Valhall production and wellhead platform (PWP) jacket has been installed with the support from Allseas' Pioneering Spirit and Heerema Marine Contractors' Sleipnir, two of the world’s largest offshore vessels
The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.If signed, the order would mark U.S.
Kraken Robotics Inc. announced the passing of founder and former CEO, Karl Kenny on February 11, 2025, at the age of 64. Karl founded Kraken in 2012 and was instrumental in building the company into a leading player in subsea robotics over his 10-year tenure, before retiring in December 2022.
The first commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform will power Northern Offshore Services’ next-gen crew transfer vessel. Longtime collaborators Volvo Penta and N-O-S aim to more than satisfy the unique requirements of a possible 25x increase in offshore wind production.
Offshore industry leader Allseas selected Dutch maritime design house Vuyk Engineering to design its new semi-submersible Heavy Transport Vessel (HTV) ‘Grand Tour’. Purpose-designed to support seamless topsides transfers to ‘Pioneering Spirit’, the vessel represents a major step forward in integrated offshore transport and installation solutions.
Offshore contractor Allseas has signed a construction contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China for a purpose-built semi-submersible heavy transport vessel (HTV), marking a major expansion of its fleet capabilities.The vessel, to be named Grand Tour, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2028.
EnQuest completed the removal of the Heather Alpha topsides on August 11.The Allseas-owned Pioneering Spirit heavy lift vessel removed the 15,300 tonne topsides in a single lift, the largest single lift planned in the North Sea this year.EnQuest Decommissioning Director, John Allan, said: “The Pioneering Spirit completed the lift in around 14 seconds
Lankhorst Ropes has supplied high capacity, ultra-heavy lift slings to Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit for the transportation and lowering of a 7,300 tonne jacket for a converter platform for the German offshore project BorWin 5.The Lankhorst Gama 98 slings held the jacket in position above the stern of the Pioneering Spirit for the 2-day journey to the installation site.
The port of Prince Rupert has welcomed the startup of Wolverine Terminals’ marine bunkering service for deep sea shipping, adding a key logistical capability to this strategic deepwater port on the west coast of Canada. Using a unique pair of barges designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Wolverine Terminals can deliver a wide range of fuels to suit the needs of vessels calling at the port