Releases
Announcements, partnerships, and product updates from Blackwell.
Industry News
Headlines from across the maritime and offshore energy industry.
Carrier profitability rebounds as freight rates and trade mix boost margins
Average operating margins at leading container carriers rose to 11.2% in the second quarter as higher freight rates and congestion lifted earnings. Wan Hai led at 26%, while Maersk posted an 8.9% margin and moved above HMM.
Source: Alphaliner
Philippines Halcon prospect resource estimate triples to 8 Tcf of gas
Tetragon Energy raised the gross mid case prospective gas estimate for Halcon to 8.0 Tcf from 2.6 Tcf after new seismic analysis. The offshore Philippines prospect now has a 24% geological chance of success, but no hydrocarbons have yet been found.
Source: World Oil
bp farms out stakes in Gulf of Mexico and offshore Brazil prospects to Shell
bp has brought Shell into two exploration prospects, giving it 50% of Tupinambá offshore Brazil and 30% of Conifer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. bp remains operator of both prospects, with drilling at Tupinambá expected soon and Conifer targeted for 2027.
Source: Oil & Gas Journal
Wison fires starting gun on FPSO fabrication for Eni’s African oil and gas project
Wison New Energies has started hull fabrication for the Baleine Phase 3 FPSO, a key step in Eni, Petroci and Vitol’s roughly $4 billion expansion off Côte d’Ivoire. The vessel is designed to process 90,000 barrels of oil and 160 million cubic feet of gas per day.
Source: Offshore Energy
Tidewater completes $500m Brazil OSV takeover
Tidewater completed its $500 million acquisition of Wilson Sons Ultratug Offshore, adding 22 platform supply vessels and expanding its Brazilian fleet from six vessels to 28 while gaining about $441 million in contract backlog.
Source: Splash247
913 MW German Offshore Wind Farm Commissioned
Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure have placed the 913 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 wind farm into commercial operation, with 83 turbines and corporate power agreements covering 786 MW of capacity.
Source: offshoreWIND.biz
COSCO takes 2026 boxship spending to $8 billion with latest $3 billion haul
COSCO Shipping Holdings ordered 18 more containerships for $2.99 billion, lifting its 2026 boxship commitments to 48 vessels and about $8 billion. The package adds 283,200 teu, led by 12 large LNG dual fuel ships.
Source: Splash247
Panama Canal Congestion Drives Gas Tankers To Unusual Routes
Growing Panama Canal congestion is forcing liquefied petroleum gas carriers to use ship transfers and rare voyages around South America. Ships without northbound reservations face waits of up to eight days, while one detour adds about a month.
Source: Bloomberg
UK Ports Warn Grid Delays, Energy Costs Threaten Maritime Decarbonization
United Kingdom ports say electricity demand could rise to an average of 91 MW, but grid connection waits of up to 15 years and high power costs are already delaying shore power, vessel charging and alternative fuel projects.
Source: gCaptain
CMB.Tech rides tanker boom but sounds warning on record orderbook
CMB.Tech earned 364.4 million dollars in the second quarter as average spot rates reached 126,790 dollars a day for very large crude carriers and 123,405 dollars for suezmaxes. The company warned that a record 620 crude tankers on order could pressure earnings once trade flows normalize.
Source: Seatrade Maritime News
Petrobras Considers Exporting LNG
Petrobras is studying LNG exports from Brazil’s offshore fields and has opened talks with Seatrium on liquefaction options. The plan has no timetable or investment figure, while more than half of Brazil’s produced gas is currently reinjected to support oil output.
Source: Bloomberg
Seatrium readies P 80 and P 82 FPSOs for Petrobras’ Búzios field
Seatrium is preparing the P 80 and P 82 FPSOs to sail from Singapore to Petrobras’ Búzios field, where the vessels will add 450,000 barrels per day of oil capacity. Both units are scheduled to start production in 2027.
Source: World Oil