Releases
Announcements, partnerships, and product updates from Blackwell.
Industry News
Headlines from across the maritime and offshore energy industry.
Africa Emerges as Center of Upstream Acreage Rush
Nearly half of 187 upstream country entries or reentries tracked from early 2025 through mid 2026 were in Africa, according to Enverus. West African deepwater acreage led the push, while new North African bid rounds drew operators back into the region.
Source: Rigzone
Chinese Container Liners Head for Profit Jump as Rates Surge
Global container rates more than doubled during the second quarter to reach 4,639 dollars per 40 foot container, positioning Chinese carriers for stronger earnings as tariff driven demand and shipping disruptions kept vessel capacity tight.
Source: Bloomberg
Three field FPSO tie back starts flowing oil a year early, unlocking 120 million Norwegian barrels
Aker BP has started production from three Norwegian Sea satellite fields one year ahead of schedule, adding about 120 million barrels of oil equivalent through six subsea wells tied to the FPSO Skarv.
Source: Offshore Energy
Woodside Retreats on Clean Energy, Doubles Down on LNG
Woodside will seek $350 million in annual cost savings from 2028 as it drops a $5 billion clean energy spending goal and prioritizes LNG. First half net income rose 27 percent to $1.7 billion despite a 13 percent fall in production.
Source: Bloomberg
Shell pulls the plug on Trinidad offshore gas project after deal unravels
Shell has shelved its Aphrodite offshore gas project after commercial talks with Trinidad and Tobago’s National Gas Company failed. The project was expected to supply about 100 million cubic feet of gas per day, and Shell has released its drilling rig slot.
Source: Reuters
Victoria Gov't Launches Australia's First Offshore Wind Auction
Victoria has opened Australia's first offshore wind auction, inviting bids for an initial 2 GW off Gippsland. Proposals remain open until August 2027, with contracts expected in 2028 and a path toward the state's 9 GW target.
Source: Offshore Wind
McDermott clinches over $1 billion EPCI job for ADNOC’s $6.2B giant gas project
McDermott won an EPCI contract worth more than $1 billion for ADNOC’s Umm Shaif gas development, part of a $6.2 billion investment expected to unlock more than 600 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and associated liquids.
Source: Offshore Energy
New gas and condensate discovery adds to North Sea’s hydrocarbon riches
Equinor and Aker BP discovered gas and condensate at the Linga prospect in the Norwegian North Sea, with preliminary recoverable resources estimated at 0.1 million to 2.1 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent. The find lies 16 kilometres northwest of the Balder field.
Source: Offshore Energy
ExxonMobil Warns of Looming Decline at Kazakhstan's Top Oilfield
ExxonMobil expects Tengiz output to plateau next year and fall about 40 percent from its peak to roughly 500,000 barrels a day by 2035. A potential $80 billion Kashagan expansion could help replace the decline, but it depends on settling major disputes with Kazakhstan.
Source: Bloomberg
US Refiners Face Import Crunch from Top Crude Seller
Planned oil sands maintenance is expected to remove about 300,000 barrels a day of Canadian production next month as U.S. refiners run at their strongest pace in eight years. Low Alberta inventories and record diesel margins are tightening the market.
Source: Bloomberg
China’s NewNew Shipping Line Pushes Deeper Into Arctic With First Murmansk Container Run
NewNew Shipping Line delivered about 500 containers from Tianjin to Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route, the Russian port’s first container cargo from Asia on the Arctic corridor. The company now plans larger ice class ships and is considering major port investments.
Source: gCaptain
Danish Utility Seeks New Partner as TotalEnergies Exits Lillebælt Syd Offshore Wind Project
TotalEnergies is withdrawing from Denmark’s 165 MW Lillebælt Syd offshore wind project, leaving SONFOR to take the majority stake and search for a new partner. The utility will reassess the business case by June 2027 while European Energy remains a minority shareholder.
Source: Offshore Wind Biz