NICO

MODEC has completed the forward hull section of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Gato do Mato, marking a key construction milestone for the Brazil-bound offshore production unit.The forward hull section, built at Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering's Yokosuka shipyard in Japan, has departed for China, where it will be integrated with the aft hull section before the vessel moves to the next stage of construction.The project is the first to use MODEC's Next Generation Hull (NGH) design and the first FPSO hull to be built in partnership with Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering under the company's multi-yard construction model

A.P. Moller Holding has agreed to acquire 100% of Oslo-based ship leasing company Ocean Yield from funds managed by investment firm KKR, expanding its maritime portfolio.Ocean Yield has interests in more than 70 vessels across several shipping segments, including gas carriers, LNG carriers, container ships, crude, product and chemical tankers, and dry bulk carriers.Under KKR's ownership since 2021, Ocean Yield has invested more than $3 billion to expand its portfolio, diversify its investment-grade customer base and nearly double its long-term contracted backlog to more than $5 billion, the companies said.The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Iran's state media said on Wednesday a foreign container ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after entering shallow waters outside the shipping route designated by Iranian authorities.State media reiterated the Revolutionary Guards' warning that vessels should transit only through the corridor south of Iran's Larak island, which Tehran says is the sole approved entry and exit route for ships passing through the strait.(Reuters - Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Solstad Maritime has secured a one-year contract extension for the construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Vision with Ocean Installer, keeping the vessel in operation under the agreement through the end of 2028.The extension will begin in direct continuation of the current agreement.The deal also includes two additional annual options covering 2029 and 2030, as well as a mechanism for a further extension until 2031.Normand Vision is a multi-purpose CSV designed and built for subsea structures, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) installation.

Oil rose on Tuesday as traders' nervousness about a lack of progress on peace talks between the United States and Iran offset any price impact of a slight recovery in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures LCOc1 gained $1.02, or 1.42%, to $73.01 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 rose 93 cents, or 1.36%, to $69.48 a barrel as of 0748 GMT."The deal is by no means signed yet, so something can still go wrong and any comments from either side could raise concern which is helping to underpin prices and it's basically removing some of the recent intense focus on an increasingly oversupplied market," Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said.