GLOBALPESCA II

If 2025 proved anything for Germany’s shipbuilding and marine equipment sector, it is that the industry retains both resilience and relevance, even amid geopolitical turbulence. According to The Association for Shipbuilding and Marine Technology (VSM), the year closed with strong order activity, renewed investor confidence and a clear signal that German yards and suppliers remain essential to Europe’s maritime industrial base.One of the year’s most tangible confidence boosters came early. In January, the shipyards in Flensburg and Rendsburg found new owners from within the maritime industry just weeks after insolvency proceedings began.

China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises to encircle the democratically-governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets, and drills to blockade Taiwan's main ports.

The White House has ordered U.S. military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, indicating Washington is currently more interested in using economic rather than military means to pressure Caracas."While military options still exist, the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking (for)," the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At least two oil tankers have made their way to Venezuela in recent days and others are navigating towards the country, a sign of state-run PDVSA's effort to expand floating storage and keep selling crude even as a U.S. blockade has reduced exports to a minimum.U.S. President Donald Trump this month announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. move has cut oil exports this month to about half of their November level.The U.S. has seized two fully loaded cargoes of Venezuelan oil and its ships are patrolling the Caribbean Sea.

Saipem has been awarded two offshore contracts in Saudi Arabia, known as Contract Release Purchase Orders (CRPO), under its existing Long-Term Agreement with Aramco.The first contract (CRPO 162), with a duration of 32 months, encompasses the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) of approximately 34 km of pipeline, with diameters of 20” and 30", and related works on topside structures at the Berri and Abu Safah oil fields.The second contract (CRPO 165), lasting 12 months, includes subsea interventions at Marjan field and the EPC of 300 m of onshore pipeline and associated tie-ins.