WESTSEA 71

Petrodec’s newly constructed heavy lift jack-up vessel, named Obana, has started decommissioning work in the Southern North Sea for Perenco.Obana is working on the decommissioning of the Galahad platform, after which it will move to the Amethyst field for the removal of the C1D, A2D and B1D jackets, expected to be completed and offloaded in the Netherlands later in 2025.Obana is the world’s largest self-elevating, heavy lift jack-up vessel of its type. Following the completion of final trials, including its first offshore full platform lift, Obana has now started its commercial operations with Perenco, before moving onto contracts with other operators.

Offshore wind developer Orsted won shareholder approval on Friday for a $9.4 billion emergency rights issue to help fund U.S. projects thrown into uncertainty by President Donald Trump's opposition to the renewable energy source.The stakes are high for the Danish state-controlled firm, which was once celebrated as a trailblazer in offshore wind but is now struggling to stave off a potentially crippling credit rating downgrade.Orsted, previously an oil producer under the name DONG Energy, transformed itself into a global renewables leader, increasing its market value five-fold between its 2016 IPO and 2021.

Mexico's top prosecutor said on Sunday that authorities have so far detained 14 people suspected to be involved in the illicit trade of fuels, reiterating that more actions would follow as new information comes to light.On March 19, authorities seized a petroleum tanker in the Port of Tampico, together with nearly 63,000 barrels of diesel it was carrying, as well as containers and vehicles for its transport and storage.The tanker, Challenge Procyon, had arrived from the United States, LSEG tanker-tracking data showed.

ElbFeeder, a joint venture of the Icelandic transportation company Eimskip and German listed ship-owner Ernst Russ, signed contracts for a pair of 2,280-TEU container vessels with the shipyard China Merchants Jin Ling Shipyard (Nanjing) Co. Ltd. The newbuildings will be an addition to the ElbFeeder joint venture and expand it to a total of nine vessels. Options for two additional vessels were negotiated.The newbuildings will be employed in the Eimskip Blue Line between Reykjavik and Rotterdam for an initial 10-year period through a time-charter agreement signed in combination with the newbuilding contract.

The United States has told countries to reject a United Nations' marine fuel emissions-cutting deal or face tariffs, visa restrictions and port levies, U.S. and European officials and sources told Reuters.The Trump administration is looking to boost U.S. economic might, including by taking a bigger role in global shipping, and has used tariffs as a weapon to extract better terms from Washington’s trade partners.In April, countries struck a draft agreement through the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO) that would impose a fee on ships that breach global carbon emissions standards.