table of contents

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  OPITO meets critical skills demand with new High Voltage qualifications

  OPITO’s progressive framework delivers industry-recognised training for some of the most vital specialist electrical skills in the energy transition.

• ©AdobeStock / KanStockPng

  Pushing the limits of directional drilling with high-performance digital MEMS inertial sensors

• ©JT Jeeraphun / Adobe Stock

  The Asia Pacific OSV Market: Downshifting for the Long Haul

  2025 was a year of recalibration, continuing the softness experienced since the fourth quarter of 2024. Rather than a slowdown, this period can be better described as a collective deep breath as the industry prepares for the next upcycle in the Asian Pacific region.

  By Michelle Yeo, Market Analyst at Fearnley Offshore Supply

• ©nattapon7 / Adobe Stock

  Caspian Sea Jackup Market: Locked-In Supply Shapes Utilisation and Dayrates

  The Caspian Sea jackup market is among the smallest offshore drilling markets worldwide, yet it consistently exhibits some of the sharpest utilisation and dayrate swings. With no external supply response and a small, closed fleet, the market remains structurally tight and highly sensitive to timing.

  by Sofia Forestieri, Sofia Forestieri, Senior Analyst at Esgian

• ©Jan / Adobe Stock

  Asia Pacific Upstream 2026: Offshore Projects Ramp Up as Frontier Drilling Returns

  Asia Pacific’s upstream sector heads into 2026 with a combination of near-term project delivery and high-impact frontier drilling. A wave of large offshore gas schemes is moving towards FID or first production, just as a new set of wildcats tests unproven deepwater plays. Together, they will shape regional energy security and LNG feedgas availability into the 2030s.

  By JY Chew, Head of APAC Upstream Research at Welligence Energy Analytics

• ©Mike Mareen / Adobe Stock

  Floater Backlog Showing Signs of Strengthening with South America at Forefront

  After a softer 2025, floater backlog is strengthening for 2026 and beyond, driven by early contracting, strong South American demand, and a growing pipeline of 2027+ programs.

  by Cinnamon Edralin, Americas Research Director, Westwood Energy

• ©Oksana Smyshliaeva / Adobe Stock

  Project Certainty, Not Politics, Should Shape America’s Offshore Future

  America’s offshore energy future does not hinge on ideology. It hinges on certainty. From oil and natural gas to offshore wind, carbon capture, subsea minerals, and emerging ocean technologies, offshore energy projects are among the most complex and capital-intensive investments in the U.S. economy. They require years of planning, billions of dollars in upfront capital, and a stable regulatory environment that allows projects to move from concept to construction to operation. When that certainty breaks down, investment stalls, workers are left in limbo, and America’s competitive edge erodes.

  By Erik Milito, President, National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA)

• Image courtesy SBM

  FPSOs & Maritime’s Energy Transition

  By Philip Lewis, Research Director, Intelatus Global Partners

• ©MR.Zanis / Adobe Stock

  From Reactive to Proactive: Managing Downhole Vibration in Complex Wells

  As offshore wells grow deeper, hotter and mechanically more complex, drilling systems are operating closer to their structural limits than ever before. In this environment, torque, drag and vibration are no longer secondary technical considerations - they are central to performance, reliability and well economics. In an interview for Offshore Engineer, Guy Feasey, Global Business & Operations Advisor at Neo Oiltools, shed more light on how the company’s Neotrok solution addresses torque challenges as well designs continue to push operational boundaries.

  By Amir Garanovic, Managing Editor at Offshore Engineer Magazine

• Copyright Shutterstock/Courtesy Seequent

  Hidden Hazard Below: Turning Subsea UXO From “Red Dots” Into Real Decisions

  Offshore work is hard enough when the only variables are weather, water depth and equipment availability. But in many parts of the world — particularly in European waters—there’s another hazard that doesn’t show up on the surface: unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) sitting on, or buried just beneath, the seabed. Matt Grove – EMEA Regional Segment Manager – Offshore and Becky Bodger – EMEA Customer Solutions Team Lead & Geophysicist, Seequent, discussed the UXO problem and solution recently with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast.

  By Greg Trauthwein

• Photo credit: Tony Hall

  X Marks the Spot: The X-BOW Revolution

  Two decades ago, the ULSTEIN X-BOW redefined naval architecture, sparking a global success story for Ulstein Group. This is the story behind that revolutionary hull—and the philosophy of Chair of the Board Tore Ulstein on fostering a culture where creativity and audacity are hardwired into the company’s DNA. It all began with a simple question: “What does the bow actually look like that?”

  By Josefine Spiro

• ©ACUA Ocean

  Offshore Support Vessels: The Shift Towards Remote Operations

  Within the subsea industry, underwater vehicles are a critical solution for longer projects at deeper depths, mirroring market trends that dictate a shift towards deep and ultra deep work. In the offshore industry, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and other underwater vehicles is ever-growing, as well as the need for more ROV support vessels (RSVs), which are designed to launch, operate, maintain, and sometimes recover ROVs for a variety of offshore underwater tasks.

  By Celia Konowe, Managing Editor of Marine Technology Reporter

• ©Laserline

  Diode Lasers Revolutionize Underwater Material Processing

  From cutting and drilling to paint stripping and removing maritime fouling, underwater tasks in the maritime environment are as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach. Some of these applications are carried out at depths of several thousand meters. A new laser system based on blue diode lasers now promises a contact-free, low-maintenance, and cost-efficient solution for a wide range of underwater operations.

  By Dr. Simon Britten, Senior Technology Manager at Laserline

• ©Supplied by igus

  Seadrill Adopts igus’ Modular Energy Chains

  A modular cable management system, designed by German-based supplier igus, has been implemented by offshore driller Seadrill to reduce downtime, cut maintenance costs and improve operational reliability on its drillships by replacing traditional service loops with a more durable and flexible alternative.

  By Cameron Dreyer, Oil & Gas Industry Manager at igus

• Source Altech Corp.

  How to Maintain Terminal Block Safety in Hazardous Oil & Gas Applications

  Exploring why compliance with NEC, CEC, ATEX and IECEx codes is crucial for terminal block technologies in explosive atmospheres in the oil and gas industry.

  By Markus Kraess, Product Manager, Altech Corp.

• ©ModuSpec/MR Group

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