Readers’ choice: Offshore Energy’s most-read news in 2025

As the offshore energy sector continued to navigate the energy transition and technological development, but also uncertainty, 2025 saw continued shifts in policy, investment, and project development across the global energy landscape. To mark the year’s end, the Offshore Energy editorial team looks back at the most-read stories that drew the most interest throughout 2025.

World’s ‘largest’ green hydrogen plant construction reaches 80% completion

U.S.-based industrial gases company Air Products reported in June that the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia had reached an 80% construction completion across all sites.

“The 4 GW solar and wind power generation sites are scheduled for completion by mid-2026, with first ammonia product availability expected in 2027,” the company informed.

Covering an area of over 300 square kilometers of land and located at Oxagon, this mega-plant is expected to produce up to 600 tons of carbon-free hydrogen per day in the form of green ammonia as a cost-effective solution for transportation and industrial sectors globally.

Worley nearing start of work at Venture Global’s 36-train LNG plant

The second-most read article was also from June, stating that Australia’s engineering company Worley was inching closer to kicking off activities relating to the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Louisiana, U.S., operated by Venture Global.

Venture Global received the final seal of approval to export up to 3.96 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day of U.S. natural gas as LNG to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries from the CP2 project in mid-October.

Located in Cameron Parish, the LNG terminal is being built at an approximately 1,150-acre site in Cameron Parish, with the proposed CP Express pipeline set to originate in Jasper and Newton County, Texas, before it ends at the CP2 LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, where it will feed natural gas to the proposed LNG facility.

BRANDED CONTENT: Brevik Engineering unveils the most efficient 50,000 m3 LCO2 carrier design using F460 TMCP toughcore for cargo tanks

Gisle Nysaeter, Senior Principal Engineer at leading naval architecture firm Brevik Engineering, unveiled a breakthrough in LCO2 ship design: The most efficient 50,000 m3 low-pressure liquid CO2 (LCO2) carrier to date.

Aerodynamically optimized hull and superstructure significantly reduce wind resistance, while the integration of a wind-assisted propulsion system further enhances fuel efficiency. Most notably, the cargo tanks are constructed using F460 TMCP toughcore steel from voestalpine Grobblech GmbH.

Designed for low-emission operations and optimized for slow-speed sailing, the vessel is said to set a new benchmark in energy-efficient CO2 transportation.

California’s first of three offshore platforms back in oil production business after 10 years

Sable Offshore, a Texas-based oil company, in May resumed production at the Santa Ynez Unit’s (SYU) first of three platforms off the coast of California, where production had been offline for a decade.

Production was shut down in May 2015, when a corroded onshore pipeline ruptured and released around 450,000 gallons (1,703.44 cubic meters) of oil near Refugio State Beach north of Santa Barbara.

On May 15, 2025, the U.S. company initiated the flow of oil production from six wells on the Harmony platform of the SYU to Las Flores Canyon (LFC) at a rate of around 6,000 barrels of oil per day. 

First oil flows from offshore project in Southeast Asia ahead of schedule

The Vietnam National Industry – Energy Group (PetroVietnam) revealed the achievement of first oil from the BK-24 wellhead platform at the Bach Ho field in October.

This was reached 65 days earlier than planned by Vietsovpetro, the Vietnamese firm’s joint venture (JV) with Russia’s Zarubezhneft.

Noble rig embarks on drilling gig at gas project in Philippines

The Noble Viking drillship, owned by Noble Corporation, started its drilling campaign at the Malampaya Phase 4 (MP4) project off the coast of the Philippines in Southeast Asia in June.

Phase 4 will see Noble Viking spud three new wells, Camago-3, Malampaya East-1, and Bagong Pag-Asa-1, extending the life of the gas field to boost the country’s energy supply and curb its dependence on imports while supporting industries and jobs.

Panama tightens grip on STS oil transfers in crackdown on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has decided to strengthen the ship-to-ship (STS) oil transfer operation requirements for tankers flying the country’s flag to “shut the door” to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

As disclosed, the decision was made to address two vital issues at once: the operations of Russia’s dark fleet and the need to ‘bolster’ Panama’s international standing as a “responsible” Flag State.

The regulation mandates that all units flying the flag of Panama with a gross tonnage of 150 or more notify the state at least 48 hours in advance of any planned STS operations. Technical, logistical and operational information would have to be submitted as part of the notice, the PMA has explained.

Tragic incident in Gulf of Suez: Four dead, three missing as jack-up capsizes

ADES Holding Company, part of Saudi Arabia-headquartered ADES Group, disclosed in July a towing incident in Egypt’s Gulf of Suez, involving a jack-up barge unit owned by its subsidiary and operating within a key oil zone in the Egyptian territorial waters.

The sinking of the unit took place in Jabal Al Zeit area at the entrance of the Gulf of Suez, 130 nautical miles from the southern entrance of the Suez Canal in the Red Sea.

While the Admarine 12 jack-up barge was being towed to a new location, the drilling player revealed that a towing incident occurred on the evening of July 1, 2025, resulting in its capsize with 30 personnel on board, including 18 members of the firm’s workforce.

Santos awarded over $450M in LNG project legal dispute with Fluor

Australia’s energy player Santos has been declared the winner of a court case it brought against Fluor Australia, a subsidiary of Texas-based engineering firm Fluor Corporation, relating to an LNG project on Curtis Island.

Upholding the majority of the findings of three referees from 2023, the Queensland Supreme Court ruled that Fluor must pay approximately A$692 million, or around $451 million, to Santos and its co-venturers.

The case relates to an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract that Santos signed with Fluor in 2011 for the development of production facilities forming part of the Gladstone LNG (GLNG) project. 

Fire incident at Chevron’s oil platform leaves 17 injured

A fire that broke out on an oil platform off the coast of Angola caused 17 people to suffer injuries. Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC), a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered energy giant Chevron, operates the deepwater platform.

The fire occurred on May 20, 2025, on the basement deck of CABGOC’s Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) deepwater platform in Block 14 offshore Cabinda. The incident happened when the BBLT facility was undergoing annual maintenance as part of a scheduled shutdown, with all production at the site shut down since May 1.

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