MarRI-UK Maritime Round Up #108

February 2026
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Welcome to the MarRI-UK weekly roundup!

This week’s maritime landscape highlights accelerating investment across offshore wind, clean maritime fuels, autonomy, and defence. The UK advances major offshore wind, CCS shipping corridors, ports and shipbuilding programmes, supported by extensive Horizon and UKRI funding calls through 2027. Global activity shows strong momentum in offshore renewables, alternative fuels (ammonia, wind propulsion), nuclear shipping concepts, and fleet renewal despite market volatility. Defence contracts, port consolidation, and newbuild orders remain robust, while regulatory pressure, labour shortages, and geopolitical risks continue to shape shipping markets and capital allocation.

This week’s highlight

MarRI-UK Member’s and Partner’s News

  • (29/01) Lloyd’s Register to take over OCX Consortium leadership Read more
  • (29/01) BMT and Sea-Changers Partner to Launch the BMT Next Wave Fund Read more
  • (28/01) Data Link Solutions awarded $248 million U.S. Navy contract to deliver tactical radio system to U.S. and coalition forces Read more
  • (28/01) Oshima Shipbuilding’s multi-fuel-ready Ultramax bulk carrier concept receives LR approval Read more
  • (27/01) LR enhances CAP thickness analysis to improve confidence in tanker structural assessments Read more

UK Maritime

  • (30/01) Scottish government backs port as floating wind hub Read more
  • (29/01) Offshore Wind Farms Owned by CIP, JERA Nex BP Enter Lease with Crown Estate Read more
  • (28/01) Griffon Marine Announces Two Key Senior Appointments Following a Record-Breaking 2025 Read more
  • (28/01) Amentum awarded further UK contracts by EDF Read more
  • (28/01) Scottish wave energy firm to launch demo projects in Taiwan and Guam Read more
  • (28/01) Tankers International steps beyond VLCCs with suezmax pool launch Read more
  • (27/01) Alfa Laval and ArianeGroup partner to develop hydrogen distribution Read more
  • (27/01) Anemoi Completes Installation of Four Folding Rotor Sails on Newcastlemax in Second Project with Berge Bulk Read more
  • (27/01) Navantia UK marks one year anniversary with strong progress across UK yards Read more
  • (27/01) Deal signed to progress cross-border Baltic Sea CCUS initiative Read more
  • (27/01) Clean energy security pact formed to explore CCS shipping corridors in North Sea Read more
  • (27/01) Mott MacDonald to advise UK government on Sizewell C Read more
  • (27/01) UK Getting Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site Read more
  • (26/01) UK-US partnership for HALEU transport packages Read more
  • (26/01) Drone test flights prove possibilities for use in fusion Read more
  • (26/01) UK’s FSS program moves forward as ships start to take shape Read more
  • (26/01) ScottishPower Renewables Files for Planning Consent for 3 GW Floating Wind Farm Read more
  • (26/01) UK, German TSOs unveil plan for 2 GW offshore wind interconnector Read more
  • (26/01) 10 countries unite for 100 GW North Sea offshore wind grid Read more
  • (23/01) Hanwha Ocean, Babcock join forces on Canadian Patrol Submarine Project Read more
  • (22/01) UK injects millions of pounds to boost drone warfare Read more

Newly added Funding Opportunities – access the full list via MarRI-UK: Maritime Funding Opportunities

Events Highlight

Publication

  • ICS January Leadership InsightsDownload

Global Maritime News

Offshore Renewable Energy

  • (29/01) Construction of Formosa 4 Offshore Substation Starts in Vietnam Read more
  • (29/01) WATCH: Subsea Construction Vessel Now Ready for Inter-Array Cable Installation Read more
  • (29/01) Swedes inviting €1M investment to fund wave energy prototype Read more
  • (29/01) Final caissons for world’s first artificial energy island readying for spring installation Read more
  • (29/01) Germany delays this year’s offshore wind tenders to 2027 Read more
  • (29/01) Australia confirms August 2026 start for maiden offshore wind tender Read more
  • (28/01) Skyborn, 50Hertz Sign Agreement for Gennaker Offshore Converter Platforms Read more
  • (28/01) Court Clears 95-Pct-Complete Vineyard Wind 1 to Resume Construction Read more
  • (28/01) Cadeler strengthens offshore wind pipeline with 2028 campaign Read more
  • (27/01) EIB to help Minesto strengthen investment case for 10 MW tidal energy project Read more
  • (27/01) Petrovietnam, Vietnam Electricity Assigned Sea Areas for Offshore Wind Site Investigations Read more
  • (27/01) German Offshore Wind Industry Urges Gov’t to ‘Quickly Reform’ Tendering System Read more
  • (27/01) Polish Developer Reserves Port Site for New Offshore Wind Project Read more
  • (27/01) Australia’s First Offshore Wind Tender Scheduled for August Read more
  • (26/01) Denmark’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Granted 30-Year Electricity Production Licence Read more
  • (26/01) Korean Company Building Floating Wind Construction Vessel Read more
  • (23/01)  Australian Gov’t Awards Final Feasibility Licences to Three Offshore Wind Projects in Bunbury Zone Read more
  • (23/01) Cargo Drone Takes Trial Run at Dutch Offshore Wind Farm Read more
  • (23/01) DeepOcean Concludes Operations at US Offshore Wind Project Read more

Clean Maritime

  • (28/01) Tripartite collab to develop 1 MW ammonia-to-power system for low- and zero-carbon vessels Read more
  • (28/01) MOL-ONGC deal puts Samsung Heavy Industries on very large ethane carrier pair construction duty Read more
  • (28/01) NYK and Stolt-Nielsen back Spanish alternative fuel developer Read more
  • (28/01) Project gets underway to replace diesel generators with ammonia-to-power packs Read more
  • (27/01) Finland-bound multi-fuel open deck carrier to be built in China Read more
  • (27/01) Repeat orders mark wind propulsion success stories Read more
  • (27/01) MODEC lays the groundwork for zero carbon FPSOs with partnership set on low-carbon offshore power solution Read more
  • (27/01) What ship operators really want to know about methane slip: 9 common questions answers Read more
  • (26/01) Hamburg Declaration: North Sea countries target 100 GW of cross-border offshore wind, boost to green hydrogen Read more
  • (26/01) Understanding IMO NZF concerns key to moving forward says Dominguez Read more
  • (26/01) WATCH: Bound4blue suction sails installed on first of five Maersk Tankers’ vessels Read more
  • (23/01) German dry bulk carrier firm adopts fleet-wide energy optimization technology Read more

Nuclear Energy

  • (29/01) Prodigy completes R&D project for transportable nuclear power plants Read more
  • (29/01) Russia targeting lunar power station by 2036 Read more
  • (28/01) Charting a course for nuclear-powered ships Read more
  • (27/01) Indian government releases draft energy policy Read more
  • (26/01) Plans for two new reactors confirmed by South Korea Read more
  • (26/01) Nuclear-powered vessels are achievable, Norwegian-led study confirms Read more
  • (23/01) Bureau Veritas to aid Dutch deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR Read more
  • (23/01) Denmark begins study on potential use of nuclear energy Read more

Ports

Global Shipping & Newbuild

  • (30/01) Bruton presses ahead with VLCC build-out Read more
  • (30/01) K Line, MOL and MISC line up for next wave of Northern Lights CO2 carrier orders Read more
  • (30/01) Japan’s Sakura Ocean JV blossoms as shipping and yards unite Read more
  • (30/01) Bauxite booms as aluminium output triples since 2000 Read more
  • (30/01) Stable 2026 and softer 2027 for dry bulk, Bimco predicts Read more
  • (29/01) Recycling yard regulations to limit container ship scrapping Read more
  • (29/01) US Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier kicks off sea trials Read more
  • (29/01) Hanwha Ocean lays keel for South Korea’s fifth FFX Batch-III frigate Read more
  • (29/01) Zhonggu Logistics lines up 6,000 teu series at Hengli Read more
  • (29/01) MSC hit with $22.67m fine in the US Read more
  • (29/01) Evergreen lines up 23 newbuilds worth up to $1.5bn Read more
  • (29/01) Ship Recycling Market Sentiment Improving Despite Lack of Available Tonnage Read more
  • (28/01) Stena RoRo orders new generation, future-proof vessels from China Read more
  • (28/01) Ship Owners Place More Newbuilding Orders Read more
  • (27/01) US shipping regulator digs into liners’ chassis practices Read more
  • (27/01) HMM takes delivery of 10,800‑car record breaker Read more
  • (27/01) Fleet renewal a core focus of tanker companies despite Net Zero Framework (NZF) delay Read more
  • (27/01) Jiangnan Shipyard bags order for VLAC pair Read more
  • (26/01) Chevron’s drilling ops in Nigerian waters lead to new hydrocarbon discovery Read more
  • (26/01) Kongsberg joins competition for Norwegian Navy’s new standardized vessels Read more
  • (26/01) LNG shipping in 2026: LNG shipping on a ‘road to recovery’, but 2026 marks just the beginning Read more
  • (26/01) Golden Energy Offshore sells 2019-built MPSV in $30m deal Read more
  • (26/01) JHI Steamship widens tanker bet with HD Hyundai suezmaxes Read more
  • (26/01) TMS Cardiff Gas expands LNG orderbook with Chinese deal Read more
  • (23/01) Newbuild Dutch multifunctional workboat to hit the market in September Read more
  • (23/01) Overcapacity sends container rates into a tailspin Read more

Smart Maritime

  • (29/01) Teledyne delivers first four GAVIA AUV systems to Sweden Read more
  • (28/01) ExxonMobil deploys technology to protect Guyanese offshore gas pipeline Read more
  • (28/01) New mine-hunting system linking surface vessels and underwater robots unveiled in Norway Read more
  • (28/01) Netherlands tests 3D-printed uncrewed surface vessel Read more

Other news

  • (30/01) Carlyle in talks to acquire Lukoil’s international assets Read more
  • (30/01) World Maritime University warns of ‘severe crisis’ as half of seafarers eye exit within five years Read more
  • (29/01) TotalEnergies reboots $20 billion LNG project after years-long hiatus Read more
  • (29/01) End of Red Sea diversions raise many questions for shippers Read more
  • (28/01)Fresh petroleum discovery sees light of day in North Sea Read more
  • (28/01) Nautical Institute: Shipping’s future still hinges on people, not just tech Read more
  • (27/01) Dark fleet ship-to-ship transfers off Malaysia more than double Read more
  • (27/01) Shipping talks about fatigue but ignores the digital environments seafarers live in Read more
  • (27/01) Iran-linked ghost fleet fuels Myanmar’s war from the shadows Read more
  • (26/01) EU endorses ban on Russian pipeline gas and LNG imports Read more
  • (26/01) Seapeak Mars becomes first LNG vessel to be scrapped this year Read more
  • (26/01) US sanctions another nine vessels linked to Iran Read more
  • (26/01) Houthis tease new strikes amid US carrier build‑up in the Gulf Read more
  • (24/01) Global volatility and rising south to redefine trade Read more
  • (23/01) US okays $2.3B sale of P-8A aircraft and MK 54 torpedoes to Singapore Read more
  • (22/01) Austal launches Australia’s final Guardian-class patrol boat Read more
  • (22/01) TKMS: Steel cut for Brazil’s fourth Tamandaré-class frigate Read more
  • (22/01) USS Zumwalt, US Navy’s first hypersonic warship, clears builder’s sea trials Read more

Maritime Events Archive

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