Late December 2025 witnessed significant regulatory disruption within the offshore energy sector, as federal authorities suspended major wind projects citing national security concerns and advanced several liquefied natural gas projects toward final investment decisions, signaling strategic industry pivots toward domestic energy reliability.
Subsea7 announced several sizeable contracts in late 2025 for projects offshore Norway, UK, and US. Awards included long-lead procurement in the Norwegian North Sea; decommissioning services for Ithaca Energy; subsea installation work with LLOG; major EPCI deal with ConocoPhillips; IMR extension with Equinor using Seven Viking; operations spanning 2026-2028.
In December 2025, the Trump administration ordered construction on five major offshore wind projects to cease due to national security concerns related to radar interference. These included Vineyard Wind, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind Empire Wind and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind; their developers are challenging this order in court.
The Trump administration announced in December 2024 that construction work on five major U.S. offshore wind farms had been suspended due to national security concerns, impacting billions in investment projects totalling billions total with Dominion Energy already filing suit to resume work on its largest windfarm project - this unprecedented challenge to an emerging offshore wind sector was taken as the ultimate result of such actions taken against construction of five offshore wind farms totalling billions in investments total.
The US Department of the Interior issued stop-work orders on five large offshore wind projects currently being developed off of the East Coast, citing national security concerns from classified reports. Developers like Dominion Energy, Orsted and Equinor are complying but predict significant delays and costs, with Dominion filing a lawsuit to challenge it.
Balmoral Comtec Ltd. of UK has expanded its position in offshore renewables with a strategic partnership agreement between themselves, LS Cable & System and LS Marine Solution to partner on floating wind projects including Equinor's Firefly initiative and floating wind projects by Equinor itself, among others. They also established a $1.3m wave simulation center and won major contracts from Orsted's Hornsea Three project - further reinforcing subsea cable protection technologies amid global energy transition.
Reach Subsea has ordered two uncrewed surface vessels from Kongsberg Maritime following separate approvals for uncrewed operations and regulatory clearance for the commercial rollout of Reach Remote 1 and 2. These approvals are important milestones in the sustainable provision of offshore services, reducing emissions and increasing safety in the waters of Norway and Australia.
In late November and early December 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to delay approvals of New England Wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts, creating a further cloud of uncertainty around the US offshore wind sector. New York retaliated by fast-tracking $300 million in port funding and Revolution Wind off Connecticut is back to work after a federal halt. However, in the U.S. this sector is now very much moving forward, though it faces potential delays for its most critical projects.
A drug-smuggling semi-submersible the size of a school bus was caught in the North Atlantic in late November 2025. Another similar self-propelled semi-submersible was intercepted 1,000 nautical miles off Lisbon by Portuguese forces in a European Union-funded operation. Both operations highlighted the nadir near the end of 2025 for narco-submarines operating internationally.
Offshore energy developments ventured apace over the last week as the US Interior Department announced its most sweeping leasing plan to date. Two lease sales were performed in Alaska’s Cook inlet. Meanwhile, given their proximity to Europe, Equinor announced two gas and condensate discoveries it the North Sea which bolsters the regional security of supply.