Maritime Industry Briefing: FuelEU Compliance Risks, Hormuz Disruption Concerns, and Offshore Contract Awards

## Maritime Industry Briefing ### FuelEU Maritime: Four in Ten Ships Face Deficit Risk More than 40% of vessels assessed in a new analysis face potential compliance deficits under the FuelEU Maritime regulation, raising significant concerns across the shipping industry as the framework enters its first full reporting cycle. European climate policy consultancy Kickster, headquartered in Milan and Athens, analysed 8,973 vessels using public EU monitoring, reporting, and verification data. The findings reveal that a substantial proportion of the fleet falls into categories associated with potential FuelEU deficits — a result that underscores the scale of the decarbonisation challenge facing shipowners operating in European waters. FuelEU Maritime, which came into force at the start of 2025, sets progressively tightening greenhouse gas intensity targets for ships calling at EU ports, with non-compliance carrying financial penalties. The Kickster analysis serves as an early warning for operators who may need to accelerate fuel transition strategies or explore pooling arrangements to manage compliance exposure. --- ### Toepfer Warns of Structural Shift in Hormuz Risk The tanker industry must prepare for the possibility that disruption in the Strait of Hormuz becomes a recurring rather than exceptional feature of global energy trading, according to Christoph Toepfer, CEO of Borealis Maritime and founder of Borealis Tankers. Speaking at the Splash Singapore conference, Toepfer highlighted the lingering aftereffects of recent Hormuz tensions on tanker market dynamics, freight rates, and voyage planning. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, with roughly 20% of global oil supply transiting the waterway. Toepfer's remarks reflect a growing consensus among tanker executives that geopolitical risk in the Persian Gulf must now be treated as a structural market variable rather than a short-term disruption, with implications for vessel routing, insurance, and long-term chartering strategies. --- ### Gulf Marine Services Secures Four-Year Brazil Offshore Contract UAE-based offshore support vessel owner Gulf Marine Services has locked in a four-year charter for one of its self-elevating accommodation units (SEAUs) to be deployed offshore Brazil, according to Splash247. The contract was signed with an unnamed international offshore accommodation services provider. The award represents a significant long-term revenue commitment for Gulf Marine Services and reflects continued demand for specialised accommodation solutions in Brazil's deepwater offshore sector, which has seen sustained investment activity driven by Petrobras and international operators. --- ### Wärtsilä Signs Five-Year Lifecycle Deal for Turkish FSRU Technology group Wärtsilä has secured a five-year lifecycle agreement with Ireland-based Pardus Energy to support the operation of the 'Turquoise P' floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) operating in Turkey, Splash247 reports. The agreement covers dedicated contract management, maintenance planning, and spare parts supply, aimed at improving maintenance efficiency and operational reliability for the vessel. The deal highlights the growing importance of long-term service partnerships in the FSRU sector, where operational uptime is critical to national energy security. Turkey has significantly expanded its LNG import infrastructure in recent years, and the Turquoise P plays a key role in the country's gas supply chain.