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CB&I Secures 3-Year Cote d'Ivoire FPSO Maintenance Contract

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CB&I's Asset Solutions business secured a three-year contract in Cote d'Ivoire to provide operations and maintenance services for an offshore production vessel, it said Monday.

Under the contract, CB&I will oversee safe operations, maintenance, asset integrity and regulatory compliance for the floating production, storage and offloading vessel offshore Cote d'Ivoire.

CB&I will take over from the incumbent provider through a structured transition, then manage the vessel's restart and operational stabilization, life-of-field integrity and reliability, and class certification.

The award reflects CB&I's FPSO expertise and established Cote d'Ivoire presence, supported by an in-country supply chain and investments in Ivorian skills development, it said.

"Over the last few years we have been accelerating our presence across Africa, building on a 20-year presence in the region and our commitment to bolster the local supply chain and build local workforces," said Sandy Merson, senior vice president at CB&I Asset Solutions.

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Crude benchmarks logged a second consecutive weekly gain, driven by the collapse of US-Iran diplomatic talks, severe disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and potential new US economic sanctions on Iran.West Texas Intermediate settled at $86.64 per barrel, up from $82.40/bbl the previous week, while Brent closed at $93.70/bbl, up from $88.73/bbl a week earlier.Both benchmarks gained almost 6% over the week.The rally was primarily fueled by geopolitical tensions, stalled diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, and persistent disruptions to regional energy flows, market analysts said."The lack of a solution in the Middle East continues to raise oil prices, which have now risen for several days in a row," Pia Fromlet, an economist at SEB Research, said in a Friday note.The week began under heavy pressure as the interim 60-day peace framework set out under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding expired without a permanent peace agreement or an extension.Following this, tensions escalated sharply when the UAE halted all trade and financial transactions with Iran, accusing Tehran of launching ballistic missiles at its territory, an allegation denied by Iranian officials.Ship-tracking data show that commercial vessel traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz remained heavily constrained due to ongoing security risks and attacks, with confirmed daily crossings plunging to multi-month lows and Middle East refinery runs remaining severely depressed.Throughout the week, market sentiment was heavily driven by escalating political rhetoric and policy moves.President Trump threatened sweeping "economic warfare" against Iran, vowing severe secondary consequences for any nation or entity offering Tehran an economic lifeline.Echoing this stance, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans for a tough new sanctions package, further intensifying pressure on Iran's economy.Bessent said he would disclose details on the new measures on Monday."The US administration is expected to provide details on Monday about how it intends to further isolate Iran's economy, with traders concerned that tougher measures could trigger significant blowback from China, a key trading partner and buyer of Iranian oil," Saxo Bank analysts said.The potential for a Chinese response adds another layer of uncertainty to an already tight market, keeping attention focused on the broader risks to regional energy supplies."The measures are expected to target Tehran directly, while potentially extending to countries that continue doing business with Iran, including China," analysts at Aegis Hedging said in a Friday note.Aegis cited Rystad Energy's forecasts that Chinese crude purchases could increase by up to 1.2 million barrels per day from Q3 through year-end 2026 after the world's largest crude importer reduced purchases and refinery runs in response to the Middle East-driven price spike."With the Middle East crisis showing few signs of easing, the risk of further disruption to regional energy flows continues to support crude and refined product prices," Saxo Bank analysts noted.Despite Washington's claims that the Strait of Hormuz is open, vessel transit volumes remain severely limited, and recent attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels have kept a hefty geopolitical risk premium priced into the market."Washington's harder economic stance toward Iran and the lack of progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz continue to keep a substantial supply premium in the market," Gelber & Associates said.On the supply side, the Energy Information Administration reported a 4.4-million-barrel build in US commercial crude inventories for the week ended Aug. 14, bringing stocks in line with the five-year average.The build is above Macquarie's estimate of a 3.9-mmbbl inventory rise for the week ended Aug. 14."The commercial stock build was driven by higher domestic supply despite strong export demand and lower imports," ING analysts noted.The US oil rig count decreased by three, from 455 the previous week to 452, in the week ending Aug. 21, according to data from Baker Hughes (BKR) released Friday. 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US Natural Gas Prices Rise for 2nd Straight Week Amid Robust Weather-Related Momentum

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