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Category: Asia

  • NATO warns of surging state-linked cyber threats targeting ports

    NATO warns of surging state-linked cyber threats targeting ports Ports are facing a deluge of cyber attacks from state-backed hackers, according to a new policy brief from NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). Handling 80% of world trade and underpinning NATO’s logistics chain, ports are now “magnets” for cyber aggression from Russia, Iran,…

  • MOL launches global shipmanagement arm

    MOL launches global shipmanagement arm Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) is consolidating its shipmanagement businesses under a single brand and location, aiming to streamline operations and enhance service quality across all vessel types. The Tokyo-headquartered shipping giant has renamed its Singapore-based LNG management arm, MOL LNG Ship Management, to MOL Global Ship Management (MOLGSM). The…

  • Hanwha orders historic LNG carrier from US yard

    Hanwha orders historic LNG carrier from US yard South Korea’s Hanwha Group has placed a landmark order for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier at its US-based Hanwha Philly Shipyard — the first such export-market-viable vessel to be built in the United States in nearly half a century. The order, valued at a minimum of…

  • India bans use of fraudulent foreign certificates of competency in seafarer crackdown

    India bans use of fraudulent foreign certificates of competency in seafarer crackdown India’s maritime watchdog has banned its shipowners and licensed recruiters from employing Indian nationals holding certificates of competency (CoCs) from several flag-of-convenience nations, following widespread fraud allegations. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has barred Indian recruitment and placement service licensees (RPSLs) from…

  • Eastern Pacific signs for suezmaxes at Hengli Heavy

    Eastern Pacific signs for suezmaxes at Hengli Heavy Eastern Pacific Shipping has signed a deal with China’s Hengli Heavy Industry for up to four suezmax tankers. The Singapore-based owner, controlled by Idan Ofer, has committed to two firm 158,000 dwt crude carriers, with options for two more. The price tag for all four ships is…

  • Splash Wrap: Shipyards and geopolitics

    Splash Wrap: Shipyards and geopolitics Shipbuilding hogged the headlines at Splash this week with images of the White House and its occupant down considerably week-on-week. The East Asian shipbuilding tango – one of the persistent shipping news themes of 2025 – garnered the most column inches. A contraction in Chinese shipbuilding orders has been registered…

  • Yang Ming books LNG-fuelled boxship series at Hanwha Ocean

    Yang Ming books LNG-fuelled boxship series at Hanwha Ocean Taiwanese shipping line Yang Ming Marine Transport has lined up a series of containership newbuilds at South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, continuing its fleet renewal programme with a focus on dual-fuel technology. The company has booked seven LNG dual-fuel 15,500 teu vessels in a deal valued…

  • BW LPG locks in $595m across two financing deals

    BW LPG locks in $595m across two financing deals VLGC owner and operator BW LPG has wrapped up two financing facilities totalling $595m, aimed at supporting its fleet expansion, refinancing existing debt, and boosting liquidity. The dual-listed unit of Singapore’s BW Group closed a $380m term loan and revolving credit facility backed by seven banks.…

  • USTR threat hits Chinese shipyards as global orders slump

    USTR threat hits Chinese shipyards as global orders slump A contraction in Chinese shipbuilding orders has been registered in the first half of 2025, with Beijing’s once unassailable dominance increasingly under pressure from geopolitical tensions and a softening global market. According to new data from BIMCO, China’s share of newbuilding contracts dropped from 72% to…

  • HSG Sungdong returns to shipbuilding spotlight with Samsung Heavy tie-up

    HSG Sungdong returns to shipbuilding spotlight with Samsung Heavy tie-up HSG Sungdong Shipbuilding, once one of the top 10 shipbuilders in the world, has re-entered the finished shipbuilding market, forging a strategic partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries and securing major orders in offshore wind and marine infrastructure. After years of financial hardship that culminated in…

  • HD Hyundai eyes Morocco shipyard

    HD Hyundai eyes Morocco shipyard South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is eyeing a strategic leap into North Africa, as it seeks to secure long-term operating rights for Morocco’s flagship Casablanca shipyard. The latest global expansion effort comes at a time when South Korea’s largest shipbuilder aimed faces production bottlenecks at home amid a record…

  • Tanjung Offshore seals Hibiscus extension

    Tanjung Offshore seals Hibiscus extension Malaysia’s Tanjung Offshore has bagged a contract extension from Hibiscus Oil & Gas for maintenance, construction and modification services on the PM3-CAA oilfield. Under the agreement, the offshore services player of T7 Global will stay on the job until mid-December this year, following the initial fixture in December 2024. Financial…

  • Itochu orders world’s first ammonia bunkering vessel

    Itochu orders world’s first ammonia bunkering vessel Japanese trading giant Itochu Corporation is set to operate the world’s first ammonia bunkering vessel by September 2027. Itochu, via its Singapore bunkering subsidiary, has signed a shipbuilding contract for the construction of a 5,000 cu m ammonia bunkering vessel with Sasaki Shipbuilding and an agreement regarding the…

  • Advantage Tankers bolsters VLCC orderbook

    Advantage Tankers bolsters VLCC orderbook Geneva-based Advantage Tankers has returned to South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean with a fresh order for another VLCC newbuilding as part of a growing strategic push into the larger tanker segment. Industry sources report that the Tugrul Tokgoz-led company has declared an option for a third 320,000 dwt unit at the…

  • Hafnia seals $715m credit line backed by 32 ships

    Hafnia seals $715m credit line backed by 32 ships Product tanker giant Hafnia has secured a $715m revolving credit line, secured by a fleet of 32 modern vessels and supported by a diverse syndicate of 11 leading international banks. The seven-year facility, which features a highly competitive margin and a 20-year age-adjusted amortisation structure, provides…

  • Splash Wrap: Red Sea attacks lead coverage

    Splash Wrap: Red Sea attacks lead coverage The global shipping industry has been rocked by two deadly attacks this week in the Red Sea, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels launching their first campaign against merchant shipping of the year, sinking two bulk carriers, killing at least three seafarers, wounding others, and reportedly kidnapping crew. A new…

  • Indonesia’s Jhonlin Marine quietly builds ultramax fleet with Japanese tonnage

    Indonesia’s Jhonlin Marine quietly builds ultramax fleet with Japanese tonnage Jhonlin Marine Trans, the shipping arm of Indonesia’s sprawling Jhonlin Group, has quietly assembled an impressive trio of Japanese-built ultramax bulk carriers, signalling a growing ambition in the dry bulk sector from one of the country’s most powerful conglomerates. The company’s fleet now includes three…

  • HD Hyundai deepens robotics push with German partnership as shipyard humanoids take shape

    HD Hyundai deepens robotics push with German partnership as shipyard humanoids take shape As labour shortages continue to challenge the shipbuilding sector, South Korea’s HD Hyundai has doubled down on robotics innovation, announcing a strategic partnership with German cognitive robotics pioneer NEURA Robotics and sister firm HD Hyundai Robotics. The three-way collaboration aims to develop…

  • Ørsted secures $3bn in financing for offshore wind farm in Taiwan

    Ørsted secures $3bn in financing for offshore wind farm in Taiwan Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted has secured TWD 90bn ($3bn) in financing for the 632MW Greater Changhua 2 wind farm off Taiwan. The financing deal was arranged with 25 banks and five export credit agencies and covers part of the financing for the project.…

  • Trafigura takes stake in ZeroNorth

    Trafigura takes stake in ZeroNorth Global commodities powerhouse Trafigura has taken a strategic equity stake in a well-known vessel optimisation brand, ZeroNorth. The new partnership will see ZeroNorth’s platform deployed across Trafigura’s controlled fleet of over 350 vessels, including its voyage optimisation systems, emissions analytics and vessel reporting tools. While financial terms of the transaction…

  • Hanwha Shipping bags third VLCC newbuild

    Hanwha Shipping bags third VLCC newbuild Hanwha Shipping, the shipowning arm of South Korean builder Hanwha Ocean, has added another vessel to its growing in-house fleet, placing an order for an additional VLCC. The Okpo-based yard — formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) — is scheduled to deliver the 300,000 dwt scrubber-fitted…

  • Navios Maritime adds to South Korean boxship newbuild series

    Navios Maritime adds to South Korean boxship newbuild series Greece’s Navios Maritime Partners is ramping up its exposure in the container shipping sector with a fresh order for four modern boxships at South Korea’s HJ Shipbuilding & Construction. The Angeliki Frangou-led company is understood to have signed for four 8,000 teu vessels, in a deal…

  • Sinokor books four boxships at HD Hyundai yards

    Sinokor books four boxships at HD Hyundai yards South Korean shipowner Sinokor Merchant Marine has placed an order with compatriot shipbuilder HD Hyundai, securing four containerships in a deal valued at KRW 834.8bn ($611m). HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the holding company of HD Hyundai, revealed the contract in a stock exchange filing, without…

  • Emerging Greek owner Venergy steps into newbuild market with MRs in South Korea

    Emerging Greek owner Venergy steps into newbuild market with MRs in South Korea Venergy Maritime, the Greece-based tanker newcomer led by Vyron Vasileiadis, has placed its first newbuilding order, contracting two MR product tankers at South Korea’s K Shipbuilding. The firm order for the 50,000 dwt pair is for delivery in the first quarter of…

  • New maritime electrification alliance out to change zero-emission game

    New maritime electrification alliance out to change zero-emission game Four maritime associations have launched the Global Alliance for Maritime Electrification (GAME), a coalition of nonprofit organisations looking to accelerate the electrification of maritime transportation. The new alliance will initially focus on inland, nearshore, and commercial vessels and push for zero-emission solutions through coordinated research, policy…

  • MOL links up with ONGC for VLEC newbuilds

    MOL links up with ONGC for VLEC newbuilds Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) is partnering up with India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to build and operate very large ethane carriers (VLECs). According to the expression of interest, the deal, structured as a joint ventur,e will see the contracting of two newbuild VLECs…

  • Splash Wrap: Trump leads headlines in a calmer week for shipping

    Splash Wrap: Trump leads headlines in a calmer week for shipping Compared to almost every other week of 2025, from a shipping news/geopolitical point of view this week has been comparatively calm. Nevertheless, the word Trump featured in more Splash headlines than any other word once again. The big news at the start of the…

  • Perdana Petroleum wins anchor handler work

    Perdana Petroleum wins anchor handler work Malaysian offshore marine support services firm Perdana Petroleum has won a new contract for the charter of an anchor handling tug and supply (AHTS) vessel. The contract was awarded to its wholly owned subsidiary, Perdana Nautika, and will last for 120 days. The identity of the client was left…

  • Singapore files charges over last year’s fatal tanker collision

    Singapore files charges over last year’s fatal tanker collision The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has filed formal charges stemming from the deadly 2024 collision involving the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the shadow tanker Ceres I, an incident that drew international attention for both its human toll and its implications for shadow fleet…

  • Yinson Production secures $1.17bn refinancing for FPSO Maria Quiteria

    Yinson Production secures $1.17bn refinancing for FPSO Maria Quiteria Singapore-based floater owner and operator Yinson Production has announced a successful placement of $1.168bn in senior secured notes issued by Yinson Bergenia Production, the owner of the FPSO Maria Quitéria. The FPSO is operating under a 22.5-year lease and operate contract with Petrobras in the Jubarte…

  • LS Marine Solutions picks Turkish shipyard for cable layer construction

    LS Marine Solutions picks Turkish shipyard for cable layer construction South Korean subsea cable contractor LS Marine Solutions has signed a construction agreement with Turkey’s Tersan Shipyard to build a high-voltage direct current cable-laying vessel. According to the company, the new vessel will be Asia’s largest and one of the top five in its class…

  • Indian shipbuilder buys majority stake in Sri Lanka’s largest yard

    Indian shipbuilder buys majority stake in Sri Lanka’s largest yard India’s state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has announced its first international acquisition by securing a controlling 51% stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard for $52.96m. The Sri Lankan yard had previously been controlled by Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard which had been looking for investors to…

  • The week in shipping: Iran dominates the headlines

    The week in shipping: Iran dominates the headlines Starting today, Splash will be bringing readers a weekly wrap to digest the important shipping news of the past few days. This complements Daily Splash, our free newsletter published Monday through Friday, as well as Splash Extra, our monthly digest. Conflict with Iran dominated the headlines in…

  • Imabari to take control of Japan Marine United

    Imabari to take control of Japan Marine United Consolidation – and by extension greater focus and economies of scale – continues in the revived Japanese shipbuilding sector with news that Imabari Shipbuilding, the nation’s top yard, is to take control of Japan Marine United (JMU). The Higaki family-controlled Imabari announced yesterday it will up its…

  • Global ship recycling landmark arrives with patchy compliance across South Asia

    Global ship recycling landmark arrives with patchy compliance across South Asia Fully 16 years in the making, the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force today, with the majority of demo yards in Bangladesh and Pakistan – two vital recycling destinations – still not compliant with…

  • Japan seeks to double shipbuilding output by 2030

    Japan seeks to double shipbuilding output by 2030 Japan is weighing bold steps to rejuvenate its once-dominant shipbuilding industry, including the establishment of a government-backed national shipyard, as part of a wider strategy to restore maritime manufacturing capabilities critical to national security. The proposal, submitted to prime minister Shigeru Ishiba by the ruling Liberal Democratic…

  • PIL’s Teo Teng Seng takes the reins at SSA

    PIL’s Teo Teng Seng takes the reins at SSA Teo Teng Seng, an advisor at Pacific International Lines (PIL), has been elected as the new president of the Singapore Shipping Association, succeeding Caroline Yang as head of one of the largest regional shipping bodies in the world. Teo had served as chair of SSA’s digitalisation…

  • K Line teams with Provaris in hydrogen carrier drive

    K Line teams with Provaris in hydrogen carrier drive Japanese shipping major Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has partnered up with Australia’s Provaris Energy to advance compressed hydrogen shipping and offshore storage solutions. The two companies have signed a 12-month memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly explore the development, construction, and operation of Provaris’ H2Neo…

  • SeaBird Exploration changes name following merger

    SeaBird Exploration changes name following merger Marine seismic specialist SeaBird Exploration has changed its name to SED Energy Holdings following the successful merger with Singapore’s tender drilling rig specialist Energy Drilling. The name and ticker code change, now ENH, will be effective on Euronext Oslo Børs from and including June 20, 2025. Final approval of…

  • Singapore’s Proteus teams with Symbio to bring automotive hydrogen fuel cell tech to shipping

    Singapore’s Proteus teams with Symbio to bring automotive hydrogen fuel cell tech to shipping A new hydrogen fuel cell system tailored for maritime applications has been unveiled by Singapore-based Proteus Energy in partnership with French hydrogen fuel cell specialist Symbio. The modular system, known as the Proteus Maritime Fuel Cell Solution, is intended for deployment…

  • MOL, Petronas, and MISC launch liquefied CO2 shipping venture

    MOL, Petronas, and MISC launch liquefied CO2 shipping venture Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Malaysian state energy firm Petronas and the country’s top shipping line, MISC, have launched a joint venture to build and operate liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers. The JV called Jules Nautica will aim to become a leading owner of…

  • South Korea’s top shipyard debuts its own sail device

    South Korea’s top shipyard debuts its own sail device With wind-assist technology going mainstream, South Korea’s largest shipbuilding group has debuted its only sail system. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the holding company of HD Hyundai, has unveiled its Hi-Wing, a prototype of which has gone through land trials, and will shortly be tested…

  • New crane collapses at Singapore’s Tuas port

    New crane collapses at Singapore’s Tuas port On Sunday afternoon, a new quay crane at Singapore’s Tuas port tipped over while it was being delivered to a non-operational berth. There were no injuries or fatalities. No damage has been assessed to adjacent port equipment and facilities. All of PSA Singapore’s current operational berths remain fully…

  • Kerala hit by third maritime incident as court orders arrest of MSC ship

    Kerala hit by third maritime incident as court orders arrest of MSC ship Kerala’s coast is witnessing an alarming spate of maritime mishaps, with a third ship-related incident reported within a span of weeks, prompting legal action, firefighting operations, and mounting concerns over environmental and economic fallout. On Thursday, the Kerala High Court ordered the…

  • Japan’s Shinomiya Tanker taps domestic yards for handysize bulker series

    Japan’s Shinomiya Tanker taps domestic yards for handysize bulker series Japanese shipowner Shinomiya Tanker has reportedly commissioned three compatriot yards for five handysize bulker newbuildings. The Tokushima-based company has placed a single 40,000 dwt vessel at Naikai Zosen, with two additional ships each ordered from Imabari Shipbuilding and Hakodate Dockyard at $33m apiece. The first…

  • DryDel inks ultramax order in Japan

    DryDel inks ultramax order in Japan Greek bulker owner and operator DryDel Shipping is expanding its fleet with an ultramax newbuilding deal in Japan. The Costas Dellaportas-led company has penned a contract with Nihon Shipyard to see the 64,000 dwt vessel delivered in 2028. Financial terms have not been divulged. The order marks the 10th…

  • Four missing in Wan Hai boxship blaze off India

    Four missing in Wan Hai boxship blaze off India A fire and explosion aboard the Singapore-flagged containership Wan Hai 503 have left four crew members missing off the southwest coast of India. The incident occurred on Monday around 12.30 hrs Singapore time, some 80 km southwest of Azhikkal, Kerala. The 4,333 teu vessel, operated by…

  • Carsten Rehder lines up more newbuilds in India

    Carsten Rehder lines up more newbuilds in India German shipowner Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler und Reederei is further strengthening its ties with India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), signing a new memorandum of intent for four additional multipurpose (MPP) dry cargo vessels. The agreement, signed during the Nor-Shipping event in Oslo, brings the total number…

  • Purus confirms South Korean LNG carrier order

    Purus confirms South Korean LNG carrier order UK-based shipowner Purus Marine has firmed up an order for a new LNG carrier at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, adding to its growing gas carrier orderbook in South Korea. The Julian Proctor-led company has signed for a 180,000 cu m newbuild with delivery set for the fourth quarter…

  • Bumi Armada JV nets three-year FPSO charter in India

    Bumi Armada JV nets three-year FPSO charter in India Malaysian oilfield services company Bumi Armada and its joint venture partner Shapoorji Pallonji Energy (SP Energy) have won a contract from ONGC for the bareboat charter of the Armada Sterling II FPSO. The vessel will continue operating on ONGC’s Cluster 7 field about 210km off the…

  • Faster, greener shipping route launched in Vietnam

    Faster, greener shipping route launched in Vietnam DP World, in partnership with VIMC Container Lines Joint Stock Company (VIMC Lines), has launched a new coastal and river transport service that is said to cut cargo transit times by 70%. The so-called Mekong Express service connects inland port Cai Cui and deepwater port Cai Mep twice…

  • Vietnam’s Hai An Transport orders up to four boxships in China

    Vietnam’s Hai An Transport orders up to four boxships in China Vietnamese shipping and logistics company Hai An Transport and Stevedoring has launched a new fleet expansion programme with the order of up to four containerships from Chinese builder Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding. The deal includes two firm vessels and two optional units, each with…

  • BW Offshore swoops on laid-up FPSO

    BW Offshore swoops on laid-up FPSO Floater specialist BW Offshore has sealed a deal to buy an idle FPSO, calling the acquisition a strategic move to secure a high-quality production asset amid a tightening market with few comparable opportunities available. The Oslo-listed company is adding the 2006-built Nganhurra for an undisclosed sum in a transaction…

  • ONE and Hapag-Lloyd line up more than 30 newbuild contracts

    ONE and Hapag-Lloyd line up more than 30 newbuild contracts Alphaliner is reporting that Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Hapag-Lloyd are close to finalising big orders in Asia as the record global container orderbook nears 10m teu. Singapore-based, Japanese-owned ONE is in discussions with HD Hyundai in South Korea for up to twelve 16,000 teu…

  • CMA CGM signs $600m Vietnam box terminal deal

    CMA CGM signs $600m Vietnam box terminal deal France’s CMA CGM has penned an agreement with Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP) to develop a new $600m deepwater terminal in Haiphong, northern Vietnam. The deal covers the design, construction, and operation of the Lach Huyen terminals 7 and 8, located in Lach Huyen area in Haiphong. The…

  • Cido reverses course on VLACs with suezmax newbuild switch

    Cido reverses course on VLACs with suezmax newbuild switch Cido Shipping has had a change of heart on its entry into the very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) segment, choosing instead to pivot back to a more conventional market. The Hong Kong-based tonnage provider has reportedly converted its previous order at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for…

  • Japan-US Shipbuilding Revitalization Fund under discussion

    Japan-US Shipbuilding Revitalization Fund under discussion The Japanese government will issue a major new shipbuilding directive next month, aimed to revive an industry it used to lead the world in, as well as using the nation’s yards as a bargaining chip in trade talks with the Donald Trump administration in the US.  Using the 2022-promulgated…

  • Eastern Pacific signs up for Korean autonomous navigation tech

    Eastern Pacific signs up for Korean autonomous navigation tech Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has lined up two of its managed vessels for the installation of artificial intelligence-based autonomous navigation technology developed by Hyundai Heavy Industries’s subsidiary Avikus. The project will see Avikus’ Hyundai intelligent Navigation Assistant System (HiNAS) Control, HiNAS Cloud and analytics platform…

  • Lamprell pens wind installation vessel deal with Dong Fang Offshore

    Lamprell pens wind installation vessel deal with Dong Fang Offshore UAE-based fabricator Lamprell has signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwanese owner and operator Dong Fang Offshore for a newbuild wind turbine installation and maintenance vessel. The GustoMSC-designed NG-9000X vessel will be built in compliance with Taiwanese shipping law. It will feature a heavy-lift crane,…

  • Newbuild prices edge down

    Newbuild prices edge down Latest data from Clarksons Research shows that after three bumper years of orders, the appetite for newbuilds among owners is weak, down 57% year-on-year, which has also seen newbuild prices finally edge down. Clarksons is reporting newbuild prices are down 1.2% from the start of 2025, though they are still historically…

  • Why diversity makes business sense

    Why diversity makes business sense On International Women in Maritime Day, Sakura Kuma, senior advisor at Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), outlines how the maritime industry could more effectively make use of its innate diversity.  Shipping is a truly international business and I was drawn to a career in the industry as the result of the…

  • HD Hyundai pitches port cranes to US Trade Representative

    HD Hyundai pitches port cranes to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, has been in South Korea this week where shipbuilding talks have taken place as well as pitches made to become an alternate supply of port cranes.  As well as meeting with government officials, Greer sat down with HD Hyundai vice…

  • Esvagt and KMC Line firm up Korean offshore wind venture

    Esvagt and KMC Line firm up Korean offshore wind venture Danish offshore wind vessel operator Esvagt has officially formed a joint venture with South Korean shipping company KMC Line. The jv named KESTO will target the growing South Korean offshore wind market, where current plans include as much as 18.3 GW offshore wind to be…

  • Nissen Kaiun in for HD Hyundai Mipo LPG brace

    Nissen Kaiun in for HD Hyundai Mipo LPG brace Low-profile shipowner Nissen Kaiun has returned to HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan for a pair of LPR carriers. Multiple newbuilding sources have listed the Japanese shipping mammoth with two 45,000 cu m units booked at $73.5m each for delivery in 2027. The owner of more…

  • Dong Fang Offshore orders third CSOV from Vard

    Dong Fang Offshore orders third CSOV from Vard Taiwanese owner and operator Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) has ordered another commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) from Fincantieri-controlled Norwegian shipbuilder Vard. The vessel will be a sister ship to the two CSOVs contracted in May 2024, and follows the order of a subsea construction vessel from the…

  • Singapore appoints new chief executive of Maritime and Port Authority

    Singapore appoints new chief executive of Maritime and Port Authority The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is getting a new chief executive in June. Ang Wee Keong, the assistant chief executive (international) of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), has been named chief executive-designate from May 1 to June 15. He will relinquish…

  • LS Marine Solution gets cabling deal on Taiwanese offshore wind farm

    LS Marine Solution gets cabling deal on Taiwanese offshore wind farm South Korea’s LS Marine Solution has won a $15.8m contract for the installation of subsea cables at a wind farm off Taiwan. The contract is LS Marine Solution’s first overseas order and the first time a South Korean company has entered the international subsea…

  • CMA CGM becomes first global liner to run an Indian-flagged vessel

    CMA CGM becomes first global liner to run an Indian-flagged vessel CMA CGM has welcomed the arrival of the first Indian flagged containership registered by a major foreign carrier With a total capacity of 2,592 teu, CMA CGM Vitoria serves India on the group’s BIGEX network, which offers direct links between India, the Gulf, and…

  • Cairn hires EMGS for 3D survey off India

    Cairn hires EMGS for 3D survey off India Norwegian seismic service provider Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) has been hired by India’s Cairn Oil & Gas to conduct a 3D controlled source electromagnetic survey for its exploration campaign in the deepwater Krishna-Godavari block on India’s east coast. Cairn will be one of the first companies in India…

  • SteelShips back for more K Shipbuilding product tankers

    SteelShips back for more K Shipbuilding product tankers Piraeus and New York-based owner SteelShips has signed up for a fresh pair of medium-range product tanker newbuilds in South Korea. Shipbuilding sources report the Nicholas Notias-led outfit has returned to its go-to yard, K Shipbuilding, for two more 50,000 dwt units with delivery expected in 2027.…

  • RCL boosts boxship orderbook

    RCL boosts boxship orderbook Thailand’s Regional Carrier Lines (RCL) is bolstering its fleet with four additional containership newbuildings in China. The company revealed in a stock exchange filing that it will be adding a pair of 11,000 teu and 4,400 teu each in 2027 and 2028. The 11,000 teu series are costing up to $125m…

  • Pakistan ceases all trade with India

    Pakistan ceases all trade with India Pakistan has suspended all trade with India and closed its airspace and land border. The measures follow the imposition of sanctions imposed by India after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people on Tuesday. The last six months saw 520 port calls of vessels between Pakistan and…

  • Yinson Production secures $100m financing deal

    Yinson Production secures $100m financing deal Singapore-based floater owner and operator Yinson Production has successfully structured and arranged a standby letter of credit and guarantee facility of $100m. The company added that the three-year facility, with options for extensions, expands Yinson Production’s “strategic financing toolkit to support the continuous growth” of the company. According to…

  • ZIM ordered to pay Samsung $3.7m for US demurrage violations

    ZIM ordered to pay Samsung $3.7m for US demurrage violations Israeli carrier ZIM has been ordered to pay about $3.7m to Samsung Electronics America (SEA) for violating the US Shipping Act. The American affiliate of the Korean manufacturing giant filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in October 2022, claiming Zim engaged in…

  • World’s second-largest owner opens Washington office

    World’s second-largest owner opens Washington office In a sign of the times, Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), the world’s second-largest shipowner, will open a new office in Washington, DC. “As global challenges continue to evolve-ranging from geopolitical uncertainties and stricter environmental regulations to increasingly intricate supply chains-strengthening cooperation with governments and international organizations has become…

  • Philly Shipyard steps forward to meet US LNG carrier requirements

    Philly Shipyard steps forward to meet US LNG carrier requirements The Korean-controlled Philly Shipyard is gearing up to build the first LNG carriers in America since the 1970s. Following last week’s announcement by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on port fees designed to boost American shipbuilding, Hanhwa Ocean, which bought Philly Shipyard last year, has…

  • Trump’s tariffs crash world trade forecasts

    Trump’s tariffs crash world trade forecasts Many of shipping’s go-to bodies for trade forecasts are now slashing economic predictions for the year ahead in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariff war.  Creating significant alarm, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has warned global merchandise trade for 2025 could drop by as much as -1.5%, potentially becoming…

  • 54 ships abandoned so far this year

    54 ships abandoned so far this year The scourge of crew abandonment is proving very hard for global administrators to rein in. A total of 54 ships and their crews have been abandoned so far this year, according to data carried by the International Labour Organization (ILO), putting 2025 potentially on track to be the…

  • Seafarers to get 6.2% pay rise over the coming three years

    Seafarers to get 6.2% pay rise over the coming three years The International Labour Organization (ILO) has concluded the latest round of minimum wage negotiations for able seafarers at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission (JMC), held in Geneva on this week. The terms of the wage…

  • Japanese and Korean yards with investments in China on edge

    Japanese and Korean yards with investments in China on edge With Donald Trump widely tipped to pass judgement on extra fees for Chinese-linked tonnage calling at US ports in the next couple of days, another wrinkle has emerged that has not been widely discussed in Washington to date.  Trump’s tariff war against China late last…

  • Pronounced spike in low-level crimes in the Singapore Strait

    Pronounced spike in low-level crimes in the Singapore Strait The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed a rise in global piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first quarter of 2025 – driven by a spike of incidents in the Singapore Strait. A total of 45 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships…

  • Singapore’s Vasi becomes first liner casualty of 2025

    Singapore’s Vasi becomes first liner casualty of 2025 Vasi Shipping, a small Singaporean containership operator, has filed for bankruptcy. The company, founded 13 years ago, has $19m of debt owed to creditors. Previously, it operated on intra-Asia routes on three owned ships, all of which it has sold recently to try and pay back debts.…

  • NYK reveals new dry bulk player via triple merger

    NYK reveals new dry bulk player via triple merger Japanese shipping line Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) is rolling out a new player in the dry bulk sector through a merger of three of its shipping and shipmanagement subsidiaries. Asahi Shipping, Hachiuma Steamship and Mitsubishi Ore Transport are set to combine into NYK Bulkship Partners. The…

  • Centrofin books four suezmaxes at Samsung Heavy

    Centrofin books four suezmaxes at Samsung Heavy Greece’s Centrofin has added tanker newbuildings to its orderbook in a deal with South Korean yard Samsung Heavy Industries. Shipbuilding sources have placed the Dimitris Procopiou-led company behind the order for four suezmaxes at about $83m per ship. Samsung announced the order without disclosing the owner, with deliveries…

  • Cyan’s Sentinel Marine contracts MPSV newbuilds in China

    Cyan’s Sentinel Marine contracts MPSV newbuilds in China Aberdeen-based offshore support vessel specialist Sentinel Marine is expanding its fleet through a deal with China’s Jiangmen Hangtong Shipbuilding for up to four multipurpose newbuildings. The shipbuilding contract involves one firm 65-m energy support vessel with options for three more units. The newbuild, which takes the company’s…

  • Contentious late night IMO meeting ends in stalemate

    Contentious late night IMO meeting ends in stalemate Splash has obtained the contentious draft text regarding how shipping will pay for its green transition, with news that a flat levy is very much off the agenda at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A draft legal text on a package of regulations for the implementation of…

  • US targets UAE-based Indian in latest Iranian sanctions

    US targets UAE-based Indian in latest Iranian sanctions The Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure campaign on Iran has turned its attention to Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national based in the United Arab Emirates, who owns the companies Prime Tankers and Glory International. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)…

  • North Korean iron ore shipments spark sanctions

    North Korean iron ore shipments spark sanctions The government of South Korea has imposed sanctions on a non-flagged vessel the country seized for illegally transporting iron ore produced in North Korea. Sanctions were also imposed on two Chinese nationals, Sun Zhengzhe and Sun Feng, who operated the ship and Russian company LLC Consul DV, which…

  • ZIM fixes Economou and Ofer 11,500 teu newbuild series in $2.3bn deal

    ZIM fixes Economou and Ofer 11,500 teu newbuild series in $2.3bn deal Israeli carrier ZIM is bringing in 10 LNG dual-fuel containership newbuilds on long-term charter. The New York-listed company has struck deals worth in total about $2.3bn with George Economou’s TMS Group and a shipping player affiliated with Idan Ofer’s Kenon Holdings for a…

  • Purus signs for LNG carrier newbuild in South Korea

    Purus signs for LNG carrier newbuild in South Korea Purus Marine has contracted an LNG carrier newbuild in South Korea. Brokers have named the UK-based owner behind a newbuilding contract announced by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) last week. HD Hyundai Samho will build the 180,000 cu m unit for about $262m,…

  • Berge Bulk takes stake in Genco

    Berge Bulk takes stake in Genco Singapore-based owner Berge Bulk has revealed a considerable ownership of stock in the US dry bulk player Genco Shipping & Trading. A filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Berge Bulk’s vehicle Kibo Investment had picked up 3.13m shares in Genco, corresponding to a 7.3% stake.…

  • Eneos Drilling seals jackup deal in Vietnam

    Eneos Drilling seals jackup deal in Vietnam Japanese offshore contractor Eneos Drilling has secured employment for one of its jackup rigs in Vietnam. The Tokyo-based subsidiary of Eneos Xplora has fixed the 2018-built Hakuryu-14 to Japan Vietnam Petroleum Company for work on two wells in Block 15-2 offshore Vung Tau. The contract is set to…

  • HD KSOE confirms Angolan suezmax orders

    HD KSOE confirms Angolan suezmax orders HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has firmed up a deal with Sonangol for a pair of suezmax tanker newbuildings. The shipbuilding intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai said in a filing the Angola state-controlled oil company is paying $176m to see the 157,000 dwt duo delivered…

  • Depressed bunker sales point toward shakier world trade outlook

    Depressed bunker sales point toward shakier world trade outlook The tide has turned for bunker sales and prices, an indication that global seaborne trade is on shakier ground this year.  “Bunker prices tell the tale of a softening market,” broker BRS noted in a new report.  As of yesterday, 0.5% very low sulphur fuel oil…

  • Thoresen Thai adds to bulker fleet

    Thoresen Thai adds to bulker fleet Thoresen Thai Agencies has bolstered its dry bulk fleet with a supramax purchase on the secondhand market. The Bangkok-based listed owner said in a filing it had acquired an unnamed 2012-built 56,104 dwt unit without disclosing further details. S&P sources suggest the company snapped up Shunzan Kaiun’s Pacific Infinity…

  • Floatel International accommodation vessel gets more time in Brazil

    Floatel International accommodation vessel gets more time in Brazil Oslo-based offshore accommodation vessel specialist Floatel International has won a contract extension for one of its units operating off Brazil. Under the extension, the 2013-built Floatel Victory will provide maintenance and safety unit support alongside the Peregrino FPSO. The flotel contract has been extended through the…

  • Nortrans pens deal with Saipem for flotel work on Chevron’s Australian project

    Nortrans pens deal with Saipem for flotel work on Chevron’s Australian project Singapore-based Nortrans Offshore has been awarded a contract with Italian giant Saipem for work on the Jansz-Io compression project offshore Western Australia. As part of this project, the company took the 200-person flotel Belait CSS 1 on a long-term bareboat charter. This is…

  • Floating wind still going strong despite US policy turmoil

    Floating wind still going strong despite US policy turmoil The United States’ shift in offshore wind policy is set to create a potential global installation shortfall of 26GW by 2035 as a result, according to TGS’ latest report. The company said in its Quarterly Market Overview Report that the withdrawal of a major market like…

  • LS Cable & Systems focuses subsidiaries on offshore wind

    LS Cable & Systems focuses subsidiaries on offshore wind South Korea-based electrical cable provider LS Cable & System has announced that it will be expanding its presence in the offshore wind market through several of its subsidiaries. The company said that Gaon Cable, LS Eco Energy, LS Materials, and LS Marine Solution will further strengthen…

  • Precious Shipping diversifies with Malaysian tanker venture

    Precious Shipping diversifies with Malaysian tanker venture As fleet overhaul at Precious Shipping pushes ahead, the Thai dry bulk player has moved to expand its business to other shipping sectors. The Khalid Hashim-led listed owner said in a stock exchange filing that its Singapore subsidiary had struck a deal with Emstraits Navigation and Lianson Fleet,…