Tag: maritime executive

Stena to Install Wind Rotors on New Hybrid Methanol-Fueled Ro-Ro Continuing its efforts to incorporate new technologies to advance its efforts at reducing emissions, Stena Line is adding two wind rotor sails to one of its two NewMax hybrid vessels and completing the other sister ship “rotor sail ready.” The two vessels currently under construction…

Hanwha Buys Stake in Austal as it Seeks to Expand U.S. Shipbuilding Role   South Korea’s Hanwha Group is continuing its efforts to build its position in shipbuilding including the U.S. naval market by renewing its interest in Austal. Six months after reporting it was discontinuing its efforts to acquire Austal, Hanwha today announced it…

Hong Kong’s Chief Says Hutchison’s Port Sale Requires “Serious Attention”   The Chinese government continues to apply pressure after the news of CK Hutchison’s planned sale of its international port operations, including in Panama to a partnership between U.S. investment group BlackRock and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company’s TiL ports group. The deal has become mired…

Cambodia’s Chinese-Built Naval Base Holds Grand Opening   More than a year after Chinese warships established a presence at the new naval base at Ream, Cambodia, the Cambodian government has announced that the base will soon hold its grand opening – and will host a Japanese warship as its first foreign guest. Ream Naval Base…

China Fires Back After G7 Condemns “Coercive, Dangerous” Expansionism   After a statement issued by the G7 nations that criticized China’s aggression in the South China Sea, China’s embassy in Canada fired back with a strongly-worded missive accusing the Western coalition of arrogant behavior.  The offending statement was a joint declaration from a G7 foreign…

VINSSEN Gets AIP Certification for Korea’s First Hydrogen Propulsion Tug VINSSEN, maritime decarbonization technology specialist focused on hydrogen fuel cells and supporting systems, has received the Approval in Principle (AIP) certification from the Korean Register for Korea’s first tugboat featuring a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. This certification marks a significant milestone in the development…

Australia Fines Bulker for Failing to Follow Safety Directions A court in Australia sided with its maritime authorities and ordered the owners of a bulker to pay a fine as well as court costs for failing to follow safety directions. The fine comes after the Australian Maritime Authority (AMSA) last year banned the vessel from…

Cargo Ship Stranded in UK’s Humber Estuary Refloated Sooner Than Expected After two weeks and a lightering effort salvage crews were finally able to free a stranded Dutch short-sea cargo ship that was aground in the UK’s Humber Estuary. Officials had feared the vessel might be stuck till an April high tide. H&S Wisdom (1,850 dwt)…

Fisherman Rescued After 95 Days Adrift off Ecuador   A 61-year-old Peruvian fisherman has been rescued after spending 95 days adrift at sea off the coast of Ecuador. He had been hanging on to life for months by eating whatever he could catch, and was in critical condition when found. Maximo Napa Castro, 61, set…

Interview: Tim Klaybor, Managing Director, Fassmer Service America   Klaybor and his team are the service experts for Fassmer products in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean. It’s a lifesaving mission in a market that’s growing. Tell us about yourself – your background and education. What attracted you to the maritime industry?…

Dozens of Abandoned Shipwrecks Pose Safety Risks in Fiji   A fire incident this week onboard a Chinese fishing vessel, Dae Jin, while berthed at Suva Harbor, Fiji has rekindled concerns on marine safety in the country. The 24-year-old Fiji flagged longliner is said to had just completed offloading its catch when the fire started…

Philippines’ ICTSI Plans $580 Million in Port Upgrades in 2025   Philippine-based International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) has announced a major program of upgrades at key terminals around the world. After posting its most profitable year ever in 2024, with earnings of $850 million, it plans to invest $580 million in capital expenditures for 2025.…

Russia Agrees to Help Landlocked Ethiopia Rebuild its Navy   With the ongoing push for Ethiopia’s seaport access, the country is also advancing in the reorganization of its navy. On Friday, a Russian Navy delegation led by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vorobyev, visited Ethiopian Navy facilities and training center in Bishoftu town, around 30…

U.S. Carries Out Dozens of Airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi Rebels   On Saturday, U.S. Central Command launched its largest-ever campaign of air and naval strikes against Yemen’s Houthi militia, striking dozens of sites across the country’s northwestern corner.  In a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he…

Saildrone and Palantir Partner to Advance AI-Powered Maritime Intelligence   Saildrone will leverage Palantir’s AI technology to deliver unprecedented insights for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and targeting applications. Saildrone today announced a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies set to revolutionize maritime intelligence capabilities. This collaboration will enable the rapid scaling of autonomous systems to deliver advanced…

DNV White Paper on Safe and Scalable Adoption of Ammonia and Hydrogen Fuels As the shipping industry continues its transition to carbon-neutral fuels, ammonia and hydrogen are emerging as possible fuel options, however mandatory regulations governing their use are not yet in place. DNV’s latest white paper, Safe introduction of alternative fuels – Focus on…

UK’s HMS Lancaster Uses New Drone System in First Drug Seizure of 2025 The International Combined Task Force 150 is continuing with efforts to tackle illicit activities in the waters of the Middle East. The task force, which is currently under the command of New Zealand reported the seizure of a total of 318 kilograms…

Japanese Partners Advance Designs for Large Ammonia Carrier A partnership of Japanese companies continues to accelerate its efforts to develop ammonia transport as the efforts continue to move forward to complete the development of ammonia as a fuel for industry and the maritime sector. The designs received initial design approval from ClassNK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai,…

UK Charges Captain of Solong with Gross Negligence Manslaughter The Humberside Police and the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division confirmed late on Friday that the captain of the containership Solong has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the allision with the Stena Immaculate off the coast of…

EverWind Invests in New Low-Emission Tugboats Built by Damen   EverWind Fuels announced an investment of approximately $50 million to launch a new three-vessel fleet of advanced, lower-emission tugboats in the Strait of Canso. The modernized vessels will help enhance maritime sustainability, improve infrastructure reliability, and support green shipping corridors in Nova Scotia. This project,…

First Substation Installed as Work Proceeds for Dominion’s Wind Farm   Work is continuing to progress on Dominion Energy’s offshore wind farm which when completed will be the largest in the United States. Additional milestones were achieved for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind as the project prepares for its next phase of installation. While the offshore…

Fincantieri and Norwegian Mark Dual Milestone for New Cruise Ships Norwegian Cruise Line took delivery on its next cruise ship today, March 13, from Fincantieri in Italy. It is the third ship of the class of six being built by Fincantieri with the fourth ship scheduled to float out from the building dock tomorrow. Norwegian…

Record Cargo Volumes at Canada’s Vancouver Port Ahead of Trade War   The Canadian Port of Vancouver reported a very strong performance last year as its cargo throughput hit record highs. The port is also looking to capitalize on its position as a possible port of entry for increased Chinese and Asia trade due to…

UK Pursues North Sea Incident Investigation as Court Extends Detention   As salvage teams are making headway in efforts related to the Stena Immaculate and the Solong, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch outlined the steps for the investigation. At the same time, a Magistrate’s Court extended the detention and questioning of the master of…

Video: Tanker Damages Brazilian Navy Pier and Ships While Maneuvering The Port of Santos is confirming that a tanker maneuvering in the port lost control on Wednesday night, March 12. The vessel hit a pier and Brazilian patrol boats. The tanker Olavo Bilac was maneuvering between the Alemoa 1 and Outeirinhos 1 piers when the…

Report: Chinese Cargo Ship Collided with North Korean Bulker Smuggling Coal A media report is circulating today, March 13, in South Korea saying that a North Korean bulker smuggling coal was involved in a collision and sank last month. It is saying as many as 20 seafarers were lost but the Chinese failed to report…

A “Floating Truck Stop” Could Alleviate Ontario’s Highway Congestion   The increasing volume of east – west road traffic through North America’s busiest corridor at Toronto, Canada requires the development of new and alternative solutions for the future. One of the possibilities involves the operation of mega-scale roll-on, roll-off shipping to carry trucks along the…

Continuing Resolution Puts U.S. Navy Maintenance, Recruitment at Risk   The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution (CR) rather than a budget to fund the federal government for the rest of the year, leaving funding levels effectively flat across the board. Without a normal appropriations bill, the military services lack the funding…

Retailers Continue to Front-Load Imports Prompting Cut in Q2 Forecast Retailers are continuing to front-load their imports into U.S. ports due to the uncertainty over U.S. tariffs and the potential that the Trump administration will move to impose fees on Chinese-built ships reports the National Retail Federation. While the trade group expects volumes to remain…

New Svitzer Tug is First to Integrate Battery with Methanol Fueled Engines A new tug construction project underway at Turkey’s Uzmar shipyard will integrate a marine battery power system with a methanol-fueled engine to minimize emissions from the operations. The vessel is being built for Svitzer and will be launched later this year for operations…

Wescom Group Appoints Ella Isiraojie as Business Development Manager [By: Wescom Group] Emmanuella (Ella) Isiraojie has been appointed as Business Development Manager Medical ANP Pharma Ltd, a Wescom Group company. Responsible for global business development, Ella has over 16 years of expertise working in sales and marketing in the pharmaceutical and medical distribution industry. At…

Port Fees on Chinese Ships Would Hit U.S. Ag, Energy and Shipping   While businesses have been closely following the Trump administration’s tariff policies, the seven-figure port fee proposal from the US Trade Representative (USTR) could have even deeper effects on American shipping interests. If adopted, Chinese-built ships – and global operators who use Chinese-built ships elsewhere…

Odfjell Completes Install of First Sails on Tanker to Analyze Fuel Savings Global chemical tanker operator Odfjell has joined the growing list of shipping companies that are incorporating wind-assisted propulsion into their operations as they seek to lower emissions. The company’s first sail installation was completed in Antwerp, and the chemical tanker Bow Olympus will…

OSM Thome Strengthens Commitment to Maritime Education [By OSM Thome] The Adopt A Ship Program, led by IMO Goodwill Ambassador George Hoyt under Adopt A Ship International, is a global initiative that fosters maritime awareness among students by connecting classrooms with seafarers aboard ships. This educational program provides a real-world learning experience, engaging students in…

Report: Russian Ballistic Missile Kills Four Seafarers in Odesa Port In posting on social media, Ukrainian authorities are reporting a deadly attack on the port of Odesa. It is being widely reported that four sailors aboard a Greek-managed bulker were killed during a Russian missile attack, a fifth crewmember injured, and an employee of the…

Class Societies ABS and DNV Advance Plans for Ammonia-Cracking Bulker   An innovative project to develop a shipboard ammonia-cracking technology took a key step forward toward the vision of building a zero-emission dry bulk carrier for the copper industry. Class societies ABS and DNV working with Norway-based Pherousa Shipping and technology company Metacon have issued…

Austal Issues Shares to Raise Capital for Alabama Yard Expansion   Austal Ltd., the Australian parent company of defense shipbuilder Austal USA, has announced a capital raise of as much as US$140 million to pay for the expansion of its main shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.  Austal USA is the core of Austal Ltd.’s enterprise, and…

Ontario and Washington Back Down From Escalating Tariff Threats   After days of back-and-forth threats, the White House and the premier of Ontario, Canada backed down from steep tariff hikes that would have hit consumers on both sides of the border.  Last week, in response to Trump’s ongoing tariffs on Canadian goods, Ontario Premier Doug…

ABP Plans to Build England’s Biggest Floating Solar Plant   Britain’s top ports operator has announced plans to install the largest floating solar project in the country at the Port of Barrow, north of Liverpool on England’s eastern coastline.  The port has submitted planning documents for the “Barrow EnergyDock,” which will be located in the…

Multiple Vessels Report GPS Disruption in Strait of Hormuz   The Royal Navy’s maritime security reporting arm has received multiple reports of GPS jamming in the Strait of Hormuz, a periodic hotspot for interference. Though not as frequent as it is in the Baltic, GPS disruption has occurred in the Strait before, and have previously…

Hapag-Lloyd Advances Terminal Strategy Acquiring Stake in Le Havre, France Hapag-Lloyd has become the latest of the major carriers to move forward with a strategy to expand its shoreside operations by growing its terminal portfolio. After launching an independent terminal company in 2023, Hapag-Lloyd reports it has acquired a controlling interest in one of the…

Canada Confirms Second Polar Icebreaker Order with Quebec’s Chantier Davie   The government of Canada confirmed the order for the second of its planned large polar icebreakers with Quebec’s Chantier Davie. The contract for the other large polar icebreaker was confirmed with Seaspan in Vancouver with both vessels being part of the country’s National Shipbuilding…

Offshore Support Vessel to Become World’s Longest-Range Hybrid Vessel Energy service company and tanker operator AET provided details on its planned conversion of one of its support vessels to create a hybrid electric vessel with the world’s longest range. Based in Galveston, Texas, and a division of Malaysia’s MISC, the company reports one of its…

Battleship USS Texas Gets a Permanent Home   After months of debate, the historic battleship USS Texas has finally found a permanent berth at the port of Galveston. A disagreement between the port authority and the foundation that manages Texas led to uncertainty about the giant WWII warship’s future, but it has been resolved to…

In The Know Podcast 64: Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink   The maritime industry has more options for satellite data than ever before, and it can be hard to know which to choose. Marlink, a leading managed connectivity provider for shipping, is offering an all-of-the-above option – GEO, LEO and LTE connectivity rolled into…

China’s Huge Fisheries Law Overhaul Could Make Fleet More Sustainable d [By Regina Lam] Nearly 16 million people in China depend on fisheries production for their livelihoods. A massive overhaul of the law governing their work, unveiled in December 2024, could impact all of them. China’s current fisheries law came into force in 1986. The amendments proposed to it last…

DP World Launches $800 Million Modern Terminal in Jeddah   DP World has inaugurated its newly modernized South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port. The modernization and expansion program has been ongoing for the last three years, under a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer concession signed in 2019 with the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani). The $800 million upgrade…

After Fatal Accidents, South Africa Begins Safety Audits on Fishing Fleet South Africa Begins Safety Audits on its Commercial Fishing Fleet South Africa has launched nationwide safety inspections on all its commercial fishing vessels. Last week, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said that the audits are in response to a series of recent…

Jan Allman Returns to Her Post as CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine Fincantieri Marinette Marine announced a significant leadership transition this week, with Jan Allman returning to assume the role of chief executive officer. The company’s board of directors approved the appointment last week, marking Allman’s return to a position she previously held for seven…

USCG Cutter Polar Star Departs Antarctica Marking 49 Years of Operations   The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star departed the Antarctic region Tuesday, March 4, after having spent 65 days south of the Antarctic Circle in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025 the annual research and resupply mission. The Coast Guard highlights that the…

Video: Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Tanker Stuck by Containership off Turkey One of the mysterious tankers operating in the shadow fleet and sanctioned late last year was involved in an incident off Turkey late on Friday, March 7. Turkish authorities have not commented on the allision where the tanker was hit by a Turkish-owned containership, but…

Weather Continues to Delay Salvage Efforts for MSC Baltic III   The Canadian Coast Guard provided an update on the ongoing operations to salvage the grounded containership MSC Baltic III saying the focus remains on the fuel aboard the ship and the prevention of environmental damage. While there is daily activity, the Coast Guard reports…

Sovcomflot Cites U.S. Sanctions as Profits Again Plummet in 2024 Russia’s energy shipping company Sovcomflot reported financial results on Friday, March 7, citing the continuing impact of Western sanctions on its operations and warning that the pressures on its operations were likely to increase this year. This came as Donald Trump posted on social media…

Cook Islands Politicians Question Role Supporting Shadow Fleet The Cook Islands as a registry of ships has become one of the topics of the reporting on the shadow fleet of tankers servicing the Russian oil industry. Now politicians in the small Pacific Island nation are questioning their role in the shadow fleet and how the…

Costa Concordia’s Infamous Captain Could Work at the Vatican on Parole Capt. Francesco Schettino, former captain of the lost cruise ship Costa Concordia, may soon be eligible for partial parole, and would have a day job waiting for him outside of prison. On January 13, 2012, the giant cruise ship Costa Concordia hit a rock…

GAO: USCG’s Shore Maintenance Infrastructure Backlog Has Ballooned to $7B   Failure by the U.S. Coast Guard to invest in maintaining and renewing its crumpling shore infrastructure and a lack of funding from the U.S. Congress has resulted in a significant increase in the amount required to carry out the work. The Government Accountability Office…

Trump Pauses Tariffs on Mexico and Canada for Another Month   On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump paused American tariffs on Canada and Mexico for the second time. The pause is the latest in a long series of changes: his first administration negotiated a zero-percent tariff deal in 2019 – the U.S. Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) –…

Report: GPS Jamming Sent Bangladeshi Bulker Aground in Baltic   According to Bangladeshi media, a bulker ran aground near the Russian port of Ust-Luga in late December and remained on the rocks for weeks, despite appeals to the local authorities for assistance.  The previously-unreported casualty involved the Bangladeshi-owned and -crewed bulker Meghna Princess, operated by…

Meyer Turku Names New CEO from Cargotec Replacing Tim Meyer Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku reported today that it has named Casimir Lindholm, the current President of Cargotec, to succeed family member Tim Meyer as CEO of the cruise ship builder. The move comes just weeks after the company also named former Wärtsilä CEO Jaakko Eskola as…

Lauritzen Bulkers Buys Canadian Breakbulk Firm and Looks to Positive 2025   Denmark’s Lauritzen Bulkers, one of the oldest operators tracing its roots back 140 years, reports it has acquired Alexander & Blake, a Canadian breakbulk and parcel shipping company. The deal comes as the company looks to rebound from what it called “unpredictable and…

Uncertain Amount of Fuel Remains Aboard Lost Survey Ship Manawanui   Poor weather has repeatedly delayed the pollution-abatement operation for the wreck of the New Zealand naval survey ship HMNZS Manawanui, which grounded and sank off Samoa in October 2024, and New Zealand’s representatives have declined to update local media on the amount of fuel…

Keel Laying Ceremony Conducted for Fifth, Final U.S. Training Ship Work officially began with the next milestone on the fifth and final vessel in the Maritime Administration’s program to provide state-of-the-art training ships to the state-run maritime academies. The grand block for the fifth vessel, which has been assigned to the California State University Maritime…

Philippine Gov’t is Alarmed by Claims of Chinese Sovereignty Over Palawan The Philippine government is used to provocative statements from China’s state-owned media empire, but has expressed alarm at a new theory circulating on  tightly-monitored Chinese social media: the newly-created concept that Palawan, one of the Philippines’ home islands, is actually part of China.  To…

Indo-Pacific Command Gets AI Tools for Wargaming and Operational Planning The Pentagon’s “startup” program, the Defense Innovation Unit, has awarded a contract to a San Francisco tech company to turn modern AI into useful military planning and wargaming tools, which could help theater-level commanders decide how to deploy warships, aircraft and troops. If operationalized, the…

U.S. Sanctions Houthi Leaders for Arranging Weapons Deals With Russia The U.S. Treasury has imposed new counterterrorism sanctions on seven Houthi leaders who worked to secure weaponry from the Russian government and supply Yemeni fighters for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No Russian officials were sanctioned in the announcement.  The Houthis repeatedly attacked merchant shipping in…

All American Marine Delivers Research Vessel to Cal Poly Humboldt [By All American Marine] All American Marine (AAM) has successfully delivered a 78’ x 26.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran to Cal Poly Humboldt.  This cutting-edge research vessel will serve as a state-of-the-art scientific exploration platform and support faculty research along the Northern California and Oregon coasts.…

Mitsui OSK Buys Second Seabourn Ship from Carnival to Grow Domestic Cruises   Japan’s Mitsui Ocean Cruises reports it has purchased a second, small luxury cruise ship from Carnival Corporation’s Seabourn Cruise Line as it seeks to expand its domestic cruise operations. The shipping major best known for its bulker operations announced plans in 2023…

Photos: Cargo Vessel “Stuck in the Mud” in UK’s Humber Estuary Local officials and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency are working on a plan to free a Dutch short-sea cargo ship that is high and dry or as one local official described it “stuck in the mud.” After three attempts over a 24-hour period,…

Sailors Not Required: DARPA Launches Fully Unmanned Warship Prototype   The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Serco have launched the Defiant, a prototype unmanned surface vessel that was designed from the ground up for fully uncrewed naval operations. The ship has no provisions at all for human occupancy during operation. The 180-foot, 240-tonne…

Fortescue Brings Ammonia-Powered PSV to UK Ahead of IMO Meetings   With the IMO’s next Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) set to take place in April, Australia’s Fortesce’s marine division, Fortescue Zero, brought its dual-fuel ammonia-powered vessel to London for demonstrations. The company previously showed off the vessel for the first time in Dubai during…

For First Time in 40 Years, King of England Visits a Carrier Under Way   On Tuesday, King Charles flew out to join the carrier HMS Prince of Wales in the English Channel – the first time that the King of England has visited a Royal Navy warship under way in four decades.  Prince of…

B.C. Completes Salvage Operation to Remove Sunken Fishing Vessel The government of British Columbia has completed cleanup and removal of a sunken fishing vessel that went down near Bella Bella last month.  In the early hours of February 19, the fishing vessel Western Gambler began taking on water, and the crew attempted to make an…

Knud E. Hansen Announces New Managing Director [By: Knud E. Hansen] On 1st March 2025, Denmark-based maritime consultancy Knud E. Hansen announced changes to its senior management structure. The move sees Javier Suárez succeeding Finn Wollesen Petersen as the company’s Managing Director. The move to the new management structure is part of a planned process that…

Op-Ed: China is on Track for a Major Recession   [By Chris Lee] The risk of China spiralling into an unprecedentedly prolonged recession is increasing. Its economy is experiencing deflation, with the price level falling for a second consecutive year in 2024, according to recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. It’s on track…

CMA CGM Orders Electric Inland Container Barge for Nike Goods in Vietnam CMA CGM Group is moving forward with the project it announced in December 2024 to develop and operate fully electric container barges on inland routes in Vietnam. The group placed an order for the first barge to be built by China’s Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding.…

Australia Advances Offshore Wind Energy Granting Two Feasibility Licenses   Australia continues its efforts to launch its first offshore wind energy projects. A year after declaring offshore zones and selecting the first potential projects, the government granted two more feasibility licenses to proceed with the planning for wind farms in the Southern Ocean and the…

Liner ss United States Completes “Last Voyage” Arriving in Mobile The famed liner ss United States made an earlier than anticipated arrival in Mobile, Alabama after completing the 12-day tow from Philadelphia. The ship was maneuvered to a berth at the Modern American Recycling Services (MARS) facility in Mobile for the next phase of the…

China Grows in South America by Buying Brazil’s Only Private VLCC Terminal China continues to grow its influence over South America with China Merchants reporting an agreement to buy Brazil’s only privately operated VLCC terminal. The company reports the deal is part of its continued growth in the Latin America region and further consolidates its…

Norway Will Supply US Ships Despite Call for Boycott says Defense Minister   Norway’s Defense Minister issued a statement on March 2 responding to the growing media coverage of a call for a boycott of delivering fuel and supplies to U.S. warships as a show of solidarity with Ukraine. The minister assured that government policy…

Slowly-Collapsing Bridge Disrupts River Navigation in Dresden   A damaged and failing bridge briefly shut down inland shipping on the Elbe at Dresden last weekend, the second time in five months that barge traffic has been halted by the risk of falling concrete and steel.  On September 11, 2024, at about 0300 hours in the…

Thailand’s Legal Reforms Could Bring Back “Bad Old Days” for Fishing   [By Tyler Roney] Jirasak “Boot” Meerit left school before he was a teenager to become a fisher alongside his father. When he started a family, Meerit bought his own boat and set out to catch blue crab and spotted mackerel in Prachuap Khiri…

China and Russia Expand Cooperation on Antarctic Drilling   As international interest in the Polar regions mount, China and Russian cooperation in the Antarctica has achieved a new milestone. The two countries have begun joint Antarctic drilling, crucial in collecting data to understand the changing Earth’s climate system. This week, a Sino-Russian scientific team carried…

Somalia and Ethiopia Makes Progress on Talks for Port Access   Ethiopia and Somalia are on a path for renewed cooperation after the two sides agreed to end the Somaliland port dispute. Last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed toured Mogadishu and held talks with Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Top on the agenda of the…

Charting Key Regulatory Change Across Maritime Law in 2025 and Beyond   A tidal wave of new regulations is set to hit the global maritime sector this year, representing fresh, highly-complex compliance challenges. From environmental performance to evolving security and safety standards, the shipping industry faces a raft of new rules intended to ensure safe…

Russian Missile Attack Damages MSC Boxship at Port of Odesa   On Saturday, a Russian ballistic missile strike damaged a foreign-flag boxship at the port of Odesa, Ukraine, according to the regional government.  The feeder MSC Levante F was in port and was damaged by the blast, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. Two port employees…

Meta’s Waterworth Subsea Cable is About Geopolitics and Geoeconomics   [By Ravi Nayyar] Announced on 14 February, Meta’s Project Waterworth is not just proposed to be the world’s longest submarine cable but reflects ever-shifting geopolitical and geoeconomic landscapes. It presents a great opportunity for Australia to collaborate more with its regional partners, especially India and the…

Military Sealift Command is Wrapping Up 2025 Supply Mission to Antarctica   The chartered general cargo ship Ocean Gladiator (17,700 dwt) arrived last week at the U.S.’s McMurdo Station, Antarctica in support of the annual resupply mission Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025. The Military Sealift Command highlights the critical nature of the mission which has…

Report: HD Hyundai is Shopping for an Indian Shipyard The Indian media is reporting that South Korea’s HD Hyundai is actively pursuing opportunities in India as it looks for either a location for a yard or a partnership arrangement. It coincides with a larger effort by the Indian government to make the country into a…

Maersk Maps India Investment Strategy as it Names Boxship in Mumbai Maersk celebrated the naming of its eleventh dual-fuel methanol containership today, February 28, in Mumbai, India.  It was Maersk’s first-ever naming ceremony in India and coincided with the company mapping out an investment opportunity pipeline of $5 billion in ports, terminals, and landside infrastructure…

Video: Cruise Ship Rescues Small Boat Adrift with Migrants in Caribbean Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean International’s cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas (90,000 gross tons) got a little extra excitement during what was to have been a relaxing day at sea. The cruise was traveling between Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico on Wednesday, February 26,…

Petrobras to Triple LPG Fleet Capacity and Support Brazilian Shipbuilding   Transpetro the shipping arm of Brazil’s energy major Petrobras (Petróleo Brasileiro) announced ambitious growth plans for its LPG fleet and its entry into ammonia transport at an event that also highlighted support for Brazil’s shipbuilding industry. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President…

Costamare Reverses Course Planning to Spilt Boxship and Bulker Businesses   Costamare which calls itself one of the leading owners and providers of containerships and dry bulk vessels for charter announced a plan to split its operations into two publicly-traded companies. The move reverses a strategy launched just four years ago to take the long-time…

Bulgarian Bulker Saves 34 Fishermen From Burning Boat in the Indian Ocean A Bulgarian bulker has rescued 34 fishermen from a burning vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to the shipowner.  Eleen Armonia, a 2008-built bulker owned by Eleen Marine, was under way from Singapore to the Cape of Good Hope when the…

Stranded MSC Baltic III Cannot be Safely Refloated Reports Coast Guard   Twelve days after the containership MSC Baltic III (33,767 dwt) lost power and was driven ashore in Canada during a winter storm, the Canadian Coast Guard reports the vessel cannot be safely refloated. Weather continues to hamper the efforts of the Coast Guard and…

USCG Revokes San Juan Terminal’s Permit for Ammonium Nitrate   The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered a container terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico to stop handling ammonium nitrate – a dangerous cargo that can explode under the wrong conditions – until it installs proper firefighting equipment.  The Coast Guard has long had concerns about…

Massachusetts Offshore Wind Farm Postponed Four Years Due to Uncertainties Yet another major U.S. offshore wind farm is being delayed with the executives citing the uncertainties created in the market since the election of Donald Trump. Portugal’s EDP Renewables reported as part of its earnings that it will be taking an impairment charge despite the…

Strike Against Tug Operator for UK’s Royal Navy to Expand in March   Two of the UK’s labor unions are striking against tug operator Serco Marine which provides vital services to the Royal Navy at five bases across England and Scotland. The job actions and strikes began earlier this month and now a second union,…

Senate Holds Hearing on Trump’s Pick for Navy Secretary   On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held the first confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee for the next Secretary of the Navy, the financier, political donor and art collector John Phelan. Phelan testified on his views of the Navy’s most urgent problems and fielded…

BP Slashes Renewables Investments to Refocus on Oil and Gas   British oil major BP has joined its peers in scaling back renewable-energy initiatives in favor of a return to its historical focus on oil and gas. On Wednesday, BP Chief Executive Officer Murray Auchincloss told investors that the company’s controversial  plan to pivot fast…

Illegal Fishing Vessel Rams Thai Navy Patrol Ship   The Royal Thai Navy had a collision with a foreign fishing vessel during an enforcement mission earlier this week, the service confirmed Wednesday.  On Saturday, the Royal Thai Navy tracked and monitored a group of 10 foreign fishing vessels that were conducting illegal fishing operations in…