Tag: maritime executive

Maritime’s Nuclear “Tomorrowland”   Imagine a world where the oceans are plied by vast, gleaming ships that leave no trace of pollution in their wake. No black plumes of smoke mar the skies, and no roaring diesel engines shatter the serenity of coastal communities. Instead, these vessels run silently and cleanly, fueled by the limitless…

Carriers Adopt New Standard to Prevent Deadly Charcoal Fires   The shipping industry is taking proactive steps to implement improved safety measures for transporting charcoal, ahead of mandatory IMO regulations in 2026. Experts have long warned that misdeclared, poorly handled, and poorly packed dangerous goods are one of the largest dangers for cargo fires and…

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Wins Car Terminal Concession at Port of Gothenburg   Norway’s Wallenius Wilhelmsen won a 12-year concession to operate the vehicle and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal at Sweden’s Port of Gothenburg. The company has committed to investments to strengthen the terminal’s operations. “We are very optimistic about Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s ability to continue developing the vehicle…

Biden Administration Makes Final Moves to Advance Offshore Wind Power On the final working day of the Biden Administration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the approval of one more offshore wind farm project. It has been pushing forward in recent weeks to aid the industry ahead of an anticipated change in policy…

Solvang LPG Tanker Ready to Launch New Onboard Carbon Capture Pilot A pilot project involving Wärtsilä, MAN Energy Solutions, and the research institute SINTEF and working with Norwegian shipping company Solvang is ready to launch its pilot test for a new onboard carbon capture and storage system. According to the companies, launching the pilot testing…

White House Formally Blames China for “Unreasonable” Maritime Subsidies   China is by far the world’s dominant shipbuilding nation, and the latest numbers from its industry ministry show that the lead has only widened. About 56 percent of all tonnage delivered worldwide came from China last year. Amidst a global boom, China now holds about…

UK Launches Next Clean Maritime Competition with $37M in Funding   The UK government has begun the sixth round of its Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition promising to provide a total of nearly $37 million to advance decarbonization in the industry. The program is designed to support clean maritime technologies including electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, wind…

Hapag-Lloyd Marks Milestone with Largest Fleet in 178-Year History Hapag-Lloyd is marking a milestone in the long and storied history of the carrier which is today the fifth largest in the container shipping segment. The company took delivery of a chartered vessel which becomes the 300th it is currently operating, making the fleet the largest…

Chinese Nationals Charged With Smuggling “Pink Cocaine” to Australia   Australia’s federal police force has charged a group of Chinese nationals with attempting to import more than half a tonne of illegal drugs through the Port of Melbourne, disguised within a consignment of industrial goods. The shipment allegedly included a large quantity of “pink cocaine,”…

Crew Walk to Safety After Survey Vessel Grounds on a Pebble Beach in UK   On Tuesday night, a small survey vessel ran aground off the coast of Newgale, UK while working on a telecom line project, forcing the crew to abandon ship onto the beach.  At about 1830 hours Tuesday, HM Coastguard received a…

USCG Releases Final Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System Rule The U.S. Coast Guard is set to publish a notice for the release of its final rule for Cybersecurity in the Maritime Transport System in the U.S. Federal Register on Friday, January 17. It is a comprehensive strategy addressing the growing threat to vessels, ports…

Iran’s Navy Takes Delivery of an “Intelligence Destroyer”   Iran’s navy has unveiled its first publicly-acknowledged surveillance vessel, the Zagros, which the regime’s state news agencies describe as an “intelligence destroyer.”  The Zagros was commissioned on Wednesday by Iran’s top naval officer Rear Adm. Shahram Irani, along with Iranian defense minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh. The vessel…

Battery-Power Bulkers to Use Wind Rotors Optimized for Harsh Conditions   Berge Rederi will incorporate two specially designed wind rotor sails from Norsepower into its innovative zero-emission bulk carriers now building in Nanjing, China. The company reports the vessels expected to launch starting late this year will be the world’s largest battery-powered bulk carriers and…

China Completes Structure for Second Domestically-Built Cruise Ship   Chinese officials today, January 15, marked the completion of the first phase of the construction of the country’s second domestically-built large cruise ship. The milestone is being hailed as another demonstration of the expanding prowess and capacity of the domestic shipbuilding industry. The new cruise ship…

First U.S. Hybrid Waterjet Passenger Ferries Launched for Savannah, Georgia   The first hybrid passenger ferries in the United States powered by waterjet propulsion have been completed and are preparing to enter service in Savannah, Georgia. Marine Jet Power, a leader in waterjet propulsion, partnered with shipbuilder Derecktor Shipyards New York to develop the unique…

Chinese Officer Confirms “Drone Carrier” Role for World’s Largest Amphib   A senior officer with China’s PLA Navy has confirmed that its newest, largest amphib will be equipped to operate with drones, and said that the service is pivoting to take advantage of a new generation of unmanned combat systems.  Chi Jianjun, a captain and…

NOAA Withdraws Proposed Speed Rule for East Coast Whale Protection   After two years of review, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has decided to drop a proposed speed-limit rule intended to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes. The rule was opposed by East Coast seaports, which viewed the speed limits…

Class Society Bureau Veritas and Swiss SGS in Merger Talks Two of the leading testing and classification companies, France’s Bureau Veritas (BV) and Switzerland’s SGS confirmed in a brief statement that they are engaged in merger discussions. The acknowledgement came after Bloomberg first reported the deal which is said to be at an advanced stage…

Coast Guard Oversees Second Yacht Salvage in a Year off Culebra   The Coast Guard is keeping watch on an effort to refloat a large yacht that went aground over the holidays off Culebra, Puerto Rico.  At about 1030 hours on December 30, watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a report from a Coast Guard…

Bibby Changes Shipyard to Build First Zero-Emission Electric CSOV   An innovative project to build the first fully electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV) is shifted to a different shipyard as it works to meet the terms of the UK project. Bibby Marine is leading the project which received $25 million in the UK’s Zero…

Norway Awards 53 New E&P Licenses on its Continental Shelf   Norway has awarded 53 new offshore oil and gas E&P licenses for acreage on its continental shelf, with 20 different companies participating in the auction round. The so-called APA round of predefined auction areas covered mature producing regions in the Norwegian Sea and the…

Wellard Sells Last Ship, Ends Business with Live Export Under Pressure Once described as Australia’s largest live export business, Wellard announced the sale of its final ship as it shuts down shipping operations. The move comes as live export continues to be under pressure and is scheduled to become illegal in Australia and elsewhere. Wellard…

IMB: Piracy Declined in 2024, But Seafarer Hostage-Taking is on the Rise   Piracy at sea is less common than it used to be, according to the ICC’s International Maritime Bureau, but the risk to crewmembers remains high – particularly in hotspot regions like the Singapore Strait.  In 2024, piracy levels remained about the same…

NATO Agrees to Enhance Baltic Surveillance by Air and Sea   NATO conducted a Baltic Se Allies Summit today in Helsinki and agreed to the request from Finland and Estonia to increase surveillance efforts to protect key underwater assets and deter future efforts of sabotage. The heads of state issued a joint statement expressing their…

U.S. Sanctions Module Builder Wison Offshore for Working on Arctic LNG 2   Among other measures targeting Russia’s energy sector, the Biden administration has sanctioned Zhoushan Wison Offshore for its role in supplying Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 plant with power modules – key equipment for bringing the blacklisted project online.  According to the U.S. State…

Next U.S. Aircraft Carriers to be Named for Presidents Clinton and Bush   The U.S. Navy today announced the names for the fifth and sixth carriers of the Fold class. While the ships are a decade away, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the names of two future vessels as USS William J.…

Turkey Sees Opportunity in Sanctioned Russian Yacht Market   Since the Russia-Ukraine war started in 2022, Turkey has become a popular destination for Russian superyachts evading western sanctions. Reportedly, this has created a new business venture for Turkish yards looking into repair and maintenance of these luxury vessels. In the past one year, some shipyards…

Retailers Continue to Front-Load Imports into U.S. Ports Retailers are continuing to front-load their imports which is driving up the volumes seen at major U.S. ports. The National Retail Federation in its monthly read on container volumes expects the rush to get merchandise into the country will continue in part started by the fear of…

Syria’s New Rulers May Block Russia From Evacuating Naval Base   Ukraine’s military intelligence agency claims that Russia is encountering difficulties in gaining access to its longtime naval base in Tartus, where it appears to have staged large quantities of military equipment for outward shipment. One of the Russian naval vessels stuck offshore Syria, the…

Grounded Bulker Safely Refloated in Delaware River   The grounded self-unloader Algoma Verity has been refloated and safely moved to a nearby berth, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Sunday.  At about 1130 hours Sunday morning, Algoma Verity was refloated on a rising tide, and she is now moored at Tioga Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. Coast…

AI: Taking the Helm?   Imagine a world where every ship is piloted by an excellent captain, every hospital patient is attended to by an excellent doctor and every magazine article is written by an excellent author – and I don’t mean me, but rather an artificial intelligence (AI). Our world now features AIs that,…

Faced With Public Pressure, Russia Steps Up Kerch Strait Cleanup One month after two aging coastal tankers broke up near the Kerch Strait, their cargoes of heavy fuel oil continue to contaminate beaches in Crimea and Krasnodar, and Russian authorities have decided to ramp up the the response. Last month, the aging river-sea tanker Volgoneft…

Marine Science Nonprofit Elects “The Ocean” to Join its Board   [By Anna Turns] The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the atmosphere’s excess heat trapped by human-emitted greenhouse gases. It plays a vital role in mitigating the climate crisis and our health relies on that of the ocean. But often, it is simply considered a place to extract useful resources…

China’s Opening Salvo Against Taiwan Will Likely Be a Partial Blockade   [By Jane Rickards] The West had better think carefully about how it would handle China imposing a nominally civil quarantine on Taiwan, because that’s the tactic that increasingly looks like an opening move for Beijing in taking control of the island. A quarantine, imposing…

New Memorial Marks 50th Anniversary of Loss of Edmund Fitzgerald   The tragic loss of bulk carrier Edmund Fitzgerald is set to be permanently engraved in a marker, five decades after it sank with the loss of all hands.  On the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior, a group in…

Singapore Manages Response to Two Sinkings in One Weekend On Sunday, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority rescued eight crewmembers from a sinking tanker just off Pedra Branca, a lighthouse installation at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait – the second sinking in two days in the Singaporean search and rescue zone.  At about 1540…

Iran’s Spy Ship Activity Extends Beyond the Red Sea   Two U.S. Treasury-sanctioned ships have been the focus of attention for the maritime community interested in Iranian spy ship activity.  But these are not the only Iranian ships involved in intelligence activity contributing to attacks on merchant shipping. Firstly the MV Saviz, and then the…

Bangladesh Could Lose Top Position in the Global Shipbreaking Market   With global ship demolition at record low levels, Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry has reported that 2024 saw a massive drop in scrap ship imports. Only 144 ships were sent to Bangladesh last year for recycling, equivalent to 968,000 GT, the lowest since 2005. As the…

Future Development of Flettner Rotor Propulsion   Wind energy historically provided the basis for vessel propulsion, using sails and sometimes kites. During the 1920s, engineer Anton Flettner developed large cylinders spinning on a vertical axis to redirect a wind stream to produce vessel propulsion. There is scope to combine recent developments in multiple technologies with…

Samskip and Value Maritime Win Funding for Compact Carbon-Capture System   Value Maritime has secured funding from the Dutch government to install a new version of its carbon-capture technology aboard another vessel owned by repeat customer Samskip. Samskip has experience with Value Maritime’s scrubber/carbon capture systems. It has installed units aboard the boxships Samskip Innovator…

Affordable and Available LNG Dominated Dual-Fuel Vessel Orders in 2024   The shipping industry is looking for CO2-reducing alternatives to bunker fuel, and LNG has become the preferred alternative fuel of choice, according to data collected by DNV.  DNV’s annual review shows that the shipping industry is forging ahead. Last year, a total of 515 alternative-fuel…

Op-Ed: To Counter China, Trump Should Step Up His First-Term Approach   [By Yan C. Bennett] As in his first term, Donald Trump should continue a resolute approach toward China in his second term. This approach was and is grounded in the belief that a more assertive posture will deter China’s expansionist ambitions, reinforce US…

Grounded Self-Unloader in Delaware River Has Multiple Damaged Tanks   Salvors responding to the grounding of the self-unloader Algoma Verity have found that the vessel has damage to multiple tanks, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Friday.  The Algoma Verity was northbound from the Port of Philadelphia when it went aground outside the main shipping channel…

Fully Laden Shadow Fleet Tanker Breaks Down in Baltic Storm On Friday, German response authorities had to deploy multiple tugs to rescue a broken-down shadow fleet tanker laden with Russian oil, sparking a small political furor.  According to Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, the Eventin – formerly part of the Fractal Marine DMCC fleet…

Executive Interview: Brent Bruun, President & CEO, KVH Industries   In the fast-changing world of satellite communications, Brent Bruun and his team at KVH are expanding their offerings and forging new solutions. Welcome, Brent! Tell us about yourself and your career to date. I started out by earning a B.S. in Accounting from Alfred University…

Israel Targets Houthi Ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa With More Airstrikes On Friday, the Israeli Air Force carried out another round of retaliatory strikes against Houthi targets in western Yemen, including sites at the dual-use ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa. An IDF source confirmed to the Jerusalem Post that U.S. and British forces…

U.S. Sanctions More Than 180 Russian “Shadow Fleet” Tankers   The U.S. Treasury has announced new action against the Russian “shadow fleet” with sanctions on an unprecedented 183 tankers, along with two Russian insurers specializing in questionable P&I cover.  “The United States is taking sweeping action against Russia’s key source of revenue for funding its…

Ultra-Deepwater Gas Project Off Senegal Makes Big Step Forward   Senegal and Mauritania are set to become major producers of natural gas after oil major BP announced the first gas flow from the offshore Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project. In a development that is bound to put the two West Africa nations on the map of…

Australian Border Force Captures 12 Illegal Fishing Boats in a Month   The Australian Border Force is pushing back hard on illegal fishing off the country’s northern coast, where Indonesian fishermen often trespass to harvest protected species. In the last 30 days alone, ABF officers have seized a dozen vessels and six tonnes of illegally-caught…

Dark Fleet Tanker Might Have Damaged More Subsea Lines if Not Stopped   Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found and recovered the missing anchor from the “dark fleet” tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of severing four subsea telecom cables and a high-voltage power cable in the Baltic on Christmas Day. The next…

Shell Reaps Rewards of “Design-One, Build-Many” With Whale Platform   Shell has brought its Whale offshore production facility in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico online, the supermajor announced Thursday. The floating platform is located about 200 miles off Houston in about 8,600 feet of water, and will addan estimated 100,000 bpd of peak production to…

DP World’s Global Footprint Crosses 100 Million TEU Mark   Ports operator and logistics giant DP World is celebrating a major milestone: it now has 100 million TEU in container handling capacity across its global footprint. Over the past four and a half decades, the Dubai-based conglomerate has been aggressive in bidding for port and terminal management…

CIMC Delivers World’s Biggest Wind Turbine Installation Vessel   Dutch offshore services contractor Van Oord has taken delivery of a new wind turbine installation vessel to keep up with the changing offshore wind sector. The company is anticipating an increase in scale in the offshore wind industry and believes the addition of the newbuild Boreas to its…

ILA Agrees to Contract Deal for East Coast Ports, Averting Strike Just days ahead of a widely-expected walkout, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced that it has reached a deal for a master contract with port terminals on the U.S. East Coast, resolving deep-seated disagreements over the future of port automation. The contract builds on…

Iridium Adds GMDSS to the Capabilities of its Certus Terminals   [By Iridium Communications] Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) today announced the service launch of Iridium Certus® GMDSS, a generational advancement in maritime satellite communication safety services. Iridium Certus GMDSS, the only truly global GMDSS service available, features distress alert, safety voice, and Maritime Safety Information (MSI); includes…

Finland Detains Suspected Sabotage Ship for Serious Maintenance Issues   Finland’s transport ministry has completed a port state inspection of the tanker Eagle S, the vessel suspected of sabotaging five Baltic Sea cables with its anchor on Christmas Day. After finding serious deficiencies, the agency has detained the vessel, preventing it from leaving port until…

Video: Syria’s Coast Guard Reboots Under New Regime   Less than a month after seizing power, Syria’s new rulers are wasting no time in their effort to re-establish credible governance over the wartorn country, and are working on bringing back energy imports, grain shipments, banking institutions – and a coast guard.  After 13 years of civil…

BIMCO: Containership Orderbook Reaches New High Fueling Growth to 2029 The container shipping segment started its latest wave of rapid growth in the past few years as carriers moved to order larger vessels to meet capacity demands. The industry trade group BIMCO reports in its year-end analysis of the segment that the orderbook continues to…

Trump Refuses to Rule Out Use of Force to Take Over Greenland and Panama   At a press conference Tuesday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said that he could not rule out using military force to take control of Panama and Greenland. Trump has insisted that America may need both for its strategic purposes, despite local…

Norway Launches Second Phase of Nuclear Propulsion in Shipping Study   Norway’s NuProShip (Nuclear Propulsion in Shipping) project is transitioning into its second stage as of January 2025 after having completed initial studies into Generation IV reactors.  The project which launched in 2023 has the ultimate purpose to develop a commercially viable zero-emission technology for…

“No Windmills Are Being Built” Trump Declares Outlining Energy Policy   President-elect Donald Trump talked for the first time about the energy policy of his second administration and reiterated his opposition to renewable energy and specifically wind farms. The remarks came during a press conference in Florida which is being described by the media using…

Construction Underway for Luxury, Low-Emission Arctic Cruise Ship   Work is underway to build what is being billed as the most sustainable cruise ship. Known as Captain Arctic, it is designed to present a new level of luxury expedition in the Arctic. Goltens highlighted the keel laying and its role in the development of the…

Trump Proposes Renaming Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America”   At a news conference Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump suggested that his administration would try to rename the Gulf of Mexico, a name dating back to the Spanish conquistadores who first colonized the region in the 1500s.  In a brief comment amidst a press conference…

Russian Evacuation From Tartus Naval Base Appears Stalled   After the recent regime change in Syria, the Russian military has concentrated its trucks and heavy equipment at its naval base in Tartus for a likely evacuation – but so far, it has yet to send any of its auxiliary ships in to take on cargo.…

Strategic Marine Delivers Its First Surface Effect Ship for Crew Transfer Singapore-based builder Strategic Marine is hailing the delivery of its first crew transfer vessel using surface effect technology to increase speed and performance. Delivered to All Energy Services which operates offshore supply vessels in Africa and the Middle East, the new vessel was specifically…

Nassau Cruise Port in the Bahamas Breaks All-Time Passenger Record The port of Nassau in the Bahamas has continued its rapid growth setting a new all-time record for the number of passengers handled through the cruise port. It comes just 20 months after the port introduced its new cruise terminal positioning the long-time port of…

Experienced Fisherman Dies of Hypothermia in English Channel Rescue Last weekend, an experienced fisherman went over the side of a commercial trawler in the English Channel and died of hypothermia, according to local media. Glenn Vandewalle, 50, was a lifelong fisherman and a crewmember aboard the beam trawler Jerki Z-45. On Saturday, the vessel was…

Biden Withdraws Vast Swaths of U.S. Waters From Oil and Gas Leasing With just days left to go in office, President Joe Biden has signed a sweeping ban on new offshore lease sales outside of the Gulf of Mexico, using the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to block oil and gas activity in…

Houthis Claim to Stop U.S. Attack by Targeting Harry S. Truman   A spokesperson for the Houthi militants in Yemen is claiming that they have once again targeted the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. It is the second time in less than a week the group has made this claim with the prior report…

Algeria Plans to Revive Shipbuilding as Defense Industry Grows   Algeria’s shipbuilding industry is poised for a revamp with the government hoping to tap domestic shipyards for upcoming procurement deals. The Algerian Defense Ministry has previously revealed plans to build Chinese Type 056 corvettes at local shipyards. In mid-2020, the Algerian Navy placed an order…

Kerch Strait Fuel Oil Spill Reaches Crimea   Spilled bunker fuel from two Russian tankers that broke up last month is now washing ashore in Russian-occupied Crimea, and local authories have declared a state of emergency to deal with the cleanup. Russian-appointed mayor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, described the problem as “traces of minor pollution.” …

Op-Ed: We Need to Turn the Central Arctic Ocean Into a Marine Reserve   [By Kirsten Freja Young and Brendan Godley] At the most northerly tip of the UK, looking north from the island of Muckle Flugga, Shetland, the cold wind whips up the sea and gannets dive. While biodiversity loss in the Arctic Ocean may…

Four Evacuated From Drifting Bulker After Engine Room Fire   Taiwan’s coast guard has rescued four injured survivors from a bulker that caught fire off the coast of Kaohsiung, including one seafarer who needed treatment for serious burns. At about 1700 hours on Saturday, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received notice that the 50,000 dwt…

Chile’s President Visits South Pole to Mark Start of Research Voyage   As great-power competition intensifies in Antarctica, Chilean President Gabriel Boric opened the new year by visiting the region. The historic trip saw Boric reach the South Pole, becoming the first Latin American leader (and third leader globally) to visit the world’s southernmost point.…

BOEM Calls for Input for Offshore Wind Energy Leasing in Guam   In the final weeks of the Biden administration, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is still pushing forward with its development efforts for offshore wind energy. BOEM on Monday, January 6, will release a Call for Information and Nominations for…

Crowley Expands in Washington State with Acquisition of Mooring Company   U.S.-based shipping giant Crowley is expanding its operations at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma in Washington State with the acquisition of Main Line, a vessel mooring company based in Seattle. Crowley highlights the acquisition of Main Line will further enhance its market position…

Canada Sells Vandalized Coast Guard Ship for Scrap The Canadian Coast Guard has finally contracted with a metal recycler to dispose of its patrol ship CCGS Corporal McLaren six years after vandals damaged the ship. The Financial Post newspaper located the awarding of the contract on the government’s website bringing to a close a strange…

HM Coastguard Rescue Turns Out to be Real “Dummy” Always at the ready, HM Coastguard turned out on New Year’s Eve for a rescue call, but after some tense moments realized it was a “dummy.” Having some fun with the callout, the team posed with the “rescued” subject and posted it online for a lighter…

Report: Russian Ships Heading to Syria to Move Equipment to Libya   The Russian evacuation of troops and equipment from Syria after the fall of the government is continuing. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports a flotilla of Russian ships will be arriving in the Syrian port of…

The Most Popular Editorials of 2024 Guest posts and opinion pieces are an important part of the content we share with readers at The Maritime Executive. We are grateful to our guest authors for contributing their stories.  Here are the most popular editorials of 2024, with topics ranging from naval developments to geopolitical confrontation to…

DFDS Signs Jersey, Channel Islands Ferry Contract Despite Brittany’s Appeal   The controversial contract for the Danish ferry company DFDS to take over ferry service to Jersey in the Channel Islands has been completed despite a pending challenge. The contract was awarded at the beginning of December after a competitive bidding process and the selection…

Suspect “Dark Fleet” Tanker Faces Civil and Criminal Actions in Finland Finnish investigators now have two more possible ways to detain the tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of severing multiple subsea cables in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day. In addition to the criminal inquiry initiated by Finnish law enforcement agencies, subsea cable…

BP Achieves First Gas at Major West Africa Offshore Project   Senegal and Mauritania are set to become major producers of natural gas after oil major BP marked a significant milestone with the first gas flow from the offshore Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project. It is the first gas development in the new basin offshore…

Annual U.S. Antarctica Mission Proceeds as Polar Star Departs Australia The U.S.’s annual supply mission to Antarctica known as Operation Deep Freeze is moving into its next phase as the Polar Star, the U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, started the final leg of its deployment. It will take her from Australia to the bases in…

First U.S. Carriers in 12 Years Visit Malaysia to Strengthen Bilateral Ties The second U.S. aircraft carrier in just over a month is wrapping up a visit to Port Klang, Malaysia marking the first time in 12 years the U.S. has made port calls in the country. It marks the restoration of port calls after…

FuelEU Maritime Regulation Enters Into Force   On January 1, the European Union’s new carbon-intensity mandate – FuelEU Maritime – entered into force, requiring European shipping interests to make hard choices about fuel-efficiency and low-carbon propulsion. Compliance options include paying more taxes, cutting down fuel consumption or switching to reduced-emissions fuel sources.  To help achieve…

Mysterious Airfield on Gulf of Aden is Nearly Completed   As the risk grows of further escalation of the conflict over Yemen and its surrounding sea channels, Israel has begun to broaden its attacks on the Houthis to include ports and supply chains stretching back into Iran. Some commentators have urged that a complete blockade be…

Report: ILA-USMX to Resume Contract Negotiations for East/Gulf Coast Ports A report from S&P Global’s Journal of Commerce says talks are set to resume between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the terminal operators at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports represented by the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX). This comes after weeks of an impasse…

Success of Ukraine’s Black Sea Corridor Puts Danube Back in Second Place   The Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP) is a key part of the nation’s backup export route, which runs from inland ports to Constanta and to the Black Sea. But the Danube was a backwater for Ukrainian shipping before the war, and now…

Disgruntled Crewmember Kills Seven Shipmates on Bangladeshi Freighter   A disgruntled crewmember aboard a Bangladeshi freighter killed seven of his shipmates last week, and he came close to escaping justice, according to police in Bangladesh.  Akash Mondal (AKA Irfan), was an engineering crewmember aboard the small freighter Al Bakhera, which operated on the Meghna River.…

NTSB: Fire on Dinner-Cruise Boat Shows Need for Industry-Wide SMS Rules   A fire that broke out on a dinner cruise vessel in Boston Harbor last year demonstrates continued safety shortcomings in the passenger vessel industry, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation released this week. The March 2023 incident aboard the Spirit of…

Philippine Cargo Ship Capsizes in Rough Seas Killing One Crewmember   A search and rescue operation was launched by the Philippine Coast Guard after it received reports that a domestic cargo ship had capsized in rough seas in the central Philippines. Initial reports said at least five crewmembers were missing, but after several updates during…

Russia Marks Completion of Fourth Project 22220 Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker Russian government officials, Rosatom, and the JSC Baltic Shipyard marked the completion of the fourth massive nuclear-powered icebreaker with a ceremony hoisting the national flag on the vessel. Rosatom highlighted that it is a key component of the strategy for the Northern Sea Route and the…

New Jersey Offshore Wind Project Seeks Further 5-Month Planning Delay New Jersey’s offshore wind project known as Leading Light is again seeking a delay in the process as it works to address challenges in the industry supply chain. According to a report from the Associated Press, the project which is being led by Chicago-based Invenergy…

U.S. Coast Guard Warns Shipowners to Watch Out for Fake Pilot Ladders   Pilot ladder accidents are a leading cause of death in the maritime industry, particulary for marine pilots, who have to use them for boat-to-ship transfers while in motion. Because of the inherent danger of their use, pilot ladder construction is closely regulated,…

Video: Peru and Ecuador Pounded by High Waves Killing Two and Closing Ports Officials in Peru and Ecuador are continuing to warn the public to stay away from the coast as massive waves several times the normal height are devastating the shoreline and washing inland. The phenomenon began on Christmas day and peaked on Friday…

China Delivers Advanced Capability Offshore Wind Installation Vessel   Chinese officials hailed the newly built Tiejian Wind Power 2000 as the “most advanced fourth-generation self-elevating” wind power installation vessel in China. Delivered on December 28, the vessel is designed to place the largest wind turbines including ones with a capacity of over 20 MW. The vessel…

Video: U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Saves Two Fishermen   Over the weekend, a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew rescued two fishermen whose vessel capsized in rough weather off Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico.  At about 1300 hours on Saturday, Sector San Juan received a DSC alert from an unregistered VHF radio. Shortly after, a good Samaritan…

The Maritime Executive’s Most Popular Magazine Articles of 2024   The Maritime Executive Magazine, our flagship publication, reaches tens of thousands of people with every edition. Its contents also appear on our site, and they rank among our most popular opinion posts, bringing in as many as 8,000 viewers each. This year, readers relied on…

At Least Seven Confirmed Dead in Sinking of Haitian Ro/Ro Freighter The toll from the sinking of a domestic ro/ro freighter at Port-au-Prince, Haiti continues to rise as search efforts continue, according to local media.  On December 23, the freighter Maelys II listed to port and capsized at Port-au-Prince’s Varreux Terminal, coming to a rest on…