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After Six Years, CSSC Completes its Megamerger With CSIC   After years of preparation, the megamerger of Chinese shipbuilding giants CSSC and CSIC has finally been completed. Though the two enterprises have both been under CSSC’s control since 2019, they retained their independent stock listings – until Thursday, when an exchange filing completed the integration of CSIC…

China Unveils Large Shipboard Laser System for “Maritime Attack”   China’s military has unveiled a previously-unseen laser weapons system at its massive parade in Beijing. The new LY-1 laser is designed for shipboard applications, but for the reveal, it was fielded in a truck-mounted mobile version. The LY-1 is the latest in a series of…

USCG Exercises Austal Option for Offshore Patrol Cutters Austal Limited announces that the United States Coast Guard has exercised options worth US$314 million (A$480 million) with Austal USA for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program. The contract options approve Austal to order long lead time materials (LLTM) for another three OPCs, Austal USA’s 4th, 5th,…

Land-Based Tests Underway for Seawing Automated Kite System Japan’s Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” LINE) reports its subsidiary Oceanic wing completed the first phase of land-based testing for the Seawing kite system. The company is continuing to pursue the commercialization of the concept as a more productive means of wind-assisted propulsion. They acknowledged that while there…

Russia: First NSR International Boxship Route to Start as Box Volume Grows   Russian officials are again highlighting the growth of shipping and specifically containership along the Northern Sea Route. In just 10 days, they expect the first containership following an international route to European ports will start an NSR transit, while data shows a…

U.S. Coast Guard Keeps Close Watch on Chinese Icebreakers off Alaska   The U.S. Coast Guard has been closely watching China’s Arctic research flotilla for the past month, and continues to monitor the operations of two Chinese-flagged vessels in waters of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf – outside the bounds of the U.S. Exclusive Economic…

Q&A: Kathy Metcalf, President Emeritus, Chamber of Shipping of America   Kathy Metcalf has been a trailblazer from the moment she walked through Vickery Gate at Kings Point as a member of the first coed class of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. That was 51 years ago. Since then, she has sailed aboard oil tankers…

Salvors Narrowly Avert a Capsizing After Trawler Burns at Pier in Ribeira   Salvors have successfully prevented the capsizing of a trawler at the port of Ribeira, Galicia, limiting the impact from a severe onboard fire.  At about 1630 hours on Monday afternoon, the Mauritanian-flagged fishing vessel Awadi caught fire alongside the pier in Barbanza,…

Russian Union Wins Compensation for Death Aboard a Sanctioned Tanker   The Russian Seafarers’ Union (SUR) has begun publicizing cases of labor rights enforcement against “shadow fleet” tankers, the lightly-regulated and questionably-insured vessels that carry most of Russia’s oil to market. The calibrated “price cap” G7 sanction regime has restricted Russia’s access to Western tanker…

IUMI: EV Fires Can Cause Explosions on Ro/Ros   The International Union of Marine Insurers has updated its guidance to warn that PCTC and ropax operators run a risk of explosion during an onboard EV fire, a previously underexamined problem.  Electric vehicle fires have been a major source of concern for ro/ro operators for years,…

Canada Moves its Coast Guard Into its Defense Ministry The Canadian Coast Guard has formally transferred out of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and  into Canada’s national defense establishment, expanding its role and adjusting its orientation.   The transition brings the CCG’s maritime domain experience into the mission of defending Canadian sovereignty, Canada’s government said in…

Floating Data Centers on Fast-Flowing Rivers   Advances in information processing technology and programming have increased the need for data centers capable of processing massive volumes of information. Data centers that float on water provide ready access to cooling capacity, with potential to convert the energy from sea waves and river currents to electrical energy to…