Tag: maritime executive

Australia’s Star of the South Revises Plan Based on Feasibility Studies   A large wind project widely considered to be Australia’s first large offshore wind farm provided a critical update defining the project after five years of feasibility studies and consultations. The Star of the South, which received its exploration license in 2019 continues to…

Fincantieri Inks Order for Five Walk-to-Work Vessels for Offshore O&G Fincantieri subsidiary Vard has won a contract for the construction of five walk-to-work offshore service vessels for the oil and gas industry – a change from years past, when the offshore wind industry was the primary customer base for this specialty segment.  “We are very…

SoCal Port Volumes at Record Pace Driven by Economy and Uncertainties Cargo volumes passing through Southern California’s twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continued the strong pace seen for the past few months and set new records in October. Near-term both ports expect the strength to continue driven by the strong economy and…

Hydrogen Combustion Auxiliary Engine to be Tested in 2025 on UK Cargo Ship   An innovative project designed to validate hydrogen combustion engines for ocean-going vessels and lay the foundation to scale up the technology is set to proceed in March 2025 aboard a cargo ship operated by Carisbrooke Shipping. The partnership led by Carnot…

Korean Shipbuilders Expect Strong 2025 While Looking to Trump Presidency   South Korea’s shipbuilding industry is projecting another strong year as part of a multi-year supercycle in orders while also looking to the second presidency of Donald Trump to be a boon to the industry. Despite growing competition from Chinese shipbuilders, the Koreans are expressing…

Greek Dockers and Mariners Join 24-Hour General Strike Over Inflatiion   Greek dockers and mariners have joined in a 24-hour general strike in Athens, hampering cargo operations at Cosco-run container terminals at the port of Piraeus.  The Panhellenic Maritime Federation has joined in the strike, implementing a shutdown on coastal shipping beginning at 0001 hours…

Denmark Guards Chinese Bulker Linked to Subsea Cable Damage Denmark’s defense ministry has confirmed that it is monitoring a Chinese bulker suspected of potential involvement in the severing of two subsea cables in the Baltic last weekend. The damage is being investigated as a presumed sabotage attack.  The vessel, the Yi Peng 3, was outbound…

Report: Green Corridors Face “Feasibility Wall” Due to Fuel Costs   A new report warns that a “feasibility wall” could jeopardize the significant progress being made for the adoption of green corridors, a key part of efforts to support sustainable shipping. The Getting to Zero Coalition and the Global Maritime Forum report that the lack…

Vancouver Accredits Seaspan Energy for First LNG Ship-to-Ship Bunkering   The Port of Vancouver and Seaspan Energy took a key step forward to launching the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation for a wide range of vessels calling at the port. The company went through an extensive multi-year assessment process conducted by the Vancouver Fraser Port…

Fishing Vessel Chartered by Offshore Wind Farm Grounds Off Rhode Island   Early Monday, a fishing vessel reportedly contracted to work on the Revolution Wind project ran aground in a channel near Jamestown, Rhode Island, prompting a rescue and response operation.  In the early hours of Monday Morning, the Virginia Wave grounded near Beavertail State Park,…

Keppel Seeks to Monetize Legacy Rigs as Offshore Energy Sector Rebounds   Opportunities are emerging in the offshore energy sector as the market improves prompting Singapore-based Keppel to announce it will take direct control of 13 offshore rigs that are part of its former offshore and marine business. The new transaction is a follow-up to…

EU Operators Brace for Cost and Complexity of FuelEU Carbon Regs The European Union’s FuelEU Maritime regulation takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025, and it is expected to give European shipping interests a big compliance challenge – or opportunity, depending on how they operate. The regulation is highly technical and is driven more by math…

Top Pentagon Official: Houthis Have “Scary” Ballistic Missile Capabilities   Last week, the Pentagon’s most senior acquisition official warned that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have developed “amazing” ballistic missile capabilities over the course of the past year – capabilities that are only shared by a few advanced nation-states.  Dr. William LaPlante, current Under Secretary of Defense…

Hong Kong Maps Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering   The Government of Hong Kong hosted a presentation on Friday, November 15 to detail its action plan to promote the development of Hong Kong into a high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering center. As one of the busiest ports in Asia, the government looks to…

Two Baltic Subsea Cables Likely Severed by “Outside Forces”   Two Baltic subsea cables connecting four different NATO nations have likely been severed, according to officials in Finland and Sweden. The first fiber-optic line in question is the C-Lion1 cable, which runs about 750 miles from Helsinki, Finland to Rostock, Germany. According to Finland’s state telecom company,…

Maersk Redeploys Maersk Halifax After First Conversion to Methanol Maersk is reporting that it has successfully redeployed its first-ever methanol conversion containership back into the fleet. The Maersk Halifax is underway making its final call in Asia before crossing the Pacific to Mexico and Panama on its first post-conversion voyage. “We are happy to announce…

Singaporean Bunker Magnate OK Lim Sentenced to 17 Years for Fraud   Singaporean bunker trading tycoon OK Lim has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for his role in an accounting scandal that cost their creditors billions of dollars.  Lim, 82, faced 130 individual charges in connection with a fraud scheme at…

Tanker Suffers “Rudder Failure” Forcing Turkey to Suspend Bosphorus Traffic Mechanical failures and incidents are not particularly uncommon in the region around the Bosphorus due to the ragtag fleet operating to the Black Sea and along the Turkish coast, but yesterday’s incident was not the typical emergency for Turkish authorities. It forced them to close…

Italy Launches Antitrust Investigation into MSC Investment in Moby Italy’s Competition and Market Authority revealed today that it has launched an investigation into the investment by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company into Italian ferry operator Moby. The investigation is looking at the potential of “restrictions of competition,” after MSC made a series of actions in 2022…

Navy Officials Missed Multiple Chances to Avoid Red Hill Disaster   The Pentagon’s inspector general has concluded that the U.S. Navy didn’t understand the spill risks involved in operating its Red Hill fuel tank site at Pearl Harbor, and it repeatedly failed to respond when a major spill finally occurred, exposing thousands of military family…

Crude Behavior: What Are Oil Prices Telling Us?   In the eight weeks from early August to mid-September, America’s benchmark oil price (West Texas Intermediate) fell from the mid-$80s a barrel to the mid-$60s – the lowest level in 32 months. Prices have rebounded slightly since. For many in the Oil Patch, however, a price…

OSG’s CEO Proposes One-Cent Export Tax to Fund U.S. Tankers   In the event of a major war in the Western Pacific, U.S. forces are going to need fuel, and a lot of it. Government estimates of the supply needs for carriers, warships and ground forces run in the range of 50 million gallons per…

Managing Cyber Risk With USCG’s New Maritime Security Directive   In this article Michael DeVolld, Maritime Transportation System (MTS) Cybersecurity Lead at ABS Consulting looks at the potential implications to vessel owners, operators and port authorities impacted by the new directive, the importance of acting now to prepare for the implementation of the regulations and some…

EU’s Maritime Spatial Plan for the Aegean Angers Turkey   Following a recent update of maritime spatial planning (MSP) maps in the European MSP Platform, Turkey has expressed displeasure with the bloc’s delimitation of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. In a statement over the weekend, Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the Aegean and Mediterranean…

The Complexities of a Global Network for Seafarer Medical Exams Post-COVID   The maritime industry operates on a unique foundation where crew health and well-being are critical for safe and effective operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the requirements for health and safety at sea, leading to new challenges in ensuring that seafarers undergo thorough and consistent…

To Prepare for a Pacific War, U.S. Must Harden Southern Flank   [By Henry Ziemer] The United States’ foundations as a global great power rest in no small part on its status as a regional hegemon. No single country in the Western Hemisphere can make a serious bid to balance Washington’s economic and military might,…

China and Russia Threaten a Fundamental Principle of the Antarctic Treaty   [By Evan T. Bloom, Tony Press, and Lyn Goldsworthy] The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) recently concluded its 43rd annual meeting in Hobart, with no progress on any of the major issues it faced. Many of the 200…

Port of Salalah Looks to Gemini Network to Revive Traffic Oman’s Indian Ocean container port at Salalah is fighting a drop in throughput caused by Houthi attacks on shipping by joining a global vessel-sharing agreement headed up by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.  The Gemini Network is intended to facilitate use of the Cape of Good Hope…

Peru Becomes New Center of Rivalry Between the U.S. and China   The U.S. has moved to counter China’s investments in a mega port in Peru with the Department of State funding an initiative that will establish a sister relationship between the ports of Hueneme in California and Paita in Peru. As China’s President Xi…

Suez Canal Completes Largest Transit as Floating Dock is Towed to Turkey The Suez Canal recently completed one of the most unique transits and the largest of its kind in the 154-year history of the waterway. A missive floating dock being transferred from Singapore to Turkey made its way north on November 7 and 8…

Most of the Iranian Navy is Tied Up in Bandar Abbas   In contrast with some periods recently when Iran felt itself under threat and dispersed its naval assets, a survey of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) vessels tied up in the Bandar Abbas Naval Harbour on November 14 showed that most of…

U.S. Awards $580 Million in Port Improvement Grants   The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced plans to invest nearly $580 million to fund 31 additional port improvement projects in 15 states and one U.S. territory. The funding comes from MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), which received $2.25 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to…

China and Peru’s Leaders Celebrate Opening of New Chinese-Built Megaport   China’s President Xi Jinping and Peru’s Dina Bouluarte celebrated the opening of the new Chancay megaport on Thursday, November 14, during an elaborate ceremony in Lima at the start of Xi’s state visit to South America timed to coincide Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum 2024.…

Norway’s Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pioneer Teco 230 Faces Bankruptcy   In a still-evolving financial situation, hydrogen fuel cell pioneer Teco 2030 Is facing a financial collapse after a bankruptcy petition was filed yesterday against the parent company. Earlier it had been reported that its manufacturing subsidiary was facing a bankruptcy petition and demands from…

MSC Gets Final Approval for Investment in Hamburg Terminal Operator HHLA The final regulatory approval has been granted for MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company to proceed with its investment in Hamburg, Germany-based HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik) setting the stage for a significant shift in the European logistics market. MSC now has seven business days to…

Greece Arrests Master for “Drunkenness on Duty” and Causing Shipwreck   What would otherwise have been a minor ship casualty is now drawing attention after the Hellenic Coast Guard reported today that it has arrested the master of the vessel involved in the incident. The 46-year-old master of a Bahamas-registered cargo ship is being charged…

ZPMC Beats its Own Record With World’s Largest Pile-Driving Vessel   Chinese state-owned conglomerate ZPMC is known best for its STS gantry cranes, which can be found in ports around the world, but its shipyard division – Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Qidong Marine Engineering – is also a top builder of specialty vessels. It has…

Cargo Handling Specialist MacGregor Sold to Private Equity Firm   A well-known leader in maritime cargo and load handling, MacGregor is being sold to funds managed by Triton, a European mid-market sector-specialist investor. It is the final step in breaking apart Cargotec which also saw heavy equipment company Kalmar spun off to unlock value for…

Convicted Nigerian Pirate Charged Again for Second Hijacking   A Nigerian pirate who was convicted and sentenced for hijacking a Dutch freighter has been charged again in connection with a previous piracy incident in 2017.  The case has been in motion for more than six years. South African police arrested pirate action group leader Itoruboemi…

Efforts Push Forward for California Offshore Wind Despite Uncertainties   Both at the federal and local level efforts are continuing to push forward for the potential development of offshore wind power generation along the California coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) took another step forward for what could become the first floating wind…

US Sanctions Syrian Company and 13 Tankers Involved with Iranian Oil Trade   The Biden administration is continuing to use sanctions to pressure Iran and target the sources of funding for both Iran and the Houthis. Today the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced its newest additions to the sanctions targeting a Syrian-based…

Ukraine Kills Senior Officer From Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Ukrainian agents have killed a top officer from one of Russia’s Black Sea missile-boat squadrons in Sevastopol, taking revenge for a series of cruise missile strikes on civilian targets in 2022.  Capt. First Rank Valery Trankovsky, commander of the Black Sea Fleet’s 41st Brigade, was assassinated…

UK Gov’t Admits Error in Environmental Reviews for Offshore Leases   Hours after the start of hearings on a court challenge to Equinor’s Rosebank lease on the UK continental shelf, the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted that the previous government had improperly approved Rosebank’s environmental impact assessment.  In a hearing Wednesday at the…

Shipping Coalition of Leading Brands Sets Tenders for E-Fuel Deployment   ZEMBA, a buying collation for sustainable shipping for major consumer brands, released details on its second-ever tender which will require e-fuels for primary propulsion. The effort works by consolidating shipping volumes from the nearly 40 current members including Ikea, Amazon, and other well-known brands…

INEOS and Royal Wagenborg to Build CO2 Carrier for Denmark’s CCS Operation   Danish energy company INEOS Energy is contracting for a dedicated CO2 transport vessel as it takes the next step in advancing the program to launch Denmark’s first large-scale CO2 storage facility in the Danish North Sea. INEOS and the Netherlands’ Royal Wagenborg…

Canadian Unions Plan Court Challenges to Arbitration Ending Port Strikes The unions representing the foremen for ports in British Columbia and the dockworkers in Montreal both responded angrily to the announcement that the federal government was mandating final and binding arbitration in their contract disputes. Both of the unions are being supported by the broader…

Pro-Hydrogen Shipowners Use COP29 to Call for “Real Zero” Carbon Standard   This year’s global climate conference on implementation of the Paris Agreement, COP29, is lightly-attended by major decisionmakers. National leaders like Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Olaf Scholz, Lula da Silva and Emanuel Macron all decided not to attend this year, and with…

Guinness World Record for Power Set by Damen-Built Electric Tug in UAE   Fully electric tugs have quickly emerged from a novelty in the industry and now Damen Shipyards Group and its client SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group’s Maritime & Shipping Cluster, have set a Guinness World Record as the Most Powerful Electric…

Danica: Seafarer Wages Rose in 2024 While Welfare Issues Remain a Concern   The persistent shortage of competent seafarers continues to create benefits for those working in the industry but also contributes to increases in switching employers for career advancement finds Danica Crewing Specialists in its fifth annual survey exploring the job market, salaries, and…

12 Missing After Sinking of Korean Purse Seiner off Jeju Island   Two people are confirmed dead and 12 are missing after the sinking of a fishing vessel off the coast of Jeju Island, in the Yellow Sea.  At about 0430 hours on November 8, the Korea Coast Guard received an alert about the purse seiner…

Russian Military Claims Rare Naval Drill in English Channel   The Russian Navy claims that one of its frigates carried out a rare military drill in the English Channel, and the provocative announcement drew quick pushback from UK leaders.  The newly-commissioned Russian frigate Admiral Golovko transited through the channel on November 9, accompanied by the…

NGO Calls for New Atlantic ECA Linking North America and Europe   Emission control areas in Northern Europe and along the North American coast have been found to contribute to the overall improvement in air quality. Against that background, the nearly 20-year-old NGO The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is releasing new research calling…

Ferry Evacuated After Running Aground in the Central Philippines   The Philippines Coast Guard is reporting the safe evacuation of an interisland ferry that ran around on November 11 providing some dramatic images of the ferry. The passengers were taken safely to shore while the coast guard was continuing to monitor the movement of the vessel…

Volunteer Divers Find Wreck of WWI Cruiser HMS Hawke Volunteer divers have found the wreck of the lost British cruiser HMS Hawke, which went down in World War I with the loss of more than 500 lives.  HMS Hawke was an early “protected cruiser” built in 1891-93 at Chatham Dockyard. With a heavily armored main…

Australia Outlines Case to Move Fremantle Container Port to Enable Growth   The Government of Western Australia has completed the development and study of the business case determining that the most cost-effective means to support future growth is to relocate the container terminal operations currently in Fremantle to the south to Westport. The ambitious plan…

Effort to Develop First U.S. Liquid Hydrogen-Fueled RoPax Ferry   An effort is underway to leverage the cutting-edge technology for hydrogen-fueled vessels to develop the first RoPax vehicle ferry in the U.S. to be fueled by liquid hydrogen. SWITCH Maritime, the U.S. shipowner that launched the first hydrogen-powered ferry in the U.S. is in collaboration…

Maersk Tankers Adopts Wind-Assisted Propulsion with Landmark Deal   Maersk Tankers is becoming the latest blue chip brand in shipping to embrace wind-assisted propulsion technology to help it meet its aspirations for reducing emissions. The tanker operator selected suction sales for five of its medium-range tankers giving Spain’s Bound4blue its largest agreement to date for…

South Korea Launches Consortium for World’s Largest Floating Wind Farm Officials in Ulsan City, South Korea are forming a consortium of international and domestic companies for a series of floating offshore wind farms which collectively will form the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm. The four projects will provide a capacity of 6.2 GW of…

Garrison Payne, the U.S. Navy’s First Black Commissioned Officer   [By Reuben Keith Green] The hidden story of the U.S. Navy’s first Black commissioned officer spans five decades, three continents, two world wars, two wives from different countries, and one hell of a journey for an Indiana farm boy. For mutual convenience, both he and…

China Unveils a New Unmanned Warship, The “Killer Whale”   An unusual trimaran drone ship was spotted at Guangzhou Shipyard earlier this year, and it has now made its first public appearance. On Friday, at the Zhuhai Airshow, the PLA Navy unveiled a new surface combatant called the “Killer Whale” – a miniature warship with an operating…

Ocean Issues Dominate at Three UN Climate Negotiation Summits   [By Felipe Cárcamo Moreno] Those who know how to surf understand that the rhythm of the waves changes. Clinging to the board, watching the ocean, you decide which wave to take or let go, calculating the direction. And suddenly you are already on your feet, gliding…

Two New Philippine Maritime Laws Anger Beijing   On Friday, the Philippine government enacted two long-awaited laws to reinforce its jurisdiction over its western exclusive economic zone, where China has been steadily encroaching for the last 10 years. The new legislation drew immediate pushback from Beijing, and China’s foreign ministry summoned the Philippine ambassador to…

Russia’s Two Giant Shipbuilders, USC and Zvezda, Are in Merger Talks   Two of Russia’s major shipyards are set to merge, with the country’s shipbuilding sector massively hit by the western sanctions. Last week, Rosneft and the state-owned bank VTB announced start of negotiations which will likely see their shipbuilding divisions folded into one company. Rosneft…

More Tanker Operators Look to Wisestella to Ease the SIRE 2.0 Challenge [By: WiseStella] More shipowners are subscribing to the WiseStella tanker self-assessment and training platform following the introduction of new SIRE 2.0 vetting procedures. Since the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) upgraded its 1993 Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) in September, MRC Shipping,…

PALFINGER MARINE To Equip 6 of Canadian Coast Guard’s New MPV [By: PALFINGER MARINE] PALFINGER MARINE has been selected to supply its Polar Class lifeboats and davits package for the first fleet of ships in the Canadian Coast Guard’s Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) comprehensive renewal program. The program includes up to 16 shipsets to be built over…

IMTRA Expands Commercial Marine Offerings with Beclawat Marine Windows [By: IMTRA] IMTRA, the leading manufacturer and importer of quality solutions and products for the marine, energy and transportation markets, announced today it will now offer Beclawat marine windows to customers in North America. Offering a comprehensive range of windows with numerous options including direct glazed glass,…

Strategic Marine Secures Repeat Order with OEG Renewables [By: Strategic Marine] Strategic Marine is pleased to announce a new contract with OEG Renewables, part of the OEG Energy Group, for a next-generation Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) for Taiwan. This vessel, named Wey Feng, will be the fourth StratCat 27 that Strategic Marine is building for OEG—a testament…

Crystal Exercises Option for Third Luxury Cruise Ship from Fincantieri   Italian shipbuilding Fincantieri has continued its streak of new cruise ship orders which expanded its work both in the luxury segment and large cruise ships. Crystal Cruises, which was saved from bankruptcy just two years ago, has exercised an option for a third ship…

Partnership in Mobile Presents Option for Dismantling USS Enterprise   A proposal was put forth for the upcoming dismantling of the famed U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered carrier in the world. Modern American Recycling Services (MARS) through its radiological services division partnered with NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services announced they have partnered…

Video: Cruise Ship Hits Strong Winds and Turns Around Due to Hurt Passenger The Explorer of the Seas, one of the large cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean International, encountered a sudden gust of near hurricane-force winds sending the massive cruise ship into several exaggerated rolls. Videos and pictures being posted online show passengers sliding…

Cybersecurity: Ghosts in the Machine “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.“ – Sun Tzu, The Art of War   In the dead of night, a fully laden LNG tanker quietly navigates the narrow channel of a strategic U.S. port. Suddenly, the ship’s GPS blinks and alarms, showing the vessel…

Video: Salvaged Car Carrier Fremantle Highway Get Piggy Back Lift to China In one of the more unique operations and a creative demonstration of the circular economy, the hulk of the fire-damaged car carrier Fremantle Highway is off to China to be rebuilt into a new vessel. It is one of the first times that…

Plans Announced for the Last Voyage of Famed Ocean Liner SS United States   After nearly 30 years on the Philadelphia waterfront, a tentative timeline has been set for the final departure of the once famed ocean liner the ss United States. The last voyage to be accomplished on a towline comes almost 55 years…

Renewed Strike Mandate for RFA Officers as Wage Dispute Continues The long-running wage dispute for the officers, ratings, and shore personnel of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is being renewed with a new strike mandate. The service which operates the support and supply ships for the UK’s Royal Navy has been in a pay dispute with…

Philippine Coast Guard Triples Fleet With French and Japanese Newbuilds   On Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved an order for five 320-foot cutters for the Philippine Coast Guard, bringing the service’s orderbook for new patrol vessels to a total of 49 hulls. The orders will roughly triple the service’s number of cutters and patrol…

Florida Cruise Ports Smash Passenger Records in 2024 as Growth Continues Florida’s three East Coast ports that handle cruise ships each achieved strong growth setting new records in the number of passengers passing through the ports. It is further evidence of the growth in cruising that resumed after the pandemic and with the ports already…

Vessels Pile Up as Foreman Lockout Continues at Canada’s West Coast Ports   The strike/lockout of the foreman for the dockworkers union in Canada is continuing with reports that there are no new talks between the two sides. As it enters its third day, vessels have begun to pile up at Vancouver while business associations…

Terminal Trouble: Is the EU Building Too Many Regasification Terminals?   When was the last time you made a great decision in the middle of a panic? In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Sanctions passed against Russia by European governments included a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. Russian pipeline gas, which had…

Could Nations Agree on a Global Plastics Treaty This Year?   [By Emma Bryce] For the past two years, nations have been trying to craft a legally binding global treaty that will tackle plastic pollution. The fast-tracked negotiation process is due to end with this month’s meeting, which is taking place in Busan, South Korea, from…

Trump’s Election Gives Hope to Opponents of Chagos Islands Deal In the wake of President Trump’s decisive re-election, a political campaign is gathering steam on both sides of the Atlantic to pressure the United Kingdom’s Labour government into abandoning its recent agreement to hand sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Diego Garcia is one of 60…

Video: Salvors Raise Wreck of Burned Superyacht off Sardinia   The sunken superyacht Atina has been raised from the bottom off Sardinia and will be removed for scrapping, according to Italy’s coast guard.  On August 10, the 154-foot superyacht Atina caught fire off the coast of Olbia, a luxury destination on the northeastern shores of…

Huntington Ingalls Names New President for Newport News Shipbuilding   Huntington Ingalls Industries has announced the retirement of longtime Newport News Shipbuilding president Jennifer Boykin, who has run the nation’s premier nuclear-vessel shipyard since 2017. She will be replaced by Kari Wilkinson, the longtime head of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, effective January 1. “I have…

Hurricane Forecast Prompts Gulf Offshore Operators to Shut in Production Forecasts show Tropical Storm Rafael strengthening into a hurricane and taking a course across the Gulf of Mexico, and offshore producers are shutting in platforms and evacuating rigs in advance of high winds and waves.  As of Tuesday night, Rafael was located south of the…

Plans Launched to Develop Floating Hydrogen Import Terminal in France   As efforts continue to focus on the transition to new energy, Höegh Evi a leader in floating energy infrastructure announced plans for leveraging the experience with LGN to launch possibly one of Europe’s first hydrogen import terminals. Working with officials developing the new deep-water…

Fat Leonard Sentenced to 15 Years and to Pay $20M for USN Bribery and Fraud Nine years after his first guilty plea and 11 years after he was first arrested, Leonard Francis, aka “Fat Leonard” pleaded guilty for the second time in his now notorious bribery and fraud scheme that had wide-reaching and lasting repercussions…

Boxship Ordering Surge Drives Record Growth for Dual-Fuel Propulsion   Orders for alternative-fueled newbuilds hit an all-time monthly record in October, driven by high demand for LNG-powered boxships, according to the latest data from DNV.  Last month, shipowners placed orders for 97 ships with dual-fuel propulsion. LNG dominated the field with 66 ships, including 58…

A Week After Devastating Floods, Spain’s Valencia Port is Restoring Service   A week after massive storms caused widespread flooding and destruction which may have claimed 200 or more lives and destroyed infrastructure, Spanish authorities report the Valencia region is restoring services. The Port Authority reports that container operations in the Port of Valencia have…

  The average delay for containerships behind schedule has continued to increase in 2024 rising to the highest levels except during the peak of the pandemic and surge in container volumes. Sea-Intelligence is out with its monthly look at the average performance of the container shipping carriers across 34 different trade lanes highlighting the industry…

  An as-yet-unreleased UN report suggests that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have figured out a way to monetize their blockade of the Red Sea: insiders report that the group is operating a multi-billion-dollar tolling operation on the strategic waterway, extracting covert payments from shipowners in exchange for the right to pass safely. If accurate, the safe…

The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will be leaving the Middle East within a few months and will not be replaced with another carrier strike group, the Pentagon confirmed Friday. A persistent carrier presence has been a key part of the U.S. strategy to deter Iran from attacking Israel; instead, the Defense Department will dispatch a…

  South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries today started a demonstration of autonomous operations of a large containership with the systems specifically designed into the vessel. It is part of a government-sponsored program being overseen by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, designed to advance and…

  DFDS’ plans to acquire Turkish freight company Ekol Logistics have fallen apart in a public and acrimonious feud, with both sides claiming that they initiated a withdrawal.   In April, Danish freight ferry giant DFDS signed an agreement to buy Ekol for $545 million, adding more transport capacity to its cargo network in the…

  On Friday night, a team of Israeli commandos landed by sea in the town of Batroun, Lebanon and abducted Imad Amhaz, an alleged naval officer belonging to terrorist group Hezbollah. The raid demonstrated an ability to conduct a large-scale seaborne special operations raid in Israel’s near abroad, about 75 nautical miles north of the…

  [By Renee Coleman, National Coast Guard Museum] The National Coast Guard Museum will afford visitors the opportunity to journey through the history and evolution of search and rescue (SAR), from the mission’s infancy to modern-day practices. Even in its most primitive form, search and rescue has been the cornerstone of the Coast Guard’s mission-set for…

  On Friday, China embarked on its 41st Antarctic expedition as the country ramps up its presence in the Southern Ocean. For this mission, China has deployed three vessels, including the icebreaking research ships Xuelong and Xuelong 2. The other vessel is the cargo ship Yongsheng, which is carrying mission support materials. The mission is…

  [By Euan Graham] China is testing Prabowo Subianto’s new administration, with three successive incursions by China Coast Guard vessels into Indonesia’s exclusive maritime jurisdiction—the first occurring on the new president’s inaugural day in office. Jakarta urgently needs to recalibrate its South China Sea diplomacy and to revisit its basic assumptions about China. China’s move south should…

  After a collision between a bulker and a chemical tanker near the Strait of Gibraltar on Friday, white balls of solid paraffin wax have been floating ashore near the port of Algeciras, Spain. The substance appears to be connected to the cargo released by the tanker Southern Puma, which was struck by a bulker, spilling…

  [By Lloyd’s Register] Lloyd’s Register (LR) has awarded the maritime industry’s first Enhanced Antifouling Type Approval to GIT Coatings. The development of this new type of approval sets a new standard for antifouling coatings to address the growing need for effective biofouling management, which contributes to decarbonization efforts and protecting marine ecosystems. LR is…

[By: ABB] The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated a new flagship project, Decarbonization through the Digitalization in Shipping (DECARDIS), together with optimization platform company Awake.AI, technology leader ABB and shipping company Wallenius Marine. The consortium, funded by ESA and led by Awake.AI, will collaborate on a port call optimization solution, which focuses on helping…

[By: Wärtsilä] Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, continues to strengthen its position as a market-leading supplier of advanced cargo handling systems. The latest contract is for four new 93,000 m3 capacity Very Large Ammonia Carrier (VLAC) vessels being built for Greek owner Naftomar. The contract has been placed by the Korean shipyard, Hanwha Ocean…