News

The third U.S. training ship, State of Maine, was christened on Tuesday, August 26, in a ceremony designed to highlight the emerging partnership between the United States and South Korea for shipbuilding.

The large Maersk containership, Marie Maersk, which has been battling a container fire for nearly two weeks, is reportedly back underway after teams determined it is safe for the vessel to proceed. With the help of external firefighting teams and equipment brought out to the ship while it was off Africa, Maersk has reported that the fire was contained.

The trial for the captain and two senior officers of the shadow fleet tanker Eagle S began on Monday, August 25, in the Helsinki District Court. They are facing charges ranging from aggravated sabotage and aggravated telecommunications interference to lesser charges of vandalism and endangering public safety.

The NGO SOS Mediterranee released details on an encounter in the Mediterranean on Sunday, August 24, in which it says the Libyan Coast Guard opened fire on its ship and continued to attack the ship for up to 20 minutes.

Fire concerns and the potential for toxic, runaway fires spurred by lithium-ion batteries continue to weigh heavily on the shipping industry. Lynden’s Alaska Marine Lines has become the latest carrier to report it will no longer ship electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to the increased safety risk.

The US Coast Guard arrested the master of a containership this week after the pilot guiding the ship to port reported the captain was exhibiting signs of intoxication. A field sobriety and breathalyzer test administered by the USC after the vessel docked found the captain was impaired more than six times the legal limit for commercial mariners.

Turkey is poised to strengthen its exploration rights in the Mediterranean region. Reports have emerged that Libya’s eastern-based government is likely to approve a 2019 maritime pact, which allows Turkey to explore for oil and gas in Libyan waters.

On Tuesday evening, the barge River Drone 4 passed through the Olen lock complex on the Albert Canal. Soon after, it began to leak fuel, and it released an estimated 10,000 liters into the water before the leak stopped.

Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Jinchao "Patrick" Wei was assigned to the amphib USS Essex at Naval Station San Diego. In February 2022, according to DOJ, Wei began working with a Chinese intelligence officer who information about Essex's systems, among other sensitive information.

The latest effort to get a meaningful amount of aid into Gaza for residents is underway, but appears to have been slowed as the vessel is circling off the coast near the port of Ashdod, Israel. The ship had been scheduled to dock on Tuesday night, August 19, but as of Thursday night continues to sail in circles.

A contractor working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has extracted a former U.S. Navy torpedo recovery vessel from a marsh outside of Charleston, South Carolina, the first boat recovered under the state's new statute on vessel abandonment. 

South Korea’s HD Hyundai is continuing to pursue opportunities to grow its shipbuilding business and increase its competitive position against the Chinese.  It is acquiring a Vietnamese manufacturing business for components, including tanks and cranes, while also moving to expand its Vietnamese shipbuilding and being linked to other international deals.

The UK is supporting the next step in emission capture systems that can be deployed in ports as a cost-effective means of reducing emissions. The new project will combine the emissions capture capabilities of STAX Engineering with the carbon capture technology of Seabound.

CMA CGM highlighted today, August 19, that it took delivery of 1,000 twenty-foot containers manufactured in Vietnam. It was the first time the French shipping company had sourced containers built in Vietnam.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, which has announced its plans to operate some of the first ammonia-powered vessels, is joining with ITOCHU Corporation to advance plans for pioneering ammonia bunkering demonstrations.

The Port of Baltimore reported mid-afternoon on Tuesday that the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the shipping channel into Baltimore following the explosion and fire aboard the bulker W-Sapphire last night.

Brodosplit Shipyard has landed in hot water with local residents over plans for restoring an aging cruise ship, the Moby Drea. The vessel has asbestos partition panels inside, and the shipyard's work plan called for removing them - but local citizens were not interested in the perceived risks, and pressed successfully for a government order for the ship's removal. 

Seaspan became the latest to jump into containership newbuilding, placing another big order with China State Shipbuilding. In addition to the size of the order, estimated by analysts at more than $1.2 billion, it is drawing attention as it is Chinese-financed and will be denominated in the Chinese currency, renminbi, extending China’s efforts to break free from linking newbuilds to the U.S. financial markets.

A fire started early on Saturday, August 16, spreading from one ship to another in the anchorage off Yeosu, South Korea. The local fire department in the city in southeastern Korea worked with the Coast Guard due to the risk of explosion as the two ships burned.

Australian expeditioners and scientists are set to return to the uninhabited and remote territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) after more than two decades. The voyages that will take place aboard the RSV Nuyina are being described as critical for understanding the current state of the islands and ensuring protection from the threats of climate change.