News

Investigators at New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released their final report on a July 2023 incident with the Achilles Bulker, reporting that poor welding during maintenance led to a series of failures that ultimately saw the vessel lose its rudder and nearly run aground.

During the White House's tariff negotiations with the Japanese government over the last several months, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposed creating a multibillion-dollar Japanese investment package that would be directed by President Donald Trump.

The first U.S.-flagged, Jones Act-compliant, subsea rock installation vessel designed to support the offshore energy sector marked a milestone as the vessel was floated out at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.

Canadian investment manager Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to sell a 49 percent stake in the ownership of UK ports and logistics company PD Ports to an investment company controlled by Spain’s Amancio Ortega, the owner of brands including Zara, Pull & Bear, and Massimo Dutti.

CMA CGM is making a unique move, announcing it is forming a joint venture with TotalEnergies to launch an LNG bunkering and logistics operation based in Rotterdam. It is the first time a shipping company is partnering with an energy provider for LNG bunkering and a key step to support the French carriers’ growing fleet of LNG-fueled vessels.

In a busy week in the world of sanctions - with President Trump threatening 100% tariffs on those evading US sanctions on Russia, the European Union announcing an agreement on its 18th round of anti-Russian sanctions, and the UK launching a further 137 listings of dark fleet entities - Moscow’s Higher School of Economics is offering a new academic program.

Grimaldi Group is marking a major expansion of its car carrier operations along with the launch of what the company is calling “a true technological gem.” During a naming ceremony on July 21 at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Jiangsu, the company highlighted the technological features of the innovative vessel, which was designed in partnership with the naval architecture firm Knud E. Hansen.

The master of the Indonesian ferry Barcelona V has been named as a suspect in connection with the fire that burned through the vessel last weekend. 

Three of Japan’s leading shipping companies report they have begun discussions to explore building and donating a new training vessel to the country maritime training program operated by the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS).

Two months into its special discount program to draw containerships back to the Suez Canal, the authority reports that 10 of the large vessels have now completed the transit. It continues to emphasize the opportunities, while carriers other than CMA CGM and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Line appear to continue to avoid the region in light of the continuing dangers.

China celebrated the re-delivery of the world’s largest ocean-going aquaculture vessel, Zhe Dai Yu Yang 60001 (Senhai Pioneer), on July 20 in its quest to develop new resources for food development.

Matson surprised customers this week with an announcement that, effective immediately, it would suspend transporting battery-powered electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to the hazardous material classification of their lithium-ion batteries.

A US Marine Corps War College war game – distinct from a scenario recently featured in The Interpreter – suggests that fear, national honor, and miscalculation could be more decisive triggers for conflict than calculated interest.

Ha Long Bay has a thriving tourism industry, and millions of visitors come to the area every year. On Saturday, one of the many tourist boats that operate in the region - the Wonder Seas - was under way on a routine sightseeing excursion.

When Wan Hai 503 suffered a cargo explosion and fire off Kerala on June 9, few expected that the salvage effort for the small container ship would be so protracted. The fire burned through almost all cargo bays forward of the deckhouse, leaving only smoldering wreckage - and the last hot spots have still not been fully extinguished.

Working with German owner Hartmann Group, shipmanager InterMaritime and construction materials giant Heidelberg, the UK-based startup Seabound has launched a unique onboard carbon capture venture that starts with Bunker C and ends up in cement. 

Russian port operator FSUE Rosmorport has launched a tender seeking inspectors for vessels arriving at its Baltic seaports. According to the Moscow Times, the inspections will be checking below the waterline and the underside of vessels, looking for unknown objects and possible explosives.

The race to launch the first commercial ammonia-fueled engines marked a key milestone, reports marine engine designer WinGD. The first two-stroke engines built from the company’s designs were tested and recently successfully installed in the first new ammonia carriers being built in South Korea.

Addressing the Dutch Parliament, the interim government’s Minister for Climate and Green Growth has said the current goals for offshore wind energy are “no longer realistic.” The Ministry reports it is working on a new plan that will reset the country’s targets, lowering the near-term goal by as much as 40 percent.

Chinese shipbuilders are already feeling the pinch from the Trump administration's unprecedented port fee proposal, even though the details have not yet been released in final form.