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The Mokpo Coast Guard has sought an arrest warrant for the master of the vessel after it arrested the first officer who was on watch, as well as the helmsman, each on charges of gross negligence causing harm to the passengers, and the investigation is widening.

The United States expanded its sanctions against Iran?s energy trade with coordinated actions by both the State Department and the Treasury. The efforts continue to increase the reach beyond Iranian operations to target the front companies and enablers of the energy trade, as well as tankers being used for the shipments.

Maritime investigators are yet again highlighting the dangers associated with free-fall lifeboats on commercial vessels after an inadvertent release sent a lifeboat flying into the water and caused serious injuries to a crewmember.

Fire crews from Los Angeles and Long Beach responded to a fire aboard an Ocean Network Express (ONE) container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday evening. As of 1330 hours on Saturday, the fire was isolated to a single cargo hold aboard the ship, and a fire boat from the Port of Los Angeles was on scene to provide cooling water.

The Chinese Embassy in Greece has unleashed strong criticism on the United States and its new ambassador to the Hellenic Republic after comments calling COSCO’s ownership of a Greek port “unfortunate,” and suggesting there were ways around it, including the sale of Piraeus.

European leaders continue to work to increase the pressure on Russia with the shadow fleet and cutting Russia’s revenues from oil remaining a high priority. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, told reporters the EU’s plan is to continue to weaken Russia, saying the sanctions are working.

The total count came mostly from HD Hyundai's main yard (HHI), but HD Hyundai Mipo and HD Hyundai Samho together account for a bit less than half. Stacked bow-to-stern, the line of HD Hyundai's delivered ships would extend from Seoul all the way to Tokyo, the yard said. 

A U.S.-bound cargo barge being towed by a U.S. tug reported that it was taking on water north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while traveling along the Inside Passage. Officials said that the vessels were moved into a more secure location and that the situation remains stable while the operators prepare to lighten the cargo load on the barge.

Fincantieri has completed the last of a series of agreements with the Central Adriatic Sea Port Authority for the expansion of the shipbuilding yard in Ancona, Italy. The Italian shipbuilder reports that the agreements confirm the joint commitment to enhancing the strategic role of the port and the shipyard, strengthening their contribution to the economic development of the region and the Italian naval sector.

The use of a generic safety management system and a lack of adequate controls to manage risk led to a potentially dangerous blackout and loss of control as a vessel was maneuvering at the Port of Brisbane earlier this year, reports the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB).

China looks to resume expansion of its domestic cruise market after a long hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic. In the latest reports online, Tianjin Orient International Cruises, which was launched two years ago to restart the market from Tianjin, is now poised to acquire a second, larger cruise ship.

Philippine officials told the Associated Press that they completed a mostly peaceful resupply mission to their outpost on the beached vessel BRP Sierra Madre in the South China Sea after previous confrontations with the Chinese.

A simple oversight in labeling an electrical wire was a likely causal factor in the blackout aboard the boxship Dali, resulting in the vessel's allision with a bridge pier and the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. 

The first round in the process for the potential sale of South Korea’s K Shipbuilding was completed last week, with reports that U.S. private equity investor TPG Group has jumped in as an entrant.

Ukrainian officials are reporting that several vessels were damaged and there is a fire aboard a Turkish-flagged LPG carrier after a Russian barrage targeting Ukrainian ports overnight along the Black Sea and Danube.

One of the storied names in cargo shipping, Ellerman City Liners, looks to continue its rebirth by expanding and consolidating Europe’s short sea shipping sector. The company reported last week that it has agreed to acquire Norway’s Viasea Shipping. 

Three months after the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) came into force, the ship recycling industry looks much the same. The yards remain busy, the paperwork continues to grow, and the sweeping reform promised by the Convention has yet to take shape.

The company, which in recent months has been implementing a plan to divest less efficient vessels and pump investments into new tonnage, said that it has placed an order at Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry for the construction of four 4,500 TEU container vessels.

South Korea's business leaders are aware that a multi-billion-dollar diplomatic agreement to invest in the U.S. market could dent future plans for investment at home, since so much of South Korea's industrial capital will be going overseas to projects in the United States.

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is optimistic that transits are gradually returning to normal after the canal witnessed the passage of three mega ships operated by CMA CGM in a span of one week.