News

The California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is hoping to propel oceanographic research to the next level after taking delivery of its newest research vessel, a project that has taken over a decade to actualize.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) has begun operations at its new Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), located at Sri Lanka’s Port of Colombo. The terminal has been under construction since 2022, almost a year after the Adani Group signed the port deal.

The latest Chinese port operation to come under pressure is Australia’s Port of Darwin which is now a headline issue in the upcoming federal elections. Today, April 4, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared during a radio interview that Darwin “should be in Australian hands.” Concerns have been brewing over the now decade-old deal that ceded control of the port to a Chinese company. 

On Sunday, the crew of the Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Cabra narrowly averted a head-on collision with an aggressive China Coast Guard cutter, according to the PCG. 

The shipper of a cargo of Russian crude oil loaded aboard a sanctioned shadow tanker has found a creative way around Indian regulations that were barring the ship from offloading.

Two European river cruise boats were involved in separate collisions over the past week, one on the Rhine near Duisberg and another near Szczecin, Poland. 

Japan’s leading energy company ENEOS is joining with A.P. Moller Holding and A.P. Moller – Maersk investing $100 million in C2X, the green methanol developer launched in 2023 by A.P. Moller Holding.

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch released initial results from its ongoing investigation into the “very serious marine casualty” resulting from the containership Solong hitting the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate.

South Korea’s Hanwha Group is continuing its efforts to build its position in shipbuilding including the U.S. naval market by renewing its interest in Austal. Six months after reporting it was discontinuing its efforts to acquire Austal, Hanwha today announced it is moving to become the largest shareholder in the Australia-based shipbuilder.

The only heavy icebreaker in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet USCG Polar Star arrived back in San Francisco completing her annual deployment to Antarctica and now she is preparing for the final phase of her ongoing life extension.

Upset by Belgium’s new collation government’s plans for budget cutting, public and private workers walked on their jobs on Monday, March 31, for a 24-hour strike that stopped many parts of Belgium for the day.

Norway marked a milestone in its efforts to be a leader in green shipping with the introduction of the first of two vessels that will be powered with bio-methanol. The containerships which are operating in a partnership between North Sea Container Line and MPC Container Ships will expand Norway’s trade with Europe while also lowering emissions.

Japan celebrated the naming and launch of its first purpose-built ice-class Arctic research vessel, Mirai II. Construction on the vessel began in 2021 and it represents a significant step forward for the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), which will be responsible for the vessel’s operations.

Japan’s NYK Group highlights that it has become one of the largest operators of LPG carriers as part of its growth strategy. The company last year agreed to take over the shipping business from ENEOS and reports it completed the acquisition on schedule, today April 1, for an estimated cost of just over $500 million.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has executed three maritime infrastructure-related contracts valued at $18 million as part of the plan to upgrade port operations at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

U.S. auto tariffs are taking a toll on the outlook for many foreign automakers, but are also having an effect on the companies that carry their goods to market - the pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) ro/ro operators.

While it is only a little more than a month since the new alliances began to integrate into the operations of container shipping, the first results show the new organization has the potential to dramatically reshape the competition among carriers.

The Panama Canal Authority announced that it will begin reserving transit slots through the new locks for vessels with low carbon emissions. It says the program is in keeping with advancements in the industry and to incentivize customers on their path to decarbonization.

The troubled U.S. effort to build a new generation of Polar Security Cutters received an important boost with the U.S. Coast Guard awarding a $951.6 million contract modification to Bollinger Shipyards.

The ranks of container shipping companies employing methanol-fueled vessels continue to grow with HMM becoming the latest among the early adopters of the fuel. DNV calculates there are just 26 methanol-fueled containerships in service currently with orders for 200 more vessels having been placed. By comparison, there are 166 containerships fueled by LNG currently in service.