News

Successful trials were conducted in December 2024 on a new system that uses industrial laser technology to remove rust, paint, and other coasts from the hull of a ship. The goal is to create a system that is more environmentally friendly and the project also highlights it has the potential for automation.

Meyer Turku one of the handful of shipyards in the world with the expertise to build large cruise ships announced the appointment of the former CEO of Wärtsilä Jakko Eskola to lead the shipbuilder.

EUNAVFOR Atalanta reports that the Yemini-flagged fishing boat Al Najma was released by pirates who had boarded the vessel earlier in the week. The crew of the fishing boat confirmed that the alleged pirates abandoned the vessel after stealing personal objects and two skiffs belonging to the dhow and as forces from the Atalanta operation approached the hijacked vessel.

Greenpeace released pictures of a team of activists that were successful in tagging a sanctioned shadow chemical tanker with the word “risk” while it was underway off the coast of Denmark. According to the group it was done to mark the approaching third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to highlight the dangers of the shadow fleet.

The Military Sealift Command is reporting the first of two vessels has completed its deliveries to McMurdo Station, on the southern tip of Ross Island in Antarctica. The U.S. has maintained a base on the site since 1956 and each year MSC-charters cargo ships and a tanker to make the challenging voyage to resupply the base for the coming year.

For the first time, the U.S. Coast Guard has released audio from the implosion of the submersible Titan, which was lost during a dive at the Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic in 2023. Four paying "mission specialists" and the operating company's CEO died in the implosion, making it the first fatal accident in five decades in a deep-diving manned submersible. 

Lack of proficiency in the steering gear operation and change of control modes due to ambiguous procedures caused a containership to strike a navigation beacon while departing the Port of Melbourne in May 2023.

The labor strife that has plagued ports around the world has spread to Rotterdam with reports of long delays and slowdowns due to a contract dispute at the Hutchison Delta II Terminal. Two labor unions have broken off negotiations and backed away from a tentative agreement threatening to continue their strikes until the operator meets the terms of the tentative agreement.

A.P. Moller Holding, an investment company and the parent company of the A.P. Moller Group, is investing in growing logistics operations in Spain and Latin America. It has signed a binding agreement to acquire 51 percent of Berge, the port and infrastructure company of Berge y Compañía, a diversified holding company based in Spain.

Following on from the news from the Gulf that Oman’s Asyad Shipping is expanding its fleet by acquiring a further 30 ships, QatarEnergy is now seeing the first deliveries of what will be a fleet of 128 new vessels by 2030.

A sister ship to the infamous containership Dali that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is also recovering from mechanical troubles. The vessel operating under charter as the Maersk Saltoro is reported to be back underway after drifting for 23 days in the Pacific after a main engine failure.

The war of words between the United States, the government of Panama, and the Panama Canal Authority continues with officials in Panama saying they were “surprised” by the U.S. posting on X claiming “U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees.”

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission reported tonight, February 6, that the new alliance between HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming to share vessels and routes will take effect on Sunday, February 9.

German prosecutors are continuing to investigate the accident in December that paralyzed river traffic on the Moselle and trapped numerous inland cargo ships in France and Luxembourg. They believe the cargo ship that destroyed the critical lock was sailing on autopilot and failed to break before hitting the gates.

The Danish Maritime Authority announced that it will begin taking steps to strengthen the supervision and monitoring of tankers anchoring in its waterways. It is part of an effort that they said will ensure compliance with the rules for safety at sea, environmental protection, and protection of seafarers.

The first demonstration of the new Trump administration’s efforts to derail the offshore wind energy sector emerged as the Department of Interior began reversing steps taken in the last days of the Biden administration.

Despite U.S. intelligence leaks that suggest that recent cable-cutting incidents in the Baltic may be accidental, Finland's foreign minister says that it is "extremely unlikely" that four cable-damage incidents could happen in one region in a year without some amount of intent. 

The Suez Canal Authority is increasing its efforts to rebuild traffic through the canal highlighting the return to stability in the region. Yesterday, February 3, a tanker targeted by the Houthis eight months ago made its first transit reports the authority as part of its marketing campaign.

The Italian Navy is highlighting one of its regular training exercises working with the merchant fleet. It is part of a long-term project also involving the trade association Assarmatori designed to build cooperation and familiarize the navy personnel and merchant sailors in the routine for vessel inspections.

Two and a half years after the accident which caused the loss of the bulker OS 35, Gibraltar’s maritime authority issued its report finding poor planning and that the captain misjudged the maneuver resulting in the casualty.