News

One of the sisterships to the containership Dali which destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge is reporting engine troubles in the Pacific. The vessel which is also managed by Synergy Marine and sailing under charter as the Maersk Saltoro is reported to have experienced an engine problem which is delaying the ship and risking a cargo of Chilean cherries bound for China.

The boom in containership construction and the transition to alternative fuels continues with South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering reporting its first order of 2025. The shipbuilder which is part of HD Hyundai booked an order valued at approximately $2.58 billion which is being widely linked to French shipping giant CMA CGM Group.

The Canadian-flagged bulker Manitoulin became stuck midday on Wednesday, January 22, in the ice outside Buffalo, New York on Lake Erie. The crew took it in stride and while the vessel was waiting for the arrival of a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker had a little fun posting their destination on the AIS signal as “exasperated sigh.”

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard saved the crew of the fishing vessel Miss Sandy when the vessel began to flood off Gloucester, Massachusetts. Efforts to combat the flooding were unsuccessful, but all were rescued before the vessel went down. 

Lithuania is preparing to join the elite ranks of the shipping industry with the launch of a pioneering hydrogen, electric-powered vessel that will provide harbor services. The ship which was recently floated fat the West Baltic Shipyard is among the first to adopt hydrogen technology and will be deployed for the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority in partnership with Baltic Workboats.

Officials from the Untied Nations provided the first independent confirmation to the level of damage that has been inflicted on Yemen’s Red Sea ports. The officials estimated that less than a quarter of the port capacities remain available expressing concern about the ability to get relief supplies to the citizens of Yemen.

A revised Construction and Operations Plan has been approved for the troubled U.S. offshore wind farm known as Vineyard Wind approximately six months after one of its turbine blades fractured.

The provision insolvency administrators for Germany’s FSG and Nobiskrug shipbuilders told government officials and union leaders they remain confident in the efforts to save the financially troubled yards.

Efforts are continuing to build out the capabilities to support vessels to use shore power as ports seek to transition to more environmentally friendly systems in advance of pending EU regulations.

For some time, the Iranian authorities have sought to build up their maritime access to the open seas by developing port infrastructure outside the Gulf, acknowledging the vulnerability of dependency on free and uninterrupted access through the Straits of Hormuz.

The shipping industry is taking proactive steps to implement improved safety measures for transporting charcoal, ahead of mandatory IMO regulations in 2026. Experts have long warned that misdeclared, poorly handled, and poorly packed dangerous goods are one of the largest dangers for cargo fires and the industry is moving to crackdown on charcoal loaded in containers.

A senior officer with China's PLA Navy has confirmed that its newest, largest amphib will be equipped to operate with drones, and said that the service is pivoting to take advantage of a new generation of unmanned combat systems.

The so-called APA round of predefined auction areas covered mature producing regions in the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea (along with one single permit in the Bering Sea). It favors tieback developments to existing platforms.

Retailers are continuing to front-load their imports which is driving up the volumes seen at major U.S. ports. The National Retail Federation in its monthly read on container volumes expects the rush to get merchandise into the country will continue in part started by the fear of an East Coast port strike and now potential tariffs from the new Trump administration.

German authorities confirmed they are continuing to detain the Panama-flagged tanker Eventin (152,000 dwt) after the vessel’s blackout and rescue from the Baltic on January 10. In addition to waiting for confirmation from the vessel’s classification society of the repairs and seaworthiness of the ship, the authorities confirmed Customs inspectors have boarded the vessel.

With global ship demolition at record low levels, Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry has reported that 2024 saw a massive drop in scrap ship imports. Only 144 ships were sent to Bangladesh last year for recycling, equivalent to 968,000 GT, the lowest since 2005.

The containership Dali which became notorious for its allision destroying Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has completed repairs and is preparing to return to service. The ship was operating under charter to Maersk at the time of the incident and according to the shipping line’s online scheduler, she returns to service on January 17.

Berge Rederi will incorporate two specially designed wind rotor sails from Norsepower into its innovative zero-emission bulk carriers now building in Nanjing, China. The company reports the vessels expected to launch starting late this year will be the world’s largest battery-powered bulk carriers and far surpass the current longest voyages for battery-electric ferries.

The U.S. Department of Defense published its annual listing of companies linked to China’s military adding shipping giant COSCO Shipping and two of its subsidiaries, as well as other companies including the Chinese oil company Cnooc, to the designation.

The U.S Coast Guard is formulating a plan to safely refloat a Supramax self-unloader that grounded in the Delaware River near Philadelphia on Wednesday evening.