News

More than a month after the fire-damaged containership Wan Hai 503 was granted permission for entry into its port of refuge, the owners, Wan Hai, report slow progress in the operation. The company highlighted some of the operational challenges for the salvage operation in its latest update.

A car carrier transiting the English Channel reported a fire and subsequently requested a tow. Unlike other recent incidents, however, the fire appears to have been limited to the engine room and not involving the cargo aboard the vessel.

The Indian Coast completed a successful search and rescue mission in the Arabian Sea that saved 31 fishermen who had been adrift for 11 days. The Coast Guard says that locating the fishermen was complicated by bad weather, causing rough seas and strong winds across the region.

Chinese officials in Guangzhou report that a search and rescue mission was underway for two missing seafarers after a small Chinese bulker sank. The vessel had collided with the Wan Hai A17 containership (144,572 dwt) in the Pearl River Estuary on the evening of October 25.

The joint venture company formed between BP and JERA announced that it has decided not to proceed at this time with the development of its Beacon Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.

Chinese officials are continuing to promote the benefits of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, which they have taken to calling the “Polar Silk Road.” This comes as their containership Istanbul Bridge is completing its first round of port calls in Northern Europe ahead of the launch of full service in 2026.

The Trump administration launched its first significant package of sanctions on Russia’s energy industry, followed today by the EU’s adoption of its 19th package of sanctions. Trump and leaders in the EU expressed their frustration at the lack of progress on peace talks for Ukraine and Russia’s escalation of attacks, saying the time had come for increased pressure and to degrade Russia’s ability to raise revenues.

Norway has decided that the construction of the world’s first ship tunnel would be too expensive to be practical. After receiving construction bids, the government will tell its parliament (Storting) that it has decided to shelve the project due to cost, leaving its future uncertain.

South Korean officials are highlighting an uptick in the country’s market share for the newbuilding orders and the potential that they have been able to regain market share from China on the eve of the introduction of the U.S. port fees on Chinese-owned, operated, and built ships.

The world’s first methanol bunker barge was launched last week in China and is destined for operations in Singapore. It is viewed as a key step in the expansion of the infrastructure to support alternative fuel operations.

Iranian oil exports to China, which over the previous three months averaged 1.52m bpd, fell to 1.4m bpd in September. From January to August, the average monthly figure was 1.45m bpd, so the figure for September shows a fall below this average, and Vortexa estimate that the figure for October is already set to fall further.

With Brazil working on guidelines to decarbonize its maritime transport, the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ) has announced progress at five ports in reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.

The Royal Marines have adopted a U.S. Coast Guard tactic for the task of stopping smuggling boats in the Gulf of Oman. The location may be different, but the method remains the same: shooting out the outboard engines.

CalMac's ill-starred ferry Glen Sannox is suffering repeated hull cracking issues just eight months after delivery, and the problem is related to an unresolved and severe vibration issue in her propulsion system, according to Scottish paper The Herald.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its interim report on the incident involving bulk carrier FMG Nicola (260,840 dwt) while departing Port Hedland in Western Australia in February this year.

The United States and Finland signed a deal on October 9 that sets out the framework for the construction of a total of up to 11 icebreakers using Finnish designs and expertise. It comes after months of negotiations between the two countries and builds on a 2024 agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Finland to share expertise to build a new generation of polar icebreakers.

The National Retail Federation is predicting that U.S. imports will see accelerating year-over-year declines in volumes for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. The trade group for the U.S. retail industry cites the continuing rise in tariffs as well as retailers' efforts to build inventory early due to the timing of the introduction of tariffs.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s port fee program is due to go into effect in less than a week, and with no more guidance having been issued, speculation remains rampant on the full impact of the program.

One of the growing areas of concern, and likely future regulation, is underwater noise due to its potential impact on marine wildlife. In a pioneering program, tanker operator Hafnia and DNV have partnered to test new systems that could contribute to future vessel design and operations to reduce the levels of underwater noise emitted by vessels.

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority is in the process of determining the winner for a tender it launched earlier this year as a first step toward modernizing key parts of its aging fleet. With financing from the World Bank to repair essential logistics infrastructure, the authority intends to purchase a multifunctional port vessel for use at Izmail and on the Danube.