News

In the wake of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a team of experts at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering are launching an in-depth study of all similar U.S. bridges to assess the risk of another disastrous ship strike. 

The container shipping segment ticked pasted a significant milestone recently according to industry analysts Alphaliner. It comes as the sector continues to grow and they expect the era of the large ships will expand as carriers look for more economies of scale as they balance against the emerging emissions regulations.

Marflet Marine, one of Spain’s oldest private shipping companies, is joining the growing list of ship operators adopting wind-assisted propulsion. The company has signed a contract to install four eSails, a suction sail design, from Bound4blue on one of its four product tankers.

China is continuing to push forward with its efforts to develop electric propulsion for shipping. At the beginning of the year, COSCO commissioned the first two pure-electric containerships and now coastal carrier Ningbo Ocean Shipping has ordered two vessels it is calling the first of their kind in China and the largest in the world.

The Government of Cyprus in an ongoing dispute with the long-time leaseholder at the port of Larnaca announced it has terminated the concession and assumed direct management of the port.

German energy company RWE has decided to proceed with a large, two-phase, offshore wind farm project which is part of its long-term plans for renewable energy. The company points out the project provides synergies with its existing operations and can be used to provide renewable power to industrial customers.

Just ahead of the Posidonia trade show in Athens, carbon consultancy OceanScore has released calculations to show what the EU emissions trading scheme could cost Greek shipowners - and it's a big number.

Singapore reports that it has completed its preparation and is now ready to offer full-scale commercial operations for the bunkering of methanol as a marine fuel. It joins other ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam that are now locations for methanol bunkering and it can provide a model for the future adoption of ammonia as a marine fuel.

Badhoevedorp, 21 May 2024 - EST-Floattech, a leading provider of high-performance energy storage solutions, announces its collaboration with Wight Shipyard Co. They will install the Octopus Series battery systems on two vessels, the “Mars Clipper” and Cross River Ferry, for Thames Clippers.

The UK’s second largest port operator, Peel Ports Group, has announced plans to establish the first green shipping corridor between the UK and Ireland. This is part of a partnership between the port operator and the marine tech company NatPower Marine.

The Houthi claimed specific long-range attacks on Friday during their weekly rallies after weeks of threatening to expand their range during the so-called fourth wave of their efforts. Military sources and security analysts are warning of the capabilities while most of the attacks continue to be in closer proximity to the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

One of the best-known retired vessels in the San Francisco Bay area, the former cruise ship Aurora, has partially sunk at her berth. The classic "pocket" cruise ship was built by Blohm & Voss for brief trips to and from the island of Heligoland, and had a long and varied career in the Aegean, North Sea, Eastern Pacific, and the U.S. West Coast.

A senior Maryland pilot raised concerns about the risk of an allision between a big ship and the Francis Scott Key Bridge at least as early as 2006, and continued to discuss the matter in local safety meetings for years, according to detailed records uncovered by the Washington Post.

With demand continuing strong for jack-up offshore vessels for the wind energy industry, Cadeler reported it is moving forward with the construction of a third giant vessel, the seventh it now has on order.

Russia is likely in the early stages of assembling a new "dark fleet" of LNG carriers in order to sanction-proof its liquefied natural gas exports, according to Oystein Kalleklev, CEO of Norwegian shipping company Flex LNG.

The Chinese government is taking a step up with its attempt to control the western Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Last week, Beijing announced that the China Coast Guard would be empowered to arrest and hold anyone who tries to enter Chinese-claimed waters for up to 60 days, without trial.

The Black Sea container market has undergone significant disruption, with Ukraine at the forefront of these changes. Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine boasted the highest container volumes among Black Sea countries, with an estimated turnover of over 1 million TEU per year according to local analytical company Informall BG.

Two foreign companies that own and operate a product tanker have been slapped with a $2 million fine after pleading guilty to deliberately dumping oily waste in ocean waters near New Orleans, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Monday, the tanker Dubai Angel arrived at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Vancouver, B.C., the seaward terminus of the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX). The Dubai Angel is scheduled to load the first 550,000-barrel cargo of Albertan tar sands crude from the TMX, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Canadian producers. 

The Port of Brunswick, Georgia, which had the largest autoport by space in the U.S., achieved its largest month ever in April. While the port was aiding with the diversion from Baltimore, they also highlighted the strong growth in the U.S. auto market and efforts by manufacturers to increase inventory as the sector continues to recover from the pandemic.