News

Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is joining the effort to develop an ammonia bunkering operation in Australia’s Pilbara as part of the efforts to establish a green shipping corridor between the iron ore region and Asia.

A multi-year Japanese project sponsored by the government is reporting that it has achieved much higher than anticipated reductions in unburnt methane emissions (methane slip) during demonstrations on an in-service bulker operated by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.

The latest data from consultancy Project44 shows that blank sailings have surged to new heights as demand on U.S.-China routes has fallen. The blanks for October are on track to exceed levels seen during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumer demand in the West cratered and imports fell off quickly. 

The Dutch Coast Guard is reporting a close call on Saturday night, October 4, as a product tanker lost propulsion and was drifting dangerously close to the Netherlands’ largest offshore wind farm.

Dutch shipping company Spliethoff issued a statement today, October 6, confirming that one of the two seriously injured crewmembers from its vessel Minervagracht passed away in a hospital in Djibouti.

Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc. (CSI) is acquiring its fourth drydock, marking a significant milestone for the oldest continuously operating family-owned shipyard in the United States. According to company officials, the new drydock represents a major company investment of over $79 million. Drydock #4 is expected to have an approximate lifting capacity of 25,000 tons, positioning CSI to further enhance its capabilities in providing critical ship repair and maintenance services to a diverse range of maritime clients. 

The Helsinki District Court issued a surprise judgment on Friday, October 3, in the case of the master and two officers from the tanker Eagle S who had been charged with aggravated vandalism related to the damage to subsea cables.

The Belgian police ended the blockade by Greenpeace protestors of the Zeebrugge LNG terminal. The group confirmed its activists have been removed and arrested after 29 hours while its sailboat was moved to a dock in the port, and the flow of LNG carriers has resumed.

The Spanish-based Boluda Towage continues its aggressive path of acquisitions to consolidate the towages and global expansion with the acquisition of operations in Australia and Papua New Guinea from Royal Boskalis.

Maersk reports it has passed the halfway mark on an ambitious program of refits designed to reduce fuel and operating costs as well as emissions for its fleet of chartered containerships.  The carrier calls it a “win-win model” where it benefits from the improved economics of the vessel’s current operations, and the owners get the long-term value of a modernized vessel.

New York is moving forward with its plan to expand port operations through the revitalization of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT). Once a key part of the operations, the plan seeks to end 50 years of disinvestment and decay while supporting the transformation of the area into a modern maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community.

ComAp collaborated with their long-standing customer Damen, one of the world’s leading shipbuilders, to deliver a comprehensive power management system (PMS) for Damen’s Waterbus 2907 Hybrid.

There continues to be a lot of speculation in the industry over the full extent of the looming U.S. port fees for Chinese-owned, operated, or built vessels calling at U.S. ports. Industry analyst Alphaliner presented a potentially worst-case scenario based on current deployments that shows the 10 largest container carriers could be confronted with approximately $3.2 billion in fees in 2026 to the U.S., if the USTR program proceeds as planned.

The investigation into the shadow fleet tanker that has been accused of various incidents, including the drones over Denmark, has deepened. The French news agency Agence France-Presse is reporting that the police have taken into custody two officers of the vessel, while BFMTV is posting images of the French Navy boarding the tanker.

The U.S. Coast Guard is moving quickly to capitalize on the massive supply of cash for shipbuilding and repair work that it received in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It has finalized orders for more Offshore Patrol Cutters and Fast Response Cutters, commissioned major upgrades at several bases, and is investing to expand its aircraft fleet. 

The Port of Vancouver in British Columbia is already Canada’s largest port, and as the country looks to expand trade with Asia, the port is handling record volumes. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority reports it handled a record 85 million metric tons of cargo in the first half of 2025 as the country expands its trade beyond the U.S.

The first U.S. Military Sealift Command support ship has arrived at the HD Hyundai shipyard in South Korea for maintenance. It is the first U.S. MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) assignment for Korea’s largest shipbuilder and part of its strategy to expand repair work and to support the United States.

The first inland cargo barge that combines methanol and hydrogen electric for a more efficient operation was launched earlier this month in China. The vessel also represents an expansion of Chinese auto manufacturer Geely’s methanol technology into the maritime sector as the company looks to expand its international operations.

In what appears to be the first attack by the Houthi militants on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden in nearly 14 months, a Dutch cargo ship has been heavily damaged, forcing the crew to abandon ship after an apparent missile strike.

Japanese shipowner NYK has doubled down on robotic hull cleaning through an agreement with Neptune Robotics, one of the first firms to market with this technology. The new agreement will expand the use of Neptune's hull-scrubbing systems across NYK's entire fleet, consisting of about 800 owned and chartered-in vessels.