News

Courtesy of climate change, the Arctic Ocean is steadily transforming into a geopolitical and military theatre. This shift is central to the evolution of defense alliances such as NATO, with strategic interests of members states in the High North changing.

News that India is planning to launch a new shipping company through a public partnership is being met with skepticism within the shipping and industrial community in the country. According to the story first reported by Reuters, the government of newly reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pursuing the concept for the past few months as a means of supporting the industrialization plans for India along with a goal of reducing the amount of foreign exchange being spent on shipping.

Continuing forward with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperative to develop the Northern Sea Route as an alternative means of transporting cargo, Rosatom which oversees the NSR and a Chinese shipping company announced an agreement to form a joint venture.

On Wednesday, an MSC boxship lost control of its main engine and accelerated to 17 knots on the Cooper River at Charleston, South Carolina, forcing the temporary closure of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

MONTHLY LIST OF THE VESSELS BEACHED AT THE INDIAN DEMOLITION YARDS - APRIL-MAY 2024

Jumbo Offshore has completed the removal of two monopiles on the Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) Yunlin in Taiwan. The Jumbo Offshore crew reliably carried out the work, whilst deploying its DP2 Heavy Lift Crane Vessel Fairplayer from Europe to support the onsite operations.

The Houthi spokesperson issued the latest list of claimed attacks saying that they were continuing to target ships from companies that call in Israeli ports. While making unsubstantiated claims that they had launched missiles and drones they did not claim any hits and none of the claims matched reports from the maritime security forces.

The World Bank is out with its latest port ranking and predictably ports in Southeast Asia continue to dominate the top of the ranks, but some of the world’s largest container ports, and most in the U.S., ranked far lower.

The last large sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge have been removed from the channel in Baltimore clearing the path for the reopening of the full channel over this coming weekend. Normal navigation is expected to resume next week.

This week, the Philippines and China are trading new accusations about interactions at Second Thomas Shoal, a reef in the Philippine exclusive economic zone where Manila maintains a small outpost. The site has long been a flash point for confrontations between Chinese and Philippine government vessels, but the new allegations are more hands-on.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reports it has banned its third ship in 2024, this time citing an “unseaworthy” condition for the action. The authority is known for a strict policy and for taking actions both to protect seafarers and the Australian environment.

Russia is continuing to play a “shell game” moving around its tankers in an effort to avoid sanctions and maintain the vital financial flow. This comes as demand has been falling according to Bloomberg and many of the sanctioned tankers are now sitting idle.

FreeStar Subsea Services is a new company born from the merger of Vriezoo ROV Services and Mark Offshore. The collaboration offers a unique combination of ROV and survey support services with FreeStar’s own, recently acquired and outfitted vessel, the SSV Navicula Star.

Nigeria's two largest labor unions have launched a nationwide strike, and port workers have joined in the walkout. Following a directive from the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has closed the nation's seaports indefinitely. 

Designs for a 3,500 TEU ammonia-fueled containership received the first stage Approval in Principle marking a milestone for the application of ammonia as an alternative marine fuel. The project, which involves an industry task force led by the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, collaborated on the key challenges of safety for both seafarers and port communities.

On Monday, AP Moller-Maersk told customers that it would be canceling several sailings due to severe port congestion, and told investors to expect a $3 billion improvement in full-year EBITDA due to the same service disruption. 

The Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia intends to cement its dominance as a gas exporting hub for Asian markets with a $1.3 billion export facility, thanks to U.S. company AltaGas and its Dutch partner Royal Vopak.

At a March meeting of the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London, a majority of member states expressed support for a levy on greenhouse gases emitted by the global shipping industry.

CMA CGM is warning customers that a salvage operation has been ordered for one of the containerships it has on charter for the Asia-West Africa service. Full details on the extent of the fire have not been released but in a customer advisory, the carrier was recommending that shippers notify their cargo underwriters without delay.

Shipbuilder Damen and CMB.TECH are partnering to build some of the first hydrogen-powered tugboats. The project expands Damen’s repertoire after the company added an electric tug also in the ASD class and in keeping with the Saverys' declared strategy to lead the industry to decarbonization alternatives.