News

One of Maersk’s largest containerships, Marie Maersk (19,076 TEU), has reported a container fire as it was sailing southward along the African coast. The company is reporting that the crew is safe and the vessel is in a “stable condition,” as they were receiving landside support.

The container shipping industry’s fifth-largest carrier, Hapag-Lloyd, called its first half of the year results “in line with expectations,” but with declines in profits and a forecast of volatility, it took some of the “wind out of the sails” of the industry following Maersk’s positive earnings report a week ago.

The hydrogen-powered Pioneer, a remotely operated and unmanned vessel (ROUV), has received the UK’s first certification under Workboat Code 3 ahead of its upcoming trials. Lloyd’s Register (LR), which issued the certification under authorization from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, reports it represents a significant development in the evolution of regulatory pathways for uncrewed and autonomous vessels operating in UK waters.

The legal woes for MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company continue in India with the Kerala High Court briefly detaining yet another one of the company’s vessels as the claims continue to mount related to the loss of the MSC Elsa 3 in May.

The Canadian Coast Guard issued a warning that a large bulker had grounded early on August 12, north of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. While the authorities were quick to say they did not believe it was due to falling water levels, many have questioned the impact of a growing drought on shipping in the vital seaway.

After years of planning and preparation, efforts are now underway to resume shipbuilding at the former Hanjin shipyard in the Philippines, operated by HD Hyundai. The move comes as South Korea’s largest shipbuilder looks to expand its lower-cost operations and increase capacity to realize opportunities it sees in the market.

A contractor working for the U.S. Coast Guard has finished removing the oil-soaked hull of a wooden minesweeper from Little Potato Slough, completing the last large vessel removal of the cleanup for the wreck-ridden waterway near Stockton, California. 

China has remained silent on yesterday’s collision in the South China Sea near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, while it has received international condemnation and raised concerns in the Philippines.

Disney Cruise Line is kicking off a new phase of growth that will see a dramatic expansion of the operation over the next few years. The cruise line is set to introduce two new ships at the end of this year, and work has already begun on the next ship for the line, with Disney having three more on order and one from an affiliate.

The Deputy Prosecutor General of Finland confirmed on August 11 that charges have been brought against the captain and the first and second officers of the tanker Eagle S related to the damage to five undersea cables on December 25, 2024.

The U.S. Coast Guard has formally recommissioned the icebreaking offshore tug Aiviq as the USCGC Storis, adding an "interim icebreaker" to supplement USCGC Polar Star and USCGC Healy. It is the first oceangoing icebreaker that the Coast Guard has acquired in more than 25 years.

The Panama Ship Registry started its new rules as of August 6, requiring reporting of planned ship-to-ship (STS) offshore oil transfers as the latest step in a series of crackdowns targeting the shadow tanker fleet.

Kpler, the commodities and data analysis firm, has calculated that Iran’s stock of crude oil held afloat has increased from 5 to 35 million barrels between January and July this year, with the volume held on tankers now estimated to be 40 million barrels.

Spanish authorities were working to resolve a situation after a workboat traveling from Dakar, Senegal, reported that it had discovered an unusually high number of stowaways hiding amongst the cargo equipment of a barge they were towing.

Sallaum Lines proudly announces the successful early delivery of the MV Ocean Breeze, a next-generation LNG dual-fuel Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) built by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued an executive order that authorizes the expanded use of the emissions' capture and control barge service of STAX Engineering to tankers.

The German agency that oversees the country’s offshore wind energy development confirmed that there were no bids in the most recent auction. It was Germany’s second auction of the year, but unlike the first, which TotalEngeries won the site, this one failed to receive interest from investors.

The companies are citing the large number of claims already filed and the open-ended possibilities, saying that if the liability is not capped, it has the potential to disrupt insurance and freight operations and drive up the price of goods.

The maritime autonomy developer Mythos AI has installed a pilot-assist system designed for inland waterway navigation on a working towboat operated by Southern Devall. The system will help with collision-avoidance on the busy Mississippi River, and it is the first deployment of its kind on the waterway. 

In what management is calling a “defining moment” for the company, Austal and the Government of Australia have agreed on terms for a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement. It took nearly two years to reach terms for the agreement, which sets the company up as a major supplier to the military, and in turn, Austal will launch a new subsidiary, Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia.