News

The NTSB has released its initial factfinding report on the allision of the boxship Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. While the agency has not drawn any conclusions yet about causal factors, the summary contains previously unreleased information about the two brief losses of electrical power and the loss of propulsion that preceded the accident.

Contained within Australia’s massive $764.6 billion (US$506 billion) decade-long defense budget for 2024-2025 is this first allocation for the creation of the Australian Strategic Fleet. One of the promises made by now Prime Minister Antony Albanese was the revitalization of the domestic merchant fleet to support Australian commence and serve defense needs.

The UK government detailed an ambitious plan to expand the Royal Navy highlighting that it calls for up to 28 new vessels including those in planning and under construction. In the latest move, the government announced plans for up to six new amphibious warships for the Royal Marines while also deferring the retirement of two vessels.

As the Red Sea security crisis and the Houthi efforts pass the 150-day mark, the EU security operation issued a new advisory to ships telling them to steer further to sea and take other evasive actions.

India's government has inked a 10-year agreement to build out and operate the port of Chabahar, Iran. The seaport has strategic and commercial appeal to New Delhi, both as a gateway to the Iranian market and as a terminus for  trade with Central Asia.

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) announced plans to build a large new international container terminal in the southern Philippines that can become a key international gateway and drive regional economic growth.

As part of its ongoing examination of the UK’s interests in Antarctica, the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) last week held a special session on Russian oil exploration in the polar region.

In a bid to curb the rampant IUU (illegal, unregulated and unreported) fishing along its coastline, the new Senegalese government has initiated a raft of measures to protect its marine resources. This started last week with the publication of the list of vessels authorized to fish in Senegal’s national waters.

Western analysts risk overestimating China’s emergence as an Arctic power, spurred by fears that they initially neglected the reappearance of the Arctic as a theatre for strategic competition. Contrary to such alarmist views, Beijing is in fact far more constrained in the region.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its report on the blaze aboard the factory trawler Kodiak Enterprise, which was declared a total loss after catching fire at the pier in Tacoma last year. 

A six-month trial is getting underway to study the cost and impact of long-term continuous use of biofuels on large vessels. Japan’s NYK is partnering with the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization in what they believe will be a critical piece to further support the adoption of biofuel in the shipping industry.

In cooperation with Kyocera Communication Systems, Everblue Technologies and Tokyu Land Corporation, SolarDuck was selected in 2022 to carry out a demonstration of its solar power infrastructure in Tokyo's Central Breakwater district.

Monthly inbound cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports should consistently be above two million TEUs through this summer and into early fall, according to the latest forecast from the National Retail Federation.

A livestock carrier is lingering off Spain awaiting orders after the vessel was denied entry into Ireland for a scheduled export voyage. An animal activist group cleverly used the sanctions against Russia and the fact that the ship had recently switched to the Russian classification society to get the ship barred from the trade she has been involved in for a few years.

The competition for new orders in the shipbuilding market continues to grow with Chinese shipyards pulling dramatically ahead of the South Korean yards for the second consecutive month. Analysts highlight that it illustrates the differences in strategies between the two countries, a position that China is likely to expand on going forward.

South African Nouum Engineering, a leading provider of diesel engine services for marine, power, locomotive and generators globally and Mauritius-based ship repair and conversion yard Taylor Smith Shipyard have signed a cooperation agreement, expanding both companies’ commercial and operational scopes.

On the second of May, Damen Marine Components (DMC) held a grand opening of its new office in Hamburg, with the ceremonies led by Bear Damen, son of Damen Shipyards Group Chairman Kommer Damen. Am zweiten Mai fand unter der Leitung von Bear Damen, Sohn von Kommer Damen, dem Vorsitzenden der Damen Shipyards Group, die feierliche Eröffnung der neuen Filiale von Damen Marine Components (DMC) in Hamburg statt.

APM Terminals, Maersk’s operating company for terminals around the world, has gone to court attempting to overturn its loss of the concession for South Africa’s Durban T2 operation.

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) reports that it is working with the authorities in Australia to resolve a case of crew mistreatment, wage theft, and deplorable conditions aboard a Bulgarian-owned bulker. According to the trade union, the ship is also currently under arrest by Australian Border Force being held at least until May 13 at Gladstone.

Incat Crowther and Penguin International are working together to design and construct a new fast supply vessel (FSV) that represents a unique blend of features from the offshore wind and offshore oil and gas sectors. The vessel is also being built for the fledgling offshore energy sector emerging in West Africa.