News

Anger at the cost of the Houthi blockade is growing as the balance of power changes in the region

Despite multiple attempts to connect an emergency tow, a runaway barge has gone aground on the picturesque beaches of Sotteville-sur-Mer, France. It was one of many marine casualties stemming from Storm Darragh, which swept over the British Isles and the coastline of northern France last weekend. 

The engine room fire aboard the ro/ro Stena Europe last year was caused by a commonplace failure: leaking fuel on exposed exhaust components. A loosened flange connection in a pressurized fuel line sprayed diesel onto a hot exhaust manifold, igniting a fire and causing extensive damage to the compartment - a risk that investigators believe could have been mitigated with proper repairs.

President-elect Donald Trump has joined with the leadership of the International Longshoremen’s Association in support of the union’s fight against automation in U.S. ports. The incoming president issued a statement backing union leadership in its contract negotiations with the international shipping lines and terminal operators and the current stalemate over automation.

Shipping authorities are scrambling to come up with temporary solutions after an accident on Sunday, December 8, damaged a key lock on a tributary of the Rhine, the Moselle, which provides access for larger ships to France and Luxembourg.

Vessels have been repeatedly warned of the dangers while transiting the Singapore Strait but the latest report includes a rare instance of violence against the crew. Ambrey is reporting that a crewmember was stabbed and taken ashore to a hospital overnight on Wednesday, December 11.

The widely used digital maritime platform RightShip which tracks safety and sustainable practices has agreed with the bulker industry to revise the timeline for increasing its safety inspection program.

Chinese officials released figures for the shipbuilding industry in the first nine months of 2024 reporting that its yards have dominated new orders and expanded their global leadership. The numbers will undoubtedly further fuel the growing global sentiment against China’s shipbuilding dominance and the specific protests by trade groups in the United States and Canada.

In a unique collaboration, a ship designed to transport spent nuclear fuel operating for the UK government will also become the first to trial a new wind-assisted propulsion technology. 

Amasus, a European shortsea, bulk, and general cargo company, and Spain’s bound4blue have agreed to a second installation of the company’s suction sail technology, eSail, on one of the company’s cargo ships.

A freighter at the port of Dakar, Senegal sank at the pier last week after it was hit by an arriving bulker, according to the local port authority. That bulker, named by Senegalese officials as the Zografia, appears to be a Greek-owned vessel that survived a Houthi missile attack in January.  

The United Kingdom is living up to its promise to establish green shipping corridors to decarbonize the maritime sector. In December last year, the country made a pledge in the Clydebank Declaration at COP26 to establish six green shipping corridors by the middle of this decade through a coalition of like-minded countries.

Russian authorities are reporting that three crewmembers were recovered but that four others were missing after a small general cargo ship capsized near Korsakov port at the southern end of Sakhalin Island in the Far East. 

Ukrainian officials are reporting multiple deaths and injuries in the Odesa port region as Russia intensifies its attacks on the Black Sea ports. The reports indicate that the third foreign vessel, a containership, was also damaged during the overnight attacks which appeared timed to Ukraine’s harvest and exports to increase exports.

Further demonstrating the growing interest in wind-assisted propulsion emerging in the industry, Anthony Veder, a leading operator of gas carriers, completed the first installation of wind-assisted propulsion on an LPG gas carrier.

Russia is reportedly expanding its shipbuilding cooperation with India, with two Indian shipyards being considered for construction of four non-nuclear icebreakers. The project is estimated to cost a total of $713 million.

MONTHLY LIST OF THE VESSELS BEACHED AT THE INDIAN DEMOLITION YARDS; JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2024

South Korea highlights that the first containership designed with an integrated automation system has completed its installation and testing and is now starting international service. The project which was supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is designed to advance and commercialize autonomous shipping.

There is a strong need for more offshore vessels according to the joint venture launched a year ago by Schoeller Holdings and Deutsche Offshore Schiffahrt. The companies announced the order of four special-purpose vessels, construction commissioning service operation vessels (C-CSOV) which they believe will fill the need with a more versatile and capable design.

Wärtsilä highlights that it has been contracted for one of the first retrofit projects preparing in-service ships for the future adoption of carbon capture and storage integrated into the vessel’s emissions scrubbers.