Local News

The Port of Virginia is using a layered approach to strengthen safety throughout its operation by identifying the most common critical risks at its terminals and offices, emphasize safety as a core value and creation of an internal safety brand that serves as a continual reminder for everyone on port property.The effort was recently recognized by Signal Mutual, the insurance carrier for The Port of Virginia, which presented its Executive Leadership Award to Virginia International Terminals Chief Operating Officer Joseph P. “Joe” Ruddy.

Teledyne Valeport has announced a year-long sponsorship of UK-registered charity Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT), which protects, conserves, and restores rivers across the South West.The funding, from the manufacturer of oceanographic and hydrographic instruments, will be used to deliver educational workshops, field-based conservation sessions, and career-focused engagement opportunities in the environmental sector.Building on more than five decades in environmental measurement…

The second week of February brought on a really confusing spin to the markets, with fundamentals across the board performing bizarrely (compared to last week’s performance), reports cash buyer GMS.“After a volatile beginning to the month, the Baltic Exchange Dry Index and even oil futures found steady ground this week, while even the U.S. Dollar firmed against all ship recycling nation currencies except India (ain’t that a switch), as did local steel plate prices, which also saw India slip the car into reverse and backpedal nearly all of its recent gains.”In an expanded view…

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has seen early results under Operation BROADSTAFF, intercepting two foreign fishing vessels in northern Queensland and the Torres Strait over the weekend before illegal fishing activity could occur.Launched last week, Operation BROADSTAFF is designed to deter, detect and disrupt illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters.On 14 and 15 February 2026, during intelligence led patrols, ABF officers from Maritime Border Command (MBC), working with partner agencies…

Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been appointed to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services to support the offshore construction for the Phase 4 development of the Kamose offshore gas field development in the Mediterranean Sea for North Sinai Petroleum Company (NOSPCO).The Kamose Phase 4 development, which is located at the Eastern flank of the Nile Delta, envisages the construction and installation of three new offshore production platforms monopods, named Hoor-1&2…

Captain Vladimir Motin was sentenced to six years’ jail on February 2 after being found guilty of “gross negligence manslaughter” for his role in the container ship Solong’s ramming of the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate in March 2025.The circumstances of his case, heard at the Old Bailey in London, are different to those of Ali Albokhari, currently serving a 30-year term in a Turkish jail, but the contrast that is even more apparent is the mismatch in due process and access to justice…

India's on Friday allowed the export of 2.5 million metric tons of wheat and an additional 500,000 tons each of wheat products and sugar, as the world's second-biggest producer of both commodities seeks to support local growers amid protests over a trade deal between New Delhi and Washington.On Thursday, thousands of farmers staged demonstrations, alleging the government had compromised their interests under the interim U.S.-India trade framework, though the trade minister said safeguards were in place.Announcing the decision in a statement, the federal government said the aim was to stabilise

Exail announced the opening of a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking a milestone in its expansion across the Middle East. This new presence reflects Exail’s commitment to strengthening proximity with local customers and partners, and to supporting the development of its activities in the country. By establishing a permanent presence in Riyadh, Exail aims to reinforce customer support, foster long-term partnerships, and better address local operational needs. The new office will support ongoing programs, future projects and cooperation initiatives with key local actors.

Management at a Russian-owned oil refinery in Germany have privately warned Berlin that U.S. sanctions are hurting its business and threatening fuel supply for the country's capital and the region, according to correspondence seen by Reuters.In a January letter, management of the PCK Schwedt refinery, controlled by Rosneft, made an "urgent appeal" to economy and energy minister Katherina Reiche to resolve a standoff with the United States over the refinery's future.The letter outlines escalating problems at the refinery…

The weekly roller coaster that has become the global marketplace went through its regular gravitational drop this week, with the U.S. dollar taking the “cement-footed diving approach” in all ship-recycling destinations… except Turkey, reports cash buyer GMS.The Baltic Exchange Dry Bulk Index fell 0.7% down to a two-week low, dragged by the Capesize index, which fell 1.1% over the week. The Panamax index slipped 0.4%, while the Supramax index rose 0.2%. Meanwhile, easing tensions between the U.S.

PaxOcean, a part of Kuok Maritime Group (KMG), has opened a new S$200 million shipyard at 5 Jalan Samulun (5JS).The shipyard, situated in the Jurong Industrial Estate, spans 17.26 hectares and features two large graving docks, one floating dock, expanded quayside capacity, and dedicated, integrated workshops to support complex and high-value maritime and offshore assets. The build took two years and was jointly supported by JTC Corporation (JTC) and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).5JS replaces PaxOcean’s previous location at 33 Tuas Crescent.

CAPE Holland, a global leader in offshore industry foundation installation equipment and a company within the Venterra Group, announced that it has secured a contract with CDWE for the Fengmiao Offshore Wind Farm project in Taiwan. Under this agreement, CAPE Holland will supply its CAPE VLT-640 Tandem Vibro Lifting Tool for the pre-installation of foundation (FOU) piles and offshore substation (OSS) piles.The decision to deploy the CAPE VLT-640 was driven by its ability to safely drive piles through challenging subsea soils with risk of pile run.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, today announced another major step toward expanding offshore energy development pursuant to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BOEM released the Final Notice of Sale for Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 2 (BBG2), the second of 30 Gulf of America lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law No: 119-21). BOEM will again invite lease sale bidders to attend the live bid reading, per BOEM instructions, on March 11, 2026, starting at 9 a.m. Central Time.

Norway's Socialist Party has withdrawn its support for a proposal to block Equinor's Hammerfest liquefied natural gas plant from receiving a planned onshore power connection, clearing the way for the grid development to proceed.Parliament is due on Thursday to vote on an opposition proposal seeking to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion is likely to fail without backing from the Socialist Party.The government approved the connection in 2023 to cut greenhouse gas emissions at the plant on Melkoeya island off Hammerfest and extend its lifetime.Critics say hookin

Finnish marine power electronics specialist’s new Electronic Current Limiter (ECL) enables batteries to connect directly to DC systems while preserving ride-through and system stability.The Switch has expanded its portfolio of DC protection technologies with the ECL to address a growing challenge in modern hybrid and electric vessels: how faults in large battery systems can affect the rest of the ship. As batteries play a larger role in vessel propulsion, power generation and energy storage, a fault on the battery side is no longer a local issue.

The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA), including members Ports of Indiana, the Illinois International Port District (IIPD), and Port Milwaukee, in partnership with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), announced today that they will begin a comprehensive market analysis aimed at expanding cargo movement between the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways system.Together, the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways move close to 700 million tons of cargo each year…

The European Commission is set to propose measures designed to ensure more vessels and other goods and services for the European Union's shipping sector are made in the bloc, according to a draft document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.The "Made in EU" proposals will be presented next week, a week before the EU executive announces a broader push to prioritise locally manufactured products, a plan that has split EU countries.For shipping, the draft document says the Commission will encourage public authorities buying ships or equipment to select suppliers based on non-price factors such as sustaina

Tim Mooney is the third-generation family member at the helm of the iconic Fire Island Ferries. While the company’s primary focus has been moving people to and fro, from the Long Island, NY mainland to the Fire Island barrier communities and beaches, the business has evolved and grown since its start in 1948 via acquisition and organic growth. Mooney discuss the assets, the people and the priorities to safely, efficiently keep his cumulative operation of moving about one million people annually in good order.There are ferry operators…

KESTO, a joint venture between Denmark’s ESVAGT and South Korea’s KMC Line, has secured its first contracts to provide offshore service logistics for Vestas at the Shinan-Ui offshore wind farm in South Korea.From 2028 and for a minimum period of 10 years, KESTO will provide vessels to support Vestas’ service scope at the Shinan-Ui project. KESTO will begin servicing Vestas during the construction phase and will continue to deliver service operations once the wind farm becomes operational…

MacGregor has been selected to supply a substantial 400-tonne Active Heave Compensated (AHC) subsea crane for a new 127-meter Floating Wind Farm Construction Vessel (FWCV).Purpose-built for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market, the new vessel is a significant development for the industry and requires one of the largest subsea AHC cranes ordered in recent years.The order is booked into MacGregor's first quarter 2026 order intake.The contract for MacGregor is with Chinese shipyard, Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry.

Norway's parliament on Thursday rejected a proposal to block Equinor's plan to supply electricity to its Hammerfest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant from the region's power grid, allowing the ongoing development to continue.Opposition parties had sought to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion failed when the Socialist Party withdrew its support for the plan, calling it "in practice unlawful".A total of 48 members of parliament, known as the Storting, backed the opposition's proposal while 54 voted against."For Equinor and our partners, it is crucial to be able

Kongsberg Maritime has been hired by Consórcio Marenova to design and equip four methanol- and ethanol-ready handy-size product tankers for Petrobras Transporte (Transpetro).The vessels will be built by Consórcio Marenova, a partnership between Ecovix in Rio Grande and MacLaren in Niterói, and will be operated by Transpetro.Kongsberg Maritime said the contract is valued at more than $31 million (NOK 300 million) and includes delivery of complete ship design and a range of integrated systems.These include propulsion systems with Promas and controllable pitch propellers…

China-based offshore wind foundations manufacturer Dajin Heavy Industry and Spanish industrial group Zima Equity Investments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop an offshore wind foundations manufacturing facility at the Port of Gijon in Asturias, northern Spain.Under the agreement, the partners plan to establish a manufacturing plant at the Port of Gijon capable of producing foundations for offshore wind projects serving the European market and other global regions.