Maritime Transport News

The IMO Assembly has elected the following Member States to serve on three categories of the IMO Council.The UK successfully campaigned to keep Russia off the Council by working closely with international partners and lobbying other Assembly Members. This underscores the international community’s unified and resolute stance against Russia’s continued violations of international law, including at sea, said the UK Department of Transport in a statement.Category (a): 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: China…

Maritime transport carries close to 90 percent of global trade by volume, and container ports alone handle more than 80 percent of non-bulk merchandise. Today, these ports are undergoing a profound transformation, driven by rising trade flows, rapid advances in technology, and mounting pressure to meet climate targets.Against this backdrop, DNV and Menon Economics have introduced the industry’s first global container port ranking. The LCP report benchmarks 160 ports against 35 indicators grouped into five pillars: enablers…

Panama is participating this week in the 34th session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the most significant forum within the global maritime system and the specialized governing body of the United Nations, from November 24 to 28. This setting defines the policies, standards, and priorities that will shape the international maritime agenda in the years ahead.The Panamanian delegation is composed of Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the IMO…

JERA Nex bp, a global offshore wind company, has seen the full commissioning into an operational state of a new hydrogen bunkering facility in the Port of Ostend.The Ostend Hydrogen Refueling Station seeks to fill a critical gap in the flow of green hydrogen from production to maritime users, acting as a proof of concept of what is possible in decarbonizing offshore wind at sea. During its demonstration phase in 2025, the station in Ostend will initially serve one hydrogen-powered Crew Transfer Vessel…

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) and the Port of Duqm Company, which oversees port management and terminal operations in Oman, signed a memorandum of understanding at Duqm Economic Forum 2025 to collaborate in the development and connectivity of the port of Duqm.NYK has positioned the Middle East as one of its key strategic regions. On April 1, 2022, NYK established its Middle East region head in Dubai to deepen its regional strategy and enable more agile business development across the area.Oman…

The European Union (EU)-funded MARPOWER project (Efficient zero-emissions gas turbine POWER system for MARitime transport) is addressing the decarbonization of maritime transport. Shipping is responsible for almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure expected to rise in the coming years, making it essential to deploy cleaner, scalable, and economically viable solutions that meet tightening international climate regulations.To respond to this need, the MARPOWER project…

Qatar Gas Transport Company Q.P.S.C. (Nakilat) announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2025 which ended September 30, 2025, with a net profit of USD$360 million (QAR 1.31 billion), compared to USD$352 million (QAR 1.28 billion) for the same period in 2024, an increase of 3.0%. This result underscores Nakilat’s strong operational resilience and strategic discipline in a dynamic global LNG shipping environment.Key financial highlights for the third quarter of 2025:Achieved a net profit of USD$360 million (QAR 1.31 billion)…

Singapore's Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Transport of China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Singapore–China Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.The MoU elevates Singapore and China’s cooperation to the national level, building on the earlier established municipality-level and provincial-level corridors with Tianjin and Shandong, established in 2023 and 2024 respectively.Under the MoU, Singapore and China will work with industry stakeholders to advance maritime decarbonization…

ABS hosted the second edition of the Middle East Women in Maritime Summit at the Address Dubai Mall, gathering more than 150 industry professionals to celebrate the expanding role of women in the region’s maritime sector.Themed “Advancing Women in Maritime – Challenges and Opportunities,” the summit showcased stories of leadership and mentorship across the Middle East’s fast-growing maritime ecosystem.Guests of honor included Her Excellency Engineer Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to…

In a landmark step toward maritime decarbonization, Anew Climate (Anew) and Seaspan Energy (Seaspan) have successfully completed their first ship-to-ship loading operation of renewable liquefied natural gas (Bio-LNG) in the Port of Long Beach, California, marking an important moment in the transition to lower-carbon marine fuels on the North American West Coast.Following the announcement of a strategic agreement last month to deliver Bio-LNG at scale, the two companies have successfully completed their first bunkering of a commercial container vessel.

French engineering specialist GTT has teamed up with Bloom Energy and Ponant Explorations Group to develop an integrated energy system combining solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) powered by LNG with marine carbon capture, aiming to significantly cut onboard emissions for future cruise operations.The system is slated to be installed on Ponant’s Swap2Zero cruise vessel by 2030. The vessel will be propelled by wind-assisted technology and fuel cells, and the new system is designed to cover the ship’s hotel load - including lighting…

Salzgitter Flachstahl and Oldendorff Carriers have entered into a long-term agreement to reduce carbon emissions in the maritime transport of iron ore, marking a further step toward decarbonizing Salzgitter’s steel supply chain.Starting in January 2026, Oldendorff will transport iron ore for Salzgitter from various loading ports to Hamburg using bulk carriers operated with a focus on fuel-efficient practices. By optimizing cargo flows and routing, the collaboration is expected to reduce CO₂e emissions by at least 20%.

Leading international maritime associations and organisations have reiterated their strong support for the adoption of the “Net-Zero Framework” at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee next week (October 14-17) by the world’s governments at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). The global industry remains committed to working collaboratively with IMO Member States to successfully implement this regulatory package for achieving net zero GHG emissions by or close to 2050…

The shipping industry is experiencing major volatility amid rising geopolitical tensions and disruptions caused by a wave of new tariffs, according to a report published on Wednesday by the U.N. Trade and Development agency.Due to an increasingly complex and uncertain global trade environment, subdued industrial activity in major economies and weak Chinese demand for bulk commodities, UNCTAD has revised down its maritime trade growth forecast for 2025.It now projects overall maritime trade volume to expand 0.5% annually…

In 2023, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) published a set of best practice and recommendations for the safe carriage of electric vehicles, and it has now published an updated version titled “Risk mitigation for the safe ocean and short-sea carriage of electric vehicles”.IUMI Secretary General, Lars Lange, explains: “The volume of cars being shipped by maritime transport globally is around 20 million units per annum. EVs have been transported in ever larger numbers since 2017.

A civilian bulk carrier flying the flag of Belize has sustained minor damage after hitting an unknown explosive device near the Ukrainian seaport of Chornomorsk, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.Chornomorsk is a large and strategically important seaport in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, one of three Ukrainian ports operating in a maritime transport corridor linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.Sources reported that the crew of the NS PRIDE were unharmed and that the ship continued on its way.

David Dack is Arup’s new Global Business Leader for Maritime, the firm announced.The appointment reinforces Arup’s commitment to delivering sustainable, resilient infrastructure and operational solutions for ports, maritime transport providers, and coastal communities. In his new role, David will continue to grow the business, while enhancing Arup’s positive impact for clients and their projects.David joined Arup in 2006 and brings over two decades of experience in the planning, design and operation of maritime infrastructure.

Industry coalitions ZESTAs and the SASHA Coalition have announced a partnership to drive policy and industry action on green shipping technologies.The two coalitions, collectively representing 70 leading companies, have committed to combining their efforts to advocate for policy supporting absolute zero emission solutions combining hydrogen, battery-electric and wind propulsion technologies. Aurelia Leeuw, Director of EU Policy at the SASHA Coalition, said: “Pooling our expertise to drive maritime decarbonization, the SASHA Coalition and ZESTAs together are more than the sum of our parts.

TotalEnergies and CMA CGM Group have entered into an agreement to develop a 50/50 logistics joint venture dedicated to the implementation and operation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker supply solution at the port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.The strategic partnership reflects the shared ambition of both French companies to work jointly towards the acceleration of the energy transition in the maritime sector.As part of this new logistics joint venture, a new 20,000 cubic…

ABS Wavesight, the ABS-affiliated software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, has been chosen by Navios Maritime Partners L.P. to provide a single integrated platform to support compliance with the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) requirements.As of January 1, 2025, companies with ships calling on EU ports must collect and report key fuel-related data in preparation for EU submission deadlines. The ABS Wavesight platform offers a seamless experience that…

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised MPC Container Ships ASA (MPCC) on two transactions as part of the implementation of its fleet strategy.The first transaction was the order of four new 4,500 TEU container vessels from Chinese shipyard Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering for a total investment of $228m. The ships are scheduled for completion and delivery to MPCC in the second half of 2027.MPC has already signed three-year charter agreements with a leading global liner company for these newbuildings. The vessels are prepared for conversion to alternative fuels such as ammonia or methanol and will therefore contribute to the decarbonisation of maritime transport in the long term.In parallel, MPCC sold three older 1,300 TEU vessels with existing charter agreements for a total price of $31.5m.

Japanese ocean-going shipping companies, NYK Line, MOL and "K" LINE, along with the Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA), have begun discussions regarding the donation of a large-sized training vessel to the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS).The move is recognition of the importance of training and securing highly skilled Japanese seafarers to maintain and further develop maritime transport.As identified in the report by the Ministry of Land…

UK-based Seabound will install a carbon capture system on the 5,700 GT cement carrier UBC Cork, owned by Hartmann Group and managed by InterMaritime.The captured carbon — bound in limestone — will be offloaded at the Port of Brevik, Norway, and used in Heidelberg Materials' Brevik cement plant. Recently inaugurated, this world-first industrial-scale carbon capture facility in the cement industry will produce net-zero concrete.Seabound's containerized carbon capture system uses calcium looping technology to capture up to 95% of CO₂2 and 98% of sulfur emissions from ship exhaust.