Swift News

Sticking to legacy tactics won't beat China — adopt Secretary Hegseth's and the Army initiatives or surrender the edge.In a recent address, Admiral Christopher Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, underscored the urgent need for a robotic hull-cleaning system to enable anytime maintenance, reduce drag, boost speed, and minimize fuel consumption for naval vessels. Hearing this, I immediately recognized an opportunity for the U.S. Army to step up and drive maritime innovation forward—at wartime speed.

The United Seamen’s Service recognized Crowley mariners with honors at the 2025 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Awards. As one of the most prestigious ceremonies in the industry, the AOTOS awards spotlight outstanding maritime achievement and pay tribute to American seafarers whose courageous actions and commitment to safety have made a profound impact on the industry and the welfare of those at sea.The crew of the tanker Stena Immaculate was presented with the AOTOS Special…

A South Korean passenger ferry carrying 267 passengers and crew got stranded on Wednesday after running aground off the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula and a rescue operation was underway to bring them to land, the coast guard said.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who is currently travelling in the Middle East, ordered a swift rescue of all on board to prevent casualties and details of the operation to be made public as they occur, the Yonhap News Agency reported.Authorities were deploying all possible resources in the rescue operation…

Danish power cable maker and services provider NKT has concluded a turnkey repair of one of the 220 kV high-voltage AC subsea export cables connecting the Beatrice offshore wind farm in the Scottish Moray Firth to the Aberdeenshire coast.The repair was executed in 38 days, according to NKT, which was hired for the repair job following an unplanned transmission outage that occurred in April 2025 on one of two of Beatrice’s Transmission Capital Partner (TCP) owned export cables.The malfunction reduced the site’s export capacity by 50%…

Facing deepening fractures in the global trade order, Asia-Pacific leaders adopted a joint declaration that emphasized the need for resilience and shared benefits in trade at the end of the annual APEC summit on Saturday.The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, hosted by South Korea this year, unfolded under the shadow of rising geopolitical tensions and aggressive economic strategies - ranging from U.S. tariffs to China's export controls - that have pressured global trade.Ahead of the gathering, U.S.

Global trade flows have adjusted to new geopolitical developments last week, with Red Sea diversions maintaining their grip on vessel demand patterns. Against this backdrop, timecharter earnings hit their highest levels since October 2024, with Capesize rates leading the rally while smaller segments lagged behind. The S&P market saw continued interest in modern tonnage as owners position for tightening supply fundamentals. Values for 5YO Capesizes of 180,000 DWT have rallied impressively this year…

Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has taken delivery of its first A-class wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), Wind Ally, designed to transport up to six sets of XXL monopile foundations per round trip.Wind Ally has become the ninth vessel on the water in Cadeler’s growing fleet of next-generation WTIVs. After the scheduled mobilization, the vessel will headdirectly into operations installing foundations at Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the North Sea.For the first time…

Belgium-based offshore installation services company DEME has ordered a new Offshore Construction Vessel (OCV), which will be built by PaxOcean at the Zhoushan shipyard in China.The new OCV will strengthen DEME’s subsea cable installation capacity to meet the evolving global offshore wind market.Designed for versatility, the vessel will be capable of executing trenching, burial, and cable-laying operations, complementing DEME’s existing cable installation vessels, Living Stone and Viking Neptun.Representing a sizable investment…

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil.The additional tariffs mean India will face the highest levy along with Brazil, putting it at a significant disadvantage against regional competitors such as Vietnam and Bangladesh.The tariffs are scheduled to kick in 21 days from the date of the executive order.BRIAN JACOBSEN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, ANNEX WEALTH MANAGEMENT…

TOTE Group, a leader in transportation and logistics, announced the appointment of Jason Grear, CPA, as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective today, July 24, 2025. Grear brings over 20 years of accounting and finance experience to the organization.“Beyond Jason’s impressive credentials, what stood out most was his collaborative approach, people-first mindset, and shared commitment to our values,” said Tim Nolan, President and CEO of TOTE Group. “We’re excited to welcome Jason to our leadership team and look forward to the impact he will make on our organization.”As CFO…

A cargo ship narrowly avoided grounding after its rudder fell off, and New Zealand’s TAIC report highlights the need for careful oversight and quality assurance during installation of safety-critical components and for strong international safety standards.On 24 July 2023, the cargo ship Achilles Bulker, fully loaded and under pilotage, was outbound from Tauranga.The ship deviated from the center of the channel shortly after clearing the harbor entrance. As the crew and onboard pilots tried to steer it back on course, the ship’s rudder broke off.

Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world.Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack.

MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions, in collaboration with Subsea Cable Assets (SCA) and Enersea, has secured the contract to design and deliver a fully integrated cable lay spread, a tailored solution for N-Sea’s new cable laying vessel (CLV), Altera.The project will combine MacArtney’s advanced mission equipment and control systems, SCA’s fabrication and EPCI expertise, and Enersea’s deck layout and integration design.It is expected to result a turnkey system designed to enhance operational efficiency…

Aramco President & CEO Amin H. Nasser used his address at Energy Asia 2025 to deliver a pointed message: the global energy transition must be rebalanced with pragmatism, especially for fast-growing regions like Asia that are still heavily reliant on conventional energy.In his speech, Nasser said that the transition narrative of recent years — one that promised a swift, seamless move away from oil and gas — has not aligned with the realities of global demand, particularly in Asia. “We were told it would be rapid, painless, and inevitably mean the collapse of conventional energy.

In the shadow of the Taiwan Strait, a new chapter in asymmetric naval warfare is unfolding. Drawing lessons from Ukraine’s strategic use of maritime drones in the Black Sea, Taiwan is adapting similar technologies as a low-cost, high-impact defense against an increasingly assertive Chinese Navy.Off Taiwan’s eastern fishing port of Wushi, Thunder Tiger — a local defense technology company — has been testing the SeaShark 800, an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) capable of carrying 1,200 kg of explosives across distances up to 500 km.

U.S. and Chinese officials said on Tuesday they had agreed on a framework to get their trade truce back on track and remove China's export restrictions on rare earths while offering little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade tensions.At the end of two days of intense negotiations in London, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the framework deal puts "meat on the bones" of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been notified by the Indian authorities that 18 crew were safely transferred from lifeboats to an Indian Navy ship, which is en route to New Mangalore Port.Four crew—two from Taiwan, one from Myanmar, and one from Indonesia—remain missing. Search and rescue (SAR) operations are ongoing.Of the 18 rescued crew, five are reported to have sustained injuries. The injured crew are receiving medical treatment onboard the Indian Navy ship en route to port.As at 20:30pm on June 9…

India's diesel exports to Southeast Asia for May are expected to be the highest in at least four years, according to shiptrackers and three trade sources, as traders eyed higher profits in Asia and as higher freight costs deterred shipments to Europe.Increased diesel exports from India, one of the largest suppliers in the region, is cooling spot premiums for the fuel in Asia and pressuring derivatives markets, while tightening the fuel's availability in Europe and supporting prices there.Shipments on the India-Southeast Asia route climbed to 600…

A Mexican Navy sailing ship festooned with lights and a giant flag crashed into the landmark Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, shearing the top of its masts, killing two people and injuring several others, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.Videos online showed the training vessel Cuauhtémoc as it approached the bridge over the East River, close to the Brooklyn side of the span, which connects the borough with Manhattan.Its 147 foot (45 metre) masts were too tall to clear the arched bridge at that point and toppled when the vessel…

A 90-day trade thaw between Washington and Beijing could prove to be a welcome reprieve for the U.S. freight industry, as importers rush to lock in shipments ahead of the busy back-to-school period, experts said.The $906 billion U.S. trucking industry, in particular, has been facing a nearly three-year-long slowdown due to overcapacity, which was worsened by President Donald Trump's recent tariffs on the country's largest trading partners.But an agreement on Monday between the world's two largest economies to slash tariffs for at least 90 days…

The Arctic, once a remote and isolated frontier, is rapidly transforming into a hub of activity. Increased shipping, resource exploration, and scientific research are reshaping the region, ushering in a new wave of challenges – particularly in the critical domain of cybersecurity. As a maritime cybersecurity expert, I observe unique threats emerging in this icy environment, where fragile infrastructure, escalating geopolitical tensions, constrained communication bandwidth, and…

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has successfully delivered the CMA CGM TIGA, the last of ten 5500TEU container ships built for CMA CGM at CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding. This marks the completion of a major project for which BV provided classification services and Bureau Veritas Solutions M&O provided advisory services, helping to ensure compliance with international safety, structural integrity and environmental protection requirements.The CMA CGM TIGA, a new-generation…

In a stark address to the U.S. Senate, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered a firm warning to American policymakers and defense stakeholders: Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted to negotiate a legitimate or lasting peace in Ukraine.Speaking amid ongoing peace talks in Riyadh and growing speculation about sanctions relief, Wicker sought to dispel any optimism about the Kremlin’s intentions. “President Putin values peace as little as any piece of shredded paper he would deceitfully sign,” Wicker said.