China Threatens Philippines to Stop Provocation in South China Sea
China's foreign ministry on Friday urged the Philippines to immediately stop "infringement and provocation" in the South China Sea or face China's "resolute response."The remarks came a day after Beijing and Manila traded accusations following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea.It was legitimate for China to take necessary measures, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press conference on Friday…
First Fleet of 3000 DWT Hopper Barges Launches at Brazil Shipyard
On May 7, 2025, the first in a groundbreaking fleet of 3,000-ton deadweight hopper barges, designed by Robert Allan Ltd., was officially launched at Juruá Shipyard in Manaus, Brazil. The event marked a milestone in LHG Mining’s river transportation initiative in South America.This inaugural barge is part of a 400-unit fleet commissioned by LHG Mining to enable the efficient, sustainable transport of high-grade iron ore from Corumbá, Brazil, to export terminals in Uruguay.
PMA Recovers $8.5m In Owed Seafarer Wages
The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has strengthened its collaborative ties with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) during a recent visit by ITF delegates to the General Directorate of Seafarers (DGGM). The meeting focused on reinforcing the protection and well-being of seafarers sailing under the Panamanian flag.A central highlight of the meeting was the DGGM’s achievement in recovering $8.5 million in outstanding wages for seafarers by the end of 2024.
BAE Systems Set to Open $250M Shiplift Facility in Florida
BAE Systems has announced inauguration of a $250 million shiplift and land-level repair facility at its Jacksonville, Florida, shipyard on June 2, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jim Kilby.The new Pearlson Shiplift system and adjacent four-acre land-level complex will expand the company’s capacity to service U.S. Navy vessels from Mayport Naval Station, as well as commercial ships entering the Port of Jacksonville.
Navantia Seanergies Delivers Second Substation Jacket for French OW Farm
Navantia Seanergies, Spanish shipbuilder Navantia’s green energies division, has delivered its second substation jacket for Ocean Winds for the offshore wind farm at Dieppe Le Tréport in France.The jacket departed from the south basin of the Puerto Real shipyard, bound for its destination on France’s Atlantic coast.The structure – almost 54 metres tall and weighing approximately 1,900 tonnes – was fully fabricated at the Puerto Real facility and was loaded out on May 13, 2025.
Keyfield Ventures into Indonesia’s Oil and Gas Market with New Partner
Malaysia-based fleet owner of self-propelled accommodation workboats Keyfield International has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia’s PT Elnusa Trans Samudera (ETSA) to explore joint marine services opportunities in the oil and gas sector.ETSA, a subsidiary of PT Elnusa, is an Indonesian company primarily engaged in the provision of marine transportation support services for the…
Shell Expects to Bank On LNG Exporters Turning Into Importers
Energy major Shell expects several traditional LNG exporter nations to turn into net importers, driving demand for the super chilled fuel and potentially easing concerns that the industry faces oversupply from a raft of planned new projects.Cederic Cremers, Shell's president for integrated gas, told Reuters that Indonesia, Malaysia, and Algeria are likely to become net import markets in the future…
MOL Inks Long-Term Time Charter Deal for Newbuilding VLCC
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has ordered a new LNG-fueled very large crude carrier (VLCC), which will sail under a long-term time charter contract with Idemitsu Tanker.The vessel will be the first dual-fuel VLCC to be chartered to a Japanese oil company.It will be built at Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering in China, which is jointly operated by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and China COSCO Shipping Corporation.The delivery of the vessel is scheduled for 2027.
Harvest Now Decrypt Later
The threat that AI and quantum computing pose to cyber security is already here, even before these technologies are mature enough to crack today’s encryption methods. Bad actors are taking a “harvest now decrypt later” approach to cyberattacks.Classical encryption methods like Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) rely on the difficulty of factoring large numbers or solving discrete logarithm problems.“Breaking these public…
Unattended Helm Leads to Grounding of Towing Vessel
A pilot of a towing vessel on the Mississippi River left the helm unattended for several minutes, leading to a grounding near Thebes, Illinois, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.While the towing vessel City of Louisville was upbound on the Mississippi River pushing 11 barges on July 29, 2023, it ran aground in a charted shallow and rocky area. The grounding caused fractures to the vessel’s bottom plating underneath the engine room…
Estonia to Help Finance Green Retrofits
Estonia has launched a €25 million ($28 million) government grant designed to encourage the reconstruction and greening of passenger and cargo ships, tugboats and other port and auxiliary vessels in Estonian ports.This makes Estonia one of the few countries in Europe offering direct financial support in the form of state aid for ship retrofitting. The new grant, enacted by Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure…
First of Its Kind LCO2 Barge Design Approved for U.S. Operation
ABS awarded approval in principle (AiP) to Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG), the parent company of Aptamus Carbon Solutions, for its preliminary design of a liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) barge.The development of the barge design is a core component of the Tampa Regional Intermodal Carbon Hub (T-RICH) project to receive, store and process emissions from Florida industries for transport to regional…
Chevron's Venezuela Oil License to Expire May 27
Oil producer Chevron's U.S. license to operate in Venezuela will expire on May 27 as planned, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on his personal X account.Rubio's post contradicted U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell's contention on Tuesday following a meeting with a Venezuelan top official that a 60-day extension of the license would be granted. Rubio's brief post did not mention the talks."The pro-Maduro Biden oil license in #Venezuela will expire as scheduled next Tuesday May 27…
Chem Carriers Finalizes Fleet-Wide Shift to Mitsubishi Engines
Chem Carriers has completed the repower of the M/VCapt. Robert J. Banta, marking the final vessel in its current fleet to be powered by Laborde Products-supplied Mitsubishi engines. The twin-screw towboat is now running on twin Mitsubishi Tier 3 S12R-Y3MPTAW engines, each delivering 1,260 horsepower at 1,600 RPM.Originally built in 2015 by Main Iron Works of Houma, Louisiana, the 78-foot Capt. Robert J. Banta previously operated with Cummins QSK38 engines.
ECOsubsea: Closed-Loop Hull Cleaning Is a Regulatory Imperative
The shipping industry faces mounting regulatory pressure to mitigate the transfer of invasive species via hull biofouling. The global detrimental impacts of sea vomit (Didemnum vexillum) is just one stark example of the damage caused by unmanaged hull fouling. The solution is clear: closed-loop hull cleaning must become an industry standard, writes Abigail Robinson, Vice President of Sustainability at ECOsubsea…
Egypt In Talks to Buy LNG Cargoes Amidst Energy Crunch
Egypt is in talks with energy firms and trading houses to buy 40-60 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid a worsening energy crunch ahead of peak summer demand, three sources aware of the matter told Reuters.The country faces spending up to $3 billion at current prices to secure the LNG, squeezing government coffers already under strain to keep the lights on amid falling gas production and a…
China, Philippines Blame Each Other for South China Sea Confrontation
China and the Philippines traded accusations on Thursday following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea, the latest incident in a long-running maritime standoff in the strategic waterway.The Philippines' fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a vessel as it…
MOL, MVM to Jointly Charter Oil From Azerbaijan to Central Europe
Hungarian oil and gas group MOL and state-owned energy company MVM will jointly charter tankers to ship up to 160,000 metric tons of crude oil a year from Azerbaijan to further diversify energy supply for Hungary and Slovakia, MOL said on Thursday.The companies will both transport crude oil to the Ceyhan terminal in Turkey via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, from where it will be distributed to MOL Group’s markets, with a particular focus on Hungary and Slovakia, the statement said.Throu
Poland Checking For Explosives Near Subsea Cable After Suspicious Russian Activity
Poland is looking into whether any explosive devices were planted where a ship from Russia's "shadow fleet" was seen moving suspiciously near a power cable linking Poland with Sweden on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.NATO has beefed up security in the Baltic following a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines were damaged in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."Shadow fleet" refers to vessels used by Russia to ship oil…
Lloyd’s Register, HD Hyundai MIPO Sign MOU to Advance Digital Manufacturing for Type C Tanks
Lloyd’s Register (LR) and HD Hyundai MIPO Dockyard (HMD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing digital manufacturing for Type C tanks.The MoU sets out a joint commitment to develop and verify a streamlined, digitally enabled production process for Type C tanks, which are expected to see increased demand due to their ability to store pressurized and cryogenic cargo/fuel…
