ABS' Wiernicki Honored with Silver Bell Award
ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki was honored by The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), receiving the 2025 Silver Bell Award for lifelong service and outstanding leadership in the maritime industry.SCI is a nearly 200-year-old charity headquartered in New York that serves and protects the personal and professional lives of mariners and seafarers, both internationally and domestically, by…
Commodity Report: Meeting Oil Demand a Challenge if Israel Hits Iran Oil
Oil market participants have switched to dreading a shortage in fuel from focusing on impending oversupply in just two days this week.After Israel attacked Iran and Tehran pledged to retaliate, oil prices jumped as much as 13% to their highest since January as investors price in an increased probability of a major disruption in Middle East oil supplies.Part of the reason for the rapid spike is that…
Egypt Halts Fertilizer Production In Light of Israeli Gas Disruptions
Egyptian fertilizer producers were forced to halt operations on Friday due to a drop in natural gas imports from Israel, industry sources told Reuters.They said major Israeli gas fields had suspended operations following Israel's military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and missile factories.In response, an emergency plan was enacted prioritising gas allocations, including cutting supply to some industries…
A 'Period of Phenomenal Upheaval' says ICS Chief Grimaldi
At the “Shaping the Future of Shipping” summit held this week in Athens, Greece, Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), delivered a sobering yet forward-looking address that underscored the profound challenges facing the global shipping industry—while urging greater collaboration and global thinking to ensure resilience and sustainability.Speaking to an audience of maritime leaders…
Commodity Report: Scramble to Import Copper Creates Market Imbalance
The collective scramble to move as much physical copper as possible to the U.S. before the imposition of import tariffs is creating shortages in the rest of the world.London Metal Exchange (LME) stocks have fallen to nearly two-year lows with time-spreads flaring into backwardation as inventory drains away.This tariff trade will continue until U.S. President Donald Trump's administration makes up its…
[Another] Geopolitical Scrum set to Upend Shipping Routes
Ships warned to avoid Red Sea, log Hormuz voyages after Israel hits IranMerchant shipping is continuing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite Israel's attacks on Iran on Friday, the multinational, U.S.-led Combined Maritime Force said, although some shipowners were looking to avoid the region.Iran has in the past threatened to close the critical Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure.
Charge It: ‘Electrification’ Momentum Mounts in Maritime
Siemens Energy has had its hands on a number of groundbreaking ship design and construction projects globally, projects that highlight the possibilities and the challenges inherent in being a technology pioneer. Ed Schwarz, Head of Marine Solutions Sales for Siemens Energy in the US and Canada, give an insider’s view of some practical steps to take if electrification is on an organization’s fleet expansion agenda.Energy transition is everywhere you turn in maritime today…
Kongsberg's Motion Gyro Compasses Offer Safeguard Against GNSS Disruption
At a time when GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) reception face growing threats from jamming and spoofing, having a navigation system that doesn’t solely rely on satellite signals has become vital for critical maritime operations. With real-world disruptions increasingly affecting shipping and aviation safety, Kongsberg Discovery’s MGCs (Motion Gyro Compasses) deliver reliability, accuracy and resilience in contested environments.
Finnish Authorities Suspect Tanker Crew in Subsea Cable Damage
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.Finnish authorities suspect the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S of having broken the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia as well as four…
China Accuses Taiwan of Politicizing Undersea Cable Damage
China's government on Friday said Taiwan was deliberately politicising the damage of undersea communication cables as part of a smear campaign, expressing anger after the island jailed a Chinese ship captain for an incident earlier this year.A Taiwanese court on Thursday sentenced the captain of the Togo-flagged ship to three years in jail after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in an incident that alarmed Taiwan officials.In a statement, Ch
Xeneta: Israel-Iran Conflict Threatens Safety and Stability of Ocean Supply Chains
Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst, shared insights following the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict.“Geo-politics is once again threatening the safety and stability of global supply chains so we must hope for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, with concerns it could see a de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a vital entry point for container ships calling at ports such as Jebel Ali and the wider Arabian Gulf region…
ICS Announces New Maritime Leadership Roles
Following the conclusion of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Annual General Meeting and Board Meeting in Athens, which was opened by The Honorable Vassilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Hellenic Republic of Greece, the organization announced several major developments, marking a pivotal moment for global maritime leadership.The board of ICS unanimously recommended John Denholm CBE as the successor to current Chairman, Emanuele Grimaldi. Mr.
Edda Wind Welcomes New CSOV to its Fleet
GONDAN Shipbuilders has delivered a newly built Commissioning Service Operations Vessel (CSOV) Austri Enabler to Norwegian shipowner Edda Wind.The Austri Enabler, designed by Norwegian company Salt Ship Design, is part of a new generation of vessels designed to mark a turning point in the offshore wind energy sector.Austri Enabler is the fourth and last vessel in a series of four sister vessels from Gondan and follows Nordri Enabler, Sudri Enabler and Vestri Enabler.
CCS Capacity to Quadruple by 2030, DNV Report Finds
DNV has published a report forecasting that carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity is expected to quadruple by 2030, with sharp increase project pipeline capacity indicating that CCS is at a turning point.The immediate rise in capacity is being driven by short-term scale up in North America and Europe, with natural gas processing still the main application for the technology, according to DNV's CCS outlook report.In the longer term…
Industry Partners Complete STS Ammonia Bunkering Pilot off Western Australia
The successful completion of the first-ever ship-to-ship transfer (STS) of ammonia at anchorage in Western Australia, as part of the maritime decarbonization initiative led by Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD), has marked a major milestone in paving the way for ammonia as a viable marine fuel.Under the supervision of the Pilbara Port Authority (PPA), the pilot took place within the anchorage area of Port Dampier…
Learning from Ukraine, Taiwan Looks to Sea Drones to Counter China
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…
