Bulgaria to Join NATO Anti-Drone Initiative
Bulgaria expects to join a NATO anti-drone initiative by the end of October, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Wednesday, a day after a drone attack sank a cargo vessel off the country's Black Sea coast for the second time in a week.The attacks have highlighted the growing threat that drone warfare linked to the Russia-Ukraine war poses to commercial shipping near NATO's southeastern flank…
SMH Postpones Rescue Mission Amidst Soaring Fuel Costs
Spanish humanitarian rescue charity SMH has postponed its next mission in the central Mediterranean until 2027 due to soaring fuel costs, the group said on Wednesday, highlighting the financial pressures facing humanitarian efforts along one of the world's deadliest migration routes.SMH, which operates the Aita Mari, a former fishing vessel converted into a rescue ship in 2017, said on X the doubling…
Novatek Acquires Two Ice-Class LNG Carriers
Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer Novatek is expanding its fleet serving Arctic projects through the acquisition of at least two Arc4 ice-class LNG carriers, registration and shipping data showed on Wednesday.Acquisition of the vessels is a significant development for Novatek, which is under Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine. Fleet constraints have hindered the development of its LNG projects…
Two Singapore-Flagged Container Ships Struck in Hormuz, One Sinks
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said two Singapore-registered container vessels were struck by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with one vessel sinking after catching fire and the other sustaining hull damage.The GFS PRIDE was struck on October 13, sustained damage and a fire, and later sank, MPA said.All 21 crew members aboard GFS PRIDE were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.The GFS GISELLE was struck on October 14, sustained hull damage
Singapore-Flagged Container Ship Struck by Projectile, Sinks
A Singapore-flagged container ship has sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile, while a dry bulk carrier damaged in an earlier attack is also reported to be sinking, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days. The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, a small container vessel with capacity for 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU)…
JPMorganChase Announces New Leadership for $1.5 Trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative
JPMorganChase has added two senior leaders to support shipbuilding and maritime efforts within its Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), the firm's $1.5 trillion, 10-year effort focused on strengthening industries critical to economic and national security. Chryssa Rask has joined the firm to lead SRI's shipbuilding efforts and support its broader work across supply chain and advanced manufacturing.
FMC Proposes Remedies to Counteract Unfavorable Spanish Shipping Conditions
After investigating reports of restrictive port practices by the Government of Spain, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has determined that Spain has created unfavorable shipping conditions against U.S.-flagged vessels. As a result, the FMC is proposing remedies to counteract those unfavorable conditions, including charging fees for all Spanish-flagged vessels and restricting the import of certain…
NASA Engineer Corey Harris Joins BroCoTec to Strengthen Marine IT Operations
Houston-based maritime IT network specialist BroCoTec is bringing space age tech expertise to its expanding team with the appointment of NASA engineer Corey Harris. Harris, who has spent several years upgrading networks on board the International Space Station and mission control center, Houston, is transferring his knowledge and expertise of networks and cybersecurity to the maritime industry.Harris…
Most Efficient Inland Port System Named
The St. Louis Metro Port system remains the nation’s most efficient inland port system, according to the latest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data, ranking first in cargo tonnage per river mile and fourth in total tonnage among seven major inland port districts.In 2024, the 70-mile port system handled 24.8 million tons of cargo, averaging 354,286 tons per river mile. That figure was more than double…
Voyant Demonstrates Navigation Software for UK MOD
Voyant has successfully demonstrated its navigation software to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), marking an important step in the development of resilient Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) capabilities for autonomous maritime systems operating in contested environments. In a real-life scenario, this capability would enable autonomous systems to continue navigating when satellite navigation has been lost or deliberately denied…
USCG Issues Warning Following Incident
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently investigated a marine casualty involving a recreational vessel that was swamped and capsized by the wake of a commercial towing vessel. The investigation found that both the credentialed Master of the towing vessel and the towing vessel’s operating company believed that USCG-inspected vessels were governed solely by federal Inland Navigation Rules, and that these rules automatically preempted state and local navigation safety laws…
Shipyard of the Future will be Built on Robotics, AI
Fincantieri is accelerating the integration of robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation across its global shipyard network, moving from technology experimentation toward industrial-scale deployment under its BOOST² – The Shipyard of the Future initiative.Launched three years ago, BOOST² has engaged more than 450 employees across 13 Fincantieri shipyards, including facilities in Italy, Romania and the United States.
Partnership Aims to Advance Bio-LNG as Marine Fuel
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), CMA CGM Group and Singapore LNG Corporation (SLNG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the supply and use of liquefied bio-methane, or bio-LNG, as a marine fuel, leveraging Singapore’s existing LNG infrastructure to support shipping decarbonization.The agreement brings together MPA’s regulatory expertise, CMA CGM’s shipping operations and SLNG’s LNG infrastructure capabilities to develop practical pathways for supplying…
DOF Inks Extension Deal for Skandi Nomad Subsea Vessel
Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF Group has secured a contract extension for its construction support vessel (CSV) Skandi Nomad.The 12-month extension will keep the vessel on firm contract until November 2027.The extension follows the exercise of an existing contract option, DOF said.The company classified the value of the option period as limited, representing a contract worth less than $15 million under its contract value reporting system.Skandi Nomad…
Voyant Demos GPS-Denied Navigation on Autonomous Vessel for UK MOD
UK defense technology company Voyant successfully demonstrated its satellite-independent navigation software aboard an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), advancing efforts to ensure uncrewed maritime systems can operate in environments where GPS signals are disrupted or denied.The demonstration took place aboard a Kraken K3 Scout autonomous surface vessel operating in the Solent…
NYK-Led Consortium Develops Floating Data Center Concept for Ports
A Japanese consortium led by shipping giant NYK Line has developed a new port-based floating data center concept designed to accelerate the commercialization of offshore data centers while addressing growing constraints on land availability, electrical power and construction timelines.The consortium, comprising Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), NTT FACILITIES, Eurus Energy Holdings and MUFG Bank…
Suez Canal Container Ship Transits Rebound
"During the first two weeks of October, weekly container ship capacity transiting the Suez Canal averaged 753k TEU, according to Clarksons Research, compared with 1,457k TEU during the same period in 2023. Since the Houthi attacks began in the Red Sea, this is the first time that transits have exceeded 50% of pre-disruption levels,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.In November 2023…
Iran Steps Up Gulf Shipping Strikes to Keep Oil Prices High Before US Vote
Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war…
Germany Puts Ukrainian Ex-Officer on Trial Over Nord Stream Attack
A Ukrainian ex-military officer goes on trial in Germany on Wednesday, accused of organising the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022, severing western Europe from the biggest source of Russian natural gas.The suspect, identified under German privacy rules only as Serhii K., is accused of leading a group of Ukrainian agents including divers and an explosives…
