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Havila Shipping has not had its case upheld in Oslo District Court and will appeal the judgment.In January and March, the company filed a lawsuit against DnB Bank ASA, Danske Bank AS NUF, and Swedbank AB (publ).The banks have maintained that Havila Shipping breached refinancing terms by converting of debt to equity and conducting a bond issue.In a statement, Havila said: “Havila Shipping does not agree with the judgment, and the district court's ruling is not a final decision in the matter.

Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer, has sold 1.3 million tons of cocoa contracts for the 2025/26 October to March main crop, down from 1.4 million tons last year, amid concerns over declining harvests and production, two Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) sources told Reuters on Thursday.Despite what they said would be an expected 30% year-on-year drop in cocoa bean arrivals at the country's two main ports between January and March 2026, the CCC sources said no risk of…

The October delay at IMO of its Net Zero Framework continues to spark debate, and enthusiasm, about net zero fuel choices, including what LNG’s role should be.Debate is expected to continue too, as shipowners face a more complicated regulatory landscape now. Despite the uncertainty created by the delay, regulations continue to force emissions reductions, including existing IMO regulations such as CII and regional regulation such as FuelEU.With the number of dual-fuel LNG ships being ordered higher than methanol or ammonia alternatives…

Six Indonesian nationals pleaded guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters in three separate cases at Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.The first matter arose from an incident on September 27, 2025, where Australian authorities identified, intercepted and apprehended an Indonesian vessel fishing illegally near Cassini Island, Western Australia. ABF seized 500 kg of sea cucumber, 90 kg of salt used to process and preserve catch and a quantity of fishing equipment. The crew were detained and transported to Darwin for further investigation by AFMA.

The decision made during the MEPC meeting in October 2025 to delay the IMO’s Net Zero Framework, by one year, has caused waves across the shipping industry, generating opinions and comments from many industry stakeholders. As a consequence of this decision, it is ever more likely that it will give rise to more regional legislation and Emission Trading Schemes, which may come to the fore as a substitute for the delayed global IMO Net Zero Framework.With this in mind, the EU ETS…

The current standards for LNG for marine use (ISO 23306:2020) don’t define limits for Methane Number even though it is an important fuel characteristic that can vary with fuel source and the addition of bioLNG into fuel blends.Power generation organization CIMAC’s Working Group 17 says Methane Number is like the Octane Number of gasoline in that it is a measure of the fuel’s resistance to auto-ignition or engine knock.In diesel engine combustion, gaseous fuel in the cylinder is put under high temperature and pressure as the flame front advances.

The federal district court in Anchorage, Alaska, has entered final judgment against three Kodiak-based commercial fishing companies and their manager for multiple violations of the Clean Water Act.The court entered default judgments against company manager Corey Potter and F/V Knot EZ LLC, Aleutian Tendering LLC, and Alaska Tendering Company LLC, and imposed a civil penalty of $1,182,265 for the violations. The case was filed on October 24, 2024, by the Department of Justice on behalf of the Coast Guard against Corey Potter and three of his related companies.

Nineteen Indonesian nationals pleaded guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters in three separate cases at Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, 8 July 2025.The matters arose from incidents where Australian authorities identified, intercepted and apprehended an Indonesian vessel fishing illegally on June 22, 2025 in the Cobourg Marine Park, Northern Territory and two Indonesian vessels fishing illegally on June 25, 2025 near Maningrida, Northern Territory.The crews were detained, and the Australian Border Force (ABF) seized the vessels.

A new Lloyd's Register report outlines the upcoming changes to mandatory statutory regulations and instruments. A comprehensive suite of new International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) regulations come into force over the next few months, reshaping environmental standards, safety protocols, and seafarer welfare. The changes outlined in Lloyd’s Register’s “Future IMO and ILO Legislation – Spring 2025” report highlight upcoming updates to mandatory statutory regulations and instruments, with effective dates on or after May 1, 2025.

Technology group Wärtsilä has introduced its NextDF technology for a third engine, the Wärtsilä 46TS-DF dual-fuel engine. While operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Wärtsilä 46TS-DF engine with NextDF feature reduces methane emissions to less than 1.4 percent of fuel use across all load points, achieving as low as 1.1 percent in a wide load range. This is nearly three times lower than the default methane slip factor of 3.1 percent, specified in the FuelEU Maritime and IMO Lifecycle Guidelines for Otto-cycle four-stroke dual-fuel engines.

BIMCO and the Association of Ship Brokers & Agents (USA) Inc. (ASBA) have revised ASBATANKVOY, the only dedicated tanker form not associated with an oil major. The updated version of the voyage charter party addresses changes in the tanker trade, commercial practices and regulations since its last revision.The original edition of ASBATANKVOY has become outdated since it was published by ASBA in 1977. Since then, various aspects of modern tanker trade have changed along with the regulatory framework such as safety…

The English Commercial Court (the “Court”) has provided helpful clarity on the extent of damages available to a claimant shipowner for the late redelivery of a vessel under a time charter where there is evidence that the owner of the vessel would have been unable to enter into a subsequent charter for the vessel. In such circumstances, only nominal damages will be recoverable, as no actual loss has been suffered.BackgroundHapag-Lloyd AG (the “Charterers”) entered into two materially…

WinGD reports that it completed shop tests of its variable compression ratio (VCR) technology, and the company claims that methane reductions from new X-DF engines with VCR technology deliver similar ship greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to high-pressure dual-fuel technologies, while delivering a total system cost and fuel cost advantage for several vessel applications.The VCR shop test was completed at Mitsui E&S DU (MESDU) facilities in Japan, where the first X‑DF2.0 engines with VCR are being built for bulk carriers owned by NYK Lines.

Norwegian offshore supply vessel operator DOF Group has secured contracts for two subsea construction projects which will be executed with its Skandi Implementer subsea vessel.Skandi Implementer, which recently departed Mexico following contract termination after payment default from a client, has been scheduled for work with two international oil companies, whose name has not been disclosed.Designed for subsea construction, IRM & ROV services up to 3000 m depth, the vessel was built in 2008.

Singapore’s annual vessel arrival tonnage, total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag, container throughput, total bunker sales and sales of alternative bunker fuels, reached new highs in 2024. Cargo throughput handled at the port of Singapore also increased in 2024.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the port of Singapore grew by 0.6%, reaching a new record of 3.11 billion gross tonnage (GT), up from 3.09 billion GT in 2023. The key shipping categories - bulk carriers, container ships and tankers - each accounting for close to a third…

There’s plenty to go around for everyone, no matter it comes from.I will admit that attending the 2024 Workboat Show in the Big Easy just ten days after settling into the MarineNews Editor’s chair (for this, the second time around) had my full attention. The event typically evokes the specter of drinking from the proverbial fire hose in routine times, but attending and digesting all it has to offer, right out of the gate, makes the task just little bit edgier. Ultimately, last week’s trade show exuded terrific energy, from exhibitors to attendees alike.

The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee MEPC 82 met from 30 September to 4 October 2024 and discussed a range of environmental matters, including proposed mid-term measures for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, enhancing energy efficiency of shipping, tackling marine litter, ballast water management and underwater noise reduction.Tackling climate change - cutting GHG emissions from shipsThe Committee made progress on the development of mid-term…

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) has been used to extinguish fires aboard maritime vessels since its introduction in the 1960s. For decades, AFFF was the foam of choice due to its effectiveness and affordability. However, over the last 15 years, its use has come under increased scrutiny due to health concerns related to its fluorinated materials.In 2009, international restrictions were introduced when perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid (PFOS), a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)…

The outcome of over a year’s consultation with underwriters, owners, Lloyd’s and other interested parties including P&I Clubs, brokers and salvors is a new clause for incorporation in marine hull policies. The shipping community has recognized the necessity of maintaining Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) as a contract with pre-agreed terms that can be easily used in the event of an emergency, said the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). The…

The FuelEU pooling mechanism introduces a new economic incentive to accelerate adoption of biofuels, according to OceanScore.The company has identified tangible savings on the cost of compliance with FuelEU Maritime that can be made through burning biofuels to generate surpluses for vessel pooling.This enables companies to capture financial gains from overcompliance with carbon intensity reduction targets.Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore, says FuelEU can understandably be seen as annoyingly complex and just another cost burden for shipping…

The Transport Emission Control Team at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has released a study of methane slip and other emissions from an LNG-powered marine engine operating under real-life conditions.The now published study ‘Methane slip and other emissions from newbuild LNG engine under real-world operation of a state-of-the art cruise ship' details the results of a study conducted on the newbuild cruise ship MSC World Europa. One of its five engines, a Wartsila 46DF…

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) has released a new report: Tackling methane slip in shipping.Past research at the MMMCZCS has demonstrated that current regulations that include methane, such as CO2-equivalent fuel standards (e.g., FuelEU Maritime), will have a limited effect on reducing onboard methane emissions in the short- to mid-term. Furthermore, the default methane slip value concept does not provide a direct incentive to engine makers…

Implementation of the FuelEU Maritime regulation from 2025 presents an accountability dilemma for shipping as it is currently the Document of Compliance (DoC) holder that will be held responsible for fuel selection and could therefore face penalties - contrary to the ‘polluter pays’ principle, according to OceanScore.Shipping companies must start preparing now for the regulation as they face an August 31 deadline to submit a monitoring plan to track the fuel type and consumption for each EU voyage for each vessel as required by FuelEU…