East Coast News

Rocket Lab Corporation awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards to support the build out of Rocket Lab’s ocean landing platform for its Neutron reusable rocket.Modification and fit-out of Rocket Lab technology to its 400-ft-long landing platform named ‘Return On Investment’ has begun and is taking place at Bollinger Shipyards, primarily at its shipyard in Amelia, Louisiana, with delivery of the vessel to Rocket Lab expected in early 2026.Bollinger Shipyards will leverage its…

Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan.Australia prioritises its sovereignty and "we don't discuss hypotheticals", Conroy said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation."The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day…

Market average spot rates – July 8, 2025:Far East to US West Coast: USD 2673 per FEU (40ft container)Far East to US East Coast: USD 5151 per FEUFar East to North Europe: USD 3393 per FEUFar East to Mediterranean: USD 4197 per FEUNorth Europe to US East Coast: USD 1992 per FEUMarket average on the Transpacific trade from Far East to US West Coast accelerated its decline in the early days of July, down 18% from end-June and falling below the level seen in second half of May. With carriers now deploying more capacity above the level required to meet shippers’ demand…

For the U.S. Navy, boats perform missions from mundane maintenance chores such as hull scraping and cleaning overboard discharges to clandestine special forces insertion and extraction. Some boats are about as basic as you can imagine, and some are equipped with sophisticated combat systems and weapons. Big or small, they all perform indispensable tasks for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.Boats that are carried on and launched from ships are referred to as “shipboard boats,” to distinguish them from boats based at installations ashore.

A key U.S. warship arrived in Australia on Saturday ahead of joint war games and the first summit between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump, which is expected to be dominated by military issues.The America, the U.S. Navy's lead amphibious assault ship in the Indo-Pacific, entered Sydney Harbour as the first of three ships in a strike group carrying 2,500 sailors and marines, submarine-hunting helicopters and F-35B fighter jets.More than 30,000 personnel from 19 militaries have begun to arrive in Australia for Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S.

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," said Sand.“Any closure of the Strait of Hormuz would see services re-routed…

Global insurer Allianz Commercial recently issued its 2025 Safety & Shipping Review, examining maritime risk trends and losses. The report revealed that the shipping industry has made significant improvements when it comes to maritime safety in recent years. During the 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year. This total had halved 10 years ago and is now down to a record low of 27 as of the end of 2024 (from 35 in 2023).Despite the ongoing trend for fewer large losses, challenges remain.

Energy producer Shell has made a positive final investment decision on its Aphrodite gas project offshore Trinidad and Tobago, the company said on Tuesday.The project is expected to produce first gas in 2027 and have a peak production of 18,400 barrels of oil equivalent per day, it added in a release.Shell is a 45% shareholder in Trinidad's Atlantic LNG plant which has a capacity to produce 12 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of the superchilled gas, but has been plagued by a shortfall of natural gas.

American Offshore Services (A-O-S) announced the delivery of M/V Gamekeeper, the fourth addition to the growing G-Class fleet. The vessel has been delivered from the shipyard and is now operational, ready to support projects along the U.S. East Coast.The 30-meter, U.S.-built, Jones Act-compliant catamaran is one of the largest and most capable crew transfer vessels (CTVs) in the country. Powered by four engines, Gamekeeper offers exceptional fuel efficiency and maneuverability.

By the time Robbie Roberge spotted the fire consuming his boat's galley last August, he knew he had just minutes to evacuate his beloved Three Girls fishing vessel, named for his daughters.As the flames spread up the boat's walls, he helped his crew into safety suits, deployed a life raft and made a mayday call to alert nearby mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard that he was abandoning ship more than 100 miles offshore.Roberge, a commercial fisherman from South Portland, Maine, learned…

The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast pleaded not guilty on Friday in a London court to manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of a crew member in the collision.Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong that hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, carrying military jet fuel, on March 10.Motin was charged four days later with causing the death of Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Pernia, 38, who is missing and presumed dead.He appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink on Friday and pleaded not guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter.(Reuters/Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)

The decision of the U.S. Court of International Trade to deem Trump’s sweeping tariffs as unlawful is good news for shippers—but it could signal the beginning of the next era of confusion in global supply chains.“The court decision to deem the sweeping tariffs unlawful is clearly positive news for shippers who have faced extraordinary increases in the cost of importing goods into the US, but this should come with a warning that the story is far from over. Even if the appeal fails…

St. Johns Ship Building, a Palatka, Florida-based Jones Act-compliant shipyard owned by Americraft Marine, announced the delivery of the WINDEA Reliance, the third and final vessel in a series of 30-meter aluminum Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) built for WINDEA CTV LLC, a partnership between MidOcean Wind and Hornblower Wind.This delivery completes a three-vessel build program that includes the WINDEA Courageous, WINDEA Enterprise, and now WINDEA Reliance—all constructed at St. Johns Ship Building to support offshore wind farm development and operations along the U.S. East Coast.

Major container shipping companies are suspending at least six scheduled weekly routes between China and the United States as President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on the world's top exporting country collapse trade, maritime consultants said.The ships on those routes have the combined capacity to deliver 25,682 40-foot containers stuffed with toys, tennis shoes, car parts and things U.S. manufacturers use to produce goods each week - or more than 1.3 million 40-foot containers a year…

The prospect of a large scale return of container ships to the Red Sea following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Houthi militia in Yemen would flood the market with shipping capacity and cause a global collapse in freight rates, but the situation remains far from certain.Data released by Xeneta, an ocean and air freight intelligence platform, shows global TEU-mile demand would decrease 6% if container ships begin sailing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal again…

U.K.-based PD Ports has outlined its plans to develop one of the U.K.’s largest offshore wind manufacturing and installation hubs - the Teesport Offshore Gateway.The proposed project could unlock 180 acres of development potential for a range of offshore manufacturers, assembly, marshalling and supply chain support services.Representing a multi-million-dollar investment in the River Tees, the Teesport Offshore Gateway would include an up to 1 km long deep-water riverside quay…

RWE has deployed a bubble curtain technology in the U.K. for the first time to protect marine life from the construction noise at its Sofia offshore wind farm.RWE has been working with Hydrotechnik Offshore to introduce an innovative underwater noise-abatement technology, known as a bubble curtain, for offshore wind farm construction in the U.K.The deployment at the Sofia offshore wind farm, located 195km off the coast of England, represents a significant step in protecting marine life from underwater noise generated during piling activities.The bubble curtain…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published a time line of the collision between the Portugal registered container ship Solong and the US registered oil/chemical tanker Stena Immaculate.The collision resulted in one fatality, 14 nautical miles north-east of Spurn Head at the entrance to the Humber Estuary, England, on March 10, 2025.On 27 February 2025, the Stena Immaculate departed Agioi Theodoroi, Greece, with a cargo of aviation fuel. The tanker was bound for Killingholme…

South Korean authorities found about two tonnes of suspected cocaine on Wednesday on a ship docked at a port, the customs service said, in what appears to be the largest haul of smuggled drugs in the country's history.Korea Customs Service and Coast Guard found 57 boxes of the suspected drug on a bulk ship docked at Gangneung city port on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the customs service said in a statement.They searched the ship after receiving information from the U.S.

South Korean authorities found about one tonne of suspected cocaine on Wednesday on board a ship docked at a port, a customs service spokesperson said, in what appears to be the largest haul of smuggled drugs in the country's history.Korea Customs Service and Coast Guard found more than 50 boxes of suspected cocaine, each weighing roughly 20 kg, on a bulk ship docked at a port in Gangneung city on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the spokesperson said.They searched the ship after receiving information from the U.S.

Shell warned on Tuesday that a proposal in Australia to force more export gas into the domestic market could end up deterring investment and exacerbating shortages.Ahead of Australia's May 3 general election, energy has emerged as a major campaign issue with the conservative Liberal-National coalition pledging to bring down power bills and prevent a looming shortage on the east coast through a gas reservation scheme.However, Shell Australia Chair Cecile Wake said export controls…

With your first steps as a cadet onto the Maritime Academy campus, your first union dues payment or first line thrown ashore from the tug, you are lectured on the importance of the “Jones Act”. A constant reminder throughout a US Seafarer’s career of commitment, loyalty and support for the legislation. All in the name of National Security, US Job protection and the advancement of the US Flag Merchant Marine. It is a massive and expensive lobbying effort witnessed throughout generations at sea. The effort has been historically successful.

We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m. local time on March 26, 2025 after the container ship MV DALI lost power and collided with one of bridge’s support piers. Six construction workers died in the collapse, while two other workers survived the fall into the freezing water.