Maritime Law & Regulations News

Terral RiverService announced September 1 the acquisition of the assets of Vidalia Dock and Storage Company, Two-J Ranch Inc., 363 Dry-Dock & Repair LLC, and Natchez Marine and Towing Inc. the premier fleet and yard operator in the Vidalia La., and Natchez, Miss. areas. According to Terral, the acquisition includes a total of four towboats, a dry dock and rock yard. In addition, Terral has acquired all of Vidalia Dock and Storage’s fleeting locations on the Mississippi River located…

Indonesia said on Friday it was worried about an arms race in the region after neighboring Australia announced plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as part of a new Indo-Pacific security alliance with the United States and Britain.Known as AUKUS, the alliance will see Australia get the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines as part of agreement intended to respond to growing Chinese power.In a statement on Friday, the Indonesian foreign ministry noted with caution…

Hyundai Heavy Industries' shares closed 86% above their initial public offering (IPO) price on their trading debut in South Korea on Friday.The shipbuilder, one of the largest in the world, raised $935 million from its IPO, with much of the proceeds set to fund investments in new technology.A total of 1,633 domestic and foreign institutional investors placed bids to acquire shares earlier this month, valuing total bids at 1,130 trillion won ($962.3 billion), according to Hyundai Heavy.The institutional book for the IPO had been 1,836 times covered - the second-largest for an IPO in South Korea

Finland-based marine equipment and technology firm Wärtsilä has sold Wärtsilä Tank Control Systems business to Svanehøj, a Danish gas pump specialist involved in the design and manufacture of specialized deep well pump solutions within the areas of gas pumps, fuel pumps, products and chemicals, and offshore products.Wärtsilä Tank Control Systems designs, builds, sells, and services measurement systems for gas tanks on LNG ships, offshore storage, and land-based LNG terminals.

Indonesian navy has increased patrols around its Natuna islands in the South China Sea after Chinese and U.S. vessels were detected nearby in international waters, despite saying there were no disturbance from the vessels, a navy official said on Thursday.Five navy vessels, assisted by an air patrol, have been deployed in North Natuna Sea to secure the area, Indonesian Navy western fleet commander Arsyad Abdullah told reporters.“The Navy’s position on the North Natuna Sea is very…

Brazilian logistics company Log-In Logistica Intermodal said late on Wednesday it had received a takeover offer from Swiss-based shipping group MSC, which intends to acquire a controlling stake of up to 67% in the company.According to a securities filing, Log-In received a letter from MSC's subsidiary SAS Shipping Agencies Service in which the Swiss company stated its intention to offer 25 reais ($4.79) per share of the Brazilian firm.The bid represents a premium of 67.2% over…

The United States, Britain and Australia will establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as Chinese influence over the region grows.Under the partnership, to be announced on Wednesday by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines…

Vineyard Wind, which is on track to be the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, closed on a $2.3 billion loan and will begin construction in Massachusetts later this year, its owners said on Wednesday.The senior debt financing allows the project, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, to mobilize its contractors and suppliers to begin work, the companies said.The U.S. government approved Vineyard Wind in May, billing it as the inauguration of a new domestic industry that will help eliminate emissions from the power sector…

China has denied a German warship entry into a local harbor, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.The ship involved is the "Bayern" frigate, the spokesperson told a news briefing, but did not identify the Chinese harbor. The vessel set sail from Germany last month for a six-month mission to the South China Sea."China has decided that it does not want a harbor visit, and we took notice of that," the spokesperson said.China's defense and foreign ministries did…

Brazil's port regulator targeted the local unit of global grains merchant Bunge and two port agents in an investigation announced on Tuesday, threatening the trader's dominant position at a key export hub in the south of the country.The probe, ordered by port regulator Antaq via regulatory decision in the official government gazette, centers on alleged irregularities in a contract to move grain cargos at public terminals in the port of São Francisco do Sul.A regional branch of Antaq in Santa Catarina state will conduct the probe…

Heading into the seasonally strongest part of the year, dry bulk owners have already enjoyed a very profitable year with the temporary factors helping the market stay strong expected to continue providing support into 2022, says shipping organization BIMCO.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe dry bulk shipping industry continues to enjoy a bumper year, with average earnings continuing to outshine any profits made in the past couple of years. As is often the case, Capesizes’ are taking the spotlight, with recent earnings peaking above $50,000 per day.

Commercial diving company Subsea Global Solutions (SGS) announced it has acquired SRN Group Diving & ROV Underwater Services (Belgium), an underwater services and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) hull cleaning firm based in Belgium.With this acquisition, SGS expands its global footprint to Europe, acquires industry leading ROV hull cleaning technology and increases the number of its home ports worldwide to 14.Paul Peters, CEO of SGS, said, “This is a much awaited, critical milestone for SGS.

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has acquired Hunt Valve Company Inc., a specialty manufacturer of naval valves and electromechanical actuators. This acquisition expands FMD’s capabilities and service solutions for shipyard, defense, and industrial customers – including its support for and offerings to the U.S. Nuclear Navy.The transaction includes Hunt Valve, the Hunt Valve Actuator Division, MB Valve (Montreal Bronze), and Pima Valve, LLC.“Our core customers value quality, reliability, and convenience, and the addition of Hunt Valve to the Fairbanks Morse Defense brand allows us to enhance the customer experience by offering a wider range of aftermarket support services through a single vendor,” said FMD CEO George Whittier.

The Metals Co (TMC) was trading down around 17% after listing on the Nasdaq on Friday following its creation from the merger of deep-sea mining exploration firm DeepGreen and a blank-check company.TMC opened at $11.0535 a share but started falling soon after, hitting a low of $8.31.In a filing on Tuesday, TMC said it had received only $110.3 million of the proceeds from a private placement of Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corp (SOAC) shares, having entered into agreements with investors for a $330 million placement.“SOAC intends to continue to seek to enforce the funding obligations of

Japan's defense ministry said on Sunday that a submarine believed to be from China was spotted in waters near its southern islands, as maritime tensions persist in the Pacific.Japan's navy on Friday morning identified a submerged vessel sailing northwest just outside territorial waters near Amami Oshima island, part of Kagoshima prefecture, the ministry said in a statement. A Chinese destroyer was also spotted in the vicinity.Tokyo has complained of numerous intrusions by Chinese vessels into its territorial waters and near disputed islands in recent years.

U.S.

Smugglers suspected of evading sanctions on North Korea have turned to schemes to create fraudulent identities for sanctioned ships, a U.S.-based research group said in a report released on Thursday.Ships suspected of smuggling have long modified their physical appearance or broadcast false position data, said the report from C4ADS, a non-profit group.But the practice of "vessel identity laundering" is significantly more sophisticated and not only undermines sanctions, but jeopardizes the integrity of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ship registration system…

As ports and hinterland transport struggle to keep up, delays at ports are soaking up capacity leading to frustration on the shippers’ side and leaving carriers struggling to keep up all the while making record profits, shipping organization BIMCO reports.Drivers of demand and freight ratesThe container shipping market has frequently appeared in the headlines over the summer as freight rates and port congestion levels continue to reach record highs. Port closures caused by COVID…

Newbuild spend for vehicle carriers, including large car and truck carriers (LCTC), pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) and pure car carriers (PCC), smashed past $3.2 billion last week, following big volume orders from Eastern Pacific and Zodiac—an astonishing amount of money for a niche sector, exceeding the previous six years total combined. If we include options, a whopping $4.4 billion has been agreed year to date. Japanese shipyards have raised tariffs to $100 million for dual fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) 7…

State-backed holding company ADQ said on Tuesday it plans to list Abu Dhabi Ports Co on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) before the end of the year.The proposed listing of a portion of existing shares is expected before the end of 2021, it said in a statement, subject to market conditions and obtaining regulatory approval.Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports has 11 ports and terminals, and more than 550 square km ($334 miles) of industrial zones within Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) and Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones.For the year ended December 31, 2020, Ab

Leading shipping associations have proposed creating a global levy on carbon emissions from ships to help speed up the industry's efforts to go greener.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions and the sector is under growing pressure to get cleaner.For the first time, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Intercargo jointly proposed a levy based on mandatory contributions by ships trading globally…

For many, the path to Subchapter M compliance has been anything but smooth sailing. And while progress has been made through the growing pains, some feel it’s time for the U.S. Coast Guard to pump the brakes.A funny thing happened on the way to compliance. We all learned that nobody was quite ready for Subchapter M.Sure, we had gone through the law with a fine-toothed combed and had self-inspected vessels and trained crews, but we were all surprised by interpretations.Third party organizations (TPO) have done their best to set up systems and satisfy paying customers and the U.S.

The Indonesian Navy says it has seized a Panamanian-flagged tanker in the waters off Riau islands after the foreign vessel was found to be carrying more than 4,000 tons of oil without valid permits.Indonesian Navy commander admiral Arsyad Abdullah said in a statement late Wednesday that the Panamanian-flagged tanker, the MT Zodiac Star, was seized on suspicion of conducting illegal activities in the country's waters.The Navy said the Panamanian-flagged tanker was carrying 4,600 tons of ‘black oil’…

RINA announced it has acquired the entire share capital of Denmark-based software company Logimatic Solutions, in line with Italian classification society’s plan to boost its digital solutions knowledge and offering.The company, with a turnover of about 6 million euros, will be fully integrated within the RINA Group, and its nearly 50 employees will continue in the current structure from its offices in Denmark, Singapore and Chile.For RINA, the move will add the SERTICA fleet management solution to the RINA portfolio of maritime offerings…

RINA acquired the entire share capital of Logimatic Solutions, a Danish software company with a turnover of about 6 million Euros that will be fully integrated within the RINA Group. Its nearly 50 employees will continue in the current structure from its offices in Denmark, Singapore and Chile. This acquisition is in line with RINA’s strategic plan and will boost the company’s knowledge of digital solutions.The move will add SERTICA to the RINA portfolio of maritime offerings, while INEXTIA, FOTODOK and RENOMATIC will complement RINA’s businesses in the energy and industry sectors. SERTICA is a fleet management solution, which integrates a wide range of functions…

Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday it would hold naval drills in the Caspian Sea with small missile and artillery ships from Iran, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in early September.(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Writing by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Alison Williams)

Dry bulk shipowner Navios Maritime Partners L.P. and tanker shipowner Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp. will merge to create the largest U.S. publicly-listed shipping company. Together, the combined company will own and operate more than 140 vessels aggregating approximately 15 million deadweight tons operating in three segments through 15 different vessel types and serving more than 10 end markets.The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021 subject to customary closing conditions…

A U.S. warship and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the latest in what Washington calls routine operations through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from China, which claims the self-ruled island.The passage comes amid a spike in military tensions in the past two years between Taiwan and China, and follows Chinese assault drills last week, with warships and fighter jets exercising off the island's southwest and southeast.USS Kidd…

The United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing, but will speak up on issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday as she concluded a trip to Southeast Asia.In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris charged China with bullying its neighbors in the region, triggering here sharp rebukes from Beijing, which accused the U.S. of meddling in regional affairs and disrupting peace.“We welcome stiff competition…

The Cambodian government is seeking the return of an oil tanker and its crew who have been detained in Indonesia, alleging that the ship had loaded oil illegally from an offshore oil field, a government official said on Thursday.The Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos and its crew were detained in waters near the Anambas islands of Indonesia on July 27, the Indonesian Navy said in a statement.The vessel is carrying Cambodia's first-ever oil production from an offshore oil field which began operation in December 2020.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has initiated a feasibility study with TotalEnergies for the development of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier, a key plank in the CO2 ecosystem as carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) attracts increasing attention worldwide. An LCO2 carrier would play a pivotal role in transporting CO2 from its emission sources to storage sites or facilities for utilization, and demand for these vessels is expected to increase in the future.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is actively pursuing commercialization of LCO2 carriers…

All signals from Washington, D.C., indicate that Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 could be a record-breaking year for inland port and waterway investment. The successful opening of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, a recording-breaking United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) budget request, positive improvements to the Port Infrastructure Development Program, and a possible bipartisan infrastructure deal, could result in billions of dollars in additional federal investment in inland ports and waterways.Opening the Harbor Maintenance Trust FundOn May 28…

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met Vietnam’s top leaders on Wednesday, offering support in several key areas including the enhancement of its maritime security in an effort to counter Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.Harris also offered more visits by U.S. warships during her talks with Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to a White House official who did not wish to be named.Harris’s seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is part of a broader U.S.

A new report from a U.S. offshore services trade group details alleged Jones Act violations by a foreign-flagged vessel in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), which recently launched its Jones Act Enforcer program to document and report violations of the U.S. law requiring seaborne cargo shipped between two U.S. points to be carried by American-built, crewed, and owned vessels, said it received a tip from an industry stakeholder that Louisiana-based Triton Offshore had posted photos on social media showing its Chinese-built…

The master of a containership has been charged in Australia after his vessel allegedly dragged anchor through a protected zone and damaged a subsea communications cable off the West Australian coast. The Ukrainian national is facing up to three years imprisonment.A section of the Australia Singapore Cable in the Perth Submarine Cable Protection Zone, approximately 10 kilometers offshore from City Beach, was disabled early on August 1, 2021, and allegations that a passing vessel had damaged the cable were reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on August 3.According to the AFP…

Plaintiffs seeking to recover from ship managers or the vessels they operate but lacking a direct claim against a particular vessel have developed a clever strategy under U.S. maritime law. They seize a managed vessel under Supplemental Admiralty Rule B and claim the vessel-owning company is an alter ego of the defendant with whom the dispute really exists. In this way, plaintiffs can take advantage of the relatively low evidentiary bar to delve into protracted discovery to develop…

In November 2019, the Office of Coast Survey (OCS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced the start of a five-year program to “sunset” all raster and paper nautical charts.NOAA has produced electronic navigational charts (ENCs) since 1993. In the 2019 notice, NOAA writes that “ENC sales increased 425% since 2008, while sales of paper charts are now half of 2008 levels.”For NOAA and mariners, a focus on electronic charts and publications promises many advantages. With a singular focus, NOAA can use its resources more efficiently.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday people at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, irrespective of their vaccination status.Older adults and people with medical conditions are more likely to get severely ill from the disease and should take professional advise before cruise ship travel, the agency said.Cruise operators have been sailing from U.S. ports again in recent…

Offshore drilling rig contractors Transocean Ltd and Dolphin Drilling have made a new offer to buy the assets of stricken rival Seadrill Ltd, Dolphin's chief executive said on Friday.Oslo-listed Seadrill, founded by Norwegian-born tycoon John Fredriksen, is seeking to emerge from U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings under an alternative financial plan filed in court last month."I can confirm that Dolphin and Transocean submitted an updated bid yesterday," Dolphin Chief Executive Bjoernar Iversen told Reuters.Seadrill's Oslo-listed shares traded 5.5% up by 1425 GMT…

On Friday, August 13, EU NAVFOR ATALANTA Joint Operation Centre received an alert according to which the Turkish-flagged cargo vessel Anatolia (IMO 9005869) was under attack by a skiff with four or five armed persons on board.Reportedly, the skiff attempted to approach the vessel and opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG). One of these RPG caused damage in the vicinity of the bridge. After almost two hours of exchange of fire between the assailants and the privately contracted armed security personnel on board…

A bridge team’s lack of effective monitoring of their position while at anchor led to a cargo ship colliding with an anchored bulk carrier and striking a chemical dock on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, according to a National Transportation Safety Board Marine Accident Brief released Thursday.Marine Accident Brief 21/15 details the NTSB’s investigation of the May 8, 2020, collision of the anchored general cargo ship Nomadic Milde with the anchored bulk carrier Atlantic Venus. The Nomadic Milde then struck a nearby chemical dock and grounded on the bank.

Britain’s markets regulator has been urged to sanction cruise ship company Carnival and food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway.com for poor disclosures in a complaint seen by Reuters.Both companies have breached their legal obligations by failing to adequately tell investors the risk climate change poses to their businesses, legal NGO ClientEarth said.While the Financial Conduct Authority has yet to sanction a company over its climate disclosures, the latest ClientEarth complaint…

Eneti, a company until recently known as Scorpio Bulkers, has completed the exit from its bulk carrier business and has also completed the acquisition of Seajacks, boosting its offshore wind ambitions.In its quarterly results release on Tuesday, Eneti said it had on August 12 completed the previously announced transaction to acquire offshore wind installation firm Seajacks for consideration of around 8.13 million shares, $302 million of assumed net debt, $71 million of newly-issued redeemable notes, and $12 million of cash.

Helicopters hover above a patrol vessel in Nigeria's frenetic Apapa port as attack boats zoom past. On the dock, drones emblazoned with the Nigerian flag sit ready to deploy – all part of a $195 million U.S.-backed "Deep Blue" initiative to deter pirate attacks in the world's most dangerous area for seafarers.The more than 2.35 million square kilometer (910,000 million square mile) expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that borders some 20 West African nations is known as "pirate alley"…

SEACOR Holdings Inc. completed its acquisition of U.S. Shipping Corp (USSC), a privately owned provider of long-haul marine transportation for chemical and petroleum cargoes in the U.S. coastwise trade, operating under the Jones Act.

Maritime NZ has filed charges against Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) and an individual in relation to the death of a port worker almost a year ago.Pala’amo (Amo) Kalati was killed on August 30, 2020 after being crushed when a container was dropped during a lifting operation.The following charges have been filed in the Auckland District Court:POAL has been charged under sections 47, 48 and 90 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.An individual has been charged under sections 48 and 49 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

The Crimson Polaris wood-chip carrier that ran aground and split up off Japan Thursday, spilling oil into the ocean, carried about 1,550 MT of heavy oil and about 130 MT of diesel oil for fuel at the time of the grounding, NYK, the charterer of the ship, said Friday.As previously reported, the 199.9-meter vessel, chartered by NYK from MI-DAS Line ran aground off Hachinohe on August 11. On August 12 at 4:15 a.m. the vessel’s hull split into two pieces and began spilling oil. "We are continuing our efforts to control the oil spill and monitor the split hull [...] As of August 11…

The crippling ransomware attack against the Colonial oil pipeline in the U.S. in May 2021 should be a wake up call for the maritime industry. As a critical part of the global supply chain, the shipping industry could become an attractive target for cyber criminals and politically motivated attacks. Marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty explores these challenges in its latest Safety & Shipping Review 2021.The 9,000km long Colonial Pipeline, which connects some 30 oil refineries and nearly 300 fuel distribution terminals…

An automated vessel is one where advanced decision support systems onboard the vessel, like the Global Positioning System (GPS) and auto pilot, undertake operational decisions independent of direct human control. A Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) involves both automated systems and remote control operations. In August 2016, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Ship Operations Explore Autonomous Sailing.” The article suggested that by 2030 there would be remotely controlled ships and that by 2035 there would be MASS on the high seas.In 1974…

Vice Admiral (ret) Mike Connor, CEO of ThayerMahan, Inc., will discuss the use of autonomous maritime systems in minimizing risk for vessel operators, infrastructure owners, and port authorities. Admiral Connor has over 30 years of experience in the maritime security arena. He is the former commander of the US Submarine Force. As CEO of ThayerMahan, he focuses on delivering maritime domain awareness at reduced cost by leveraging emerging technologies for customers in government, industry, and academia.Register for the 2021 Maritime Risk Symposium at www.MaritimeRiskSymposium.org

MPC Container Ships ASA announce on Tuesday that it has completed its acquisition of Songa Container AS.MPC announced in June that it had entered the share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of Songa shares for $210.25 million on a debt and cash free basis.Constantin Baack, CEO of MPC Container Ships, said, "It is with great pleasure we announce the successful closing of this milestone transaction. Charter rates have continued to rise since the signing of the agreement, improving the risk-reward dynamics of the transaction even further.

The University of Houston’s College of Technology will host the 12th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2021), in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences, from November 2-4, 2021, at the at the University of Houston’s Student Center-South.The Maritime Risk Symposium is an annual three-day conference in which government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, researchers, and solution providers convene to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security.

A U.S. judge has allowed Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH.N)todemand that passengers show written proof of coronavirus vaccination before they board a ship, dealing a major blow to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's effort to ban "vaccine passports."In a preliminary ruling issued on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami said Norwegian would likely prevail on its argument that the "vaccine passport" ban, signed into law by DeSantis in May, jeopardizes public…

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd , whose Encore ship is set to mark the company’s return to sailing from U.S. ports over the weekend, reported a bigger quarterly loss on Friday as the pandemic had brought the cruise industry to a standstill.An over yearlong suspension imposed by U.S. health officials forced cruise operators to raise billions of dollars, with some of them even pledging ships and private islands to stay afloat.Cruise operators have been sailing from U.S. ports again in recent weeks with mostly vaccinated guests and crew after lengthy talks with the U.S.

Offshore wind services company Eneti announced on Thursday it has entered into an agreement to acquire rival Seajacks, creating one of the world's largest, most capable fleets of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV).Eneti said its deal with sellers Marubeni Corporation, INCJ, Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K., Lines Ltd. will see it acquire 100% of Atlantis Investorco Limited, the parent of Seajacks International Limited, for consideration of approximately 8.13 million shares, $299 million of assumed net debt, $74 million of newly-issued redeemable notes, and $12 million of cash.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the “Marine-based CO2 Capture System”, in order to verify the equipment’s use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line, at MHI’s Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama Dockyard…

Thousands of Lebanese gathered near the port of Beirut on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of a catastrophic explosion that devastated the city, demanding justice for the victims.One year since the disaster, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years, no senior official has been held to account, infuriating many Lebanese as their country also endures financial collapse.One of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, the explosion wounded thousands and was felt in Cyprus…

Modern space technology and artificial intelligence have combined to enhance the conservation of marine animals: the new service, “SPACEWHALE”, developed by a team of creative scientists in Germany and the UK, detects whales from space. Supported by funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Solutions program, this research enables whales and other large marine megafauna to be surveyed at an unprecedented scale. Earth Observation from satellites is developing fast and within a few years, space technology companies aim to provide daily high-resolution images of the whole globe.

The United States is confident Iran attacked an Israeli-managed tanker last week, killing two, the top U.S. diplomat said on Monday, predicting a "collective response" but saying he did not think the incident necessarily signaled anything about Iran's incoming President Ebrahim Raisi."We have seen a series of actions taken by Iran over many months, including against shipping. So I am not sure that this particular action is anything new or augurs anything one way or another for the new government," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

The world's biggest container shipping company, A.P. Moller-Maersk, on Monday lifted its full-year earnings outlook after reporting strong preliminary quarterly results as chaotic conditions in the global supply chain pushed freight rates higher.In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, shortages of container ships and logjams at ports around the world combined with high consumer demand for material goods have caused freight rates to skyrocket to record levels."The strong quarterly…

A U.S. Navy sailor was charged on Thursday with starting a fire last year that burned for four days on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, injuring more than 60 people and destroying the vessel.The sailor, who was not identified by name, was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and could face court martial, Navy Commander Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement."The Sailor was a member of Bonhomme Richard's crew at the time and is accused of starting the fire…

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of a 2,734-ton tanker it said was owned and operated by a Singaporean national and used to make shipments of petroleum products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions.A DoJ statement said the M/T Courageous was seized by Cambodian authorities in March 2020 in accordance with a U.S. warrant, having been used to transfer oil products to North Korean vessels and to make direct shipments to the North…

Iran will respond promptly to any threat against its security, the foreign ministry said on Monday, after the United States, Israel and Britain blamed Tehran for an attack on an Israeli-managed tanker off the coast of Oman.Tehran has denied any involvement in the attack on Thursday in which two crew members—a Briton and a Romanian—were killed.The United States and Britain said on Sunday they would work with their allies to respond to the attack on the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged…

A Briton and a Romanian were killed when an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker came under attack on Thursday off the coast of Oman, the company said on Friday, in an incident that Israel's foreign minister blamed on Iran and said deserved a harsh response.There were varying explanations for what happened to the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship, with Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime describing the incident as "suspected piracy" and a source at the Oman…

The U.S. Coast Guard will next week hold a formal public hearing to consider evidence related to the April 2021 capsizing of the liftboat Seacor Power and the death of 13 of its 19 crewmembers in the Gulf of Mexico.The Seacor Power liftboat capsized, April 13, 2021, about seven miles south of Port Fourchon, La., in the Gulf of Mexico with 19 crewmembers aboard. Six crewmembers were initially rescued, and six were recovered unresponsive during the course of the response. Coast Guard boat and aircrews…

When the first cruise ship since the start of the pandemic sailed through the Venice lagoon last month, hundreds of people rallied on land and small boats in protest.A few weeks later, the government seemed to listen, announcing that to defend Venice's ecosystem and heritage, cruise liners would be banned from the lagoon from Aug. 1.The move ended years of political hesitation, apparently putting the demands of residents and culture bodies above those of port workers and the tourist industry."For us it's a big victory…

Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed when a petroleum products tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime came under attack on Thursday off Oman's coast, the company said on Friday.London-based Zodiac said on its website that the attack in the Arabian Sea on the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged Japanese-owned ship, was still being investigated.Earlier on Friday it had described the incident as suspected piracy but the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)…

Container ship opertor MPC Container Ships has entered into a $70 million three-year revolving credit facility agreement with CIT Group. The company said the loan had attractive terms.MPC Container Ships,  registered in Oslo, Norway, said it had already made an initial drawdown of $40 million to refinance existing debt, and the rest would be used for vessel upgrades and other general purposes."As a consequence, the previous term loans with Beal Bank and CIT have been repaid in full.

The much-politicized Nord Stream 2 undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is 99% complete, the pipeline operator said on Wednesday, after the pipelay vessel Akademik Cherskiy finished its initially planned workload.The $11 billion Nord Stream 2, designed to bypass Russia's political foe Ukraine and double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream pipeline to 110 billion cubic meters per year, has been a focal point of tensions between Moscow and Washington.The construction of the pipeline has been hampered by sanctions introduced by the United States at the end of 2019…

“The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention recognizes the rights and freedoms of all nations to engage in traditional uses of the sea. According to the Department of Defense 2020 Annual Freedom of Navigation Report to Congress, “Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims—or incoherent legal theories of maritime entitlement—that are inconsistent with international law pose a threat to the legal foundation of the rules-based international order.”Not all nations adhere to this principle.

Sheffield Forgemasters’ shareholders have agreed to sell its entire share capital to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to support a substantial recapitalization of its defence-critical plant, equipment and infrastructure necessary to secure the delivery of components into future MoD programs.This is aimed to secure Sheffield Forgemasters’ role as a key supplier into the MoD for the long-term and is structured to invest substantial new capital into the modernization of defence-critical assets…

Ballast water equipment maker Erma First expands its portfolio and brings "the world’s smallest" ballast water treatment system to the international market through its acquisition of US firm oneTANK LLC.oneTANK, a subsidiary of Glosten, developed a small scale innovative, low-cost, IMO Revised G8 Code and United States Coast Guard compliant system. Based on a patented mixing technology developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the system can be installed in larger vessels’ aftpeak tanks. It is also suitable for use aboard workboats, tugboats, semi-submersibles, fishing vessels and superyachts.

A federal appeals court late on Friday reversed course and let stand a lower court order prohibiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing coronavirus-related cruise ship rules in Florida.The decision is a win for Florida that had filed a lawsuit arguing the CDC curbs made it tough for the cruise industry to recover from the pandemic.The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta had only on Saturday voted 2-1 to block the lower court decision.But in its latest brief statement…

A court in Lagos sentenced 10 men to 12 years in prison on Friday for kidnapping the crew of a Chinese-flagged merchant vessel last year, the navy said, a verdict that officials hope will help tackle piracy in the waters off Nigeria's coast.Federal high court Justice Ayokunle Faji, who also fined each man 250,000 naira ($608) for each of the three counts for which they were charged, said their actions in kidnapping 18 crew from the FV HAILUFENG II in May 2020, were "an embarrassment…

Northern Lights announced a new partnership with MAN Engines & Components, when on June 30 2021, Northern Lights acquired MAN Engines West Coast distributor Rabaul Diesel Inc (RDI). Northern Lights  said the deal with MAN is a great addition to its family of products including Northern Lights marine generators, Technicold air conditioning, refrigeration, ice machines & Lugger propulsion engines.Also headquartered in Seattle, WA Northern Lights intends to operate under Northern Lights Power and Energy for the Western US and Canada.

Noble Corp and a consortium that includes Transocean Ltd and Dolphin Drilling are competing to acquire the assets of Seadrill Ltd, the bankrupt offshore oil driller controlled by Norwegian-born tycoon John Fredriksen, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.Seadrill is trying to emerge from its second U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy in four years: like many in the industry, it expanded its drilling rigs too aggressively in the mid-2010s to withstand a subsequent plunge in energy prices and rig hire rates.

As many as 17 people were missing from a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Liberia over the weekend despite being barred from setting sail, the Maritime Commissioner said.The Liberian-registered Niko Ivanka left the capital Monrovia on Saturday for a port in the West African country's south, despite being under a detention order for failing to meet basic safety requirements.The vessel sent out a distress signal that afternoon, notifying the coastguard that it had taken on water.

International Seaways, one of the world's oil largest tanker operators, petroleum products, has completed the previously announced merger with Diamond S Shipping Inc. The combined company will continue to operate as International Seaways and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol INSW. International Seaways expects to achieve cost synergies in excess of $23 million and revenue synergies of $9 million, which are expected to be fully realizable within 2022."Following the completion of the merger…

A U.S. appeals court late Saturday in a 2-1 ruling put on hold a lower-court decision that said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could not enforce its coronavirus cruise ship rules in Florida.Last month, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in siding with Republican-led Florida found the state was "highly likely" to show the CDC exceeded its authority in adopting rules governing the resumption of cruise ship sailing.The brief order from the 11th Circuit panel came about 10 minutes before Merryday's ruling was to take effect on Sunday…

Missouri prosecutors filed state charges on Friday against three employees involved in a 2018 boat accident on a lake in the tourist town of Branson in which 17 people were killed.Kenneth McKee, the boat's captain, and managers Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell each face 17 counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for taking the World War Two-style duck boat out in stormy weather.Stone County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Selby and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced the charges…

The Mexican government’s decision to loosen its policy of keeping a fishing-free zone around a protected area in the Gulf of California region was a “setback” to keeping alive a near-extinct porpoise species, a conservation group said on Thursday.There are thought to be only between six and 20 vaquita porpoises left and the species is on the brink of extinction as more die each year in fishing nets than are being born, biologists say.Mexico had previously banned boats entering the species’ last sanctuary off the coast of Mexico, known as the “zero-tolerance zone”.

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed on Thursday to settle their dispute over Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline but said they agreed that Moscow must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce its neighbors."Good friends can disagree," Biden told reporters after two meetings with Merkel at the White House, adding that both leaders had asked their teams to look at practical measures they could take together if Russia's actions posed a…

South Korea is sending a medical team to the Middle East to tackle a coronavirus outbreak on one of its ships on anti-piracy patrol while at home, new daily infections are hovering around record levels with 1,600 reported on Thursday.South Korea was for months a coronavirus success story as it kept outbreaks under control with testing, tracing and social distancing but the Delta variant has been fueling a new wave of persistent infections in recent weeks.The outbreak on the South Korean destroyer with some 300 service members on board operating in the Gulf of Aden is another headache for the a

Oman's state-owned Asyad is considering buying ports and terminals abroad and could divest assets outside its core logistics business, such as a college and project management operation, its chief executive said on Thursday.The plans by the company, which is owned by the Oman Investment Authority, align with the small oil producing Gulf state's broader strategy to reduce reliance on crude revenues and expand its non-oil industries.Chief Executive Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi told…

Italy on Tuesday banned cruise liners from Venice lagoon to defend its ecosystem and heritage, moving to end years of hesitation and putting the demands of residents and culture bodies above those of the tourist industry.The government decided to act after the United Nations culture organization UNESCO threatened to put Italy on a blacklist for not banning liners from the World Heritage site, cabinet sources said.The ban will take effect from Aug. 1, barring ships weighing more than 25…

Top oil shipping companies say they have tightened operational guidelines and deployed technology to prevent accidental breaches of sanctions, as the countries hit by ever tougher restrictions fight back with elaborate strategies to dodge them.Washington has ramped up shipping-related sanctions over the last two years to make it harder for countries, such as Iran and Venezuela, to export the oil that provides their main source of revenue.In response, Iran and Venezuela have developed sophisticated methods to bypass sanctions…

Ukraine can be confident that Germany and the European Union will guarantee its status as a transit country for Russian gas even after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has opened, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.Merkel made the remarks during a news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy three days before she holds talks in Washington with U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration is against the almost completed pipeline."The European Union and Germany will see to it that this continues in the future beyond 2024," said Merkel.

The United States Federal Maritime Commission and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Monday agreed to boost cooperation and communication in their respective oversight and enforcement responsibilities of the ocean liner shipping industry.FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei and Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers signed the first-ever interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two agencies on Monday. The MOU comes in succession to the executive order…

Egypt's Suez Canal revenue rose to a record $5.84 billion in its 2020-21 financial year (July-June), up from $5.72 bln in the previous year, the Suez Canal Authority said on Sunday.The Authority also said the canal's revenues in the first six months of this year increased to about $3 billion compared with $2.76 billion in the same period last year, despite the grounding incident of container ship Ever Given in March.The Ever Given blocked the canal for six days in March and disrupted world trade.

Ciramar Shipyards and Fassmer Technical Projects ink a deal to Create Dominicana Caribbean ShipyardsCiramar Shipyards signed a strategic alliance with Fassmer Technical Projects that establishes the basis for cooperation in various areas, including design and construction of new ships and multipurpose vessels manufactured in the Dominican Republic. The scope of the deal also includes maintenance, manufacture and local marketing of mechanical products, including propellers, stabilization and steering systems…

Greece on Wednesday concluded a tender for the sale of Hellenic Shipyards SA, the country's biggest shipyard which has been under special administration, its finance minister said.The debt-laden shipyard, based in Skaramangas near Athens, offers maintenance services to the Greek navy and the sale has been part of Greek government drive to overhaul its loss-making Greek defense industry and boost the country's defense capabilities.

Subsea energy services firm Subsea 7 said Thursday it had agreed to merge its renewables business with OHT, and Oslo-listed heavy lift and transportation vessel owner which is building a fleet of offshore wind installation vessels, too.The combined company will be renamed Seaway 7 ASA and will initially retain OHT’s listing on Oslo’s Euronext Growth market, with a view to a future listing on the main board of Oslo Børs. Subsea 7 will own 72% and OHT’s shareholders 28% of Seaway 7 ASA.

Africa's largest annual maritime security conference kicked off in Ghana this week amid a sharp rise in piracy and armed robberies in the Gulf of Guinea over the last 12+ months.Hosted by the Ghanaian Navy and Air Force in Accra from July 6-8, the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC 2021) has brought together several West African Chiefs of Naval Staff and government leaders such as the Vice President of Ghana, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, alongside experts…

The owner of the Ever Given container ship said on Wednesday that the vessel would undergo a dive survey at Egypt's Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal, before proceeding to the next port where its cargo would be discharged."We regret the impact that the voyage delay has had on those with cargo stuck onboard but we can assure all cargo interests that throughout this matter, every effort has been made to minimize the delay and to secure the release of the vessel as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement.(Reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Aidan Lewis; Editing by Jon Bo

A settlement between the Suez Canal and the owner and insurers of the Ever Given container ship stipulates that neither party would make further demands, the head of the canal authority said on Wednesday.Osama Rabie told reporters that the agreement included the payment of a lump sum, without giving further details. He said the SCA would not change rules for passage of ships in bad weather, but that the Ever Given’s grounding had accelerated plans for the waterway’s expansion.(Reporting by Nadeen Ebrahim and Nadine Awadalla; Writing by Aidan Lewis)

The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, resumed its journey to leave the Suez Canal on Wednesday, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week and disrupting global trade.The Ever Given started to head north in the late morning across the Great Bitter Lake, which separates two sections of the canal and where it had been moored with its Indian crew since being refloated on March 29.It then joined the back of a northbound convoy…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated a large naval base on Saturday 135 km from the border with Libya, flanked by close ally Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Libya's unity president,Egypt says the July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it boosts its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.At the inauguration, two Mistral helicopter carriers…

Yara Marine Technologies acquired Lean Marine, a company, a company which provides automated fuel-saving, performance management, and reporting solutions, today installed on more than 200 vessels.In a release announcing the deal, it was touted that Lean Marine systems can help cut fuel consumption and CO2emission up to 25 percent. The FuelOpt system optimizes a vessel’s propulsion line in real-time based on the commands from the bridge, enabling automated control of vessel speed and fuel consumption, and avoiding fuel overconsumption.

An Egyptian court has lifted the detention order on the Ever Given container ship, allowing its expected release from the Suez Canal on Wednesday, a lawyer and judicial sources said.The Ever Given's owners and insurers announced on Sunday that they had reached a settlement with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) over compensation for the ship becoming grounded in March and blocking traffic in the waterway.The ship has been held under court order in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29 as the SCA pushed for compensation from its Japanese owner Shoei Kisen and

French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Monday an MSF vessel that rescued hundreds of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean last month has been detained in Italy, suggesting the seizure was politically motivated.Thousands of migrants embark each year on the crossing, often departing in small, inflatable boats from Libya with hopes of reaching Europe.So far this year, 866 migrant deaths have been recorded in the Mediterranean, according to the U.N. migration agency.

Havyard said its shipyard in Leirvik won a contract with Fjord1 for modification of the car ferry MF Lote, a ferry that will operate the route Skarberget–Bognes over the Tysfjord in Nordland county.The conversion contract is seen as strategically important by the shipyard, particularly as it nears completion of a large-scale newbuild program and shifts its focus towards the modification and repair market. In recent years, the yard has been working on building and delivering ferries, wellboats and SOV vessels.

The owners and insurers of the Ever Given container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March said on Sunday a formal settlement had been agreed in a compensation dispute, and the canal authority said the vessel would be allowed to sail on July 7.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has held the giant ship and its crew in a lake between two stretches of the waterway since it was dislodged on March 29, amid a dispute over a demand for compensation by the SCA.The Japanese-owned Ever Given had become stuck in high winds and remained wedged across the canal for six days…

Israeli defense officials were checking whether Iranian forces were behind a possible attack on a cargo ship under partial Israeli ownership on Saturday on its way from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates, Israel's N12 Television News reported.The crew was not hurt and the ship, possibly hit by a missile, was not badly damaged and continued on its journey after the incident, N12 said, citing unnamed sources within Israel's defense establishment. Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen had reported the incident earlier.N12 said the vessel…