Reederei News

Alternative Marine Technologies has issued a RFP to three major U.S. Shipbuilding companies for a 2+2 series build of a 230 TEU Microcontainer Feeder. The project is based upon the Conoship CIP230TEU design currently operating in Europe. The design is complete through production drawings, 3D modeled and available with the availability of a virtual “walkthrough” of the vessel. Short sea operator Vega Reederei has joined the project team handling commercial operations. The vessels in Europe operate successfully with a 9-man crew, similar to U.S. ATB manning.

Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrated the start of the 2026 international shipping season Saturday with the arrival of the Ocean7 Ranger. The ocean vessel completed a 52-day voyage carrying equipment for facility improvements at U.S. Steel Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in North America.The 2026 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway to ocean vessels marked one of the shortest winter closures in history, totaling just 69 days from Jan. 12 until March 22.To commemorate the occasion…

On March 25, Damen Shipyards Group delivered the second of four Combi Freighters (CF) 3850 to Reederei Bernd Sibum following successful sea trials in Shanghai. The vessels are being constructed at Damen Yichang Shipyard in China. The first vessel, delivered at the beginning of February, is currently on its maiden voyage, bound for Norway with a project cargo.The new generation CF 3850 vessels are designed for high efficiency. In their standard form the vessels are able to sail on 100% biofuel and are prepared for hybrid propulsion.

Inmarsat Maritime, part of Viasat, has secured a contract with Vega Reederei to equip 10 new diesel-electric coaster vessels with its NexusWave bonded connectivity service.The agreement covers installation of NexusWave on the 89-meter, 3,800-deadweight-tonne short-sea general cargo ships, scheduled for delivery by July 2026. The deal also includes Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Fleet Secure Endpoint cyber-security solutions.The vessels feature an innovative hull and propeller design aimed at improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

In December of 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the award of two contracts to build up to six Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) icebreakers. The announcement declaring the vessels would be built between the United States and Finland in a major step forward for America’s national security in the Arctic region. The decision process encompassed more than the security of the Arctic passage. It announces a major shift in the U.S. Shipbuilding process. A second round of contracts were approved February 11…

On October 28, 2025 U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, convened the Senate hearing “Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding”. This hearing examined how to modernize and accelerate U.S. commercial shipbuilding while strengthening a larger maritime industrial base.Senator Sullivan opened with a statement that included: “Our nation faces a critical strategic challenge as foreign competitors…

On October 7, Damen Shipyards Group delivered its latest Combi Freighter (CF) 3850 to family owned German shipping company Reederei Gerdes. The delivery of the vessel, named Holger G, took place during a ceremony at the Bason Shipyard in Vietnam. The vessel is named Holger G. Damen’s CF 3850 represents the latest generation in the shipbuilder’s cargo vessel portfolio. The vessel design has been optimized for modern operations and features optimal efficiency and maximum cargo capacity.

Concordia Damen has received a new contract from Reederei Deymann, one of Germany’s largest inland shipping companies, for the extensive refit of a dry cargo vessel Hirschhorn. The vessel recently arrived at the Concordia Damen yard in Werkendam, where the transformation project has now started. The refit involves the complete renewal of the aft ship. Originally equipped with a single engine, single propeller shaft and an outdated living and wheelhouse arrangement, the vessel will undergo a transformation at Concordia Damen’s yard in Werkendam.

The Hamburg-based Vega-Reederei, a family-owned shipping company founded in 1919, has officially taken delivery of the first vessel of its new series of next-generation coasters: the 3,800 dwt MV VEGAPETRA.The ship was delivered on May 21 by Yahua Shipyard in China and marks the beginning of a steady monthly delivery program. Parallel vessels are currently under construction at HRDD Shipyard, also located in the greater Shanghai region.With nine vessels scheduled alone for delivery within the next nine months…

Damen Shipyards has delivered Germany’s first, all-electric catamaran (E-Kat) ferry to its operator AG Reederei Norden-Frisia.Capable of taking up to 150 passengers, the vessel will operate between Norddeich and Norderney on the East Frisian Wadden Sea.The 32-metre E-Kat has been designed to operate on a 30-minute route with 28 minutes allowed at each end to disembark and embark passengers.Built at Damen shipyards in Poland and the Netherlands, the vessel is driven by two propellers…

Damen Shipyards has launched a Combi Freighter (CF) 3850 at the Ba Son Shipyard in Vietnam, built for German shipping company Reederei M. Lauterjung.The CF 3850 is the first in a two-vessel order from Reederei M. Lauterjung. Following this order, Damen’s client has placed an order for a third CF 3850.The vessels are to be named MV Arion, MV Hestia and MV Neptune.Upon delivery, MV Arion and MV Hestia will enter into a long-term charter with Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions, a subsidiary of HGK Shipping.

SEAFAR, a Belgian technology and service provider for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping operations, has set up the first Remote Operations Center in Germany; a project completed in conjunction with HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann.The Remote Operations Center, opened on February 28, 2024, enables captains to navigate vessels on inland waterways from dry land, a development seen as central to stemming problems from the shortage of specialist workers. The partners are working with the public authorities to use the permits…

Unifeeder Group announced it has completed a long-term charter agreement for two additional methanol-capable container feeder vessels. This follows the agreement for two initial vessels announced in October 2023. The latest agreement is in partnership with German-based ship owning group Elbdeich Reederei and Norwegian shipowner MPC Container Ships (MPCC), who are responsible for one vessel each. The 1,250 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2026…

BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association, has elected Nikolaus H. Schües, CEO and owner of Reederei F. Laeisz as President at the organization's general meeting in Hong Kong on Thursday.Schües takes over as the 46th President of BIMCO and the first German national holding the position since 2011. He takes over from Sabrina Chao of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited, who has completed her two-year term.“I am honoured to be elected President of an organization…

Helmut Ponath, founder and long-time managing director of the German shipping company NBS Group, has taken full control of the company.Since 2000, the shareholders of the Buxtehude-based NSB Group have consisted of four owners: Conti NSB Holding, Gebab Holding, Norddeutsche Reederei Holding and Buxriver. In December 2021, the four shareholders signed the contract to transfer their all shares to Ponath's Buxriver."In doing so, they are handing over the company to the one that has always been most involved in the operation of the shipping company.

VesselsValue's head cargo analyst, Olivia Watkins, has compiled a list of the world's top ship owning nations ranked by total fleet value.ChinaChina has moved up from second in January to firs place this time, owning a total of $191 billion in assets.China owns the largest number of containerships and, consequently, the recent surge in rates and values has moved them up the ranks to top spot in terms of fleet value. The increase in rates has also prompted an ordering spree across the container sector, as owners’ confidence in the market exploded.

Sabrina Chao has been named the 45th president of international shipping association BIMCO, taking over from Şadan Kaptanoğlu, managing director of Kaptanoglu Shipping, who has completed her two-year term.Chao has been in the shipping industry since 2001 and joined the family business Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited in 2002. Chao held the position as chairman of the group from 2013 until August 2019 and from 2016, she served a two-year term as chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.

German shipping and logistics group Harren & Partner announced it has hired Nils Aden as managing director, effective May 1.Aden brings to the role more than two decades of know-how as a shipping industry executive in the industry, with experience from leadership positions in international ship management, transformation projects, M&A transactions and integration. In his previous assignments, he overlooked the merger of V.Ships and Norddeutsche Reederei H. Schuldt as Managing Director, led Zeaborn as CEO and transformed E.R. Schiffahrt as CEO into an international ship management player.

First dual-fuel retrofit now set to be first vessel globally to use SNG derived from renewable energy in furtherance of Maritime Energy Transition MAN Energy Solutions and Wessels Marine GmbH have announced a technical showcase whereby the 2017-retrofitted ‘Wes Amelie’, a 1,036-teu feeder container ship, will use liquefied SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) produced from renewable electrical energy as drop-in fuel. The companies are cooperating on the Wes Amelie project with Nauticor…

ROTTERDAM – Today in Rotterdam Wessels Marine and MAN Energy Systems announced an innovative project to convert the containership Wes Amelie to run on Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG).While SNG today is far to sparse and expensive to make it a near term commercial reality, this step forward is significant in that a ship outfitted with an MAN propulsion unit to run on LNG would need no modification to have it run on SNG, effectively making it ‘future proof’ while helping to dispel the…

Förde Reederei Seetouristik (Fast Reliable Seaways) or FRS, a German transportation company specialising in passenger ferry and freight transportation,  will introduce a faster and higher capacity vessel to the Melilla – Motril route.The ro-pax ferry Golden Bridge will start operations on the line next May, said a press note from FRS.This vessel, with an overall length of 186 metres and beam of up to 24 metres, can make the Melilla -Motril crossing in 5 hours, meaning a reduction by 2 hours on the current crossing time.The RoPax "Golden Bridge" that is being completely refurbished and adapted to the needs of the line, will be incorporated in May…

The Norwegian/Swedish shipping company, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics is the latest shipowner to join the Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 (CSA 2020), increasing the organisation’s membership to 35 shipowners operating a combined fleet of almost 2500 vessels.Roger Strevens, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, pictured, said: “The implementation of the IMO 2020 0.5% global sulphur cap is supported by the company, but it does represent a significant challenge for the shipping industry, not least from an anticipated hike in fuel costs and potential availability and quality problems.“To mitigate the risk and costs associated with these challenges, Wallenius Wilhelmsen will use low sulphur fuels on the majority of its fleet and scrubbers on the rest of its vessels.

Hapag-Lloyd pilot gas-conversion leads the way for emissions reduction and decarbonizationMAN Energy Solutions has signed a contract for the conversion of a 15,000 TEU container vessel to dual-fuel operation. The container vessel MV SAJIR is owned by Hapag-Lloyd, a leading liner shipping companies, and normally serves a route from Asia to northern Europe via the Suez canal. The pilot project will entail the conversion of an existing, HFO-burning MAN B&W 9S90ME-C engine to a dual-fuel MAN B&W ME-GI (-Gas Injection) prime mover capable of running on HFO and LNG.