Ship News

The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast last year was jailed for six years on Thursday for causing the death of a crew member through gross negligence.Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong when it hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, which was anchored and carrying just over 220,000 barrels of high-grade aviation fuel, on March 10, 2025.The collision started a blaze on both ships and caused the death of Philippines national and Solong crew member Mark Pernia…

Design and engineering consultancy Longitude has launched a compact “D-Flex” platform supply vessel (PSV) design, the second design in its IMT Isca series.The D-Flex design is an evolution of the IMT 984 (G-Class) design and a smaller, cost-efficient addition to the series for shipowners that seek long term economic value. The D-FlexThe D Flex is designed as a compact PSV tailored for offshore energy operations in Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa, with additional potential for deployment in the Southern North Sea.The DP Class 2 vessel is 74.7 meters long…

Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI), India’s largest shipbuilding and heavy fabrication company, won a defense export order from the Government of Sultanate of Oman to supply a state-of-the-art training ship. The vessel that will support the Royal Navy of Oman’s (RNO) advanced naval training and maritime operations, is expected to be delivered within 18 months.Measuring 104.25 x 13.88m and displacement of up to 3500T, the training vessel will be equipped with modern classrooms, training offices and accommodation facilities.

Maritime design and engineering consultancy Longitude has launched a new compact platform supply vessel (PSV) design D-Flex, aimed at improving cost efficiency for shipowners.The D-Flex PSV is the second design in Longitude’s IMT Isca series and is positioned as a smaller and more cost-efficient addition to the range. The design is an evolution of the operationally proven IMT 984, also known as the G-Class.The DP Class 2 vessel is designed for offshore energy operations in Asia, the Middle East and West Africa, with additional potential deployment in the southern North Sea.

MacGregor has been selected to supply a substantial 400-tonne Active Heave Compensated (AHC) subsea crane for a new 127-meter Floating Wind Farm Construction Vessel (FWCV).Purpose-built for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market, the new vessel is a significant development for the industry and requires one of the largest subsea AHC cranes ordered in recent years.The order is booked into MacGregor's first quarter 2026 order intake.The contract for MacGregor is with Chinese shipyard, Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry.

Seabourn Venture became the most southerly ship on the Antarctic Peninsula as she crossed the Antarctic Circle this week, reaching 70° South, the most southerly point in Seabourn and Carnival history.The vessel also achieved the first-ever Seabourn exploration of George VI Sound and toasted with Champagne on the ice at the most southerly point any Seabourn guest has ever reached.“Congratulations to Captain Simon Bishop and his team and Expedition Leader Luqui Bernacchi. This is a journey defined by exploration, milestones, and once-in-a-lifetime moments,” said Seabourn on social media.

Maybe it is a human trait, or maybe a Washington, D.C. trait, but when confronted with a difficult problem with unpalatable solutions, there is usually an impulse to delay the moment of difficult decision by ordering a study. The U.S. merchant marine industry is the poster child for this behavior. The industry has been studied and studied, and is currently being studied, but studies don’t build ships -- shipyards build ships.Going back to the Lynch Committee in 1870, the U.S. government has regularly produced studies on how to revive the U.S. merchant marine.

HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has successfully completed builder’s sea trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.Kennedy returned to NNS after testing important ship systems and components at sea for the first time.The sea trials brought together NNS shipbuilders, John F. Kennedy sailors and Navy personnel to execute the testing and demonstrate ship operations.CVN 79 continues the legacy of highly capable nuclear-powered aircraft carrier platforms.

The Port of Virginia is continuing to modernize and expand its operations and recently debuted additional capacity to safely handle simultaneous calls of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).In late January, the port put four new, all-electric, Suez-class ship-to-shore container cranes into service at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). With the expanded crane fleet at NIT, the port now has the capacity to accommodate four ULCVs at once. Today, the port has 29 ship-to-shore…

Zelim announced the appointment of Mike Collier as Sales Director, effective January 2026. He will lead the organization’s focus on key sectors globally including the cruise and defense industries.Mike joins Zelim from MARSS, where he led business development for the cruise and defense sectors. As part of his 20-year career, including over six years in the cruise sector at Carnival Corporation, Mike led the working group that developed ISO 21195 (man-overboard detection) which was formally published in 2020…

The European Commission is set to propose measures designed to ensure more vessels and other goods and services for the European Union's shipping sector are made in the bloc, according to a draft document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.The "Made in EU" proposals will be presented next week, a week before the EU executive announces a broader push to prioritise locally manufactured products, a plan that has split EU countries.For shipping, the draft document says the Commission will encourage public authorities buying ships or equipment to select suppliers based on non-price factors such as sustaina

Finnish marine power electronics specialist’s new Electronic Current Limiter (ECL) enables batteries to connect directly to DC systems while preserving ride-through and system stability.The Switch has expanded its portfolio of DC protection technologies with the ECL to address a growing challenge in modern hybrid and electric vessels: how faults in large battery systems can affect the rest of the ship. As batteries play a larger role in vessel propulsion, power generation and energy storage, a fault on the battery side is no longer a local issue.

Inmarsat Maritime, part of Viasat Communication Services, will install NexusWave across Auerbach’s fleet of newbuild heavy lift vessels to meet the German shipping company’s connectivity performance needs for its new generation of ships.Hamburg-based Auerbach has initiated a fleet renewal program in response to growing demand for its high-quality project cargo transport services and to anticipate evolving environmental regulations. Auerbach’s new ‘ECO’ multipurpose vessels, which are being delivered by China’s Taizhou Sanfu Shipyard, set new standards for cargo handling and fuel efficiency.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) and CIMAC have signed a two-year Coalition partnership agreement aimed at improving the maritime industry’s readiness for the deployment of alternative marine fuels.The partnership combines GCMD’s experience in executing pilots and trials across the maritime value chain with CIMAC’s technical expertise in ship propulsion, engine performance and fuel systems. Insights from GCMD’s operational trials will feed into CIMAC’s technical working groups to help inform the development of standards and guidance related to engine performance…

January 2026 joins the pages of history as being part of the ongoing misery for the global ship recycling world, but there were noteworthy surges to report this week, saysreports cash buyer GMS.“Across the board, for most of the major fundamentals, except sub-continent steel plate prices that have become the perennial party poopers of the recycling world of late, the momentum was definitely beyond noticeable,” says GMS. “The Baltic Exchange Dry Index, oil futures, and the U.S. Dollar collectively soared this week, creating ripples that would certainly be felt within the next four weeks.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has published its latest update to the WSC Dual-Fuel Fleet Dashboard, tracking the global liner shipping industry’s investment in new ships capable of running on renewable and lower-emission fuels.As of December 2025, the number of dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers on the water has reached 400, up from 218 in 2024.The number of dual-fuel ships on order has also continued to grow, reaching 726 vessels, despite a flurry of deliveries shifting from the orderbook onto the water.

The Panama Canal marked a significant milestone on Monday with the inaugural transit of the Neopanamax cruise ship, Disney Adventure, the largest passenger vessel by capacity and gross tonnage ever to transit the interoceanic waterway.The passage of the ship, 208,000 gross tons and with capacity for approximately 6,700 passengers, took place as part of her positioning voyage. The cruise ship measures 342 meters in length and 46.4 meters in beam.The Disney Adventure is one of five cruise ships completing their inaugural transits during the 2025–2026 cruise season…

The Russian captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off the east coast of Britain in March last year was found guilty in a London court on Monday of causing the death of a crew member through gross negligence.Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Solong when it hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, which was anchored and carrying just over 220,000 barrels of high-grade aviation fuel.The March 10 crash started a blaze on both ships and caused the death of Solong crew member Mark Pernia…

In December, Hydrex demonstrated their ability to mobilize anywhere in the world, carrying out a complex underwater propeller repair on a container vessel at anchorage off Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo.Following reports of a possible grounding incident, an underwater inspection revealed deformation to all six blades of the vessel’s fixed-pitch propeller. With no immediate access to drydock facilities in the region and schedule commitments to maintain, the company was contacted…

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 mariners on Saturday after their Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel caught fire approximately 500 miles north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.At 3:51 p.m. PST, Saturday, Rescue Coordination Center Alameda received a notification from the Garmin Search and Rescue Command Center of an SOS distress alert from the 240-foot fishing vessel La Pena.Using a crewmember’s satellite messaging device, Coast Guard watchstanders established communications with the crew and confirmed the vessel had caught fire and sank.

Northern Lights JV has awarded a charter agreement to a consortium of “K” Line and MISC Berhad initially for one new liquid CO₂ transport vessel. A second vessel will be awarded to the same consortium in April 2026. Further, two charter agreements have been awarded to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines for two new CO₂ transport vessels.The three first vessels awarded will each have a 12,000 m3 cargo capacity.The long-term time charter agreements are for cross-border transport of CO₂ from commercial customers in Europe.

Two tankers suspected of illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers were detained and more than 512 million ringgit ($129.9 million) worth of crude oil seized 24 nautical miles west of Muka Head, Penang last week, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said on Saturday.The agency did not specify the origin of the oil being transferred.The waters off Malaysia are known as a regular site for illegal ship-to-ship transfers, where oil is shifted between tankers at sea to obscure its origin.

The International Maritime Organization's Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) held its 12th session at IMO Headquarters in London, January 19-23, and was chaired by Mr. Erik Tvedt (Denmark). Outcomes are summarized below:KEY OUTCOMESDraft workplan agreed to develop a safety framework for selected GHG-reducing technologiesActions to reduce underwater radiated noise from shipsDraft guidelines on remote inspection techniques for ESP surveys agreedDraft revised Guidelines…