Ship Operator News

The crew of the Greek-operated cargo ship Eternity C, which sank in the Red Sea in July after being attacked by Yemen's Houthis, have been released, an official with the ship's operator and a maritime security source told Reuters on Wednesday.The crew of the Liberia-flagged Eternity C abandoned the ship before it sank following repeated strikes by the Iran-aligned militants with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades.Rescuers pulled crew members alive from the Red Sea and Houthis later said they were holding a group of the seafarers…

Chinese cruise operators are scrambling to avoid Japanese ports as Beijing and Tokyo engage in a diplomatic dispute, which is expected to spur demand for tourism in South Korea, according to sources and cruise schedules reviewed by Reuters.Tour and port agents said tensions, sparked by recent remarks from Japan's new prime minister, could cause Chinese tourists to be redirected to South Korea from Japan. Earlier this month, Sanae Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.Adora Magic City…

A gas tanker had just left its berth at the Port of Brisbane, Australia, when it lost propulsion for two minutes as two of its three electrical generators were not properly configured, an ATSB final report has confirmed.On March 15, 2025, the 100-metre, Liberian-flagged Gaschem Homer departed the BP Products berth in the Port of Brisbane, under the conduct of a harbour pilot.While it was being turned towards the port’s entrance, it experienced an electrical blackout, resulting in the total loss of all propulsion and steering control.Power was able to be restored after about two minutes…

A new series of six General Cargo vessels being built by Ferus Smit in the Netherlands for Irish ship operator Arklow Shipping will sport EST-Floattech's Octopus Lite battery system. EST-Floattech designed the system to fit the sailing profile of the vessels, a close collaboration with the yard and owner designed to provide both technology and efficiency gains.The new series of 11,000 DWT general cargo vessels represents another successful chapter in the ongoing collaboration between Ferus Smit and Arklow Shipping.The battery systems will support several onboard functions…

A Greek-operated bulk carrier, Magic Seas, sustained severe damage in a multi-pronged attack off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, believed to have been carried out by Houthi militants. All 19 crew members aboard were safely rescued and are expected to arrive in Djibouti later Monday, according to the ship’s operator, Stem Shipping.However, Magic Seas, a Liberian-flagged vessel transporting iron and fertilizers from China to Turkey, is now at risk of sinking, Stem Shipping representative Michael Bodouroglou said.

As shipping activity in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans increases with reductions in sea ice because of climate change, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is working to improve the safety of vessel operations and decrease the environmental impacts of shipping.In collaboration with Memorial University, the NRC through its Ocean program has created a computer modelling tool to aid in planning safe and efficient routes for Arctic voyages. And they have also developed a novel "sand box" environment to test the possible impacts of changes to shipping policies.Dr.

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…

Container ship operator CMA CGM is revising steering guidance across its fleet after ambiguous procedures contributed to one of its ships colliding with a navigational beacon in the Yarra River, Victoria, Australia, an ATSB investigation report notes.Departing the Port of Melbourne on 25 May 2023 under the conduct of a harbor pilot, container ship CMA CGM Puccini contacted the navigational beacon after swinging wide in a turn when its rudder began responding erratically to helm orders.The ship was slowed and returned towards the middle of the channel…

Norwegian ship operator within the open hatch segment G2 Ocean has selected StormGeo’s voyage optimization solution for its fleet of 120 vessels.The new agreement builds on the success of a long-term collaboration between the two maritime companies, further solidifying G2 Ocean’s confidence in StormGeo’s ability to support their goals of operational efficiency and decarbonization.G2 Ocean has selected StormGeo’s Voyage Optimization solution, which empowers both shoreside and onboard teams to plan and execute optimized…

G2 Ocean, a Norwegian ship operator within the open hatch segment, has selected Seaber.io's chartering and schedule optimization solution for its fleet.G2 Ocean aims to leverage Saber's AI-platform to optimize fleet planning, enhance operational efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.Seaber’s platform provides data-driven decision support for scheduling and chartering, helping commercial ship operators, industrial charterers, and commodity traders maximize fleet utilization and earnings. “We aim to digitalize our fleet planning process to increase efficiency in our organization.

Slime build-up is a costly drag on fuel efficiency for ocean-going cargo ships, leading to more emissions and, eventually, higher consumer prices. A recent study, however, suggests a new approach to managing this common problem.Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology developed a model for estimating the speed and extent of biofilm growth, which could enable ship operators to schedule hull cleaning at optimal intervals to save on fuel consumption.Cornelius Wittig, a PhD student in fluid mechanics at KTH…

Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast began a strike early on Tuesday, their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting the flow of about half the nation's ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs, and potentially stoke inflation.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union representing 45…

Samskip has joined the EU HyEkoTank project and its LNG-fueled vessel Kvitnos will be retrofitted with TECO 2030’s zero-emission technology.Samskip Kvitnos, built in 2015, is a cargo ship which operates in a fixed route on a weekly multipurpose service from Rotterdam, along the Norwegian west coast, to Hammerfest. The project also aims to facilitate long-term hydrogen fuel supply contracts due to the vessel’s fixed route.The HyEkoTank project is the world’s largest ongoing fuel cell retrofit project…

In earlier columns, I have discussed various approaches and issues with Hybrid Propulsion.I have now had the pleasure of a number of years of experience with the design, operation, upgrade, modification, and maintenance of ship (and car) hybrid propulsion systems and may be able to make a claim of gradually becoming a little less confused.It is still not easy, but at the same time, I am starting to see a few shortcuts that make it less likely that a beautiful vision of marine efficiency ends up being beached somewhere.In essence, they are variants of the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle.

Wärtsilä reports it has signed a long-term Guaranteed Asset Performance agreement with CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering Co Ltd (CDWE), a joint venture between CSBC Corporation and DEME Offshore. The agreement covers CDWE’s new 216 meters-long installation vessel, the Green Jade. Marco Kanaar, CEO of CDWE, owner of the Taiwan-designed and -built offshore heavy lift DP3 installation vessel Green Jade says: "High utilization of our Green Jade is of utmost importance to our business which is why we have selected the Wärtsilä thrusters and engines for its reputation for excellent quality and reliability.

Carnival Corp's Australian unit has been ordered to pay the medical expenses of a woman who contracted COVID-19, with a judge ruling that the cruise ship operator misled passengers about safety risks in a landmark class action ruling.The decision from Australia's Federal Court is the first class action win against a cruise ship operator in the world, according to Shine Lawyers, who represent about 1,000 Australian plaintiffs in the suit.Justice Angus Stewart found Carnival Australia…

Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian maritime equipment and technology specialist, announced a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions on the 121-meter passenger vessel MS Richard With, which is owned by Hurtigruten, a coastal ship operator and adventure travel company.The vessel finished an extensive refit last summer using Kongsberg Maritime engineering and technology and has now completed its first year back in service.Last year, Kongsberg Maritime partnered with Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships to hybrid technology, promising reduced emissions and quieter operations.

If you think the human element is the only cause of enclosed space deaths, think again.Enclosed space incidents are cited as the largest cause of on-duty fatalities in commercial shipping. The risks can’t simply be engineered out, but there’s a powerful coalition wanting action nonetheless.There’s a tendency to blame failure to follow procedures, they say. Investigations seldom focus on the practicality of those procedures or the influence of the operating environment and vessel design, they say.

A Unified Command has been established to continue response to the fire aboard Grimaldi cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio, which caught fire Wednesday night around 9:30 PM at the Port of Newark, an incident in which two firefighters died Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and Gallagher Marine Systems (as representative of the ship operator) have established a Unified Command in Port Newark, supported by a host of federal…

Ship operator United European Car Carriers (UECC) has bunkered sustainable biofuel for the first time in collaboration with GoodFuels and vessel owner NYK.GoodFuels delivered the B30 blend, 470 tonnes of VLSFO and sustainable biofuel, to time-chartered Emerald Leader in the port of Vlissingen in May. NYK, joint owner of UECC, is working closely with UECC to monitor the biofuel's performance.The use of sustainable biofuel on the Emerald Leader, which operates on UECC's North South Trade connecting the Eastern Mediterranean with Northern Europe…

A Liberian-flagged containership operated by MSC Shipmanagement Ltd (MSC) has been banned from Australian ports for 90 days over a long list of safety failures and deficiencies, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.AMSA said it issued a refusal of access direction notice to the MSC Kymea II following months of sub-standard performance from the ship’s operator, including critical maintenance issues.The agency's inspection of the vessel found 21 deficiencies in total, including a defective free fall lifeboat steering system, defective fire safety systems, dangerously-stored flammable materials, and multiple wasted or missing…

Three migrants rescued in Spain's Canary Islands, after apparently enduring an 11-day journey from Nigeria crouched on the rudder of a fuel tanker, should now be returned home under stowaway laws, a police spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday. In a photograph distributed on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown crouching on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II.The 183-metre ship, sailing under a Maltese flag, arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria after setting out from Lagos in Nigeria on Nov.

The technology group Wärtsilä and Danish ship operator A.P. Moller - Maersk have provided a means for preventing corrosion in scrubber discharge pipes. The permanent in-pipe solution is designed to solve corrosion problems associated with open-loop scrubber washwater discharge.The majority of the estimated 5,000 scrubber systems installed across the global fleet are of open-loop configuration. With this system, seawater is used to scrub SOx from the exhaust gas, with the used water then being discharged back to the sea after cleaning.Under IMO Guidelines…