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Thursday, July 17, 2025

Shipping News

17 Jul 2025

MOL Enters the [Maritime to] Space Race with Offshore Rocket Launch/Recovery Vessel

Image of Offshore Launch and Recovery Ship Business. Image courtesy MOL

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is moving toward commercializing an offshore rocket launch and recovery vessel through a partnership agreement with Innovative Space Carrier (ISC) and Tsuneishi Solutions TokyoBay Co. (formerly company name: Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd).This project originated from the MOL Group's new business proposal program, the 'MOL Incubation Bridge', designed to encourage employees to foster ideas for new businesses. The company has initiated a full-scale exploration…

15 Jul 2025

Amogy Bags $23M Investment for Ammonia-to-Power Expansion in Asia

(Credit: Amogy)

Amogy, a provider of ammonia-to-power solutions, has secured additional $23 million in venture financing, to accelerate the development of its maritime products and supporting its expansion into the Asian market.The round was co-led by Korea Development Bank (KDB) and KDB Silicon Valley, with participation from new investors BonAngels Venture Partners and Pathway Investment.With this increase, Amogy has now raised a total of nearly $300 million since its inception and reached a new high in the company valuation.After sailing the world’s first carbon-free…

14 Jul 2025

Liebherr to Equip dship’s Fleet with Eight Heavy-Lift Cranes

(Credit: Liebherr)

dship Carriers from Hamburg has selected Liebherr’s LS 250 heavy-duty cranes to equip at least four of the ships in its fleet.The LS 250 cranes are designed to comply with the requirements of the St. Lawrence Regulations. These regulations apply to ships navigating the St. Lawrence Seaway and connecting the Great Lakes in Canada with the Atlantic Ocean.Manufactured at Liebherr’s Rostock site at the German Baltic coast, the eight cranes will be delivered to a Chinese shipyard in 2026.

11 Jul 2025

Ships Seek to Avoid Red Sea Attacks With Messages That Claim No Connections to Israel

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia.The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.The…

10 Jul 2025

Houthi Leader: Shipping Goods Related to Israel Through the Region Isn't Permitted

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Yemeni Houthi militia leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday (July 10) that no company would be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through designated areas at sea.“It is not permissible for any company transporting goods for the Israeli enemy through the declared area of operations. Our position in this regard is firm," said al-Houthi in his weekly televised speech.The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled in recent days after Yemen's Houthis attacked and sank two ships…

10 Jul 2025

Six Crew Saved, 15 Remain Missing After Eternity C Cargo Ship Sinks in Red Sea

(Credit: Screenshot/Video by Yemeni Armed Forces)

Rescuers pulled six crew members alive from the Red Sea after Houthi militants attacked and sank a second ship this week, while the fate of another 15 was unknown after the Iran-aligned group said they held some of the seafarers.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault that maritime officials say killed four of the 25 people aboard the Eternity C before the rest abandoned the cargo ship. Eternity C went down Wednesday morning after attacks on two previous days, sources…

09 Jul 2025

Joint Statement on Red Sea Attacks From ICS, BIMCO, European Shipowners, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO

© ICS

In recent days, two ships have now been attacked in the Red Sea. One has sunk and the other has suffered extensive damage. These vessels have been attacked with callous disregard for the lives of innocent civilian seafarers and as an inevitable but terrible consequence, seafarers have been killed.We join with the IMO Secretary General in his denunciation of the attacks and we call on all stakeholders to uphold the safety and security of innocent civilian seafarers as they pass through this vital waterway, carrying the food, goods and energy the world’s economy relies upon.

09 Jul 2025

Greek Shipping Companies Increase Security Inspections After Recent Blasts

© Adobe Stock/moofushi

Greek shipping companies calling at Russian ports are boosting their vessels' defences after a series of mysterious blasts in recent months have damaged tankers linked to Moscow's oil trade according to six Greek shipping and security sources.The measures include underwater inspections by divers to check for foreign objects, two of the Greek sources familiar with the strategy said.Western countries have hit Russia with waves of sanctions over its war in Ukraine and the Group of Seven major powers has separately imposed a price cap of $60 a barrel on Moscow's oil exports…

09 Jul 2025

Turbulent First Half of 2025 Echoes Across Global Shipping, Veson Nautical Reports

© tawatchai1990 / Adobe Stock

New U.S. tariffs and escalating global trade tensions have reshaped vessel markets in the first half of 2025, curbing investment in some sectors while accelerating strategic orders in others, according to the Half-Year Market Report by Veson Nautical, a provider of maritime freight management solutions and data intelligence.The report states that U.S. trade policy changes hit vehicle carrier markets particularly hard, contributing to a 44% drop in charter rates for standard 6…

09 Jul 2025

Woodside Finds South Korean Partners to Advance LNG Value Chain

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Woodside Energy has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Glovis, establishing a strategic framework to collaborate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) project development, engineering services and shipping logistics.The MoU will see the parties focus on advancing execution capability and extending their reach into priority LNG markets.The combination of Woodside’s success in LNG development, Hyundai Engineering’s extensive engineering…

06 Jul 2025

Study: Ships Trigger Ocean Methane Emissions

Source: Chalmers University of Technology / Amanda Nylund

Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. The researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed 20 times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas."Our measurements show that ship passages trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere. This is caused by pressure changes and mixing of the water mass.

06 Jul 2025

Crew Rescued After Attack Near Yemen

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

The crew of a ship set on fire in an attack in the Red Sea on Sunday abandoned the vessel and were rescued as it took on water, a British maritime agency said, in an assault that private security firm Ambrey said resembles that of the Houthi militant group.The attack, off the southwest coast of Yemen, was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April.Maritime security sources said the vessel, which they identified as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas, had taken on water after being hit by sea drones.

03 Jul 2025

Susesea’s Bulk Carrier Fleet Gets Efficiency Boost from Chevron Cylinder Oils

Susesea's bulk carrier MV Bordo Mavi (Credit: Susesea)

Turkish shipowner Susesea has streamlined its vessels operation by upgraded the cylinder lubrication strategy across its fleet of six bulk carriers with Chevron’s Taro Ultra Advanced 40 (TUA 40).Working with Chevron Marine Lubricants and its regional distributor, Petrol Ofisi, Susesea has reduced cylinder oil feed rates by approximately 33%, delivering both technical and commercial benefits.The six Japanese- and Chinese-built vessels, each with an average deadweight of 64,000 tons…

02 Jul 2025

US Grain Shipments Surge 9% in face of Chinese Tariffs

Image courtesy BIMCO

“During the first half of 2025, US seaborne grain shipments increased 9% y/y, driven by stronger maize exports. While an increase in import tariffs led to a 57% y/y drop in volumes to China, the US has been able to find alternative markets for most of its cargoes,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.In March 2025, China introduced higher tariffs on US grain shipments, significantly reducing the competitiveness of US cargoes. As a result, the share of US grain cargoes destined for China plunged from 26% in the first half of 2024 to just 10% in 2025.

02 Jul 2025

Wärtsilä to Optimize Ops for Two Alpha Gas Carriers

(Credit: Alpha Gas)

Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a five-year lifecycle agreement with Greek liquefied natural gas (LNG) management company Alpha Gas for two of its LNG carriers.The agreement covers two LNG carriers which each have four Wärtsilä 34DF engines and is aimed at giving Alpha Gas increased operational insight, availability, and better maintenance cost predictability.The agreement with Wärtsilä will help Alpha Gas to optimize the operations and maintenance of the LNG carriers more…

02 Jul 2025

BHP Signs Charter Contracts with COSCO for Two Ammonia Dual-Fueled Vessels

(Credit: BHP)

Australia’s BHP Group has signed contracts with COSCO Shipping Bulk, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping, for the charter of two ammonia dual-fueled Newcastlemax bulk carriers.The new vessels to be built under the arrangement will be two of only a handful of vessels in the world capable of using ammonia as a marine fuel.The two vessels, expected to be delivered from 2028, will primarily transport iron ore from Western Australia to Northeast Asia.When run on lower or low to zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ammonia…

01 Jul 2025

Miros to Provide VTI Vessel Performance Tech for Shipping Firm

(Credit: Miros)

Ocean insights and maritime innovation Miros has signed a commercial shipping contract for its Vessel Technical Index (VTI) service, aimed at transforming vessel performance monitoring across the shipping sector.This is the third and newly signed agreement with a prominent yet undisclosed shipping company.The VTI is a new metric that can be used to evaluate a vessel’s technical performance in relation to a reference baseline, such as its newbuild condition, and is a new recommended…

30 Jun 2025

India Extends Import Curbs on Low-Ash Metallurgical Coke for Six Months

© Adobe Stock/123levit

The Indian government has extended import curbs on low-ash metallurgical coke, a steelmaking raw material, for six months starting July, a government order said on Monday, dealing a blow to steelmakers who oppose restrictions on overseas purchases.India, the world's second-largest crude steel producer, will set country-specific import quotas and cap purchases at 1.4 million metric tons from July 1 to December 31, the order said.Reuters in February reported that India could extend curbs on low-ash met coke imports to encourage local steel mills to use domestic suppliers.

23 Jun 2025

Tankers Hesitate and Adjust Course at Strait of Hormuz

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

At least two supertankers made U-turns near the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. military strikes on Iran, shiptracking data shows, as more than a week of violence in the region prompts vessels to speed, pause, or alter their journeys.Washington's decision to join Israel's attacks on Iran has stoked fears that Iran could retaliate by closing the strait between Iran and Oman through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows.That has spurred forecasts of oil surging to $100 a barrel.

24 Jun 2025

Crowley Expands International Shipping By Connecting U.S. Northeast and Central America

© Crowley

Crowley, a leader in logistics, marine and energy solutions, is expanding ocean shipping services with its first-ever route between the U.S. Northeast and Central America.Utilizing Crowley's new Avance Class vessels, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the five-day transit between the Port of Philadelphia’s Gloucester Marine Terminal and ports in Guatemala and Honduras enables timely deliveries of food, apparel, industrial products and consumer goods to and from the Central America Northern Zone, which also includes El Salvador and Nicaragua.

25 Jun 2025

BIMCO: Stable Demand Outlook For Container Shipping

© BIMCO

BIMCO forecasts a stable demand outlook for the container shipping sector, aligned with previous reports, despite recent uncertainties in US trade policies. "We expect the supply/demand balance to weaken only slightly in 2025 and 2026, as our ship demand growth forecast now excludes a return to normal Red Sea and Suez Canal routings,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, with significant trade policy changes and geopolitical tensions affecting market conditions.

23 Jun 2025

Sefine Shipyard’s New Floating Dock Welcomes Its First Vessel

© OKT Shipping Ltd.

In a major milestone for Turkey’s maritime industry, Sefine Shipyard, represented by OKT Shipping Ltd., has welcomed the first vessel into its new floating dock.This addition brings Sefine's total number of large docks to three, strengthening its capacity to handle complex, large-scale repair and conversion projects:Dock No.1 – A 240m x 42m graving dock designed for Post-Panamax vessels up to 90,000 DWTDock No.2 – A 282m x 47m Aframax-type floating dock suitable for vessels up to 120…

26 Jun 2025

Vessels Near Strait of Hormuz Broadcast Unusual Messages to Deter Attacks

© Robert - stock.adobe.com

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, according to maritime risk analytics firm Windward and ship tracking data on Thursday.The signals have been used since conflict broke out between Israel and Iran early this month, which led the U.S. to strike Iranian nuclear sites.U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after 12 days of war but the maritime threat remains elevated…