FBI Opens Criminal Probe Into Deadly Baltimore Bridge Collapse
The FBI said on Monday it opened a criminal probe into the collapse of a Baltimore bridge in March when a ship crashed into a bridge support, while local officials confirmed the recovery of a fourth body from the incident.FBI agents boarded the cargo ship Dali to conduct court-authorized law enforcement activity regarding the crash, an FBI spokesperson said. The spokesperson said there was no other public information available and the bureau will have no further comment.The body…
Complacency to Blame for Mississippi River Bridge Strike -NTSB
A towboat captain’s complacency led to barges striking the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge last year in the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.The SCF Towing-operated vessel Susan K was transiting with 25 barges downbound on the Mississippi River toward the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge on April 23, 2023. The captain intended to maneuver the tow through the western channel under the bridge, but was inattentive during the approach. The tow was out of position…
Two Dead in Migrant Rescues off Libya
More than 80 migrants were saved, but two died and three were missing following two sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity said on Sunday.MSF's vessel Geo Barents picked up over 60 people late on Saturday from a rubber dinghy in distress in international waters off Libya. It also recovered one body, and one of the migrants taken on board died shortly after the rescue.Another 19 people were picked up from a nearby abandoned Tunisian offshore oil platform, MSF said.
Russia's Arctic LNG 2 Last Line is on Hold
The third and the last train of the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia has been put on hold but the second train is likely to be installed, the head of stakeholder TotalEnergies' said.The liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Russian Arctic has faced challenges from U.S. sanctions imposed on the project last November over the conflict in Ukraine, and subsequent force majeures by shareholders.At the end of 2023 Arctic LNG 2 started tentative production at its first train, which is yet to deliver a first cargo.
Drone Attack: Russia Suspends Operations at Ust-Luga
Russian energy company Novatek said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.The giant Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is used to ship oil and gas products to international markets. It processes stable gas condensate - a type of light oil - into light and heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel to be shipped by sea.It was not clear how long the disruption would last…
Iran Confirms Seizure of Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute
Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.The seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas coincides with weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes."After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ...
India Providing Escort for Ships Around the Red Sea
India's defense ministry is providing protective escorts to Indian containerships in the high seas around the Red Sea as the security situation there continues to simmer, a government source said on Friday.Containers could face delays of 14 days in their turnaround time due to taking a longer sea route around Africa which is also causing higher transport and insurance costs, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added."The cost of freight & insurance has risen due to ships being compelled to avoid the region & take a longer route.
Bath Iron Works Gets $34 Million to Bolster Its Workforce
Bath Iron Works (BIW) will receive more than $34 million in federal funding for projects aimed at bolstering the Bath, Maine shipyard's workforce.U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R. - Maine), Vice Chairman of Senate Appropriations Committee and Defense Subcommittee, announced the funding has been approved by the U.S. Navy and included in the Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriations bill as part of a larger initiative to make improvements to the infrastructure of the U.S. shipyards that build the Navy’s destroyers.BIW…
Workboat Power: Alternatives Join Diesel to Power Current—and Future—Vessels
Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…
US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…
US Says Iran Helping to Plan, Execute Attacks on Ships in the Red Sea
The United States believes that Iran is involved in the planning and execution of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi group on Israel and ships in the Red Sea, a senior aide to U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday.The comments by deputy White House national security adviser Jon Finer are among the most explicit to date by a U.S. official alleging Iranian involvement in the Houthi attacks.Finer spoke hours after the United States imposed new sanctions aimed at throttling what U.S.
US Sanctions Maritime Companies, Vessels for Shipping Oil Above Russian Price Cap
The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on maritime companies and vessels for shipping Russian oil sold above the G7's price cap, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine.The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on three United Arab Emirates-based companies and three vessels owned by them in the action, accusing the vessels of engaging in the export of Russian crude oil priced above the $60 a barrel cap.
FOCUS-How Shipping More US Natural Gas to Europe Helped Fuel CO2 Pollution
Carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. liquefied natural gas facilities have jumped to 18 million tons per year, up 81% since 2019, adding a volume of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere equivalent to that produced by several big coal plants, according to United States government data.They could more than double to 45 million tons per year by the end of the decade as new facilities, encouraged by soaring overseas demand for the super-cooled fuel, come online, according to company projections provided to the U.S.
Australian Court Finds Carnival Misled About Cruise's COVID Risks in Landmark Luling
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…
Philippines Says Chinese Coastguard 'Intentionally' Collided with Its Boats
The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian U.S. ally and Beijing.Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats "bumped dangerously" with the coastguard vessels and "Chinese fishing vessels" fishing there.On Monday…
Strait of Hormuz: The World's Most Important Oil Artery
The Israel-Hamas war has raised the spectre of a wider regional conflict which could embroil Iran and other regional factions.Analysts and market observers say the conflict could prompt the United States to tighten sanctions on Iran, which may spur Tehran to take retaliatory action against ships in the Strait in Hormuz.The Marshall Islands registry, one of the world's top shipping flags, last week flagged that vessels with links to Israel or the United States may face a heightened threat of attack within Israeli territorial waters…
Finland Probing Russian, Chinese Ships Over Gas Pipeline Damage
Finnish investigators looking into damage to a Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline said on Tuesday they are probing several ships, including one Chinese and one Russia-owned, which were present in the Gulf of Finland at the time.“Investigation measures have been focused on several vessels, such as Newnew Polarbear and Sevmorput, but also on others which according to data have been in the area at the time of the damage,” Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation added in a statement.Related: Finland Can't Rule Out 'State Actor' Involvement in Pipeline Damage(Reuters - Reporting Anne Kauranen, writin
Israel's Ashkelon Port Shut Down
Israel's port of Ashkelon and its oil terminal have been shut in the wake of the conflict between Israel and Islamist group Hamas, shipping and trade sources said on Monday.The port is located just over 10 kilometers (sox miles) from the border with the Gaza Strip.
Freight Rates for Grain Exports via New Black Sea Route Fall Sharply, Ukraine Says
A new corridor allowing cargo vessels to carry Ukrainian grain and iron ore from Black Sea ports has significantly lowered freight rates and they are likely to fall further, Ukraine's farm minister said on Monday.Kyiv launched what it calls a temporary humanitarian corridor in August to allow agricultural exports as an alternative arrangement after Russia blocked the U.N.-backed Black Sea grain deal that had been in place for a year.Three more cargo ships left Ukrainian seaports on Sunday, while five new vessels came in for loading. "New vessels are coming.
U.S. Judge Orders Expansion of Gulf of Mexico Oil Lease Auction
A federal judge in Louisiana has ordered an expansion of next week's sale of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the Biden administration must include additional acreage, according to a court ruling issued late on Thursday.The oil and gas industry, which had sued the administration, welcomed the decision to restore 6 million acres to the auction after the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management earlier reduced the area available for lease in an effort to protect an endangered whale.U.S.
SECNAV Names Ship After Harriet Tubman
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced that a future John Lewis-class oiler, T-AO 205-class, will be named after American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman.SECNAV Del Toro made the announcement during an Emancipation Celebration at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Md. National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, who is also a U.S. Navy veteran, joined Secretary Del Toro for the announcement at the park.The future…
American Cruise Lines Hires Young as Business Development Director
American Cruise Lines on Wednesday announced Susan Shultz-Gelino, Vice President of Trade Relations, has retired after several decades with the company, and that Melissa Young has joined the company as Director of Business DevelopmentShultz-Gelino began her career in travel with American Cruise Lines in the 1980s. Among her many achievements, she established and led American’s sales department to record numbers through the company’s early years. Shultz-Gelino developed strong trade partnerships industry-wide and also established a growing team of Business Development Managers.
US Says it Disrupts Illicit Oil Shipment by Iran's IRGC
The U.S. on Friday divulged it disrupted in April a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, seizing more than 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil that violated U.S. sanctions.In April, Reuters reported that the U.S. confiscated cargo onboard tanker Suez Rajan, which was carrying Iranian oil at sea. The U.S. statement on Friday confirmed and fleshed out details of the story which cited sources.The "illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil" violated sanctions targeting Iran, the U.S.