Target News

In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reported a better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday, on the back of demand for aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and submarines amid high geopolitical tension.Demand for submarines and aircraft carriers is surging, fueled by China's expanding naval footprint and high global tensions, benefiting shipbuilding giants such as Huntington Ingalls.Huntington is the only major pure-play defense company that has outperformed S&P 500 index…

The U.S. Navy's Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) program launched the Southern California Talent Pipeline Program in Newport Beach, Calif., April 26. The program will engage hundreds of shipbuilding and ship sustainment suppliers across the region to create maritime-focused manufacturing pipelines that revitalize the defense workforce by addressing critical skill gaps."The strength of the talent pipeline is as vital as any capability of a submarine," said Program Executive Officer Undersea Warfare Systems Rear Adm. Todd Weeks and executive sponsor, Southern California Talent Pipeline Project.

The last plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has adopted a new law which aims to scale up industrial capacity for green technologies in Europe.European shipowners strongly welcome the inclusion of clean fuels for shipping, including advanced biofuels and e-fuels, in the list of net-zero technologies adopted under the Net-Zero Industry Act. The new law introduces a benchmark for the Commission and the EU Member States to match 40% of the deployment needs for clean fuels for shipping with production capacity.

Yemen's Houthis said they targeted the MSC Darwin ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, as the Iran-aligned group resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war.The Houthis also fired a number of ballistic and winged missiles at several targets in Israel's port city of Eilat, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Thursday.The Liberian-flagged MSC Darwin VI ship was in the area of the attack…

While construction productivity issues continue to present immediate challenges for the U.S. offshore wind industry, the long-term outlook remains strong for the nascent sector, according to a recent report from business intelligence and consulting firm Intelatus Global Partners. Intelatus' most recent monthly report on the U.S. offshore wind industry identifies a number of factors hindering offshore construction activities--from weather delays to the scheduling and availability of necessary vessels."Construction vessel productivity to date has been below expectation…

A coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from the Iranian-backed Houthi "terrorist-controlled areas" in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on Thursday.The ASBM was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 U.S. and four Greek crew members, USCENTCOM said in a statement."There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships," it added.Separately…

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Publications has launched the fifth edition of Shipping and the Environment: A Guide to Environmental Compliance.This latest edition offers comprehensive updates and expanded insights into the intricate relationship between shipping operations and environmental protection.The fifth edition is a definitive guide, providing a holistic introduction to companies and crew members navigating this complex subject matter. Recognising the need for accessibility…

As U.S. shale oil boomed last decade, an oil pipeline company pitched an ambitious multi-billion-dollar export port off the Texas coast to ship domestic crude to buyers in Europe and Asia.In April, Enterprise Products Partners' SPOT became the first project to receive a license from the U.S. maritime regulator for a deepwater port that could load two supertankers, each of which can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil at a time.But multi-year regulatory delays, a loss of commercial backers and slowing U.S.

British security firm Ambrey said on Friday merchant vessels transiting the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean were advised to stay alert in case of increased uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) activity in the region.Ambrey said it had received information that indicated an "Israeli military strike" was conducted on Isfahan, Iran.Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had seen similar reports but that there were no indications commercial maritime vessels…

ABS and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are to collaborate on clean energy development in the maritime domain and decarbonization of maritime operations after signing a new memorandum of understanding (MOU).The agreement between the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and ABS is designed to leverage experience and capabilities from both organizations to support emissions reduction initiatives that benefit the maritime industry.“This new agreement allows…

Merchant ships and seafarers are increasingly in peril at sea as attacks escalate in the Middle East and the United Nations must do more to protect supply chains, the industry said in a letter released on Friday.Tensions have soared across the Middle East since the start of Israel's campaign in Gaza in October, with Israel or its ally the United States clashing repeatedly with Iranian-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.In a letter sent on Thursday to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres…

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has launched a reduced emissions shipping service ONE LEAF+ which offers customers the opportunity to proactively manage their own emissions and minimize environmental impact across the value chain.ONE LEAF+ offers:• Reduced Carbon Footprint: ONE will deploy regulation-compliant alternative fuels on designated vessels, allowing customers to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions on their shipments with ONE.• Added Transparency: With ONE LEAF+, customers will…

Over the past year, H2 Energy and DFDS have worked together on a project to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting large ferries with a hydrogen propulsion system.The project, supported by the Danish Maritime Fund, has led to the publication of a hydrogen propulsion feasibility study.With support from the Danish Maritime Fund, DFDS, H2 Energy and Lloyds set out to uncover the technical and operational feasibility of hydrogen propulsion systems by analyzing the main aspects of…

Provaris Energy and Norwegian Hydrogen AS have announced a new agreement to jointly progress the identification and development of several sites in the Nordic region for the large-scale production and export of hydrogen to European markets.The projects will utilize locally available renewable energy to produce hydrogen for shipment to European ports. This will assist energy-intensive industries in making an impact on their decarbonization plans and target a scale and level of…

The IMO's Facilitation Committee held its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12, in person at IMO Headquarters in London.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) meets annually to deal with matters related to the facilitation of international maritime traffic, including the arrival, stay and departure of ships, persons and cargo from ports. The Committee also addresses electronic business and aims to ensure that the right balance is struck between regulation and the facilitation of international maritime trade.

Finnish shipping company Meriaura announced it has placed an order for two Ecotrader cargo ships from Dutch shipyard Royal Bodewes. The ships will be built in Hoogezand for scheduled delivery in January and December 2026.The ships are 105 meters long, 1A ice classed 6750 DWT vessels, designed to achieve the lowest possible emission levels, Meriaura said. Like the EcoCoaster vessels Eeva VG and Mirva VG delivered in 2016, the newbuilds will be capable of operating on biofuel made from recycled raw material produced by Meriaura’s subsidiary VG-Ecofuel.

Rapid technological change, complex regulation and competitive pressures are driving digital transformation in the shipping industry. But navigating a confusing software landscape can be difficult, and sound decision-making is essential to minimize innovation risk, according to OrbitMI.Industry spending has soared in recent years on intelligent process automation solutions geared to boosting efficiency, reducing costs, curbing emissions and improving safety for shipping companies…

Chinese automakers and shippers are ordering a record number of car-carrying vessels to support a boom in EV exports, data showed, putting China on course to amass the world's fourth-largest fleet by 2028.China currently has the world's eighth-largest fleet with 33 car-carrying ships, showed data from shipping consultancy Veson Nautical. Japan has the world's largest with 283 ships, followed by Norway's 102, South Korea's 72 and Isle of Man's 61.But Chinese companies have 47 ships on order, accounting for a quarter of all orders globally.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has acquired an approval in principle (AiP) from the Japanese classification society ClassNK for its ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS).The AiP has been issued for the AFSS developed for the X-DF-A, a large, low-speed two-stroke ammonia-fueled engine under development by WinGD, a Swiss designer and licensor of large marine engines.In June 2023 Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and WinGD concluded a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake joint technical studies on an AFSS…

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they targeted four vessels, including what they described as a U.S. warship, with drones and naval missiles in the Gulf of Aden, part of their stated campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.The Iran-aligned group attacked "MSC Darwin ship, MSC GINA, MV Yorktown" along with the U.S. destroyer, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had destroyed an inbound anti-ship…

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk recently named the world's second large methanol-enabled container vessel, Astrid Mærsk, during a ceremony in Yokohama, Japan.The ship is the second of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels, scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2025, as the company works toward its net-zero targets and supports customers in achieving their decarbonization goals.Vincent Clerc, CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk, said, "We are truly excited to welcome Astrid Mærsk to our new fleet capable of sailing on green methanol.

HMM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) on the supply of methanol and LNG at Shanghai Port.HMM has committed to achieving net-zero emissions target for the entire business by 2050.HMM is also working on eco supply chain networks at Singapore and Busan. HMM also signed new building contracts for nine 9,000TEU vessels powered by methanol, and plans to operate two 7,700TEU LNG-powered vessels by the end of this year.Since 2022, SIPG has provided bonded LNG bunkering services for many shipping companies worldwide.