Vessel Owners News

Building commercial ships in U.S. shipyards supports the maritime industry, which plays a vital role in national security. However, U.S. commercial shipbuilding has been in decline for decades. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has four financial assistance programs to help change that – U.S.-built vessels generally cost more than foreign-built ones.It's not clear if these programs are meeting the needs of the industry or national security, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). MARAD hasn't established measurable goals, such as the number of ships built because of a program.

Tugboat and towboat owners across the nation eye fuel efficiency and emission reduction technologies and techniques in advance of increasingly stringent regulations.he first half of 2025 has seen a great deal of attention on emissions from vessels, with an eye towards their continued reductions in the coming years. Mid-April saw the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s much anticipated Maritime Environment Protection Committee’s MEPC 83 meeting participants lay out plans for reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years…

Domestic U.S. shipping interests are closely monitoring a United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) proposal for import and export trades involving Chinese vessels. There is an ongoing Section 301 investigation prompted by domestic industry concerns about China’s industrial ambitions in sectors that are critical to U.S. economic and national security. The outsized role of China in international ocean shipping is greater than many would expect. China’s global tonnage of the shipbuilding market share grew from less than 5% in 1999 to over 50% in 2023.

Siemens Energy has had its hands on a number of groundbreaking ship design and construction projects globally, projects that highlight the possibilities and the challenges inherent in being a technology pioneer. Ed Schwarz, Head of Marine Solutions Sales for Siemens Energy in the US and Canada, give an insider’s view of some practical steps to take if electrification is on an organization’s fleet expansion agenda.Energy transition is everywhere you turn in maritime today, and electric solutions are an important and growing part of the mix…

Kongsberg Maritime has launched K-Sail, a new service that helps vessel owners choose and integrate wind-assist technology effectively.Wind-assist technology has rapidly gained popularity and variety over the past few years as ship owners seek ways to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The new K-Sail service helps owners navigate the complexities of adopting wind-assist technology by focusing on integration and collaborating with various technology partners.Kongsberg Maritime’s expertise in maritime technology integration is central to the K-Sail service.

Kongsberg Maritime announced the launch of its new Tunnel Thruster type TTH, the Harmonised series, setting new standards in performance and reliability with a compact, modular design that allows for flexible installation and optimal integration into a wide range of vessel types.Key innovations include:Compact thruster design for easier hull integration and reduced installation footprintModular design with one core module covering several propeller diametersHydrodynamically optimised…

The US Coast Guard has streamlined the process for foreign ships to be certificated under the American Registry by consolidating the process under a single program based on international standards.The move is not expected to impact safety, and it will reduce the pre-inspection plan review and the national equivalency process, avoid schedule delays, minimize modification costs for closing regulatory gaps, expedite the Ready Reserve Force recapitalization with foreign-built vessels.To assist vessel owners and operators…

The Coast Guard has identified a recurring safety concern involving fixed gas fire extinguishing systems on vessels. In multiple cases, safety pins were left in the service or maintenance position after system servicing by certified technicians, rendering the system incapable of activating during an emergency.Typically, there are two pins on the activation head of most fixed gas fire extinguishing systems.One is a safety pin, as mentioned above, which prevents inadvertent discharge during transpor tor maintenance and which must be removed for the system to properly function.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) issued a detailed notice on April 17, 2025, regarding actions and proposed actions in response to China's alleged targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance. The measures, USTR argues, will “disincentivize the use of Chinese shipping and Chinese-built ships, thereby providing leverage on China to change its acts, policies, and practices, and send a critically needed demand signal for U.S.-built ships.” Below, we break down the key elements of the notice and their potential impacts.

On April 17, the Trump administration shielded domestic exporters and vessel owners servicing the Great Lakes, the Caribbean and U.S. territories from port fees to be levied on China-built vessels.The Federal Register notice posted by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) was watered down from a February proposal for fees on China-built ship of up to $1.5 million per port call.Ocean shipping transports about 80% of global trade - from food and furniture to cement and coal. Industry executives feared virtually every cargo carrier could face steep, stacking fees that would make U.S.

Freight shipping costs on the Rhine river in Germany surged this week as water levels fell further, compelling vessels to sail less than half full, commodity traders said on Thursday.Freight deliveries were still taking place, with loads divided among more vessels, which increases costs for cargo owners. But rain is at last forecast for next week, which could raise river levels, they said.Prices for a tanker freighter sailing from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe rose to about 80 euros ($88.58) a tonne of cargo from 46 euros last week and 34 euros in late March…

Fossil fuel and agriculture industry executives on Wednesday criticized a plan by President Donald Trump's administration for big fees on China-linked ships entering U.S. ports, arguing at a hearing in Washington that the move would hobble their ability to export everything from coal to soybeans.The proposed fees on China-built vessels could top $3 million per U.S. port call.The administration says the fees would curb China's commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote a U.S.

A Trump administration proposal aimed at reviving the U.S. shipbuilding industry may backfire by imposing steep fees on China-linked vessels—penalties that industry leaders say would hurt American ship operators and ports rather than help them, industry executives said at U.S. Trade Representative hearings on Monday.At issue are proposed, stacking fees on China-built vessels that could top $3 million per U.S. port call. The Trump administration says the fees would curb China's growing commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote domestically built vessels. U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) published a final rule on January 17, 2025, addressing Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System (the “Final Rule”), which seeks to minimize cybersecurity-related transportation security incidents (“TSIs”) within the maritime transportation system (“MTS”) by establishing requirements to enhance the detection, response, and recovery from cybersecurity risks. Effective July 16, 2025, the Final Rule will apply to U.S.-flagged vessels, Outer Continental Shelf, and onshore facilities subject to the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (“MTSA”).

A captain and barge company managers not identifying the crane they were towing was too high to pass under the Mackinac Bridge near Mackinaw City, Michigan, led to the crane hitting the bridge, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.On May 7, 2023, the towing vessel Nickelena was transiting the Straits of Mackinac, while towing a deck barge transporting a crawler crane, when the crane boom struck the main span of the Mackinac Bridge. The contact bent the crane boom backwards…

On November 27, 2024, approximately 100 nautical miles off the coast of Virginia, a bulk carrier shipping a type of coal called “Bailey High Vol Coking Coal” experienced consecutive explosions in the two forward cargo holds. While still under investigation, the explosions are likely a result of the accumulation of methane gas that created an explosive atmosphere and resulted in significant damage to the two associated cargo holds. It was soon discovered that the other five cargo holds also had highly elevated levels of methane that were approaching the Lower Explosive Limit…

The Coast Guard recently investigated an engine room fire on board an inspected towing vessel which led to the discovery of issues with the  maintenance and installation of fire detection systems on board multiple towing vessels. During the investigation, several towing vessels were discovered to have defective heat detectors installed in their engine rooms. These detectors had been recalled by the manufacturer in 2019 for failure to activate within their listed temperature range.

Techano Oceanlift has secured a contract by Sefine Shipyard to deliver an offshore crane to a newbuild construction support vessel (CSV) that the Turkish shipyard is building for a strategic partnership between Agalas, Eidesvik and Reach Subsea.Techano Oceanlift, subsdidiary of Oslo-listed Nekkar, will supply a 150-tonnes capacity crane capable of performing subsea construction work and topside lifting operations. The company’s scope of work includes engineering, manufacturing…

Wind assisted ship propulsion (WASP) pioneer Blue Wasp Marine announced the launch of its latest software tool, Pelican Suite, which will enable vessel owners, operators and charterers to assess and optimize a range of WASP solutions.Pelican Suite hosts a collection of tools to assess the suitability of WASP solutions, both pre- and post-installation. It provides important insights such as the probability that a certain rudder angle or grid load is exceeded, or which routes are more favorable for wind assistance.

The US Coast Guard has published a final rule in the Federal Register to update cybersecurity requirements for U.S.-flagged vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and facilities subject to Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA).The rule addresses current and emerging cybersecurity threats in the marine transportation system by adding minimum cybersecurity requirements to help detect risks and respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents. These requirements include developing and maintaining a cybersecurity plan…

Kongsberg Maritime has developed a mooring capable solution for Offshore Construction Vessels (OSCVs), expanding the capabilities of construction vessels to make them suitable for pre-laying of mooring lines.By integrating a purpose designed anchor handling winch, shark jaws and stern rollers into the design of OSCVs at the newbuild stage, vessel owners can now equip their ships to perform a broader range of mooring operations, Kongsberg Maritime said.This advancement allows OSCVs to handle more tasks independently…

Onerous emissions rules are certainly no stranger to the maritime sector at large, arguably none more so than those that work and live in California. The U.S. West Coast state is a global shipping hub, with a coastline spanning more than 800 miles and 11 major ports. It also is known for its penchant for creating and enforcing maritime rules, rules that on occasion transcend the technological means to enact them. Enter Jennifer Carpenter, President and CEO of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national advocacy group for the tugboat, towboat and barge sectors.

President Donald Trump's plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding using massive fees on China-linked ship visits to American ports is causing U.S. coal inventories to swell and stoking uncertainty in the embattled agriculture market, as exporters struggle to find ships to send goods abroad.Trump is drafting an executive order that would rely on funding from a U.S. Trade Representative proposal to levy fines of up to $1.5 million on China-made ships or vessels from fleets that include ships made in China.Those potential port fees have limited the availability of ships needed to move agriculture…