Navantia, Thales to Upgrade Royal Thai Navy Fleet
Navantia and Thales have signed a partnership agreement to support the modernization of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), including the supply of three Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems for two Pattani-class offshore patrol vessels and the HTMS Chang landing platform dock.The upgrade work will be carried out by Navantia and marks the first cooperation between the Spanish shipbuilder and Thales in Thailand. The IFF equipment will integrate with existing surveillance radars and…
Orders for Less Polluting Ships Hold Share
Cleaner-fuel burning ships accounted for 37% of cargo vessel orders in the first 10 months of 2025, unchanged from the year-ago period, as buyers were uncertain about when global rules for cutting maritime emissions will take effect, data from shipping consultancy AXSMarine showed.Overall gross tonnage (GT), an industry measure for vessel capacity, totaled 78 million from January through October, down from 113 million from the year-ago period, AXSMarine data showed.Orders for all of 2024 surged to a 17-year high after ships were rerouted to avoid Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea…
HD KSOE Gets DNV’s Blessing for Nuclear-Powered Container Ship Design
Classification society DNV has awarded HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a new 15,000 TEU container vessel design powered by Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.The design demonstrates the application of SMR technology in a 15,000 TEU container vessel, capable of operating at 24 knots.The vessel concept incorporates a supercritical CO2-based power generation system, which can provide higher thermal efficiency and a reduced…
US Delays Rule on Gulf of Mexico Whale Protection
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will delay by two years a final rule designating protections for the endangered Rice's whale in the oil and gas drilling region of the Gulf of Mexico, according to an agreement with environmental groups filed in a federal court.The U.S. Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service agreed with green group Natural Resources Defense Council to finalize by July 15, 2027 the geographic area deemed critical for the Rice's whale survival. The previous deadline had been Tuesday, July 15, of this year.The agreement filed in the U.S.
Scientists Replicate Prehistoric Seafaring with Primitive Canoe
Humans arose in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago and later trekked worldwide, eventually reaching some of Earth's most remote places. In doing so, they surmounted geographic barriers including treacherous ocean expanses. But how did they do that with only rudimentary technology available to them?Scientists now have undertaken an experimental voyage across a stretch of the East China Sea, paddling from Ushibi in eastern Taiwan to Japan's Yonaguni Island in a dugout canoe to demonstrate how such a trip may have been accomplished some 30…
Israeli Forces Board Aid Boat Bound for Gaza
Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday.The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.However…
Shell Condemns Australia's LNG Plans
Shell warned on Tuesday that a proposal in Australia to force more export gas into the domestic market could end up deterring investment and exacerbating shortages.Ahead of Australia's May 3 general election, energy has emerged as a major campaign issue with the conservative Liberal-National coalition pledging to bring down power bills and prevent a looming shortage on the east coast through a gas reservation scheme.However, Shell Australia Chair Cecile Wake said export controls…
Avikus Joins Consortium Working on Autonomous Navigation Standards
Autonomous navigation solution provider Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai, has joined the newly established MIT Maritime Consortium.Launched at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on March 18, 2025, the consortium brings together prominent maritime organizations to drive innovation and set international standards in autonomous navigation and maritime decarbonization.Avikus brings to the consortium its HiNAS Control system, an AI-based autonomous navigation solution.Founding members of the consortium include HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE)…
US Fossil Fuel, Farm Groups Rail Against Trump Port Fee Plan
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.
Tokyo Gas Enters LNG Market in Philippines
Tokyo Gas said on Wednesday it had made its first foray into a commercially operational terminal for liquefied natural gas outside Japan by acquiring a 20% stake in Philippines' FGEN LNG, a unit of First Gen Corp.Financial terms of the deal for the stake in FGEN LNG, which owns and operates an offshore floating LNG terminal in Batangas City, were not disclosed.(Reuters - Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
Baker Hughes, Hanwha Ocean Partner Up on Ammonia Gas Turbines for Ships
Hanwha Power Systems and Hanwha Ocean have signed a joint development and collaboration agreement with Baker Hughes to design and produce low carbon ammonia gas turbines, to contribute towards reaching the goal of completely carbon-free operation of ships.Hanwha Group plans to complete the development of liquefied natural gas carriers and container ships using the ammonia gas turbine propulsion system by 2028.The ammonia gas turbine to be developed through this collaboration will be based upon the proven…
US: China Unfairly Dominates Shipbuilding
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has concluded that China uses unfair policies and practices to dominate the global maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, three sources familiar with the results of a months-long trade investigation told Reuters.U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai launched the probe in April 2024 at the request of the United Steelworkers and four other U.S. unions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the U.S. to penalize foreign countries that engage in acts that are "unjustifiable" or "unreasonable," or burden U.S.
PSA Singapore, Evergreen Marine ink Box Terminal Ops JV
PSA Singapore (PSA) and Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC) have established a joint venture in Singapore, aiming to enhance operational excellence and achieve greater synergies in container operations.The joint venture terminal is expected to commence operations by the end of 2024. This strategic partnership will offer long-term terminal capacity assurance to EMC’s fast expanding global vessel fleet in PSA Singapore.PSA and EMC will continue to deepen their collaboration to enhance operational efficiency, drive digital innovation, and advance sustainability efforts.
Amazon, IKEA Push for Green Fuels
Amazon.com and IKEA, in alliance with about three dozen other companies that depend on ocean freight, will invite shipping firms for the first time to bid on a contract in January to move their cargo on vessels powered by near-zero emissions e-fuels like e-methanol.The group known as the Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance wants to use the combined clout of its members, who have their own climate goals to meet, to create demand for e-fuels made with renewable electricity and carbon dioxide.
Maersk Inks Methanol Supply Deal with LONGi for its Dual-Fuel Container Ships
Danish shipping group A.P. Moller - Maersk has entered into a long-term bio-methanol offtake agreement with LONGi Green Energy Technology for its dual-fuel methanol vessels.The agreement will contribute to lowering GHG emissions from Maersk’s growing fleet of dual-fuel methanol container vessels. LONGi will deliver bio-methanol produced at a facility in Xu Chang, Central China.With the addition of the LONGi volumes, Maersk is making progress in securing enough methanol for its owned dual-fuel methanol fleet of which seven vessels are already in operation.
Panama Canal Defies Drought: Net Income Surges to $3.45 Billion
The Panama Canal's profit increased about 9.5% in the fiscal year ended in September to $3.45 billion despite a severe drought that reduced the number of vessels that passed through the waterway, its authority said on Friday.Adverse weather conditions that reduced water available for the canal to operate forced the authority to cut the number of ships authorized to pass per day between late 2023 and early 2024, while limiting their maximum draft allowed.The restrictions, which caused long delays for some vessels to pass and forced others to seek alternative routes…
Some Vineyard Wind Blades to be Removed After Quality Checks
GE Vernova will remove some turbine blades installed at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts following quality checks prompted by the failure of a blade in July, the company said on Wednesday.Progress on the still-unfinished project is being closely watched since it was barred from producing power or completing construction after a turbine blade broke and sent debris into the water that washed up on nearby beaches during the peak summer tourist season.The blade saga has been a blow to the nation's budding offshore wind industry…
Large Fire Extinguished at Venezuela Oil Terminal
A huge fire that erupted early on Tuesday at an oil tank in Venezuela's La Salina terminal operated by state company PDVSA was extinguished on Wednesday, authorities said.The fire broke out during a storm at the facility used by the state oil company near Venezuela's western city of Cabimas to store and ship crude between domestic ports.Large balls of fire left a plume of black smoke and released hot steam, leaving a total of 24 employees and neighbors with minor injuries. Two explosions and the hot temperatures affected the tank's structure…
East Coast Dockworkers Strike Halts Half of US Ocean Shipping
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…
Japanese First as Destroyer Sails Taiwan Strait
Japan's Self Defense Force patrolled the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time in an attempt to send a message to China, the Yomiuri newspaper, reported citing multiple government sources.SDF destroyer Sazanami entered the waters from the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, spending more than 10 hours sailing southward to complete the passage, the Japanese newspaper reported on Thursday.The passage was conducted in concert with naval ships from Australia and New Zealand…
HD KSOE Gains DNV Approval for LH2 Carrier Concept with Electric Propulsion
DNV has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its cutting-edge electric propulsion liquefied hydrogen (LH₂) carrier design, which has the potential to store and transport up to 80,000 cubic meters of LH₂. The approval is a key achievement in a collaborative effort involving major industry players: HD KSOE, Woodside Energy, Hyundai Glovis, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). Together, these companies are working to create…
Trump's Tariff Increase Would Dramatically Raise Shipping Costs, Experts Say
U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump's plan to hike tariffs on imports if he is elected back to the White House in November would send cargo rates soaring and accelerate inflation, just like it did during his 2017-21 term, shipping and retail experts said.Trump, who is running against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, has floated second-term plans for blanket tariffs of 10% to 20% on virtually all imports as well as tariffs of 60% or more on goods from China, in a bid to boost U.S.
Amogy and Partners to Develop Offshore Ammonia Cracking Solution
Ammonia-to-power solutions company Amogy announced it is teaming up with a group of industry partners to explore the technological feasibility of an innovative offshore ammonia cracking solution aimed at delivering low-cost, accessible clean hydrogen fuel.The consortium will focus on developing an Offshore Ammonia Cracking Solution technology. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) will design the ammonia supply system and integrate it into the overall system, Amogy will provide its ammonia-cracking technology…