Maritime Industry Top News
Rhine River: Rising Levels Allow For Increased Shipping Capacity
Rain in past few days has raised Rhine river water levels in Germany, with vessels able to carry more cargo although most are still sailing around half full, commodity traders said on Thursday."Large volumes of rain have fallen in the Rhine region in past days and there has been an improvement in the low water problem," one trader said. "More rain is forecast and if it actually arrives, the parts of the Rhine could see a significant recovery next week…
Petronas' Bintulu LNG Complex: Production Issues
Petronas' Bintulu liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Malaysia is experiencing production issues, two industry sources said on Thursday, though offtakers say supply is not expected to be affected.One of the sources added that the production problems were due to an issue with the boiler in the complex.Petronas did not respond to a request for comment.The Bintulu complex in the Sarawak state on Borneo island is Petronas' flagship LNG facility, with an annual production capacity of 29.3 million
Noatum Maritime, ASRY Mark Commencement of JV with Tugboat Delivery
Noatum Maritime and The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) marked the operational commencement of their joint venture (JV) to provide integrated marine services in Bahrain, with the arrival of four modern tugs at ASRY’s headquarters.The arrival of the tugs, part of Noatum Maritime’s existing fleet, was celebrated during a ceremony attended by representatives from various ministries, public…
Saipem Renews Offshore Activities Agreement With Saudi Aramco
Saipem has signed a renewal for its framework agreement with Saudi Aramco. The Long-Term Agreement (LTA) now extends until the end of 2027.With the renewal of the LTA, Saipem is reconfirmed in the exclusive list of contractors selected by Saudi Aramco who are eligible to bid for work orders, known as CRPOs (Contract Release Purchase Orders). These contracts may relate to both the construction of new…
Fugro, Damen Support the Royal Netherlands Navy With Surveillance Vessel and Crew
Fugro and Damen have teamed up to provide the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) with a surveillance vessel and operating crew. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has contracted this new partnership to enhance its marine security and surveillance capabilities. The RNLN will deploy the surveillance vessel to conduct security operations within the Netherlands’ North Sea exclusive economic zone (EEZ), both above and below the water.
Equinor: Statement on Halting Empire Wind Project
In accordance with a halt work order issued by the US government, Empire Offshore Wind LLC (Empire) will safely halt the offshore construction in waters of the outer continental shelf for the Empire Wind project.On 16 April, Empire received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), ordering Empire to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review.Empire…
MEYER WERFT Contracts ALMACO for NYK Cruises Newbuild Project
In September 2022, ALMACO signed an agreement with MEYER WERFT to provide the newbuild S721 of Japanese NYK Cruises with ALMACO’s Provision Cooling Plant. The scope of work includes the supply and commissioning of chiller units and air coolers. The vessel will be the second luxury cruise ship of NYK Cruises and serve the Japanese cruise market.The vessel will carry 744 passengers and 470 crew members. It will be 228.86 meters long and 29.8 meters wide with a tonnage of 51,950 GT.
Arc Expands Into the Commercial Sector With Electric Tugboat Retrofit
Arc Boat Company announced its entrance into the commercial sector. In partnership with a West Coast shipyard, Diversified Marine, Inc., Arc will retrofit a 26 ft…
Charting Key Regulatory Change Across Maritime Law in 2025 and Beyond
A tidal wave of new regulations is set to hit the global maritime sector this year, representing fresh, highly-complex compliance challenges. From environmental performance to evolving security and safety standards, the shipping industry faces a raft of new rules intended to ensure safe operations and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this article, Stamatis Fradelos, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the American Bureau of Shipping…
Maritime’s Search for the Holy Grail of Alternative Energy
The maritime industry has worked with a single fuel source for over a century and with the rush to meet emission standards in both domestic and foreign markets, adapting to the current list of alternative fuels is going to present significant problems. Each market has its issues whether bluewater, brownwater, coastal, foreign or domestic.Chose any of the larger global shipbuilding yards and the basic…
Salvage Awards: How to Do the Right Thing and Still Get It Wrong
Tony Siciliano provides a bunch of his friends and I with an invaluable service by sending us daily emails with copies of articles that may be interest to us. This includes an occasional maritime court or regulatory decision. I tend to ignore the court decisions, but a decision with this title piqued my interest: Admiralty Court determines salvage remunerationSD Rebel BV & another -v- Elise Tankschiffahrt…
New York Governor to Fight US Federal Decision to Halt Empire Wind Project
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said she would fight the federal decision to halt all construction for the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project made by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI).The U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to construction on Equinor's Empire Wind project off the coast of New York, citing inadequate environmental analysis conducted by the Biden Information.Empire…
Saronic buys Gulf Craft Shipyard to Fast-Track Autonomous Shipbuilding
Saronic accelerates its growth into autonomous shipbuilding with the acquisition of Gulf Craft, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder with a 60-year history of developing manned and unmanned ships for defense and commercial customers.Through this acquisition, Saronic gains a strategically located shipyard on the Gulf Coast that will serve as the prototyping and production hub for its medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) fleet — starting with Marauder…
Op/Ed: Public Opinion on Nuclear Power has Deep Roots
Australia does not have nuclear power stations, and it does not have nuclear weapons.I remember having lessons and debates on it in high school, many years ago. My favorite science teacher was dead against either use of nuclear technology.One of the most interesting arguments I remember hearing was that the technology developments that make nuclear power more efficient would also help make nuclear bombs more efficient.Fiji is much the same as Australia…
Maritime Charities Launch Neurodivergent Seafarers Support Program
As part of ongoing efforts to foster greater equity, diversity and inclusion within the maritime space, NeurodiversAtSea, the Seafarers Hospital Society and The Seafarers’ Charity have launched an industry-first project to provide tailored support to neurodivergent seafarers.The project builds upon research conducted by NeurodiversAtSea which identified a lack of industry support for neurodivergent seafarers…
US Coast Guard Retires Homeport IT System
The US Coast Guard has retired Homeport as of April 12, 2025. Moving forward, there will be approaches for tasks typically performed through the Homeport platform.The Homeport system is facing increasing costs and system obsolescence. As a result, it is no longer a viable tool for managing the many functions required to ensure the smooth and safe flow of vessel traffic. “We recognize that Homeport has been a trusted tool for mariners and the broader maritime community,” said Rear Adm.
Coast Guard Cutter Mustang Decommissioned
The US Coast Guard decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Mustang (WPB 1310) after nearly 40 years of service.Commissioned on August 29, 1986, Mustang was the 10th Island-Class cutter to join the fleet.Mustang has been stationed in Seward since it was commissioned, and its crews have since responded to over 200 search-and-rescue cases and completed over 2000 law enforcement sorties.Mustang is a 110-foot…
World’s Largest LCO2 Carrier Launched
HD Hyundai Mipo has launched a 22,000cbm liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier under construction for Capital Clean Energy Carriers.The 160-meter vessel is currently the world’s largest LCO2 carrier. The vessels bi-lobe storage tanks maintain the CO2 at five times atmospheric pressure and -55 degrees Celcius. It is also capable of carrying LPG and ammonia.The vessel is being built to Ice Class 1C standard and…
Explainable AI for Autonomous Ship Navigation Aims to Increase Trust
The Titanic sunk 113 years ago on April 14-15 after hitting an iceberg, with human error likely causing the ship to stray into dangerous waters. Today, autonomous systems built on artificial intelligence (AI) could help ships avoid such accidents, but could such a system explain to the captain why it was maneuvering a certain way?That’s the idea behind explainable AI which should help human actors…
Carboline Appoints New Vice President of Global Research
Carboline has announced that Dr. Ali Shah has joined the company as Vice President of Global Research, Development, and Innovation.Shah brings over 22 years of product innovation experience, having held leadership positions with renowned global chemical companies, including Dow, Eastman, PPG and Lubrizol. His extensive expertise reflects Carboline’s ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions to the market.“Carboline has a strong legacy of leading with technology and innovation…
