Maritime Industry Top News
AI Technology Targets Enhanced Naval Escort Safety
To ensure safe passage, high-value assets such as Navy aircraft carriers require escorts when entering or exiting crowded harbors. The Perception Autonomy for Vessel Escorts (PAVE) system from Charles River Analytics automates the process to reduce the number of people required and increase the speed for each mission.The company has now won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract…
Marshall Islands Sets Record for QUALSHIP 21 Recognition
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry’s long-term and consistent commitment to high quality shipping continues to be recognized by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). For the 21st consecutive year, the RMI remains a qualifying jurisdiction. It is the only one of the world’s three largest registries to achieve QUALSHIP 21 for this year and the only registry in the world to achieve 21 consecutive years.“Our focus on compliance goes beyond statistics and requirements…
NYK President Says US Tariffs Will Slow Cargo Flows
Nippon Yusen (NYK), Japan's largest shipping line, is concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs could push up the cost of automobiles and daily goods, denting consumer demand and slowing cargo flows, its president said."The tariffs are not directly borne by consumers, but the burden ultimately falls on them, which in turn reduces the actual flow of goods. That's our biggest concern," President…
Low Water Hampers Rhine Shipping
Low water levels after recent dry weather are preventing cargo vessels from sailing fully loaded on the Rhine River in Germany with surcharges added to the usual freight rates, commodity traders said on Tuesday.Low water is hampering shipping on all of the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub, traders said.At Kaub, cargo vessels can only sail about 50% full.Shallow…
Baltic Index Down for Sixth Straight Session
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index, which monitors rates for vessels moving dry bulk commodities, fell for a sixth straight session on Tuesday, pressured by lower rates across all vessel segments.The main index .BADI, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels, was down 11 points at 1,587, its lowest since March 12.The capesize index .BACI fell 25 points to 2…
Venezuela's Oil Exports Fall After US Imposes More Tariffs
Venezuela's exports of crude oil and fuel fell 11.5% in March as Washington's imposition of secondary tariffs and the cancellation of key licenses to operate in the U.S.-sanctioned energy sector led to delays and cargo suspensions, according to ship tracking data and documents.U.S. President Donald Trump's administration last week announced a 25% tariff to buyers of Venezuelan crude and gas, which will begin this week…
Austal Benefiting from Trump Policies
U.S. President Donald Trump's policies that have rattled stocks around the world are benefiting Australian shipbuilder Austal, analysts said on Wednesday.Shares of the company, which supplies defence and commercial vessels to the Australian and U.S. navies among other clients, surged 35% in the three months ending March, clocking their best quarterly gains in nearly two years since June 2023.In contrast…
South Korea's Orderbook Tops $138 billion
Veson Nautical has used VesselsValue data to confirm that South Korea’s orderbook has now topped $138 billion.The LNG sector is the most valuable, worth $71.3 billion and accounting for around 52% of the total South Korean orderbook value. This sector also has the highest volume of orders with 276 vessels on order.Container ships rank second with a market value of $35.6 billion, equating to a share of about 26% and 184 vessels on order.
China Warns Taiwan, Calls President "Parasite"
China's military on Tuesday said it had begun joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence", calling Taiwan's President Lai Ching-Te a "parasite".More than 10 Chinese military ships have approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4 kilometre) contiguous zone, and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond…
ABS Signs Talent Development MoU in Singapore
ABS and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) signed an MoU at Singapore Maritime Week last week to advance innovations in applied research in maritime technology and enhance talent development within the global maritime and offshore industries.The collaboration advances applied research in vessel system design, including ship power simulations with hardware-in-the-loop, shore-to-ship charging…
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…
Steerprop Propulsion Chosen for Canadian OSV
A new field support vessel being built by Crist S.A. in Gdynia, Poland, to operate on the Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, will feature a full propulsion scope from Steerprop.Vessel operating conditions on the Grand Banks are extremely challenging due to heavy seas, fog and icebergs. This emphasizes the importance of the ship’s propulsion thrusters in maintaining dynamic…
Shell Completes Acquisition of Pavilion Energy
Shell Eastern Trading, a subsidiary of Shell plc, has completed the previously announced acquisition of 100% of the shares in Pavilion Energy.Pavilion Energy, headquartered in Singapore, operates a global LNG trading business with contracted supply volume of approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). The acquisition includes Pavilion Energy’s portfolio of LNG offtake and supply contracts, regasification…
MEPC 83 Set to Tackle Mid-Term Measures on Emissions
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) will meet for its 83rd session from April 7 to 11 April, and efforts to reduce GHG emissions from ships will be top on the agenda.Tackling climate change - Reduction of GHG emissions from shipsThe 2023 IMO GHG Strategy outlines a set of “mid-term measures” aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. These measures should…
First Dutch Navy Mine Countermeasure Vessel Starts Sea Trials
The Vlissingen, the second of the series of mine countermeasures vessels (MCM) of the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program, first intended for the Royal Netherlands Navy, has commenced sea trials.The specialized and cyber secured by design MCM vessels are the first to have the capability to embark and launch a combination of surface drones (themselves 12-metre, 19- tonne vessels), underwater drones and aerial drones.The mine countermeasures vessels will use a mainly autonomous system for detection…
Nine Ways to Improve Life at Sea
The Global Maritime Forum has launched the Sustainable Crewing Guidelines, nine recommendations to improve life at sea.The guidelines aim to boost working conditions and alleviate the forecasted shortfall of 90,000 trained seafarers by 2026 – a major risk to global supply chains and safety at sea.Co-developed by the Global Maritime Forum’s All Aboard Alliance with a consortium of 12 major shipping companies based on feedback from over 400 seafarers…
White House Could Bypass UN on Deep-Sea Mining
The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.If signed, the order would mark U.S. President Donald Trump's latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy after recent efforts in Greenland and Ukraine.
Caspian Pipeline Consortium Halts Operations at Two Mooring Points
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which exports Kazakhstan's and Russia's oil from the Black Sea, announced on Monday that it had halted operations at two of its terminal's three mooring points (SPMs).CPC pipeline, which ships about 1% of world oil supply and is a key route for Kazakhstan's oil exports, may lose some 50% of the capacity if operating just one SPM, according to traders' estimates.CPC…
William Hackett: New Digital Solutions
William Hackett, a global supplier of safety-critical lifting, rigging and chain solutions, is expanding its customer offering with new digital solutions.The UK-based manufacturer is adding RFID chips to its popular Hack8 and Hack10 chain sling assembly tags. These digital records provide a more durable and reliable method of accessing documentation, helping to improve industry safety.Using NFC technology, riggers and other users can benefit from quick access to key product information.
New Maritime AI Innovation Lab Targets Improved Ship Design and Operations
A consortium of Damen, TU Delft, SafeSystems, RH Marine, NHL Stenden University of Applied Science and MARIN kicked off the Maritime AI Innovation Lab. This new lab provides a unique and modular development environment for the entire maritime industry and aims to improve designs and operations of future ships.Its broad approach includes physical modeling and measurements on scale models, simulators and in actual operations.
