Philly Shipyard and HD Hyundai Sign MOU for Cooperation on US Shipbuilding

Red Sea Diversions are Overloading Mediterranean Transshipment Ports

Published Apr 23, 2024 8:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

Europe’s transship ports serving the Mediterranean have become the latest to feel the repercussions of the diversions from the Red Sea with many of the ports warning of crowing and lack of capacity as well as longer them normal wait times. In a new report by the Financial Times, they cite overflowing storage yards and severe port congestion which they warn is the latest threat to supply chains. Experts had previously predicted that the popular transshipment ports...

Sweden Thinks Russian "Shadow Fleet" Tankers May be Used for Espionage

Published Apr 23, 2024 6:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Swedish Navy's top officer believes that Russia may be using some of its "shadow fleet" tankers to spy on its neighbors in the Baltic Sea. If true, it would be an expansion of Russia's decades-old tradition of placing military surveillance equipment on fishing trawlers. In the mid-1960s, these over-equipped ships were so common that the U.S. gave them a name: "Auxiliary General Intelligence" vessels (AGIs). According to Rear Adm. Ewa Skoog Haslum, some of the less reputable Russia-linked...

Canada to Investigate Disruptive 2023 West Coast Longshore Strike

Published Apr 23, 2024 6:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

Canada’s Federal Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan Jr., announced the appointment of an Industrial Inquiry Commission to study the devastating labor strike that paralyzed West Coast ports for nearly two weeks and had ramifications across Canada for weeks. Since the strike, Canadian business groups have continued to lobby for changes to federal labor policies to prevent similar strikes. Longshore workers at Canada’s West Coast ports went on strike in July 2023 which critically impacted cargo and bulk operations at...

Four Crewmembers Missing After Chinese Vessel Hits Bridge and Sinks

Published Apr 23, 2024 6:09 PM by The Maritime Executive

Chinese officials report a massive search is underway for four missing crewmembers after a vessel hit a bridge crossing the Xijian river and sunk. Seven of the 11 crew aboard the vessel were rescued overnight in a situation that was very similar to another accident on the river in 2007 that killed at least nine people. The unidentified vessel was transporting 4,900 tonnes of rolled steel on the river traveling between Fuzhou and Heshan. The area has been experiencing...

Shipping

Polymeric Solutions Contributing to Maritime Decarbonization

A range of new technologies are emerging to help the maritime sector meet the challenges of decarbonization. Belzona, a designer and manufacturer of polymer repair composites and industrial protective coatings, recently participated in the effort to complete the United States’ first all-electric tugboat, the eWolf. The company provides unique solutions that make repairs possible supporting a circular economic business model that further mitigates carbon emissions. Meeting the emerging international regulations and the International Maritime Organization’s aspirational goals for reducing carbon...

Tugs & Salvage

Two Dead, Six Injured in First Quarter at S. Asian Shipbreaking Yards

Shipbreaking remains dirty and dangerous work, particularly in South Asia, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform reminded the industry in its latest update. While South Asian beaching yards pay far more per tonne for end-of-life tonnage, they have a certain ESH reputation from years of fatalities and injuries, which continued in recent months. In Pakistan, two workers were killed when an iron plate fell onto them at Dewan Shipbreaking, one of the many plots in Gadani. The local union reports that...

Government

China Builds Up its Presence Ahead of Historic U.S.-Philippine Exercise

China has doubled the presence of maritime militia and military vessels in and around the Philippine exclusive economic zone in advance of major U.S.-Philippine naval drills, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 124 Chinese vessels are in the area, with the largest concentrations found near three strategic locations: Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Pag-asa Island. "This upsurge is out of the normal," Philippine Navy spokesman Commodore Roy Trinidad told GMA. For the last two months, the...

Corporate News

Mission Accomplished for the World's First HUGIN Endurance

[By: Kongsberg Discovery] Kongsberg Discovery is pleased to announce that the first production system of our revolutionary long-range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) HUGIN Endurance has completed factory acceptance testing. Sea trials for the first production unit began in September 2023, and over the last months, the Kongsberg Discovery Uncrewed Platforms team has put HUGIN Endurance through its paces, verifying and refining all system capabilities. Sea trials culminated in March 2024 with a successful demonstration of the AUV capabilities to...

Cruise Ships

Norwegian’s Next Cruise Ship Norwegian Aqua is Floated by Fincantieri

Norwegian Cruise Line marked the float out today of its next, mega cruise ship, the Norwegian Aqua. The ship is being built at Fincantieri in Marghera, Italy (near Venice) and is scheduled to enter service in the spring of 2026. The order for this ship was placed as part of the company’s pre-pandemic plans but later enlarged to improve the economics of the vessel. The first of the class was introduced in 2022, the Norwegian Prima, and a sister...

Ports

Red Sea Diversions are Overloading Mediterranean Transshipment Ports

Shipping

Polymeric Solutions Contributing to Maritime Decarbonization

Tugs & Salvage

Two Dead, Six Injured in First Quarter at S. Asian Shipbreaking Yards

Government

China Builds Up its Presence Ahead of Historic U.S.-Philippine Exercise

Corporate News

Mission Accomplished for the World's First HUGIN Endurance

Cruise Ships

Norwegian’s Next Cruise Ship Norwegian Aqua is Floated by Fincantieri

Ports

Red Sea Diversions are Overloading Mediterranean Transshipment Ports

Offshore

U.S. Plots 12 Offshore Wind Lease Auctions by 2028 and Revises Rules

The Biden administration is moving forward aggressively to expand the U.S. offshore wind energy industry including mapping out a five-year plan for up to a dozen new leases and streamlining and modernizing the rules for development. All of this comes as the industry however continues to struggle to get projects from concept to reality with New York suffering the latest setback in moving forward with approved projects. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the new five-year offshore wind...

Shipbuilding

Philly Shipyard and HD Hyundai Sign MOU for Cooperation on US Shipbuilding

South Korea’s HD Heavy Industries is continuing its push to expand its international military work with an announcement that it plans to explore a potential business relationship with Philly Shipyard, a U.S. shipbuilding that is a leader in building U.S. coastal trade vessels under the Jones Act. The companies confirmed that they entered into a memorandum of understanding for future cooperation on opportunities for U.S. government shipbuilding projects. News of the agreement comes just weeks after U.S. Secretary of...

Environment

Consortium to Decarbonize Corridor Between Canada, Japan, and South Korea

As momentum gains for the concept of green corridors, a consortium of carriers, terminals, and ports from North America, Asia, and Europe aims to work together to decarbonize the value chain for commodities between North America and Asia. Initiated in June 2023 with discussions between Canada and Japan at the G7 Transport Ministers Summit, the North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium’s founders represent approximately a quarter of the 100 million tonnes of bulk commodities shipped from Canada’s Prince Rupert and...

Business

Healthy Crew, Safe Vessel: Navigating the Importance of PEME Exams

Pre-employment medical examinations (PEME) play a crucial role in ensuring the health and wellness of seafarers in the cruise and commercial maritime sectors. Ship owners and operators rely on PEMEs to assess the fitness of potential employees for the demanding and often challenging environment of working at sea. These medical assessments are essential for maintaining the safety and well-being of crew members, passengers, and the vessel itself. However, balancing the needs of the company with international maritime regulations is vital...

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