Seasats Lightfish USV Encounters Chinese Corvette on First Autonomous Transit of Taiwan Strait
Seasats, a San Diego‑based autonomous surface vessel specialist, announced that its Lightfish USV completed the first fully autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, a five‑day journey covering the waterway’s entire length. During the mission the vessel continuously monitored surface traffic and encountered several Chinese warships, including a People’s Liberation Army Navy Type‑056 corvette operating inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without AIS signals. Lightfish captured geolocated photographs that verified the ships’ identities and origins. The company says the operation proves long‑endurance USVs can provide persistent maritime domain awareness in highly contested regions.
OpenTug Partners with Rail Freight Intelligence Platform Telegraph
OpenTug, a barge‑management platform, has teamed up with rail‑freight intelligence provider Telegraph to fuse real‑time barge positioning with predictive rail ETA data. The joint solution offers terminals, traders and logistics teams a single operational view of inbound freight arriving by...
Canal Barge Expands Fleet Modernization Efforts
Canal Barge Company is advancing its fleet modernization with the delivery of two new 2,600‑hp towboats, the M/V Deborah H. Valentine and M/V Cabby H. Boone, built at C&C Marine & Repair. Both 87‑by‑34‑foot vessels share a common propulsion platform...
CGB Breaks Ground for $47M Expansion at Ports of Indiana Mount Vernon
Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. (CGB) broke ground on a $47 million expansion at the Ports of Indiana‑Mount Vernon, the largest investment at the state’s biggest inland port in over two decades. The project will triple the soybean handling capacity, add...
San Francisco’s Lind Marine Has a New Owner
Tallvine Partners, the Miami‑based investment advisor that bought Donjon Marine last year, has acquired San Francisco‑headquartered Lind Marine LLC from Kingswood Capital Management. The deal, terms undisclosed, expands Tallvine’s maritime platform to the West Coast, complementing its East‑Coast operations. Lind Marine,...
Ship Repair USA: Shiplifts Aim to Cut Downtime, Increase Capacity
Marine Log’s Ship Repair USA 2026 conference, slated for June 23‑24 in Jacksonville, will spotlight shiplift technology in a dedicated session led by Douglas Pearlman of The Pearlson Group. The presentation, “Shiplift Economics and Throughput,” will dissect capital and operating...
New AWO Chair Matt Woodruff Slams Jones Act Waiver
American Waterways Operators elected Matt Woodruff, Kirby Corp’s VP of public and government affairs, as its new chairman. Woodruff immediately called for ending the current Jones Act waiver, arguing it has not reduced gasoline prices and is diverting jobs to...
DNV Verifies Effectiveness of Jotun’s “Always Clean Hull” Solution
Jotun’s Hull Skating Solutions (HSS) received independent verification from classification society DNV, confirming that vessels equipped with the system maintain an always‑clean hull and experience no measurable speed loss. The assessment covered physical in‑water inspections of 33 ships and performance...
Henderson County Riverport Opens Bulk Dock Operations
The Henderson County Riverport Authority in western Kentucky held a ribbon‑cutting ceremony to launch its new bulk dock, paired with a Sennebogen 865E hybrid electric material handler. The equipment allows the port to unload two barges simultaneously for the first...
New USCG Cybersecurity Rules Are Reshaping Vessel Design
The U.S. Coast Guard has introduced new cybersecurity regulations that directly affect vessel design, construction, and operation. Marine Log and SNAME will host a virtual event on June 4 to dissect how these rules reshape ship architecture, automation integration, and network...
Multi-Purpose Vessel GO Searcher Returns to Guice Offshore Fleet
Guice Offshore has reintegrated the 170‑foot multi‑purpose DP1 vessel GO Searcher, raising its owned fleet to 19 ships. The vessel, operational since 2014, features a dedicated helipad, Subchapter L&I certification and full international approval. Outfitted for drone aviation, autonomous surface/underwater...
Congressional Democrats Want Answers on Jones Act Waiver
President Trump extended the Jones Act waiver for another 90 days, prompting sharp criticism from the U.S. maritime sector. House Transportation Committee ranking members Rick Larsen and Salud Carbajal have written to the White House demanding detailed information on the...
New York State Bill Calls for Zero-Emission Ferries
The New York State Clean Ferries Bill requires publicly funded ferry operators to purchase only zero‑emission vessels starting in 2028, with all public watercraft in state waters to be electric by 2032. It also tasks NYSERDA with studying electric charging...
MTU Engines From Rolls-Royce Power Tugs Worldwide
Rolls‑Royce’s MTU marine engines have powered more than 500 tugs worldwide for two decades, delivering roughly 1,000 MW of power. The company posted its strongest tug‑segment sales in 2025 and is already supplying propulsion systems for 17 tugs in 2026. MTU’s...
Damen Gets Full Approval to Build Methanol-Ready Fuel Flexible ASD Tugs
Damen Shipyards Group has secured full class and flag state approval for its ASD Tug 2713 Fuel Flexible (FF) to operate on methanol, following a 2023 approval‑in‑principle. The 27.25‑meter tug can run on diesel, 100 % HVO today and is pre‑fitted...
New York City Eyes All-Electric Container-on-Barge Service
The New York City Economic Development Corporation issued a request for expressions of interest to develop an all‑electric or zero‑emission container‑on‑barge service linking the Brooklyn Marine Terminal with the future Hunts Point Marine Terminal. The service is planned to transport...
Berg Propulsion Will Set 130-Tonne Turkish Bollard Pull Milestone
Swedish firm Berg Propulsion has secured a contract to equip four diesel‑electric, firefighting offshore support tugs built at Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard for Smit Lamnalco. Each 60‑metre vessel will deliver more than 130 tonnes of bollard pull—the strongest Turkish tugs to date—using twin...
SCA Announces 2025 Shipyard Safety Award Winners
The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) announced its 2025 safety awards, recognizing 21 shipyards across 13 states for exemplary safety performance. Awards were divided into three categories: Excellence in Safety for yards with a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) below...
Iran Seizes “Floating Armory” Off Fujairah
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy seized the Honduras‑flagged vessel Hui Chan, a floating armory operated by Chinese security firm Sinoguards, 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah. The ship, nominally a fisheries research vessel, was heading toward Iranian waters when unauthorized personnel...
Davie Defense Seals Deal on $3.5B USCG Arctic Security Cutter Contract
Davie Defense secured a $3.5 billion contract with the U.S. Coast Guard to build five Arctic Security Cutters, the next‑generation icebreakers. Two vessels will be constructed at the Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, while three will be assembled at Davie’s Gulf Copper...
Ship Repair USA: Why some Shipyards Win Repeat Business According to Vessel Owners
The Marine Log Ship Repair USA conference, June 23‑24, 2026 in Jacksonville, will host a panel titled “Inside the Owner’s Mind: What Makes a Shipyard ‘Bankable’?” featuring senior vessel owners and operators. Participants will discuss how shipyards are evaluated beyond...
VIDEO: First Anemoi Rotor Sails Fitted on Bulker Pass 8-Year Milestone
Anemoi Marine Technologies’ M/V Afros, the first bulk carrier fitted with its rotor sails, has passed its second intermediate survey, confirming eight years of reliable operation. The Lloyd’s Register inspection in China found the four 2‑meter‑diameter sails structurally sound with...
Cydome and ABB Partner to Advance Maritime Risk Management
ABB and maritime‑cybersecurity specialist Cydome have announced a partnership that fuses ABB’s weather routing and voyage‑optimization data with Cydome’s AI‑driven risk‑management engine. The combined solution gives ship owners a unified view of cyber and operational threats, enabling more accurate anomaly...
Blue Water Marine Capital and Horizon Offshore Services Form Partnership
Blue Water Marine Capital and Horizon Offshore Services completed a cross‑purchase agreement, each acquiring a 25% ownership stake in the other. The deal links a financing specialist with an offshore vessel operator, aiming to combine capital solutions with operational services....
Titan Charters United LNG I Bunker Vessel
Titan Clean Fuels, now owned by Molgas Energy Group, has chartered United LNG I, a 135‑meter inland‑waterway bunker vessel launched in December 2025. The ship can transport up to 8,000 cubic meters of LNG, liquefied biomethane and, eventually, renewable e‑LNG...
Bay Towing Orders Z-Tech 30-85 ASD Tug at Sterling Shipyard
Bay Towing signed a contract with Sterling Shipyard in Port Neches, Texas, to build a Robert Allan‑designed Z‑Tech 30‑85 azimuth‑stern‑drive tug. The vessel will be ABS‑certified for towing, escort, fire‑fighting and low‑emission operations and will be powered by twin Caterpillar...
USNS PFC Dewayne T. Williams Set for Drydocking at Boston Ship Repair
USNS PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T‑AK‑3009) is slated for a drydocking and maintenance availability at Boston Ship Repair in late spring. The repair contract, awarded to Boston Ship Repair by Crowley Government Services, is part of a $66.1 million Military Sealift...
Svitzer Adds Two New Hires to Its Executive Leadership Team
Svitzer announced the appointment of María Fernanda Souto as chief commercial officer and Anne Daugaard as chief people officer, both reporting from its Copenhagen headquarters. Souto arrives from Danfoss after a stint as vice‑president of its electric‑heating unit, while Daugaard joins from COWI...
Union Maritime Takes Delivery of Its Third WindWings Tanker
Union Maritime has taken delivery of its third LR2 tanker, *Monza*, fitted with two BAR Technologies WindWings, marking the world’s first series of dual‑fuel LNG vessels that also use rigid wind‑propulsion. Built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China, the ship joins...
MARAD Launches Initiative to Develop Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced an initiative to develop Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) for commercial shipping. MARAD issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting innovators to propose SMR designs that can boost ship...
Crescent Towing Takes Delivery of 6,000-Hp Z-Drive Tug
Crescent Towing of Mobile, Alabama, has taken delivery of the M/V Kentucky, a 6,000‑hp Tier 4 Z‑drive tug built by Blakeley BoatWorks. The 92‑foot vessel, powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E engines and Kongsberg azimuth drives, entered service earlier this year and...
VIDEO: First Look at Molslinjen’s 1,500 Passenger Battery-Electric Ferries
Incat Tasmania, Wärtsilä and Denmark’s Molslinjen unveiled a video of three 129‑meter battery‑electric ferries under construction in Hobart. Each vessel will accommodate up to 1,500 passengers and reach speeds of 40 knots, making them the largest electric ferries slated for Europe....
Turkey’s Albayrak Group Will Get Fast Delivery of Two New Damen ASD Tugs
Damen Shipyards Group signed its first contract with Turkey’s Albayrak Group to deliver two ASD tugs—model 2111 and 2813—within five to six months. The 21‑meter tug will serve Conakry Port with 50 tonnes of bollard pull, while the larger 25‑meter vessel...
Blue Water Autonomy Partners up to Scale Next-Gen Shipbuilding
Boston‑based Blue Water Autonomy announced a network of strategic partners to accelerate production of its next‑generation autonomous vessels, including the 190‑foot Liberty Class currently under construction at Conrad Shipyards. The collaborations with Tulip Interface, Caterpillar Defense, Precise Power Systems and...
Sara Fuentes Named New Transportation Institute President
Sara Fuentes has been appointed president of the Transportation Institute (TI), the leading advocacy group for U.S.-flag shipping companies. Previously TI’s vice‑president for government affairs, Fuentes will now steer the organization’s push for a stronger merchant marine and a resilient...
Trump Pauses Project Freedom, Iran Presses Ahead on Toll Collection
President Trump announced that Project Freedom – the U.S.-led escort of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz – will be paused while negotiations with Iran continue, even as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports stays in force. Iran’s newly...
Op-Ed: Fifth Circuit Shapes Offshore Contract Jurisprudence
Recent Fifth Circuit decisions have refined the Doiron two‑part test for determining whether offshore contracts are maritime. The court held that contracts directly involving vessel maintenance, such as lifeboat upkeep, are maritime, while master service contracts limited to non‑vessel platform...
Master Boat Builders Begins T-ATS Module Fabrication for U.S. Navy
Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama, has started fabricating two hull modules for the U.S. Navy’s Navajo‑class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T‑ATS) program, under its partnership with Austal USA. The modules will be built at Master Boat’s existing yard...
AYK Energy’s Aries+S System Picked for World’s First Battery-Hybrid Self-Unloader
AYK Energy’s Aries+S battery system, rated at 6,758 kWh, has been selected for the world’s first battery‑hybrid self‑unloading limestone carrier, now named M/V Nampu. The 11,000‑dwt vessel, ordered by Canada’s CSL Group for Adelaide Brighton Cement, will draw roughly half of...
Woolpert and Chance Maritime in Uncrewed Hydrographic Survey First
Woolpert and Chance Maritime have launched NOAA's first fully uncrewed offshore hydrographic survey off Pensacola, Florida, using the 40‑foot MC40 and 29‑foot MC29 unmanned surface vessels equipped with Woolpert’s multibeam sonar. The mission will capture 1,391 square nautical miles of...
Northstar Marine Starts Construction of New 600-Ton Heavy Lift Derrick Barge
Northstar Marine Inc. has begun building the Northstar 600, a 600‑ton capacity twin‑boom derrick barge slated for delivery by the end of Q3 2026. The ABS‑classed 65 × 230‑foot deck barge includes a self‑elevating spud system and four‑point mooring, allowing a crawler crane...
Q&A: Aligning Vessel Design with Operational Demands
Marine Log’s Q&A with C‑Job Naval Architects CEO Job Volwater highlights a persistent gap between vessel design specifications and actual operating profiles, especially for tugs, towboats and workboats that run at only 1‑10% of their peak power. He cites a...
More to MEPC 84 than NZF
At its 84th session, the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) failed to adopt a carbon‑tax‑linked Net Zero Framework but made significant progress on multiple environmental initiatives. The committee reaffirmed the need for a consensus‑based Net‑Zero Framework, approved the terms...
Ship Repair USA: The Business Impact of At-Risk Behavior and Safety in Shipyards
Marine Log’s Ship Repair USA conference will host a panel titled “Safety Isn’t What You Think: The Real Cost of At‑Risk Behavior.” The discussion examines how operational pressure, competitive bidding and tight schedules foster risky actions that undermine traditional safety...
Q&A: Why We Need to Improve Emissions Monitoring
SeaARCTOS CEO Fredrik Fuglesang argues that existing fuel‑sulfur testing and emissions reporting are too slow, costly, and easy to evade, undermining global shipping regulations. He highlights the need for real‑time, autonomous monitoring of CO₂, methane, NOx, SOx and particulate matter...
Denise Kurtulus Named New CEO of Voith Turbo
Voith Group has appointed Denise Kurtulus as CEO of its Voith Turbo division, effective September 1 2026, succeeding Cornelius Weitzmann. Kurtulus comes from Rolls‑Royce Power Systems, where she led the Marine and Mining divisions. Until the transition, Voith Group CEO Dirk Hoke...
Canada’s FortisBC Completes 10,000th LNG Bunkering
FortisBC Energy announced it has completed its 10,000th liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering for marine vessels since launching the service in 2016. The milestone follows a series of firsts at the Port of Vancouver, including Canada’s inaugural ship‑to‑ship LNG transfer...
Corvus Energy Gains DNV Cybersecurity Type Approval for Dolphin NxtGen
Corvus Energy announced that its Dolphin NxtGen battery energy storage system has earned DNV cybersecurity type approval, extending to the Gen 4 BMS pack controller. The certification follows an independent review of more than 50 cyber‑risk controls, confirming the system’s ability...
Windward AI Appoints Ron Kraitsman as CFO
Windward AI announced the appointment of Ron Kraitsman as chief financial officer, effective immediately. Kraitsman arrives as the company accelerates growth driven by heightened geopolitical tension and expanding demand for maritime intelligence. He brings over 25 years of financial leadership...
Port Houston Gets $48M Grant for Bayport Terminal Expansion
Port Houston received a $48 million federal grant from the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program to fund a new container yard and an east exit gate at the Bayport Container Terminal. The port will match the grant with roughly...