Anschütz SYNAPSIS Nav Tech for New Multipurpose Vessel
Anschütz has secured a contract to provide Integrated Navigation and Bridge Systems (INBS) for three multipurpose vessels built for Germany’s Waterways and Shipping Administration at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard. The first vessel, Scharhörn, has completed sea trials and is close to delivery. The ships will be equipped with SYNAPSIS INBS technology, including six NX workstations, a precise autopilot, dynamic positioning, oil‑spill detection, and an additional ECDIS for planning. These systems are tailored to support a wide range of tasks such as sea‑mark maintenance, policing, pollution control, firefighting, and emergency response.
Wallenius Lines Acquires Wallenius SOL, Becomes Sole Owner
Wallenius Lines has agreed to purchase SOL Group’s stake in joint venture Wallenius SOL, making it the sole owner. The deal secures long‑term stability and continuity for the company, which builds and maintains sea‑based logistics infrastructure across the Gulf of...
Iran-Linked Tankers Sail Through Hormuz Before US Blockade
Two tankers tied to Iran slipped through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, exiting the Gulf just before the United States initiates a blockade of Iranian ports and coastal facilities. The vessel Auroura was loaded with Iranian oil products, while...
The IWH Group Launches Blue Future to Help Maritime SMEs Repair Digital Readiness Gap
The IWH Group has introduced Blue Future, a consulting service aimed at marine and offshore SMEs that need to bridge a widening digital readiness gap. The offering evaluates existing workflows, legacy systems and reporting structures, then crafts a realistic target...
Port Tampa Bay Welcomes Container Vessel with Largest Carrying Capacity
Port Tampa Bay received the ZIM Canada, a 1,083‑foot container ship carrying 11,900 TEUs, marking the largest vessel ever handled at the facility. The arrival highlights the port’s shift toward accommodating ultra‑large container ships. Federal officials announced $10 million for the...
US Considers Extending Russian Oil Waiver as Prices Spike During Iran Conflict
The Trump administration is poised to extend a 30‑day waiver that lets countries purchase sanctioned Russian oil at sea, a measure that currently expires on April 11. The waiver would free roughly 100 million barrels—about one day of global output—as oil prices...
Pakistan Navy Evacuates Merchant Ship Crew
Pakistan’s navy responded to a distress call in the North Arabian Sea, rescuing 18 crew members from the merchant vessel GOLD AUTUMN. The rescued sailors, hailing from China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia, were airlifted to Karachi. Upon arrival they...
USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. Prepares for April 9 Commissioning
The U.S. Navy will commission the Arleigh Burke‑class destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) on April 11, 2026, at Naval Station Norfolk. The ship is the latest Flight IIA‑configuration destroyer, representing the newest batch of guided‑missile platforms. The ceremony will be livestreamed via DVIDS, with senior...
Saturn Launched, First in New RAL Rapport 3000 Escort Tug Series
Master Boat Builders launched Saturn, the first H500 vessel in the Rapport 3000 escort tug series for Suderman & Young Towing. The 98‑foot tug delivers over 90 metric tons of bollard pull with 7,000 hp, cruising around 13 knots and carrying 44,342...
Oil Spill Forces Partial Shipping Halt at Port of Antwerp
An oil spill during a bunkering operation at the Deurganckdock in Belgium’s Port of Antwerp has forced a partial halt to shipping traffic. The spill spread into the Scheldt River, prompting authorities to contain the source while assessing the situation....
Middle East Producers Gear Up for Hormuz Export Restart
Middle Eastern producers are urging Asian refiners to submit crude loading programmes for April and May as they prepare for a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. A two‑week U.S.-Iran ceasefire raised hopes of resuming shipments, but Tehran has...
Pacific Nations Face Commercial Roadblock for Wind Propulsion
The Republic of the Marshall Islands received the 481‑gross‑tonne sailing cargo vessel Juren Ae in October 2024, marking the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership’s first wind‑propelled cargo ship. Designed by German engineers and built in Korea, the vessel uses direct wind for...
The Politics of a Subsea Data Cable Link to Antarctica
Researchers note Antarctica remains the only continent without a fiber‑optic link, despite mature subsea cable technology. The U.S. National Science Foundation is studying a cable from New Zealand or Australia to McMurdo, while a Chile‑backed effort eyes a route to King George...
Northern Lights Adds Third CO2 Carrier to Expand CCS Network
The Northern Lights joint venture has added a third liquefied carbon dioxide carrier, the Northern Phoenix, to its fleet. The vessel will haul captured CO₂ from Yara’s facilities to the Øygarden receiving terminal, where it will be piped to subsea storage....
Stolt-Nielsen Navigates Rising Uncertainty in 1Q26
Stolt‑Nielsen posted first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $716.8 million and net profit of $47.5 million, down sharply from a year earlier due to one‑off gains in 1Q25. EBITDA slipped modestly to $180.8 million, while non‑tanker businesses contributed 44% of that total, underscoring the value...
Glencore, Taiwan’s CPC Charter Tankers as Hormuz Reopens
Glencore and Taiwan’s state refiner CPC each chartered a VLCC to load Middle Eastern crude for Asia after a cease‑fire halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels, including Glencore’s Asian Lion, were booked at a Worldscale rate of...
Ethical Farming Ireland Objects to Pregnant Heifer Shipping
Ethical Farming Ireland (EFI) has launched a billboard campaign highlighting the export of pregnant dairy heifers from Waterford to Algeria. Since the first shipment on Jan 4 2025, three additional voyages have taken place, with the latest reporting five deaths, 11 premature...
The Week the Arctic Slipped South
In March 2026 a major winter storm swept the U.S. Midwest after a deepening negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation disrupted the jet stream, allowing a massive Arctic air mass to plunge southward. The resulting sharp temperature gradient energized a low‑pressure...
NYK Uses Recycled Material for Car Lashing Belts
Japanese shipping giant NYK, its trading arm, and Rexxam have launched eco CLASPER, a car lashing belt made from 99.5% recycled polyester. The belts were installed on the new pure car carrier Elder Leader on March 26, cutting weaving‑stage GHG...
Massive Increase in Oil Transport Through Danish Waters
Geopolitical shifts have driven a dramatic surge in oil shipments through Danish waters, with nearly five million barrels passing daily. In the first half of 2025, the Great Belt and the Sound moved as much oil as the Suez Canal,...
![Green Tech: Rise of the [Hull Clening] Robots](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/0fbc8ad854983636424a2c02a0f6798e.webp)
Green Tech: Rise of the [Hull Clening] Robots
Robotic hull‑cleaning systems are moving from niche compliance tools to essential efficiency assets for shipowners. By removing biofouling, robots can cut fuel consumption, which can rise 10‑30% on dirty hulls, and dramatically shorten maintenance windows—from weeks of diver work to...
LEO Satellite Networks: Supporting Maritime Safety, Efficiency and Innovation
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations are expanding rapidly, with over 10,000 satellites in orbit today and roughly 70,000 more slated for launch by 2030. Their proximity to Earth delivers lower‑cost, high‑speed, low‑latency broadband that can reach vessels in the...
Tech Talk: Time to Rethink Watchkeeping
Robosys Automation’s VOYAGER AI platform is expanding with fully autonomous navigation, COLREGs‑compliant collision avoidance, dynamic path planning and remote‑operation capabilities, highlighted by its retrofit on a 26‑metre Damen crew‑transfer vessel for offshore wind work. Recent UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch...
Insights: When the Climate Becomes a Cargo Risk
Rising temperatures and humidity across Southeast Asian shipping lanes are compromising cargo integrity, with container interiors reaching 38‑50 °C and condensation causing moisture damage. Case studies show $60,000 losses from heat‑damaged photographic paper and rejected polyamide roof rails due to swelling....
World Fuel, West Coast Clean Fuels Launch US Methanol Bunkering Service
World Fuel Services and West Coast Clean Fuels have launched a U.S.‑wide methanol bunkering capability after a successful pilot in South Florida. The service uses Coast Guard‑approved procedures, trained crews and purpose‑built equipment to deliver methanol directly from trucks to...
China Inland Waterways Set for Zero-Carbon Push Under New Partnership
Wah Kwong NatPower and Huzhou Wuxing Ruituo Energy have signed an MOU to build zero‑carbon inland shipping corridors in China, starting with the Hangzhou‑Jiaxing‑Huzhou stretch of Zhejiang province. The partnership will install electric vessel charging stations and battery‑swap facilities, linked...
Robert Allan Ltd. Develops RApide 1800 Design for Brazilian Bunkering Operations
Robert Allan Ltd., partnering with Brazil’s Indústria Naval Catarinense Ltda., unveiled the RApide 1800 pushboat design for Transpetro’s bunkering operations. The 18.7‑meter vessel, 9.2 meters wide, features twin 450 kW Z‑drive thrusters and is classed by Bureau Veritas to meet NORMAM‑202/DPC inland navigation...
Zelim Opens New Canada Office in Nova Scotia
Zelim announced the opening of a new office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, at the COVE ocean facility, slated to begin operations in April 2026. The site will serve as a regional hub for the company’s AI‑enabled maritime safety technologies, including its...
Russian Seaborne Diesel Exports Fall 3% Between February and March
Russia’s seaborne diesel and gasoil shipments slipped 3% in March, falling to roughly 3.06 million metric tons. The decline was driven by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes that disrupted loading at the key Baltic hub of Primorsk and the southern port of...
US Gulf Coast Tanker Availability Drops as Asia, Europe Seek to Replace Middle East Supply
U.S. Gulf Coast oil tanker availability has plunged, falling 41% in the past month as Asian and European refiners replace Middle Eastern supply disrupted by the Iran‑related war in the Strait of Hormuz. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) numbers have...
Thailand Seeks LNG Supplies From Malaysia Due to Middle East Conflict
Thailand is seeking additional LNG supplies from Malaysia to offset disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict, which currently provides about 5%‑10% of its imports. The country receives two to three LNG vessels from the region each month, and officials...
Cavotec Signs $15b Order for MoorMaster Systems in North America
Cavotec has secured a $15.11 million contract to supply its MoorMaster automated vacuum mooring systems for a specialized North American application. Deliveries are slated between October 2027 and March 2028. The MoorMaster technology promises safer, faster vessel handling while cutting emissions. This deal...
Insights: As Ships Get Bigger, Pilots Keep Maritime Commerce Flowing
U.S. pilots now guide vessels up to five times larger than those of two decades ago, straining narrow, aging waterways. The National Transportation Safety Board linked the recent *Dali* bridge collapse to the reduced maneuverability of oversized ships in undersized...
MTF Issues Safety Guidelines for Wind-Assisted Ships
The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) released safety guidelines for ships equipped with wind‑assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) such as rotor, suction and wing sails. The recommendations focus on integrating these technologies into existing Safety Management Systems, emphasizing risk assessments, incident reporting,...
Kangnam to Build New Incat Crowther 80m Vessel Design
South Korean shipbuilder Kangnam has hired Incat Crowther to design an 80‑metre high‑speed catamaran RoPax ferry for Korea Express Ferry. The vessel will link Incheon with the Yellow Sea islands of Daecheongdo, Baengnyeongdo and Socheongdo, carrying up to 572 passengers,...
Saronic Closes $1.75B Series D Funding
Saronic Technologies announced closing a $1.75 billion Series D round, valuing the company at $9.25 billion. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners, DFJ Growth and existing backers such as Andreessen Horowitz. Funds will accelerate...
Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG Plant Remains Offline Due to Cyclone Damage
Chevron announced that its Wheatstone LNG plant in Western Australia suffered extensive damage from Tropical Cyclone Narelle, forcing both of its 8.9‑million‑ton‑a‑year processing trains offline. The damage includes fin‑fan arrays and air‑cooled heat exchangers, making repairs complex and time‑consuming. Chevron...
GlobalMET Appoints Jillian Carson-Jackson as Managing Director
GlobalMET has appointed Jillian Carson-Jackson as its new Managing Director, bringing over four decades of maritime operations, regulation, and training expertise. Her career spans three continents and includes senior roles in national administrations and international bodies, with recognized authority in...
Marine Insurers Reaffirm Support for Middle East Trade
The International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) reports that the global marine insurance market remains resilient despite heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Cargo, hull, liability and offshore energy coverage continue to be widely available, though insurers are adjusting...
Much of Dutch Fishing Fleet Stands Idle Amid High Diesel Prices
Dutch beam‑trawler operators are grounding roughly half their fleet as diesel prices double following the Iran‑Russia conflict. Weekly fuel bills have surged from about $14,000‑$15,000 to roughly $34,500 per vessel, eroding profit margins for high‑value flatfish catches. The situation mirrors...
U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Stands Still Due to Ice Conditions, Lack of Icebreakers
U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighters are immobilized in the St. Marys River and Whitefish Bay after the Soo Locks opened, as ice up to two feet thick—covered by three feet of snow—blocks passage. The sole U.S. heavy icebreaker, the Coast Guard cutter...
CIMAC Report Reminds on New Fuel Safety Risks
CIMAC Working Group 17 released a new guideline detailing how hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and ethanol can be used in stationary and marine gas engines. The safety chapter stresses that handling these alternative fuels requires specialized training. It outlines acute health...
Nippon Paint Marine Launches New Biocide-Free Hull Coating
Japanese paint specialist Nippon Paint Marine introduced AQUATERRAS 1100, a low‑VOC, biocide‑free hull coating designed for medium‑ to high‑activity vessels. The product uses HydroPhix™ micro‑domain technology and the Advanced Fouling Control silicone‑modified binder to prevent marine growth without toxic biocides. Its...
Crosby Enterprises, LLC Announces Voluntary Chapter 11 Filings to Facilitate Financial Restructuring for Three Subsidiaries
Crosby Enterprises filed Chapter 11 cases for its subsidiaries Crosby Tugs, Crosby Dredging and Crosby Marine Transportation in the Eastern District of Louisiana on March 23, 2026. The filings aim to restructure secured debt while keeping daily operations, employee wages and vendor payments...
Italian Looks to Receive LNG From Algeria, Strengthen Energy Cooperation
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans to deepen energy cooperation with Algeria during a visit to Algiers, aiming to increase LNG supplies to Italy. The move comes as Italy grapples with prolonged disruptions in Qatar LNG deliveries, which previously...
Windcat Amsterdam Debuts as First Elevation CSOV in Europe
Shipbuilder Damen and Windcat have launched the Windcat Amsterdam, the first Elevation series commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) in European waters. Built at Damen’s Ha Long shipyard in Vietnam, the vessel serves as a floating base for offshore construction, commissioning and maintenance,...
Baker Hughes to Supply Tech for Offshore LNG Project in Texas
Baker Hughes has been awarded a contract to provide gas compression and power generation equipment for ST LNG’s proposed 8.4 million‑tonne‑per‑annum offshore export terminal off Matagorda, Texas. The deal includes two LM6000PF turbine‑driven centrifugal compressor trains and three NovaLT16 turbine generator...
Compact Plant Cultivation Rack Installed on Coal Carrier
NYK has equipped the coal carrier Pirika Moshiri Maru, serving Hokkaido Electric Power, with a compact plant cultivation rack called PUTRACK. Developed by Plants Laboratory, the system uses water‑saving hydroponics and modular racks that adapt to limited ship space. It...
EcoNavis Completes Second Eco Boss Cap Retrofit for Kaizen
EcoNavis Solutions installed its Eco Boss Cap on a second Kaizen vessel, the 32,491 dwt bulk carrier YC Fortitude, following the July 2025 retrofit of the 31,807 dwt general cargo ship SYFC Araya. After six months of operation, Kaizen reported fuel savings between 2.2% and...
Shipping Faces Investment Strain as Decarbonization Rules Tighten, Wärtsilä Finds
A Wärtsilä survey of 225 senior maritime executives shows that tightening decarbonisation regulations are turning emissions targets into direct operating costs, reshaping ship owners' investment strategies. While more than 90% remain confident they can navigate the energy transition, 70% say...
