175D Lands Repeat Order From Royal Canadian Navy
Group Ocean has placed a repeat order for four 12V175D‑MM high‑speed engines, each delivering 1,860 kW at 1,800 rpm and meeting IMO Tier III standards, to power two 24‑metre ASD harbour tugs for the Royal Canadian Navy. The tugs, based on Robert Allan Ltd.’s RAmparts 2400 design, will provide 60 tonne bollard pull and a top speed of 12 knots, supporting Atlantic and Pacific maritime forces. Deliveries are slated for October 2026 and July 2027. The contract aligns with Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, bolstering domestic industrial capacity and skilled employment.
Switch to Digital Speeds Up Certification for Commercial Divers
Commercial divers are transitioning to a digital certification system after the ADCI partnered with Skill N Depth. The new platform cuts approval times from up to 60 days to just a few days by allowing divers to upload logs, CVs and medical...
To Penalize Iran, Azerbaijan Could Interdict Its Caspian Sea Trade
Iran’s president pledged to cease attacks unless provoked, after the IRGC launched an Arash‑2 drone strike on Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan airport that injured civilians. Azerbaijan responded by sealing its land border with Iran and hinted it could extend restrictions to Iranian...
Managing Conflicts of Interest in Bangladesh’s Ship Recycling Sector
Bangladesh’s ship‑recycling sector, a key source of steel and jobs, is overseen by the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board (BSRB) created under the 2018 Ship Recycling Act. The board’s fourteen‑member composition includes three representatives from yard owners, and a quorum of...
IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor
Elektro Deniz introduced the EDEL‑EMES60, a combined echosounder and electromagnetic speed log that consolidates two traditional hull‑penetrating sensors into a single unit. The system is available as a fully integrated model or as standalone echo‑sounder and speed‑log variants, allowing shipyards to...
Kuwait Confirms Oil Output Slowdown as Storage Fills Up
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation announced it will begin throttling oil production as domestic storage fills, a precautionary step ahead of potential forced shutdowns. The move follows Iran’s recent attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which have severely constrained tanker...
Collaborative Delivery Models Reshape Port Infrastructure Development
The article explains the shift from the traditional design‑bid‑build approach to collaborative delivery models such as fixed‑price design‑build and progressive design‑build for port infrastructure projects. These models deliver schedule compression, cost certainty, and improved risk allocation as ports confront competitive...
The Iran War and Global Trade: Will the Cape Route Become the New Normal?
Armed attacks on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026 forced shipping lines to reroute around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The Cape route, once a contingency, saw usage surge, echoing past disruptions of the...
Royal Caribbean Group Proposes Ship Repair Yard for Panama's Pacific Coast
Royal Caribbean Group has presented Panama’s president with a proposal to build a 400‑meter, 130,000‑ton floating dry dock on the Pacific coast near Puerto Armuelles. The facility, slated for operation by 2031, would service the cruise line’s largest ships and...
AI, Analytics, and Automation: The New Currents in Maritime Operations
Maritime operations are shifting from paper‑based, manual processes to integrated, data‑driven platforms powered by AI, analytics, and automation. The global maritime digitization market, valued at $176 billion in 2023, is projected to more than double to $361 billion by 2030, driven by...
VLCC Rates Hit New Sky-High Record: $424,000 Per Day
VLCC charter rates surged to a record $424,000 per day after the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, as the Strait of Hormuz was officially closed to traffic. Spot rates for Middle‑East‑to‑China voyages jumped well above $400,000, dwarfing the recent $100,000‑plus benchmarks....
Op-Ed: Gulf States Face a Strategic Choice After Iranian Attacks
Iranian drone attacks on Dubai and other Gulf cities followed the launch of Operation Epic Fury, immediately crippling air services and throttling ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, heavily dependent on imported food...
Austal USA Launches Final EPF - Future USNS Lansing (EPF 16)
Austal USA launched the U.S. Navy’s final Expeditionary Fast Transport, USNS Lansing (EPF 16), marking the 26th ship to use its modular launch system. The vessel was lifted, moved onto a barge, floated for the first time in a dry dock, and...
Hanwha and Greece’s Onex Shipyards Partner to Expand U.S. Shipbuilding
South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Power Systems and Greece’s Onex Shipyards & Technologies signed a trilateral agreement, witnessed by U.S. officials, to develop LNG‑powered newbuildings and floating storage‑regasification units. Hanwha will supply critical equipment to Onex’s two Greek shipyards while sharing...
Chinese Ship Completes First Autonomous Docking and Cargo Handling
Four years after launching the world’s first autonomous electric feeder, China’s 300‑TEU vessel Zhi Fei completed its first fully autonomous docking at Qingdao Port, completing the maneuver in just 30 seconds. The ship, capable of crew‑managed, remote‑controlled or unmanned navigation, operates...
UK Consortium Proposes Floating Nuclear Plant for U.S. Military
A UK‑led consortium, headed by Core Power, has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Pentagon to build a 300 MW ship‑borne nuclear power plant. The floating reactor would tap the Department of Defense’s existing regulatory framework for naval reactors, enabling rapid...
A.P Moller Capital Invests $240 Million in Morocco’s Transport Sector
A.P. Moller Capital’s Morocco Fund has closed a $243 million financing round to back transport and logistics projects across Morocco. The round includes a $65 million commitment from the Danish Emerging Markets Infrastructure Fund II and positions the fund within the Mohammed VI Investment Fund....
Hutchison Makes Overtures to Panama for Negotiations Over Terminal Ops
Hong Kong‑based CK Hutchison has formally asked Panama to reopen talks on the concession to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals that flank the Panama Canal. The request follows a Panama Supreme Court ruling that declared the law granting the...
Digital Collaboration in Chemical Logistics
Transport decarbonisation is shifting fuel flows from traditional crude‑based products to low‑carbon chemicals such as ammonia, methanol and advanced biofuels. These fuels travel through the same chemical‑logistics network, but the sector’s coordination remains fragmented, causing costly buffers and delays. Experts...
White House Maritime Action Plan Shows OMSA Leadership on Regulatory Reform
The White House released America’s Maritime Action Plan, a sweeping strategy to strengthen the U.S. maritime sector through regulatory reform, infrastructure investment, and workforce development. A central pillar targets the elimination of redundant, obsolete, or overly burdensome regulations, echoing Offshore...
Understanding the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Cybersecurity Framework
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System rule took effect in July 2025, imposing mandatory cybersecurity and incident‑response plans for U.S.-flagged vessels, OCS facilities and MTSA‑covered sites. Owners must appoint a Cybersecurity Officer, enforce account lockouts, maintain...
Quantum Computing Can Solve the Hardest Port Scheduling Problems
Quantum computing is emerging as a complementary tool for the most complex optimization challenges in maritime logistics. While classical platforms handle data and routine analytics, hybrid workflows off‑load dense, constraint‑heavy subproblems—such as berth allocation, crane sequencing, and drayage routing—to quantum...
Cameroon Suspends International Registry Citing Fraud
Cameroon’s Ministry of Transport announced a suspension of its international ship registry after uncovering multiple fraudulent registrations. The halt, effective immediately, follows pressure from the EU, IMO and U.S. authorities concerned about the flag’s role in the shadow fleet and...
Russia to Build 10 More Icebreakers and 46 Salvage Vessels to Develop NSR
Russia announced a second phase of Northern Sea Route development, planning to build ten additional nuclear icebreakers and 46 salvage vessels by 2035, supported by three new Arctic rescue‑fleet bases. The current fleet includes eight nuclear icebreakers, with the latest...
IMO Ramps Up Campaign to Close Flag State "Enforcement Gap"
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched a two‑year campaign to narrow the enforcement gap that allows a shadow fleet of sanctions‑busting tankers to operate under weak flag‑state oversight. By leveraging its Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), the agency will...
The Panama Canal and The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council Sign MoU
The Panama Canal and the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to boost the flow of U.S. agricultural exports through the canal. The agreement focuses on improving efficiency, reliability and sustainability of grain shipments, with...
