Austal USA Begins Building Its First Offshore Patrol Cutter for the US Coast Guard
Austal USA held a ceremony marking the official start of construction on the first U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) to be built at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. The vessel, named Pickering (WSMM 919), is the lead vessel in a series potentially comprising up to 11 cutters under a contract valued at $3.3 billion.Designed at 360 feet in length, the OPC program is set to replace the Coast Guard's aging medium endurance cutters, filling a crucial role between the open-ocean national security cutters and the coastal fast response cutters.
OOCL to Reduce Emissions with Biofuel
Hong Kong headquartered ocean carrier Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) said it is running its ships biofuel as a means to reduce emissions from its operations.The company, which has been using biofuel on some of its vessels since 2023, said it has partnered with customers IKEA and Kyocera for the most recent trial voyage, which commenced in early August. The fuel used on the voyage is a B24 biofuel blend, with ISCC certified Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester as a component in the VLSFO.By substituting fossil fuels with biofuels…
OOCL's Latest 24,188 TEU Box Ship Named OOCL Portugal
Orient Overseas Container Line Co., Ltd. (OOCL) today celebrated the naming of the company's twelfth 24,188 TEU newbuilding at a ceremony held at Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (NACKS) shipyard. The new vessel, named OOCL Portugal, is the last in the 24,188 TEU eco-friendly mega vessel series.Michael Xu, Director and Member of Executive Committee of OOCL, said, “The naming of our last 24,188 TEU new vessel marks an important milestone in the development of OOCL.
Royal Caribbean Orders Up to Three Mega Cruise Ships from Meyer Turku
Royal Caribbean Group on Tuesday announced an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku for the construction of up to three new Icon Class vessels—the world's largest cruise ships. The deal includes one firm order for scheduled delivery in 2027 plus options for two additional vessels.The U.S.-based cruise giant has been steadily growing its capacity amid continued strong demand across the cruise sector, with a newbuild pipeline that now includes seven new ships on order and two shipyard options.These latest orders are the fourth, fifth and sixth ships in Royal Caribbean's Icon Class.
Australia Conducts First Maintenance of US Nuclear Submarine
A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will undergo maintenance in Australia for the first time on Friday, a key step by AUKUS partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the defense ministers of Australia, Britain and the United States said.Australian personnel trained with the United States and Britain over the past year ahead of the submarine maintenance at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, involving personnel from the three nations."Our navies are committed to reinforcing…
Sounion Still on Fire After Houthi Attack
The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since Aug. 23 after an attack by Yemen's Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X on Monday.The EU mission published photos dated Sunday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel's main deck.Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea. The Iran-aligned group has been attacking ships in…
Australia Builds Experience with Nuclear Submarines
A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will undergo maintenance in Australia for the first time on Friday, a key step by AUKUS partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the defence ministers of Australia, Britain and the United States said.Australian personnel trained with the United States and Britain over the past year ahead of the submarine maintenance at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, involving personnel from the three nations."Our navies are committed to reinforcing…
New Theory Could Boost Turbine Design and Control
Engineers at MIT have developed a comprehensive, physics-based model that accurately represents the airflow around rotors even under extreme conditions, such as when the blades are operating at high forces and speeds, or are angled in certain directions.The model could improve the way rotors are designed and how wind farms are laid out and operated. It was described in the journal Nature Communications in an open-access paper by MIT postdoc Jaime Liew, doctoral student Kirby Heck…
Vietnam's Second LNG Terminal Ready for Commissioning
Vietnam's Cai Mep LNG terminal is seeking a cargo to initiate commissioning tests, two industry sources said, putting it on track to become the country's second terminal to bring in the fuel.As it seeks to reduce reliance on coal, Vietnam has ambitious plans to build up LNG import terminals and a fleet of 13 LNG-fired power plants that could account for 15% of the country's total installed power generation capacity by 2030. Sources and analysts, however, say the target is at risk of being missed.The Cai Mep import terminal is operated by Cai Mep LNG…
Johns Hopkins APL, USCG Team to Address Defense, Maritime Security Challenges
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Connecticut, have signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) to team up on addressing critical technology challenges in national defense and maritime security.The MOU builds on a previous agreement signed in 2019, broadening and specifying more precisely the scope of collaboration between APL and RDC. It outlines plans for collaboration on initiatives in areas such as additive manufacturing…
Hess Guyana's Value is Central to Exxon Mobile Spat
An arbitration panel that will decide a high-profile clash between Exxon Mobil and Chevron will delve into the secret value of Hess' oil riches in Guyana, people familiar with the matter said.Chevron last October offered to pay $53 billion for Hess, one of the two biggest deals in the largest wave of consolidation in the oil industry in decades. The asset most coveted by Chevron in the takeover is Hess’s stake in a Guyana field operated by top U.S. rival Exxon.Exxon and China's CNOOC have challenged the deal…
Freedom Flotilla Activists take aim at Gaza Blockade
Activists from several countries are setting out on a converted trawler to defy an Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."The purpose of this mission is to send a message that civil society is not OK with what's happening in Gaza," said Fellipe Lopes, the Portuguese media coordinator of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on board the ship Handala during a stopover in Malta."We expect to encounter resistance throughout our mission," said Australian activist Michael Coleman."Ours is not an illegal activity in any shape or form.
ACBL Promotes Piccioni to Business Development VP
Jeffersonville, Ind. based marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announced it has promoted George Piccioni to vice president of business development.As ACBL's senior director of business development since 2016, Piccioni has helped to maximize the company's land holdings and assets, including leading the $1 billion transformation project at the site of its former Jeffboat shipyard.In his new VP role, Piccioni will continue these functions while also assuming an expanded leadership position, with Michael Shea, market analyst, reporting to him.
Philippines, US, Australia, Canada to Hold Exercises in South China Sea
The Philippines, Canada, United States and Australia kicked off their first joint military exercise on Wednesday in the South China Sea to enhance inter-operability among their forces, the four countries' military said.The two-day exercise, which will involve naval and air force units, is the first among the four countries, and follows the first Philippines-Japan joint exercise in the disputed South China Sea last week.The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, has held similar exercises with other countries in the disputed waterway, having carried out drills with Manila and Japan in
Russia Flexes Naval Muscle with Massive Drill Involving 300 Ships, 20,000 Sailors
Russia's navy began planned exercises involving most of its fleet in the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well and the Baltic and Caspian seas, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.Russia is considered by most military analysts to have the world's third most powerful navy after those of the United States and China, and Russia has a significant ballistic-missile nuclear submarine fleet.The Russian drills, which include 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, will test the readiness and capabilities of the navy at all levels…
Russian Navy Starts Drills Involving Most of Its Fleet
The Russian navy started planned exercises involving most of its fleet as well as 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday, citing the defence ministry.The drills are to test the navy's military command bodies of three fleets as well as the Caspian Flotilla, TASS news agency reported. Russia's Navy comprises of four fleets, the Caspian flotilla and several task forces.The Northern Fleet in Russia's Arctic, the Pacific Fleet in the Pacific Ocean…
Oil Spill Threatens Philippines Capital After Tanker Capsizes
A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing the death of a crew member and an oil spill that could spread to waters off the capital Manila, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province.The coastguard said they found the body of a previously missing crew member in the sea off Limay town in Bataan province…
Tanker Capsizes Off Philippines
A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing a large oil spill as coast guard rescuers search for a missing crew member, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province. A search is underway for the missing sailor."There is already oil spill. Right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves…
ABS and the US Coast Guard R&D Center Team Up for Maritime Tech Development
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center (USCG-RDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as a stepping stone towards collaborative research and development on top-of-mind technologies impacting the maritime industry.Activity under the MoU can include developing joint research publications, new technology qualifications and information sharing in a variety of research areas including remote and autonomous systems for uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles…
California Ferry Operator AITF Moves to Electrify Its Fleet in CARB-backed Project
Angel Island Tiburon Ferry (AITF), in California, has tapped New-Zealand-based EV Maritime to design a plug-in hybrid electric vessel for its fleet in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project, which will also see the electrification of two existing AITF vessels, has been funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The hybrid ferry will be designed and engineered by EV Maritime with electrical integration provided by ZeroMar, a local company in the Bay Area.“This new vessel will be plug-in hybrid…
Towboats: Pathways to Decarbonization
There are many forces pushing stakeholders across the global maritime industry to decarbonize.In the U.S. inland waterways, regulations aren’t one of the main drivers—at least not at the moment, according to Mike Complita, principal and vice president of strategic expansion at Elliott Bay Design Group, a naval architecture firm.Speaking on a panel at the IMX trade show in Nashville, Complita said proposed rules from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are “driving massive change on the West Coast”…
China, Russia Kick Off Live-Fire Naval Exercises in South China Sea
China and Russia have begun live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea, Russian and Chinese state media reported, with the two countries having strengthened military and trade ties in recent years following U.S. sanctions on both.The opening ceremony of the Russian-Chinese naval exercise 'Maritime Cooperation - 2024' took place in the Chinese port of Zhanjiang, the Russian defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.During their sea manoeuvres, the crews of ships…
Philippines, China to Set Up New Channels to Handle South China Sea Rows
The Philippines and China have agreed to set up new lines of communication to improve their handling of maritime disputes, according to a document and a Philippine diplomatic source, as ties sour over clashes about territory in the South China Sea.The two countries have traded barbs repeatedly over jurisdiction in the contested South China Sea as the Philippines, emboldened by support of defence ally the United States, challenges China's permanent presence around strategic features…