Roll Off News

Car-carrying ships have sent more cargo from Europe and China, Japan and Korea to the United States in the first months of the year than last year, shipping data showed, in a sign of companies front-loading shipments ahead of looming tariffs.A total of 33 so-called roll on, roll off ships - designed for wheeled cargo and mostly carrying new cars - left Europe for the U.S. in February this year, up from 28 in February 2024, according to data analytics firm Esgian, which monitors shipping routes and ports worldwide.Those ships will have been able to carry around 30…

We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m. local time on March 26, 2025 after the container ship MV DALI lost power and collided with one of bridge’s support piers. Six construction workers died in the collapse, while two other workers survived the fall into the freezing water.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received additional orders for three methanol-fueled roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ships from Toyofuji Shipping, Miyazaki Sangyo Kaiun, and Nichitoku Kisen.The three ships will be built at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with scheduled completion and delivery in order from fiscal 2028.The ships will be approximately 168.0 meters in overall length and 30.2 meters in breadth…

Crowley has raised the U.S. flag on American Energy, marking the start of operations of the first domestic liquified natural gas (LNG) carrier to transport U.S.-sourced natural gas to Puerto Rico.Crowley and Naturgy have entered into a multi-year agreement that provides for the regular delivery of the U.S. mainland-sourced LNG to Naturgy’s operating facility in Penuelas, Puerto Rico. This will provide Puerto Rico with increased access to the reliable supply of U.S.-produced LNG, helping address the island’s ongoing power demands.

Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Chair Mike Ezell (MS-04) introduced the bipartisan “American Cargo for American Ships Act” to strengthen U.S. Cargo preference laws and promote American economic growth.The legislation aims to reduce the ongoing decline of U.S. flagged ships.In 2022, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) testified before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and highlighted the decline of U.S. flagged ships. Per MARAD, there were 106 ships in the foreign trade flying the U.S. flag in 2012.

When President Donald Trump sat down to lunch with his Japanese counterpart this month, talk turned quickly to how Tokyo could help realize a decades-old proposal to unlock gas in Alaska and ship it to U.S. allies in Asia.Trump and his energy tsar Doug Burgum framed the venture as a way for Japan to replace Middle East energy shipments and address its trade imbalance with the U.S., according to two officials briefed on the closed-door talks.Japanese premier Shigeru Ishiba - eager to ensure a positive first meeting and stave off damaging U.S.

An exhibition of ship models depicting vessels built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company (Troon and Ayr) in the 19th and 20th centuries opens at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Irvine Harborside today (Friday, February 21).The collection of six detailed ‘builder’s models’, which are on long-term loan from South Ayrshire Council, were crafted by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company’s model-making department between 1909 and 1975.The vessels depicted include a 10-gun brig built to seize illegal slaver ships in the 19th century…

East Africa Marine Transport has taken a significant step towards creating a more sustainable and efficient logistics solution for Lake Victoria with the commissioning of M.V. MPUNGU, the lake’s first scheduled roll-on / roll-off freight vessel.Offering faster and safer crossings and reduced carbon emissions, the fuel-efficient vessel is set to transform regional trade by cutting journey times from days to hours and supporting the decarbonisation of the region’s transport sector.Owned by East Africa Marine Transport (EAMT) and operated by Grindrod Logistics Africa - Uganda (GLAU)…

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has provided new information about the Vessel Incident Event (VIE) and Terminal Incident Event (TIE) compliance option under its 2020 At Berth Regulation.Emission reduction requirements began on January 1, 2025, for tanker vessel visits to Los Angeles and Long Beach and for roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel visits statewide. To ensure these fleets and terminal operators were ready for the regulations, CARB issued VIEs and TIEs via email prior to December 31…

Danish shipping company DFDS is launching a weekly freight service connecting Spain and the Netherlands, aimed at serving the needs of industrial customers, freight forwarders and project cargo owners.In connection with the new route, DFDS and Hydro, a global aluminium and energy company, have signed an agreement for weekly shipment of aluminium. Starting from end May, the new route will connect the ports of Vilagarcía and Rotterdam, offering a direct ferry link from southern…

Four students from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) – Draygan Colonese, Elizabeth Kay, Charles Lausten and Gianna Russo – have been awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships in recognition of their success and commitment to careers in the maritime industry.They were selected based on their academic achievements and performance during the cadet training periods aboard Crowley-operated or -managed vessels.Colonese, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, is pursuing a degree in maritime logistics and security.

This week at Maritime Reporter...The importance of safety on ro-ro vessels comes under the spotlight.The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch released its report into the engine room fire on board the ro-ro Stena Europe and concluded that the ship’s crew were insufficiently trained to inspect engine fuel systems and the temperature measuring equipment used by the crew to monitor the engine exhaust insulation did not effectively identify any hot spots.The Maritime and Coastguard…

The bipartisan, bicameral bill will fuel U.S. economy, strengthen national security by responding to China’s threat over the oceans. Currently, the number of U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce is 80; China has 5,500.Today, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-8), and Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS-1) introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, comprehensive legislation to revitalize the United States shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries. After decades of neglect, the United States has a weakened shipbuilding capacity, a declining commercial shipping fleet that is dwarfed by China, and a diminished ability to supply the U.S. military during wartime.

Political winds blowing a raft of new tariffs and incoming supply uptick suggests a volatile 2025 Bearish sentiment crept into the car carrier market in June after the European Union (EU) announced increased import tariffs for Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) up to as much as 45.3%. The EU tariffs, which came into play in November for a period of five years and were increased following an investigation into Chinese state subsidies to domestic car manufacturers, are weighing…

A safety management system, while vital, can only take a company so far. The real change has to be cultural throughout an organization.Many maritime companies can operate effectively under the International Safety Management Code, which governs safety and pollution prevention for ships. Frameworks like these enable carriers to act compliant with basic safety standards, but there is a significant human element not quite covered by such standards. In 2012, Allianz looked at around a century of maritime incidents, estimating that 75% to 96% of marine accidents involved some human error.

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) said that M/V ARC Endeavorentered the Maritime Security Program (MSP) fleet on December 1, strengthening ARC’s position for U.S.-flag Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) shipping services.M/V ARC Endeavor replaces ARC’s M/V Endurance in the MSP fleet. MSP is the bedrock Congressional maritime readiness program that since 1996 maintains a modern, active fleet of 60 U.S.-flag, privately-owned ships available to provide sealift capacity and support to the military and other federal agencies in times of need, such as war or national emergencies.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into a crush incident on board ro-ro cargo vessel Clipper Pennant in Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, England on July 20, 2021.At 1353 on that day, the bosun was fatally crushed while working on the vessel’s vehicle deck as the vessel was being loaded with a cargo of semi-trailers.A tractor unit driver pushed a semi-trailer into a corner space, marshalled by the vessel’s bosun in their assigned role as banksman. The accident was not seen by the driver, who disconnected the tractor unit and drove away.

As the Military Sealift Command (MSC) celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is looking to the future through the eyes of a forward-thinking “innovation cell” named for a ship from its storied past. USNS Taluga (T-AO-62) was the first Navy replenishment ship that was operated by civil service mariners.The Taluga Group is a three-person team of Director John Bruening, Dean Vesely and Jerit VanAuker who are focused on capability development and adoption of innovative practices.The Tulaga Group team have diverse backgrounds to help them look at problems in different ways.

Suez Canal Chairman Gamal El-Dein says Canal Economic Zone set for rapid expansion.Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ) has invested $3 billion on infrastructure over the past few years and has plans to invest a similar amount over the next few years as it works to attract investors, its chairman said in an interview.The zone, a collection of six ports and four industrial areas alongside, or near the waterway, has been given special legal and tax advantages to benefit from the vast amount of international shipping passing by.While government-run, it is administratively separate from the canal. Attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen's Houthis…

Bollinger Shipyards officially laid the keel for the R/S SpaceShip on October 24, 2024. The event, held at Bollinger Marine Fabricators, was attended by key executives, including Tory Bruno, President and CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards.The R/S SpaceShip is set to be the second vessel in ULA’s maritime fleet, designed specifically to transport Vulcan rockets from their manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama, to…

International Car Operator NV (ICO) has acquired a second Liebherr mobile harbor crane, the LHM 550, further enhancing its operational capabilities at the Vrasene terminal in Antwerp. The crane features a 54-meter outreach and a lifting capacity of up to 154 tonnes, solidifying ICO's position as a leader in the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo handling sector.The Vrasene terminal spans 125 hectares and processes approximately 7,000 vehicles daily, along with an increasing volume of project cargo transported by barge.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) officially took custody of its new training ship Patriot State during a handover ceremony on October 11.The vessel is the second of five being built by Philly Shipyard under the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program, designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for the nation's state maritime academies.During the handover ceremony, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips…

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC) announced it has added the roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel ARC Endeavor to its U.S.-flag fleet.The ship was reflagged to American registry on September 27 as the 10th U.S.-flag Ro-Ro vessel in ARC’s fleet. The reflag was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Port of Baltimore, Md.“ARC has consistently invested in new tonnage and this latest Ro-Ro is the ninth ship we have brought into the American fleet since 2016. ARC Endeavor further strengthens ARC’s position as a leading logistics company and the largest U.S.