USCG: Do as I Say; Not as I Do
Irony: (noun) a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. But this is anything but funny.It has been a busy news month for the nation’s fifth uniformed service; the United States Coast Guard. Of note, changes to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH) regulations for U.S.-flagged commercial vessels entered into force on December 23, 2024.
"Robust" 2025 is in the Cards for Cruise Vessels, says Carnival
Flash back to March 2020, and cruise shipping as the global poster-child for COVID, with passengers stuck on ships in ports around the wordl, unable to leave as far more questions than answers lingered regarding the mysterious illness.Less than four years later, the global cruise ship industry is booming again, led by the world's largest, Carnival Corp, which forecast strong bookings for 2025 ahead of the busy summer travel season…
Iranian Oil Prices to China Spike as Shipping Sanctions Bite
The price of Iranian crude oil sold to China has risen to the highest in years as fresh U.S. sanctions have tightened shipping capacity and driven up logistics costs…
Baltic Index Logs Worst Year since 2014
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, inched up on Tuesday but recorded its worst year since 2014…
Oil Rises on China Stimulus Hopes, US Inventory Drop
Oil rose almost 1% on Thursday in thin holiday trade driven by hopes for additional fiscal stimulus in China, the world's biggest oil importer, and supported by…
Trump names Panama Envoy, Talks Tough on Panama Canal
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has picked Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama after having threatened for the U.S.
NTSB's Alvin Brown Appointed Vice Chairman
Alvin Brown, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board and former mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, was designated Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, by President Biden to serve as vice chairman of the independent safety agency. “I am honored to be named in this new role of vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board,” Brown said. “The NTSB is the gold standard for public safety, and I look…
Port of Oakland Box Volume Finishing 2024 Strong
The Port of Oakland’s container business continues to grow. Total cargo volume shot up 10% year-to-date, January through November 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.“We are optimistic that strong container volume will continue through the end of the year,” said Port of Oakland Manager of Business Development and International Marketing Carolyn Almquist. “We expect to be on track to return to our pre-pandemic baseline cargo numbers.
Finland Boards Vessel Suspected of Cutting Subsea Cables
Finnish authorities said they boarded and took control of an oil tanker travelling from Russia on December 26, 2024, on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable and three internet lines connecting Finland and Estonia a day earlier.The Cook Islands-registered ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S, was boarded by a Finnish coast guard crew which took command in the Baltic Sea and sailed the vessel to Finnish waters…
WASHINGTON WATCH: Looking Forward and Aft at the Maritime Political Landscape
With the election (largely) settled, we turn our attention to the challenges and opportunities that the new Administration and Congress hold for maritime stakeholders.Maritime Challenges Out (and at) the GatesOn October 3, 2024, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO (ILA) reached a tentative agreement on wages, extending their Master Contract until January 15, 2024.
Maritime Propulsion Choices Begin with Fuel, End with Politics
The maritime industry’s elusive quest to achieve so-called ‘zero’ emissions continues. Where it ends is not a one-size-fits-all discussion.The year-end maritime industry discussions tend to move away from global influence and back drift to national and domestic debates. As this happens, a positioning of a relatively small group of American owners and operators prepare for the upcoming business year and markets.
Russia's LNG 'Shadow Fleet' Runs Full Steam Ahead
A sanctioned LNG tanker named "Mulan", which approached Novatek's SAAM FSU floating storage facility in Murmansk on December 21, is currently sailing around Northern Europe and heading towards Port Said in Egypt, according to LSEG data. The vessel is expected to arrive at its destination on January 6, 2025.Another LNG tanker, "Pioneer", has entered the transshipment zone at the Koryak FSU floating storage facility in Kamchatka…
Cambodia Opens China-Linked Naval Base to Japan Visitors
Cambodia's former Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday that Japan would be granted visitation rights to the country's Ream Naval Base, a facility the United States is concerned could become a military outpost for China.Chinese military vessels have been rotating through Ream since a Beijing-funded upgrade started in June 2022. Cambodia has denied reports of a secret deal with China to station its forces at the base.
Tanker Engine Failure Shuts Bosphorus Straight Traffic
Traffic was suspended in Turkey's Bosphorus strait on Thursday after a tanker had an engine failure during northbound transit through the strait that runs through Istanbul, shipping agent Tribeca and the Transport Ministry said.Tribeca said that the Panama-flagged tanker Cordelia Moon with Russia destination suffered an engine failure around Yenikoy area and that an assistance vessel was sent to the scene.(Reuters)
Police Looks Into Foreign Ship’s Role in Estonia-Finland Interconnector Outage
Finnish police said on Thursday they are investigating whether a foreign ship was involved in the damage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia following a sudden outage on Wednesday.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for potential acts of sabotage following a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since 2022, although subsea equipment is also subject to technical malfunction and accidents.The 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power interconnector remai
Turkey Eyes Maritime Deal with Syria
Turkey is aiming to strike a maritime demarcation agreement with Syria after a permanent government is formed in Damascus, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Tuesday.Turkey, which backed Syrian rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad this month after a 13-year civil war, has been in close contact with the new interim administration of its neighbour, including Turkey's intelligence…
‘Act of Terrorism’ Sinks Russian Cargo Ship Off Spanish Coast, Vessel Owner Claims
A Russian cargo ship that ran into trouble on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea and later sank was rocked by a series of three explosions in "an act of terrorism," state news agency RIA cited the vessel's owner as saying on Wednesday.Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the "Ursa Major," built in 2009, sank after an explosion ripped through its engine room and that two of its 16 crew were missing.RIA cited Oboronlogistika…
Russian Gas Exports to Europe Rise 20% in 2024
Total exports of Russian gas to European countries have so far been 18-20% higher this year than in 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday.In January to November, supplies of pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exceeded 50 billion cubic metres, Novak said."Despite all the statements and sanctions pressure because gas is a highly ecological product, it is in demand. And Russian gas is the most cost-efficient…
