East Coast News

The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) has offered its view on the collision between the Solong and Stena Immaculate off the north-east coast of the UK on March 10, saying:“Whilst the United Kingdom is a 1992 Fund Member State and the Stena Immaculate appears to be a ship, as defined in the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions, according to reports, the tanker was carrying jet fuel, which is a non-persistent oil. Therefore, any claims for compensation in the event of pollution damage resulting from this incident would not be covered by the 1992 Conventions.

Over the last six weeks, U.S. President Trump has imposed and postponed tariffs on Canada and Mexico several times. The current situation seems to reflect something of a compromise, says Poten & Partners in an opinion released on March 7.Tariffs are in place, but they will not apply to goods covered by the North American trade agreement known as USMCA. Crude oil and refined products are covered under the USMCA, so provided the energy companies file the appropriate paperwork, they…

Analysts caution that a new proposal to impose fees on China-built container ships entering the U.S. could trigger unintended consequences, including port congestion, rising freight costs, and shifts in global trade flows.The Trump administration has announced a plan to charge a $1 million fee every time a vessel operated by a Chinese carrier docks at a U.S. port. Additionally, the Federal Notice outlines potential extra charges for any China-built ships, even if operated by carriers from other nations.

New Zealand said the Chinese navy conducted a live-fire exercise in international waters near the Pacific nation on Saturday, a day after it held a similar drill between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights."Reporting from the New Zealand Defence Force that the Chinese naval Task Group has advised of a second window for live firing activity, on Saturday afternoon," a spokesperson for Defence Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.Personnel on New Zealand Navy frigate Te Kaha observed live rounds fired from a Chinese vessel's main gun…

Battered by Covid, the cruise industry was down but not out. Today it is setting records in passenger count + the size and cost of a new fleet.Post-Pandemic, the fortunes of the big cruise companies have brightened dramatically. A late December, 2024 earnings release from Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL), encompassing brands including Carnival Cruise, Holland America, Cunard, Princess Cruises and others, says it all: “This has been an incredibly strong finish to a record year,” said CCL’s CEO Josh Weinstein, in its statement.

Jim Towers is Principal in Charge as well as a Senior Naval Architect and Marine Engineer at Elliott Bay Design Group. He has 45 years of marine experience in vessel design and construction with a specific emphasis on structure. A recognized industry expert in vessel design and a part of numerous vessel construction and refurbishment projects, Jim has worked for the Pacific Northwest's top shipyards, where he developed his engineering talent and was involved in the construction of many high-speed aluminum vessels.

Seakeeper’s motion control technology can improve the performance of even the most impressive of workboats. Partnering with Seakeeper and Gladding-Hearn, the Charleston Pilots did just that, once again setting the bar for excellence.On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Charleston, SC, way back in 2014, MarineNews had the good fortune to attend the christening on the nation’s first dual purpose, rapid response vessel and pilot launch. As the first vessel to be designed for offshore salvage and firefighting requirements…

Companies that once committed to investing in U.S. offshore wind infrastructure and supply chains are now scrapping their plans as the industry experiences significant challenges. These setbacks stem from project delays, soaring costs, and the potential loss of federal support under former President Donald Trump’s proposed policies.The downturn in the offshore wind sector over the past two years has led to prolonged project delays, budget overruns, and even outright failures of planned wind farms…

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has announced that the Premier Alliance Agreement (No. 201435) can take effect on February 9, 2025.The Premier Alliance is replacing THE Alliance, but does not include Hapag-Lloyd which instead entered the Gemini Cooperation with Maersk.The new arrangement allows Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Yang Ming to share vessels on trade lines between the United States and Asia, the Middle East and Europe.The cooperation is comprised of mainline services across the major East – West Tradelines: Asia – North America West Coast…

Middle East ceasefire and Lunar New Year will see ocean container freight rates fall further in February - with carriers now taking action to slow the market decline.Latest data from Xeneta – an ocean and air freight intelligence platform – shows average spot rates from the Far East stand at USD 3 795 per FEU (40ft container) into North Europe and USD 5 085 per FEU into the Mediterranean – down 22% and 13% respectively since 1 January.Early data suggests spot rates will fall further on 1 February…

Port of Virginia’s Portsmouth Marine Terminal has welcomed the arrival of the first substation to be installed at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.The CS Wind Offshore and Semco Maritime consortium was selected by Dominion Energy in 2021 to deliver three 880 MW offshore substations for the project, under development by Dominion Energy.CVOW farm is located approximately 40 kilometers off the coast of Virginia Beach, and, once fully operational within the coming years…

Port of Savannah received four new electric ship-to-shore cranes on January 25, 2025, bringing Ocean Terminal’s fleet to eight Super Post Panamax cranes, all designed by Finland-based Konecranes.Once all cranes are commissioned and berth construction is completed, the eight ship-to-shore cranes at Ocean Terminal will have the capability to service two vessels simultaneously. "The completion of this project in 2028 will enable Ocean Terminal to accommodate the largest vessels serving the U.S. East Coast," said Ed McCarthy, Chief Operating Officer of Georgia Ports.

U.S. President Donald Trump in his first day of office on Monday suspended new federal offshore wind leasing pending an environmental and economic review, saying wind mills are ugly, expensive and harm wildlife.Former President Joe Biden supported the offshore wind industry, setting a target for 30 gigawatts (GW) of projects by 2030, up from 42 megawatts at the end of 2023, prompting many European project developers to acquire leases and plan wind farms in the United States.Trump's executive order is not expected to stop existing U.S.

On January 16, 2025, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) formally withdrew its August 1, 2022, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that sought amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule that would have had the unintended consequences of endangering pilots, weakening navigation safety, and damaging the maritime supply chain on the East Coast. While the American Pilots’ Association (APA)  announced that it welcomes the proposal’s withdrawal…

A tanker subject to the new U.S. sanctions is discharging Russian oil at a port operated by Shandong Port Group in east China, shipping data on LSEG Eikon showed on Thursday.The tanker is the first since last week's sanctions announcement to discharge in Shandong province where many of China's independent refineries that have been big importers of Russian crude are based.It will be monitored closely by those in the industry anxious to know how strictly the measures will be implemented.The sanctions include a grace period exempting cargoes loaded before Jan.

U.S. imports from China finished the year strong after some companies stockpiled shipments of apparel, toys, furniture and electronics ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose new tariffs that could revive a trade war between the world's economic superpowers.Trump, who has threatened to slap tariffs of 10% to 60% on goods from China, takes office on Jan. 20. During his first term, Trump mainly targeted Chinese parts and components. Economists and trade experts predict…

Colonial Pipeline's main U.S. gasoline artery is expected to be shut through Friday as the company continues to search for the source of a suspected leak in Paulding County, Georgia, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.Line 1, one of two mainlines on the more than 5,500-mile Colonial system, was shut on Monday night after Colonial received reports of a gasoline release and began investigating. The pipeline moves gasoline from Texas to North Carolina and was earlier expected to resume service on Tuesday night…

The industry-leading fuel management systems from Fueltrax are typically installed by oceangoing vessels looking to cut costs, better manage their fuels, and reduce emissions. Now vessels that primarily operate on inland and near-coastal waterways are reaping the benefits as well.A major U.S. charterer and vessel owner has outfitted half a dozen of its vessels and is realizing the advantages. The operator uses the Fueltrax EFMS, the most widely deployed and effective system available.The Fueltrax EFMS is a state-of-the-art system designed and supported by former NASA engineers.

A potential strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports has been avoided with the announcement of a tentative labor agreement, but the nation’s major container ports have already seen a surge in imports that is expected to continue because of potential increases in tariffs, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“The new contract brings certainty and avoids disruptions, and we hope to see it ratified as soon as possible,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

You just might get it.In the waning days of the Biden administration, the executive orders and such that get announced seemingly on a daily basis signal countless victories for that side of the equation. And, no matter which side of that great divide that you reside on, it is likely that some of those edicts will be quickly reversed by the incoming President. Of course, much of this is likely irreversible. No where is that more apparent than Biden's order to withdraw 625 million acres of ocean from new offshore oil and gas development.U.S.

Strikes at ports on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast, which would have caused an economic and supply chain crisis, have been called off – with ocean container freight rate growth now expected to slow or fall.The strikes were set to begin on 15 January and would have forced the closure of ports from Maine to Texas. This has now been averted after a tentative agreement over a new six-year master contract was reached between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents port workers…

China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was not aware of Shandong Port Group's decision to ban U.S.-sanctioned vessels from its network of east coast harbours.The group oversees several major terminals in the province of Shandong, which is the main entry point for Iranian, Russian and Venezuelan oil imported into China. Last year, those embargoed flows were almost a fifth of total oil imports.If the ban is enforced, traders say it will drive up shipping costs for independent refiners in Shandong…

Shandong Port Group has banned U.S.-sanctioned tankers from calling into its ports in the eastern Chinese province, home to many independent refiners that are the biggest importers of oil from countries under U.S. embargo, three traders said.The province imported about 1.74 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Iran, Russia and Venezuela last year, accounting for about 17% of China's imports, ship tracking data from Kpler showed.If enforced, the ban would drive up shipping costs for independent refiners in Shandong…