With Sea, Energy Truce in Play, Washington to Seek Easing Russia Sanctions

The United States reached deals on Tuesday with Ukraine and Russia on a truce in the Black Sea and a pause in attacks on energy facilities, with Washington also pledging to push for the lifting of some financial sanctions against Moscow.The separate agreements are the first formal commitments by the warring sides since the inauguration of Donald Trump, who is pushing for an end to the war and a rapid rapprochement with Moscow that has alarmed Kyiv and European countries.The U.S.
U.S. Shipbuilding to Reduce Foreign Dependence Receives Bipartisan Support

U.S. President Donald Trump's push to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding is finding rare bipartisan support from Americans, with 72% saying the U.S. cannot remain dependent on China and other foreign producers to build ships, a poll released Friday showed.The survey of 2,204 adults, conducted by Morning Consult for the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) on March 10-12, showed strong concern about China's grip on the $150 billion global ocean shipping industry, and the negative national security implications for the United States.Only 11% said the U.S.
Is Nuclear Power Maritimeās Best Hope to hit āNet Zeroā?

In the ever-evolving quest for cleaner, more efficient energy sources in maritime vessel operations, nuclear power has re-emerged as a topic of serious discussion, as shipowners eye the International Maritime Organization push to ānet zeroā on or around 2050. Admittedly, there is no āsilver bulletā solution for the entirety of maritime premised on the wide variety of routes and ship types, but nuclear holds promise in several large-ship, oceangoing sectors. Phil Lewis, Director of Research at Intelatusā¦
Panama President Tells US to Stop Spreading Lies

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday the U.S. was spreading "lies and falsehoods" after the State Department claimed U.S. government vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.The comments were likely to exacerbate tensions between the two countries after the U.S. had cited progress on military cooperation and confronting alleged Chinese influence over the canal.Later, Mulino added on social media that he would speak to U.S. President Donaldā¦
Summing Up the U.S., the Panama Canal and China

Some U.S. lawmakers and officials are touting a nearly half-century-old treaty between the United States and Panama to justify the Trump administration's threat to reclaim the Panama Canal - provided it can show the strategic waterway's operation is under threat.Others, however, say hurdles would loom for any bid to use the 1977 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty, which took effect in 1999 and guarantees that the canal would remain neutral and open to all ships from all countries, as a pretext for the U.S. to seize it.The 82-km (51-mile) waterway's construction was completed by the U.S.
Naval Fleets power Vestdavit's record 2024 sales

Vestdavit has achieved a new sales record for the third successive year as its order intake hit an all-time high of Nkr380m in 2024, fueled by increased davit orders from its core naval market as well as the offshore energy sector.āIt has been another fantastic year. The significant orders boost was achieved despite a transition in our Sales & Marketing department that saw us start the year with an almost entirely new sales team, which hit the ground running to deliver impressive growth through quickly developing good customer relationsā¦
US: China Unfairly Dominates Shipbuilding

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has concluded that China uses unfair policies and practices to dominate the global maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, three sources familiar with the results of a months-long trade investigation told Reuters.U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai launched the probe in April 2024 at the request of the United Steelworkers and four other U.S. unions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the U.S. to penalize foreign countries that engage in acts that are "unjustifiable" or "unreasonable," or burden U.S.
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. The upgrade came after Cambodia demolished a U.S.-built facility at the base in Sihanoukville in 2020ā¦
Has U.S. Shipbuilding Reached an āAtlas Shruggedā Moment?

Each year, as we prepare for the largest U.S. based maritime industry conference in New Orleans, we tend to look back on the state of the industry and initiatives that were announced from the conference that took place the year before. 2023 provided us with plenty to talk about. In September of 2023, while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the global shipbuilding industry were fixated on āemissionsā and alternative fuels, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro held the opening meeting of the Government Shipbuilders Council.
Billions in Lost Treasure: How Modern Technology Is Revealing Hidden Riches from the Depths!

Oceans worldwide hold untold riches hidden beneath the waves. Now treasure hunters are using cutting-edge technology to explore them, discovering some of history's most treasured sunken finds from Caribbean waters to Arctic depths rewriting maritime history and uncovering fortunes lost at sea.According to estimates by marine archaeologists and treasure hunting experts, the value of treasure lying beneath the waves could range anywhere between $60 billion to over $100 billion.
Satellite-based Solution Helps to Prevent Ship Groundings in Coastal Waters

Recent incidents of naval and commercial vessels running aground have underscored the inherent risks of operating in shallow and poorly charted coastal waters. A solution from Denver-based TCarta Marine utilizes Earth observation satellites to deliver precise water depth measurements in near-shore areas.āWhile the exact causes of recent ship groundings off the coasts of Oman, Greenland, and Fiji are under investigation and often complex, the risk of such accidents can be significantly reduced with up-to-date bathymetric data produced from satellite imageryā¦
Link Industries Acquires Naval Equipment Maker

Fratelli Cosulich Group, via its subsidiary Link Industries S.p.A., acquired Schiavetti Enzo S.r.l., with Enzo Schiavetti remaining as a partner and CEO. The company, based in Genoa and operational since 1870, produces and sells of hardware products for the naval and nautical industries. Over the years, it has focused on the design and trade of hardware products for the naval and nautical sectors. The portfolio includes a wide range of solutions related to the world of doors and naval furnishingsā¦
Bad Weather Forces US Military to Pause Gaza Pier Construction

The U.S. military said on Friday it was temporarily pausing the offshore construction of a maritime pier because of weather conditions and instead would continue building it at the Israeli port of Ashdod.The maritime pier, once built, will be placed off the coast of Gaza in a bid to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave."Forecasted high winds and high sea swells caused unsafe conditions for soldiers working on the surface of the partially constructed pier," the U.S.
US Military Starts Pier Construction off Gaza

U.S. troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave when it becomes operational in May, the Pentagon said on Thursday.President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. Whether the pier will ultimately succeed in boosting humanitarian aid is unclear, as international officials warn of the risk ofā¦
Philly Shipyard Exploring Collaboration Opportunities with Hyundai Heavy Industries

U.S. shipbuilder Philly Shipyard announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the world's largest shipbuilding group, South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), to explore a potential business relationship relating to future U.S. government shipbuilding projects as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects.The MOU was signed during a visit from HHI to Philly Shipyard on April 12, 2024 and was attended by officials from both companies, including Dr. Won ho Joo, Chief Executive of Naval and Special Ship Business Unit of HHI, and Mr.
Vard Unveils Resilience Military Vessels Series

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has presented the next generation of military vessels - the VARD Resilience series.To answer the Norwegian Navyās demands for the new vessels, VARD has developed VARD Resilience series with a design that meets the request for standardization, modularization, adaptation to the customer's needs and purpose of the vessel.According to Vard, the Resielince series has been designed with a long service life in mind.āOneā¦
Video: Ukraine Says It Sunk a Russian Warship in the Black Sea

Ukraine destroyed a Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel's port side on Wednesday and caused it to sink, Kyiv's military spy agency and armed forces said.There was no immediate comment from Russia, which said earlier that it had destroyed six drones in the Black Sea. The Kremlin declined to comment."The Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Defense Ministry's intelligence unit, destroyed the Tsezar Kunikov large landing ship.
Russia Says it Foiled Ukrainian Drone Attack on Civilian Cargo Ships

Russia said on Saturday it had repelled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Russian "civilian transport ships" on Friday evening in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, a key artery for grain and oil exports from both countries.Civilian vessels on the Black Sea have not generally been targeted since Moscow ordered its troops into Ukraine in February 2022, but last July both sides said they would start treating ships headed to the other's ports as potential carriers of military cargo.In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging appā¦
Shipbuilder Damen Sues Dutch Gov't over Russia Sanctions

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards has sued the Dutch government over damages it says it has suffered due to European sanctions against Russia.Damen, which produces a wide-ranging fleet of industrial and military vessels and luxury yachts, is seeking compensation for business lost due to the sanctions, company spokesman Rick van de Weg said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg.Damen had delivery contracts for a number of vessels across the company's portfolio that were scrapped by the sanctions invoked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Van de Weg said.Damen had an engineer
Workboat Power: Alternatives Join Diesel to Power Currentāand FutureāVessels

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report āBeyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chainsā, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, āDuring the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)ā¦
US Allies Reluctant on Red Sea Task Force

U.S. President Joe Biden hoped to present a firm international response to Yemen's Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping by launching a new maritime force, but a week after its launch many allies don't want to be associated with it, publicly, or at all.Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian - Italy and Spain - issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the maritime force.The Pentagon says the force is a defensiveā¦
Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral

When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the U.S. and beyond.
Sweden Ends Nord Stream Sabotage Probe

Sweden on Wednesday dropped its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, saying it lacked jurisdiction in the case but had handed evidence it had uncovered over to German investigators.The multi-billion-dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022, releasing vast amounts of methane into the air.Russia and the Westā¦