Maritime Industry Top News
South Korea Holds "Shipbuilding Card' in US Tariff Negotiations, Says Minister
South Korea's trade and industry minister Ahn Duk-geun said on Wednesday that potential cooperation with Washington in the shipbuilding sector is a "very important card" in negotiating with the U.S. over its tariffs.U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to South Korean interim leader Han Duck-soo late on Tuesday to discuss shipbuilding and potential energy deals in what Trump labelled a "great call", a…
US Considers Adjusting Port Fees for Chinese Vessels After Pushback
President Donald Trump's administration is considering softening its proposed fee on China-linked ships visiting U.S. ports after a flood of negative feedback from industries that said the idea could be economically devastating, according to six sources.Among the changes under consideration are delayed implementation and new fee structures designed to reduce the overall cost to visiting Chinese vessels…
Union Maritime Launches Wind-Assisted Ship With Norsepower Rotor Sails™
Union Maritime, a UK shipowner, has launched its first wind-assisted vessel, Buran, fitted with Norsepower Rotor Sails™ designed to harness wind energy and enhance fuel efficiency.Its launch marks a major milestone as the company seeks to expand its fleet with 34 wind-assisted ships, including six chemical tankers equipped with Norsepower Rotor Sails™. Once complete, Union Maritime will operate the largest fleet using this technology globally…
MOL Looks to Seize Opportunities as Trade Routes Shift Due to Tariffs
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Japan's second-largest shipping company, aims to capitalize on opportunities that emerge from a shift in trade routes driven by new U.S. tariffs, CEO Takeshi Hashimoto said.The highest U.S. tariffs in more than a hundred years came into force on Wednesday, roiling global markets."Trade routes will inevitably be reshuffled," Hashimoto told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday."We'll likely see increased trade from low-tariff countries and declines from high-tariff ones…
OEG Unveils Geometry Assurance Software for Ships and Subsea Vessels
OEG Energy Group (OEG) has officially unveiled GEOBASE, an offshore industry’s first dedicated vessel dimensional control assurance solution for survey and positioning systems onboard ships and subsea vehicles to feature calibration software.It has been developed as a database to help document survey vessel geometry and standardize the measurement of vessel dimensions, sensor placements, and reference points.Alongside this…
DOF Gets Subsea Mooring Installation Job in Asia Pacific
Norwegian offshore supply vessel operator DOF Group has secured a contract for subsea mooring installation services in Western Australia.Under the contract, DOF will use Skandi Hercules construction support vessel (CSV) with for moorings and installation subsea services.The scope of work includes DOF’s in-house project management and engineering, procurement and logistics support services.Skandi Hercules…
DEME to Buy Havfram in $985M Deal
Belgium-based offshore installation services company DEME has signed an agreement to acquire Havfram, an offshore wind installation contract based in Norway, in a deal worth $985.5 million.The strategic acquisition aligns with DEME's ambition to expand its footprint in the offshore wind energy market and enhances its competitive positioning in turbine and foundation installations.Havfram is a Norwegian…
US Threatens IMO with Tariffs
The Trump administration has pulled out of the decarbonization negotiations taking place at the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 83rd session this week.The US government is threatening reciprocal measures if any fees are imposed on US vessels based on GHG emissions or fuel choices.The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy outlines a set of “mid-term measures” aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.
Hegseth Fine-Tunes Trump’s Panama Canal Rhetoric
The United States will "take back" the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday during a visit to the Central American nation.After talks with Panama's government, Hegseth vowed to deepen security cooperation with Panamanian security forces and said China would not be allowed to "weaponize" the canal by using Chinese firms' commercial relationships for espionage."Together…
HEMEXPO Joins Decarbonization Project
The marine equipment manufacturers and exporters association for the international shipping industry, HEXEMPO, has joined the EU Horizon Innovation Action project entitled “Sustainable Emission Abatement Strategies & Technologies for Advanced Revolution Ships” (SEASTARS).The initiative aims to achieve a minimum 30% reduction in well-to-wake greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 (compared to 2008 levels)…
New Partnership to Develop Advanced Autonomous Naval Craft
US based defense company Eureka Naval Craft has signed a partnership agreement with Australian marine tech company Greenroom Robotics.Eureka Naval Craft CEO Bo Jardine said the partnership with Greenroom will drive the most advanced autonomous systems ever developed for naval vessels and will also be spun into the workboat commercial marine market. The signing comes after the parties earlier this month unveiled designs for the first fully autonomous naval attack craft the AIRCAT Bengal…
Van Ameyde Marine UK Appoints New MD
Global marine surveying and consultancy firm Van Ameyde Marine has appointed Chris Boyd as the new Managing Director of Van Ameyde Marine, UK.Boyd has over 30 years’ experience in the maritime industry. He started his career in the Royal Navy, specializing in hydrographic surveying, before becoming a naval architect and systems integrator. His focus was on marine cargo, heavy lift operations and the…
Moose Boats Delivers Harbor Patrol Catamaran
Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has delivered an M2-36 catamaran to the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol.The M2 will serve as both a law enforcement and fireboat responding throughout the Santa Barbara harbor and coastal region.The build features twin 300 HP Suzuki outboards with contra-rotating dual stainless-steel propellers.A dedicated Volvo Penta diesel engine that powers its firefighting capabilities with up to 1…
Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Drop Below Five-Year Average in March
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes were below one million tons in March, a decrease of 39.1% compared to 2024, reports the Lake Carriers’ Association. Loadings were also below the month’s five-year average by 19.4%.Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at nearly three million tons, a decrease of 31.9% compared to a year ago. Iron ore shipments are 15.2% below their five-year average for the first three months of the year.Since 1880…
World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Cruise Ship to Debut 2026
Viking and Fincantieri have announced that the Viking Libra, the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, capable of operating with zero emissions is scheduled for delivery in 2026.The vessel is already under construction at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard, and Viking’s subsequent ocean ship, the Viking Astrea, is also currently under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2027.Both vessels will…
Grimaldi Orders Nine Dual-Fuel Methanol RoPax
The Grimaldi Group has commissioned the construction of nine ropax vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), a China Merchants Group company. The deal is worth a total of $1.3 billion.The new ships have been designed to elevate the quality of maritime transport for both rolling cargo and passengers in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. All nine will be equipped with engines capable…
DNV Verifies Emissions Avoided by Jotun Coated Vessels
DNV Maritime Advisory has confirmed that 11.1 million tons of CO2 emissions were avoided by Jotun coated vessels in 2024.The avoided emissions were verified through a technical evaluation using the DNV MASTERv2 emission prediction model combined with AIS data, and Jotun provided data on average speed loss over a five-year drydocking cycle.“We are happy to showcase the verified effect our efforts within hull performance have for our customers in terms of avoided emissions.
Wood Mackenzie Slashes Five-Year US Wind Energy Outlook
A prominent energy research firm slashed its five-year outlook for new U.S. wind energy projects by 40% on Tuesday, citing Trump administration policies and concerns about the economy.Wood Mackenzie expects the United States to install 45.1GW of wind, both onshore and offshore, through 2029. It had originally forecast installations of 75.8GW over that period, the firm said in a statement.U.S. power consumption is expected to rise to record highs in 2025 and 2026…
USTR Backs Out of Some Proposed Fees on Chinese Ships
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Tuesday that not all of the agency's proposed multimillion-dollar fees for Chinese-built ships to dock at U.S. ports will be implemented, and they may not be cumulative.Greer told a Senate Finance Committee hearing that the proposals were made to address a lack of shipbuilding in the United States.He said the port fees were "proposed actions…
Hanwha Ocean Marks Entry into Deepwater Drilling Market with First Drillship
Hanwha Ocean has held a naming ceremony for its high specification ultra-deepwater drillship Tidal Action, signaling its official entry into the deepwater drilling industry.The Tidal Action is built on Hanwha Ocean’s proprietary design and is capable of drilling at depths of up to 12 kilometers in waters as deep as 3.6 kilometers.The drillship is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system for a stable station keeping and ready to accommodate 20…