Iran's Continued Control of Hormuz Intensifies Seafarer Misery
Iran's publication of a new map asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz risks extending an already punishing ordeal for thousands of mariners trapped on ships in the Gulf.More than 20,000 sailors are stuck on around 2,000 vessels in the Gulf, many of them unable to leave ship, lacking adequate supplies of food and fresh water, and fearful of an uncertain future at sea in a war zone.Sailors…
Third Qatari LNG Tanker Transits Hormuz to China
A Third Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker is transiting the Strait of Hormuz and heading to China, ship-tracking data showed on Friday, as a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran to try to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran.As shipments through the waterway continue to be erratic, this third transit of a Qatari LNG tanker is taking place nearly two weeks after a first such cargo passed through the strait under an Iran-Pakistan arrangement.The vessel…
France Drafts UN Security Council Resolution on Restoring Hormuz Movement
France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution on setting up an international mission to restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz and could submit it if conditions are right, the foreign ministry said on Friday, as Washington struggles to bring to a vote a text Russia and China may say is biased against Tehran.Control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy trade whose virtual closure has led to spiralling oil prices…
CMA CGM Q1 Resilient, but Shipping Margins Tighten Amid Geopolitical Turbulence
CMA CGM delivered a resilient first quarter, but the numbers underscore the increasingly complex environment facing the global container shipping and logistics giant.The Marseille-based group reported first-quarter revenue of $13.23 billion, essentially flat year-over-year, while EBITDA fell 31.6% to $2.11 billion and net income dropped sharply to $250 million, down from $1.12 billion a year earlier.For the shipping division, the picture was mixed.
Incat Crowther Designed Passenger Ferry Sets Sail in the US Virgin Islands
Spirit of 1733, a new EPA tier 4 compliant 104-foot (32-meter) passenger ferry designed by global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther for the U.S Virgin Island’s Department of Public Works has entered service. The new vessel is operating on a busy tourist and commuter route between Red Hook on the island of St. Thomas and Cruz Bay on the island of St. John in the U.S Virgin Islands.Named after a historic slave rebellion on the island of St.
IKM Aconan to Deliver Drilling, Well Services for Vår Energi
IKM Acona has been awarded a framework agreement with Vår Energi for the delivery of drilling and wells services on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.The agreement has a duration of four years, with options for an additional 2 + 2 years.The agreement covers support and advisory services within drilling and wells, including engineering studies, procedures, reporting, and project support.The scope of work includes activities within subsurface…
EU Temporarily Suspends Fertilizer Duties Amidst Hormuz Crisis
The EU will temporarily lift customs duties on key nitrogen-based fertilizers such as urea and ammonia for one year to mitigate the knock-on effects of the Iran war, the Council of the EU said on Friday.Global fertiliser prices have jumped following the near total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route along Iran's coast through which around one-third of global fertiliser trade passes.While the EU does not depend on the nitrogen-based fertilisers…
RApport 2700 Tugboat Marauder Delivered to Maritime Partners
Master Boat Builders christened Marauder, the first vessel in an eight-tug construction program for Maritime Partners, marking a key milestone for the Gulf Coast shipbuilder and the growing fleet operator.The christening ceremony was held at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf in Mobile, Ala., bringing together executives from both companies as well as shipyard workers involved in the vessel’s construction.Built at Master Boat Builders’ Coden, Ala.
GTT to Design LNG Carrier Tank for Hanwha Ocean
French engineering firm GTT has an order from the shipyard Hanwha Ocean for the tank design of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, on behalf of a European ship-owner.GTT will design the cryogenic tanks of the vessel, offering a total capacity of 174,000 m3.The tanks will be fitted with the NO96 Super+ membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT.Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for the second quarter 2029.
DNV: Why Hydrogen is Not the Next LNG
DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook Hydrogen to 2060 report explains why hydrogen won’t be the next LNG.LNG emerged to monetize geographically concentrated natural gas resources and move energy from a small number of exporting regions to distant markets. Hydrogen, by contrast, will be produced in all regions, predicts DNV.As a result, hydrogen systems are shaped primarily by local production, demand patterns, and balancing requirements rather than by global resource scarcity.
Australian Quantum Sensor Company Raises Seed Funding
Deteqt, an Australian deep tech company building one of the world's most compact quantum magnetic sensors, has closed a A$5 million ($3.6 million) seed round led by Main Sequence, with participation from ATP Fund, BOKA Capital, Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Uniseed, and the University of Sydney.Deteqt's breakthrough is a chip-scale quantum magnetometer: an exquisitely sensitive sensor that combines a diamond crystal with a custom semiconductor chip…
Meyer Turku Donates Money for Professorship at Aalto University
Meyer Turku is investing in shipbuilders of the future by donating EUR 800,000 ($930,000) to Aalto University. With the donation, Aalto will establish a five-year Professor of Practice to accelerate developments in marine technology and secure expertise in the field in Finland.Aalto University’s new Professor of Practice in Interdisciplinary Naval Architecture will combine marine technology and engineering with economics, finance, contract law, as well as architecture and design.
IMO Adopts Global Code for Autonomous Ships
The IMO has adopted a new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code) at the 111th session of the Maritime Safety Committee in London.The MASS Code aims to support the safe integration of autonomous and remotely operated commercial ships into global shipping. It sets out a comprehensive, goal-based framework to ensure that autonomous vessels are built, operated and…
US Scientists Forecast Below-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season
U.S. government scientists said on Thursday they expect a below-normal Atlantic tropical storm season in 2026, likely producing one to three major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour (179 kph).Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled the agency’s outlook for the season, which begins on June 1 and runs through November 30.They predicted eight to 14 named tropical storms with winds of at least 39 mph…
Panama Canal Veteran Ilya Espino Appointed Next Administrator
Ilya Espino de Marotta was selected as the new administrator of the Panama Canal, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino announced in a post on X on Thursday.Espino, an engineer who has worked for the canal for more than 40 years, has served as deputy administrator of the Canal since 2020. She will replace Ricaurte Vasquez and become the first woman to lead the entity.Shortly after Mulino's post on social media…
Fishing Boats Worldwide Stuck Dockside as Diesel Prices Surge
Captain Chris Welch of Kennebunk, Maine, is catching fewer lobsters this spring because spiking diesel prices have made it too costly to take out his fishing boat as often as he normally would.Instead of checking and re-baiting his traps every four or five days to collect the valuable crustaceans, he's doing so every seven to 10 days to conserve fuel."It cuts into your profitability at the end of the day," Welch said after fueling his vessel, Quality Time, on a rainy day at Kennebunk's harbor.
US Coast Guard Awards Contract for Construction of Training Facilities in Yorktown
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $17.8 million contract to Ocean Construction Services Inc. for the construction of new engineering and weapons training facilities at Training Center (TRACEN) Yorktown, Virginia.The project is a critical step in preparing Coast Guard personnel to operate the service’s next generation of Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) and Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCCs).The project will add 18…
Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey Hosts 32nd Hall of Fame Awards
Nearly 500 maritime and transportation industry leaders gathered on the evening of Wednesday, May 20, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers for the sold-out 32nd International Maritime Hall of Fame Awards dinner hosted by the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey (MAPONY/NJ). The annual event celebrated four distinguished leaders whose careers and contributions have helped shape…
Chinese Container Ship Among Few Crossing Hormuz
A Chinese-operated container ship was among the few to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, data showed on Thursday, as uncertainty grows around reopening the critical waterway with talks over a deal between the U.S. and Iran deadlocked.Before the war on Iran began on February 28, shipping traffic through the strait averaged 125 to 140 daily passages. Due to the conflict, 20,000 seafarers…
Cruise Operators Face Setbacks from US Government Over Cuba Confiscations
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a setback on Thursday to four American cruise operators that contested $440 million in combined judgments after being accused of unlawfully using docks in Cuba that were seized in 1959 by former leader Fidel Castro's communist government.The justices, in an 8-1 ruling, set aside a lower court's decision to throw out the judgments against Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Cruises and MSC Cruises. The cruise operators were sued by a U.S.
