Partners to Validate Kongsberg Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System
Lloyd’s Register (LR), Seapeak, Kongsberg Maritime (KM), and Tunable have launched a new joint development project (JDP) to facilitate compliance and independently verify the accuracy of KM’s Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which incorporates Tunable’s gas analysis technology, on board a new LNG carrier.The partners will compare actual CO2 emissions recorded by the vessel’s CEMS against both engine test bed data and default emissions factors…
SGMF Publishes LCA on Methanol as Marine Fuel
SGMF has published its latest Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on methanol as a marine fuel, highlighting the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of renewable and synthetic methanol production pathways.The study evaluates 15 methanol production pathways and finds that methanol produced using renewable energy sources can deliver substantial emissions reductions.The publication follows SGMF's third edition LNG Life Cycle Assessment…
Lloyd’s Register Backs Fore-Accommodation Wind-Powered LNG Carrier Design
Lloyd's Register has granted Design Appraisal to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' fore-accommodation LNG carrier design featuring Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' Wind Challenger hard-sail system, advancing the concept towards potential commercial deployment.The appraisal confirms that the design complies with LR's Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems notation requirements and follows Approval in Principle granted at…
PredictWind Offers Orca, Whale Watch Feature During Migration Season
With Pacific gray whales moving south from November to January, and humpbacks heading south from late autumn through December toward Hawaii, Mexico and Central America, it's peak season for whale encounters at sea.Vessel strikes are one of the leading causes of death for large whales worldwide, and sailboats carry a particular risk here, moving quietly under sail means whales often don't hear a boat coming…
Saudi Export Disruptions Push Oil to Four-Month Highs
Oil prices settled $3 higher on Tuesday after shipping industry sources said crude loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea export hub of Yanbu had been suspended and Riyadh had canceled some cargo deliveries to European customers, deepening concerns that disruptions to a critical oil-export route could persist for weeks.Gains in U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 outpaced Brent on Tuesday, as fears that Saudi Arabia's supply troubles were widening sent investors rushing into U.S.
Netherlands Coastguard Receives Patrol Vessel
Multraship, on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat, delivered the new patrol vessel ENFORCER to the Netherlands Coastguard, a 53-metre-long modern patrol vessel for surveillance work, providing assistance and contributing to safety in the North Sea. ENFORCER was built by Damen Shipyards in Gorinchem. It is owned by Multraship from Terneuzen, which will therefore also be responsible for the vessel’s crew and maintenance. The Netherlands Coastguard will have operational command.
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Falls to Four Ship Crossings
Vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz remained in the single digits at four on Tuesday, down from seven a day earlier, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday, falling well short of the 10-day average of 18.The drop in traffic through the waterway that handled one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply before the Iran war comes after attacks in the region intensified.Of the total on Tuesday…
Swedish Maritime Administration Selects Steerprop for Icebreaker
Finnish marine propulsion specialist Steerprop has been selected to supply the complete main propulsion package for a new icebreaker being built for the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea.The contract marks Steerprop’s first project with both the Swedish Maritime Administration and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The vessel will be equipped with…
Destination Agent Compliance Under the Shipping Act
Foreign non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) increasingly rely on U.S.-based logistics companies to serve as destination agents. These arrangements involve a domestic provider handling cargo receipt, warehousing, customs coordination, and last-mile delivery on behalf of an ocean transportation intermediary headquartered abroad. The revenue opportunity is real, but the regulatory, financial…
How Digital Training will Attract ‘Crews of the Future’
As tug operations become more complex, training needs to evolve with them. By combining digital simulation with practical experience and the knowledge of experienced seafarers, tug operators can give the next generation of crews the skills, confidence and judgement they need for the challenges they will face at sea.The very best and most highly skilled seafarers hone their craft through years of intense hands-on training that ensures the most important aspects of their jobs – safety…
Weakley Inducted into 2026 Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame
The Sault Historic Sites, Captain John P. Wellington Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame, recognized the significant contributions of James H.I. Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) on Friday, September 11th in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.The award is given every other year alternating between U.S. and Canadian nominees. The complete list of previous awardees can be found here.Jim Weakley…
Jones Act Fleet Financing
As political chatter centers on rebuilding the U.S. maritime industry, Brett Hewitt, Executive Director, Marine Finance, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, offers a lender’s-eye view of a market where vessels are expensive, assets can remain productive for decades and the quality of the operator can be every bit as important as the collateral.For lenders, one of the Jones Act market’s biggest attractions is remarkably straightforward: boats last a long time.“The collateral has a long useful life…
China Taps Crude Inventories ... Again
China dipped into its massive crude oil stockpile in August for the third month in the past four as increased refinery processing exceeded a modest increase in oil imports.Refineries processed about 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) more than what was available to them from imports and domestic oil production, according to calculations based on official data.China, the world's biggest crude importer, slashed…
Saudi Export Halt Contributes to $3 Oil Jump
Oil prices rose nearly $3 on Tuesday after a report said oil loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu have been suspended, and Libya halted operations at three oil fields, heightening concerns that disruptions to key oil supply routes could persist for weeks.Brent crude futures were up $2.81, or 2.66%, at $108.49 a barrel at 1106 a.m. ET, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 futures were up $3.29 at $104.68 a barrel.
As USCG Cyber Rules Loom, Assessing Security Risks of Crew Connectivity
BroCoTec, a Houston-based maritime cyber security specialist, is urging US vessel operators to act now on new Coast Guard cybersecurity regulations, warning they are a 'banana skin' for unprepared companies.The regulations establish cybersecurity requirements for covered U.S.-flagged vessels, facilities and Outer Continental Shelf facilities. The rule became effective July 16, 2025, with phased compliance requirements.BroCoTec warned major milestones…
How Physical AI Will Rebuild America's Maritime Industrial Base
The first thing that stands out when you walk through a modern shipyard isn't the technology – it's the sheer scale of the work and the size of the parts going into these massive ships the size of city blocks. I recently visited a Korean shipyard watching teams of workers join two 50-foot-tall, 100,000-pound hull sections into place. This particular shipyard does this every day, building up to 40 ships a year.Seeing that kind of scale firsthand puts into perspective just how much coordination…
MARTAC, SŌLACE Boats Partner to Scale USV Production
Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC) announced a manufacturing partnership with fellow Florida-based boatbuilder SŌLACE Boats, a partnership designed to enable MARTAC to scale production of its Devil Ray USV platforms by 100 vessels per year, meeting increasing demand signals from U.S. and allied-nation governments as well as supporting national security operations. SŌLACE Boats has an established reputation for designing and building high-performance and high-strength boats.
Wulff Takes the Helm at KOHO
Following its acquisition of compressor manufacturer Köhler & Hörter (KOHO) last year, the marine pump and gauging system specialist Svanehoj appointed long-time Neuman & Esser executive Jens Wulff as Managing Director of KOHO and Head of Compressors at Svanehoj.Wulff brings more than 14 years of experience from global compressor manufacturer Neuman & Esser, where he held senior positions across sales…
Oman Rescues 23 from Attacked Oil Tanker, Two Missing
Oman's Maritime Security Centre said on Tuesday that the Panama-flagged oil tanker 'EL GAIA' was being towed to an Omani port after a fire broke out in its engine room following an attack.The tanker was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam when it was attacked, the centre said. An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members, while two remain missing.(Reuters - Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Markets: Ascendant China Boosts Vehicle Carrier Trades
An unprecedented level of investment in multi-deck vehicle carriers is being driven by tonnage replacement and scale economy strategies, but emphatically also by explosive growth in China’s automotive exports.Global deep-sea automotive shipments, excluding the Russian trade, were estimated at some 15.6 million units in 2025, up 5 percent on 2024, maintaining recent years’ trajectory. China’s inexorable…
