Global News

The Black Sea container terminals of Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine handled 1,313,392 TEU in 2024, including empty containers and transshipment.   This review examines the laden container volumes of these countries imported and exported by sea only, since...

Internal budget documents leaked to the media Friday suggest that the Trump White House wants to cut funding for NOAA's National Ocean Service in half, move the National Marine Fisheries Service to the Department of the Interior, end the Sea Grant program for...

The shipper of a cargo of Russian crude oil loaded aboard a sanctioned shadow tanker has found a creative way around Indian regulations that were barring the ship from offloading. A second tanker, also sanctioned in the west and operating in the shadow fleet moving...

Coming from Switzerland, the International Year of Glacier Preservation and World Water Day’s glacier theme strike a chord with me. I have witnessed the alarming retreat of Swiss glaciers firsthand—a 65% ice loss since 1850, with 10% gone in just 2022-2023. Maritime...

Reports from Israel suggest that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force is making progress in its search for new routes into Lebanon, following the destruction of the traditional smuggling routes into Lebanon by Israel in recent months. A primary...

Markets reacted negatively on Monday after President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on major trading partners, including an additional 34 percent tariff on China. The Dow fell four percent, the S&P 500 dropped five percent, the Nasdaq was...

Stena Line, one of Europe's leading ferry companies and a pioneer with advanced designs, presented its latest thinking for Stena Futuro, a RoRo that would reduce energy usage by 20 percent or more. The company’s goal is an overall 30 percent reduction in its CO2...

A new project led by the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping addressed the challenges and processes required to convert one of the largest segments of the current global shipping fleet, the Kamsarmax bulk carrier, for dual-fuel methanol operations....

Upset by Belgium’s new collation government’s plans for budget cutting, public and private workers walked on their jobs on Monday, March 31, for a 24-hour strike that stopped many parts of Belgium for the day. Officials for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges said the...

Coming from Switzerland, the International Year of Glacier Preservation and World Water Day’s glacier theme strike a chord with me. I have witnessed the alarming retreat of Swiss glaciers firsthand—a 65% ice loss since 1850, with 10% gone in just 2022-2023. Maritime...

DP World reports that it has gained the necessary permitting and is poised to begin work in just a matter of weeks on a planned expansion of its London Gateway. It represents a £1 billion (US$1.3 billion ) project which when completed will add 50 percent capacity to...

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers celebrating the opening of the Soo Locks on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this morning, March 21, providing an earlier-than-anticipated start to the 2025 shipping season on the Upper Great Lakes. The lock is reported to be one of the...

According to reports in the Irish media, a small cargo ship that raised the suspicions of German authorities earlier this year has now been tracked twice by Ireland’s Defense Forces. The incidents came as many countries remain on alert and worry about potential damage...

A shadowy group of cyber hackers is claiming that it launched a massive attack and has successfully disabled communications for much of Iran’s merchant fleet. While the report cannot be independently verified, the group which calls itself Lab Dookhtegan is known and...

America's seaports have weighed in against the Trump administration's steep proposed fees on Chinese-built shipping, which could amount to an additional $3.5 million per port call if fully implemented. In comments to the Office of the United States Trade...

Ships move 80 percent of global trade. Without them, people would be poorer, and few appreciate the critical role they play in our everyday lives. In December, a bipartisan group of U.S. Congressmen introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Posterity...

The German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) released its annual report on the strength and vital role of shipping in the country’s economy and security. Citing “turbulent times” the group which represents the largest part of the German merchant fleet is calling for new...

The U.S.-flagged cargo ship Ocean Giant returned to Port Hueneme, California on March 12, completing a more than 6,000 nautical mile journey from New Zealand. It was the final leg of her annual deployment to Antarctica as part of the resupply mission known...

The Humberside Police and the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division confirmed late on Friday that the captain of the containership Solong has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the...

A partnership of Japanese companies continues to accelerate its efforts to develop ammonia transport as the efforts continue to move forward to complete the development of ammonia as a fuel for industry and the maritime sector. The designs received initial design...

One of the mysterious tankers operating in the shadow fleet and sanctioned late last year was involved in an incident off Turkey late on Friday, March 7. Turkish authorities have not commented on the allision where the tanker was hit by a Turkish-owned containership,...

Russia’s energy shipping company Sovcomflot reported financial results on Friday, March 7, citing the continuing impact of Western sanctions on its operations and warning that the pressures on its operations were likely to increase this year. This came as Donald Trump...

South Korea’s SM Line issued a customer alter on March 5 reporting that one of its vessels has experienced damaged and lost containers in a Pacific storm. The SM Portland (51,314 dwt) has resumed its voyage bound for Vancouver where it will be inspected by...

On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Valiant offloaded nearly six tonnes of cocaine onto a pier at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, just three miles from the city's famous nightclub district - but the drugs are not for distribution. The giant $140 million...

The Trump administration is reported to be building out its plans to penalize China for its subsidy of the shipbuilding industry by seeking international support while also linking it to the rebuilding of U.S. shipbuilding and breaking China’s monopoly on...

Panama’s Attorney General weighed in during the ongoing debate over Chinese control of the Panama Canal telling the country’s Supreme Court he has determined the contract with China’s Hutchison Port Holdings is unconstitutional. He is asking the Supreme Court to...

Authorities in Singapore responded to an “unauthorized boarding” of a chemical tanker in the Singapore Strait friday morning, February 28, and evacuated an injured crewmember. It was the latest in a spike of crimes along the Singapore Strait, but the first...

The worst fears of Chile's cherry growers have come to pass: Chinese customs authorities have rejected a huge shipment that got stranded at sea when the Maersk Saltoro broke down in the Pacific. About $60-130 million worth of cherries were stuck on board the...

In response to the growing challenges of illicit trade and supply chain security, a new industry alliance is being launched to drive the adoption of cutting-edge smart container technology. Known as the Smart Container Alliance, the group reports its goal is to unite...

A Bulgarian bulker has rescued 34 fishermen from a burning vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to the shipowner.  Eleen Armonia, a 2008-built bulker owned by Eleen Marine, was under way from Singapore to the Cape of Good Hope when the crew spotted smoke...

After a long delay, the construction of the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) in the Philippines has finally kicked off. The Transportation Secretary Jamie Bautista in company of other senior government officials this week led the groundbreaking ceremony...

Russia’s Security Council cited increasing threats to the country’s ports and seabed infrastructure calling for increased efforts to protect its assets. This comes after NATO and neighboring countries have increased patrols in the Baltic after several incidents in...

With a closing address given in Bahrain on February 20, Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), has brought to a close International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2025, completing the ninth iteration of this international naval...

The global maritime industry is creating an avenue for effective transition of the industry into a more sustainably driven maritime environment.  With the just concluded Seatrade Maritime Qatar Conference, maritime leaders considered factors and strategic...

France’s Michelin Group confirmed the recent awarding of its first commercial contract for its innovative inflatable wind sail for shipping. The first installation will be on a new patrol boat for France. The new vessel will be built by the Socarenam shipyards with...

The United States has taken the lead in the international race to capture carbon dioxide (CO2). According to reports, the U.S. will have the capacity to capture 164 million tons of carbon by 2035, which is almost the equivalent of Europe, Canada and the...

The government of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is taking steps that it sees as countering China’s expansionist move across the region. Australia is moving to increase its influence in the region to counter China and today China responded angrily after an...

Multiple teams from Canada responded Saturday morning, February 15, after an MSC containership issued a mayday call during a strong winter storm. A helicopter from the Canadian SAR team was able to rescue the 20 crewmembers, but unconfirmed reports are that five of...

Successful trials were conducted in December 2024 on a new system that uses industrial laser technology to remove rust, paint, and other coasts from the hull of a ship. The goal is to create a system that is more environmentally friendly and the project also...

The famous ocean liner the ss United States started her final journey today moved from the Philadelphia dock where she had sat while preservations tried to find the vessel a future. Plans called for the liner to depart Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday,...

The Port of Luanda in Angola is set to become a battleground of competition for two giant Arab companies after AD Ports officially commenced operations at the port under a long-term concession. AD Ports, the Abu Dhabi-based operator, announced that it has begun the...

Officials in Shanghai are hailing a new record throughput for the port in January 2025 while saying that the ports are a “barometer” of foreign trade. It comes after a record volume at the port in 2024 and is the fourth monthly volume record set in the past 40 months...

The war of words between the United States, the government of Panama, and the Panama Canal Authority continues with officials in Panama saying they were “surprised” by the U.S. posting on X claiming “U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without...

Excitement over the impending departure of the famed ocean liner ss United States was building last week before a further delay appeared prolonging her stay in Philadelphia. The new owners of the liner, Florida's Okaloosa County, have been trying for months...

The rivalry between China and South Korea’s shipbuilders continues to heat up. While there is growing concern due to China’s apparent domination of the market, South Korea’s shipbuilders achieved strong results in 2024 and continue to carve out the high-end market....

The Port of Luanda in Angola is set to become a battleground of competition for two giant Arab companies after AD Ports officially commenced operations at the port under a long-term concession. AD Ports, the Abu Dhabi-based operator, announced that it has begun the...

The two river-sea tankers that broke up near the Kerch Strait last month were part of a flotilla that bunkers Russia's "dark fleet," including at least three U.S.-sanctioned deep sea tankers, according to Russian investigative news outlet IStories. Many of their...

On January 17, the US Coast Guard released its much-anticipated final rule on cybersecurity in the US Marine Transportation System, which establishes mandatory minimum cybersecurity requirements for the maritime sector. The new regulations are effective July 16,...

Norwegian authorities late on Friday, January 31, reported they have released a Norwegian-owned reefer cargo ship used in the fish trade after a day-long investigation. It was the latest vessel to be detained in the growing investigations into damaged cables in the...

Canada is hoping to restore reliable ferry transport on the critical Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Nova Scotia route following the arrival of ro/pax ferry MV Northumberland. The government acquired the ferry in November 2023 as an interim replacement for the...