China Condemns Sailing of Canadian Warship in Taiwan Strait
China's military on Monday condemned the sailing of a Canadian warship in the Taiwan Strait, saying its air and naval forces had monitored and warned the ship, a mission that came just a few days after U.S. Navy ships made a similar mission.The U.S. Navy, and occasionally ships from allied countries like Canada, Britain and France, transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, around once a month.
MSC Baltic III Grounded, Crew Safe
Canada’s Marine Communications and Traffic Services received a MAYDAY on Saturday from the MSC Baltic III as it ran aground located approximately 12 nautical miles outside the entrance to Bay of Islands, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.The vessel reported a loss of power, and unable to secure an anchor in the adverse conditions, grounded in Wild Cove west of Lark Harbour. All 20 crew have been airlifted…
ICS Pushes Levy-Based System Ahead of IMO Meeting
Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, has released a statement ahead of the UN IMO Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 18) calling for a levy-based GHG pricing mechanism.The key purpose of the mandatory GHG charge will be to reduce the cost gap between conventional marine fuels and zero/near-zero GHG emission fuels (such as green methanol…
Space Norway Launches World's Northernmost Subsea Cable
Space Norway is set to establish new high-speed connection from the Norwegian mainland to Jan Mayen and Svalbard.Space Norway has signed a contract with SubCom for the full system supply of the Arctic Way Cable System, including survey, design, manufacturing and installation. Scheduled to commence service in 2028, this new system will become a critical asset for transmitting data traffic between the mainland…
Golden Ocean Group Appoints New Director
Dry bulk shipping company Golden Ocean Group has appointed Tonesan Amissah as Director of the company.Amissah is a Barrister and Attorney-at-Law with over 30 years of experience in international corporate law.She is currently a Client Director at Ocorian Services (Bermuda), a global fiduciary and corporate services company where she oversees all aspects of client service. Amissah is a former partner…
US Drops Website Wording on Taiwan Independence
The U.S. State Department has removed a statement on its website that it does not support Taiwan independence, among changes that the island's government praised on Sunday as supporting Taiwan.The fact sheet on Taiwan retains Washington's opposition to unilateral change from either Taiwan or from China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own.But as well as dropping the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence"…
Coast Guard Breached Maritime Rules, Inquiry Finds
Greece's Ombudsman has found that the coast guard failed to follow maritime rules in one of the Mediterranean's worst shipwrecks in 2023, raising the alarm only after the overcrowded migrant boat sank, sources told Reuters.The conclusions of the inquiry by Greek Ombudsman Andreas Pottakis, which have not been published, confirm survivors' testimonies and have been sent to a naval court investigating potential criminal actions by the authority.Last week…
Tech Feature: (No) Rocking the Boat
Seakeeper’s motion control technology can improve the performance of even the most impressive of workboats. Partnering with Seakeeper and Gladding-Hearn, the Charleston Pilots did just that, once again setting the bar for excellence.On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Charleston, SC, way back in 2014, MarineNews had the good fortune to attend the christening on the nation’s first dual purpose, rapid response vessel and pilot launch.
Trelleborg Acquires NuFlow Technologies
Trelleborg Group has, through its Trelleborg Industrial Solutions business area, signed an agreement to acquire the US-based pipe repair specialists NuFlow Technologies.NuFlow…
USCG Safety Alert: Understand the Explosion Hazards of Shipping Coal
On November 27, 2024, approximately 100 nautical miles off the coast of Virginia, a bulk carrier shipping a type of coal called “Bailey High Vol Coking Coal” experienced consecutive explosions in the two forward cargo holds. While still under investigation, the explosions are likely a result of the accumulation of methane gas that created an explosive atmosphere and resulted in significant damage to the two associated cargo holds.
1924 Time Capsule Shows Navy's Newport Presence
A century-old time capsule, buried in 1924 to commemorate Newport’s naval history, was recently unearthed and opened in a live event at the Newport Public Library. Originally placed under Settlers’ Stone at the Naval Training Station on Coasters Harbor Island, the capsule was a joint effort between the city of Newport and the U.S. Navy.The discovery was made in 2021 by Naval War College Museum researchers, who used ground-penetrating radar to confirm its location.
KCC Closes Fourth Quarter 2024, Marking a Historically Strong Year
Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) delivered higher Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) earnings per on-hire day than standard market rates in Q4 2024, the company reported: despite weaker product tanker and dry bulk markets in late 2024 and early 2025, KCC reported an EBITDA of $20.2 million and an Earnings Before Tax (EBT) of $8.6 million for the quarter.KCC operates a fleet of 16 combination carriers designed for transporting both wet and dry bulk cargoes.
Tech File: Scantrol’s mTrack AHC Controller
Scantrol’s mTrack AHC Controller, combined with Bosch Rexroth Secondary Controls, is designed to ensure smooth and safe operation for TravOcean’s new 15-ton cable laying winch. This winch is used to lay wind turbine power cables on the seabed. “We need Active Heave Compensation (AHC) to have smooth operation and not to damage the cable during landing. The function increases the weather window and reduces the weather standby…
Aircraft Carrier, Commercial Vessel Collide Near Egypt
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) has collided with a merchant vessel near Egypt, the U.S. military said on Thursday, though the nuclear-powered carrier was stable and there were no injuries.In a statement, the U.S. Navy said the carrier Harry Truman collided with the Besiktas-M late Wednesday night while operating near Port Said in Egypt."The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman as there are no reports of flooding or injuries.
Japanese Firms Use Laser Tech for Rust and Coating Removal from Vessels
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), MOL Drybulk, Furukawa Electric, and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, have tested the InfraLaser system on the outer hull of an actual vessel, successfully stripping down rust and coatings with industrial laser technology.Furukawa Electric, with the cooperation of MOL and MOL Drybulk, has been developing a rust and coating removal system for onboard maintenance since 2021, utilizing…
MOL, Fukada to Collaborate on T&I Vessels for Floating Wind Turbines
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Fukada Salvage & Marine Works have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration on transportation and installation (T&I) vessels for floating offshore wind turbines.Under the MoU, MOL and Fukada will launch a study of efficient transportation and installation methods for floating offshore wind turbines.In anticipation of accelerating the introduction of floating offshore wind turbines in the Japanese market in the 2030s…
Subsea Global Solutions Appoints Eric Smith as CCO
Subsea Global Solutions, an underwater maintenance and repair services specialist, has named Eric Smith as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).With a career spanning leadership roles in maritime operations, commercial management, and strategic business development, Smith brings a wealth of industry expertise to the Subsea Global Solutions team.Prior to joining Subsea Global Solutions, Smith served as Director of Shared Resources at Resolve Marine…
CBP and Royal Caribbean Use Biometric Facial Recognition Technology in Puerto Rico
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in collaboration with Royal Caribbean, conducted the first biometric debarkation for Royal Caribbean cruise passengers on Feb. 2 when Rhapsody of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean vessel to utilize this technology at the San Juan Seaport’s Pier 4 in Puerto Rico.CBP’s biometric facial comparison technology streamlines the debarkation process, reducing clearance…
In 2025 AI Won’t Just be a Tool
Some expert thoughts on AI in 2025:“In 2025, AI won’t just be a tool; it will be a collaborator.”“In 2025, the most productive employees will work alongside AI agents.”AI agents are an advance on large language models (LLMs). LLMs at present are popularly used as creative and conversational search engines. They can’t directly interact with external tools or data processing system or autonomously set up systems to monitor and collect ongoing data.
MARAD Not Ready for Workforce Challenges Ahead
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the Maritime Administration (MARAD) needs to take action to help address workforce challenges.MARAD has about 800 employees, but the agency is facing staff turnover, high numbers of employees eligible to retire and vacancies in critical positions. And it doesn't have a strategic human capital plan to address how it will hire and retain employees.As of September 2024…
