Harvest Now Decrypt Later
The threat that AI and quantum computing pose to cyber security is already here, even before these technologies are mature enough to crack today’s encryption methods. Bad actors are taking a “harvest now decrypt later” approach to cyberattacks.Classical encryption methods like Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) rely on the difficulty of factoring large numbers or solving discrete logarithm problems.“Breaking these public…
Unattended Helm Leads to Grounding of Towing Vessel
A pilot of a towing vessel on the Mississippi River left the helm unattended for several minutes, leading to a grounding near Thebes, Illinois, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.While the towing vessel City of Louisville was upbound on the Mississippi River pushing 11 barges on July 29, 2023, it ran aground in a charted shallow and rocky area. The grounding caused fractures to the vessel’s bottom plating underneath the engine room…
Estonia to Help Finance Green Retrofits
Estonia has launched a €25 million ($28 million) government grant designed to encourage the reconstruction and greening of passenger and cargo ships, tugboats and other port and auxiliary vessels in Estonian ports.This makes Estonia one of the few countries in Europe offering direct financial support in the form of state aid for ship retrofitting. The new grant, enacted by Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure…
First of Its Kind LCO2 Barge Design Approved for U.S. Operation
ABS awarded approval in principle (AiP) to Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG), the parent company of Aptamus Carbon Solutions, for its preliminary design of a liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) barge.The development of the barge design is a core component of the Tampa Regional Intermodal Carbon Hub (T-RICH) project to receive, store and process emissions from Florida industries for transport to regional…
Chevron's Venezuela Oil License to Expire May 27
Oil producer Chevron's U.S. license to operate in Venezuela will expire on May 27 as planned, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on his personal X account.Rubio's post contradicted U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell's contention on Tuesday following a meeting with a Venezuelan top official that a 60-day extension of the license would be granted. Rubio's brief post did not mention the talks."The pro-Maduro Biden oil license in #Venezuela will expire as scheduled next Tuesday May 27…
Chem Carriers Finalizes Fleet-Wide Shift to Mitsubishi Engines
Chem Carriers has completed the repower of the M/VCapt. Robert J. Banta, marking the final vessel in its current fleet to be powered by Laborde Products-supplied Mitsubishi engines. The twin-screw towboat is now running on twin Mitsubishi Tier 3 S12R-Y3MPTAW engines, each delivering 1,260 horsepower at 1,600 RPM.Originally built in 2015 by Main Iron Works of Houma, Louisiana, the 78-foot Capt. Robert J. Banta previously operated with Cummins QSK38 engines.
ECOsubsea: Closed-Loop Hull Cleaning Is a Regulatory Imperative
The shipping industry faces mounting regulatory pressure to mitigate the transfer of invasive species via hull biofouling. The global detrimental impacts of sea vomit (Didemnum vexillum) is just one stark example of the damage caused by unmanaged hull fouling. The solution is clear: closed-loop hull cleaning must become an industry standard, writes Abigail Robinson, Vice President of Sustainability at ECOsubsea…
Egypt In Talks to Buy LNG Cargoes Amidst Energy Crunch
Egypt is in talks with energy firms and trading houses to buy 40-60 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid a worsening energy crunch ahead of peak summer demand, three sources aware of the matter told Reuters.The country faces spending up to $3 billion at current prices to secure the LNG, squeezing government coffers already under strain to keep the lights on amid falling gas production and a…
China, Philippines Blame Each Other for South China Sea Confrontation
China and the Philippines traded accusations on Thursday following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea, the latest incident in a long-running maritime standoff in the strategic waterway.The Philippines' fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a vessel as it…
MOL, MVM to Jointly Charter Oil From Azerbaijan to Central Europe
Hungarian oil and gas group MOL and state-owned energy company MVM will jointly charter tankers to ship up to 160,000 metric tons of crude oil a year from Azerbaijan to further diversify energy supply for Hungary and Slovakia, MOL said on Thursday.The companies will both transport crude oil to the Ceyhan terminal in Turkey via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, from where it will be distributed to MOL Group’s markets, with a particular focus on Hungary and Slovakia, the statement said.Throu
Poland Checking For Explosives Near Subsea Cable After Suspicious Russian Activity
Poland is looking into whether any explosive devices were planted where a ship from Russia's "shadow fleet" was seen moving suspiciously near a power cable linking Poland with Sweden on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.NATO has beefed up security in the Baltic following a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines were damaged in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."Shadow fleet" refers to vessels used by Russia to ship oil…
Lloyd’s Register, HD Hyundai MIPO Sign MOU to Advance Digital Manufacturing for Type C Tanks
Lloyd’s Register (LR) and HD Hyundai MIPO Dockyard (HMD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing digital manufacturing for Type C tanks.The MoU sets out a joint commitment to develop and verify a streamlined, digitally enabled production process for Type C tanks, which are expected to see increased demand due to their ability to store pressurized and cryogenic cargo/fuel…
Survitec: Industry Needs to Prepare for New Fire Safety Requirements in 2026
Survitec, a leader in critical Survival Technology solutions, is calling on shipowners, ship managers, and shipyards to prepare for a significant change to international fire protection regulations. Starting January 1, 2026, fixed water monitors will be required on the weather decks of RORO and ROPAX ships under amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2 and the FSS Code, approved by the IMO’s 107th MSC session.
NAVTOR Receives Japan Flag State Approval for Digital Logbooks
NAVTOR is continuing to build momentum for its "Digital Logbook revolution" as Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has awarded full flag state approval for the innovative solution. Japan joins other leading shipping nations such as Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Malta, Cyprus and Singapore, amongst others, in endorsing the IMO compliant offering for registered…
Fincantieri and Enra Energy Sign Strategic Maritime Defense Partnership in Malaysia
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri and Malaysia’s Enra Energy Solutions (EES) have signed a technical collaboration agreement aimed at supporting the Royal Malaysian Navy’s fleet renewal program.The agreement supports Malaysia’s a long-term strategy to modernize and streamline the Navy's fleet.The partnership is designed to enhance Malaysia’s local shipbuilding capabilities and stimulate the growth of its maritime defense industry.
MAN Energy Takes Charge of Danish Ammonia GenSet Project
A consortium, led by MAN Energy Solutions, has been formed to deliver the NH3 Spark – FutureFlex project, which aims to develop a dual-fuel, four-stroke GenSet capable of operating purely on ammonia without the need for a pilot fuel, marking a first for a commercial, industrial engine.Sponsored by the Danish State initiative, the EUDP (Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme), the…
Louis Dreyfus, Technip Energies Form FRESH Alliance for Offshore Hydrogen Solution
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Technip Energies to work together to develop the ammonia cracking component for LDA’s FRESH solution, a ship-based processing and storage facility for low-carbon ammonia and hydrogen.The 170-meter-long vessel features a substantial storage capacity of 45,000 cbm for imported ammonia and can convert it into hydrogen using an innovative cracking plant integrated on the vessel deck.FRESH…
Inmarsat to Upgrade MOL’s Vessels with NexusWave Connectivity Service
Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, has signed an agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to upgrade their fleet from Fleet Xpress (FX) service to NexusWave, to meet evolving operational and crew connectivity needs.The fleet-wide transition to NexusWave will allow MOL to benefit from Inmarsat’s fully managed bonded connectivity service and accelerate the digitalization strategy of the leading Japanese…
Cadeler Buys Newly Built Jack-Up WTIV for O&M Services
Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has agreed acquire the Boqiang 3060, a newly-constructed jack-up wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), from Shanghai Boqiang Heavy Industry Group.The acquisition will enhance Cadeler’s capacity to meet the increasing global demand for offshore wind turbine operations & maintenance (O&M) services, the company said.The vessel, completed in 2025, will be renamed Wind Keeper.It is fitted with advanced European equipment…
