AMSA Detains Bulk Carrier Due to Unpaid Wages
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has taken swift action to protect seafarer welfare, detaining Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Ocean Bright and banning it from Australian ports for six months after nonpayment of crew wages.This week, AMSA received a complaint that seafarers onboard the vessel Ocean Bright had not been paid for two months, prompting investigation when the vessel docked in Newcastle.
Container Ship Order Book Hits New Record High
Despite increasing trade policy uncertainty and falling freight rates, the container ship order book has continued to expand. It now totals more than 1,350 ships with a combined capacity of 11.8m TEU, says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.In 2025, global average container freight rates fell an estimated 13% year-on-year while US import tariff increases raised concerns about increasing trade protectionism.
FMC Issues Warning on Strait of Hormuz Surcharges
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a statement saying it is closely monitoring the impact the current conflict in the Middle East is having on shipping conditions through the Strait of Hormuz.Under its statutory authority, the Commission ensures that rates, charges, and rules that common carriers have implemented as a result of the threats to commercial shipping in the Strait and neighboring…
Report into Spirit of Discovery Tragedy Released
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the loss of propulsion in heavy weather experienced by Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay which led over 100 injuries and one fatality. Shortly after 1230 on 4 November 2023, the passenger vessel Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay, France. Over 100 passengers were injured during this period.
Australia Intercepts Illegal Fishers
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has intercepted two foreign vessels and their crews suspected of illegal fishing near Trochus Island, as Operation BROADSTAFF continues to net offenders targeting the Torres Strait and northern Queensland.Launched in February 2026, Operation BROADSTAFF is a multi-agency operation designed to deter, detect and disrupt illegal foreign fishing across northern Queensland and the Torres Strait.On Saturday 7 March 2026…
Bernhard Schulte Offshore Takes Delivery of New CSOV
Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO) has taken delivery of a new commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV). The Windea Carnot, which was built at Ulstein Verft in Norway on behalf of an institutional investor, was handed over to its new owner, BSO, following completion.The Windea Carnot is the third of three sister ships built at Ulstein that BSO has integrated into its modern offshore fleet since the middle of last year.
Breakthrough Technology Unveiled at Oceanology International
Major industry announcements and new product launches continued to drive significant visitor numbers and plentiful business activity as Oceanology International 2026 (Oi26) surpassed expectations on the second day at Excel London.Among the companies taking center stage, expanding platform OceanSight used Oi to unveil its new collection of ocean technology brands built to advance marine sensing and subsea intelligence…
CMA CGM Expects Q1 Volumes Growth Despite Gulf Crisis
French shipping company CMA CGM expects first-quarter volumes growth of around 4.5%, despite major disruption to the global transport industry due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran."Growth in CMA CGM's volumes in the first quarter should be around 4.5 percent.
Chubb to Serve as Lead US Insurer for Gulf Shipping Amid Iran War
Insurance giant Chubb will be the lead partner on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's $20 billion Maritime Reinsurance Plan aimed at resuming commercial shipping in the Gulf, the agency said on Wednesday.The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has widened sharply in recent days and paralyzed shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global chokepoint in the Gulf.Iran said…
Maersk Redistributes Bunker Fuel to Ensure Supplies
Container shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it is redistributing fuel to ensure supplies for its vessels as the Iran war disrupts the flow and storage of maritime fuel in the Middle East.The Danish carrier, one of the world's biggest container shipping groups, has 10 ships stranded in the Gulf. U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have fueled hostilities that threaten one-fifth of the world's oil…
Tankers Ablaze, Iranian Oil Still Shipping
Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire, Iraq's director general of the General Company for Ports Farhan al-Fartousi told Reuters on Wednesday.Iraq evacuated the 25 crew members from the two vessels and fire is still ablaze on both ships, he added.This follows news that three vessels had been hit by unknown projectiles…
Container vessel Orderbook Hits Record High
"Despite increasing trade policy uncertainty and falling freight rates, the container ship order book has continued to expand. It now totals more than 1,350 ships with a combined capacity of 11.8m TEU,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.In 2025, global average container freight rates fell an estimated 13% year-on-year while US import tariff increases raised concerns about increasing trade protectionism.
Gard, NAVTOR Integrate Loss Prevention Insights into NavStation
Marine insurer Gard and maritime technology company NAVTOR have partnered to integrate Gard’s loss prevention content into NAVTOR’s NavStation platform, aiming to improve access to safety guidance for crews and operators at sea.The collaboration enables Gard Insights articles to be delivered directly through NavStation, a digital navigation and voyage planning platform used by thousands of vessels…
Equinor to Supply Bio-Methanol to Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Equinor has entered into a two-year bio-methanol supply agreement with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a major global player in shipping and vehicle logistics, supporting a growing marine segment for low-carbon fuels.Soon bio-methanol from Equinor will fuel ships that are bringing cars and machinery from points of production to markets. Wallenius Wilhelmsen is a roll‑on/roll‑off (RoRo) shipping and vehicle logistics giant…
G7 Holds Off on Oil Reserve Release, Requests IEA Study
G7 energy ministers stopped short of agreeing on a release of strategic oil reserves on Tuesday and instead asked the International Energy Agency to assess the situation before acting.The IEA said it was convening an extraordinary meeting of its member states on Tuesday.Members would "assess the current security of supply and market conditions to inform a subsequent decision on whether to make emergency stocks of IEA countries available to the market…
Projectiles Strike Three Vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Three vessels have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security agencies and sources said on Wednesday, as one of the strikes led to a fire onboard a ship and forced most of its crew to evacuate it.The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, two maritime security sources said.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said later…
Iran War Exposes Risks of Fossil Fuel Dependence
The economic risks of the world’s heavy dependence on oil and gas have been laid bare twice in four years - first with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and now with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran - undermining U.S. President Donald Trump’s flagship push to double down on fossil fuels.The dramatic supply disruptions and price spikes unleashed by the latest Middle East conflict are likely to harden the resolve…
Gulf of Mexico Auction Yields Far Fewer Bids Than First Trump Sale
The Trump administration's second sale of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico in three months attracted far less industry interest than the auction it held in December, according to a sale document posted on a government website on Tuesday.The sale comes as a U.S. war with Iran has disrupted global crude flows and sent oil prices to four-year highs.Of the 15,000 blocks offered by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 25 received bids, according to the document of presale statistics.
