Fassmer Places Order for Eight Henriksen Slipway Systems
Fassmer of Germany has placed an order for eight of the new Henriksen Slipway Systems (HSS) for the automatic launch and recovery of small boats and unmanned surface drones from larger vessels. The eight systems will be installed aboard four vessels being built by Fassmer for an undisclosed customer.The new system can benefit any organization that operates drones (USVs) or fast intervention craft from larger vessels.
Hackathon Spotlights AI, Autonomous Systems for Maritime Security
Fincantieri has wrapped up its inaugural Maritime Security Hackathon, awarding top honors to startup Lares Technologies for a solution designed to coordinate manned and unmanned maritime assets across multiple operational domains, underscoring the growing role of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence in maritime defense.Held in collaboration with Talent Garden and Silicon Mountain, the two-day event brought together more than 70 participants…
Bureau Veritas Appoints New Leaders for Marine & Offshore for Asia Pacific, Greater China
![Maciej Lepicki, Vice President, Greater China, and [right] Dr Jeffrey Guo, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific. © Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/maciej-lepicki-vice-president-greater-171466.jpeg)
Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Guo as Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, and Maciej Lepicki as Vice President, Greater China, effective June 1, 2026.As Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific, Jeffrey succeeds Alex Gregg-Smith, who was appointed President of BV Marine & Offshore in January 2026. He will oversee the strategic development and operational management of BV's maritime business across the region…
SeaRenergy Restructures Management to Compliment Company Growth, Industry Trends
SeaRenergy Offshore Holding GmbH, a service provider for the offshore wind industry, is restructuring its management team to align its leadership organization with the company’s next phase of growth.After 24 years of service to the Rickmers family and having played a defining role in SeaRenergy since its founding in 2010, Jan Boje Steffens will retire on June 30, 2026. As one of the key architects behind the establishment of SeaRenergy…
U.S. Navy Selects Saronic for Sea Testing of MUSV Marketplace Program
The U.S. Department of the Navy has selected Saronic as one of seven companies to advance to the at-sea testing phase of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marketplace, a program designed to rapidly field unmanned technologies by leveraging mature, commercial-ready solutions.Marauder, Saronic’s 180-foot Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel selected for the MUSV Marketplace, is designed from the keel up for autonomous operations and high-rate production.
Sallaum Lines Orders Two 8,600-CEU Dual-Fuel PCTCs
Sallaum Lines has placed an order for two next-generation 8,600-CEU Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (XSI), with options for two additional vessels, marking the largest shipbuilding investment in the company’s history and accelerating its fleet modernization strategy.The newbuilds, each with a capacity of 8,600 car equivalent units (CEU), will significantly…
NYK, Yanmar and ENEOS to Deploy Hydrogen Fuel Cell System on New Cruise Ship
NYK, Yanmar Power Solutions and ENEOS have agreed to install a hydrogen fuel cell system on a new dining cruise vessel scheduled to enter service in 2027, as the companies seek to advance the use of hydrogen in the maritime sector.The vessel will replace Lady Crystal, which currently operates in the Tennoz Isle area of Tokyo as part of the NYK Group's passenger cruise business.Under the project, Yanmar Power Solutions will design the hydrogen fuel cell system…
Japan’s Shipping Industry Awaits Clarifications on Hormuz Reopening
Japanese shippers welcomed on Monday the U.S.-Iran peace agreement which will reopen the Strait of Hormuz but are awaiting more details of the deal and clearance of mines before allowing their ships to pass the chokepoint.According to the association, 38 Japanese-linked vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28 has largely stopped shipping through the strait…
Oil Slumps as US-Iran Reach Initial Peace Deal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Oil prices slipped to a three-month low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's deputy foreign minister said they had reached an initial deal to end the war and to resume traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell $3.65, or 4.2%, to $83.68 a barrel by 0630 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was at $80.75, down $4.13, or 4.9%. Both contracts fell to their lowest levels since March 10 on Monday after tumbling more than 3% on Friday.The U.S.
Over-Correction Led to Failure of Tow Rope
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published an assessment of the February 2025 tow rope incident onboard the tug Svitzer Avon.At approximately 1954 on 4 February 2025, the UK registered tugs Svitzer Avon and Svitzer Brunel left the lock at Royal Portbury Dock, Bristol, England to meet the car carrier Auto Eco in the King Road approaches to the lock. Auto Eco had a pilot embarked…
U.S. Coast Guard Accepts Delivery of 63rd Fast Response Cutter
The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted delivery of the 63rd Fast Response Cutter (FRC), Jeffrey Palazzo (WPC 1163).Jeffrey Palazzo is the fifth FRC to be homeported in Guam, joining the recently commissioned Vincent Danz (WPC 1162).The Sentinel-class FRCs replaced the 1980s Island-class 110-foot patrol boats and possess 21st-century command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment, with improved habitability and seakeeping.The U.S.
Royal Caribbean Begins Construction on Seventh Oasis Class Vessel
Royal Caribbean has celebrated the keel-laying of its seventh Oasis Class vessel at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The soon-to-be-named ship will join the revolutionary Oasis Class lineup in 2028. The vessel follows Oasis of the Seas (2009), Allure of the Seas (2010), Harmony of the Seas (2016), Symphony of the Seas (2018), Wonder of the Seas (2022), and Utopia of the Seas (2024).
Petition Against Animal Transport to War Zones Submitted to EU Commission
While bombs are falling in the Middle East, EU Member States continue to export live animals to the region, with the European Commission (EC) refusing to be held accountable, says the Eurogroup for Animals, the French animal welfare organization Welfarm and the German NGO Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF).The organizations have submitted a joint petition to the EC calling for an immediate halt to these transports.
Spiridon II Hearing Adjourned
No settlement was reached on Friday at the Krems Regional Court in Austria regarding the civil proceedings concerning the animal transport of the Spiridon II livestock carrier. The hearing was adjourned.A new hearing, expected to last all day, has been scheduled for mid-November.Several witnesses from Turkey are also expected to be heard at that time.Turkish cattle importers are suing cattle dealer Christian Klinger and his company, Agro Breeding GmbH, based in Jagenbach, Austria.
Charterers and Shipowners Stabilize Climate Alignment Scores
Amidst a challenging year for the shipping industry, signatories of the Sea Cargo Charter (SCC), a voluntary global transparency initiative, continued their reporting and benchmarking of emission performance and kept average alignment with the IMO’s climate goals stable year-on-year.The 2026 Sea Cargo Charter Annual Disclosure Report reveals that the 32 charterers, shipowners, and operators behind the initiative…
Training Targets Lack of Legal Clarity Around Right to Life at Sea
A BlueRights training program held at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta has highlighted one of the most pressing challenges in international law: how to protect people at sea using the existing law of the sea, and maritime and human rights law when legal responsibilities are complex, fragmented and unclear.The two-day training, delivered in May, gave participants a practical understanding…
Indian Seafarer Dies from Medical Complications in Oman
An Indian national died from medical complications aboard the vessel MT Celestial while it was docked at Duqm Port in Oman, the Indian embassy in Muscat said late Saturday."Necessary arrangements are being made for the early repatriation of the mortal remains to India," the embassy said in a post on social media.India has more than 300,000 seafarers working across global shipping fleets, according to government data.
Video: British Commandos Intercept Russian Tanker
British commandos boarded and intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel on Sunday, leading for the first time an operation to disrupt the oil revenue that helps fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The vessel Smyrtos, sailing under a Cameroonian flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours on Sunday, with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft…
HaiSea Marine Awards Contracts for Escort Vessel, Terminal Tugboats
HaiSea Marine is expanding its fleet on BC's North Coast and has placed orders for one new escort tugboat and two terminal tugboats.The contract to build an escort tug was awarded to Sanmar Shipyards, based in Türkiye. The escort vessel is a variant of the well-proven Robert Allan designed RAstar 4000 series of high-performance escort tugs, and features a similar design to the widely acclaimed HaiSea…
FreightWeekSTL Panel Highlights Building US Inland Waterways Workforce
A recent FreightWeekSTL panel highlighted how expanding awareness of maritime careers, strengthening industry partnerships and increasing access to hands-on experiences are critical to building the next-generation workforce for America’s inland waterways. The session explored how industry leaders, workforce initiatives and emerging professionals are working together to connect students and job seekers with meaningful career opportunities across the river system.
