Maritime News

The following article is an op-ed piece from Andrei Barotov and Kristiina Peterson, Chief Specialists of Maritime Competitiveness at the Estonian Transport AdministrationLeveraging its ‘e-Estonia’ digital society initiative, the government of Estonia is preparing to extend the digital reach of EST Flag ship registration services, while also expanding its tonnage eligibility. Andrei Barotov and Kristiina Peterson, Chief Specialists of Maritime Competitiveness at the Estonian Transport Administration…

Four shipowners from Sweden, Norway and Canada have ordered four new VINGA product tankers for delivery in 2028 and 2029, expanding the Furetank-developed vessel series to 26 ships.Two of the vessels will be owned by FureBear, a joint venture between Sweden's Furetank and Canada's Algoma Central Corporation, while Norway's O.H. Meling and Sweden's Älvtank will each take one.The order marks O.H. Meling's first investment in the VINGA series, while Älvtank already owns three of the vessels.The four 17,999-dwt product tankers will be built at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou, China.

Kongsberg Maritime has expanded its Rim-Drive Tunnel Thruster range with two larger models designed for vessels requiring higher thrust and enhanced dynamic positioning (DP) capability.The new RD-TT 2300 and RD-TT 2600 models have propeller diameters of 2,300 mm and 2,600 mm and are rated at 2,100 kW and 2,700 kW, respectively.The models extend the upper end of Kongsberg Maritime's existing Rim-Drive range and are aimed at applications including offshore construction, subsea and renewable energy operations…

MacGregor has expanded its offshore technology portfolio with a certified floating-to-floating personnel transfer capability for its Horizon gangway and a new bow transfer system designed for direct ship-to-well transfer of LCO2.The Horizon gangway has received DNV certification under DNV-ST-0358 for floating-to-floating personnel transfers following a successful sea acceptance test. The certification enables motion-compensated connections between two vessels moving independently…

Kongsberg has unveiled plans to add three more satellites to its N3X maritime surveillance constellation in early 2027, doubling the number of satellites in the network to six as it expands space-based monitoring capabilities for the Norwegian Armed Forces.The additional satellites are intended to improve revisit rates and provide near-real-time coverage, strengthening maritime situational awareness for Norway and international partners.The expansion builds on the deployment of three initial N3X satellites in 2025…

Oil extended gains on Friday amid further concerns around the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran, working with Oman, suggested banning vessels deemed hostile from the strait and heavily fining those which violated the proposed rules.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 85 cents, or 1.03%, at $83.34 a barrel by 0634 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 rose 52 cents, or 0.67%, to $77.81.Oil futures settled up more than $3 a barrel on Thursday as Iran reviewed a bill to ban U.S.

ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has agreed to acquire 11 tankers for approximately $1.3 billion, expanding its crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipping capacity to support ADNOC Group's growing production, trading and export activities.The acquisition comprises five very large gas carriers (VLGCs) and six very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Nine vessels - six VLCCs and three VLGCs - were acquired on the secondary market and are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2026…

Two tankers laden with Saudi oil crossed the Bab el-Mandeb strait over the weekend, while traffic in the Strait of Hormuz slowed following reports of vessel attacks, shipping data showed on Monday.The number of commodity vessels that passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait fell to 18 on Sunday, from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday, the Kpler data showed.The Iran-aligned Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi ‌Arabia on July 20, opening a new front against the U.S. and…

A liquefied natural gas vessel controlled by Greek shipping company GasLog was stable after an incident while exiting the Strait of Hormuz, with everyone on board safe and accounted for, the company said.An "incident" had occurred on its Gaslog Shanghai LNG vessel on July 31, said GasLog in a statement. It did not provide details about the incident or whether the ship or its cargo had sustained any damage."GasLog LNG Services immediately activated their emergency plan, notified all relevant authorities…

The two very large crude carriers (VLCC) carrying oil loaded from the Gulf exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, with traffic through the waterway remaining thin, according to Kpler ship-tracking data.The Spain B vessel is carrying crude oil loaded from the Saudi Arabian port of Ras Tanura on July 12, and is currently anchored off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile Noble, which loaded Iraqi Basrah crude on July 25, is heading to China.Both VLCCs are carrying about 2 million barrels of crude each.

Singapore has issued eight new licenses to supply liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel in Singapore from September 1, 2026, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said on Thursday.The new licences will expand Singapore's LNG bunkering capacity to meet growing demand expectations and support a multi-fuel bunkering hub.The licences were awarded to companies including Aramco Trading Singapore, Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, PetroChina International Singapore, Shell Eastern Trading, Sinopec Fuel Oil Singapore, the TotalEnergies Gas & Power Asia-Sembcor

Sallaum Lines has ordered an 8,600-car equivalent unit (CEU) pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) from China Merchants Shipyard, with an option for a second vessel, expanding its newbuilding program as it prepares for long-term growth in the global vehicle carrier market.The LNG dual-fuel, ammonia-ready vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2029 and follows a separate order announced earlier this month for two firm 8,600-CEU PCTCs, with options for two more, at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry.The latest order increases Sallaum Lines' newbuilding program to nine vessels…

Tehran has ruled out Oman's proposal for regional joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, scuppering hopes for a resolution to the impasse that has choked off Gulf trade for months.Oman proposed a new regional deal aimed at resolving the conflict over the critical strait, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.However, Tehran ruled out Oman's proposal for regional joint management of the strait, saying it had no chance of success.The U.S.

Seatrium has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 30 MW Floating Data Centre (FDC) concept, marking a milestone in the development of offshore digital infrastructure designed to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.The concept features a jetty-moored, non-propelled barge incorporating six independent 5 MW Data-In-A-Box modules, each integrating IT equipment, cooling systems, power distribution and supporting infrastructure in a modular design.The company said the concept combines modular construction…

Oman has presented Iran with a plan backed by Gulf states to manage the Strait of Hormuz, including collecting voluntary fees for using it, a Gulf source and a Western diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday.The plan could serve as a basis to end the disruption to trade through the strait caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.President Donald Trump, who abruptly called off a two-week U.S. bombing campaign over the weekend in his latest strategic U-turn, said there were "good talks" under way with Iran but threatened to restart strikes unless negotiations deliver.

Germany's CM Technologies (CMT) has launched a compact pressure drop testing instrument designed to help ship operators detect cylinder pressure leaks early, enabling them to address engine wear before it leads to higher fuel consumption, costly repairs and vessel downtime.The Pressure Drop Test Instrument (PDTI) measures pressure loss in diesel engine cylinders during the compression process, helping engineers identify issues such as worn piston rings, cylinder liner wear or…

ABS has signed two agreements with South Korean shipbuilding organizations aimed at advancing software-defined vessel technology and strengthening workforce development for the U.S. and Korean shipbuilding industries.The first agreement will see ABS Consulting and affiliate ABS Wavesight support HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) in developing its software-defined vessel (SDV) platform by providing software quality assurance advisory, verification and validation support.The collaboration is intended to help establish a framework for software quality…

Anemoi Marine Technologies has secured design assessment certificates from Bureau Veritas covering several versions of its Rotor Sail wind-assisted propulsion technology, expanding third-party certification of its product range.The approvals cover the company's fixed and rail-deployed 3.5-metre by 24.5-metre Rotor Sails, including explosion-rated (EX-rated) versions and shorter variants designed for vessels operating under air draft restrictions. Applications are also being progressed…

Just three commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the fewest daily transits since May, shipping data showed, with most ships halting or making U-turns after recent Iranian attacks on vessels and the resumption of a U.S. blockade on Iran-related shipping.The re-escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran has once again largely stopped traffic through Hormuz, the world's most important shipping route for oil and gas, driving up global energy prices.Miraan…

Bollinger Shipyards has opened a 7,200-square-foot workforce training center at its Gulfport, Mississippi, facility to expand skilled trades training for the U.S. shipbuilding industry.The facility was developed in partnership with the U.S. Navy's Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) Program Office and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. It will provide hands-on training in marine electrical, electronics and sheet metal trades, with bootcamp-style classes scheduled to begin in the fall of 2026.The training center expands Bollinger's workforce development program launched in 2024.

Fewer vessels travelled through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day after the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports with both countries escalating strikes across the Gulf, shipping data showed.Nine vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, mostly on the Iranian route, down from 13 the previous day, Kpler data showed.There were no Very Large Crude Carrier or liquefied natural gas tankers visibly passing through the strait on Wednesday.U.S. Central Command…

Ukrainian drones struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, including 17 oil tankers, the commander of Kyiv's drone forces said on Wednesday.On Telegram, Robert Brovdi said the targets included two gas tankers and a tugboat.(Reuters - Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close "all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies", Iranian media reported, after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports."Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all," the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iran's IRNA state news agency on Wednesday.Analysts have said Iran has been signalling it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea…