Maritime Safety News

Shipping groups Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will resume some transit routes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal this month under their shared services network, Maersk said on Tuesday.Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted around Africa in late 2023 following attacks in the Red Sea, which Yemen's Houthis said were to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's joint ME11 service, a route connecting India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean, will resume routing through the Red Sea and the Suez Ca

A group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday.The Iranian boats ordered the tanker, the Stena Imperative, to stop its engine and prepare to be boarded before it could speed up and continue its voyage, maritime risk management group Vanguard said.The vessel did not enter Iranian internal territorial waters and was escorted by a U.S. warship, the maritime risk management group said. An American official confirmed it was U.S.

Columbia Group has selected Prevention at Sea (PaS) as its strategic compliance partner and will deploy the MORSE digital compliance platform across its entire managed fleet.The partnership between Columbia Group and PaS will strengthen digital capabilities by linking electronic logbooks with standardized, end-to-end compliance processes. MORSE will give the company real-time visibility of reporting activity, improve data quality, and cut administrative work for crews on board.The…

Furuno has introduced the FELCOM20, an Inmarsat-C Ship Earth Station engineered to meet the requirements of GMDSS, LRIT, and SSAS applications. Built to deliver ship-to-shore communication in even the harshest maritime environments, the FELCOM20 provides mariners with the confidence and capability they need to operate safely anywhere in the world.Designed for operational versatility, the FELCOM20 supports a range of essential communication services, including Email, Telex, Fax, Enhanced Group Call (EGC), and data reporting/polling.

Analysis of more than 40 million alarm-related events shows most alarms offer little operational value, disrupt rest and push crews toward risky workarounds. New research from Lloyd’s Register (LR) has revealed that excessive and nuisance shipboard alarm systems are routinely overwhelming crews and, in many cases, actively undermining safety at sea. The findings, published today in Effective Alarm Management in the Maritime Industry are based on data collected from 11 operational vessels, spanning over 2,000 days and more than 40 million alarm-related events.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) inspectors frequently find immersion suit defects caused by adhesivef ailures between the main zipper and the suit body. These failures, illustrated in the images, compromise watertight integrity and pose serious survival risks from water ingress. Contributing factors to the defects include improper maintenance (e.g., the use of non-approved petroleum based lubricants or scented powders), improper storage, and neglecting to conduct periodic pressure testing. Seam and closure deterioration may not always be detectable during routine visual inspections.

James Fisher Defence (JFD Global), a global provider of specialist marine and defense solutions enabling mission success at sea, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ST Engineering Marine to explore new opportunities for collaboration in Singapore and beyond. The extension of joint capabilities internationally will provide support to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and other navies, to ensure operational readiness in safety critical situations.The agreement builds on a long-standing and successful partnership between the two companies that spans more than 15 years.

NAVTOR is helping Redningsselskapet (Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue) increase both efficiency and cost savings by making its fleet management solution, NavFleet, available free of charge, while also providing ongoing systems delivery and support. The partnership will help empower optimal operations for the society’s fleet of currently 59 vessels, with intelligent planning and monitoring, more efficient vessel utilization, greater predictability, and the potential for meaningful cost savings through smarter decision-making and deployment.

A set of amendments to key IMO treaties and Codes have entered into force on January 1, 2026. They include the following: Preventing and responding to bullying, harassment and sexual assaultAmendments to the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code) aim to prevent and respond to violence and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.The amendments are included in table A-VI/1-4 (Specification of minimum standard of competence in personal safety and social responsibilities) of the STCW Code.

This Safety Alert highlights the critical importance of preventing water intrusion into fuel tanks. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) investigated a marine casualty that occurred in the Corpus Christi Shipping Channel, involving a towing vessel constructed in 2011 with a low freeboard. While pushing a barge loaded with methanol, the vessel encountered sea state conditions with 4-foot wave heights and sustained winds of 35 knots. These conditions caused water to fill the fixed containment area beneath the vessel's fuel tank vent pipes…

Over the course of 2025, the Irish Coast Guard managed 2793 incidents, ranging from search and rescue operations to maritime casualty responses, as well as pollution control and preparedness activities.The 44 Coast Guard Units were deployed 1187 times during the year, continuing to play a vital role in safeguarding communities nationwide. This included 933 helicopter missions including medical support for offshore island communities.In total, the Irish Coast Guard provided life-saving assistance to 1941individuals in 2025…

On December 12, the U.S. Coast Guard released their report on the collision between small passenger vessel PROWLER and yacht ATTESSA IV, flagged under the Cayman Islands. The collision occurred on October 26, 2018 in the San Diego Bay and resulted in the loss of one life. The report determines that the initiating event of the incident was a collision between the vessels. Subsequent events include loss of propulsion, flooding and passenger injuries/death. Casual factors contributing…

Hefring Marine, a leader in intelligent maritime analytics, and SEA.AI, a pioneer in AI-powered maritime vision systems, announced a new partnership that will integrate collision avoidance technology with advanced vessel operations intelligence. This partnership brings together two of Europe's marine technology companies to deliver comprehensive safety and operational solutions for the global maritime industry. The collaboration will combine Hefring Marine's IMAS, an AI-driven onboard platform that enhances safety…

ABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), a leader in safety, risk and asset integrity management, has released a paper to support vessel and facility owners and operators in meeting compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Maritime Cyber Rule. This paper outlines practical steps to meet the first cybersecurity training deadline of January 12, 2026.Titled From Final Rule to Fully Trained: Practical Direction for Meeting the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Cybersecurity Requirements…

The shipping industry has always been good at navigating uncertainty; however the rapid expansion of the shadow fleet represents a different kind of risk. It’s not just regulatory or geopolitical; it’s informational. Each vessel that goes dark removes a small piece of the world’s safety awareness, and that loss is beginning to matter, writes Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-founder of Orca AI. A parallel system moving out of sightConcern over the shadow fleet’s growth is now being voiced at senior industry level.

Saipem has launched the LiSa Hyper Harness, a smart safety harness equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence designed to enhance worker safety during operations at height.The device monitors how workers connect to fall protection systems and alerts both the operator and a supervisor if the connection is missing or incorrect. The harness emits an acoustic signal, similar to a car seatbelt warning, and automatically sends a notification to a central platform for immediate…

Malaysian patrols searched coastal waters in the Andaman Sea on Monday for dozens of members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority, after a boat believed to be carrying them sank last week and another went missing.At least 21 bodies have been found since the vessel went down on Thursday - 12 in Malaysia and nine in neighbouring Thailand - the regional head of Malaysia's maritime agency, Romli Mustafa, told reporters.Without life jackets, it might be difficult for many to survive even 24 hours…

The number of people confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border rose to 11 on Monday, authorities said, with about 70 people believed to have been on board the capsized vessel.The status of another boat carrying 230 passengers remained unclear, Malaysian authorities said, adding that 13 survivors had been found so far, mostly Rohingya. Thai authorities said they had recovered four bodies, including two children…

Six Indonesian nationals pleaded guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters in three separate cases at Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.The first matter arose from an incident on September 27, 2025, where Australian authorities identified, intercepted and apprehended an Indonesian vessel fishing illegally near Cassini Island, Western Australia. ABF seized 500 kg of sea cucumber, 90 kg of salt used to process and preserve catch and a quantity of fishing equipment. The crew were detained and transported to Darwin for further investigation by AFMA.

The UK offshore renewables sector has been put through its paces in a major emergency response exercise designed to test coordination among industry, government, and emergency services during a large-scale offshore incident.Organized by the Offshore Renewable Energy Emergency Forum (OREEF), the triennial TRIREX exercise — titled Exercise Blyth — brought together Ocean Winds, Police Scotland, HM Coastguard, Esvagt, Vestas, and other stakeholders at the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm to conduct realistic emergency response drills.The two-day exercise…

Tschudi Shipping Company, NAL Research and Norway-based SGM Technology have launched PntGuard, a maritime navigation system designed to detect and counter increasing cases of GNSS and GPS signal spoofing at sea.The standalone bridge system alerts crews the moment a vessel’s official position is falsified and provides authenticated location data when satellite navigation inputs are compromised.Developers say the product aims to address the growing risk of electronic interference and manipulation of ship positions…

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has awarded an approval in principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its novel design of a wireless fire and gas detection system that advances safety in maritime operations.Conventional detection systems use power cables to transmit signals to a control panel. The new design from SHI uses a vessel’s metal structure as the low-voltage power transmission medium.Similarly, signals from the fire detection and alarm devices are converted…

The U.S. military killed five alleged drug smugglers in strikes against two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, in an expansion of the Trump administration's use of the armed forces in its counter-narcotics campaign.On Wednesday afternoon, Hegseth said the military attacked a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean and killed two men on Tuesday. It was the first known U.S. military operation in the Pacific since President Donald Trump kicked off a new offensive against the drug trade.Hours later…