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Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) expanded its international maritime sales team with two appointments.James Kennedy has been appointed to lead sales across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Mark Isherwood will oversee sales in Northern Europe.“James and Mark bring valuable experience and expertise that will help us further develop customer relationships in these regions, support our existing business…

SKF opened its new Ceramic Process Laboratory (C-Pro Lab) at its R&D Centre in Houten, The Netherlands. This capability strengthens SKF’s technology leadership across the complete ceramic manufacturing value chain, from raw material powder processing to high-performance component engineering, boosting the global adoption of advanced hybrid bearing technology.“Ceramic and hybrid bearing technologies are essential enablers for clean and reliable rotation in next-generation industrial electrical applications. The C-Pro Lab enables full mastery over the end-to-end ceramic process.

WinGD recorded the first in-service operation of its X-DF-M/E alcohol fuel engine platform on ethanol fuel, following a successful bunkering and voyage in the US. The 9,000 TEU container ship Tangier Maersk, owned by the Maersk shipping line, successfully sailed from Houston to New York on ethanol fuel.The vessel took on the bunker at the Port of Houston in late September, with the world’s largest bioethanol producer POET supplying fuel for the WinGD X82DF-Mengine powering the vessel.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and General Manager of Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri, received the National Italian American Foundation's (NIAF) Dea Roma Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership in Maritime Industry during the organization's 51st Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C.The award marks the first time NIAF has recognized an executive specifically for leadership and achievements in the international maritime industry.NIAF cited Folgiero's role in strengthening…

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Saturday that two oil tankers had caught fire after hitting naval mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.State media said both tankers were carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil.There was no independent confirmation of the reports.IRNA reported that the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and attempted to use an unauthorised route through the strategic waterway.

Oil prices gained more than 3% and were heading for weekly gains on continued uncertainty over Middle East supplies, and as investors kept assessing how much diesel Russia could supply to the global markets.Brent crude futures were up $3.41, or 3.2%, at $109.34 at 12:41 p.m. ET (1641 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $2.74, or 2.8%, to $100.67, crossing $100 for the first time since September 21.So far this week, Brent has risen 4.1% and WTI 8.6%."Conflict…

Dutch inland shipping company AMS Barging has christened its new diesel-electric tanker Felicitas at Noordereiland in Rotterdam. Liv and Julie, daughters of AMS Barging co-owner Igor Jansen, performed the naming ceremony.The 135-metre tanker was designed by RensenDriessen Shipbuilding and fitted out by Den Breejen Shipyard. With a cargo capacity of approximately 9,000 m³, Felicitas features 12 cargo tanks, a dual piping system, two mass flow meters, a nitrogen generator, a bunker boom and a cargo pumping capacity of 1,800 m³ per hour.

Shippers' appetite for lower-carbon marine fuels weakened this year as the fate of a regulatory emissions framework from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) remained cloudy while some are using carbon credits, industry executives said.IMO member nations are set to meet by early November on the formal adoption of a net-zero framework to guide the industry towards zero carbon emissions by 2050, after last year's vote to delay the move.Demand for marine biofuel, a more readily available alternative fuel on which shippers have focused more…

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced the appointment of Charlie Cunnion as Port Director. Cunnion brings over 25 years of leadership experience across global transportation, supply chain management, operations, organizational transformation, and strategic planning. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Supply Chain and Customer Service for CMPC Forest Products North America, where he led a business transformation focused on operational excellence, technology innovation…

The U.S. Maritime Industry is sifting through a nearly two-year decision process after Executive Order 14269 announcements of “Maritime Dominance” of April 9th 2025. Initially reported as the strongest federal support in decades, longer periods of delays have also occurred as congress debates the Ships for America Act which has been passed from committee to committee in Congress. Legislation proposed to support American shipbuilding and the US flag commercial fleet and to date…

Brent crude was little changed on Thursday as investors weighed possible US steps to ease restrictions on the world’s "shadow fleet" of tankers, while conflict in the Middle East kept a geopolitical risk premium in the market.The international benchmark was up 2 cents, or 0.02%, at $106.08 at 12:14 p.m. EDT (1614GMT)US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $2.96, or 3.11%, to $98.05 a barrel, after a large US crude stock draw helped support prices.The shadow fleet discussions…

Greece said on Thursday the developer of an EU-backed undersea power cable scheme in the eastern Mediterranean has applied for a license to resume seabed surveying, key for the long-delayed project to move ahead.Construction of the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) aims to link the European mainland to Cyprus and later Israel, but is opposed by Turkey.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Athens last week said the US was "very committed" to the project as it promotes energy supply diversification…

Iran and its proxies have carried out dozens of pinpoint strikes on infrastructure in the Gulf since the start of the war, systematically disabling critical equipment and causing cascading failures and economic damage region-wide in a deft campaign that helps explain how the Islamic Republic has held its own against the more powerful US military.Iran and the allies it arms went after vital oil-routing systems at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the main port outside the Strait of Hormuz, disabling operations for weeks.

Oil markets initially treated the Iran war as a brief bullish disruption in a long-term bearish trend. But traders are now betting that oil prices will remain elevated through 2028, forcing a rethink of the global inflation outlook.Eight months into the war, the buffers that helped absorb the initial energy shock – most notably onshore crude oil stockpiles – are wearing dangerously thin. At the same time, the recovery in crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz remains fragile…

A Singapore-flagged container ship has sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile, while a dry bulk carrier damaged in an earlier attack is also reported to be sinking, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days. The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, a small container vessel with capacity for 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), sank while sailing through the strait, the sources said."GFS PRIDE sustained damage and a fire on board, and has since sunk. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated.

JPMorganChase has added two senior leaders to support shipbuilding and maritime efforts within its Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), the firm's $1.5 trillion, 10-year effort focused on strengthening industries critical to economic and national security. Chryssa Rask has joined the firm to lead SRI's shipbuilding efforts and support its broader work across supply chain and advanced manufacturing. Most recently, she was an investor with Cerberus Capital Management's Supply Chain Fund, where she focused on companies and technologies that strengthen supply-chain resilience and U.S.

After investigating reports of restrictive port practices by the Government of Spain, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has determined that Spain has created unfavorable shipping conditions against U.S.-flagged vessels. As a result, the FMC is proposing remedies to counteract those unfavorable conditions, including charging fees for all Spanish-flagged vessels and restricting the import of certain Spanish goods.The FMC initiated an investigation in December 2024 to determine whether Spain is creating general or special conditions unfavorable to shipping in U.S.

The St. Louis Metro Port system remains the nation’s most efficient inland port system, according to the latest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data, ranking first in cargo tonnage per river mile and fourth in total tonnage among seven major inland port districts.In 2024, the 70-mile port system handled 24.8 million tons of cargo, averaging 354,286 tons per river mile. That figure was more than double the efficiency of each of the three higher-volume inland port districts.“Maintaining…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently investigated a marine casualty involving a recreational vessel that was swamped and capsized by the wake of a commercial towing vessel. The investigation found that both the credentialed Master of the towing vessel and the towing vessel’s operating company believed that USCG-inspected vessels were governed solely by federal Inland Navigation Rules, and that these rules automatically preempted state and local navigation safety laws, including…

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait…

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC), a U.S. provider of fully autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs), announced that the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is acquiring an undisclosed number of Devil Ray T24 autonomous surface vessels. The sale represents one of the most significant international purchases of U.S.-manufactured USVs to date.The opportunity was made possible through the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by MARTAC, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), and Confucian Co., Ltd.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography is building its next coastal research vessel in Chile. If that award stands as the model for how publicly funded institutions replace their fleets, the small American shipyards that build this country’s research vessels lose a market they cannot survive without.MarineLink.com reported the award in August: a 124-foot vessel for Scripps, part of the University of California San Diego, going to ASENAV in Valdivia, Chile. Qualified U.S. yards competed for it and came in under the project’s publicly stated budget. The work is leaving the country anyway.

Euronext wheat prices rose on Tuesday, tracking a rebound in Chicago futures as another attack on ships in the Black Sea kept attention on disruption to export trade.An international tender being held by Algeria also underpinned the market, with expectations that the major importer could book a significant volume.Benchmark December milling wheat on the Paris-based Euronext exchange was up 1.4% at €246.75 ($276.11) a metric ton by 1521 GMT after touching its highest in almost a week at €247.50.Chicago wheat also rose, with an easing dollar supporting a rebound from Friday's seven-week low.