Fincantieri, WSense Partner on Underwater Monitoring Systems
Fincantieri has signed a strategic agreement with Italian deep-tech company WSense to jointly develop and commercialize advanced wireless technologies for underwater applications, strengthening the shipbuilder’s position in subsea monitoring and protection systems.The agreement covers both the co-development of wireless underwater communication solutions and a commercial framework for deploying the…
Latest BC Ferries’ Island Class Vessel Completes Sea Trials
Damen Shipyards Group announced the completion of sea trials for the latest Island Class ferry for BC Ferries. The seventh Island Class vessel in a series of ten undertook trials during weeks 49 and 50 last year in the Black Sea.Damen is currently constructing four Island Class vessels for the Canadian ferry operator. Upon delivery, the vessels will fulfil an important function, connecting coastal communities along the British Columbian coast…
WCI Confers Leadership Awards
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Chairman of the House Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, was presented with Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) 23rd Annual Leadership Service Award on February 4, for championing the Nation’s inland waterways and the Chickamauga Lock project. The award was presented at a Capitol Hill reception."Throughout his tenure in Congress…
Longitude Unveils Compact PSV Design Aimed at Cost Efficiency
Maritime design and engineering consultancy Longitude has launched a new compact platform supply vessel (PSV) design D-Flex, aimed at improving cost efficiency for shipowners.The D-Flex PSV is the second design in Longitude’s IMT Isca series and is positioned as a smaller and more cost-efficient addition to the range. The design is an evolution of the operationally proven IMT 984, also known as the G-Class.The DP Class 2 vessel is designed for offshore energy operations in Asia…
Sallaum Lines Adds LNG-fueled PCTC to its Fleet
Global operator of roll-on/roll-off carriers Sallaum Lines has taken delivery of the MV Ocean Legacy, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) that has joined its Ocean Class fleet.The delivery follows the recent entry into service of the MV Ocean Explorer and forms part of Sallaum Lines’ Ocean Class program, which focuses on fleet renewal, operational efficiency and lower-emission maritime operations.The…
MacGregor Nets AHC Subsea Crane for Floating Wind Farm Vessel
MacGregor has been selected to supply a substantial 400-tonne Active Heave Compensated (AHC) subsea crane for a new 127-meter Floating Wind Farm Construction Vessel (FWCV).Purpose-built for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market, the new vessel is a significant development for the industry and requires one of the largest subsea AHC cranes ordered in recent years.The order is booked into MacGregor's first quarter 2026 order intake.The contract for MacGregor is with Chinese shipyard…
Seabourn Passengers Set Carnival Record
Seabourn Venture became the most southerly ship on the Antarctic Peninsula as she crossed the Antarctic Circle this week, reaching 70° South, the most southerly point in Seabourn and Carnival history.The vessel also achieved the first-ever Seabourn exploration of George VI Sound and toasted with Champagne on the ice at the most southerly point any Seabourn guest has ever reached.“Congratulations to Captain Simon Bishop and his team and Expedition Leader Luqui Bernacchi.
Op | Ed: Stop Studying and Build Ships
Maybe it is a human trait, or maybe a Washington, D.C. trait, but when confronted with a difficult problem with unpalatable solutions, there is usually an impulse to delay the moment of difficult decision by ordering a study. The U.S. merchant marine industry is the poster child for this behavior. The industry has been studied and studied, and is currently being studied, but studies don’t build ships -- shipyards build ships.Going back to the Lynch Committee in 1870, the U.S.
GTT, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to Advance VLEC Design
GTT announced the signing of a Joint Development Project (JDP) with the shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries focused on a 102,000 m³ Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) featuring GTT’s Mark III Slim membrane containment system. This new project paces the way towards an optimized membrane-tank integration to enhance hull design and vessel’s overall performance.GTT’s Mark III Slim technology, an ethane-optimized cargo containment system…
HII Newport News Shipbuilding Completes Builder’s Sea Trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has successfully completed builder’s sea trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.Kennedy returned to NNS after testing important ship systems and components at sea for the first time.The sea trials brought together NNS shipbuilders, John F. Kennedy sailors and Navy personnel…
Norway Socialist Party Withdraws Support for LNG Electricity Project Opposition
Norway's Socialist Party has withdrawn its support for a proposal to block Equinor's Hammerfest liquefied natural gas plant from receiving a planned onshore power connection, clearing the way for the grid development to proceed.Parliament is due on Thursday to vote on an opposition proposal seeking to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion is likely to fail without backing from the Socialist Party.The government approved the connection in 2023 to cut greenhouse gas
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration over Panama Canal Ports Contract Ruling
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison said on Wednesday its Panama Ports Company unit has started international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country's top court annulled its licences to operate two Panama Canal ports, in a case that could take years to resolve.Panama's Supreme Court last week ruled the contracts violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions.It is unclear how long the arbitration proceedings could take…
Fifteen Migrants Dead After Boat Collides with Greek Coast Guard Vessel
Fifteen migrants died after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel, capsized and sank off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea late on Tuesday, the coast guard said, in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in Greece in years.The incident occurred after a migrant boat sailing towards Chios with its navigation lights switched off ignored signals from a coast guard patrol vessel and changed course…
Oil Prices Rise on U.S.-Iran Tensions
Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after rising earlier in the session after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S.-flagged vessel, rekindling fears of an escalation in tensions ahead of planned talks.But a broader selloff of software equities, which often move in tandem with oil prices, capped gains.Brent crude oil futures were up around 0.1% at $67.38 a barrel by 1423 GMT. U.S.
ClassNK Fleet Cost Simulation Receives "Best Project Innovation Award'"
The service "ClassNK Fleet Cost Simulation" provided by ClassNK has been honored with the Best Project Innovation Award at the Saudi Maritime Awards, hosted by Robban Assafina, the maritime media platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The award ceremony took place on January 29, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.The Saudi Maritime Awards, in partnership with the Transport General Authority of Saudi Arabia…
U.S.-Flag Shipping on the Great Lakes Down in 2025
U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) carried 71.3 million tons of cargo in 2025, an 8.9 percent decrease from a year ago. 2025 cargo movement on the Great Lakes was 8.1 percent below the fleet’s 5-year average.Except for salt shipments, which increased by 4.1 percent, all commodity shipments decreased in 2025. Iron ore shipments were down 10.8 percent from 2024 to 39.1 million tons. Coal cargos declined to 6.5 million tons, a decrease of 12 percent.
Baron Weather Expands Services to Support Recreational, Commercial Maritime Operations
Baron Weather, a global provider of meteorological and metocean (oceanographic) intelligence services, announced the advancement of its services to support worldwide recreational and commercial maritime operations. With decades of experience supporting inland waterway and offshore services, Baron delivers current and forecast marine weather and metocean intelligence backed by 24/7 operational expertise that drive informed, confident planning and underway decision making.
BOEM Advances Second OBBBA Offshore Lease Sales
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, today announced another major step toward expanding offshore energy development pursuant to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BOEM released the Final Notice of Sale for Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 2 (BBG2), the second of 30 Gulf of America lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law No: 119-21). BOEM will again invite lease sale bidders to attend the live bid reading, per BOEM instructions, on March 11, 2026, starting at 9 a.m.
ESVAGT-KMC JV Nets Long-Term Vessel Deal for Korea Offshore Wind Farm
KESTO, a joint venture between Denmark’s ESVAGT and South Korea’s KMC Line, has secured its first contracts to provide offshore service logistics for Vestas at the Shinan-Ui offshore wind farm in South Korea.From 2028 and for a minimum period of 10 years, KESTO will provide vessels to support Vestas’ service scope at the Shinan-Ui project. KESTO will begin servicing Vestas during the construction phase and will continue to deliver service operations once the wind farm becomes operational…
Port of Virginia Advances Capacity with Addition of ULCV Berth
The Port of Virginia is continuing to modernize and expand its operations and recently debuted additional capacity to safely handle simultaneous calls of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).In late January, the port put four new, all-electric, Suez-class ship-to-shore container cranes into service at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). With the expanded crane fleet at NIT, the port now has the capacity to accommodate four ULCVs at once.
