The U.S. is expanding its icebreaking fleet to strengthen Arctic and domestic access, and support commercial shipping, seabed resources, subsea cables and fisheries. Current plans include 1–3 heavy Polar Security Cutters (PSCs), 11 medium Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs), seven Homeland Security Cutter (HSC) HSC-L (light) icebreakers, 11 HSC-Ms (medium) and one additional heavy HSC-H (heavy). But as delays and cost overruns on the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) Program shows, while major opportunities exist for the U.S.
Stephen M. Carmel & MarAd are aiming to make this U.S. Maritime Rebuild StickFor anyone who has spent a career in the U.S. maritime industry, the past two years have been unusual by any metric. Maritime has moved from the far margins of federal policy discussions to center stage, with rebuilding American shipbuilding, the Merchant Marine and the maritime industrial base elevated a national priority. Action to shore up the big ship, military portion of the equation has been rapid and measurable.
"Since the start of July, Panama Canal bulker transits have fallen 22% y/y. Bulkers have faced increased competition for transit slots from other sectors, especially tankers, as the US has boosted energy exports to Asia. El Niño is also expected to lead to lower water levels, which mean transit restrictions and thus heightened competition for available capacity,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.The canal is commonly used on trade routes between the east and west coasts of the Americas, as well as some routes between the Americas and East Asia or Europe.
The future of maritime safety will not be determined by a choice between people and technology but will instead depend on how effectively the industry combines them. Capt. Naoki Saito, General Manager and Head of the Cyber Security Ship Management Systems Department, ClassNK fully acknowledges the critical place mandatory procedures occupy in upholding consistent maritime safety, and their role in preserving knowledge from operational experience. Mandatory procedures also ensure clarity on who is responsible for what, he says.
SNAME’s M-50 Sustainable Fuels Technology and Research panel has given itself the task to try to figure out if there actually is a preferred sustainable fuel out there.This is a massive rabbit hole effort that does not fixate on the state of the art, but instead is making an attempt to engage all engineering tools, experience, and insight to predict the optimal future.SNAME’s assumption focuses on identifying the optimal fuel that will be universally (or at least near universally) used when direct electric (a connection to the electric distribution net or batteries) cannot work.
Prices for Russia's flagship Urals crude at its western ports jumped above $110 per barrel on Tuesday, the highest level since April 2026, according to Reuters calculations based on data from two traders.Higher oil prices boost Russia's budget revenues, which rely heavily on oil and gas income, although elevated freight rates are limiting gains for sellers.Urals crude loaded at Russia's ports of Primorsk URL-PRMSK and Novorossiysk URL-NVRSK was assessed at around $110 per barrel on a free on board (FOB) basis on Tuesday
Global energy markets face a lengthening period of tight supply and price volatility as the industry's ability to offset disruptions from the Middle East is dwindling, senior executives from Shell and Equinor said on Wednesday.Attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East helped push crude prices towards $110 a barrel this week for the first time since May. Refined products have risen even more sharply, with fuels such as diesel reaching record highs.Still, the market's ability to adapt and absorb supply disruptions since the start of the U.S.
New analysis from Sofar Ocean finds that widely used marine forecasts can miss wave conditions associated with dangerous vessel rolling and cargo losses.Most forecasts tell ships how high waves will be, but height alone doesn't identify the impact on a ship. Wave period and direction, together with the vessel's heading, speed, and loading, can create dangerous rolling even when waves don't appear extreme.Most marine forecasts have limited direct, in-water observations of the full wave field.
Korean Register (KR) has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to a newly developed 50,000-cbm LPG carrier, jointly designed with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The AIP was presented on September 16 at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.LPG carriers require precise control of cargo temperature and pressure to keep LPG cargo stable throughout storage and transport. Achieving both safety and cargo-loading efficiency in LPG transport calls for advanced engineering at every stage of design and construction.
K Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Sejin Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. and ClassNK have signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) regarding the joint development of a new generation Eco LPG carrier that complies with the IGC Code amendment. The signing ceremony was held at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.An amendment to the IGC Code, an international code for the construction and equipment of ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk, is scheduled to be adopted at MSC 112 (to be held in December this year) and to enter into force on July 1, 2028.
Lloyd’s Register (LR), Seapeak, Kongsberg Maritime (KM), and Tunable have launched a new joint development project (JDP) to facilitate compliance and independently verify the accuracy of KM’s Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which incorporates Tunable’s gas analysis technology, on board a new LNG carrier.The partners will compare actual CO2 emissions recorded by the vessel’s CEMS against both engine test bed data and default emissions factors
Lloyd's Register has granted Design Appraisal to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' fore-accommodation LNG carrier design featuring Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' Wind Challenger hard-sail system, advancing the concept towards potential commercial deployment.The appraisal confirms that the design complies with LR's Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems notation requirements and follows Approval in Principle granted at Gastech 2025.The partners describe the vessel as the world's first fore-accommodation LNG carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger system.