The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command is a critical part of the United States’ national security equation, as any navy only goes as far as its supply chain allows. RADM Benjamin Nicholson, Commander, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, visited with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, for a deep discussion on MSC, including changes in mariner pay and benefits that will enable it to attract and retain the seafarers it wants and needs.Military Sealift Command occupies an unusual position in the U.S. Navy enterprise.
Bollinger Shipyards this week welcomed Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russ Vought, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday, and senior Coast Guard and Administration officials to its Houma and LaShip facilities for a firsthand look at progress on the Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program.During the visit, Bollinger leadership provided updates on construction readiness, workforce development and infrastructure investments supporting the Coast Guard's next generation fleet of medium polar icebreakers.
Gecko Robotics announced a partnership with Anduril Industries to help accelerate American shipbuilding using advanced robotics, AI-powered software, and automated quality assurance. The partnership will support Anduril's Arsenal-2, a new software-defined shipyard in Baltimore County, Maryland, announced as part of the company's $3.7 billion investment to expand production for the Virginia-class submarine program. Gecko's technology will be deployed at Anduril's new 160,000-square-foot protofactory in Orange County, California, where key submarine components will be manufactured.
Asian countries are racing to raise their oil stockpiling capacity, complete a regional power grid and speed up renewables in response to supply risks laid bare by the Iran war.Southeast Asia has been worst hit by the energy impact as 80% of the oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf flowed to the region before the Iran war began."The most advanced efforts are support for the development of oil stockpiling systems in each country and regional joint stockpiling on (a) voluntary basis
Intensifying attacks by Russia and Ukraine ahead of the winter are further endangering navigational safety in the Black Sea, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, adding that world powers must not allow the region to be turned into a new front in the war.NATO member Turkey, which has maintained good ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has repeatedly called on both sides to halt attacks in the Black Sea that have also struck Turkish-flagged and Turkish-owned commercial vessels.
US natural gas futures held near a two-week high on Thursday as a bigger-than-expected storage build last week offset the drop in output in recent days as energy firms reduced flows on offshore Gulf of Mexico pipelines ahead of Hurricane Isaias.Front-month gas futures for November delivery <NGc1> on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.1 cents, or 0.3%, to $3.192 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Wednesday, the contract closed at its highest level since September 24.
Tankers are facing a higher risk of attacks and intimidation as they try to get critical shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran issued new warnings it would block routes that it has not authorized, sources said.Last week already saw the biggest number of attacks on tankers in the key waterway since the Iran war began - cutting the number of vessels trying to get through to the lowest in more than two months.Iran has now warned regional countries that any attempt to open new routes for oil exports would be considered hostile, a senior regional official close to Tehran told Reuters.
Syria called on the International Maritime Organization and Bulgarian authorities on Thursday to conduct an independent investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, whose 10 crew members including 9 Syrians were missing.The investigation should look into why search and rescue operations stopped before the fate of the missing crew was determined, said Mazen Aloush, director for international relations of the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs.
The shipping industry is working to improve fuel efficiency and ship performance to address decarbonization requirements, new regulations and rising operational costs. To support these developments, BIMCO has adopted the Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum 2026.The new contractual framework is designed to facilitate the installation of energy-saving devices during the period of a time charter. It provides owners and charterers with a flexible mechanism for agreeing how the costs, time implications, and fuel-saving benefits associated with retrofit projects should be allocated.
DFDS is strengthening its presence in the Strait of Gibraltar by adding a combined freight and passenger ferry on the Algeciras-Tanger Med route, increasing capacity and flexibility for customers traveling and transporting goods between Europe and North Africa.Following regulatory approval by the Spanish and Moroccan competition authorities, DFDS has finalized an agreement with Naviera Armas to acquire the combined freight and passenger ferry, Volcán de Tamasite.
Veson Nautical and Marcura announced an expanded partnership that connects Marcura Claims, Marcura’s platform for laytime and demurrage management, with IMOS, Veson’s flagship solution for commercial freight contract management and voyage execution, giving joint clients more options for managing demurrage claims.Organizations in today’s markets operate a variety of unique workflows, especially when it comes to demurrage management.
Windward publishes quarterly intelligence reports tracking developments across global shipping.From the Q3 report:Four navies struck merchant ships, including Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.Iranian attacks in the Middle East Gulf doubled to 45. Black Sea attacks quadrupled to about 86.The Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping, and Bab el-Mandeb traffic fell by a quarter.The Gulf recorded at least 12 conflict-related oil spillsFalsely flagged ships are up 39% since January.