The American Great Lakes Ports Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards to advance shared priorities in domestic shipbuilding and commerce.The MoU marks the first formal partnership between the U.S. Great Lakes port and shipyard communities. By connecting public port authorities with leading American shipyards, the organizations will work more closely to expand the region’s industrial capacity, pursue new cargo and export opportunities, develop the next generation of skilled maritime workers
Austal USA has started construction on its third U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), the future USCGC Ingham, at the company’s Mobile, Ala. ship manufacturing facility.Ingham is being built under a contract that includes options for up to 11 cutters and has a current potential value of $3.3 billion.The 360-foot OPC will provide the majority of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence, conducting missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue.
Singapore and Brazil have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Singapore-Brazil Green and Digital Shipping Corridor. The MoU was signed by Singapore’s Minister for Transport, Jeffrey Siow, and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca.Brazil has significant renewable energy resources and production capabilities that could support the production of zero- and near-zero greenhouse gas emission marine fuels, while Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering port and a leading global hub port with a vibrant innovation ecosystem.
Contecon Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (CMSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) Mexican unit, has paved the way for the Port of Manzanillo to accommodate ultra large container vessels after receiving the go-ahead to handle ships with drafts of up to 15.5 meters. CMSA is now the only terminal operator at the Port of Manzanillo with this capability and is now able to serve vessels up to 400 meters long, including ultra large container vessels capable of carrying up to 24,000 TEUs.
Just two years after the worst drought in the Panama Canal's history forced ships to wait weeks for passage and triggered multi-million-dollar bidding wars for transit slots, El Niño is again threatening the rainfall that feeds the waterway.With El Niño strengthening and reservoirs shrinking, the industry is bracing for a repeat of the disruption at one of the world's most important waterways — and some ships are already taking long detours via Africa.
The number of visible commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to five per day over the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday, as companies tread cautiously amid continued attacks on ships.The actual number of ships passing the strait could be higher as some vessels have switched off their automatic identification system to evade attacks.Weekend traffic was limited to small-sized vessels, data from commodities firm Kpler showed.
Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island is being blown to smithereens, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after forces hit two rocket launchers on another island in the first known American strikes on the Islamic republic since late July.Attacking Kharg, which handled 90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, would severely disrupt its energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy."Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT," Trump said on social media, but gave no further details.The White House and the U.S.
At least eight people died and 18 were missing after a ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off North Cyprus on Sunday, leaving survivors clinging to its overturned hull.The privately owned ferry left the port of Kyrenia at 12:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, authorities said. It was heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in the eastern Mediterranean.Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water's surface breaking the bow of the two-hulled vessel, allowing water to seep in.
Iran condemned the United States' new economic sanctions on Friday as "state terrorism" and said other countries were legally obliged not to implement them, while the U.S. Treasury Department announced additional targeted Iran-related measures.The Iranian foreign ministry's statement came as mediators stepped up efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which handled 20% of world oil supplies before the war began six months ago and whose status remains the biggest obstacle to a peace deal.
Bencros Marine Fenders, a Slovakia-based manufacturer of rubber fenders for ports, tugs and workboats, announced at the SMM Start-up Night in Hamburg that the CO2 savings embedded in its fenders are now independently verified and can be transferred to its customers as certified emission reductions. The first certificates go live on September 2, 2026 on the registry of carbon standard Proba.Bencros manufactures fenders from rejected rubber compounds sourced from tire factories and industrial rubber production, blended with rubber powder from grinded end-of-life tires.
Shipbuilding rewards experience, but today's rapidly evolving maritime market increasingly demands something else: a willingness to build ships that have never been built before.For Türkiye's RMK Marine, that combination of experience and experimentation is defining its position in the global shipbuilding market. RMK Marine, as one of Türkiye’s leading shipyards, has the capability to build vessels up to 200 meters in length and 28,000 DWT, operating within modern shipyard facilities covering a total area of 160,000 m² in Tuzla/Istanbul and Yalova.
As anyone who has built a commercial vessel knows that working out the engineering early in the design process provides a better chance to get the vessel that meets the owner’s criteria and expectation. Bob Lennon, Business Development Manager, Regal Rexnord, a 40-year industry veteran, discusses with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast the tangible steps that any vessel owner can take to ensure that the vessels drivetrain is in good order to help ensure a quiet, vibration-free ride.