Nuclear power has already crossed oceans. The harder question is whether modern small modular reactors can be integrated, licensed and financed for merchant ships, and where they make sense first.In 2023 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by around 2050. LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen each solve part of the problem and create another. Nuclear propulsion offers a different trade: fuel so energy-dense that a ship can sail for years without bunkering, with no combustion emissions at the point of use.
Master Boat Builders, Inc. recently announced the successful launch of Intrepid, the fourth of eight tugboats being built for Maritime Partners, LLC. Constructed at Master Boat Builders’ shipyard in Coden, Alabama, Intrepid measures 88 feet in length and is classified as an A1 Escort Tug and Towing Vessel. The vessel carries AMS (Automated Machinery System) certification, UWILD (Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking) certification, and FFV1 fire-fighting capability. It is also designated a Low Emissions Vessel (LEV) under U.S. standards.
Oil prices rose on Thursday by more than $1 a barrel, as continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and broader geopolitical tensions offset pressure from rising crude output that had sent prices lower in early trade.Brent futures were up $1.2 or 1.3% a barrel at $93.96 at 12:08 p.m. ET or 1508 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 53 cents or 0.6% at $87.06.Both benchmarks were still headed for a weekly decline.Prices fell early, and had been trading steady to lower before President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the US did not need a deal with Iran.
President Donald Trump's administration is set to extend a waiver to a US law in coming days allowing some foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and other commodities between US ports, four industry sources said on Thursday.The extension will require individual voyages to undergo case-by-case review rather than allowing foreign ships to receive blanket exemptions from the Jones Act, two sources said. The waiver is one of the tools the administration has used to try to lower diesel and gasoline prices, which have been driven higher by the wars in Iran in Ukraine.
Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway.Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait, despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the war between the United States and Iran that have been reflected in falling oil prices.
A vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday, causing a fire in its engine room, British maritime agencies said in reports published on Thursday.All 22 crew members on Liberia-flagged oil tanker, including 19 Indian nationals, were safely evacuated, India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said.The MT DOMINICA PROSPERITY was attacked while drifting off the port of Mina Saqr, Shipping Minister, Sonowal added in a post on X.
UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, provider of guidance, navigation and control solutions for unmanned vehicles, announced the release of the HES01, a Heading Estimation System providing navigation for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The HES01 combines dual GNSS signals with RTK precision, an integrated internal magnetometer and a high-accuracy MEMS-based Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to achieve sub-centimeter precision landings when paired with VECTOR autopilots (Flight Control Computer, FCC) and the Ground Hub Unit, GHU-100.
Ethanol could be used to fuel a growing fleet of methanol-capable ships with limited modifications to existing dual-fuel engines and bunkering infrastructure, offering an alternative as supplies of low-emission methanol remain constrained, according to a new industry study.The study, published by the Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA), a platform of the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF), found that ethanol could support more than 300 methanol-capable vessels currently in service or on order, either independently or blended with methanol.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has opened applications for licenses to operate up to two liquefied natural gas (LNG) floating storage units (FSUs) in Singapore anchorages, aiming to expand LNG bunkering capacity and strengthen supply resilience.The initiative follows the award of eight new LNG bunker supplier licences in July 2026 and is intended to diversify LNG storage and reloading options.Applications are open to existing LNG bunker licensees, which may partner with third-party terminal operators to provide storage and operational expertise.
"Between January and October 2026, dry bulk ship recycling fell 36% y/y to 3m DWT, its lowest level in 18 years. Only 70 ships were recycled, primarily smaller ships in the handysize and supramax segments, as strong freight rates have extended the operational lives of older ships,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Dry bulk ship recycling has been at a low level since 2021 due to strong freight rates. Several disruptions have tightened the supply/demand balance.
Technology previously demonstrated aboard the U.S. Navy's Stiletto test platform will advance to operational evaluation aboard a Legend-class National Security Cutter.Israel-based maritime technology company Sealartec has secured a U.S. Coast Guard contract under the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program to supply its ALR-S autonomous launch and recovery system for installation, testing and operational assessment aboard a Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC).The award advances the technology from an experimental U.S.
A new liquefied biogas (LBG) facility under construction at the Port of Gothenburg is scheduled to begin operations in the second quarter of 2027, providing a new source of renewable marine fuel for vessels calling at Scandinavia's largest port.The project, developed and owned by Swedish energy infrastructure company Nordion Energi, recently reached a construction milestone with the installation of its 500-cubic-meter LBG storage tank. The tank, which arrived at the port by ship, weighs approximately 140 tonnes and will have the capacity to store up to 200 tonnes of liquefied biogas.