[The following are exerpts and paraphrasing from testimony given by Matthew O. Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), to Congress on the morning of February 26, 2025.]While maritime strength and shipbuilding historically have been a cornerstone of global power, shifting times and geopolitical pressures impact readiness and output.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on Thursday raised its full-year forecast on revenue to "above" 8 billion euros ($8.43 billion), from "about" previously indicated, boosted by all business segments.The Trieste-based vessel maker reported a nine-month core profit (EBITDA) a 19% rise to 328 million euros, while its January to September revenue stood at 5.58 billion euros, up 3.7% yearly.
Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they would maintain their maritime blockade against Israeli vessels in response to "intelligence information" regarding Israeli shipping companies selling their assets to other companies.The Iran-aligned Houthis have said they are intensifying their attacks to support Hamas and Hezbollah in their resistance against Israeli actions in the region.
Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said on Tuesday his proposal to appoint a mediator to help settle a dispute at the port of Montreal had been rejected.MacKinnon made the offer last week in a bid to resolve a standoff between the Maritime Employers Association and Montreal Longshoremen's union over a new contract. Dockworkers at the port began an overtime strike this month.
A ferry loaded with fuel tanks sank in the Russian port of Kavkaz in southern Krasnodar region on Thursday after a Ukrainian attack, local authorities said.The ferry carrying 30 fuel tanks, as confirmed by Fyodor Babenkov, district head of the town of Temryuk which includes the port, sustained significant damage as a result of the attack, which caused a fire.
The German government is working on a deal to secure the future of Meyer Werft, a 229-year-old shipyard and one of the world's largest cruise ship builders, Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured workers during a visit to the company on Thursday."We all want to secure the continued existence of the shipyard - and with it everything that depends on it," Scholz said at a meeting of the works council
A Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude that was evacuated by its crew after being attacked in the Red Sea now poses an environmental hazard, the EU's Red Sea naval mission "Aspides" said on Thursday.Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea
Retailers are fueling a summer rush of imports to the United States this year as companies guard against a potential strike by port workers and ongoing shipping disruptions from attacks in the Red Sea ahead of a shortened holiday shopping season.Container imports and freight rates surged in July
Defense group Leonardo and Immsi's naval unit Intermarine have signed a contract worth up to 2.6 billion euros ($2.82 billion) to supply Italy's navy with five coastal minehunter ships, the companies said on Friday.The contract, which also includes logistics support, is worth 1.6 billion euros for the vessels and 1 billion euros in various other options.
The European Union is proposing to sanction Russia's oil-shipping giant Sovcomflot in a move to limit the Kremlin's ability to finance its war against Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a document seen by it.The move would follow similar punitive measure imposed on the leading Russian tanker group early in 2024 by the U.S.
The Captain of the Port (COTP) has established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels.The channel has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet
The catastrophic bridge collapse that closed the Port of Baltimore to ship traffic is unlikely to trigger a major new U.S. supply chain crisis or spike goods prices, due to ample and growing spare capacity at competing East Coast ports, economists and logistics experts say.With six people still missing after a container ship collision destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge