Fincantieri and TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, have launched Mein Shiff Flow, a dual-fuel cruise ship newbuild.A sister ship to Mein Schiff Relax, delivered in February 2025, the new unit is scheduled to enter service in mid-2026.With approximately 160,000 gross tons
The United States will "take back" the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday during a visit to the Central American nation.After talks with Panama's government, Hegseth vowed to deepen security cooperation with Panamanian security forces and said China would not be allowed to "weaponize" the canal by using Chinese firms' commercial relationships
The global economy is bracing for renewed turbulence following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of sweeping new tariffs, triggering fears of a global trade war and sparking immediate market and political reactions.According to the White House, the new measures include a 10% minimum tariff on most imported goods, with certain products - particularly those from major U.S.
We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m.
[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.
The United States' maritime coastal security poses a significant challenge due to the vastness of its coastline and the complexity of its maritime borders. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Geodetic Survey there are approximately 95,000 miles of coastline.
This week at MarineLink…The IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap essentially ushered in a new type of fuel - VLSFO. With it came the engine problems caused by off-spec or incompatible fuels as producers grappled with the requirement for providing a sulfur content not exceeding 0.05%. As pointed out in Lloyd’s Register’s 2024 Fuel Quality Report, persistent issues involving cat fines, stability
The owner and operator of the cargo ship that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people, have agreed to pay $102 million to the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.The department in September filed a civil claim seeking $103 million from two Singaporean companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited.
At least one oil and gas platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was shut on Monday and Florida ports imposed restrictions on vessel navigation as Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified.Most energy infrastructure on the U.S. Gulf Coast, including oil and gas production facilities, liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and refineries, is expected to be out of the storm path
A strike by dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast that disrupted much of the nation's ocean shipping this week ended on Thursday, but a key issue driving labor unrest across the continent - the growing use of automation - was unresolved.Companies view automation as a path to better profit while unions see it as a job-killer.
U.S. maritime companies Crowley and SEACOR Holdings on Thursday announced the formal launch of their joint venture Fairwater Holdings LLC, an independent U.S. company integrating the firms’ petroleum and chemical transportation vessels, capabilities and personnel.Active in all major Jones Act coastwise tank vessel trades, Fairwater supports the transportation of petroleum products
Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they conducted four military operations targeting four ships in the Red, Arabian and Mediterranean Seas as well as the Indian Ocean "linked to the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel."In the first operation, "Israeli ship MSC Unific was targeted in the Arabian Sea," Yahya Sarea, the Yemeni group's spokesperson said."A U.S.