Satellite images obtained by Reuters on Thursday show a build-up of Chinese civilian vessels near contested Thitu Island, Manila's key outpost in the South China Sea, but a senior Philippine navy officer said they are "not a cause for concern".One of the images taken by Maxar Technologies on Monday and reviewed by Reuters shows about 60 vessels, some within 2 nautical miles of Thitu
If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana)
China summoned the Philippines' ambassador on Friday to express its objection to two new laws in the Southeast Asian nation asserting maritime rights and sovereignty over disputed areas of the South China Sea, its foreign ministry said.China made "solemn representations" to the ambassador shortly after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic
The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 954,706 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in September, a 27% increase over the previous year. It marked the close of the busiest quarter ever at the Port, which processed 2,854,904 TEUs in the last three months. Nine months into 2024, the Port of Los Angeles is 18% ahead of its 2023 pace.
The Philippines will acquire 40 fast patrol craft for its coast guard to boost its maritime security, the economic planning agency said on Tuesday.The purchase, to be funded by official development assistance from the French government, was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur on Thursday announced it has placed orders for four new escort tugs to serve the Port Arthur LNG export facility in Texas. Two will be constructed by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., and two by Sterling Shipyard in Port Neches, Texas. Gulf LNG Tugs—a joint venture comprised of Bay-Houston Towing
The U.S. military will not be involved in development of a port in the Philippines' remote northernmost islands near Taiwan, the local governor said, removing a potential source of friction with China over the U.S. presence in the region.The governor of the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, said in August she had sought U.S. funding for a new port there. The U.S.
At a special dedication ceremony at the Port of Leith this week, five Sanmar-built tugs were given a traditional marine blessing with their godmothers present. They form part of the large fleet of tugs and workboats operated by Targe Towing Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Forth Ports Limited, which provide towage
The Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries said a "Chinese maritime militia" boat deliberately sideswiped one of its two vessels that were conducting a routine maritime patrol in the vicinity of Thitu island in the South China Sea last Friday.The vessel had sustained dents in its starboard bow, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a statement issued late on Monday.
Master Boat Builders has launched Patricia B. Moran, a new tugboat it is building for Moran Towing Corporation, based in New Canaan, Conn.The newbuild is one of two 86-foot (LOA) tugs the Coden, Ala. shipbuilder is building for Moran. Ordered in 2022, the tugs were designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will produce a bollard pull of over 55 metric tons.
The Philippines said it was sending a vessel to Sabina Shoal to replace a coast guard ship that returned to port on Sunday after a five-month deployment at the contested feature in the South China Sea, in a swap that would likely irk China.Beijing had demanded the Philippines withdraw the 97-metre (318-foot) coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua it claimed was "illegally stranded" at the atoll
The Philippines, Canada, United States and Australia kicked off their first joint military exercise on Wednesday in the South China Sea to enhance inter-operability among their forces, the four countries' military said.The two-day exercise, which will involve naval and air force units, is the first among the four countries