A supertanker, which for many years had been used as a storage platform off Libya, is once again causing controversy after a fire broke out aboard the vessel. The tanker known as Sloug (251,500 dwt) is at a Turkish yard being dismantled.

A fire call was issued around 1100 on July 3 at the Simsekler yard in the Aliaga region of Izmir, Turkey. Reports indicate the partially dismantled tanker was evacuated without injury, but due to concerns, other parts of the yard were also evacuated as the black smoke billowed from the hulk. 

The local fire department responded with units from land and six fireboats were also brought in for an effort to contain the fire and cool the hull. Reports indicate aerial firefighting was not being permitted for fear of explosions from the tanker. The fire continued to burn through the night with reports suggesting it could take days to fully control the inferno.

It is the latest in a series of controversies around the tanker, which was built in Italy in 1973. It was in commercial service for 16 years, but in 1989 converted for floating storage off Libya. It continued as the FSO Sloug before finally being decommissioned in 2017. It was said that the vessel, which is 349 meters (1,145 feet) in length, had become unusable, with some reports suggesting it was structurally compromised.

 

AL?A?A'DA TANKER GEM?S?NDE YANGIN DEVAM ED?YOR

?zmir'in Alia?a ilçesinde hurda gemilerinin geri dönü?türüldü?ü gemi söküm bölgesinde, Libya'dan gelen Sloug adl? gemide söküm çal??malar? s?ras?nda ba?layan yang?n devam ediyor.
Alia?a Gemi Söküm Sahas?'nda bulunan Sloug adl?… pic.twitter.com/Aa1SNhDC48

— Radyo Trafik ?zmir 102.5 (@radyotrafik35) July 3, 2025

 

Alia?a'daki gemi yang?n? gökyüzünü karartt?: Sloug kontrol alt?nda https://t.co/SufkOvSEuL

— Yeni ?zmir (@yeniizmir_haber) July 4, 2025

 

Turkish interests reportedly acquired the vessel for dismantling, but before they could retrieve it, it arrived in Egypt. There, it was met with environmental protests and forced to leave the country. It finally arrived in Turkey in February 2023, but additional protests followed. 

Environmentalists claimed the ship had been used to store waste, and they said there was as much as 6,000 tons of chemical waste still aboard. The recyclers responded by saying that it was not correct that it was an oil storage unit. Papers were released purporting to come from the former owner, who claimed the tanks had not been vented, and there could be a buildup of dangerous vapors. They estimated there were 50 tons of residual oil still on the vessel.

Turkey’s Ministry of Environment responded to parliamentary questions saying it had inspected the vessel. It contended that there was no large quantity of hazardous material aboard other than the essential parts.

 

Gemi Söküm’de Sloug gemisi yan?yor!

Alia?a Gemi Söküm sahas?nda ?im?ekler ?antiyesinde bulunan Sloug gemisi saat 11 civar?nda yanmaya ba?lad? ve halen yang?n sürüyor, bir kaç ?antiyede çal??ma durduruldu. Ölü ya da yaral? olmad??? bilgisi geçildi.
O pic.twitter.com/KhkVdy4FHo

— EGE ??Ç? B?RL??? (@Egeiscibirligi) July 3, 2025

 

Pictures show that the forward section of the vessel has already been removed, and large portions appear opened. The stern section is still largely intact. However, the concerns over possible residuals aboard and dangerous vapors were limiting the firefighting efforts to ensure the crews remained safe and away from any possible explosions.

A union group issued a statement demanding an investigation. It said dismantling had been permitted to start earlier this year after it was “supposedly cleaned out.” They are demanding that all work remain stopped at the yard until the environment is safe.
 

Clarion Shipping West Africa is starting what it calls “Nigeria’s first fully indigenous container liner,” as it looks to build regional trade and improve service versus the transshipment options of the major carriers. The company celebrated the launch of the service at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos on July 3.

The first vessel, Ocean Dragon (6,100 dwt), arrived after a 60-day trip from China, marking the start of the Nigerian-owned shipping line. The company said it had been challenging to complete the transaction in part because of language barriers, technical issues, and an engine failure in Malaysia. They also mentioned the challenges of flying Nigerians to China to be the first crew while saying, “We wanted to make sure it was a Nigerian crew.”

Built in 2014, the 322-foot (98-meter) vessel was acquired from its Chinese owners. While it is registered in Panama, the company highlights that 70 percent of the crew is from Nigeria, and it hopes to increase this to support the expansion of the domestic maritime industry. The ship has a capacity to transport 349 TEU. 

The initial service plan calls for a focus on moving containers between Nigeria’s ports, with the company encouraging the government to enforce cabotage rules. It expects to have an advantage by promoting its ownership and support of the local economy. Service, Clarion Shipping, says will range from Nigeria to Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. However, it reports interest for service to South Africa and Egypt as it seeks expressions of interest from customers. 

The company reports it has already booked 1,300 export containers, and that is helping farmers and manufacturers to avoid losses caused by delays and a lack of containers. It says the sea route provides a faster transport, within two days between the Nigerian ports, and has strong advantages versus the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargo within Nigeria. Sea travel will also be cost competitive.

By leveraging its status as Nigeria’s first indigenous shipping liner, the company looks to also compete against the likes of Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. While the major carriers are expanding service into Africa, movement of containers within the region is largely dependent on transshipment. 

Many emerging countries have pointed to similar challenges in their supply chains and exports, which were further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth of the major carriers' hub and spoke system and dependence on transshipment has given rise to a broad range of countries, from Australia to South Africa as well as in Asia, talking of developing domestic carriers.

Clarion reports it has had a strong response since announcing the new service. The vessel was acquired in April, and during the dedication this week, it disclosed plans to expand its fleet. The company said it would soon be bringing a vessel with 1,789 TEU capacity to Nigeria that would focus on the export service to Liberia, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.

With the rush to expand the U.S. LNG export business and strong support from the Trump administration for the energy sector, a developer has filed a novel proposal with the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard. In a notice to be published on Monday, July 7, in the Federal Register, MARAD and USCG report that the application is sufficiently complete to start processing the proposal from the company called ST LNG for the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project.

The application was filed on June 9 and seeks to take advantage of the U.S.’s Deepwater Port Act of 1974. The act provides for a public hearing to be conducted within 240 days after publication of the notice and a decision on the application not later than 90 days after the final public hearing.

The new company is being led by an entrepreneur and businessman, Sharad Tak, who has built a range of successful companies and is CEO of ST LNG. Bringing experience in the energy sector is Alap Shah, who is president of ST LNG and previously was Managing Director of FLNG Development at New Fortress Energy. ST reports that Alap conceptualized and executed the FAST LNG program involving multiple liquefaction trains on various marine infrastructures from 2021-2024. Before this project, he was involved in the Golar Hilli and Golar Gimi FLNG projects through Black & Veatch.

The new terminal would be located approximately 10.4 nautical miles offshore Matagorda, Texas. When fully realized, the application reports that the project would involve four 2.1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefaction systems installed in the Brazos Outer Continental Shelf Lease Block 476, in approximately 65 to 72 feet of water. The proposed ST LNG deepwater port would export LNG up to 8.4 MTPA. The LNG would be loaded onto standard LNG carriers with cargo capacities between 125,000 and 180,000 cubic meters.

The proposed ST LNG deepwater port would consist of fixed and floating components. These components would include a 5.5-mile, 30-inch pipeline lateral with a connection hub, four feeder lines to the connection hub, four gas treatment platforms, four liquefaction platforms, four accommodation and utility platforms, four LNG transfer platforms, thirty-six mooring dolphins, four converted LNG carriers, and three tugs.

The project would be completed in four phases. Phase 1 construction would include three large platforms (a gas treatment platform, an LNG liquefaction platform, and an accommodations and utility platform), one LNG transfer platform, nine mooring dolphins, one floating storage unit (FSU), and interconnected lateral pipelines. Each phase would produce 2.1 MTPA of LNG.

The company highlights that the project would largely be built in the United States, creating good-paying jobs, and once in service, would offer a cost-competitive approach.

While this proposal uses the floating approach, other companies are also seeking to leverage the Trump administration's support. Applications and proposals are appearing for new and expanded LNG terminals along the Gulf Coast as demand for LNG energy is expected to grow rapidly over the remainder of this decade.
 

 

The outspoken Mayor of Nice and President of the region took to the water to personally confront the master and an officer of Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas for breaking the region’s new ban on large cruise ships. Aboard a police boat with a television news crew, Mayor Christian Estrosi was denied boarding and ignored by the officers, prompting him to yell “Get lost,” “Get out of here,” and “You are nobody,” at the ship.

Royal Caribbean International’s massive 137,276 gross ton cruise ship, Voyager of the Seas, once one of the largest in the world with capacity for 3,600 passengers, anchored off Villefranche at 0630 on July 3. Port officials highlighted that the ship was on a scheduled and approved port call, but for the mayor, it was a test of the ban imposed on large cruise ships. 

Effective July 1, Villefranche and Nice instituted a ban prohibiting cruise ships with a capacity of over 2,500 passengers from disembarking in the bay. Estrosi highlights that the Voyager of the Seas arrived with 3,114 passengers aboard (plus approximately 1,200 crew according to Royal Caribbean’s fact sheet). Villefrance-sur-Mer says it is restricting cruise ships to one a day and a maximum of 65 port calls a year, while Nice imposed a limit on ships with more than 450 passengers.

Estrosi traveled to the anchored cruise ship with a formal letter notifying the master of the violation. The letter demands that passengers not disembark and that the cruise ship “organize, without delay,” its departure from territorial waters. 

 

 

The video shows the angry mayor being ignored by an officer on the landing platform, and motioned to go away. Estrosi said he asked for permission to deliver the letter to the master of the cruise ship, but was denied boarding, and the officer on the gangway refused to take the notification. Estrosi can be heard yelling, “Where is the captain?” He later said the ship had “flouted the rules,” refused to listen, and called the ship and its crew “arrogant.”

Returning to shore, Estrosi posted the confrontation on social media and talked to local news reporters. He said he was contacting officials from the prefects and the Minister for Ecological Transition, asking them to take action. 

“I will not give up. I call on all relevant authorities to take the utmost firmness on this issue. I intend to strictly enforce the decision,” he said. The ban Estrosi contends is to fight maritime pollution, preserve air quality, and protect residents’ living conditions.

 

Voyager of the Seas arrived with over 3,100 passengers despite the ban which caps cruise ships at 2,500 passengers (Estrosi on X)

 

Estrosi, in January 2025, had called for a ban on cruise ships and signed an order limiting the ships to under 690 feet (190 meters) in length and less than 900 passengers. He later compromised on the 2,500-passenger capacity limit while saying mega ships would have to go to Cannes or Marseille. Cannes has now adopted a rule limiting cruise ships to 1,000 passengers starting in January 2026.

The trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is calling for the involvement of the French federal government. It described the “apparent illegality” of Mayor Estrosi’s behavior and called it a contradiction of its Sustainable Cruises Charter for the Mediterranean, signed by member cruise lines in June.

Voyager of the Seas departed Villefranche as scheduled on Thursday evening. The ship continued its cruise and is now in Ajaccio, France, on the island of Corsica. The published itineraries for the ship show additional port calls scheduled for Nice on September 20 and September 25, as well as other trips visiting Cannes or Marseille. 
 

A Danish court has found that although the master of a tanker acted with negligence in an anchor-dragging incident that severed a subsea power cable, the shipping company’s liability is limited. The case, which dates to February 2022, comes as the issue of anchor dragging and intent and awareness of the situation has been raised after similar incidents in the Baltic that are under legal review.

This case stems from February 26, 2022, when the island of Bornholm was plunged into darkness with Swedish energy company Energinet quickly determining that one of its undersea power cables had been severely damaged. Power was restored within a few hours with a reserve generation station on the island while it would take over a month to repair the cable.

The product tanker Samus Swan was quickly identified as the likely cause of the power failure. Tracking showed the 5,700 dwt vessel, which is registered in Denmark, had been in the channel offshore but initially denied responsibility. Danish shipping company Uni-Tankers, which operates the vessel, later admitted responsibility but said it was an accident due in part to heavy weather.

Energinet sued in 2023 reporting that it had cost the company nearly $8 million to repair the cable. The process took till March 2022, with the company reporting more than 2.5 miles of cable had to be replaced.

The judges on Denmark’s Maritime and Commercial Court issued a ruling on July 4 finding that while they agreed the captain showed negligence, they do not believe it rose to the level of gross negligence because there was no knowledge of the likelihood of damage to the cable. Media reports are citing details from the verdict that say the crew did not recognize that the anchor had dropped. The report says that when the vessel started to lose speed, the captain focused on the engines. Two of the experts on the panel believed the captain’s behavior was negligent, while a third said it was gross negligence. 

The court’s decision permits Uni-Tanker to limit the level of liability to a maximum of approximately $4.3 million (DKK 27.2 million). Energinet had been suing for approximately $6 million (DKK 38 million).

The power company released a statement saying it was saddened by the decision. It is reviewing the verdict and by law, has the right to appeal to the High Court.

The decision was released the same day another master was brought into court on similar charges. Reuters reports the Chinese master of the containership NewNew Polar Bear made his first appearance in a Hong Kong Court after being charged by the Chinese maritime authority with having caused “criminal damage” after the vessel was determined to have dragged its anchor across a natural gas pipeline and communication cables in the Baltic. Again, at issue is the intent or if it was reckless behavior that caused the damage.

Swedish prosecutors in February 2025 released a Navibulgar vessel finding that it was an accidental release of the anchor. They said the crew was unaware of the dragging incident and determined it was poor seamanship and damaged equipment that caused the incident.

Finish authorities have been investigating the case of the NewNew Polar Bear and others in the Baltic but have yet to reach a decision if they will file charges.  The utility companies Fingrid and Elering initially detained the shadow fleet tanker Eagle S in the most recent incident but released the vessel while seeking compensation in the courts. Finish prosecutors are said to be reviewing the details of the Eagle S case while the captain and the first and second officers of the Eagle S remain under suspicion and have been ordered not to leave Finland. A decision to prosecute is expected by September.
 

 

Rhoads Industries, alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, announced its plans for a nearly $100 million investment to expand manufacturing capacity at its shipyard facilities in Philadelphia at the site of the former Navy shipyard. Rhodes operates layup and recycling operations as well as a repair facility. It will grow its manufacturing operations as the U.S. Navy looks to expand and the Trump administration promises large investments into the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry.

“Shipbuilding has always been a key part of Philadelphia’s identity and our economy, and today, I’m proud to announce that Rhoads Industries is investing $100 million and creating over 450 new jobs at the Navy Yard,” said Governor Shapiro. “With support from the Commonwealth — including a new $4 million investment and more than $17 million over the past decade — Rhoads will expand its footprint, double its capacity for the U.S. Navy’s submarine program, and strengthen our national security. The future of shipbuilding runs through Philadelphia.”

Rhoads will build a new 95,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to increase its production capacity for the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base, supporting its submarine program. This new facility will allow for a continuous fabrication process, speeding up their manufacturing, additional outfitting, and provide direct access to a pier for barge shipping of completed products. This project will reportedly create at least 450 new jobs and retain 541 existing full-time positions.

Rhoads received a funding proposal from Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) that includes a $4 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant. The company is also located in a Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ), which provides significant tax savings. The Commonwealth reports it has invested in Rhoads throughout the years, totalling more than $17 million in multiple grants to support the company’s expansions and facility upgrades. 

Founded and family?owned since 1896, Rhoads is a provider of large-scale industrial fabrication, along with mechanical and maintenance maritime services. In addition to field service and project skilled labor, the company has shipyard facilities and more than 300,000 square feet of heavy manufacturing space located in the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.

After the former Philadelphia Naval Yard closed in 1996, the area was redeveloped as an industrial zone by the state, and is now home to over 150 employers, including the shipyard acquired in 2024 by Hanwha Ocean and now known as Hanwha Philly Shipyard. The Korean company has separately announced that it would also like to expand its operations as it seeks government contracts in addition to the current work to build containerships for Matson and complete the MARAD training ship program.

Rhoads became a contractor performing work for the then Kvaerner Shipyard starting in 1998, and began expanding its operations at the Navy Yard in the early 2000s. It launched its maritime division in 2010, gaining the lease for Pier 5 and Dry Dock 2 (now decommissioned). It expanded with Pier 2 and recently took over Pier 6 and Dry Dock 3 at the yard.

It becomes the latest U.S. shipyard to look to expand its operations to position itself for the opportunities resulting from the Trump administration’s support of naval and commercial shipbuilding. 
 

 

Australian authorities have arrested three men for allegedly attempting to import more than 300 kilos of crystal meth, dissolved and coated onto a consignment of ceramic tiles. 

Meth smugglers have used every imaginable inventive tactic to move their goods across borders, like dissolved "liquid meth" in gas tanks or liquor bottles, hollow compartments inside marble slabs, or loose pills poured into compartments within industrial machinery.

This new tactic - dissolving meth, then soaking objects in it and letting the solution dry - has not been reported on with much frequency, but has appeared before in Australia. In January, a woman was arrested by the ABF and charged with importing 16 kilos of garments that were impregnated with methamphetamine. The technique has advantages: there are no bags or bricks to appear during customs inspections - nothing that would show up on an x-ray. 

In the latest case, the Australian Federal Police got involved after the Australian Border Force intercepted an import consignment of ornate mosaic tiles, which were believed to have come from a Middle Eastern manufacturer. 360 boxes of the gold-and-white tiles turned out to be impregnated with methamphetamine. According to the AFP, the total amount of meth in the shipment was about 360 kilos, and the estimated street value was about US$215 million. 

After intercepting the shipment, the AFP removed the drug-bearing tiles and delivered the cargo to its next destination, a storage facility outside Sydney. A male suspect picked it up and arranged to deliver it to another storage facility outside Melbourne, with help from a second man. 

The two men were acting on behalf of a Melbourne resident, the intended recipient of the drugs, according to the AFP. Investigators searched the third suspect's home in May and seized electronic devices, which allegedly contained evidence linking him to the import plot. Based on that information, authorities arrested the other two suspects on July 3.

“We regularly see elaborate or outside-the-box attempts to import harmful illicit drugs into Australia, but the AFP and our partners are ready and waiting to stop organized crime syndicates in their tracks," AFP acting commander Peter Fogarty said. 
 

 

Wind as power is an old idea.

The ancient Egyptians sailed up and down the Nile with ships and barges. Later, windmills were used to grind grain or pump water to irrigate fields. Today, 18 percent of European electrical demand is satisfied by wind-spun blades powering turbines, each with magnets that dance around coils to create current.

I also have a history with wind power. In 2016, I wondered if offshore wind was here to stay, noting that it needed expensive oil to be economically viable: "With prices [per barrel of oil] now at just above $30, it would not be a stretch to assume that the environment for wind energy has shifted too."

But don't worry. In 2025, oil sits at just above $60 per barrel. Meanwhile, the global levelized cost per megawatt hour for offshore wind energy has fallen from $150 (or 15 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh)) in 2016 to $74 (or 7.4 cents per kwh) in 2023, according to BloombergNEF. That's as cheap as coal.

FADENRISS & OTHER CHALLENGES

A decade ago, pioneers like Senvion, with its 4,000 employees, were going bankrupt as orderbooks evaporated. The reason: Germany had slashed its offshore wind buildout goal by 25 percent – from 20 to 15 gigawatts – triggering what became melodramatically called the Fadenriss (literally "thread-ripping").

Projects like BARD Offshore 1 hemorrhaged money – €3 billion to build out just 400 megawatts – while Dutch, Norwegian and Danish competitors captured German market share with lower bids and more efficient operations.

Germans were reduced to chartering in foreign jack-up ships and floating cranes, working as subcontractors on projects they once would have led. (By the way, BARD's facility in Cuxhaven, Germany, still exists, but it's owned and operated by Titan Group, a Chinese company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.)

All of this was part of offshore wind's rough road to becoming a European and, in many ways, global endeavor. In 2021, I quoted Giles Dickson: "Offshore wind is no longer just about the North Sea. It's rapidly becoming a pan-European affair." My take was broader.

I anticipated that the changes would mean "more countries participating in the developing of offshore wind," and that there would be less reliance on subsidized, government-backed national champions. In other words, "the best companies will try to win bids everywhere" with "no guarantee … that German companies will be among them."

Amidst all of this, Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. Europe's energy sector, which relied on Russian pipeline gas, underwent a rapid rearrangement. Sanctions against Russia meant that the cheapest, easiest source of fuel was unavailable.

Governments scrambled to keep their citizens warm and their industries running. To substitute Russian pipeline gas with American and Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG), Europe began building 19 new regasification terminals, growing its capacity to import LNG from 160 to 350 billion cubic meters by 2030 – that's more gas than all of Europe actually uses.

In "Terminal Trouble," in the September/October 2024 edition of The Maritime Executive, I described this capacity glut and suggested it might lead to unprofitable and difficult choices later on.

NEW MEGAPROJECTS

But Europe hadn't fixed its reliance on foreign suppliers. Something fundamental still had to change. Renewable energy had previously been a speculative gamble on a green future. Now, it had the pedigree of being a geopolitical, strategic alternative to fossil fuel.

To this end, in 2023, countries along the North Sea pledged to install 120 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 – enough to make the 5 GW dip from the "thread-ripping" seem like a rounding error. In seven years, installed capacity would triple vis-à-vis the 34 GW currently in play. The E.U. is also fast-tracking a North Sea Wind Power Hub with a 70-150 GW capacity, which would grow to 180 GW by 2045 – "big, if true," as they say.

Such megaprojects will require a change in approach to grid infrastructure, though. It isn't enough to simply install a lot of new wind turbines: Their output needs to reach land. That will cost about €400 billion, according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE) – an incredible sum of money that does not even account for the upgrades that are already needed for the land-side power grid.

Electricity customers have struggled to absorb the grid expansion costs that have gone toward the 2.5 GW per year of new offshore capacity that were added, on average, during the past decade. Asking them to pay, until 2030, for 17.2 GW per year of new capacity seems tough.

Also, given the state of the European offshore sector, spiking demand for jack-up ships, floating cranes, barges, tugboats and dynamic positioning vessels by almost seven times without correspondingly increasing their supply is a recipe for price inflation.

If the public funding floodgates open again, as in the early 2010s, timing the market will become more important than ever for survival. Fortunes will be made and lost. Imagine multiple offshore wind park projects all bidding to charter one available jack-up ship, bidding up day rates; shipyards for specialized vessels booked years out; companies poaching each other's sailors and officers with generous salaries and bonuses.

So let's consider what it would mean to build nearly seven times more wind power than originally bargained for: more turbines, more foundations, more blades. Ports would need to build out terminals and reinforce piers to handle high-and-heavy cargo. Even more ships would be needed, most of which will still take years to launch. And the human capital: thousands of engineers, electricians, welders, sailors. Realistically, this equipment, these people are not in place yet, nor can they be in such a short timeframe.

EXPANDED GRIDS

A sober look at where we are right now gives few reasons for confidence.

Announced in January 2025, the European Commission will disburse €1.25 billion in CEF (Connecting Europe Facility for Energy) grants across 41 cross-border energy projects, 36 of which are studies.

"These are key projects to deliver affordable electricity for European companies and households," said Vasiliki Klonari, Director of Energy System Integration at WindEurope, a lobbying organization which advocates on behalf of the wind energy industry. "So far Europe only has one hybrid offshore wind farm. We need many more to build an integrated offshore grid."

But "the biggest investments are required to optimize and expand the national electricity grids," WindEurope noted. And indeed, there is no current path forward for the required buildout since the E.U., the European Investment Bank and the Member States have yet to develop a grid funding plan, even with so much at stake.

"If you aspire to the highest place, it is no dishonor to stop at the second, or even the third place," said Roman orator Cicero. And indeed, the 17.2 GW per year goal for offshore wind is far removed from the humbler 2.5 GW per year reality.

"STOP-AND-GO" POLICIES

This isn't about Europe's inability to build out its wind power. In fact, Europe is winning the overall wind race – which makes sense, given that it's directing immense public funding and interest toward that goal.

And this dysfunction isn't uniquely European. The U.S. installed just 4.2 GW of new wind energy capacity in 2024, according to the World Wind Energy Association. That was its worst performance in a decade with blame going to the Trump Administration for its renewable energy policy flip-flops.

It's true on both continents: stop-and-go doesn't just delay individual projects, it structurally harms industrial ecosystems that can take years to build up. And that is why Europe dominates a technology it cannot scale in its moment of need. Money can't fix a problem like that.

But if the money comes, few in shipping will complain.

Ukraine's drone boats have set another operational milestone: they can now be used to launch bomber drones, the heavyweight quadcopters that Ukrainian forces use to drop mortar shells and other explosives. 

In a statement, Ukraine's defense ministry said that its forces carried out a long-distance mission to destroy a Nebo-M radar system in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Nebo-M is a high-spec multiband radar that has anti-stealth and hypersonic detection capabilities, and is accompanied by one to three giant truck-mounted radar arrays. They are a priority target for Ukraine because they are capable of detecting and tracking a wide array of incoming munitions. The radar command posts are also capable of interfacing with the S-300/S-400 missile systems to provide guidance. 

Overnight July 1-2, a Ukrainian drone boat approached the coast of Crimea, carrying a heavy drone bomber on deck. It launched the drone, and the boat's satellite uplink provided a comms relay for the drone pilot to stay in contact with the UAV as it flew over the coastline. The drone pilot located the target at a parking depot and destroyed three truck-mounted components - an RLM-M VHF radar, an RLM-D AESA L-band radar, and a command post truck. 

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This capability adds to Ukraine's fast-developing portfolio of unmanned strike drone systems. With American assistance and satellite comms technology, Ukraine developed a series of increasingly sophisticated bomb boats, then used them (along with antiship missiles) to drive the Russian Navy out of the western Black Sea. In the process, it sank or damaged about one third of the Black Sea Fleet's vessels, using swarm tactics to overwhelm the target's defenses and hit vulnerable areas. 

 

The most mature of these systems, the Magura V5, has been adapted to perform additional roles. A missile-equipped Magura shot down at least one helicopter in the Black Sea in December, the first antiaircraft strike by an unmanned boat ever recorded in combat. In May, another Magura targeted and shot down a Russian Su-30 fighter, the first time that a fast jet had ever been shot down by an unmanned boat. 

The drone wars go both ways. Russia has used its larger Orion unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to find and destroy Ukraine's drone boats under way, before they can reach target. 

 

MSC Cruises is set to become a third investor in the Grand Bahama Shipyard as the yard prepares to relaunch full services in 2026 with two new dry docks, which will be among the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It comes as the shipping giant has also expressed interest in a European shipbuilder and looks to continue to grow its cruise operations.

Terms of the investment were not announced, but the Minister for Grand Bahama, Ginger Moxey, announced the deal on July 1 with MSC becoming a shareholder alongside Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group. The two cruise corporations invested in the company in 2000 to start the shipyard as a near-shore repair facility for the cruise industry. They each own 40 percent of the shares with the Bahamas through the Ports Group holding the remaining 20 percent.

The investment is being called a major milestone for the Bahamas, which has been anxious to see the yard restored to full operations for its economic contribution to the Bahamas. In 2020, Carnival and Royal Caribbean agreed to an investment that is now reported at $665 million to transform the yard, including building two very large dry docks in China. The yard has been limited in its capacity since its large dry dock broke in 2019 when it was attempting a partial lift of the 225,000 gross ton 1,120-foot-long Oasis of the Seas. The dry dock was sold, and a shortened version operates in Texas, but it left Grand Bahama with limited lift capacity.

Currently, the largest cruise ships have been forced to travel to Europe for their overhauls, maintenance, and regulatory inspections. The cruise corporations have scrambled to find capacity and adjust schedules. Recently, Carnival Cruise Line was forced to pull one of its ships from a yard in Spain due to a strike, which caused it to delay the vessel’s return and cancel a cruise. The cruise line is reportedly seeking compensation from the shipyard after the cruise ship was moved to a dry dock in France.

The first of Grand Bahama’s new docks, named East End, is 357 meters (1,171 feet) long and can lift 93,500 tons. It will have four state-of-the-art cranes and is due to reach the Bahamas by November. It will be ready for operations in January 2026 and will be joined by a second, larger dry dock, to be named Lucayan. The yard is also extending its pier, and once both dry docks are commissioned, Grand Bahama will have the capability to lift the largest cruise ships currently in service.

 

New East End dry dock completed in China and preparing for shipment to the Bahamas (GBS)

 

When the yard is at full capacity, it has performed 85 to 100 drydockings a year. It also expanded its operations to manage larger overhauls and refurbishment projects with its wet dock and storage capabilities. With the cruise industry continuing its rapid growth, they expect to surpass the yard’s previous performance. During the off-season for cruises, the yard also performs work for the commercial shipping industry as well as emergency repairs.

Leading the relaunch and expansion of the shipyard will be Grand Bahama Shipyard’s new CEO, retired Rear Admiral from the Royal Canadian Navy, Chris Earl. His appointment was announced in May as David Skentelbery retired after being CEO of the yard for the past eight years. In addition to 35 years with the Royal Canadian Navy, Earl had led all Naval ship and submarine repair programs, commercial ship repair, and shipbuilding in Vancouver for Seaspan Shipyard.

MSC Shipping Group, according to media reports, has also recently proposed taking over the operations of Romania’s Mangalia Shipyard. The government is looking for a new partner after the yard lapsed into bankruptcy, and an agreement was terminated with Damen Group. MSC says it is looking to diversify shipbuilding capabilities away from Asia and could also use the yard for repairs. Longer-term, it has suggested it could look to build cruise ships, ropax, and tugboats in Romania.
 

[By Fincantieri Marine Group]

Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), the U.S. subsidiary of Fincantieri – one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and a global leader in the construction of highly complex vessels – announces the appointment of George A. Moutafis as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2025.

The leadership transition of the US company of the Group led by Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Pierroberto Folgiero comes at a pivotal moment for the U.S. shipbuilding industry, as the new U.S. administration places renewed strategic emphasis on strengthening domestic naval capabilities. In this context, Fincantieri reinforces its long-term commitment to the United States by appointing a seasoned U.S. executive with deep expertise in defense, naval manufacturing, and international industrial transformation.

George Moutafis brings over 25 years of executive experience across strategic planning, program management, and industrial restructuring, with a distinguished track record in both the public and private sectors. His background includes leadership roles in major defense and manufacturing organizations, most recently as Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Beretta USA Corp. 

He also previously held leadership roles within FMG, contributing to innovation and program execution in support of U.S. Navy platforms. His background in defense and naval manufacturing, combined with his international perspective, and his proven ability to drive operational and financial management, aligns with the Group’s strategic direction in response to shifting priorities in the broader U.S. institutional and industrial context.

Fincantieri has been present in the United States for over 15 years, with a solid industrial footprint that includes four shipyards and a workforce of approximately 3,000 people. Over this period, the Group has invested more than $800 million in its U.S. shipbuilding operations, of which over half was specifically allocated to upgrading and expanding the Marinette yard in Wisconsin. This strategic presence underscores the Group’s enduring commitment to supporting the U.S. Navy and contributing to the country’s industrial base.
 

Ocean Infinity is known best for subsea search and autonomous surveying, but it has also had a big, secret side project running - secret until Wednesday, when it unveiled a high speed autonomous patrol vessel at an event in Kuwait. 

The new unmanned boat is dubbed the "Needlefish," and its appearance lines up with its name. It is a catamaran jetboat capable of 40 knots on the calm waters of the Arabian Gulf, and it is designed for unmanned patrol, surveillance, mapping and surveying in Kuwaiti waters. The boat is not intended to be a standalone system: NeedleFish will integrate into a multifaceted maritime surveillance system created by SRT Marine Systems, a leading marine electronics and MDA services conglomerate. 

Courtesy Ocean Infinity

“We are excited to see our NeedleFish USV rollout continue this week. This program is another significant milestone for Ocean Infinity as we employ our deep operational experience and proven technology to support clients in new and more complex markets at a time when these capabilities are more relevant than ever," said Oliver Plunkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity. 

Kuwait's coast guard bought two of the 46-foot vessels, along with twin remote control stations for the vessels' operators. One of the newbuilds completed an operational demonstration for Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, acting minister of the interior. 

[By: Cetasol]

Cetasol is a Gothenburg-based deep tech/green tech company that develops intelligent solutions to support and accelerate maritime sustainability. The core product, iHelm, is an optimization tool for entire fleets that automatically models operations to save money and fuel while providing deeper insights. This is done by equipping fleet managers and operators with the tools they need to make informed, data-driven decisions — in real-time and in retrospective analysis. Cetasol is now launching two new features to their iHelm solution: Emission Report 2.0 and Trip Log. These additions are designed to bring further clarity, traceability, and operational control to your fleet’s data.

What is iHelm?
Every day, vessels we rely on for our daily activities travel across our oceans. These vessels release large amounts of emissions, threatening marine life and the surrounding environment. The iHelm solution is designed to address this issue. iHelm identifies and recommends actions to reduce emissions in real-time, long term and beforehand, using digital twin and data models. With advanced AI technology, Cetasol has developed a flexible solution that is suitable for the entire fleet.

iHelm comes with a small yet powerful PC (CMU) that is installed onboard the vessel and connected to the engine(s), GPS and other available sensors. All vessel data is continuously recorded and analyzed by our AI models. In real-time, actionable recommendations are delivered to the captain via the onboard display. Simultaneously, the analyzed data is transmitted to the cloud dashboard, giving fleet managers, owners, and other authorized personnel full access to fleet insights through the cloud dashboard.

Emission Report 2.0
Verified data for reliable environmental reporting

The Emission Report feature is built for those responsible for tracking and reporting emissions across their fleet. It enables users to validate voyage data according to recognized standards — specifically those outlined by Bureau Veritas (BV) — and generate emission reports based on verified voyages.

With Emission Report 2.0, users can:

• Validate voyage data following BV standards
• Generate downloadable emission reports
• Create and export a summary dataset of all validated voyages

This functionality is essential for organizations aiming to meet regulatory and class society requirements, while also improving internal emissions monitoring and decision-making.

Trip Log
A clear overview of vessel activity — customizable and exportable

Trip Log offers a centralized, user-friendly view of all logged voyages for each vessel. The feature is designed to support flexibility, enabling fleet managers and operators to sort, filter, and structure data according to their specific operational needs.

Key capabilities include:

• Access to all available voyage data for each vessel
• Advanced filtering options to narrow down specific journeys or parameters
• A customizable table view that adapts to your workflow
• Easy export functionality for further analysis or record-keeping

Trip Log empowers users to maintain a structured, accessible historical record of operations, improving traceability and collaboration across teams.

Designed to Work Together
When used together, Emission Report and Trip Log form a powerful combination. While Trip Log provides the operational foundation — a detailed log of where vessels have been and what they’ve done — Emission Report transforms that validated data into structured insights for sustainability performance and compliance.

This is a key step in our ongoing work to provide intelligent, scalable solutions that make operational optimization and emission reduction both accessible and actionable.

"Our customers are increasingly looking for clarity and control in their sustainability efforts. With Emission Report 2.0 and Trip Log, we're delivering tools that not only support compliance but also empower smarter decision-making across operations. These features reflect our commitment to turning complex data into actionable insights — making sustainable operations a practical reality for every fleet." Jeremy Peter, Head of Commercial at Cetasol

[By: TAI Engineers]

S&B, a leading engineering, procurement and construction company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Garner as President of S&B’s subsidiary TAI Engineers (TAI). Garner succeeds Bill Krewsky, who will retire in September.

Garner brings more than 28 years of executive leadership and technical expertise in maritime technology and defense systems. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Engineering at Trident Maritime Systems, where he led global engineering teams and drove innovation across four countries. His career includes senior leadership roles at Gibbs & Cox and nearly two decades with the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command, where he oversaw submarine design and systems engineering at the Senior Executive level.

“We’re excited to welcome Matt to TAI. His exceptional maritime engineering expertise and track record of leading high-performing teams will be vital as we continue delivering innovative, high-value solutions to our customers,” said Jeff Sipes, Chief Executive Officer of S&B.

Garner holds master's degrees in system engineering management from the Naval Postgraduate School and engineering (naval architecture) from the University of New Orleans. He recently enhanced his executive expertise with certificates from Columbia Business School. Throughout his career, Garner has earned multiple awards, including the U.S. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award (twice awarded) and the Superior Civilian Service Award.

Garner succeeds Bill Krewsky, who has served as TAI President since 2023. Under Krewsky’s leadership, TAI expanded its engineering and government work to strengthen its support for U.S. maritime customers. “Bill’s leadership has helped position TAI as a trusted partner to government and industry customers,” said Sipes. “We thank him for his many contributions and wish him all the best in retirement.”

[By: ABS]

ABS has developed advanced simulation modeling of thermal runaway in Lithium-ion battery fires, in a critical step forward in tackling one of maritime’s biggest emergent safety risks.

The cutting-edge model, which has now been validated with Texas A&M University research, replicates the thermal runaway profile at the battery cell level, unlocking detailed insight into the total heat released and guiding the appropriate firefighting response. It is the latest development in ABS’ industry-leading work to address the significant safety challenge presented by transporting electric vehicles at sea.

“Runaway electric vehicle fires can reach temperatures of 1,200°F (650°C) or higher and present unprecedented safety challenges to the shipping industry, which connects manufactured vehicles to global markets. ABS is at the forefront of the industry’s response to this, which requires a blend of advanced technology, safety excellence and shipping insight. Developing the ability to accurately predict the behavior of these fires is a perfect example of this and will be a foundation of the ultimate solution,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO.

Uniquely, ABS offers both an enhanced fire protection notation EFP-C(EV) in the ABS Marine Vessel Rules, which provides criteria for additional fire protection arrangements in Ro-Ro cargo spaces intended to carry electric vehicles as well as the advisory Best Practices for the Transport of Electric Vehicles Advisory which includes additional advice. ABS is also funding advanced research with partners around the world, including at the Laboratory for Ocean Innovation, at Texas A&M University, where battery fire prevention and response is one of eight research priorities.

The batteries that power electric vehicles pose unique fire risks, particularly thermal runaway. Lithium-ion battery fires can be difficult to extinguish, burn at extremely high temperatures, generate flammable and toxic gases, and may reignite even after being seemingly controlled. A recent succession of devastating fires on board vessels transporting electric vehicles has highlighted the urgent need to address the issue.

The ABS Guide for Enhanced Fire Protection Arrangements is available to download here. The advisory Best Practices for the Transport of Electric Vehicles On Board Vessels is available to download here.

[By: St. Johns Ship Building]

St. Johns Ship Building, a leading Jones Act shipyard and a subsidiary of Americraft Marine, is proud to announce it has been awarded a new contract by Southland Contracting, Inc. for the construction of two steel deck barges. This award marks the beginning of a new partnership between the two companies and underscores St. Johns Ship Building’s growing reputation for delivering dependable, high-quality commercial marine vessels.

“We’re honored to partner with Southland Contracting, a respected provider in heavy civil construction, on this significant project,” said Joseph Rella, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “These newbuild barges reflect the confidence the market continues to place in our capabilities, our craftsmanship, and our commitment to serving the infrastructure and marine construction industries across the United States.”

“Southland Holdings, through its subsidiary, Southland Contracting, Inc., is proud to support a long-standing Florida business, and we have tremendous faith in the quality boat building that St. Johns provides,” said Tim Winn, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Southland Contracting.

All fabrication and assembly work will be performed at St. Johns Ship Building’s Palatka, Florida facility. The project adds to the shipyard’s upward momentum, following multiple vessel deliveries and the award of new contracts across both commercial and government sectors. This contract also supports St. Johns Ship Building’s broader initiative to help revitalize America’s shipbuilding industrial base by investing in the infrastructure, training, and workforce development of small and mid-sized shipyards.

[By: Zelim]

The recent fall of a young girl from the fourth deck of the Disney Dream cruise ship has renewed pressure on the cruise industry to adopt lifesaving man overboard (MOB) detection technology that experts say is now both available and proven.

The girl, who survived the June 29 incident, was spotted and quickly saved thanks to the quick actions of her father, who jumped in after her. But safety advocates warn that in most cases, no such witness is present and help often arrives far too late.

Matt Mitchell, a former Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Search and Rescue Policy, Founder and CEO of the International Association of Search and Rescue Coordinators (IASARC), and Director of Search and Rescue at, said: “Too many lives have been lost simply because no one knew someone had gone overboard until it was too late. I've coordinated hundreds of these cases, and in the vast majority, the notification came hours, sometimes days after the person was last seen. That makes an effective rescue nearly impossible.”

Although Disney Dream had a man overboard alerting system aboard, ensuring the alarm was raised a rescue boat launched quickly, one passenger aboard the vessel at time of the incident, Laura Amador, told CBS News: “The ship was moving quickly, so quicky, it’s crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them.”

According to U.S. Coast Guard data, fewer than 19% of known MOB cases result in a successful recovery.  This, despite rules mandating that cruise ships integrate technology that can be used to detect passengers and track who have fallen overboard.

“Cutting-edge detection systems can alert the bridge within seconds of a person going overboard, and some can even track the individual in the water until they’re safely recovered,” Mitchell said. “This technology exists today.”

Despite the technological progress, most cruise operators have yet to install these systems.

“When the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010 was enacted, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a 2011 policy letter advising its sector commanders not to enforce the MOB provision until suitable technology became commercially available. Fourteen years later, that policy remains in place”, he said.

“Now that ZOE technology is available and field-proven, there’s no excuse not to act. We’re no longer talking about ideas or prototypes. These systems work, they’re deployable, they have been Type Approved, and they can save lives.”

While US federal enforcement has yet to catch up, Mitchell said the cruise industry doesn’t need to wait for regulators.

“This is an opportunity for cruise lines to show leadership,” he said. “The next time someone falls overboard, will the ship report an unknown time and location, or will it report an immediate alert, live tracking, and a successful recovery? That decision is in the hands of the operators.”

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) launched its next round of sanctions targeting Iran through six entities involved in an extensive smuggling network, as well as four tankers that the U.S. contends collectively have transported and purchased billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil. It marks the eighth round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil trade since Donald Trump issued an executive order directing a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.

The U.S., in its latest effort, is targeting a network of companies run by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said, which Treasury contends has profited from smuggling Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil. The announcement maps out a far-reaching network of companies involved in an elaborate schedule to evade sanctions on the oil trade.

Iraqi-British national Salim Ahmed Said runs the companies that the U.S. says have been selling Iranian oil falsely declared as Iraqi oil since at least 2020. The announcement maps out the use of ship-to-ship transfers and other obfuscation techniques to hide their activities and efforts to blend Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, which is then sold to Western buyers via Iraq or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as purely Iraqi oil using forged documentation to avoid sanctions.

The U.S. reports Said has bribed many members of key Iraqi government bodies, including parliament. It reports that he has paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to these officials in exchange for forged vouchers allowing him to sell Iranian oil as if it originated from Iraq.

Said controls UAE-based company VS Tankers, formerly known as Al-Iraqia Shipping Services & Oil Trading (AISSOT), which the U.S. says has smuggled oil for the benefit of the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). VS Tankers-affiliated ships have assisted Iranian oil exporters in blending Iranian oil with Iraqi oil to obscure the oil’s origins by engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with vessels known to be affiliated with Iranian oil activities. VS Tankers currently claims several oil tankers as part of its fleet, one of which recorded four ship-to-ship transfers with the U.S.-sanctioned, Barbados-flagged Casinova in April 2024 while located in the Persian Gulf. VS Tankers has also served as the operator, manager, and beneficial owner of the Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker Dijilah since 2019. 

Said expanded his business holdings in 2023 to include VS Oil Terminal, which the U.S. says manages six oil storage tanks where Iranian oil is dropped off to be mixed with Iraqi oil. Vessels carrying Iranian oil also conduct ship-to-ship transfers with vessels carrying Iraqi oil in the vicinity of VS Oil’s terminal facilities, and the blended oil is ultimately authenticated by complicit Iraqi government officials. Vessel tracking data shows that multiple oil tankers known to transport Iranian petroleum products on behalf of U.S.-sanctioned Iranian oil and petrochemical broker Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd. and Iranian military front company Sahara Thunder have visited VS Oil. Said also owns UAE-based VS Petroleum DMCC, and Rhine Shipping DMCC, which, in 2022, were implicated in blending Iranian oil to sell as Iraqi oil, as well as the United Kingdom-based companies The Willett Hotel Limited and Robinbest Limited.

In addition to Said’s network, the U.S. is Singapore-based Trans Arctic Global Marine Services, which it says has worked with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) to facilitate shipments of Iranian oil through the Strait of Malacca for eventual ship-to-ship transfers to vessels waiting in the Singapore Eastern Outer Port Limits.

The effort also adds four more tankers, Cameroon-flagged Vizuri, Comoros-flagged Fotis, and Panama-flagged Themis and Bianca Joysel, to the sanctions for having collectively shipped tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil and other petroleum worth billions of dollars. The U.K. had previously sanctioned Themis in May 2025 for transporting Russian oil.

Seychelles-based Egir Shipping, Marshall Islands-based Fotis Lines and Themis Limited, and British Virgin Islands-based Betensh Global Investment and Dong Dong Shipping, are all being listed as the owners and operators of these vessels.

The latest round also includes the Al-Qatirji Company, which is being linked to the Cameroon-flagged Elizabet, which the U.S. reports has impersonated a separate vessel, the S Tinos, and the Cameroon-flagged Atila, which has received oil in a ship-to-ship transfer with the sanctioned vessel Arman 114. The Al-Qatirji Company has also used the Palau-flagged Gas Maryam to transport Iranian petroleum products.

This sweeping effort comes as the U.S. is trying to pressure Iran into a permanent peace agreement and to abandon its future nuclear efforts. However, last week, Trump said China could continue purchasing U.S.-sanctioned Iranian oil. The statement was later clarified to say that the White House wants China to abandon Iranian oil and buy instead from the United States.
 

In a further move to consolidate the Japanese shipbuilding and repair businesses, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding reports it acquired its former joint venture with Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding. It is part of a broader reorganization and rebranding of all Tsuneishi’s operations as the Japanese shipbuilding sector works to respond to competition and a changing market.

Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, which traces its origins back 110 years to 1917, had been one of Japan’s leading shipbuilders. The company’s focus had shifted to commercial ships such as dry bulk carriers and government work, including construction and repair work for auxiliary ships, such as supply ships and oceanographic survey ships for Japan’s Ministry of Defense. It had also been actively developing new technologies incorporated into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and autonomous surface vehicles (ASV), before in 2021 announcing plans to exit the shipbuilding sector. 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries took over the naval and governmental ship business of Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., including the construction and repair work at the Tamano Works. Separately, Mitsui and Tsuneishi formed a joint venture for the commercial shipbuilding operations, expanding on a cooperation that had been launched in 2018. Tsuneishi owned 49 percent of the joint company, while Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding shifted to engineering services as well as its operations in machinery and IT services. Mitsui E&S’s last commercial newbuilding was delivered four years ago in July 2021.

Tsuneishi acquired the remaining ships in the joint venture and has renamed the operation Tsuneishi Solutions Tokyobay. The operation will focus on engineering services, engineering for alternative fuel and gas-related equipment, monitoring, and technical support, while Mitsui E&S will complete its transformation to focus on marine engines, port cranes, and industrial machinery.

Since entering into the alliance in October 2021, Tsuneishi highlights that the two operations have “collaborated to leverage the synergies of cost competitiveness and technological expertise. In light of the need for further integration to ensure sustainable growth and enhanced competitiveness in the future, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding has decided to proceed with the full acquisition. Moving forward, both companies will continue to maximize their respective strengths and strive to further enhance corporate value.”

Tsuneishi announced at the end of June that it was rebranding all its shipyards, which include four locations in addition to the former Mitsui yard, to a unified Tsuneishi brand. 

“These changes follow a strategic review of the capital structure within the segment and form part of broader efforts to respond to the fast-changing maritime landscape while pursuing sustainable growth,” wrote Tuneshi. Its operation includes a total of nine domestic companies in the shipbuilding segment, and it said the rebranding was being undertaken to strengthen unity and cohesion across the group.

Faced with stiff competition from South Korea and now China, Japan has slipped to a distant third in shipbuilding output. Once having as much as a 50 percent market share, Japan has seen its shipbuilding business decline by 30 percent in the past five years, and today it has under 10 percent of the total market.

The country’s largest builder, Imabari Shipbuilding, last week announced that it would consolidate JMU (Japan Marine United) to become a fully-controlled subsidiary. They called it a strategic step to realize further economies of scale in design and material costs. They pointed to the potential cost savings for purchases, including steel and engines. Combined, the operation will be the fourth-largest shipbuilder based on current order volume.

Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party recently put forward a new proposal to address the rebuilding of the Japanese shipbuilding industry. It is calling for a $7 billion shipyard investment used to modernize the yards and adopt technologies such as automation and robots. Japan is also reported to have approached the Trump administration presenting its capabilities as a tool to reduce China’s dominance in shipbuilding and expand U.S. capacity.
 

 
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday that it will replace all the hard-to-remember numerical designations of its operational districts with geographic names, abandoning a World War II-era system held over from the service's stint as part of the Navy. 

The renaming, ordered by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in May, is a shift for the maritime service and a small part of its restructuring program under Force Design 2028. It appears to change little on the ground, but makes the service's regional divisions a bit easier to communicate to the public. The nine districts will adopt names like Northeast, Southeast, and Arctic, replacing the numbered system.

"This renaming is more than just a change in labels; it's a critical step in our journey to become a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force," said Acting Commandant Kevin E. Lunday in a statement Thursday.

The numerical district system was established when the Coast Guard was transferred to the Navy during World War II, and matches the Navy's regional nomenclature of the era. While the Coast Guard returned to civilian control after the war, it maintained the numbered districts - long after the Navy, which abandoned its version of this numerical region system at the turn of the century. 

In addition to improving comms with industry and with the public, the new names should help improve coordination with other federal agencies that use geographic naming systems.  

Officials emphasized that the name changes will not affect day-to-day operations or alter existing district boundaries. The Coast Guard plans to formalize the new names through changes to the Code of Federal Regulations. Since many of the names already existed informally alongside the district numbers - e.g. Coast Guard Heartland, a well-known and commonly-used name for District 8 - the transition should be easy to understand for industry.