The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is taking the next key step in its plans to add a major new container terminal to expand Vancouver’s capacity and efficiency.  They announced that the search has begun for a contractor for the mega terminal with the goal of selecting a firm with the financial and technical expertise to undertake the massive project by the end of this year.

While the controversial Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) project continues to face obstacles, the port authority is pursuing a major step in the implementation of the $3.5 billion project. Implementation of the project has faced unending opposition since its approval by the Canadian government in April 2024. 

RBT2 entails the construction of a new man-made island and a three-berth marine container terminal near existing port terminals at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C. When completed, the terminal is designed to deliver an additional 2.4 million TEU of capacity, ultimately increasing Canada’s west coast container capacity by approximately one-third.

Promoted as a game changer for the port of Vancouver’s long-term growth plans, RBT2 is expected to bolster Canada’s national supply-chain resilience and deliver significant economic benefits. These include more than 18,000 jobs during construction, more than 17,300 ongoing jobs, and support for trade diversification goals by unlocking over $100 billion in new trade capacity and contributing $3 billion in gross domestic product annually.

Since the project was first announced, it has faced opposition from local groups and environmentalists. Last year, several conservationist groups filed a suit opposing its implementation on the basis that it poses adverse risks to endangered species.

Despite the opposition, the port authority is advancing implementation of the massive project that includes the delivery of an approximately 100-hectare marine landmass, a 35-hectare widened causeway, a 1,300-meter wharf structure and berth pocket, and an expanded tug basin. The contract also includes the construction of a marine terminal fish passage to support juvenile salmon migration, and the civil works for onsite habitat enhancement and the South Arm Jetty Tidal Marsh project.

Interested companies have until the end of September to present the bids, with the port authority intending to shortlist three companies before the end of November. They will then be invited to submit a proposal. 

“To meet Canada’s needs in today’s quickly evolving trade landscape, we have accelerated our efforts to deliver Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a project that will strengthen Canada’s economic security and deliver trade resilience,” said Victor Pang, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority CFO. “The terminal will be a catalyst for economic transformation nationally, from supporting Prairie grain exports and B.C.’s forestry sector, to communities who depend on reliable and affordable access to essential goods on store shelves.”

Construction of the terminal is planned to begin in 2028 and is expected to be in operation by the mid-2030s. Conceived in 2013, RBT2 has been marketed as a critical infrastructure project addressing challenges as Canadian ports are forecast to hit peak capacity by the early 2030s.

The Port of Vancouver remains Canada's gateway to diverse markets, enabling trade of approximately $300 billion with up to 170 countries annually. This makes the Pacific Gateway the country’s most important trade corridor. Last year, a record 158 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo moved through the port, a five percent increase from 150 MMT recorded in 2023.

The West Coast is projected to play an increasing role in Canada’s future trade as it looks to build ties to Asia.  Canada looks to build new international opportunities, which kicked off this month with the opening of its first LNG export terminal north of Vancouver and which will be used to supply Asian customers.
 

 

Austal USA reports the U.S. Navy officially took delivery today, July 11, of the future USS Pierre, the final ship of the Independence program. LCS 38 is the 19th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered by the company in a program that dates back to the early 2000s.

Delivery documents were signed on board following the successful completion of acceptance trials held the week of June 9, 2025. The trials tested the ship’s major systems and equipment to demonstrate their successful operation and mission readiness. The ships’ pre-commissioning unit will now begin preparations for fleet introduction.

Austal USA highlights the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) as fast and agile, a platform designed for near-shore operations, supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. The trimaran hull was reputed to be fast and at 413 feet in length was just over 3,000 tons displacement with the use of aluminum. 

“The delivery of the future USS Pierre will be one of our most memorable milestone achievements as it marks the conclusion of Austal USA’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship program,” said Austal USA President Michelle Kruger. “Our shipbuilding team has poured years of dedication, innovation, and manufacturing excellence into this ship, and the results are evident. Though USS Pierre is the last LCS Austal USA will deliver, we remain committed to supporting the U.S. Navy with innovative maritime solutions and the highest standards of quality.”

The company highlights that it delivered 19 vessels in just 15 years. The first of the vessels, USS Independence, was commissioned in 2010, with the flow of ships building starting in 2014. In pear years, 2018 and again in 2021, the USN commissioned three ships of the class in a single year. The final order or the last two ships came in 2018, as the Navy had soured on aluminum and started to move back to steel.

Observers criticized the ships and their multiple problems. Early on, there were reports of excessive corrosion due to galvanic corrosion, the joining of two metals. Austal USA said it was able to address the issue with an "array of tested corrosion-management tools and processes."

The next challenge came in 2019 when the Navy began identifying cracks in the structure that seemed to come about when the ships operated at higher speeds in moderate or worse seas. By 2022, the Navy said it had found cracks on six of the first 13 ships, and in an unusual move, decommissioned the first two ships of the class in 2021 and 2022. The prior administration had said two additional hulls were scheduled to be decommissioned, but the new Trump administration has not confirmed the plans as it seeks to enhance naval operations. 

Austal USA made the pivot to steel and conducted its first steel cutting for the Navy in 2022. Last month, USNS Billy Frank Jr. was rolled out from the construction hall as Austal USA’s first steel vessel for the USN. The company highlights that it has nine U.S. Navy vessels and one U.S. Coast Guard cutter under construction, with construction scheduled to begin on a second cutter in early August.
 

Reports in the Israeli media are saying that the Israeli government has approached the United States, calling for a resumption of the attacks on the Houthis, saying that a wider coalition is necessary. The call comes as the Houthis have continued to launch missiles at Israel and this week sank two merchant ships killing multiple seafarers.

The Trump administration stopped its attacks in May after less than two months in a brokered agreement established by the Omanis. The U.S. staged nearly around-the-clock attacks starting on March 15, supported by two aircraft carriers and, according to media reports, expended at least $1 billion worth of weaponry in 1,100 airstrikes.

Trump told the media that the Houthis had taken “tremendous punishment” in an effort that U.S. officials said was to ensure the safety of navigation. He said the U.S. was taking the Houthis at their word and stopped all the attacks and brought the carrier Harry S. Truman home after an extended deployment in the Red Sea region.

The leaders of the militants, however, have vowed to continue their attacks and said that this week’s sinking of the Magic Seas and Eternity C was the result of increased targeting. They said the blockade of Israel and shipping to Israel had never been stopped and will continue until the siege in Gaza ends. At the same time, they highlight the launch of long-range ballistic missiles toward Israel, celebrating that air raid sirens had sounded in towns and cities across Israel. 

The Israelis staged a series of attacks on their own against the Houthis, mostly targeting the ports in Yemen. They contended that the ports have been heavily damaged, but the Houthis said they were able to restore operations. It also did not stop the missile launches.

The report from Israeli public broadcaster Kan network said Israel has now told the U.S. the Houthis “can no longer remain solely an Israeli problem.” Kan reports that Israeli officials called for “more intense combined attacks against Houthi regime targets — not just [Israeli] air force fighter jet strikes, but also a renewal of American attacks and the formation of a coalition including additional countries.”

This comes as the shipping community remains on edge.  In the past, the Houthis staged several attacks against a single ship spread over hours, but in this case appeared to combine their tactics to stop and disable the vessels. Then they repeatedly attacked using unmanned explosive boats, drones, and missiles. Their fighters shot at the ships and fired rocket-propelled grenades. In the case of the Magic Seas, they later mined the ship, whereas the damage to the Eternity C was sufficient to sink the ship.  

While they claimed not to be targeting the crew and said they provided humanitarian assistance to the crew of the Eternity C, at least 10 seafarers and a security guard are missing, although some may be in captivity in Yemen. The shipping company confirmed that one person was killed and said four others had not been seen since the attacks.

The Financial Times reports that U.S.-based insurer Travelers did not extend war risk coverage to the Greek-owned Eternity C due to the extreme danger. Lloyd’s List had earlier reported that the vessel sailed without war risk coverage and confirmed the FT report that Travelers had declined the coverage. Reuters is quoting sources saying that the cost of the war risk coverage spiked to as high as one percent of the vessel’s value, equaling the peak in 2024. It reports that the cost of the coverage went from 0.3 to 0.7 percent in one week after the latest attacks.

This week, U.S. Central Command highlighted that two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz and USS Carl Vinson, were now both operating in its area of responsibility. There, however, has been no public statement from the U.S. about possibly resuming efforts to stop the Houthis’ attacks.
 

 

As has been seen previously, the dispositions of Iranian naval forces seen over the last few days give some indication of the dilemmas now facing Iran’s clerical leadership, and the difficulties they now have to face up to regarding their adversarial position with Israel and the United States. In particular, they appear to be aware that they could be subject to attack again should negotiations break down.

On June 14, two days after the first Israeli attack of the 12-Day War against Iran, most of the principal ships of the regular Iranian Navy (Nedaja) left the Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor, having clearly decided there was now a risk of attack. The Nedaja’s original calculation that they would not be attacked appears, however, to have been a correct assessment, because by the time of the ceasefire, the only casualties the Nedaja suffered were inflicted when an ammunition storage facility was attacked in Bandar Abbas. Although many Nedaja ships were moored in the Bandar Abbas anchorage throughout the war, and were easily identifiable, none were targeted.

 

Jask Naval Port when busier last September;  the port is now empty (Fars News/Iran MoD)

 

Since then, Nedaja ships have slipped into harbor for quick replenishment stops, but have then left quickly. On June 11, only a single Moudge Class frigate was alongside, plus others known to be under refurbishment and some smaller patrol craft. Outside in the Bandar Abbas anchorage, a second Moudge Class frigate could be identified. But the location of most of the remaining ships of the Nedaja’s Southern Fleet cannot be determined; they have not relocated to either the new naval port at Jask, nor further to the east at the naval port in Chah Bahar, both of which, on July 11, were empty of naval vessels. In summary, most of the fleet appears to be dispersed at sea or sheltering in foreign friendly harbors, still in a defensive posture, seeking to avoid detection.

The IRGC Navy (Nesda) appears to be following a similar course of action. The drone carrier with distinctive angled flight deck Shahid Madhavi (C110-3) is in the Bandar Abbas anchorage, with the catamaran vessel Shahid Nazeri close by; the Shahid Nazeri, whose role has never become apparent, almost never leaves the Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor, possibly because of seaworthiness issues.

 

Shahid Madhavi (C110-3) anchored off Bandar Abbas on July 11, with the the Shahid Nazeri aft (Sentinel-2/CJRC)

 

The lack of operational activity is also reflected in the press output of Nedaja spokesmen, who normally provide a steady stream of press releases giving an indication of exercise activity and deployments. This posture suggests that the Nedaja commanders are preserving combat power and are still uncertain of the political situation, waiting for a determination of the way ahead between the competing hard-liner and reformist factions within the political leadership.
 

The Norwegian government is the latest to report it will tighten the restrictions on Russian navigators sailing in its waters in response to the perceived dangers to navigation and espionage. The step comes as the EU and many Scandinavian and Baltic countries have moved to impose more restrictions on vessels specifically targeting shadow fleet tankers after the undersea cable incidents and risks of pollution.

Norway reports it has implemented several measures to strengthen maritime security in light of the increasingly demanding security policy situation. Now, the government says it will phase out the ability for Russian navigators to operate larger ships without a pilot in Norwegian waters.

“Maritime security and situational awareness in our immediate areas are key priorities in the national security strategy,” said Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Naess. “We are now proposing clear restrictions on the pilot certificate scheme to limit the possibility of intelligence activity from civilian vessels.”

Currently, navigators with a valid pilot certificate have documented the necessary knowledge and experience from the area they are sailing in, and can carry out mandatory pilotage voyages without a pilot. The Norwegian government on July 11 reported it is proposing a phasing out of pilot certificates for Russian navigators. This means that they will no longer be issued new pilot certificates or have their pilot certificates renewed when they expire.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration announced that it is suspending applications from Russian navigators for pilot certificates or renewed pilot certificates until any new rules come into force.  A consultation on the proposed rule change is running through August 25. 

The announcement said the proposal is based on open threat assessments from the Norwegian Police Security Service (Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste or PST) and the Intelligence Service for 2025, in addition to security-graded assessments of the threat and risk picture.

The Danish Pilots and other organizations have previously also voiced concerns about a lack of pilots and the dangers. Factions in Denmark have called for a similar mandatory requirement for pilots aboard all vessels in the Danish Straits. Last year, it was reported that one in five Russian tankers was refusing the use of Danish pilots despite sailing in congested waterways into and out of the Baltic. 
 

Nantucket’s city government has reached a $10.5 million definitive settlement agreement with GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the offshore wind turbine blade that failed in 2024 and littered the coastline with debris. The Town of Nantucket commended GE Vernova for its leadership in reaching the agreement, while it was noted by observers that the developer of the Vineyard Wind farm is not a direct party to the settlement.

A portion of the settlement money will be placed in a third-party administered Community Claims Fund to provide compensation for claims of economic harm made by residents and local businesses. The administrator will accept claims for the next six months but will require proof of the expenses or losses.

The settlement relates to the failure of a turbine blade on one of the GE Vernova Haliade-X turbines that had been installed at the site, which is about 15 miles southwest of Nantucket. The wind farm developed had highlighted that first power was coming from the project early in 2024, and by mid-year, it reported that 10 turbines had been commissioned and that a total of 21 of the planned 62 turbines were in place and preparing for commissioning.

One of the approximately 350-foot blades malfunctioned on the night of July 13. The turbine was taken offline, but debris from the blade was spotted floating in the ocean and began washing up on Nantucket beaches. Some pieces of the blade were resting on the foundation and others dangled from the turbine. Later reports indicated that additional debris had fallen into the ocean.

Nantucket says in the settlement announcement that when the blade failed, debris settled on the ocean floor, entered the water table, and littered Nantucket’s beaches for months, requiring an extensive cleanup effort. It says the incident scattered foam, fiberglass, and other debris along Nantucket’s shores during the height of the summer tourist season.

GE Vernova quickly identified a deviation in the manufacturing process at its plant in Quebec. It said the adhesion was improper and should have been caught in the quality control process.

 

Nantucket reported fining pieces of debris for months (Government of Nantucket photo)

 

Installation at the Massachusetts offshore wind farm was suspended for months with GE Vernova using high-tech crawlers and other inspections of the approximately 60 blades that had already been installed. The company agreed to remove blades from up to 22 wind turbines that showed manufacturing deviations and substitute blades from a plant in Europe. U.S. regulators permitted the foundation work to resume in the fall and full installation to resume in 2025.

Vineyard Wind, which is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has said it remains committed to the project. Vineyard Wind commissioned one turbine at the beginning of 2025 but has not given an updated timeline for when the project will be completed.

Critics of the sector pounced on the failure saying that it demonstrated some of the risks of offshore wind power. They have continued to oppose the industry while the Trump administration has taken steps to stop future offshore wind power developments. While Vineyard Wind and the nearby Revolution Wind are proceeding, the zone, which was viewed with promise, has seen most of the planned projects put on hold due to the current uncertainties. 
 

The Kerala High Court in India held its first hearing related to India’s nearly $1.1 billion compensation claim related to the sinking of the MSC Elsa 3 off the coast of India in late May. MSC’s lawyers called the claims “highly exaggerated,” while lawyers for the state government said the extent of the damages is “incalculable and continuing.”

MSC is arguing that the state provided no evidence to support its claims, while it reiterated that there has been no significant oil leak from the vessel. It was highlighted that the oil sheen around the vessel was limited to within one nautical mile of the wreck.

The state countered by saying that the recovery of plastic nurdles continues on a daily basis with reports that it has now reached 450 tonnes. The clean-up is ongoing and in part delayed by discussions over the best methods to be used. One local area is barring the use of seawater washing to separate the nurdles, although the authorities contend it has proven effective elsewhere on the coastline.

The court papers also said that nearly 78,500 fishermen have been compensated for the loss of their livelihood. They contend the fish market has collapsed due to a lack of confidence. The fishermen received a financial award as well as a distribution of free rice.

The state was successful at the court earlier in the week in having the containership MSC Akiteta II detained pending the posting of a bond. The company argued for the release of the vessel while declining to post a bond. The state cites the ownership structure of the vessels in independent companies, contending that it is “highlighting a pattern of deliberate corporate structure to defeat potential claims.”

The court ruled that the vessel, which has been detained in Vizhinjam port this week, shall remain in the port until a bond is posted. The court had previously briefly detained two other MSC vessels, MSC Manasa F and MSC Polo II, during their local port calls until bonds were posted for cases involving private claims related to the loss of the vessel.

The state was given two weeks to file additional supporting information for its claims, while MSC also asked for time to respond to the claims. The court scheduled a follow-up hearing about the detention and the claims for August 6.

In the court papers, the state highlights that the vessel was loaded with 643 containers when it went down, with reports that approximately 60 have washed ashore. Based on the manifests, they contend the wreck is releasing plastic pellets, oil, calcium carbonate, and other materials into the ocean. The Directorate General of Shipping, which is overseeing the salvage efforts, said in its recent report that there remains an intermittent oil sheen near the wreck, but divers last month capped the tank ports that had been seeping oil. A new salvage program with saturation diving is due to begin in August in an effort to pump the oil from the vessel, which lies at a depth of 167 feet (51 meters). 
 

 

Ukraine’s National Agency for Tracing and Asset Management (ARMA) reported the completion of the sale of a controversial Russian tanker that was alleged to have been involved in a 2018 incident in which Russia arrested Ukrainian Navy sailors. The vessel was seized the following year and was sold to raise cash for Ukraine’s economy.

The arrest and sanctions against a small tanker known as Nika Spirit (3,800 dwt) were officially lifted by the courts. ARMA petitioned to release the vessel, reporting it has completed an auction and sale of the tanker to a Ukrainian entity, which was the successful bidder in an online auction that was completed in April.

ARMA Chairman Olena Duma noted that "This case is an example of how the sale of arrested vessels can directly replenish the State Budget of Ukraine. Currently, ARMA is managing 16 arrested vessels. And our principled position is that such assets should be transferred to ARMA specifically for sale, and not for management."

The vessel was seized in July 2019 while at the port of Izmir on the Danube. Ukraine alleged the ship had the same IMO ID number as the tanker Neyma, which had been at the center of the 2018 incident near the main channel at the Kerch Strait Bridge. The Neyma claimed to have grounded, but Ukraine asserts it was used to block the channel to coincide with the passage of three Ukrainian naval vessels from Odesa to the port of Mariupol. The vessels were attacked by Russian forces, which boarded the ships and seized 24 Ukrainian crewmembers. The Russian authorities charged them as civilians for violating the Russian border.

ARMA took custody of the tanker after the invasion and in 2023 reported it had selected a manager to operate the Nika Spirit. The agency later decided to sell the ship to raise badly needed funds for Ukraine. ARMA reported at the time that, given the need to replenish the state budget, it was going to focus on the sale of assets.

The courts approved the sale process in late 2024. An independent auditor, however, told ARMA that the vessel was “80 percent worn out,” and said the restoration would require as much as $480,000. The anticipated price at auction for the vessel was set at just $57,500, but with four active bidders, the sale concluded at $153,000.

The court found that the sale had been completed in “good faith at an open auction,” and lifted the arrest against the tanker. ARMA highlights that seized assets are not just being stored, but being “transformed into real resources” for the Ukrainian economy.
 

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