[By: Sperry Marine]

Sperry Marine, a global leader in navigation solutions for seagoing vessels, has issued a whitepaper to explain how new S-100 standards lay the foundation for enhancing the quantity, quality and appearance of the information navigators need to ensure vessel safety, efficiency and sustainability.

‘VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS - A step change for marine navigation’ explains how the new S-100 framework will help free electronic chart information systems (ECDIS) software from constraints embedded in existing standards that were conceived in the 1990s. The paper offers guidance to customers on S-100’s consequences for equipment procurement, crew training and in-service systems, while also introducing Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS to market.

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has worked with industry to develop S-100 to replace existing S-52, S-57 and S-63 standards - respectively covering the way ECDIS show electronic navigation charts (ENCs), formats used for transferring hydrographic data, and cyber security verification. First phase developments focused on finalising S-100 standards for ENCs, bathymetric surface, water level information, surface currents, navigational warnings, and under keel clearance management.

“The advent of S-100 represents the single biggest change to ECDIS since IMO adopted the revised ECDIS Performance Standards in 2006,” said Simon Cooke, Technical Manager, Sperry Marine. “This whitepaper offers practical guidance on how ships’ navigational and voyage management systems can realise the potential of accelerating digitalisation.”

The contemporary geospatial standards (ISO 19100) used in S-100 allow multiple navigational data layers to be presented simultaneously on a single display, while S-100 standards are also extensible so that new data products can be added as required, said Cooke.

The International Maritime Organization has revised its ECDIS performance standards to accommodate S-100. Users are free to use software conforming to the standard on a voluntary basis in new ECDIS installations from January 1, 2026, with their use scheduled to be mandatory for new ECDIS installations from January 1, 2029.

As Sperry Marine’s insightful paper explains, however, manufacturers need type approval that S-100 ECDIS satisfies test standard IEC 61174 Edition 5, which the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has yet to finalise. IMO has also not set a deadline for updating existing ECDIS installations, with hydrographic offices continuing to publish S-57 ENCs for the foreseeable future.

“Experience demonstrates that close collaboration is critical between regulators and marine technology specialists on ECDIS to ensure ship safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility, and orderly transition,” said Cooke. For good reason, Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS will have ‘dual fuel’ compatibility with S-100 and S-57 standards, he added.

The first-time user of the VisionMaster S-100 ECDIS would experience new generation benefits going beyond S-100 requirements, he added, for example by allowing the navigator to see charted dangers further along planned or current routes, and to set preferences to minimise distractions from alerts while maintaining awareness of significant charted objects.

“But, as this white paper also shows, the IMO’s 2026 milestone for voluntary S-100 ECDIS adoption is an opportunity to acknowledge the benefits these standards will bring for industry as a whole. Sperry Marine is ready to work with its customers on the timely transition to S-100 for the better of ship safety, ship performance and maritime decarbonisation.”

Download the white paper here.

[By: Amogy]

?Amogy, a provider of mature, scalable, and efficient ammonia-to-power solutions, today announced it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KBR, a leading global provider of science, technology, and engineering solutions. The collaboration will focus on expanding pathways for global decarbonization through ammonia cracking and involve evaluating and advancing ammonia cracking catalyst applications to accelerate ammonia’s role as a hydrogen carrier.

Under the agreement, Amogy’s proprietary Ruthenium ammonia cracking catalysts will be evaluated within KBR’s hydrogen production platforms for potential commercial deployment, including offshore and industrial applications. The collaboration also establishes regular knowledge exchange, joint exploration of new market opportunities, and cooperative efforts to demonstrate Amogy’s catalysts integrated into KBR’s systems.

Amogy’s catalyst portfolio, including both precious-metal-based and base-metal-based formulations, enables highly efficient ammonia conversion into hydrogen. Designed for high activity, these catalysts increase hydrogen production rates at lower operating temperatures. Available through licensing or direct sales, they offer scalable, reliable solutions to meet the diverse demands of the clean energy sector.

KBR, a global leader in sustainable energy solutions, offers technologies for both green and blue hydrogen production. Its portfolio includes H2KPlus™ for cost-effective blue hydrogen via Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) and H2ACT® for producing hydrogen from ammonia. This collaboration complements KBR’s portfolio and aligns with KBR’s interest in evaluating innovative catalyst technologies for potential integration into its hydrogen platforms.

“KBR’s leadership in hydrogen technology makes them an ideal partner as we work to scale ammonia’s role as a global hydrogen carrier,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy. “Together, we are committed to advancing the hydrogen economy with innovative solutions. By combining Amogy’s catalyst expertise with KBR’s world-class technology platforms, we can unlock new opportunities for clean, scalable energy.”

Ammonia is increasingly recognized as a key enabler of the hydrogen economy because it offers a practical, energy-dense, and easily transportable form of hydrogen. Unlike pure hydrogen, which is challenging to store and move at scale due to its low volumetric density, ammonia can be shipped using existing global infrastructure. When cracked back into hydrogen, it provides a carbon-free fuel source that can power heavy industry, transportation, and energy generation. As demand for clean hydrogen grows worldwide, ammonia is positioned to play a pivotal role in bridging supply and demand across regions.

 

Following two drone strikes on suspected smuggling vessels and the elimination of 14 suspected smugglers off Venezuela, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has put out a solicitation for off-the-shelf "non-kinetic" options for stopping small smuggling craft closer to home - specifically without undue risk of fatalities. 

The solicitation calls for proposals for a "show-stopper" device that can stop small boats, like those used to smuggle drugs and immigrants across U.S. maritime borders. Most U.S.-bound border crossings happens shoreside on the southern border, with smaller maritime components off San Diego, Brownsville and Puerto Rico; citing a "growing security challenge" on the water, DIU is looking for nonlethal ways to stop the small craft that make maritime cross-border smuggling possible.

"These agile vessels, often operating in densely populated areas and under cover of darkness, require interdiction strategies that do not expose the suspect vessel’s operators, civilian bystanders, and law enforcement personnel conducting the interdiction to an undue level of risk," DIU said in a statement. 

The DIU's solicitation laid out an example of a typical interaction off Southern California. A U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat gives chase to a suspect vessel operating at high speed in U.S. territorial waters. As the Coast Guard closes in, the small craft swerves repeatedly to deter a boarding. Then, to escape capture, the suspect vessel’s operator tosses his phone into the water and turns back towards the maritime boundary with Mexico. At this point, USCG rules of engagement allow the use of force - but the Coast Guard boat crew assesses that the use of disabling fire would put others at risk, including the vessel's occupants. Without kinetic engagement, the smuggling boat gets away across the Mexican boundary line, and the USCG boat has to give up the chase. 

Had the USCG patrol boat been fitted with a "nonlethal" method of stopping the suspect vessel, it could have completed the interdiction, DIU suggested - without hurting the passengers aboard the smuggling craft. 

To fill this perceived gap, DIU wants to buy a ready-to-use solution for disabling one small watercraft (or its operator) through non-kinetic means, without significant collateral damage to people or property. As examples, DIU cited microwave weapons and electronic attack. The selected option must be capable of disabling one or more high-speed watercraft at a time, deployable on Coast Guard patrol boats as small as 25 feet, and usable up to sea state 3.  

The most prominent, technically mature system in this category is Epirus' Leonidas microwave air defense system, which has been adapted for maritime deployment as the Leonidas H20. In testing it has proven proficient at disabling outboard motors by taking out their electronics, at "record ranges."

"Anything with little computers in it and stuff, is susceptible to these persistent fields of energy," said Epirus CEO Andy Lowery, speaking to Defense News earlier this year. "It kind of uses the water as a mirror, and so [we] can use the water to our advantage, that is it hits certain spots in even further distances by using reflections off the water."

The company already has a mini "pod" variant that is light enough to mount on a drone, along with a vehicle-mounted version that has been trialed on the Stryker platform. 

 

Historic shipbuilder Harland & Wolff will not be building the first-in-class of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Fleet Solid Support (FSS) vessels because its facility isn't ready for the job, new owner Navantia says. Instead, the first ship will be constructed in Cadiz at Navantia's Spanish yard, a company representative told the Financial Times. 

"We shuffled a little bit things for ship one into Spain, and we moved from Spain things for ships two and three," Navantia UK CEO Donato Martinez told the FT. "The facilities were not ready in Belfast."

He emphasized that the overall program is still on track to deliver all three ships by 2032, as scheduled. The estimated current price is about $2.7 billion for the full program. 

Harland & Wolff is known best as the builder of the Titanic, and has delivered many prominent vessels over the course of its 164-year history. But in recent years it has had its challenges, like many European yards: it delivered its last vessel in 2009, and it has been insolvent twice since 2019. Navantia acquired the shipbuilder out of administration earlier this year for about $125 million, with support from the British government, which wants to see the FSS contract succeed. H&W and Navantia won the contract award jointly, before they became one company. 
 
As the yard's new owner, Navantia says that it is investing in its capabilities to improve productivity and modernize operations, including a new automated panel line and a robotic plasma cutter. The infrastructure project should be completed by June 2026, reports Navy Lookout. 

Even before the rescheduling, Navantia was planning to build the most complicated portions of the ship at Cadiz. But the effects of the rescheduling could be significant for H&W's outlying yards, which were planning to feed blocks to the Belfast facility for assembly. Steel cutting for the bow of the first ship was already scheduled for December 2025 at the H&W subsidiary yard in Appledore, the outlet reported. Work is already under way on a purpose-built barge to transport these blocks, and H&W and its outlying yards have already started hiring up apprentices.  

The government of New Zealand reports that it will be taking steps to encourage the development of its offshore energy and natural resources. It plans to revise legislation to resolve potential conflicts between offshore wind energy development and seabed mining as a key step to permit both sectors to proceed.

“New Zealand has some of the world’s greatest offshore wind potential, offering a significant opportunity to generate economic growth while powering our homes and businesses," said Energy Minister Simon Watts. “Offshore wind requires a significant upfront investment. That’s why we are establishing a clear regulatory regime through the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill that was introduced last year, to give developers the certainty they need to invest and kickstart the sector.”

The industry has been calling for action by the government while the development of key projects has been stalled. BlueFloat Energy, which was seeking opportunities in New Zealand, reportedly wrote the ministers last year saying the country needed to choose between offshore wind and seabed mining. BlueFloat later pulled out of New Zealand.

A partnership between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and the government-owned NZ Super Fund, however, has an ambitious project saying it would commit approximately US$3 billion for a wind farm consisting of up to 70 wind turbines to be located 15 to 25 miles off the coast of South Taranaki, at the southwestern side of the North Island, and on the Tasman Sea. The company has set an initial goal of 1 GW while noting the project could be scaled to 2 GW.

New Zealand’s cabinet has agreed to amend draft legislation. According to the minister, the changes will create greater investment certainty for both offshore wind and seabed mining. The reports said it would only impact seabed mining and not the oil and gas sector or existing mineral projects.

“The amendments will enable the government to use secondary legislation to designate specific marine space where permits could be invited for offshore renewable projects while there is a pause on granting new permits for seabed mining under the Crown Minerals Act,” explained Watts. “This is a pragmatic step to address a key concern raised by the industry.”

While the amendments and legislative steps will remove a key hurdle, New Zealand has not yet designated its first areas. Watts, however, said that it is likely to be somewhere in South Taranaki.

The CIP-led partnership, known as Taranaki Offshore Partnership, reports it has already invested heavily in the project. It has undertaken wind measurements and surveys. It anticipates that the wind farm could be in the construction and commissioning phase by 2030. It anticipates it will take three to four years to complete.
 

 

On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a report of a drowning tourist in Thor's Well, a deep hole in the rocky shoreline south of Yachats, Oregon. The spot is both a roadside attraction and a hazard to the unwary, and not all who have gone in have survived. 

At about 1540 hours, the service got a call reporting a man who had fallen into the well and needed rescue. A helicopter aircrew out of North Bend was dispatched to the scene and assist - but when they arrived after 20 minutes of flight, the victim was no longer visible to responders on shore; he had already drowned and was face-down in the water. 

The helicopter's rescue diver, Tyler Gantt, was tasked with the mission of recovery, a difficult job that would be much more hazardous to attempt from the shore. But the job of lowering away into a sinkhole that has a constantly-fluctuating water level and crashing surf, with rock walls on each side, is hardly safe. Gantt told the Lincoln Chronicle that it was one of the most hazardous missions he'd taken in 10 years on the job. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thor's Well up close

To give Gantt the best chance, the co-pilot watched the waves and called out a countdown to impact. Instead of dangling on the wire, Gantt stayed hooked up but climbed down the rock face, keeping him out of the rising and falling water (and away from the submerged caverns below).  After many tries, he grabbed the body and was hoisted back to safety, he told the Chronicle. 

Gantt said that he couldn't recommend the well as an attraction to inspect at close range.

"Speaking as someone who’s been inside Thor’s Well, not very many people have been in it and lived. But speaking as someone who’s been in it – there’s nothing to see in there. It’s a hole in a rock," he told the outlet. "The only cool thing about it to see is the waves coming out of the spout from a safe distance. That’s all I have to say about that."

 

Construction on what is being billed as the first of a fleet of wind-powered cargo trimaran vessels is proceeding as the French company Vela Transport reports it has booked a major biopharmaceutical client for the service. Last fall, the company reported it had raised the capital for the construction of its first vessel and expects to launch its transatlantic cargo service in late 2026.

Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical has signed an agreement to become the first biopharmaceutical company to transport products on the new service. The company, which is focused on treatments including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience, and vaccines, highlights that it will use the wind-powered trimaran as part of its goals to incorporate net-zero into its value chain by 2040.

Vela highlights that the vessel, which they are calling L'avion des Mers (The Airplane of the Seas), is purpose-built to handle pharmaceutical products. It will have a capacity for 500 US pallets (600 EUR pallets) aboard the 220-foot (65-meter) vessel. The cargo areas will feature a compliant refrigeration system that is temperature-controlled and powered by renewable energy generated onboard. The seven refrigerated holds meet pharmaceutical standards.

 

 

The vessel is currently being built at Austal Philippines’ Balamban in Cebu, Philippines. The company recently highlighted that the two carbon-fiber masts are in the final stage of construction. Each will stand 171 feet (52 meters) and give the vessel a total sail area of 6,700 square feet. At sea, they anticipate a speed of 14 knots entirely from wind power. It will also have 2,583 square feet of solar panels.

Vela plans to leverage offshore racing technologies, direct routes, and more efficient port operations through secondary ports to provide a fast cargo service. Voyages are project to take two weeks sailing between Normandy and Bordeaux in France and New Jersey, in the United States.

Hull construction is also well underway. On June 30, Austal completed the turnover of the hull in its building hall. Approximately 30 percent of the key components for the vessel, including rigging, sails, and hydro-generators, are being supplied by French companies.

The vessel is being built entirely of aluminum. They also report that to support sustainability, the vessel and its components are designed to be dismantled either for reuse or recycling. 

Vela highlights other unique features of the design. Using a trimaran, the ship will have inherent stability. They report that it is expected to be the only cargo sailing vessel that does not use water ballast. At sea, it will be 100 percent wind powered, and to meet maritime requirements, it will have an engine that will be primarily powered by electricity from batteries, solar, and hydrogeneration onboard for maneuvering in port. As a backup, it will also have marine diesel fuel, but they anticipated minimal use of the engine.

The plan calls for a fleet of sailing cargo vessels. By 2028, the company plans to have five vessels to provide weekly sailing and transport up to 48,000 tons of goods per year.
 

 

Just hours after leaving the pier in Miami on Monday night, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Wonder of the Seas returned to her berth to deal with an onboard fight, passengers reported and the line confirmed. 

After departure, two guests aboard Wonder of the Seas were involved in a fight near a kids' pool, and both were injured. 

"Our team provided medical care to adult guests who were involved in an altercation onboard, and the guests are being treated for their injuries," the cruise line said. 

Photos obtained by local media show EMS and police vehicles on the dock awaiting the ship's return, and at least one patient was photographed on a stretcher. Both were hospitalized, according to local police.

"We notified local authorities and are working closely with them . . .  As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no more information to share at this time," the line said in a statement. 

Both passengers have declined to press charges, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said in a statement. 

It is far from the first time that a brawl has disrupted a cruise itinerary. Though rare, disruptions do occur, like the large-scale fight on a mess deck aboard Carnival Sunrise last month. 

Carnival Cruise travelers got into a brawl over chicken tenders. How do you fix this culture? pic.twitter.com/88lfXWpWal

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 18, 2025

The prolific wreckfinders at the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association have unveiled another historic Great Lakes shipwreck. Over the weekend, the association announced that it has discovered the long-sought wreck of the F.J. King, which foundered in Lake Michigan in 1886. 

The F.J. King was a wooden cargo schooner built in 1867 for bulk trades on the Great Lakes. Her dimensions allowed her to transit the Welland Canal, expanding her opportunities for trading. 

On September 14, 1886, F.J. King was under way with a load of iron ore, headed for Chicago. Off the Door Peninsula, she was hit by a gale and seas of up to 10 feet. In the pounding, her wooden hull began to admit water. The crew pumped by hand in an attempt to keep her afloat, but within a few hours it became apparent that the ship would sink. The master ordered abandon ship, and all the crew got off safely. At about 0200 hours on the 15th, the schooner sank below bow-first; the survivors were rescued by another schooner and delivered safely to Baileys Harbor. There were no fatalities. 

The location of the wreck remained a mystery, and a point of local curiousity. The master's last reported position didn't line up with visual observations of the vessel's masts from the local lighthouse keeper. Clues and hints to the site's whereabouts showed up periodically - like bits of wreckage that came up in fishing nets - but decades of searching yielded nothing, even after a local club posted a healthy bounty. 

WUAA had a small search grid to run based on the lighthouse keeper's account, but didn't expect to find anything that day. They departed their pier on a trial run to familiarize themselves with a sidescan and a small ROV, and stumbled upon the wreck after two hours of operating. They measured its length on sonar and found it to be 140 feet - about the same as F.J. King. At this point they were pretty sure that they had it, and a quick ROV dive confirmed its identity and its remarkably intact condition. 

Composite photo of the wreck site (WUAA)

“We reasoned that the captain may not have known where he was in the 2AM darkness, but the lighthouse keeper’s course and distance to the masts were probably accurate," said principal investigator Brendon Baillod. The wreck position was about half a mile from the lighthouse keeper's estimate. 

Great Lakes wreckfinding is an active area of archaeological pursuit, and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association has discovered four other wrecks in the last three years. A similar group in Michigan, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, has found countless more. There are an estimated 1,500 shipwrecks in Lake Michigan alone. 

Taiwan’s Yang Ming Marine Transport is continuing to pursue its strategic fleet optimization plan, reporting the order of seven additional new vessels from Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, which will be the largest in its fleet and employ a new LNG technology. The carrier is also taking steps to position itself for the coming fuel transition, adding an ammonia-ready element to the design of the vessels.

The container segment has continued overall to be the most aggressive, both with new orders and continuing the adoption of alternative fuels. DNV, presenting its annual industry forecast yesterday, noted that other segments, such as tankers, have been waiting for more clarity on the future regulations, but containerships lead both in LNG- and methanol-fueled vessels. Containership owners have over 200 LNG-fueled vessels in operation with another 355 currently on order, as well as 36 operating methanol-fueled vessels and a further 206 on order, DNV calculates. Overall, containership orders are at record levels.

Yang Ming’s new order is valued at $1.4 billion for seven vessels, each with a capacity of 15,880 TEU. They are scheduled for delivery by the first half of 2029 and will be equipped with dual-fuel LNG engines and will also have an ammonia-ready notation by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the design.

The vessel will be the first equipped with a Type-B LNG fuel tank with a 1.0 bar design pressure. The tank design was developed by Hanwha Ocean and ABS, and according to the report, it enhances the safety and efficiency of LNG operations compared to the current 0.7 bar design. Hanwha highlights that the ships will be able to store vaporized LNG for a longer period, which will reduce unnecessary gas incineration. The ships will also comply with future shore-power regulations.

For Yang Ming, it is the company’s second major order of LNG-fueled vessels, and ships above 15,000 TEU capacity. In 2023, the company ordered five 15,500 TEU containerships to be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for delivery in 2026. The carrier is following a diversified future strategy as earlier this year it also ordered six 8,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel containerships to be built by Nihon Shipyard and Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan for delivery between 2028 and 2030.

Founded in 1972, Yang Ming currently has a fleet of 101 containerships representing a total of 8.2 million dwt and a capacity of 727,000 TEU. Last year, it revealed a plan for fleet optimization that calls for ordering up to 13 vessels ranging between 8,000 and 15,000 TEU. It plans to replace 20-year-old and older vessels with a capacity of 5,500 to 6,500 TEU, while also preparing for the adoption of alternative fuels.

This represents the first order from Yang Ming going to Hanwha Ocean, while the shipbuilder also emphasizes that it is part of a growing position in the Taiwanese market. Taiwan’s other large carrier, Evergreen, ordered seven containerships from Hanwha in March 2025. According to reports in the Korean media, Hanwha Ocean has booked a total of 30 vessel orders this year valued at $5.94 billion. It includes 13 containerships and 11 ultra-large crude oil tankers, as well as LNG carriers and Korea’s new icebreaker research vessel.
 

 

The Panama Canal Authority shared its long-term vision with a series of priority projects designed both to expand and diversify its operations as well as enhance the operations and sustainability of the vital waterway. During a presentation of the plan, Panama’s Minister of Canal Affairs and the authority’s administrators emphasized that the effort is designed to reinforce the strategic role of the trade route.

Over the next decade, the Panama Canal Authority plans to invest more than $8 billion in strategic projects. One key focus is on water security, which calls for proceeding with the plans for a new reservoir that would provide water both for the canal and human consumption. The second portion focuses on expanding capacity through new transport systems and the expansion of infrastructure.

The Rio Indio Reservoir plan was developed in response to the drought, which limited operations in 2023 and 2024, as well as the long-term growth of the operation. The canal was forced to limit transits and reduce the maximum draft for vessels to preserve water during the drought. In addition to expanding water recycling, the next phase of the plan calls for the building of a new dam. The authority views it as a critical step, but the plan has received criticism in Panama due to the impact on the local communities.

The projected cost of the new dam and lake is $1.6 billion, with work on the dam scheduled to start in 2027. The new reservoir would be completed by 2032, but it will displace over 2,500 residents. The authority highlights that the budget includes $400 million in compensation.

The Interoceanic Energy Corridor is a cornerstone of the future business plan. It would be a 76-kilometer (47-mile) pipeline, making it possible to move 2.5 million barrels of energy products a day across Panama. Vessels would be able to transfer their cargoes from the Atlantic to the Pacific without having to make the transit. The plan calls for the construction of marine terminals on each side of the canal. They are continuing to discuss the products, but anticipate that liquefied petroleum gas, ethane, butane, and propane would be transferred through the pipeline. The goal is to rebuild LNG volumes, which fell dramatically in 2024.

The Board of Directors has approved the pipeline plan. The process includes prequalification of companies, technical dialogues, and preparation of the final terms for the bidding. They expect to proceed with the tender in the second quarter of 2026.

The authority is also moving forward with a pre-feasibility study for the proposed Corozal Port, which would be on the Atlantic side of the canal near Panama City. The authority has discussed plans for additional terminals as part of its expansion and to deflect some of the criticisms over the current terminals operated by the Chinese company Hutchison. They expect to proceed with the studies in 2026 and expect that construction for Corozal would begin in 2028.

Longer-term plans also anticipate a new Pacific terminal and facilities for both containers and RoRo cargo. A new road is also planned to cross the isthmus.

The planning comes as the canal has seen a rebound in volumes since the lifting of drought restrictions. The authority is projecting that the canal will have handled more than 500 million metric tons of cargo when the fiscal year ends on September 30. It will be up from the 423 million tons of cargo in FY 2024. Vessel traffic in the last two months has averaged just over 32 ships per day, up from a low of 24 during the restrictions, but below the current target of up to 36 transits per day. 

The canal is projected to have a gross income of approximately $5 billion in this fiscal year. Last month, Panama’s cabinet approved the new fiscal year budget projecting more than $5.2 billion in gross income, with the canal project to contribute nearly $3.2 billion to the national treasury, an increase of more than $400 million.

The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, has repeatedly asserted the country’s sovereignty over the canal in response to the allegations from Donald Trump and the United States. They have rejected the claims that “China runs the canal” made by Donald Trump and have taken steps to further remove China’s influence, including challenging in court the concession granted to Hutchison. Talks regarding the sale of the terminals and Hutchison’s non-China port operations are reported to be continuing as they work to rebuild the deal to receive Chinese government approval.
 

 

Marine archaeologists in Greece have recovered artifacts from the wreck of the HMHS Britannic, a sister ship of the Titanic and the largest vessel lost during the First World War.

Britannic was built at Harland & Wolff at the height of WWI and delivered in late 1915. While she had been ordered as a passenger ship, but she was immediately pressed into service as a hospital ship in Royal Navy service, requisitioned for transporting casualties of the costly and ultimately unsuccessful Gallipoli campaign.

She made three voyages, including the evacuation of the Dardanelles in January 1916. After that, she was paid off and dispatched to Belfast for a refit as a passenger liner - but was immediately recalled to duty in the middle of the conversion and dispatched to the Mediterranean again for an additional two voyages as a hospital ship. 

Her design was modified to benefit from the safety lessons of the Titanic's sinking, including a double hull in way of the engineering compartments and raising up her watertight bulkheads another six decks. The revised design was intended to keep the vessel afloat with six compartments flooded. In the event of an abandon-ship scenario, she carried extra lifeboats and could in theory reposition them from one side to the other to enable full launch with a heavy list. 

But these changes were not enough to save her from meeting the same fate as Titanic. The Brittanic's career only lasted about 11 months in total: on the morning of November 21, 1916, she hit a German mine in the Kea Channel in the Cyclades. There were no patients on board, just the normal crew complement of 674 seafarers and 392 medical staff.

Though only four compartments initially flooded, the ship listed and began downflooding through open portholes in lower-deck wards, which had been left ajar for ventilation. A failed watertight door between two boiler rooms added to the problem.

The master navigated the vessel towards shore, hoping to effect an intentional grounding. During this evolution, two lifeboats were launched without authorization on the port side and were demolished by the exposed port propeller, killing 30 people. Ultimately the screws were stopped and the abandon-ship order given; 35 lifeboats made it away, and 1036 personnel survived.

Brittanic lay on the bottom in shallow water, her position unknown until 1975, when she was rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau. This year, in May, a British team of archaeological divers revisited the site to conduct a recovery operation, with support from Greek authorities. Despite challenging site conditions, they resurfaced historical artifacts from the wreck, including ceramic tiles, cabin fittings, a navigation lamp, a bell, and a passenger's personal binoculars. 

All of the recovered items were taken to specialized underwater antiquities labs in Athens for proper treatment. The ultimate plan is to put them on display in Piraeus' new National Museum of Underwater Antiquities. 

The Canadian Coast Guard and the owners of the cargo ship Thamesborg, Royal Wagenborg, provided updates reporting that after 10 days, the vessel remains stable and in no immediate danger. Resources are being assembled to refloat the 21,359 dwt vessel, which is carrying a cargo of carbon block.

The first salvage equipment, a salvage master, and a naval architect have reached the vessel, and a plan for refloating was submitted to the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada, who said they are reviewing it. The cost of refloating the vessel and any remediation efforts undertaken by the Canadian Coast Guard will be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner.

Additional salvage equipment and staff are expected to reach the ship later in the week. Royal Wagenborg, however, notes that the efforts are subject to the weather, which delayed some operations last weekend. 

 

 

The Canadian Coast Guard had dispatched its vessels CCGS Jean Goodwill and CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier to the site and used them to assist in transporting materials. Both vessels have been released, while CCGS Des Groseilliers is now on-scene to monitor and provide response support.

Thamesborg, which is 565 feet (172 meters) in length, was transiting from Asia to Baie Comeau, Canada, when it grounded in the Franklin Strait off Prince of Wales Island, Canada, on September 6. Surveys have confirmed the damage is limited to several of the vessel’s ballast tanks, with no water ingress into the cargo holds or fuel tanks.

Royal Wagenborg highlights that the vessel, which was built in 2012, was designed to meet Finnish/Swedish ice class 1A (IACS Polar Class 7), meaning it is suitable for summer and autumn operations in first-year ice. For the Arctic voyages, Royal Wagenborg said it hires external knowledge in the form of ice pilots, who are often former captains of icebreakers who are familiar with the local waters. They said the Canadian authorities “greatly appreciate that we strengthen our professional crew with extra local knowledge.”

 

 

The company became the first European shipping company in 2016 to traverse the entire North West Passage without the assistance of icebreakers. The company highlighted that it has made several transits of the waters, including Thamesborg previously sailed from Canada to China on the North West Passage.

Using this route, Royal Wagenborg reports is some 3,750 nautical miles shorter than sailing through the Panama Canal. It results in about 14 days less sailing time. They, however, acknowledged the challenges, noting the level of planning required and that ships encounter shallow water, islets, narrow waterways, strong currents in some passages, and routes close to the coast. They said hydrographic data is available, but that navigation aids such as buoys and beacons are very limited. Crews are reported to have to work off a combination of electronic and paper charts.
 

The Croatian government is looking to revive its once-strong shipbuilding industry through a series of privatization efforts. After having stepped in to take control of the shipbuilders 3 Maj and Uljanik Brodogradiliste, the government’s Center for Restructuring and Sale (CERP) has opened bids for the 3 Maj yard located in Rijeka.

Croatia’s once thriving shipbuilding industry succumbed to rising costs, competition from Asia, and the financial strain of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The yards had been struggling before 3 Maj was forced into bankruptcy in April 2025. One of the creditors petitioned the courts, and the company filed for bankruptcy in mid-April with a receiver appointed in May. September 9 was set for a hearing and the deadline for submitting claims.

The shipyard known as 3 Maj traces its origins to 1905. Its recent projects have included two luxury polar cruise ships for Australia’s Scenic Group. The company had been forced to set up its own subcontractor to manage the construction projects and to get the cruise ships completed due to the yard’s financial troubles. Among 3 Maj’s last commercial shipping projects were the construction of two 650-foot self-unloading dry bulk lake freighters for Canada’s Algoma Central Corporation. Scenic Group was reported to be exploring opportunities earlier this year to pursue additional cruise ships with the yard.

The Croatian government stepped in January 2025 to take control of the yard through a debt-to-equity swap for $10.6 million. SeeNews reported at the time that the total claims against the shipyard amounted to more than $48 million and that the plan was to initiate a sale.

CERP, in a filing dated September 17, is inviting public bids for 3 Maj. The minimum price to acquire 100 percent of the government’s shares is set at approximately $7.9 million. Bidders must pay a $2,400 document fee to enter the bidding and include a $79,000 bid guarantee with their entry. Bids must be submitted by November 17. 

Croatia looks to restart the shipbuilding industry and, as such, has placed a restriction on bidding, saying that the buyer has an obligation to maintain the company’s shipbuilding activities.

The government also took control of another major shipbuilder, Uljanik Brodogradiliste, in March 2024, holding a 97 percent stake. That shipyard had also slipped into bankruptcy after its creditors unsuccessfully tried to sell their 55 percent stake in the company in 2023 and again in 2024. The government took over the yard to facilitate making payment of the past due wages to workers. SeeNews reported that the Croatian government also plans to privatize this yard before the end of 2025.

 
 

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s math scores have fallen and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is pushing for state and local leaders to enact numeracy reform to address the issue in the same way that states enacted post-pandemic…

(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin bill would create an exemption to employment law that would make Minor League Baseball players in the state salaried workers and not eligible for overtime pay.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Democratic race for governor continues to grow after Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, jumped into the race Wednesday.

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Wisconsin does not have any large mountains or mountain chains because the state is in the middle of a tectonic plate and its ancient mountains have eroded.

Mountains typically form near the places where tectonic plates collide, known also as “convergent boundaries.” Around 1.8 billion years ago, state mountain ranges such as the Penokee Mountains were created through these collisions, and they later eroded under moving glaciers.

Some of the highest points in Wisconsin today are Timms Hill, Rib Mountain and Lookout Mountain, which all peak at around 1,950 feet. While the United States Geological Survey does not officially define the term “mountain,” the British define a mountain as taller than 2,000 feet.

Currently, Wisconsin is not located near the edge of the North American plate to which it belongs and thus is unlikely to form a mountain range anytime soon.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Advnture: When does a hill become a mountain? Our expert guide to what makes a mountain, a mountain
• Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey: Ice Age Geology
• U.S. High Point Guide: Timms Hill
• U.S. Geological Survey: Tectonic Plates of the Earth
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are the 10 tallest peaks in Wisconsin
• U.S. Geological Survey: What is the difference between "mountain", "hill", and "peak"; "lake" and "pond"; or "river" and "creek?"
• Sue Swanson, State Geologist: Email interview with Sue Swanson

Does Wisconsin have any mountains? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Polls do not show that most U.S. adults think violence against leaders is acceptable.

YouGov poll, conducted Sept. 10: 11% said violence can sometimes be justified to achieve political goals; the figure was 24% among very liberal respondents.

PRRI International, August-September 2024: 18% (29% of Republicans) said “true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country.”

University of Chicago, June 2024: 10% said use of force was justified to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president.

University of California, Davis, May-June 2024: 26% said violence was usually or always justified to advance at least one political objective.

The most-Americans claim was made by Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, discussing conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Vos cited Rutgers University poll results published in April: 56% self-identifying as left of center said the murder of Trump would be at least somewhat justified. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• YouGov: Question in poll conducted Sept. 10, 2025
• YouGov: Question in poll conducted Sept. 10, 2025, additional result
• PRRI: Challenges to Democracy: The 2024 Election in Focus
• University of Chicago: Political Violence and the Election
• Injury Epidemiology journal: Trends in views of democracy and society and support for political violence in the USA, 2022–2024: findings from a nationally representative survey
• iHeart.com: Jay Weber Show interview of Robin Vos
• Speaker Robin Vos: Email
• Network Contagion Research Institute/Rutgers University: Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence

Do most Americans say violence against leaders is OK? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A Democratic state lawmaker who is promising to be a “wild card” joined Wisconsin’s open race for governor on Wednesday, saying she will focus on a progressive agenda to benefit the working class.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, who lives in the liberal capital city of Madison, is embracing her outsider status. In addition to serving in the state Assembly, Hong works as a bartender, dishwasher and line cook. As a single mother struggling with finding affordable housing, she said she is uniquely relatable as a candidate.

“I like considering myself the wild card,” Hong said. “Our campaign is going to look at strategies and movement building, making sure we are being creative when it comes to our digital strategies.”

Part of her goal will be to expand the electorate to include voters who haven’t been engaged in past elections, she said.

Hong, 36, joins a field that doesn’t have a clear front-runner. Other announced Democratic candidates including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Sen. Kelda Roys. Additional Democrats are considering getting in, including Attorney General Josh Kaul.

On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien are the only announced candidates. Other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running.

The race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms, is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010.

Hong is the most outspoken Democrat to join the field. She is known to use profanity when trying to make a point, especially on social media.

Hong is one of four Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly who also are members of the Socialist Caucus.

“We’re meeting a moment that requires a movement and not an establishment candidate,” she said.

She promised to make working class people the center of her campaign while embracing progressive policies. That includes backing universal child care, paid leave, lower health care costs, improving wages for in-home health care workers and adequately funding public schools.

Like other Democrats in the race, Hong is highly critical of President Donald Trump’s administration and policies.

“It’s important to refer to the administration not as an administration but authoritarians who aim to increase mass suffering and harm working class families across the state,” Hong said. “A lot of communities are scared for their families, for their communities, how they’re going to continue to make ends meet when they’re worried about health care and salaries.”

Hong was elected to the state Assembly in 2020 and ran unopposed in both 2022 and 2024.

The Democratic primary is 11 months away in August 2026, and the general election will follow in November.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup. This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.

Democrat Francesca Hong joins Wisconsin governor’s race, promises to be ‘wild card’ is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.