Over the past week, U.S. and Finnish intelligence officials have told media that there is no evidence that Russia was behind the cutting of five subsea cables in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day, and that the tanker that caused the damage likely dragged anchor for 50 miles by accident. But the "accident" claim is drawing pushback in Finland and Sweden, which were affected most by recent suspected subsea sabotage. 

The incident on Dec. 25-26 was the third time in a year that a Russia-linked ship has been accused of severing multiple subsea cables by dragging an anchor under power for unusual distances. This time, NATO has assembled a large naval task force to monitor the area and ensure the security of Baltic subsea infrastructure. 

"If all of these are really just accidents, why are they being monitored militarily?" Finnish MEP Mika Aaltola asked in a conversation with Ilta-Sanomat. "It's obvious why there's a military response to it. You'd have to be pretty stupid not to understand that."

The U.S.-sourced "accident" explanation was likely intended to reduce tension with Russia, said Aaltola. He suggested that the Biden administration's outgoing national security team may simply have wanted to minimize risk during the presidential transition. "Russia is waging war in Ukraine, we are focusing on the essentials, we do not want to cause a painful, or geographical, escalation elsewhere. Russia's damage [to subsea infrastructure] is limited and can be repaired, so we would rather accept these attacks than make a big fuss about them," Aaltola surmised.

Others suggest that the "accident" announcement was simply premature, and that the investigation is still far from completed. "This kind of information comes and goes," Swedish Minister of Defense Pal Jonson told SVT.

Multiple outlets have reported that the Finnish investigation has found no evidence yet of a Russian "hybrid" sabotage attack, after four weeks of looking. A lack of evidence would be expected in a well-run sabotage operation, explains Lieutenant Colonel Juhani Pihlajamata (ret'd) - and is not itself proof of an accident. 

"Efforts have been made to keep the matter as secret as possible. In other words, the lack of results in the investigation only leaves the perpetrator or the person who ordered it open. It does not rule out Russian involvement," Pihlajamata told Ilta-Sanomat.

Given the technical odds of having an anchor lower itself to the bottom and secure itself, without the crew's detection - three times in one year - some experts are ready to rule out accidental causes.

"When the numerous breakdowns are combined with the fact that Russian reconnaissance vessels have been exceptionally careful in examining these areas before the events, I personally cannot believe in coincidence or accident," said Prof. Kari Liuhto, professor of intelligence research at the University of Turku, speaking to IS. 

Finnish police continue to pursue a criminal sabotage investigation aboard Eagle S, and have issued travel bans to nine crewmembers suspected of causing the damage. The master and one other crewmember appealed the travel ban on Friday, attempting to have it reversed. 
 

 

When it delivers in the early 2030s, Germany's next attack sub will be the only known example in the world with active defenses against sub-hunting helicopters, thanks to a procurement package passed in December.

On January 23, Thyssenkrupp confirmed that it has received long-awaited funding for the Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines (IDAS). IDAS is a wire-guided antiaircraft missile that can be launched underwater, and is the only publicly known weapon of its kind ever ordered. Some nations' subs have been known to carry man-portable antiaircraft missile launchers for emergency use, but a man-portable unit only works when surfaced - and surfacing removes submarines' key advantage.

Stealth is no longer enough to combat aerial threats, according to Thyssenkrupp. Capable airborne antisubmarine warfare systems have made it much harder for subs to hide and survive. Most advanced nations' surface combatants now deploy with a sonar-equipped, torpedo-carrying helicopter, which can readily track and destroy a submarine in short order. Current defenses include diving deep or hiding in the ocean's layers, but there are no publicly known active defenses that a sub can use to fight an aircraft without first coming to the surface.

Germany's navy operates some of the stealthiest diesel-electric subs in the world, and it has been working on a solution to this problem for decades.  In partnership with Germany's Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BAAINBw), Thyssenkrupp, Deihl Defense and Kongsberg decided to develop an antiaircraft missile that could be launched out of a standard torpedo tube. Based on Deihl's IRIS-T air-to-air missile, the sub-launched IDAS has folding winglets and sits in a canister the size of a torpedo. Once the munition launches and reaches the surface, the operator can guide the missile by fiber-optic data link throughout its flight, aided by an infrared seeker.

Deihl Defense

Work got under way in the 2000s, and the first successful underwater test launch occurred in 2006. IDAS was so impressive that it won a national defense-tech award in 2007, and appeared slated for production in 2009. The original plan was to retrofit the system onto existing subs, and to have it in operational service by 2014.

In December 2024, ten years later, Germany's parliament signed a $5 billion funding package to build four new Type 212CD submarines for the German Navy. The package included $26 million to finish development work on IDAS, which will now make its first appearance on the 212CD. 

"We are delighted that this innovation project can now also be launched. At Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, we are contributing to a completely new capability in the field of submarine self-defense, while at the same time strengthening the safety of people and materials in challenging future deployment scenarios," said Oliver Burkhard, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
 

 

Japan's Nippon Foundation plans to fund a new study of "dark oxygen," the recently-discovered ability of polymetallic nodules to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The small black nodules are coveted by deep-sea miners, who hope to make a fortune off of a new and abundant source of valuable metals - but oceanographers and environmentalists are not so sure.

Last year, a team of researchers led by Prof. Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) visited the Clarion-Clipperton Zone on a project funded by The Metals Company, which hopes to mine nodules in the area. In the course of the study, Sweetman's team reported an entirely new source of oxygen production in the abyssal plain, previously unknown to science: the nodules themselves, which appear to have electrolytic properties.

For decades, scientists have believed that photosynthesis created all of the free oxygen in earth's natural environment. A new oxygen source in the pitch-black depths, where photosynthesis is impossible, would have been inconceivable up until last year. Even Sweetman disbelieved his own data during previous trips, writing off the anomalous high oxygen readings as a sensor error - but persistent evidence and multiple tests convinced him otherwise. If proven, his find could force a rethink of science's understanding of the origins of life. 

"Through this discovery, we have generated many unanswered questions and I think we have a lot to think about in terms of how we mine these nodules, which are effectively batteries in a rock," Sweetman said last year. 

His findings are as-yet unconfirmed, and controversial - especially with certain deep-sea mining companies, which have built a business model around removing the nodules for processing and sale. Several attempts to confirm or rebut Sweetman's findings are under way.

Now, with support from the Nippon Foundation, Prof. Sweetman and his team are heading back to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone to answer some additional questions. The team is building a lander that they will deploy at a depth of up to 36,000 feet to collect water samples, which will help confirm their oxygen readings. They will also check for dark oxygen production in other seabed environments, look for signs of extra dissolved hydrogen - the other product of splitting water in two - and will check for possible microbial oxygen-producers to make sure that the nodules really are the source. 

"If we show that oxygen production is possible in the absence of photosynthesis, it changes the way we look at the possibility of life on other planets too," said Sweetman in a statement. "Indeed, we are already in conversation with experts at NASA who believe 'dark oxygen' could reshape our understanding of how life might be sustained on other planets without direct sunlight."

 

The mayor of Nice, France, a popular tourist destination along the French Mayor Calls for Cruise Ship Ban on French Riviera, joined the growing number of destinations calling for restrictions on cruise ships. He cited the now familiar complaints of overtourism and pollution while proposing a ban starting this summer to stop large cruise ships from anchoring in the picturesque bay between Nice and Villefranche long known as a destination for the rich and famous.

“Tourism yes, overtourism no,” Mayor Christian Estrosi said during his annual New Year’s address outlining the political goals for the coming year. Estrosi is also president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis but would require the support of other local mayors to enact his bans which focused on large cruise ships as well as house sharing through the popular site Airbnb.

“The cruises that pollute and dump their ‘low-cost clientele’ who consume nothing, but leave their waste behind have no place with us,” Estrosi declared. Already known for his criticism of the cruise industry, the mayor simply said “Nice no longer wants ‘low-cost cruises,” to stop in its port.

Speaking on a local radio program, the mayor reiterated his position saying efforts were underway to “cancel all cruises that can still be canceled ahead of drafting a banning order.” He called for a ban effective July 1 but clarified his position was specifically to stop cruise ships with a capacity of over 900 passengers or over 190 meters (690 feet) in length. 

The proposed ban targets the contemporary segment of the industry with large ships carrying 4,000 or more passengers while seeking to maintain the business of the small, ultra-luxury cruise ships which are more in keeping with the image Nice seeks to project. Estrosi contends the size restriction would eliminate about 70 percent of the cruise ship passengers scheduled to land in Nice.

Estrosi declared “I don’t want these floating hotels putting down their anchors in Nice.” A spokesperson for the trade group Cruise Lines International Association however responded with surprise noting “No large cruise ships are scheduled to call at the Port of Nice in 2025.”

While a popular destination, Nice and Villefranche without docking facilities have already seen a decline in the number of cruise ship calls as the ships must tender passengers ashore. Estimates are the port had about 650,000 cruise passengers and approximately 100 cruise ship visits down from 200 or more a decade ago. French media reports indicate there are a total of 125 cruise ship calls scheduled for Nice in 2025.

Estrosi is not calling for cruise ships to stop visiting the French Mayor Calls for Cruise Ship Ban on French Riviera, but just his little part of the coast. He suggested the ships could proceed to Cannes, which already has more than two times the number of annual cruise ship calls. The large commercial port at Marseille would also be a possibility but it is about a two-hour driving distance to the west from Cannes, Nice, and Villefranche. 

Local officials were quick to point out that even if Estrosi could build support for his ban, he lacks the authority to change many cruise ship visits. Local authority only extends 300 meters from the shore (less than 1,000 feet) and many of the large cruise ships anchor further out putting them in waters controlled by the federal authorities. 

It is not the first attempt to limit cruise ships along France’s Mediterranean coast. The group Stop Croisières, which calls itself environmentalists, has been staging protests. The group used Greenpeace tactics taking to small boats to block the arrival of cruise ships.

Advocates point to the impact on Venice, Italy after the city was forced into banning large cruise ships while other destinations such as Key West, Florida also moved to block large ships. Bar Harbor, Maine continues to be locked in a debate and legal actions after imposing a ban on most cruise ships while other destinations such as Juneau, Alaska reached a voluntary agreement with the cruise industry. European cities ranging from Amsterdam to Barcelona have also proposed moving cruise ship docks out of the center of the city.

 

The world's largest iceberg is slowing heading towards the island of South Georgia, where it may have serious affects on local wildlife. 

Iceberg A23a is so big that it ihard to visualize: at 1.1 million acres in area, it is about 75 times larger than Manhattan (and shrinking). Fornow, it measures about 40 nautical miles by 32 nautical miles on a side, and it weighs about one trillion tonnes. Its sheer sides tower more than 1,300 feet above the water, and chunks regularly break off in the waves. 

The berg's arrival has been a long time coming. A23a broke off of Antarctica's Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, and began to drift off into the Weddell Sea (taking a Soviet research base with it). It ran aground almost immediately, and stayed anchored to the bottom until 2020, when it finally refloated and began to drift to the northwest. It took three years to reach the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, and finally reached the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in April 2024. This was expected to shuttle the iceberg northeast into the Atlantic, where it would melt in warmer waters.  

However, A23a stalled in the South Orkney Islands for much of 2024. Oceanographers say that it was likely caught in a Taylor Column - a rotating cylindrical current found above a rise on the bottom. It kicked loose from this spinning water trap late last year and drifted away towards South Georgia, which is now about 180 miles away. 

When it finally breaks up, the iceberg will pose a hazard to the area's sparse vessel traffic - primarily fishermen - and may block in the rugged beaches of South Georgia, home to King penguins and seals. The last megaberg that reached the island broke up in 2023, and its remains still make a mess of commercial navigation. Fishing vessels operating near South Georgia have to negotiate a shifting city of giant ice blocks to get to and from their fishing grounds. "It is in bits from the size of several Wembley stadiums down to pieces the size of your desk," Andrew Newman of fishing company Argos Froyanes told BBC.

The ice can also make it harder for penguins and seals to access the water from their breeding grounds on shore. Mark Belchier, director of fisheries and environment for the government of South Georgia, told CNN that any impact on wildlife from beach obstructions would be "highly localized and transient."

The U.S. Coast Guard is highlighting the importance of emergency equipment and good teamwork all of which contributed to the rescue of four boaters stranded in the waters off the Dominican Republic. The combined efforts make for a good sea story.

Four people were sailing from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Texas when their vessel was breached and began to sink focusing them into a life raft. They later told the Coast Guard their sailboat struck a submerged rock and then was overtaken by a wave that caused it to roll on its side. After striking another rock, the boat was taking on water when additional waves flooded it and caused it to sink.

Coast Guard Sector San Juan received an EPRB (Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon) signal Tuesday morning, January 21, which started the rescue operation. The signal was coming from a position approximately 180 miles northwest of Puerto Rico. With no verbal contact, the Coast Guard watchstanders were fearing the worst when they dispatched an aircraft and issued a callout to vessels in the vicinity. They asked vessels to be on the lookout for a possible disaster.

 

The survivors are being transported to by the container ship El Coquí to Jacksonville, Fla. No medical concerns reported in this case.

Read more: https://t.co/zhm2LOFDol pic.twitter.com/HpItDgKPAX

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) January 23, 2025

 

U.S. shipping company Crowley’s combination container/roll on-roll off ship El Coquí (26,500 dwt built in 2018) had just started its voyage from San Juan bound for Jacksonville, Florida. It diverted toward the location of the distress signal.

When the Coast Guard aircraft reached the area, they were able to locate a life raft and determined there were four people (David Potts, 63; John Potts, 62; Andrew Cullar, 26; and Russel Case, 67) in the raft waiting for a rescue. The Coast Guard relayed the coordinates and began vectoring the El Coquí.

The Coast Guard aircrew also spotted the fishing vessel Bonanza and several small fishing vessels in the area but had no direct communication with the fishing boats. In an effort to draw the attention of the Bonanza and direct her to the life raft, the Coast Guard aircrew made a series of low passes to gain the attention of the fishing vessel. Then they were able to point them to the life raft.

 

Four survivors were taken aboard the Crowley cargo ship (USCG)

 

The finishing vessel was able to approach the life raft in the shoal waters. It rescued the survivors and transported them to Crowley’s El Coquí. The cargo ship took the survivors aboard and provided them aid. They were traveling on the cargo ship which was due to reach Jacksonville on Thursday, January 23.

“This incident underscores the importance of proper emergency equipment for vessels at sea,” said Lt. Hannah M. Boyce, Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft commander for the case.  “We are all incredibly thankful those mariners were properly equipped.  Helping those four sailors at their worst day at sea is why we fly.”
 

 

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard saved the crew of the fishing vessel Miss Sandy when the vessel began to flood off Gloucester, Massachusetts. Efforts to combat the flooding were unsuccessful, but all were rescued before the vessel went down. 

On Friday, the crew of the Miss Sandy sent a mayday at a position seven nautical miles off Gloucester Harbor. In windy, rough conditions, the vessel began taking on water and was flooding rapidly, with four to five feet of water in the engine room. Dangerous exhaust fumes began to fill the space, according to Coast Guard Sector Boston. 

Within 30 minutes, the cutter William Chadwick and response boats from Station Gloucester were on scene, along with local partners and good Samaritans. The Coast Guard crews attempted to dewater the vessel and get it under tow towards Gloucester Harbor, but they could not keep up with the flooding. The tow was cut to ensure that the sinking fishing boat wouldn't take down the cutter with it, and Miss Sandy sank towards the bottom in 160 feet of water. 

Images courtesy USCG Sector Boston

All crewmembers were rescued, along with one NOAA observer. “The whole response was fantastic,” Good Samaritan skipper Capt. Al Cottone told the Gloucester Times. “It’s just a shame it had to end that way.”

"Had this incident occurred farther offshore or in more severe weather conditions, the situation could have been far more dire," the Coast Guard said in a statement. "This mission highlights the lifesaving dedication of Coast Guard crews and the importance of preparation and safety gear in New England’s harsh winter waters."
 

 

The Italian Coast Guard has overseen a successful response to a fire aboard Rospo Mare B, an oil platform off the coast of Vasto on Italy's Adriatic coast. The fire was swiftly extinguished and all workers safely evacuated from the facility. 

After the fire was reported, the patrol boat CP878 was dispatched to the scene from Termoli, carrying a firefighting team. The commercial supply boat Shark responded and helped evacuate 26 people from the platform and neighboring facilities (as a precautionary measure). 

A second patrol boat, a fixed-wing aircraft and a coast guard helicopter kept watch for signs of environmental pollution. None was observed, but the Coast Guard will continue to monitor with satellite imaging assistance from EMSA. 

Nelle ???? dell’aereo Manta ?? #GuardiaCostiera le operazioni svolte ieri per l’incendio sulla piattaforma petrolifera Rospomare B. Terminate già ieri le operazioni di estinzione dell’incendio, prosegue l’attività di monitoraggio ambientale
????nessuna traccia di inquinamento in mare pic.twitter.com/83iBX6OSD4

— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) January 23, 2025

 

All evacuees were in good health, and the fire was contained quickly, Captain of the Port Cmdr. Giuseppe Panico told Termoli Online. The platform's fixed firefighting system worked very well, he said, augmented by other capabilities that were deployed to the scene.

Panico credited the preparedness of the platform operator, the coast guard and their partners for the rapid response and successful outcome. Rospo Mare B had recently played a part in a full-scale emergency response training with the coast guard, and this helped prepare for the real thing, he said. 

Rospo Mare B is the main production platform at Energean's Rospo Mare field, and performs the oil treatment for all of the field's output before it is transferred to an FPSO. It has been in operation since 1982. 

Dutch officials highlighted overall progress last year in their efforts to curtail drug smuggling through Rotterdam and the other seaports. They reported intercepting narcotics with a wholesale value of €917 million ($955 million) while highlighting through cooperation and working with the shipping industry they were able to make significant progress in reducing drug smuggling.

Gathering for the first joint report involving Customs, Seaport Police, and special law enforcement units, they highlighted that combating drug smuggling in the ports is done by many teams with varying compositions and different perspectives. While the “Hit and Run Cargo” team focuses on drug seizures and arrests within criminal organizations, they reported other teams work on structurally disrupting various modus operandi or have been busy for years on a daily basis with the processing of extractors who have been arrested.

Work is being done to apprehend corrupt links in the port, digital surveillance is being carried out based on big data, project-based research is being carried out to disrupt criminal power structures and front companies are being tracked down and dismantled. The insights that emerge from this broad fight against drug trafficking the authorities reported are making it clear that shifts are taking place in the way drug criminals operate.

One of the big changes they noted was a large increase in the number of small consignments of narcotics that they were intercepting at the Port of Rotterdam. The authorities speculated that criminals are “spreading their risks.”

The report shows that a total of 189 seizures were made in Rotterdam of which 115 were under 100 kilos. There was a significant decline in the total amount of drugs seized in Rotterdam last year. The authorities seized 25,900 kg of cocaine down by more than 40 percent from the 45,506 kg in 2023, which was the peak year. The largest single find was 3,628 kilos.

 

Most unusual find in 2024 was cocaine hidden in a crane truck coming from South America (NL Police)

 

“With the decline in cocaine seizures in the Port of Rotterdam, barriers that have been put in place seem to be paying off,” the authorities reported. “However, there is no reason to cheer. Persistent problems are the order of the day.”

Interceptions in the Zeeland-West-Brabant region however were up slightly to 12,664 kg compared to 11,300 in 2023. Among the seizures were 3,097 kilos found in Moerdijk while in Vlissingen they seized a shipment of 3,630 kilos hidden among bananas. Drug criminals they said still favor fruit shipments coming from South America as the preferred means of smuggling.

They said however the criminals are also using a wider array of hiding places. They seized cocaine hidden in shipments of scrap metal and wood as well as with a shipment of alcohol. In Vlissingen, a drug shipment of 61.5 kilos of cocaine was discovered, processed in the flaps of boxes of bananas. 

“The most striking drug shipment was discovered in the port of Moerdijk,” according to the report. “Almost 3100 kilos of cocaine, divided into thousands of separate packages, were hidden in a telescopic crane from South America. It took the investigation services hours to remove the drugs.”

The annual figures show that not only cocaine is smuggled in via the ports. For example, more cannabis was intercepted in the Port of Rotterdam this year (1,037 kilos) than in 2023 (9,864 kilos). In Vlissingen, 118 kilos of hashish were found and a total of 3,475 kilos of crystal meth was also found.

Among the arrests, they reported closing a storage and transshipment company for bulk goods which they charged was a front for large-scale cocaine smuggling. Three individuals were arrested. They also reported progress at stopping corruption and infiltration in the ports, including confiscating 10 CargoCards which the criminal groups were using in the Port of Rotterdam to gain access to the yards and containers. They were also successful at making arrests outside of the Netherlands including catching 2,480 kg in Germany before it could be imported. 

Overall, they said it was the third year that fewer drugs have been found in the Port of Rotterdam. They emphasized that the efforts require cooperation and strong teamwork through many organizations in order to continue to make progress in combating drug smuggling in the ports.
 

 

The Canadian-flagged bulker Manitoulin became stuck midday on Wednesday, January 22, in the ice outside Buffalo, New York on Lake Erie. The crew took it in stride and while the vessel was waiting for the arrival of a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker had a little fun posting their destination on the AIS signal as “exasperated sigh.”

The region has been plunged into a polar cold with temperatures on Wednesday averaging just over 5 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of negative 3 F. Reports estimate the ice coverage on Lake Erie at nearly 80 percent. Today’s temperature moderated to the low 20s F as of midday, but there’s a light snowfall in the region.

 

I captured the Manitoulin a Great Lakes freighter Stuck on Lake Erie from the ice last night. pic.twitter.com/xTNvT98bLi

— Peter J. Cimino (@peterjcimino) January 23, 2025

 

The 662-foot Laker built in 1991 according to reports online has been dealing with ice for the past few days. She came from Canada with a cargo of wheat bound for Buffalo and reportedly was on her way back to Canada after offloading. With aid from a tug, she was able to clear Buffalo harbor Wednesday morning, but got only a short distance before the ice became too thick for her to proceed on the lake. She has been reported stationary since approximately noon on January 22.

The USCG icebreaker Bristol Bay was dispatched from her base near Detroit and scheduled to reach the vessel around 1400 this afternoon, Thursday, January 23. The crew told the local media that they had plenty of provisions and were in good condition while awaiting their rescue.

 

 

Ice on the Great Lakes is common this time of year and the USCG and Canadian Coast Guards maintain icebreaker services to aid shipping. The annual icebreaker operations began in January and last week the Coast Guard reported going to the aid of two other vessels, one inbound for winter lay-up in Detroit and another sailing near the Port of Cleveland.

 

A new yacht-style cruise ship which is billed to be at the forefront of the ultra-luxury segment of the market was floated today, January 23, in Ancona, Italy at the Fincantieri shipyard. Name Four Seasons I, the new cruise ship is also part of the emerging trend seeing luxury hotel brands leveraged into the cruise industry.

The companies report the design brief for the cruise ship called for mixing a superyacht that evoked mid-century glamour with the luxuries of the Four Seasons brand. Designer Fredrik Johansson, partner and executive director of Tillberg Design of Sweden, says the cruise ship’s design captures the glamour of Aristotle Onassis’ superyacht Christina O and the jet-setting lifestyle of fictional secret agent James Bond (007).

Fincantieri received the order in July 2022 valued at approximately $1.25 billion for the cruise ship with options for two additional vessels. The project is being led by Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings and investors Fort Partners and licenses the Four Seasons brand. Before the first construction block was set in the dry dock in July 2024, Four Seasons Yachts exercised the option for a second vessel valued at more than $417 million and due for delivery in 2026.

 

Rendering of the Four Season I (Four Seasons Yachts)

 

Four Seasons I will be a 34,000 gross ton cruise ship measuring 679 feet (207 meters) in length. It has 95 luxury suites featuring large balconies and floor-to-ceiling ocean views. The most distinctive of the suites is a multi-level 457 square meter (nearly 5,000 square foot) Funnel Suite. The designers highlight that each of the suites provides 50 percent more living space per guest and the vessel will have the highest space ratio in the industry. It will feature a 1-to-1 staff-to-passenger ratio.

Among the unique amenities is a 66-foot outdoor pool. According to the company, it is a unique design for lounging in the Four Seasons’ style. It also will feature a choice of multiple restaurants, a large spa, and areas for children. There will also be a marina for boating and water activities.

 

Cruise ship was floated on January 23, 2025 (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings)

 

Work on the yacht began with the keel laying on July 9, 2024, and the vessel was floated at the shipyard in Ancona. It is now beginning outfitting with Fincantieri scheduled to deliver Four Seasons I before the end of 2025. The cruise ship is due to enter service in January 2026 in the Caribbean before repositioning to the Mediterranean and Greek Islands in the spring.

Four Seasons follows Ritz Carlton into the cruise segment. Accor’s Orient Express is building the world’s largest sailing yacht, the OE Corinthian, which is due to enter service in the summer of 2026. 

[By: ABS]

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has received ABS approval in principle (AIP) for a tank design that enables large-scale hydrogen transport and storage.

The vacuum insulation system from HD KSOE is designed to reduce the time required to create a vacuum in large tanks, essential for transportation. The new technology allows maintaining a vacuum state at –253?, which KSOE says enables safer and loss-free transport of large quantities of liquid hydrogen.

ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements.

“Hydrogen is a key enabler for decarbonization, playing critical roles as fuel, feedstock, energy storage and load balancing. As demand grows, shipping will need advanced systems to support large-scale liquid hydrogen storage and transportation. This is an exciting milestone for HD KSOE, and ABS is proud to support such innovative technologies,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

Dr. Byeongyong Yoo, Vice President, HD KSOE, said: “HD KSOE has been dedicated to providing technological solutions for large-scale energy shipping such as LNG, LPG, Ammonia, CO2, and now hydrogen. This hydrogen vacuum system solution and large-scale validation test are part of these efforts. We will continue collaborating with leading global companies to drive the energy transition and achieve net-zero goals.”

Global energy and shipping companies Woodside Energy, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Hyundai Glovis also participated in the validation test and are currently working with HD KSOE on the joint development of an 80,000 cbm liquid hydrogen carrier.

Jason Crusan, Vice President Energy Solutions at Woodside Energy, said: “This is a key achievement which builds confidence that liquid hydrogen ships can be efficiently designed and constructed in a shipyard environment.”

Jotaro Tamura, Senior Managing Executive Officer of M.O.L. said: “This verification test was a major milestone in the study of transporting liquefied hydrogen, where one of the major issues was the need to increase the size of the tank, and is an important step toward commercialization.”

Chio Kwon, Vice President and Head of Shipping Business Support Group with Hyundai Glovis said: “Achieving this remarkable milestone as the world’s first to successfully verify tank scale-up, HD KSOE has demonstrated the dedication and innovation of the research. We hope this achievement serves as a strong foundation for future advancements in the field.”

[By: Wärtsilä]

Technology group Wärtsilä has introduced its new EnviroPac feature for the Wärtsilä 34DF constant speed engine. The feature is designed to significantly reduce methane emissions while maintaining the engine’s high-power output and compliance with IMO Tier 3 NOx requirements. The first order for engines with this new feature has been placed by the French shipping company CMA CGM. The engines will be installed in eight new LNG-operated container vessels being built at the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) yard in China. The engine order for the first two vessels was booked by Wärtsilä’s joint venture company, CWEC (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., (‘CWEC’) in Q4 2024.

As ship operators and owners strive for more sustainable operations, LNG plays a key role as a transition fuel, bridging the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future carbon-neutral or carbon-free alternatives. However, the main component of LNG is methane and when burned as a fuel, a very small amount may not combust properly, leading to methane escaping into the atmosphere. Across the shipping industry, cutting methane emissions is one of the most effective ways to decrease overall GHG emissions from engines over the next 10 years, complementing other efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

When operating with LNG fuel, the EnviroPac feature cuts methane emissions in half, compared to the standard Wärtsilä 34DF engine. This is without altering the existing power output of 520 kW per cylinder. In addition to the environmental benefit, the reduction in emissions has an impact on costs when operating in EU waters since it results in lesser penalties under both the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime (FEUM). The EnviroPac feature is available for both new and latest versions of existing Wärtsilä 34DF constant speed engines.

“This is a very important development that will have a major beneficial impact on our operations,” says Xavier Leclercq, Vice President, Newbuilding, CMA CGM. “We are working hard to minimise the environmental footprint throughout our fleet, and this latest technology from Wärtsilä provides strong support to these efforts.”

The eight 9200TEU LNG-powered vessels will each operate with two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF and two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF EnviroPac engines, as well as the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in early 2026.

“We are proud to launch this new EnviroPac feature for our already efficient Wärtsilä 34DF engine. Our long-standing relationship with CMA CGM is once again enhanced with this order, and we complement them on their vision for actively achieving sustainability throughout their fleet,” comments Stefan Nysjö, Vice President of Power Supply, Wärtsilä Marine.

[By: FORCE Technology]

Capital Group and FORCE Technology are proud to announce their partnership in creating Europe’s first Extended Reality (XR) Full Mission Bridge simulator. This groundbreaking initiative represents a major advancement in maritime training, combining cutting-edge technology with decades of expertise. The simulator will be housed at Capital Group’s state-of-the-art training facility at the port of Chios Island, Greece, which is slated to open in 2025. Designed to enhance seafarers' skills, this modern center of excellence reinforces Capital Group’s dedication to innovation, sustainability, and maritime leadership.

“This project underscores our steadfast dedication to driving innovation and excellence in maritime training, with a strong focus on safe and sustainable operations,” said Panagiotis Drosos, Chief Operations Officer of Capital Ship Management Corp. “By embracing cutting- edge XR technology, we are empowering our seafarers to meet the dynamic challenges of the maritime industry, while reinforcing Greece’s position as a leader on the global maritime stage.”

Leveraging over 50 years of FORCE Technology’s expertise in simulation systems, the training equipment incorporates advanced XR headsets with features like eye tracking to deliver focused, efficient, and highly realistic training.

“Our new SimFlex simulator sets a new benchmark for operational training,” said Stelios Koukouvios, Global Business Development Manager at FORCE Technology. “By embedding real vessel equipment into a virtual bridge environment, we provide an unmatched experience of precision and immersion. This technology also enables global teams to train together in shared scenarios, unlocking exciting possibilities for collaboration.”

The system’s design features a fully green-screened environment, integrating real bridge equipment supplied by FURUNO Hellas S.A —such as the latest models of ECDIS (FMD- 3005), Autopilot (FAP-3000) and Chart Radar systems (FAR-3xx5) —with a high-fidelity virtual landscape. This seamless integration creates a realistic and immersive training experience.

In addition to its technical innovations, the XR simulator minimizes environmental impact by reducing energy consumption and the need for travel. It offers flexible remote training options, thus reshaping maritime training and aligning technological innovation with sustainability and global connectivity.

The boom in containership construction and the transition to alternative fuels continues with South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering reporting its first order of 2025. The shipbuilder which is part of HD Hyundai booked an order valued at approximately $2.58 billion which is being widely linked to French shipping giant CMA CGM Group.

Reports from South Korea reported a letter of intent was in place and the industry was broadly reporting the order as a follow-on move by CMA CGM which continues to be at the forefront of the move to LNG dual-fuel vessels. KSOE provided few details other than the order is for 12 “mega” containerships which will be delivered by December 2028.

Media reports indicate the vessels will each have a capacity of 15,500 TEU with deliveries commencing in late 2027. It follows CMA CGM’s order in the second quarter of 2024 order for a dozen 15,000 TEU liquefied natural gas vessels from Hyundai Heavy Industries.

CMA CGM, which is currently ranked third with a capacity of over 3.8 million TEU, has been investing in the energy transition as part of a fleet modernization and expansion program. As of the third quarter of 2024, the group highlighted more than 40 operational alternative fuel vessels and a total investment of $18 billion for 131 vessels by 2028 that will be capable of running on low-carbon energy, including biomethane, biomethanol, and synthetic fuels.

The new order represents a strong start for HD KSOE which announced a target of $18.05 billion for orders in 2025, which while a 34 percent increase over the 2024 target projects a decline in total orders versus those booked in 2024. The group reported orders valued at over $20 billion in 2024. This first order of the year represents 14 percent of the group’s target for 2025.

The order continues the strong buildout for LNG-powered vessels and specifically containerships. DNV’s Alternative Fuel Insight database shows a total of 641 LNG-fueled vessels with 142 containerships in service. It reports LNG represents 10 percent of the current order flow and based on orders, the LNG-fueled fleet will double to 1,273 vessels by 2030.

Speaking at the Davos Forum in Switzerland this week, Executive Vice President of HD Hyundai Chung Ki-sun pointed to the continuing efforts in shipbuilding to lead the transition to alternative fuels. The group is focusing on a digital transformation outlining its blueprint for the future of the shipyards. HD Hyundai is partnered with big data company Palantir Technologies and highlighted a strategy for a 30 percent improvement in productivity and a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.
 

 

A new yacht-style cruise ship which is billed to be at the forefront of the ultra-luxury segment of the market was floated today, January 23, in Ancona, Italy at the Fincantieri shipyard. Name Four Seasons I, the new cruise ship is also part of the emerging trend seeing luxury hotel brands leveraged into the cruise industry.

The companies report the design brief for the cruise ship called for mixing a superyacht that evoked mid-century glamour with the luxuries of the Four Seasons brand. Designer Fredrik Johansson, partner and executive director of Tillberg Design of Sweden, says the cruise ship’s design captures the glamour of Aristotle Onassis’ superyacht Christina O and the jet-setting lifestyle of fictional secret agent James Bond (007).

Fincantieri received the order in July 2022 valued at approximately $1.25 billion for the cruise ship with options for two additional vessels. The project is being led by Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings and investors Fort Partners and licenses the Four Seasons brand. Before the first construction block was set in the dry dock in July 2024, Four Seasons Yachts exercised the option for a second vessel valued at more than $417 million and due for delivery in 2026.

 

Rendering of the Four Season I (Four Seasons Yachts)

 

Four Seasons I will be a 34,000 gross ton cruise ship measuring 679 feet (207 meters) in length. It has 95 luxury suites featuring large balconies and floor-to-ceiling ocean views. The most distinctive of the suites is a multi-level 457 square meter (nearly 5,000 square foot) Funnel Suite. The designers highlight that each of the suites provides 50 percent more living space per guest and the vessel will have the highest space ratio in the industry. It will feature a 1-to-1 staff-to-passenger ratio.

Among the unique amenities is a 66-foot outdoor pool. According to the company, it is a unique design for lounging in the Four Seasons’ style. It also will feature a choice of multiple restaurants, a large spa, and areas for children. There will also be a marina for boating and water activities.

 

Cruise ship was floated on January 23, 2025 (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings)

 

Work on the yacht began with the keel laying on July 9, 2024, and the vessel was floated at the shipyard in Ancona. It is now beginning outfitting with Fincantieri scheduled to deliver Four Seasons I before the end of 2025. The cruise ship is due to enter service in January 2026 in the Caribbean before repositioning to the Mediterranean and Greek Islands in the spring.

Four Seasons follows Ritz Carlton into the cruise segment. Accor’s Orient Express is building the world’s largest sailing yacht, the OE Corinthian, which is due to enter service in the summer of 2026. 

The boom in containership construction and the transition to alternative fuels continues with South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering reporting its first order of 2025. The shipbuilder which is part of HD Hyundai booked an order valued at approximately $2.58 billion which is being widely linked to French shipping giant CMA CGM Group.

Reports from South Korea reported a letter of intent was in place and the industry was broadly reporting the order as a follow-on move by CMA CGM which continues to be at the forefront of the move to LNG dual-fuel vessels. KSOE provided few details other than the order is for 12 “mega” containerships which will be delivered by December 2028.

Media reports indicate the vessels will each have a capacity of 15,500 TEU with deliveries commencing in late 2027. It follows CMA CGM’s order in the second quarter of 2024 order for a dozen 15,000 TEU liquefied natural gas vessels from Hyundai Heavy Industries.

CMA CGM, which is currently ranked third with a capacity of over 3.8 million TEU, has been investing in the energy transition as part of a fleet modernization and expansion program. As of the third quarter of 2024, the group highlighted more than 40 operational alternative fuel vessels and a total investment of $18 billion for 131 vessels by 2028 that will be capable of running on low-carbon energy, including biomethane, biomethanol, and synthetic fuels.

The new order represents a strong start for HD KSOE which announced a target of $18.05 billion for orders in 2025, which while a 34 percent increase over the 2024 target projects a decline in total orders versus those booked in 2024. The group reported orders valued at over $20 billion in 2024. This first order of the year represents 14 percent of the group’s target for 2025.

The order continues the strong buildout for LNG-powered vessels and specifically containerships. DNV’s Alternative Fuel Insight database shows a total of 641 LNG-fueled vessels with 142 containerships in service. It reports LNG represents 10 percent of the current order flow and based on orders, the LNG-fueled fleet will double to 1,273 vessels by 2030.

Speaking at the Davos Forum in Switzerland this week, Executive Vice President of HD Hyundai Chung Ki-sun pointed to the continuing efforts in shipbuilding to lead the transition to alternative fuels. The group is focusing on a digital transformation outlining its blueprint for the future of the shipyards. HD Hyundai is partnered with big data company Palantir Technologies and highlighted a strategy for a 30 percent improvement in productivity and a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.
 

 

Hacking has risen up to dominate the risk landscape for energy companies, according to DNV. The class society's most recent survey found that two-thirds of energy professionals say that their company's leaders view cybersecurity as the greatest current risk to their business, and expect to increase spending on cybersecurity protections. 

The risks are growing with the expansion of new, digitized green power technology, which inherently creates new potential points of entry and exploitation."The whole energy sector – companies and governments alike – are working together on this massive challenge, which is increasingly complex because the technologies underpinning the transition are largely digital and scaling rapidly. With this comes cybersecurity risks,” said Ditlev Engel, CEO, Energy Systems at DNV.

Nearly half of the energy professionals surveyed said that the extra cyber risk is worth it for advancing the green transition, and the risk should be accepted as a cost of innovation. 

Geopolitical factors are also driving cybersecurity concerns in the energy sector, and three quarters of those surveyed said that their companies have paid more attention to cyber risk because of growing tensions (and growing risk of attacks sponsored by foreign powers). However, even more - four out of five - said that they were concerned about criminal hackers. 

Two-thirds also said that their firm's operational technology (OT) - the computer networks that control automated industrial systems- is especially vulnerable to attack, and most said that their OT is less well-defended than their IT networks. 

"In some companies, you can go to an industrial site and find people working on OT who have never spoken to their counterparts in other sites. They are doing what they have always done because that is how you achieve the required production," said Robert Valkama, Senior Manager of OT Cyber Security at Fortum. "The digital maintenance is missing and that’s hindering cybersecurity efforts."

Supply chain attacks are also a serious concern for energy projects. If threat actors can access an energy company's suppliers - or sub-suppliers - they could insert a malicious program or a weak point into an entire series of new equipment, before it leaves the factory. More than a third of those surveyed said that they believe that at least one of their suppliers had been infiltrated in the past and had decided to keep the breach secret.

"From attacks on supply chains, recruitment of malicious insiders, and the use of AI, adversaries are upping their game and the energy industry needs to keep up," said Auke Huistra, Director of Industrial and OT Cybersecurity at DNV Cyber. 
 

 

While the new government of Syria has terminated the Russian lease on the commercial seaport of Tartus, Moscow still holds out hope that it can keep a small sliver of the harbor that serves as a naval station, according to Russian outlets Izvestia and TASS.

Russia has had a "support point" at Tartus since 1971, the year that Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad seized power and signed an accord with the Soviet government. Over the decades, the pier became the Russian Navy's sole base in the Mediterranean, an essential refueling and repair station for the Mediterranean Flotilla. With the overthrow of Hafez's son Bashar al-Assad in December, its future seems in doubt and Moscow is negotiating with former enemies - Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a banned organization in Russia - over the base's survival. 

Earlier this week, it appeared that negotiations were over when HTS canceled the Russian lease on the port of Tartus' commercial section, which covered the majority of the inner harbor. Assad granted a 49-year lease to Russian engineering company Stroytransgaz in 2019, in exchange for an investment pledge of $500 million. The contract allowed Stroytransgaz to keep 65 percent of the profits of operating the harbor - until HTS ended the agreement and announced a takeover.

Russia may no longer control the commercial harbor, but HTS clarified Wednesday that the naval base is still up for discussion. Syria's new defense minister, Marhaf Abu Qasra, said that talks with Moscow continue. 

"There are negotiations being conducted by the presidency through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and until now, the final form is not clear, and we have not received any directive from the presidency regarding dealing with the Russian government," he told Al-Araby. 

Izvestia and TASS both carried the announcement and said that talks were ongoing, with contingency planning under way.

"Syria is under pressure now, so there is a possibility that we will lose the base in Tartus," military commentator Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia.  "And our leadership, knowing about this possible development of events, I think is now looking for a replacement for these bases. But where they will be located is a big question. There is no firm confidence that we will be able to settle in Libya, Algeria,  Egypt [or Eritrea]."

As of Wednesday, two Russian military cargo ships were moored near the naval base section of the port, where Russian vehicles and equipment from the Syrian campaign has been stockpiled for possible evacuation. Cloudy weather prevented a clear view of the piers by satellite (below). During the day, a Russian attack helicopter circled near the base and over the commercial section of the port, according to local journalist Qusay Noor. 

????????Med Sea Flotilla????????
Heavy clouds over Tartus today but you can't hide from synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

Sentinel 1????, 15:41 UTC on 22 Jan

4-5 vessels at the piers (including Sparta & Sparta II)

I don't think they are military given the grouping of ships near the anchorage pic.twitter.com/NPAajsQGW5

— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) January 23, 2025

#Russian helicopters hovering over #Tartus port. After the cancellation of the investment contract with the #Russian company by the #Tartus Port Authority. pic.twitter.com/S2bC7vg9Ld

— Qusay Noor (@QUSAY_NOOR_) January 22, 2025

 

When the survey ship Manawanui went down off the coast of Samoa in October, New Zealand's small navy lost more than a tenth of its fleet. The vessel will not be replaced, New Zealand's defense minister said early this week, and her missions will be picked up by the patrol boat HMNZS Otago - a much smaller vessel lacking Manawanui's working deck and 100-tonne crane.

It is as yet unclear whether Manawanui's wreck will be raised, but refueling operations to reduce the risk of pollution are under way. The salvor is using a deck barge carrying tanktainers to store extracted petroleum from the ship, and it recently made its first planned trip back to port to drop off the first set of full tanks. The port backloaded empties onto the barge, and the salvors towed it back out towards the site to continue work. The barge's spread-moor system will remain in place between trips to and from the port, with its mooring cables temporarily hung on buoys so that they can be picked up later. 

Salvage barge on site off Upolu (NZDF)

Despite some early delays due to weather, the "complex and technical" defueling project is proceeding well, NZDF on-scene commander Commodore Andrew Brown said in a statement. He noted that the government of Samoa has reduced the scope of its precautionary restrictions on fishing in areas around the wreck site, which were implemented due to the risk of pollution from Manawanui's diesel fuel. Brown said that with New Zealand's help with water quality testing, further reductions are expected soon. An exclusion area of about 2,000 meters around the wreck will remain in effect. 

The cost of cleanup will be steep, but part of it will be covered by the New Zealand Defence Force's insurers, minister of defense Judith Collins told 1News. "Obviously Defence Force is supplying a lot of staff, a lot of equipment, all these things happening, but a lot of that is working with insurers," she said, declining to put a figure on the exact costs.