A year of testing has proven the effectiveness and commercialization potential of onboard carbon capture and storage systems (OCCS), reports Samsung Heavy Industries. In partnership with HMM, Panasia, and the Korean Register of Shipping, they have been conducting tests aboard an HMM feeder vessel operating in Asia.

Samsung Heavy Industries installed an amine absorption-based capture system aboard the HMM Mongla. The vessel, which was built in 2014 and acquired by HMM in 2023, is a 25,000-dwt feeder with a capacity for 2,200 TEU. Measuring 186 meters (610 feet), the vessel was built in China with conventional propulsion and retrofitted with the OCCS system. It operates a feeder loop calling at Ningbo and Shanghai in China, Chattogram in Bangladesh, Port Klang in Malaysia, and Singapore.

According to Samsung, the demonstration attempted to produce results that could verify the effectiveness and commercial potential of the system. In January of this year and again in May, they were able to offload liquified CO2 with a purity of over 99.9 percent. It was used as a raw material for the process of making eco-friendly methanol that could be used as marine fuel. They report it demonstrated a meaningful case of carbon utilization beyond underground storage of the liquified CO2.

“OCCS will play an important role in the net-zero of ships in the future as it is used as an energy source to produce eco-friendly fuel,” said Lee Dong-yeon, Vice President and Director of Samsung Heavy Industries Shipbuilding & Marine Research Institute. “We will work to ensure that the shipbuilding, shipping, and equipment industries can take the lead in the OCCS market through collaboration.”

Panasia, a Korea-based marine parts manufacturer, worked with HMM in the first phase of the program, starting in late 2022, to conduct a feasibility study along with an economic analysis and risk assessment, and explore the handling process for captured CO2. Panasia and Samsung Heavy Industries also provided engineering support for the test.

It is the latest in a series of projects testing the application of onboard carbon capture. Once thought to be a less likely option for vessels, it has shown potential as a means to address the challenges for the industry. It can also be used, as in this case, for retrofitting to extend the commercial life of in-service vessels.

Samsung highlights that the industry is raising the opinion that in order to promote the commercialization of OCCS, it is urgent to establish related laws and systems. It notes the need to develop infrastructure, such as building on-shore systems for processing the CO2, and the rules governing the implementation of the systems on ships.
 

 

Matson surprised customers this week with an announcement that, effective immediately, it would suspend transporting battery-powered electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to the hazardous material classification of their lithium-ion batteries. The ability to ship cars between the mainland of the United States, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska was an important service both for individuals and car dealers.

In a letter sent to customers, the company writes, “Due to increasing concern for the safety of transporting vehicles powered by large lithium-ion batteries, Matson is suspending acceptance of used or new electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles for transport aboard its vessels. Effective immediately, we have ceased accepting new bookings for these shipments to/from all trades.”

The Hawaii Electric Vehicle Association reports there are currently more than 37,000 electric vehicles registered in the state. No figures were reported for Guam, but dealers who spoke with the local media said they regretted the decision, highlighting that EVs are well-suited for driving on the island.

Matson had reported in the past that it had developed a collaborative team approach to tackle the complexities of carrying lithium batteries. It established an Electric Vehicle Safe Carriage Working Group, and said it was participating in external working groups on electric vehicles and lithium batteries. 
 
Shoreside, it said, Lithium Battery Handling Procedure included a review process and a used battery shipment checklist, while for vessels, it developed procedures on how to fight lithium fires and how to prevent them from occurring. This included proper stowage, the use of new tools like thermal imaging cameras to see temperature spikes, and the deployment of the Viking HydroPen, a firefighting tool that replaces the traditional water mist lance and is designed to drill into containers and extinguish fires.

In the letter to customers, it writes, “Matson continues to support industry efforts to develop comprehensive standards and procedures to address fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries at sea and plans to resume acceptance of them when appropriate safety solutions that meet our requirements can be implemented.”

Reports are citing the recent fire aboard the Morning Midas off the Aleutians and the loss of the vessel, which was carrying EVs and hybrids. It was at least the third major casualty that was linked to EV fires after the fire aboard the Fremantle Highway in 2023 and the loss of the Felicity Ace in 2022. The industry has worked to develop new standards for the transport of EVs and lithium-ion batteries, but in Matson’s case, it has the added danger of container fires because it transports cars placed into boxes, limiting the ability to monitor the vehicles versus car carriers, where they are loaded in large garage-type spaces.

Matson continues to transport conventional cars. It offers the service both trans-ocean and also moves the containers interisland in Hawaii as part of its barge service.

 

China’s offshore wind industry continues to push the limits for offshore wind turbines, looking to increase the capacity and durability of its units. In the latest development, it reports completing the development of a prototype, which is the world’s largest direct-drive floating offshore wind turbine.

Developed by China Huaneng Group in partnership with Dongfang Electric, the unit is rated for 17 MW and is being reported as having the highest single-unit capacity and largest rotor diameter. The first prototype was unveiled on July 10. It is being prepared for the next steps, which include demonstration and verification in the waters of Guangdong.

The turbine features an impeller diameter of 262 meters (approximately 860 feet). The rotor sweep area is 53,000 square meters, which they report is equivalent to 7.5 standard football fields. The hub stands about 152 meters (nearly 500 feet) above the water. According to the companies, once operational, the unit will provide 68 million kWh per year, equivalent to the power needed for 40,000 homes.

The design process had to overcome multiple challenges and develop a unit that is strong enough to sustain heavy conditions. They report developing a unique low-speed permanent magnet direct-drive motor to achieve both high capacity and reliability. All the key components, including the large-diameter main shaft bearings, blades, generators, converts, and transformers, were domestically produced.

The unit is reported to be able to withstand ultra-high waves over 24 meters (nearly 80 feet). It can also resist super typhoon conditions up to level 17 (winds of approximately 125 to 135 mph).

The development of floating turbines is critical for China’s continued advancement. It already reportedly has over 40 GW of offshore wind power feeding into its grid. Recently, it reported starting operation of its furthest at sea wind farm located more than 50 miles from shore. The field, which consists of 98 turbines and three substations, will provide 800 MW for operator China Three Gorges Corporation.

Dongfang highlights that it has been in the wind turbine business for 20 years developed both models for onshore and offshore. Its commercial offshore line is currently between 4.5 to 13 MW, with the largest unit commercially introduced in 2022. 

The company also recently announced it had begun testing a massive 26 MW unit. It has a hub height of 185 meters (606 feet) and is nearly a third larger than the installed record holder of 18 MW. The turbine blades are approximately 150 meters (nearly 500 feet in length). 

As China continues to “push the envelope” for turbine capacity, Sany Renewable Energy reported that it has developed a test rig for turbines of up to 35 MW. A new entrant into the offshore sector, it won its first orders this spring to expand from onshore installations and reports it has already tested its 15 MW units. The company is also moving into the international market, reporting in November 2024, it had signed wind turbine sales contracts totaling 1,324 MW with three subsidiaries of India’s JSW Group, along with an additional 300 MW contract with the Indian subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries.
 

Maritime New Zealand is recounting the details of a high-seas nighttime rescue. The operation was successful due to the coordination of the Rescue Coordination Center along with the New Zealand Defence Force and a Good Samaritan commercial tanker.

The incident began on the afternoon of July 17, when at around 2:30 p.m. local time the center received a Mayday call from a small private vessel it described as a launch. Three people were aboard sailing from New Zealand to Tonga. They were approximately 350 nautical miles northeast of New Zealand, south of the Kermadec Islands, in a remote location far from assistance. 

The people reported their vessel had experienced problems in this remote location, and they were planning on abandoning ship. They took life jackets and other essential equipment and entered a life raft. They activated an emergency beacon (EPIRB), and the center was able to determine a location.

 Search and Rescue Officer at RCCNZ, Taylor Monaghan, says this was a high-stakes search and rescue operation.

“After getting their emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) coordinates following its activation, it was clear they were a long way from help,” said Monaghan.

The Maritime Operations Center issued a call for assistance for any vessel within a 200 nautical mile radius, and the only response was from a tanker. The vessel accepted the request to help and began re-routing to the location of the distress signal.

The Maritime Center also requested the assistance of New Zealand Defense, which dispatched its P-8 reconnaissance airplane. Six hours after the initial request for assistance, the P8 arrived on screen and was able to locate the raft. It monitored the raft and coordinated with the tanker to direct it to the location of the raft.

“This was done at night, in trying conditions as well,” explains Monaghan.

The crew of the tanker had also developed a rescue plan for how to get the individuals aboard. 

“Getting onboard a large vessel on the open ocean from a life raft is not an easy task,” says Monaghan. “The tanker needed to use multiple ladders to have enough length to reach the life raft, as well carefully maneuvering alongside the much smaller life raft.”

At about 11:00 pm New Zealand time, RCCNZ was notified that the crew had successfully been picked up by the merchant ship.

“I am immensely proud of the work of the search and rescue officers involved, as well as the crews of the NZDF P8 and the merchant oil tanker,” said RCCNZ General Manager, Justin Allan. “This was a complex rescue, and very good result to get the three safely off the life raft and onto the merchant vessel.” 
 

 

The city of Barcelona is taking action to address the growing complaints of overcrowding and overtourism that critics say is linked to the cruise ships. The city, which claims to be the largest cruise port in Europe unveiling plans to redevelop its seaport, a move intended to increase the sustainability of the port while also reducing the number of tourists arriving at the popular destination.

After recording a 20 percent increase in the number of cruise ship passengers between 2018 and 2024, Barcelona now wants to put a limit on the growth of cruise tourism. The city recorded 3.65 million passengers last year, and reports a 21 percent increase in calls and a 20 percent increase in passengers to 1.2 million in the first five months of 2025.

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, a member of the Catalan Socialist party and who has openly been pushing for limiting cruise ship overtourism, including proposing the raising of tourist tax for passengers, is spearheading the push for the redevelopment of the terminals. This comes after the Barcelona City Council and the Port of Barcelona signed a new agreement designed to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030. The net effect will be reducing Barcelona's maximum cruise capacity by 16 percent from 37,000 to 31,000 passengers per day.

“For the first time in history, a limit is being placed on the growth of cruises in the city,” said Collboni, who went ahead to express gratitude to the Port of Barcelona for “its effort in understanding and empathy” in recognizing that the growth of cruise ship tourism cannot be infinite and needed to be reduced. “The current management of tourism involves setting limits and managing better.”

Following the signing of the agreement, a total of €185 million ($215 million) will be invested in undertaking an overhaul of cruise terminals at the port and investment in other infrastructural projects whose ultimate goal is to reorganize cruise activity to make it more sustainable.

The hallmark of the agreement involves reducing the number of cruise terminals from seven to five by demolishing current terminals A, B, and C at the Adossat wharf, and building a new terminal on the site of terminal C. The new terminal will be Barcelona’s only public cruise terminal with a capacity to serve 7,000 passengers and will prioritize home port cruises and small vessels. The port will have five cruise terminals, four of which will be privately owned and one of which will be public.

Apart from the terminals, the Port of Barcelona will also invest €50 million ($58 million) to fully overhaul the 610-metre-long section of wharf that currently houses terminals A and B. Barcelona highlights that the three terminals which will be demolished were nearing the end of their useful life and that its critical to build new facilities that are better suited to the current requirements of the cruise industry.  

The wharf overhaul will facilitate the installation of the onshore power supply systems to enable cruise ships to plug in to the electrical grid while at berth, ultimately cutting down on emissions. Barcelona has been cited as one of Europe’s biggest ports that has been slow in onshore power investments, something that could see the port fail to meet the European Union’s 2030 deadline for shore power provision.

Work on the projects is expected to commence next year and is slated for completion in 2030 when Terminal C will be fully operational.

“The signed protocol culminates the modernization plan for the Adossat Wharf, which began a few years ago with the goal of upgrading port infrastructure and strengthening the competitiveness of the Port of Barcelona,” said José Alberto Carbonell, Port of Barcelona President.

Despite the cruise industry being one of the key economic sectors in Barcelona, generating €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually and contributing €562 million ($653 million) directly to Catalonia's gross domestic product, the city contends that a more orderly and efficient maritime tourism model is necessary to make the sector sustainable. The city will also seek to encourage cruise passengers to extend their stay onshore.
 

Strikes Grow as Wage Takes Drag on for Korean Shipbuilders

The Korean Metal Workers’ Union reports it is expanding its strike actions against the shipbuilding sector during this year’s round of wage talks. The union says that HD Hyundai management had promised to quickly conclude the negotiations and advance the company to the next level with a future-oriented labor-management culture, but after 12 rounds, the time left is now running out.

Partial strikes began this week at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries with a four-hour stoppage on July 16 and seven hours on July 17. Today, on the third consecutive day, the union was planning a full stoppage, and the strike was also spreading to the HD Hyundai Samho yard and Hanwha Ocean, where they planned a four-hour stoppage.

Union members have now authorized strikes at three of Hyundai’s yards, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Mipo, and Samho, and the leadership reports it will also expand the strike to the R&D Center in Seongnam. Members at Hanwha Ocean and K Shipbuilding have also voted to support strikes.

Adding to the drama, one of the union branch managers is staging a hunger strike in front of the R&D Center. Baek Ho-seon has been on a hunger strike for 10 days, taking only water and salt.

The union says HD Hyundai presented its proposal on July 9, but it was rejected with the union saying it was far lower than expected. The company proposed a smaller increase in base wages and what it says is the largest ever increase in the incentive and performance pay packages. The union is demanding an increase in basic pay instead of variable pay, as well as an extension of the retirement age and a change in how the performance pay is calculated. Media reports are that they are also demanding more hiring of employees versus contractors.

According to the union leaders, the shipyards are citing the increased competition from the Chinese shipbuilders. They said the shipyards are emphasizing a "sense of crisis due to the situation in which China, which has closely followed Korea in the shipbuilding industry orders and technology, is sweeping away sales and the consolidation of Chinese shipyards equipped with technological development and the latest facilities."

South Korea’s shipbuilders have built large backlogs in the past few years, but also note that China has grown its market share. The Koreans have been focusing on high-value ships and new technologies such as automation and navigation, as well as new sectors such as ammonia-fueled vessels.

The Metal Workers Union has scheduled additional strikes for next week. They are calling for seven-hour stoppages for the day shifts between 9 and 5 on July 22, 23, and 26. They are also calling for a resolution of the contract for the annual summer leave begins.

Port Everglades is one of the biggest cargo and cruise ports in Florida, and it is growing by leaps and bounds. Supported by large-scale infrastructure investments in boxship capacity, as well as continuous improvements in harbor traffic flow, the port's team secured double-digit volume growth in the last year alone. This year it's on track to secure another 15 percent gain, and it's experiencing rapid growth in cruise passenger traffic too.

To find out more, Maritime Executive's founder and editor-in-chief Tony Munoz spoke with longtime ports executive Joseph Morris, who took over as CEO and port director at Port Everglades last year. For the details, listen in below. 

 

The European Union approved its 18th package of sanctions against Russia related to the war in Ukraine, expanding its targeting of the energy, banking, and military sectors. The package, which is being called one of the strongest sanction packages against Russia, was approved after Slovakia dropped its opposition, but without the U.S. joining in on key elements.

The European Commission adopted steps to further reduce Russia’s energy income, which it highlights continues to provide a third of the Russian government’s revenues. Last month, Russia averaged production of nearly 9.2 million barrels of oil per day, according to the International Energy Agency. 

The new package adopted a move that had been gaining momentum across Europe to lower the price cap on Russian oil. Critically, it also builds in an automatic and dynamic mechanism to modify the oil price cap to ensure it is effective.

Earlier this year, the price of oil fell below the $60 a barrel price cap, which had increased the flow of oil from Russia. The price cap was introduced in December 2022, banning access to transport, insurance, and reinsurance services for oil purchased and transported above the cap. It is seen as a driving factor in the growth of the shadow fleet.

To counteract the growth in shipments, the cap is being lowered to $47.60 per barrel, which the EU says aligns with the current global price of oil. It is almost 30 percent lower than today’s $67.60 per barrel benchmark price. The UK government quickly announced that it was following the EU and also lowering the price cap to the same level.

Media reports are indicating there had been a stronger push by some countries, and they had hoped the G7 and especially the United States would join in the efforts, to lower the price cap. The U.S. has remained largely on the sidelines, not increasing its sanctions against the shadow fleet. Earlier this week, Donald Trump announced he was giving Russia and Vladimir Putin 50 days to accept a ceasefire, or he said the U.S. would launch secondary sanctions against the buyers of Russian oil. At the same time, the U.S. announced an agreement with NATO and the Europeans for the purchase of additional weapons, which will be supplied to Ukraine.

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen responded to the adoption of the new package, saying, “The pressure is on. It will stay on until Putin ends this war.”

The EU is imposing further sanctions “across the shadow fleet value chain.” The new package directly lists 105 additional tankers banned from port entry and services. In total, the EU will have sanctioned 444 vessels.

The targeting of the shadow fleet goes further with the EU also for the first time listing an individual captain of a shadow fleet tanker and a “private operator of an international flag registry.” International companies managing and assisting the shadow fleet are also included, as is one entity in the Russian LNG sector.

The EU is also listing a refinery in India where Russia’s Rosneft is the main shareholder. It is also imposing a ban on the import of refined oil products made from Russian oil coming from third countries, except Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the U.S. The EU says this closes a key backdoor. 

The Nord Stream pipeline is also targeted with a full transaction ban, including for the provisioning of goods or services for completion or maintenance. 

Despite the wide-reaching nature of today’s package, Russia scoffed at the package. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia “has built up an immunity to Western sanctions and adapted to them.” He predicted that the new moves would create negative consequences for countries that back them.
 

Spain’s Guardia Civil is working to sort out the details of one of its more unusual cocaine busts. They moved to stop and inspect a suspect inbound containership only to find it had already been boarded by nine individuals who appear to have been attempting to steal the cocaine from a rival gang.

The police reported they were tracking the unnamed vessel as it was traveling from Vigo to Malaga and had a suspicion that there could be smuggled cocaine aboard. Media reports are saying the vessel was coming from Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was located while it was 40 miles off the Bay of Cadiz.

The vessel was directed into the port of Cadiz, where a full search was launched. When the forces boarded the vessel, they discovered that nine individuals had already boarded the ship and had removed cocaine bales from the containers. A total of 38 bales of cocaine were found near the containers, with a total weight of approximately 1,300 kilos.

 

#OperacionesGC | Intervenidos 1.300 kg de #cocaína en un portacontenedores en la Bahía de #Cádiz.

??Fue asaltado por polizones en alta mar para extraer los fardos de los contenedores y descargarlos a una embarcación
??El portacontenedores fue localizado a 40 millas en la ruta… pic.twitter.com/vmkhpUIpYR

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) July 17, 2025

 

The police released video of their armed forces searching the vessel for additional individuals. The reports said that due to the size of the vessel, it was taking time to complete the search. The police suspected there could be additional cocaine aboard the vessel that had yet to be discovered.

Media reports indicate that the nine individuals were also taken into custody and are being interrogated. The indication is that they were from a rival cartel and were attempting to offload the cocaine bales onto a small boat while the containership was at sea.

 

The privately-held research vessel Nautilus has discovered the wreck of the WWII Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki, which was torpedoed and sunk by a PT boat off Guadalcanal.

Teruzuki was a 2,700-tonne destroyer, the second of a class designed and built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the opening years of the war. She was delivered on August 31, 1942, and survived for two and a half months. 

Teruzuki first saw action during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands that October, then joined a Japanese task force to attack U.S. forces at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The first attempt at this mission began on November 12; it was thwarted by U.S. forces in a fierce and costly nighttime battle. In the exchange of fire, Teruzuki managed to cripple the destroyer USS Sterett and may have contributed to the sinkings of the destroyers USS Monssen and USS Laffey. Teruzuki was assigned to a second attempt on November 14-15, but did not play a major role during the engagement. Neither attempt at striking Henderson Field succeeded, but both resulted in heavy losses for the U.S. Navy.

On December 11, Teruzuki returned to Guadalcanal as part of a resupply task force with four other destroyers. Their mission was to drop off floating drums of supplies for the Japanese troops pinned down on the island. After the food drums were dropped off and Teruzuki was headed for home, she was attacked by several U.S. Navy PT boats and took two torpedo hits. The damage left her disabled and ablaze, and after three hours, the fire likely set off a depth charge magazine. The resulting explosion blew off her stern and caused her to rapidly sink. Luckily for her crew, the Teruzuki was close enough to Guadalcanal that 156 of her sailors were able to swim to shore. All but nine personnel survived the sinking. 

This month, the crew of Ocean Exploration Trust's Nautilus discovered the final resting place of Teruzuki in Iron Bottom Sound, an infamous stretch of water off Guadalcanal that saw repeated and deadly fighting during the war. The Nautilus crew first picked up the wreck site using an unmanned surface vessel conducting a sonar survey. "We didn't know what it was. It hadn't been identified before," survey expert Dr. Larry Mayer of the University of New Hampshire told Newsweek. They confirmed the find with an ROV inspection, and Hiroshi Ishii, a specialist from Kyoto University, identified the wreck as Teruzuki. The destroyer's stern was missing, and it was found about 200 meters away. 

Many more finds may be coming. Only a dozen of the WWII wrecks in the sound have been identified, but Mayer's team believes that there could be as many as 100 in total - enough to keep the search going for many years to come. 

Working with German owner Hartmann Group, shipmanager InterMaritime and construction materials giant Heidelberg, the UK-based startup Seabound has launched a unique onboard carbon capture venture that starts with Bunker C and ends up in cement. 

Seabound's carbon capture system captures up to 95% of CO? (variable, depending upon the customer's needs) and 98% of sulfur emissions from ship exhaust. The sulfur-removal capability means that it is compatible with HFO fuel, a cost savings over VLSFO. Its process uses slaked lime - calcium hydroxide, one of the world's most common chemical ingredients - to absorb CO? and convert it into limestone (calcium carbonate). The resulting product is stored on board the ship, then offloaded in port. 

Since limestone is the main feedstock for cement plants, Seabound's technology lines up well with nascent efforts to decarbonize the concrete manufacturing sector. Heidelberg Materials' Brevik plant is one-of-a-kind in this segment: it is the first full-size facility designed to produce carbon-captured cement, the key ingredient in net-zero concrete.

Under the new partnership with Hartmann Group, InterMaritime Group and Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe, Seabound will install its system aboard the cement carrier UBC Cork, which serves the Brevik plant. The captured carbon - in limestone form - will be offloaded when the ship calls at Brevik and will be run through the cement plant. This means that the carbon in UBC Cork's fuel will be captured twice - once on the ship, when it is turned to limestone, and once again when that limestone is turned to cement. Along with the Brevik cement plant's other captured CO2, it will be injected into a subsea reservoir run by the Shell/Equinor/TotalEnergies Northern Lights project, due to start operations later this year. 

"We're proud to partner with industry leaders like Heidelberg Materials and Hartmann to deliver scalable carbon capture solutions," said Alisha Fredriksson, CEO and Co-founder of Seabound. "We're especially excited to be advancing this work in Brevik, a strategic location that's rapidly establishing itself as a global hub for CCS."

 

When the Jones Act shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO ordered a new floating drydock from a shipbuilder in Turkey, it needed a way to move it across an ocean and around a continent. Luckily, there was an even larger floating drydock available to carry it: Boskalis' BOKA Vanguard, the largest semisubmersible heavy lift ship in the world.

General Dynamics brought in logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel to arrange the oversize shipment, including the technically demanding loadout process. The 17,000-tonne drydock would fit snugly on the Vanguard's 900-foot-long deck, but there would not be an abundance of room to spare. 

“We had checklists. Then we had checklists for the checklists: every smallest detail accounted for, nothing left to chance,” said Aliye Erkan B?y?k, a logistics manager at Kuehne+Nagel's Istanbul office.

To position the drydock aboard the heavy lift ship, BOKA Vanguard needed to ballast down far enough that her main deck level was lower than the draft of the floating drydock, meaning deep water was a requirement. Once the drydock was clear of the pier at the shipyard, four tugs towed it out into open water to meet up with the heavy lift ship for loading. After positioning, BOKA Vanguard deballasted and the engineering team began carefully lashing the drydock to the deck. 

The cargo, the largest floating drydock ever built in Turkey (Kuehne+Nagel)

BOKA Vanguard semi-submerged for loading (Boskalis / Kuehne+Nagel) 

"The process of securing the drydock was not rushed and took several days: every centimeter, every millimeter had to be double-checked. We also had additional support boats on standby to shuttle crew and engineers between the port, the drydock, and the carrier ship," said Aliye. 

When all was secured, BOKA Vanguard got under way from Turkey and headed for Cape Horn, bound for California. As of Thursday she was just outside of Punta Arenas.

BOKA Vanguard has been used as a simple floating drydock herself. In 2019, the cruise ship Carnival Vista had azipod issues that required out-of-water repairs, but the nearest shipyard (in the Bahamas) did not have an available dock. BOKA Vanguard took Carnival Vista aboard, lifted the cruise ship out of the water and transited to the shipyard, where yard staff made the repairs while the Vista was out of the water.

2013-built BOKA Vanguard is the world's biggest semisub heavy lift ship, by a wide margin. At 115,000 dwt and 900 feet in length, she is large enough to move some of the largest offshore rigs and floating production platforms. When submerged to the maximum depth possible for loading, BOKA Vanguard's keel sits more than 100 feet beneath the surface, making her (for brief periods) the deepest-draft merchant ship ever built.

 

The ammonia-fueled vessel sector took another major step forward with the news that Navigator Holdings and Amon Maritime have formed a new joint venture and ordered two ammonia-fueled liquefied ammonia carriers. The news came a day after WinGD reported the installation of the first ammonia-fueled marine engine into a newbuild, and the new joint venture builds on Amon Maritime’s mission to lead the green shift in shipping.

Navigator will own 80 percent of the new company to be known as Navigator Amon Shipping, with Amon owning 20 percent. The company will place the vessels under long-term charters to blue-chip industry leaders. It anticipates the vessels will be on five-year charters. Navigator is already the owner/operator of the world’s largest fleet of handysize liquified gas carriers.

The construction order was placed with Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering in China. Navigator reports an average price for each vessel of $84 million. Deliveries are scheduled for June and October 2028. Operating on ammonia as their primary fuel, the vessels will transport ammonia and be capable of also transporting liquefied petroleum gas with a capacity of 51,530 cubic meters. The project is receiving a NOK 90 million ($9 million) investment grant from Norway’s Enova.

“Expanding our fleet with two modern ammonia carriers capable of using clean ammonia as a fuel, operating in a long-term time charter, is a strategic enabler in meeting the growing demand for a sustainable fuel source in a net-zero economy,” said Mads Peter Zacho, Chief Executive Officer of Navigator. “These modern vessels will be equipped with newly developed technologies that comply with present and future environmental regulations and will thereby deliver great value to both our customers and our shareholders.”

Amon had highlighted the opportunities in ammonia in June when it received its grants from Enova. It said that ammonia is currently primarily transported on a Medium Gas Carrier (MGC). Because the ship is already designed for transporting ammonia, it said that the relative additional cost to convert to ammonia-fueled propulsion in this segment compared to conventional ships will be less than in most other segments.

As it seeks to expand ammonia into more segments of shipping, Amon Maritime also reported it would launch Amon Bulk after securing a NOK 253 million ($24.6 million) grant from Enova to support the construction of two ammonia-powered bulk carriers. The plan for the bulkers calls for one Capesize (180,000 dwt) vessel designed for long-haul transport of heavy bulk commodities. The second vessel will be a Kamsarmax bulk carrier (80,000 to 85,000 dwt). The smaller vessel, it said, would offer greater port flexibility while maintaining high cargo capacity and energy efficiency. 

Amon Bulk reported it is entering the next phase of shipyard evaluation and the tendering process for these vessels. The aim is to order these vessels for delivery by 2029.

It said the developments in ammonia are another key step toward decarbonizing deep-sea shipping.
 

 

For the past decade, the maritime industry has made increasing efforts to improve diversity at the top, most visibly through a focus on gender balance in boardrooms. But while headlines around the number of women appointed to shipping boards suggest progress, the reality is more complex. True transformation does not come from merely increasing representation. It comes from challenging and redefining the deeply embedded assumptions about what leadership looks like.

The majority of shipping companies still recruit board members based on traditional markers of leadership such as long tenure at sea, technical expertise or financial control. These criteria often reward legacy thinking and reinforce a narrow leadership profile. That profile is usually male, often uniform, and almost always aligned with past performance rather than future potential.

This is not just a gender issue. It is a governance issue. When boardrooms lack diversity of experience, thought and style, they are less likely to identify new risks, question groupthink or explore unconventional paths to growth. This matters now more than ever, as the industry faces significant transformation. Climate transition, digital disruption, geopolitical volatility and heightened social accountability are not theoretical challenges. They require board-level leadership that is far more adaptive and forward-looking than in the past.

Through my work leading The Blue MBA at Copenhagen Business School, I have seen the impact that broader and more inclusive leadership can make. Our participants come from across the global maritime value chain, bringing different cultural perspectives, disciplines and leadership styles. They are pushed to question what they think they know, to challenge outdated mindsets and to broaden their strategic understanding of the industry.

That same ethos underpins our Blue Board Leadership Programme. It was launched in response to a clear industry need: better prepared board members who understand the full complexity of maritime leadership today. The program does not train people to slot into outdated governance models. It encourages them to rethink the boardroom itself. That includes preparing women not just to join boards, but to shape them from within.

The push for board diversity must move beyond simply placing more women in existing structures. We must instead evolve the structures themselves. That means reshaping how we define credibility, influence and leadership potential. It means understanding that command-and-control leadership, while useful in operational settings, is not always appropriate in strategic boardroom discussions. Collaborative thinking, emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and openness to ambiguity are increasingly critical boardroom competencies.

We must also look closely at the dynamics that unfold once women are appointed. Too often, women are brought in to fulfil quotas or tick ESG boxes, without being given the same opportunity to shape direction or contribute to meaningful debate. This kind of tokenism undermines both the individual and the board. True inclusion means creating environments where different voices are heard, respected and allowed to influence decisions.

Leadership reform must be part of maritime’s transformation story. Boards need to become spaces where leadership is understood not as a title or CV, but as a mindset and a capability. We must prepare the next generation of board members to think differently, act ethically and lead collaboratively.

Adding more women to maritime boards is essential. But it is not enough. We must also change the conditions in which leadership is exercised. That includes how we select leaders, how we share influence, and which behaviors we choose to value. If we want resilient and relevant maritime organizations, we must stop replicating yesterday’s boardroom in today’s world.

Irene Rosberg is Program Director at The Blue MBA and the Blue Board Leadership Program, Copenhagen Business School.

 

Vinici, which provides energy solutions, reports it has reached an agreement with Wartsila to acquire its Marine Electric Systems business unit, which will be used to enhance the company’s position in the defense market and other industrial sectors. The sale is part of Wartsila’s strategy announced in 2024 to divest of non-core businesses to unlock value in the company.

The sale includes Wartsila SAM Electronics, a company based in Hamburg, Germany, which dates back to 1906 and today is focused on technologies for the maritime sector and energy markets. Vinci acquires the German company, which has approximately 350 employees and full-year revenues of approximately €100 million. Included in the transaction are related assets for a project being executed in Brazil.

“This acquisition will enable Vinci Energies to expand its range of services in the industrial sector and to strengthen its position in the German defense market,” said Vinci announcing the agreement.

SAM Electronics provides complete electrical and electronic system packages for vessels, offering turnkey solutions with extensive systems integration competence, and acts as an EPC contractor for complete electrical packages, typically in close partnership with the shipyard. Its services range from design and planning to engineering and cable installation. It offers the capability to integrate with systems from multiple vendors and provides services across most sectors of the shipping industry. 

Vinci emphasizes the opportunities with naval systems. SAM reports it has participated in many national and international projects. It highlights its contribution to the German Navy, demonstrated through its role with the Class 124 and 125 frigates, Class 130 corvettes, and Class 702 combat support ships. It mains offices in Hamburg, Elmenhorst, Wilhelmshaven, and Bremerhaven. Placing it close to many of the leading German shipyards.

“This agreement is yet another proof point of our Portfolio Business divestment strategy coming to life,” said Bernd Bertram, Head of Portfolio Business, Wärtsilä. “VINCI Energies has deep expertise in complex project-based business and therefore is an ideal match for Marine Electrical Systems. I’m confident that VINCI Energies will provide a solid platform for further business success for the benefit of the customers, partners, and the highly skilled professionals of Marine Electrical Systems.”

Wärtsilä notes that the business had been operated independently to facilitate the divestment. The deal is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2025.
 

 

The National Transportation Safety Board is yet again highlighting an example of distracted navigation through the use of a personal cellphone and other non-operational tasks, which it says contributed to the collision of a towboat on the Lower Mississippi, causing more than $800,000 in damages. Also contributing to the incident, the NTSB reports fatigue and a lack of familiarity with the vessel that was being navigated.

A pilot joined the crew of the towboat William B Klunk on April 17, 2024, at a position near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, along the Lower Mississippi River as the vessel was pushing 22 laden barges from Illinois to Louisiana. There was a crew of 10 aboard, and as is typical, the captain and pilot were splitting the watches and navigation duties.

During the pre-departure planning session, the pilot admitted he had driven overnight 150 miles to join the vessel. He denied fatigue and said he had napped in his car, although the NTSB report on the incident notes that individuals are often a poor judge of their own fatigue. The captain also told investigators he was not concerned about the pilot being fatigued. He warned the pilot that the vessel’s steering was slower to respond than he was familiar with before they got underway. They departed with the pilot navigating and the captain off the bridge.

The vessel was underway for about 1.5 hours, traveling at around 9 knots, and had just completed passing a vessel traveling in the opposite direction when it left the channel and collided with moored barges. Thirteen of the barges in the tow broke away, and three of the moored barges also broke away. There was one minor injury and a total of $810,000 in damages.

During the investigation, the pilot told the NTSB that there had been a steering failure on the towboat. The investigation, however, found no issues that would indicate a steering failure. They concluded that the steering system may not have responded as quickly as the pilot expected, leading him to believe that the vessel lost steering.

Interviews with other vessels showed the pilot had not been responding to radio calls, and the vessel was navigating inconsistently. The NTSB’s investigation found the pilot “engaged in nonoperational, secondary tasks, including taking an administrative call from the company’s safety officer, making a personal phone call on his cell phone, and sending text messages.”

In the six minutes leading up to the collision, the NTSB reports the pilot did not make any rudder or throttle adjustments as the tow moved toward the fleeting area where it hit the moored barges. The onboard image recorded system footage showed the pilot using his personal cell phone and not monitoring the tow’s position 40 seconds before the collision.

“Use of cell phones, including company cell phones (particularly for nonoperational conversations), should never interfere with a watchstander’s primary task to safely navigate a vessel and maintain a proper lookout,” the report said. “To reduce the risk of cell phone distraction, operating companies should establish protocols regarding both personal and work-related cell phone use, and vessel personnel should understand the importance in following them.”

Investigators also determined that the pilot’s fatigue due to limited sleep the night before contributed to the collision. The pilot received about four hours of continuous sleep in the 36 hours before the collision. The pilot’s fatigue was due to his being up nearly 18 hours at the time of the collision.

It also notes that due to his unfamiliarity with the systems on the bridge, the pilot manipulated the wheelhouse steering control panel. They found he inadvertently turned the steering pumps off before the captain reached the bridge and took the helm after the collision. 

The company’s safety officer is also cited as he made a call to the towboat to discuss a non-navigation issue while the pilot was steering the vessel. The call lasted about 15 minutes, the NTSB reports, during which the pilot was told he was being written up for a policy violation (he was wearing shorts, which was against company policy). The NTSB says the safety officer should not have conducted the call when he determined the pilot was navigating, and the lead deckhand later told the NTSB he was on the bridge and the pilot seemed “flustered” from the phone call.
 

 

The burned-out boxship Wan Hai 503 remains under tow and awaiting a confirmed port of refuge, according to Indian shipping authorities.

When Wan Hai 503 suffered a cargo explosion and fire off Kerala on June 9, few expected that the salvage effort for the small container ship would be so protracted. The fire burned through almost all cargo bays forward of the deckhouse, leaving only smoldering wreckage - and the last hot spots have still not been fully extinguished. 39 days later, small amounts of gray smoke and elevated temperatures in Bays 33-37 suggest that pockets of smoldering material remain, though the situation is contained and under control. Temperature readings in the holds suggest a cooling trend. 

The T&T Salvage team has made significant strides in stabilizing Wan Hai 503's condition over the past few weeks. Extensive dewatering efforts have dried out Hold 2 and Hold 3, and the flooding in the engine room has been reduced to less than a meter of water in the bilge. Working through a long spell of rough weather and high swells, the salvage crew has returned the vessel's trim, list and draft closer to a normal state - though containers sodden with firefighting water appear to be adding more weight than would be expected of a normal cargo load. Six salvors are living aboard the burned ship temporarily because rough surface conditions have made transfers too hazardous. 

No arrangements have yet been finalized for a port of refuge, and the team is still working on satisfying the last few safety checklists in their plan prior to entry into port. This includes addressing an excess amount of hydrogen sulfide gas emanating from Hold 7, which prevents personnel from entering without ventilation. 

Luckily, there are no signs of oil leakage outside or inside the vessel, always a key concern for port authorities when considering a refuge request. The soundings of the bunker tanks are not yet completed, but the responders believe that there is about 2,400 tonnes of fuel oil on board. Once a full evaluation of structural integrity and stability is done - including verification of the ship's post-fire longitudinal strength - the team will finalize its preparations for entering a port. 

 

There are five United States Federal Academies - the United States Military Academy at West Point, The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, The United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, The United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and The United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (USMMA). Of the five, four typically have one of their own graduates serving as academy superintendent. Only USMMA sends its midshipmen into war zones - on ships laden with beans, bullets and bunker oil for our military - yet it most often has someone other than one of its own grads as superintendent.

142 of our cadets were lost at sea during World War Two. We are the only one of the academies authorized to have a battle standard replete with pennants from the battles in which we participated. We are the only academy whose graduates are licensed to serve as officers and who graduate with reserve officer commissions in the USNR, USMCR, USAR, USAFR or USCGR.

Unfortunately, we are also the one academy whose superintendent is most often not chosen from among its own graduates. This is unfair to the brave men and women who will serve as cadets or as officers aboard our ships in the next war's battle zone.

We, the undersigned, ask that you please take an active part in promoting a Kings Point graduate to be our next USMMA Superintendent. Our midshipmen deserve a leader who has sailed on his/her license, who knows our traditions and understands the future needs of our nation.

Respectfully,

Kings Point Class of 1975, co-signatories, family and friends

Kevin Coulson

Mike Morris

Mark G. Baranello

Larry Kelly

Russ Bauer

Neal McCraw

Steve Ackley

Robert C. Baldwin

Larry Cosgriff

Thomas Heffernan

Joseph Dixon

Nick Weltmann  

Peter DeChadenedes

Warren Heidt

Michael Masciale

John ReShore

Don Fogel

Bill Vallaster

Richard Bense

Mark Brannigan

Jeffrey Hakala

Frederick Leo Ebers

Skip Dubrin

Donald Pastor

Eddie G. Maxwell

Robert Baldwin

Keene Little

Clifford Jagoe

Frank Atcheson

Kenneth Nelson

Chris Nelson

Mike Corney

Robert Herman

Jim Knoepffler

Donal L. Staples Jr.

Stuart Pitts

Charlie Cheatom

Thomas A. Fedoration

Frederick C. Berg III

Thomas A. King

James Brodt

Peter Wishart

Eric Schiller

Steve Meyers

Kathleen Tanton

Mark Brannigan

Francis X. (Biff) Broderick

Alan Pelletier

Gregg Runkel

Kennett Backus

Jim Shettig

Dave Petty

William Leigh

Charles Anthony Nunez

Alexander Barry Williams

Ken and Debbie Halsall

Russian port operator FSUE Rosmorport has launched a tender seeking inspectors for vessels arriving at its Baltic seaports. According to the Moscow Times, the inspections will be checking below the waterline and the underside of vessels, looking for unknown objects and possible explosives.

The newspaper highlights that the tender was launched after a series of unexplained incidents in the seaports. The last took place two weeks ago when the LPG carrier Eco Wizard had what the authorities reported as a minor leak of ammonia” while loading. The newspaper reports that the Telegram channel Baza called the incident sabotage and said there had been an explosion. The report said there were two holes found in the hull, and the metal was bent inward, suggesting it came from an external force.

The first vessel reported damaged was in February, also alongside the terminal in Ust-Luga. Official reports sought to downplay the incident, but the local authorities were quick to call it sabotage.

The Moscow Times reports Rosmorport is offering four contracts with a total value of $39.5 million for the underwater inspections. The companies will be using sonar equipment, unmanned vehicles, and other tools, and will be responsible for analyzing the images, looking for possible explosives. They will inspect the propeller and rudder system, thrusters, bow bulb, sea chests, and other underwater areas.

The contracts are split into the different ports, with a total of four available. One covers St. Petersburg, another Ust-Luga and Primorsk, a third for Vysotsk and Vyborg, and finally Kaliningrad.

Companies have till July 24 to enter the auction. Winners will be reported on August 4.
 

A new tweendecker preparing for its maiden voyage caught fire while docked in the Port of Antwerp yesterday, July 16. Ships in the port, as well as nearby residents, were being warned to use caution because of the smoke coming from the fire.

The Antwerp Fire Department said it received a call about the fire at 10:30 am local time and it sent crews to aid a fireboat that was fighting the fire aboard the FWN Adriatic (12,500 dwt). The vessel was loaded with cars and plasterboard.

Operator ForestWave, which recently allied with Spliethoff Group, had posted online that the vessel was “loading in North Europe and heading towards beautiful destinations in the Indian Ocean.” It was set to be the maiden voyage of the new ship, which is registered in the Netherlands.

It is the fourth ship of the company’s new Ecobox XL design. Measuring 144 meters (472 feet), shipbuilder Ferus Smit highlights that the design has its focus on loading extra-long items, such as windmill blades, while at the same time still maintaining its good capabilities as a general cargo ship. The new class is 21 meters (69 feet) longer than the earlier ships, extending her box-shaped hold to more than 100 meters in length on the tanktop, and 112 meters above the movable tweendeck level. The new ships are 18 meters wide, enhancing the cargo deadweight further, and maintaining flexibility of loading while keeping a very low resistance on both flat water and in waves.

The fire department reports that it was able to contain some of the smoke by closing hatch covers. It also decided to use CO2 to stop the fire, as it would further reduce the smoke. Although that method was expected to require several hours to completely extinguish the fire.