The sanctioned shipowner behind a fleet of Russian sealift ships says that the freighter that went down near the Strait of Gibraltar this week was sunk by a "terrorist attack."

At some point between 1050 and 1230 hours on Monday, the sanctioned heavy lift ship Ursa Major was under way east of the Strait of Gibraltar when she sustained an explosion in the engine room. A Spanish Navy patrol ship, the Salvamento Maritimo response vessel Clara Campoamor, and a good Samaritan vessel - the Sparta, another sanctioned Russian cargo ship - came to the aid of the crew. The vessel listed and ultimately sank; 14 seafarers were rescued and two remain missing. 

AlmaPlusTV | Carguero Ruso Ursa Major: ataque terrorista en el Mediterráneo

?? El carguero ruso Ursa Major sufrió un ataque terrorista en el mar Mediterráneo, provocando su naufragio. La tragedia dejó a 16 miembros de la tripulación en peligro, de los cuales 14 lograron ser… pic.twitter.com/ASXgPSUO0Q

— Alma Plus Tv (@almaplustv) December 25, 2024

Ursa Major was carrying two large crawler cranes as deck cargo, and her owner confirmed that Vladivostok was her destination - but many analysts are skeptical that she was headed out of the Mediterranean. Russian forces are in the midst of an apparent relocation out of Syria, and have evacuated all warships of the Mediterranean Flotilla from their longtime base at Tartus. The cranes could be of use in this sealift effort, potentially at the flotilla's next overseas home port. 

Ursa Major was a small heavy lift ro/ro freighter operated by sanctioned Russian defense company Oboronlogistika. She served the Russian military's Crimea-to-Tartus route many times over the years, and the U.S. Treasury sanctioned her by name in May 2022.  

According to Oboronlogistika, the sinking was an attack. The company told state media outlet RIA Novosti that "three successive explosions occurred on the starboard side, in the area of ??the stern." A bystander video shows the vessel listing to starboard, but the outlet reported that she took on a "left side" list of 25 degrees before sinking. 

Oboronlogistika asserted that Ursa Major was carrying 129 empty containers and two cranes, but no other cargo.

 

On Christmas Day, the EstLink2 subsea power cable between Finland and Estonia went dark, prompting speculation of a "hybrid" sabotage attack on subsea infrastructure in the Baltic. 

At 1226 hours local time on Wednesday, the Finnish utility Fingrid detected an outage on the EstLink2, a DC power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. It is not known whether the disconnection occurred below the water or on land, and Fingrid is investigating. The cable has malfunctioned on its own in the past: in January, an internal short circuit took it offline for months.  

"Nothing is ruled out, all stones and stumps are being turned and we will see what causes it. Yes, [sabotage] is also considered an option," a company spokesman told Finnish outlet Iltalehti. Backup power capacity is available, and the outage is not expected to have an immediate impact on the electricity supply for consumers and businesses. 

Twice in the past year, Chinese-flagged vessels have almost certainly severed subsea cables on the Baltic seafloor by dredging their anchors for long distances, European investigators believe. Quietly, sources close to the inquiries have suggested that at least one of these vessels may have acted at the direction of Russian intelligence. 

In the current geopolitical environment, attention has quickly turned to possible suspects for the latest outage. Future investigative targets could include the Chinese container ship Xin Xin Tian 2 and the Cook Islands-flagged tanker Eagle S, both of which were nearby at the time of the break. 

Xin Xin Tian 2 was in the area, but her AIS track appears to show no signs of slowing or maneuvering over the site of the cable break. As of Wednesday night, the Chinese vessel had not altered course or speed and was still under way outbound in the Baltic. 

Eagle S's last port of call was Ust-Luga, Russia. AIS data shows that she slowed down over the charted cable during the time period in question. The tanker later performed a round turn, took all way off and stopped in Finnish waters. She was joined by the Finnish Coast Guard patrol vessel Turva, a sign of a possible interdiction. Turva was also involved in the response to the Yi Peng 3 case in November, noted open source intelligence analysts. 

Eagle S is an 18-year-old tanker that recently changed ownership, name and flag registry, and she is now tied to operating interests in India and the UAE. Combined with her recent call at a Russian oil port and recent inspection record, these factors may be associated with Russia-linked "dark fleet" operations. 

Her last two port state control inspections recorded a combined 33 deficiencies, including issues related to watertightness, structural integrity, alarm systems, firefighting and electrical systems. 

Finnish police have confirmed to Reuters that they are investigating the possibility of a vessel's involvement. 

 

Two new emissions filter barges developed by a company called STAX are preparing to enter service. One of the barges will be deployed in an expansion of the service at the Port of Benicia while the other barge will be the first dedicated to tankers at the Port of Los Angeles.

The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) new regulations that go into effect in 2025 extend the requirements to reduce emissions for on-berth vessels. The rules phase in an expansion to cover more containerships, tankers, and car carriers. Shore power is one alternative while STAX offers a service where a barge is positioned alongside and a cap placed over the funnel to capture exhaust and filter it through the technology on the barge. STAX has been recognized as a grantee of CARB.

The company announced in April 2024 an exclusive agreement with AMPORTS, an automotive ports logistics and processing solutions provider. It was the fourth such agreement in just eight weeks and called for STAX to provide a new barge, its fourth, that will be deployed under an exclusive service agreement with AMPORTS. NYK has announced a partnership with STAX to service its auto carriers at the Port of Benicia.

 

Fifth barge completing outfitting before its 2025 introduction (STAX)

 

STAX reports its fourth barge is now complete and will soon be heading to the Port of Benecia. The port is a critical point of entry for vessels from Asia., Europe, and Mexico. At the port, AMPORTS handles roughly 260,000 imported vehicles annually. That equates to approximately 20 percent of the vehicles imported by sea into California.

The company also reports that the finishing touches are placed on its fifth barge which will be deployed in 2025 to the Port of Los Angeles. STAX and Shell Oil Products (Equilon Enterprises) entered into a five-year agreement for STAX to service tankers calling at the Port of Los Angeles’ Shell Mormon Island Terminal.

The agreement anticipates that STAX will provide approximately 1,600 hours of emissions capture and control per year making it the first company to service tankers in California. It projects it will treat more than 150 tons of emissions over the lifetime of the partnership.

STAX highlights that it is providing services at the Ports of Benicia, Log Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. The new CARB rules also target smaller commercial port vessels including tugs as they seek to show incremental improvements in emissions in and around California’s ports.

 

Chinese officials are reporting the successful sea trials of what they are calling the world’s largest heavy lift vessel. Commentators are comparing its lift capacity to that of China’s domestically built aircraft carrier.

Named Fan Zhou 8, the vessel reportedly has a capacity for over 58,000 metric tons of cargo. The massive lift deck is reported to be 11,700 square meters. They report this gives the vessel the capability to transport ultra-large components such as offshore oilfield jackets, platform modules, port machinery, components for offshore wind power, and more.

Built by the Taizhou Zhonghang Shipyard for Jiangsu Fanzhou Shipping, the vessel completed five days of sea trials between December 16 and 20 in the seas east of Shanghai. The ship reportedly achieved a top speed exceeding 15 knots powered by two 8,340 kW main engines and two 1,200 kW bow thrusters. The power plant is fully redundant. During the sea trials, they report it was escorted by tugboats but used its autonomous navigation capabilities. 

Among the other capabilities that are being highlighted for Fan Zhou 8 is the ability to operate in waters with small floating ice. They are calling the vessel polar-ready. The China Classification Society (CCS) highlights among the notations are brake system remote control capabilities, automation notations, and additional green notations that meets the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention and the European Union.

 

Vessel was launched in October 2024 (CCS)

 

The ship measures approximately 840 feet (256 meters) in length and with a beam of 167 feet (51 meters). It has a range of 16,000 nautical miles.

China has developed a large fleet of heavy lift vessels. Among the other uses, they deliver ship-to-shore and port cranes fully assembled from China to ports around the world. Analysts also argue that the fleet has critical military capabilities for China’s navy.

 

Let's start with you, Adam. Tell us about yourself – your background and education.

I was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and moved to Kansas City, Kansas in the sixth grade. My Dad worked for General Electric and my Mom was a school teacher. Both are retired now. I have an older brother and that made me very competitive, likely driving me to succeed. My brother and I played ice hockey from before we could walk, my Dad often being the coach of the team, and soccer as well.

After high school I went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, majoring in Engineering Systems, and was valedictorian of the Class of 2000. I sailed for a year on steam-powered oil tankers and then went back to school at MIT where I earned two master's degrees. I originally enrolled for a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, a two-year program, but enjoyed it so much I stayed for another M.S. in Oceans Systems Management. I was captain of the hockey team all three years.

How did you find your way to the maritime industry?

It was totally random that I got into maritime and totally random that I got into maritime labor, but I found my home in both.

My high school soccer coach told me about Kings Point because he had sons that went to service academies, and I was looking for a free technical college. I chose USMMA despite the fact I had never seen a ship or even visited the school. Kings Point was great for me. I needed the discipline of the first year and was part of the pistol team, winning some championships. Sea Year had an enormous impact on me and my view of the world. It validated the self-sufficiency I had always striven for because on a ship there's not much help around. And seeing the world expanded my mind, my perspective, and made me hungry to see and learn more.

The day I graduated from Kings Point I drove to M.E.B.A.'s New York hall and signed up. Took the summer off and then flew to the Los Angeles Union Hall and caught my first job off the board with Alaska Tanker Company as a Third Assistant Engineer. After MIT, I worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines (also M.E.B.A.) and had a multitude of engineering positions onboard their vessels in Hawaii. I worked for NCL from 2004 to 2007 and then 2011 to 2013.

In between I was the Honolulu Hall Union Representative for M.E.B.A. That job, the beginning of my career in labor, found me. I was recently off a ship and someone unbeknownst to me had recommended me for the position. The union leadership reached out and asked if I was interested, and I decided to give it a try – who wouldn't want a job in Hawaii? I previously had no interest in union leadership (just never considered it), so this labor career, just like my maritime career, totally found me and I just happened to grab the opportunities when they arose.

In 2014, after securing my Chief Engineer's license, I was elected West Coast EVP, based in Oakland, California. I held that position for seven years, then ran for M.E.B.A. President and was elected, effective January 1, 2021. M.E.B.A. officer elections are in process right now, but I'm running unopposed – the first time that's happened since the year I was born, 1978.

Wow, what a great story! Did you ever think you'd be a union leader?

No, never, but now I can't imagine anything more rewarding. I was often captain of sports teams, but I never was interested in the political side of things like class president. I enjoy serving as an elected union officer enormously because I invest most of my effort improving the union and the lives of its members and their families. I really bought into the old maritime adage that you should always leave a ship better than you found it. I try to live my life that way and thrive on improving the things that I can.

I'm also blessed to be part of a solid and hardworking leadership team. We complement each other extremely well with each executive team member focusing on the chores he or she excels at.

Is M.E.B.A. the biggest U.S. maritime union? We know it's the oldest.

We're the premier sailing officers' union, but the longshore unions and SIU have more members.

The Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) was historically known as a union representing marine engineers, and that remains the majority of its work. But through the years we've built a reputation for securing the best contracts, work rules and benefits in the industry. Our ability to negotiate favorable terms and provide robust support for our members has been a key factor in our growth.

So we have contracts that represent virtually every shipboard position onboard tugs, ferries, cruise ships, Jones Act vessels and deep-sea vessels of all kinds, but primarily deck and engine officers. Deck officers, recognizing the value of these benefits, have been drawn to M.E.B.A., finding it to be a union that not only meets but often exceeds their professional and personal needs, especially since it provides a much higher defined benefit pension than any other deep-sea union.

We continue to attract a diverse workforce – both deck and engine, officers and unlicensed, and related shoreside positions.

How many offices and training centers are there? Are there any international operations?

M.E.B.A. does not use a "local" system as we are "national union," but we have 14 union halls around the country as well as a headquarters in Washington, D.C. located across the street from the north lawn of the Capitol. In addition, we have benefit plan offices in Baltimore and a trade association with our employers – the American Maritime Congress – based here in Washington.

What makes M.E.B.A. different from other maritime unions?

We're different in how we're adapting to generational changes in the workforce. We still maintain our tried-and-true, transparent union hall system for obtaining most work, but we're simultaneously laser-focused on providing what the next generation wants: a multitude of varying opportunities that mesh with individuals' and families' evolving needs.

For example, most newly-licensed officers are unwilling to commit to sailing deep sea for the next 30 years. Instead, after maybe five years at sea, they might want to fill a home-based billet (with a ferry system, say) for a few years in order to start a family, or they may need to take an extended leave to care for a family member. We've been aggressively securing maritime-related shoreside work to achieve this, opportunities like shipyard work, port engineering, port captains, sea trial officers, facility engineers and so on.

We're also uniquely positioned as perhaps the only entity in existence that has skilled deck and engine officers on standby, located throughout the country, ready to work today just about anywhere.

That's a very attractive option to offer to a company. Nobody else has the surge capacity we have (half our workforce is routinely on leave and available). We're able to convert this feature into mutually beneficial contracts with employers who need it.

Eventually, many who move through these alternate paths return to the seagoing life, which benefits them, the union, the industry and our country. Without the flexibility M.E.B.A. provides, many of these highly skilled and experienced engineers would likely have left the maritime industry entirely. And when you leave the industry, you almost never come back.

I find that the new generation of officers greatly values these various career opportunities, all of which expand and grow their knowledge, thereby upgrading their market value while at the same time enhancing their quality of life and that of their families.

There's a generational change taking place in the U.S. merchant marine with older members retiring and not too many new ones coming in.

It's something you've talked about a lot. Tell us more about it and what can be done to change it. How do you attract young men and women to a life at sea?

There's still plenty of adventure in traveling the world although, admittedly, not nearly at the level of prior generations, who had longer port stays, larger crews and more accommodating shore leave rules. The life of a sailor today is very isolating and more pure work than play. On the other hand, the Internet has greatly reduced the crushing isolation to some degree, and improved safety and comfort standards are welcome.

However, the simplest way to increase interest in maritime careers is to reestablish a healthy pay differential between a sea career versus one on land to compensate for the dangers and sacrifices of a life at sea. Since none of us has the ability to do that overnight, M.E.B.A.'s initiative to provide diverse work options is the next best thing. We're hopeful it will drive new recruits and lengthen the careers of mentors. We'll continue to improve quality of life where we can, of course, but the bottom line is, like anywhere else, the bottom line.

You've been hailed as a new and young leader, more in tune with the next generation of seafarers, and you and your team at M.E.B.A. have been credited with a "new vision" for the future of maritime. Tell us more about that.

Thank you. We are indeed a younger group of leaders, which perhaps leaves us naturally in better position to understand the mindsets of potential recruits. Gone are the days when highly educated and skilled people work quietly for the same company for 30 years. We're in an era of job-hopping every few years, social media and more accessible options. Understanding how to market and recruit in the new environment will, we hope, keep us relevant.

It takes a long time to make a seasoned deck officer or engineer. M.E.B.A. is working hard to give our members several paths to become one.

What's your biggest challenge right now?

Growth. It's the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity, particularly during a maritime labor shortage.

What's a typical day like for you? Are you on the road a lot?

I've got three young kids, so I restrict my travel to essentials as I can. I'm glad we found virtual meetings during the pandemic as that has saved me and the world a lot of travel time for short meetings. I'm also glad I have very capable officials working alongside me. It allows me not to have to be everywhere at once.

How would you describe your management style?

Team-and consensus-based. I listen very intently to every opinion and incorporate them into my thinking. I much prefer making logical arguments, inspiring action and change, as opposed to giving orders or making demands without proper explanation. I don't mind if people make mistakes as long as they're putting in the effort and have the right intent. This mindset works for me, as a high-morale team will always outperform a beaten-down team over time.

It's a similar approach with the companies. I know both the union and company must be successful if the relationship is going to work long-term. Sometimes companies get too focused on account codes but don't see how they relate to each other. My approach is to share our perspective and detail how improving this cost item will generally decrease that other cost item more, saving money in the long run and resulting in a better product.

We demand the best contracts, and we therefore must deliver the best product to our companies. It's a win-win model.

Tony Munoz is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Maritime Executive.

 

Early Sunday morning, a U.S. Navy cruiser accidentally shot down a U.S. Navy fighter jet over the Red Sea, forcing the two pilots to eject. The Navy confirmed the incident on the 22nd, but two days later, Fox News reported a previously undisclosed detail: a second missile narrowly missed hitting a second fighter. 

"It was a tanker crew [an F/A-18 fitted for in-flight refueling] returning to land on the carrier about 10 miles out," an undisclosed source told Fox. The aircraft was returning from a refueling mission in support of strike fighters operating over Yemen. 

"[The pilots] recognized the missile was guiding and punched out about 3 seconds before the missile hit the jet," the source said. The pilots safely ejected and were retrieved, though one had minor injuries. 

The second jet was also lining up to land and was several miles behind. The second missile narrowly missed it by as little as 100 feet, the source said; the Navy is investigating whether its guidance system had been shut off, and whether it was targeted at the second jet, according to Fox. 

The Navy's initial report suggested that a single F/A-18 was involved in the incident, and that it had been "flying off the USS Harry S. Truman." The source told Fox that this was incorrect, and that two jets had been lining up for landing onto the USS Harry S. Truman.  

The Navy confirmed that the USS Gettysburg - the carrier strike group's cruiser - was responsible for the missile launch. 

The friendly-fire incident occurred after a UAV and missile barrage launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to U.S. Central Command - a possible contributing factor in the misidentification of the incoming F/A-18s as an incoming threat. Air defense watchstanders in the tight confines of the Red Sea operating area have seconds to decide whether to launch countermeasures against Houthi antiship missiles.  

Japan Accelerates Offshore Wind with Projects Involving BP, JERA, Marubeni, and Others

Japan selected two consortiums to develop offshore wind projects as it seeks to accelerate its renewable energy programs. Combined the two projects would provide over 1 GW of energy and one could be one of the largest offshore wind farms yet developed in Japan.

The country’s third round solicitation had run during the half of 2024 and was being closely followed in the industry. Previously, Japan attracted Iberdrola and RWE for projects. The winners of this round included BP and JERA, which separately have announced plans to combine their operations, as well as participation in the consortiums from Marubeni, Tokyo Gas, Kansai Electric Power, and others.

The winners were selected jointly by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. The Ministries highlight the experience of the companies including JERA which has projects in Taiwan and Europe and partner Green Power Investment Co. which managed the entire process for the Ishikari Bay New Port Offshore Wind Farm which started operation in May 2024 with 112 MW and Wind Farm Tsugaru, which started operations in January 2024 with a capacity of 122 MW. The two projects are among the largest in the country currently.

Both the projects selected in this next round are for fixed-bottom wind farms which will be placed closer to shore. Japan’s offshore topography limits the opportunities for fixed-bottom wind farms with the expectation that it will need to deploy floating wind farms to reach its power goals.

One project will be located in the Sea of Japan offshore of Aomori Prefecture in the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu. It will consist of 41 turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa with a total capacity of 615 MW, making it one of the largest offshore wind power generation projects in Japan. The Tsugaru Offshore Energy Consortium consists of JERA, Green Power, and Tohoku Electric Power.

Slightly further to the south also on the Sea of Japan offshore of Yuza Town in Yamagata Prefecture the second project will consist of 30 Siemens Gamesa turbines for a total capacity of 450 MW. The Yamagata Yuza Offshore consortium consists of Marubeni, BP, Kansai Electric Power, Tokyo Gas, and Marutaka. 

The sites were selected by the government in October 2023. The ministries report the two projects will each start operations in June 2030. The country’s goal is for 10 GW by 2030 and 45 GW by 2040 from offshore wind.

A dry bulk carrier flagged in Cyprus is facing the prospect of being aground for a few days in Canada’s St. Lawrence River. There is no sign of pollution or water ingress, but the vessel is stuck outside the channel with a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard telling the Montreal Gazette the plan to refloat the ship could be delayed by the Christmas holiday.

The Maccoa (30,898 dwt) departed Montreal at approximately 2300 on December 23 but only made it a short distance to the north on the river to the area of Ile Marie and Vercheres where it became stuck at around 0100 on December 24. The Canadian Coast Guard is reporting the vessel is “sideways outside the navigation channel.” It is not obstructing traffic on the river.

The circumstances of the incident were not reported, but local media is saying the vessel might have experienced a loss of power. There are no reports of injuries or pollution.  

The Coast Guard told the Montreal Gazette that it is coordinating with the pilot authority, Transport Canada, and the vessel’s operators for a plan to free the ship. They said it could “take a few days” to finalize the plan.

The ship which is 607 feet (185 meters) in length appears to be riding high without a cargo. It was outbound for Waterford, Ireland. It is managed by Navarone of Greece.

It is not the first time the vessel has had navigation challenges on the St. Lawrence. In 2018, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued a report about another incident with the same ship. It was inbound loaded with 18,830 tonnes of salt rock in bulk. The Maccoa had departed Montreal bound for Johnstown, Ontario with a pilot aboard.

The Maccoa in the prior incident was near the Côte Sainte-Catherine Lock in the South Shore Channel of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a bridge crossing the canal failed to be lifted to create clearance. The pilot took a series of maneuvers attempting to slow the ship while staying in the channel. The ship’s bow thruster was not working, and it was moving to the right side of the channel. The pilot was eventually able to regain control but not before the vessel was presumed to have made bottom contact. A later survey reported no damage from touching bottom but the TSB was investigating why the bridge was slow to be raised and why the vessel lost control while attempting to slow in the river.

Earlier this month, another Laker was freed from the river south of Montreal after having been aground for more than three weeks. In that case, the Tim S. Dool required cranes to partially offload its cargo before tugs were able to pull it free and back into the shipping channel.

Season's greetings from The Maritime Executive! Thank you for visiting our website, subscribing to our newsletter and reading our magazine.

Whether you're a shipowner, shipbuilder, merchant mariner, a supplier or in vessel operations, The Maritime Executive promises to meet your industry news and information needs in 2025. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 

 

After years of delays, design challenges and costs overruns, the U.S Coast Guard (USCG) is finally set to begin the construction of the lead vessel in a class of new heavy polar icebreakers, the first to be built in the country in more than five decades.

The USCG and the Navy Integrated Program Office received approval on December 19 to begin building the first ship, which will be called Polar Sentinel. The USCG announced that the approval incorporates eight prototype fabrication assessment units (PFAUs) currently being built or planned.

“The PFA has prepared the government and the shipbuilder to begin construction of the PSC class, resulting in more precise, cost-effective and reliable construction processes,” said the Coast Guard in a statement.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reckons the ship will cost $1.9 billion, which is far above the original estimate when the USGC awarded the construction contract to VT Halter Marine in April 2019. VT Halter Marine was acquired by Bollinger Shipyards, and has since been renamed Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding.

The approval to start the construction of the lead vessel now means the USCG can embark on the much-delayed program. If all goes according to the revised plan, delivery of Polar Sentinel is scheduled for 2029, five years later than the original timeline provided by VT Halter.

Construction of the lead ship has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, and has left the U.S. lagging behind rivals China and Russia, which have both invested in a growing fleet of modern heavy icebreakers.  

The program is technically challenging, and requires relearning skills that have not been exercised since Polar Star and Polar Sea were built in the 1970s. Construction is not straightforward: the hull plating of a heavy icebreaker has to be much thicker to enable it to endure thick ice. A special-purpose steel alloy also ensures the hull will be capable of remaining flexible even in extremely low temperatures. Deeper, more closely spaced structural stiffeners inside the hull will ensure the ship doesn’t crumple when it encounters large ice floes; this additional internal structure results in a highly compartmentalized interior belowdecks. 

Polar Sentinel will be the lead ship in the PSC program, with the subsequent two ships averaging about $1.6 billion each. CBO has highlighted that given the estimates, the three-ship PSC program would cost $5.1 billion, about 60 percent more than the Coast Guard’s current estimate of $3.2 billion. Operating and supporting a force of three heavy icebreakers is expected to cost $12.4 billion between 2029 and 2063, when those ships would be in service. If the Coast Guard acquires more than three ships, operating costs would be higher and would continue for a longer period.

In the meantime, the USCG's icebreaker program must grapple with the challenges of aging tonnage until Polar Sentinel arrives. The 400-foot heavy icebreaker Polar Star was commissioned in 1976, while the 420-foot medium icebreaker Healy has been in operation since 2000. Just this week, the USCG completed the $125 million acquisition of commercial polar icebreaker Aiviq to provide bridging capacity and increase operational presence in the Arctic ahead of the PSC fleet deliveries.  

The USCG contends that having more polar icebreakers is critical to guarantee year-round presence of at least one vessel in the east Arctic and another in the west Arctic, as well as the half-time presence of a ship in the Antarctic. This will enable the U.S. to counter the increasing economic and geopolitical competition in the Arctic from China and Russia.

 

Russia is facing increasing difficulties in recovering its position in the Mediterranean and the Levant, following the overthrow by President Bashar Al Assad in Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

As was predictable, Russian claims to be negotiating a continuance of its basing in Syria with its new leaders proved to be bluster. Given the Russians’ long history of terror bombing of civilian targets during the civil war, its provision of asylum to the fleeing Assad family, and having accused the HTS leader Ahmed Al Sharaa of being a CIA spy, the Syrians saw no benefit in prolonging the Russian presence. HTS has now made it clear that it sees no continuing role in Syria for either Russia or Iran.

In the meantime, the Russians have pulled back from their positions in Syria’s interior, concentrating the forces remaining at their airbase at Khmeimim and at Tartus on Syria’s coast, off which the remnants of Russia’s Mediterranean flotilla still lingers. It has been somewhat surprising that the Russians have been able to execute this withdrawal unscathed and without interference, which must be considered a credit to the discipline applied to Syria’s various armed factions by the new HTS leadership.

The Russians are likely to have explored any possibility of keeping a presence in the Mediterranean area, in particular to service their interests in North Africa. The most likely option is in eastern Libya, in the area controlled by the renegade Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar. Nonetheless, at a time when its war maintenance reserves are severely depleted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia’s military hardware marooned in Syria is a valuable and urgently needed resource that could have a major impact on the Ukrainian battlefield, a development which Ukraine would seriously wish to sabotage. To make the shift, helicopters, and high-value air defense units can be flown out, but armored vehicles, heavy equipment, and munition stockpiles need to be moved by sealift.

Hence the sighting in transit the Straits of Gibraltar on December 23 of two Ropucha Class landing ships (Alexander Otrakovsky (L031) and Alexander Shabalin (L110)) and the improved landing ship Ivan Gren (L135), in company with cargo vessels Sparta and Ursa Major often seen previously on the route to Tartus. Being shipped as deck cargo on the Ursa Major were two dockside cranes - not needed in well-equipped Tartus, but probably a necessity to build up one of the under-developed ports in Libya which the Russians may have contemplated adopting as their new Mediterranean base.

 The Libyan option may have sunk when later on December 23, the Ursa Major foundered off Oran as a consequence apparently of an engine room explosion. If the evacuation convoy now needs to take the long route back to the Baltic instead, the Ukrainians are likely to be keenly and actively interested in preventing its safe arrival in Russia.

The Russian withdrawal from Syria also has implications for regional politics within the immediate neighborhood. Turkey is evidently keen to fill the vacuum left by the Russians, inspired by memories of Ottoman rule in the Levant and dreaming already of a revival of the Hejaz Railway destroyed by the Arab Revolt. However, autonomy of the Kurdish northeast of Syria is likely to prove an enduring obstacle to Turkish ambitions.

Elsewhere in the region, a realignment is in progress; for transactional purposes some countries have hitherto sought to treat the West and Russia as equals, and in their own best interests may now be seeking to distance themselves from those they had previously lauded as the best of friends.

 

A former Marine Corps jump-jet pilot who gave up his U.S. citizenship faces extradition to the United States, where he will answer charges that he trained Chinese military pilots how to take off and land from an aircraft carrier. He leaves behind a wife and six children in Australia, his adopted homeland. 

According to his biography, Maj. Daniel Edmund Duggan (USMC, ret'd) is a former AV-8B Harrier II pilot who served for 13 years in the Marine Corps. At the time of his service in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Harrier was the USMC's primary fighter and close air support aircraft, and squadrons of AV-8Bs still regularly deploy today with Marine Amphibious Ready Groups aboard the U.S. Navy's big-deck amphibs. 

According to an official biography from his former company, Duggan also served as an air combat instructor for the USMC. In retirement, he moved to Australia and founded a company called Top Gun Tasmania, which specialized in providing for-hire flights for the general public in military trainer aircraft. Duggan sold this company and moved to China in 2014, where he founded an aviation company called AVIBIZ Limited in Qingdao. Two years later, he renounced his U.S. citizenship at the U.S. embassy in Beijing.

Duggan returned to Australia and was arrested in October 2022, following a request from the U.S. government, and he was held without bail pending extradition hearings. 

A federal indictment charges Duncan with conspiring to provide defense services to China without prior U.S. government authorization, despite a U.S. defense articles embargo on the Chinese government. The objective of the alleged conspiracy was to enable a South African consultancy to provide the PLA Navy with aircraft carrier takeoff and landing training. 

In furtherance of this goal, the co-conspirators allegedly bought a T-2 Buckeye trainer from an American dealer, without informing the dealer of the intended Chinese end-user. Duggan had no part in this equipment transfer, but was hired to provide "evaluation of [Chinese] military pilot trainees, testing of naval aviation related equipment, and instruction on the tactics, techniques and procedures" for carrier takeoff and landing, according to federal prosecutors. The indictment alleges that he made multiple trips to China and was paid tens of thousands of dollars - wired through the U.S. financial services system - for military flight training and evaluation services over the course of 2011-12. 

Duggan's co-conspirators included another former American fighter pilot who had served in the U.S. Navy, according to the indictment.

Duggan strenuously denies any wrongdoing and claims that he was only training civilian pilots in China. In court, he attempted to prevent the Australian government from sending him back to the U.S., asserting that the charges are politically motivated and that he could not be guaranteed a fair trial in U.S. courts. He lost the case, and a final personal appeal to Australia's attorney general was not successful. Despite a high-profile advocacy campaign organized by his family, he will be flown back to the U.S. to stand trial on charges of money laundering and arms trafficking. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison, and his family's two homes in Australia may be subject to forfeiture.  

 

On Monday evening, a small passenger vessel exploded and burned alongside the pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, killing one and injuring five. 

Just before 1800 hours, a blast rocked the quay at Lauderdale Marina, a dealership and fuel dock just north of Port Everglades. A 37-foot boat exploded violently when its engines fired up, startling passersby. Security camera video footage showed that the boat's main deck separated from the hull due to the force of the explosion.  

"It was like a boom, kind of, and I turned around and the whole dock was already on fire," one witness told local station WSVN. 

The explosion killed one passenger, identified as Quebec resident Sebastien Gauthier, 40. Gauthier went into the water in the blast, and his body was recovered by a dive team later in the evening. 

??????????FLORIDA MARINA EXPLOSION LEAVES 1 DEAD, 5 HURT

Yesterday’s boat explosion at Lauderdale Marina left one person dead and five hospitalized, three with severe injuries. The incident happened at a fuel station, quickly spreading to nearby boats and setting the dock ablaze.

A… pic.twitter.com/iMm1dzbuBi

— Shah Faisal AfRidi (@Sfaisalafridi) December 24, 2024

The other five passengers of the boat survived the blast and were evacuated to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment, including three people with serious trauma injuries. The boat continued to burn and ignited a second vessel located nearby; both fires were extinguished, and the vessels will be hoisted out of the water for forensic examination. 

An investigation into the cause of the explosion is under way, led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. It is the second time this month that a boat has exploded at the Lauderdale Marina: the previous blast occurred during fueling, and one person was evacuated for treatment for burns.

[By: AST Reygar]

AST Reygar, a leading maritime solutions provider and part of AST Networks, is excited to announce the upcoming launch of a cutting-edge front-end dashboard for its award-winning vessel monitoring system, BareFLEET. Designed with user-friendliness at its core, this new software aims to enhance usability for operators across the maritime sector. 

Set to go live early into 2025, the dashboard introduces intuitive features that provide vessel operators with actionable insights into fuel consumption, operational efficiency, engine alerts and overall fleet performance. This fosters valuable conversations around efficiency and best practises, helping operators make informed decisions to reduce their fuel consumption, operational costs, and environmental impact. 

With system testing already underway, a trial phase set for December will allow select users to explore the platform, culminating in the official launch in January 2025.

“BareFLEET has always been recognised for its ability to deliver reliable, real-time vessel performance data,” said Daniel Clark, General Manager at AST Reygar . “With this new dashboard, we’re making that information more accessible and actionable for operators, supporting their drive towards greener, more efficient operations.”

The BareFLEET dashboard will be available to new and existing users, offering seamless integration with AST Reygar’s existing platform. 

 

The owner and operator of a Greek product tanker along with two engineers working on the vessel have each pleaded guilty in the latest U.S. Coast Guard MARPOL violation case. The fines totaled more than $4.5 million for offenses including discharging oily waste into the U.S. territorial waters and trying to conceal the crime including falsifying records.

The U.S. Justice Department reported that the chemical tanker Kriti Ruby committed the offenses during port calls in Jacksonville, Florida, and the Port of Newark, New Jersey, in May and September 2022. Built in 2008, the 48,000 dwt Kriti Ruby is registered in Greece.

The owners of the vessel, Avin International, and operator Kriti Ruby Special Maritime Enterprises entered their guilty pleas on December 23. Both companies pleaded guilty to pollution, falsification of records, and obstruction of justice. The owner was ordered to pay $3,375,000 and the operator an additional $1,125,000 with both companies also to serve five-year probation. They will be subject to compliance plans and monitors.

The vessel reportedly discharged oily waste into the sea through its sewage system bypassing the required pollution prevention equipment. In addition to not recording the discharges, the USCG said the crew concealed most of the pumps and hoses used to conduct the bypass operations in a sealed cofferdam.

Kriti Ruby’s former chief engineer and second engineer were also sentenced after having previously pleaded guilty. Former chief engineer Konstantinos Atsalis not only admitted to falsifying the vessel’s oil record book but he also acknowledged that the vessel’s crew had knowingly bypassed required pollution prevention equipment by discharging oily waste from the vessel’s engine room through its sewage system into the sea. Additionally, he admitted that he directed crew members to hide equipment used to conduct these transfers. He was sentenced to time served and a $5,000 fine. 

Sonny Bosito who had been the second engineer on the tanker also pleaded guilty to concealing the pollution by falsifying the records. He was sentenced to time served.

“Prioritizing profits over the environment by discharging oily waste into the sea and working to cover up that pollution is illegal,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting against maritime pollution.”

The problems came to out during a USCG expanded Port State inspection in September 2022 in Newark. The tanker was cited for deficiencies including blockages in the oil discharge monitoring and control system and the oil filtering equipment. At the time, USCG also reported the oil record book as missing. The Kriti Ruby received a seven-day detention. The vessel was also cited for five additional deficiencies on a subsequent USCG inspection in November 2022 in Philadelphia.
 

Vineyard Wind, an affiliate of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, confirmed in a brief statement that it is shelving the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 project in response to Connecticut’s decision not to proceed in awarding wind projects after the recent New England tri-state solicitation. The project had been selected by Massachusetts and is in a later stage of permitting at the federal level.

“With Connecticut’s decision today (December 20) not to purchase the remaining 400 MW, we are unable to contract the project’s full 1200 MW at this time. We look forward to advancing this project and participating in future solicitations,” Vineyard Offshore wrote in its response.

Connecticut along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island launched the first multi-state coordinated solicitation earlier this year saying it was in response to the changing market conditions and challenges faced by offshore developers. They provided the opportunity for projects to bid either multi-state or individually. 

Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced in September that they had selected three projects with a total projected capacity of 2.9 GW. The two states will share SouthCoast Wind (which received federal approvals last week) while Massachusetts also selected New England Wind 1 with 791 MW of capacity. It also said it would take 800 MW from the 1,200 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project. It implied it would be sharing the project with another state.

Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut’s regulators announced Friday that they were proceeding with solar power but decided not to take up any offshore wind in the current round. Lamont generally referenced cost considerations for power while saying the state was not ruling out offshore wind power in the future.

CIP won the lease area which is approximately 29 miles south of Nantucket in a 2018 lease auction. The project has advanced with its Construction draft and Operations Plan on file at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. In March 2024, BOEM included Vineyard Wind 2 in its announcement for an environmental impact statement to advance New England’s offshore wind projects. The hearings have been completed and BOEM is working on its report and the EIS. 

Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton said in September 2024, “We look forward to Connecticut’s forthcoming decision on the remainder of the procurement so that we can begin to deliver important economic and climate benefits to the region.”

Vineyard Offshore is in a joint venture partnership to develop Vineyard Wind 1, which is under construction. It holds the Vineyard Northeast lease off the coast of Massachusetts which is where the second project would be located, as well as Vineyard Mid-Atlantic which includes Excelsior Wind in the New York Bight. It also has a lease area off the coast of Humboldt County in Northern California.
 

Predictive maritime intelligence company Windward, which harnessed the power of AI to create a unique platform, has agreed to a buyout by U.S.-based FTV Capital Group, a growth equity investment firm. Both companies are highlighting it as the next step in the evolution of Windward as it expands from its strong base in the maritime sector to related industries.

Under the terms of the agreement, which is being conducted as a “reverse triangular merger under Israeli Companies Law,” FTV’s subsidiaries will acquire the company in a deal valued at £216 million ($271 million) or 215 pence per share. The companies highlighted that it represents a nearly 100 premium to the six and 12-month weighted average stock price and nearly 50 percent over the most recent closing price. It is a nearly 40 percent premium to the Initial Public Offering Price in December 2021.

Windward was started in 2011 by two partners after their service in the Israeli Navy. The platform focuses on providing insights on ships at sea and risk management intelligence. The company promotes that its technology provides a 360-degree view of the maritime ecosystem to help customers make real-time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions.

The Fund group says it believes Windward is a highly attractive business with a strong management team and strategy. It views the acquisition as “an attractive opportunity to increase exposure to the growing maritime compliance and supply chain end market.” 

“Fund sees an opportunity to accelerate Windward's continued expansion from its current market position within the maritime sector, into a broader supply chain analytics provider and plans to support the development of Windward's future product roadmap under private ownership,” the companies write in the announcement. They look to use the acquisition as an opportunity for enhanced data and AI-led insights across the ecosystem.

“The company's attractive subscription revenue model demonstrates strong operating leverage and margin expansion,” said Jerome Hershey, Principal of Fund. Through the acquisition, they look to support Windward in the next stage of its development. FTV reports it has access to the capital necessary to accelerate Windward’s strategic plan.

FTV reports it has raised over $6 billion in committed capital. It focuses on investments in high-growth companies in the enterprise technology and services and financial technology and services sectors.

"This marks an exciting next step in the evolution of Windward, providing the opportunity to build upon our first mover advantage in maritime generative AI through accelerated innovation and greater market reach,” said Ami Daniel, Chief Executive Officer of Windward and one of its founders.

Completion of the acquisition requires the approval by a simple majority of Windward shareholders and the structure of the deal means it does not require regulatory approval. The companies anticipate the acquisition will be completed by the end of Q1 2025.
 

 

The Greek authorities are confirming reports that a tanker laden with Russian oil collided with a cargo ship this morning, December 24, in the area of the Kafireas Strait, south of Karystos. The circumstances of the incident are unclear at this time, but the reports indicate the crews were not injured, and both ships sustained minor damage.

The identity of the tanker was not supplied, but reports stated it is loaded with a cargo of over 131,000 tons of crude coming from Novorossiysk, Russia. It seems to indicate a Suezmax size tanker which is common among the so-called shadow fleet. The registry of the vessel and the nationalities of the 26 crewmembers were not reported.

Greek authorities are saying the tanker was reporting that it was bound for the port of Castellón, Spain. Greece over the past few months has made efforts to disrupt ship-to-ship oil transfers that the tankers transporting Russian oil were carrying out in Greek waters. However, it has remained a hotspot for the shadow tanker fleet.

The cargo ship, which was involved in the incident, is reported to been sailing empty from Italy to Constanta, Romania. A crew of 22 was aboard. 

The officials referenced “adverse weather conditions” saying that the two vessels were unable to anchor off Karystos due to conditions and had been directed to proceed to Piraeus. The Greek authorities it is believed will detain the vessels for an inspection and investigation into the circumstances of the collision.

The damage is believed to be minor and above the waterline on both vessels. There are no reports of an oil spill or other forms of pollution at this time.

Incidents involving the shadow fleet remain one of the main concerns of the international community. Earlier this month, Baltic nations and the UK announced a new program to inspect tankers transiting the region. They will ask to see documentation and proof of insurance, and tankers that fail to comply could be added to future sanctions. The EU and the UK each recently increased the number of sanctioned tankers in the latest effort to crack down on the Russian oil trade and enforce the G7 price cap on Russian crude.
 

[By: Eastern Shipbuilding Group]

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) is pleased to announce the successful delivery of the LONG ISLAND (ESG Hull 228), a newly constructed passenger and auto ferry, to the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, a subsidiary of McAllister Towing. The vessel, designed to provide seamless transportation between Bridgeport, CT, and Port Jefferson, NY, across Long Island Sound, is the latest addition to the company’s fleet.

“This delivery is a proud moment for our team,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO and Chairman of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. “It represents our strong partnership with McAllister Towing and our dedication to enhancing the infrastructure for Long Island’s residents and visitors. The LONG ISLAND will be a critical asset, delivering safe, reliable service and embodying our commitment to quality and innovation.”

The LONG ISLAND, measuring 302 feet in length, is engineered to accommodate both vehicles and passengers with state-of-the-art features, including EPA Tier IV-compliant main engines, increased crew capacity, and an upgraded furnishings package. This ferry joins two other Eastern-built vessels in the fleet: P.T. BARNUM (1999) and GRAND REPUBLIC (2003), solidifying ESG’s longstanding relationship with McAllister Towing, which has commissioned over a dozen vessels from ESG.

Buckley McAllister, the President of the ferry company, said “P.T. Barnum, the founder of the ferry, once said that the noblest art is that of making others happy. All of those who have worked to make the ferry service what it is today can be very proud of their role helping drivers on the I-95 and Long Island Expressway. Eastern Shipbuilding has provided our company with over a dozen high quality vessels and transformed the maritime services we can offer.  We are very thankful to Eastern Shipbuilding and the D’Isernia family for the happiness this new vessel will bring to our employees and customers for generations to come.”

The addition of the LONG ISLAND ferry will enable a consistent three-vessel schedule during peak travel periods, enhancing the capacity and reliability of service across Long Island Sound. This delivery marks another successful chapter in ESG’s commitment to building high-quality, resilient vessels for customers across the U.S.

VESSEL SPECS:

Ferry LONG ISLAND – Hull 228              

Customer – Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company

Type –    Auto & Passenger Ferry 

Length – 302 ft

Delivery – 2024
 

 

On Monday, a sanctioned Russian cargo ship sustained an engine room explosion off Spain and sank, leaving two crewmembers missing. 

At about 1230 hours local time, the Ursa Major was under way eastbound in the Strait of Gibraltar when she sustained an explosion in the engine room. She slowed and deviated from course, then began to list. 

AIS data shows that a Spanish Navy warship, the Spanish response vessel Clara Campoamor and a good Samaritan vessel - the Sparta, another sanctioned Russian cargo ship - came to the aid of the crew. 14 seafarers were rescued and two remained missing as of late Monday. 

Ursa Major was operated by a subsidiary of sanctioned Russian defense company Oboronlogistika. She was a mainstay of the Russian supply route to Tartus, Syria, the Russian Navy's longtime base in the Eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. Treasury included the heavy lift vessel in a package of Ukraine-related sanctions in May 2022.  

After the Ursa Major's sinking, Sparta resumed her eastward journey at low speed, making six knots and declaring her destination as Port Said, Egypt.

Potential sealift role

The voyage of Sparta and Ursa Major comes at a unique moment for Russian operations in the Mediterranean. With the collapse of the Russian-backed regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's tenure at Tartus looks tenuous, and Moscow is reportedly negotiating with the leadership of militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham over the future of Russian forces in Syria. According to the Institute for the Study of War, as of Monday, Russian soldiers have fully withdrawn from their forward bases in Syria's interior and are now concentrated at Tartus and the nearby air base at Hmeimim, both on the coastline. "It remains unclear whether Russia will withdraw from coastal Syria," ISW assessed, noting reports that negotiations between Moscow and the new regime are ongoing. 

NEW: Russian forces have reportedly withdrawn completely from most of their positions in Syria, including their base at Qamishli in northern Syria. Russia’s only remaining positions are at Hmeimim and Tartus along the Syrian coast. (1/4) https://t.co/Z1Q1rYLZ4m pic.twitter.com/W31UVAFvgG

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 24, 2024

Photos taken of Ursa Major earlier in her voyage showed that she was carrying two large crawler cranes as deck cargo. This heavy lifting equipment prompted speculation in the open-source intelligence community that she may have been headed to provide support for the removal of Russian heavy equipment from Tartus - the same equipment she delivered over the course of many years. Her declared destination on AIS was Vladivostok, and her master told local media that her holds were empty. 

Russian vessels Sparta and Ursa Major heading westbound in the English Channel escorted by Russian Navy Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class corvette RFS Soobrazitelnyy (531) and a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate - December 16, 2024

SRC: FB- Dover Strait Shipping - Fotoflite pic.twitter.com/LkMMxkkhOK

— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) December 16, 2024