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Shippers may have overpaid fuel surcharges on transpacific route
Shippers on the Far East to US West Coast route may have paid up to $475 per teu more than actual fuel costs in April and May, according to new analysis.

Canada backs Port of Vancouver's Roberts Bank expansion
Canada has committed federal funding to upgrade the Roberts Bank terminal at the Port of Vancouver, a project expected to unlock more than C$100bn in trade capacity.

Recycler sees US license as a route to retire shadow-fleet ships
Ship recycler GMS says a US Treasury license allowing the scrapping of sanctioned vessels could offer a legal path to permanently retire ageing shadow-fleet tankers.

Romania's bankrupt Mangalia yard heads back to auction
The insolvent Mangalia shipyard in Romania will go to a second auction at 184m euros after prospective buyers stayed away in the first round.

Goldenport orders feeders at revived Qingshan shipyard
Goldenport has ordered three 1,800 teu feeder containerships at China Merchants' revived Qingshan yard, joining a wave of orders at the restarted builder.

Hapag-Lloyd to roll out Inmarsat NexusWave across its fleet
Hapag-Lloyd will deploy Inmarsat's NexusWave bonded connectivity service across its global fleet following trials, deepening a near-25-year relationship.

Sanmar hands over two tugs to SAAM Towage
Sanmar Shipyards has delivered two tugs to SAAM Towage, bound for operations in Chile and Mexico, lifting the operator's Sanmar-built fleet to 15.

Moran Towing christens second ASD harbour tug
Moran Towing has christened the J. Themistoclis Moran, the second in a series of escort-rated ASD harbour tugs built in Alabama.

Brazil sends Santos STS10 terminal tender back for policy review
Brazil's transport regulator has handed the STS10 container terminal tender at Santos back to the federal government for policy clarification, delaying one of the region's largest port projects.

Vietnam speeds up port upgrades to sharpen its trade edge
Vietnam is accelerating seaport investment, with two of its container gateways ranking among the world's 20 most efficient as cargo volumes climb.

Fincantieri snaps up four firms to build out its underwater arm
Fincantieri has acquired four companies spanning marine survey, underwater communications and autonomous vehicles, accelerating the growth of its underwater technology business.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd begin phased return to the Suez Canal
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will route some Gemini network sailings back through the Suez Canal, trimming a key Asia-Europe service by around four weeks.

Hormuz back in crisis mode as tanker attacks trigger US strikes
Shipping around the Strait of Hormuz has been thrown back into crisis after three vessel attacks in a day triggered US strikes on Iran and a sharp escalation across the Gulf.

US regulator warns on China's detention of Panama-flagged ships
A US maritime regulator has renewed warnings over China's detentions of Panama-flagged vessels, raising the prospect of measures against Chinese-controlled carriers in US trades.

Seaspan and Maersk widen containership efficiency drive
Seaspan and Maersk are extending their partnership with an efficiency programme across 18 chartered containerships, centred on a retrofit of four 13,000 teu vessels.

Bruton to split 12-ship VLCC programme into two listed vehicles
Tor Olav Trøim-backed Bruton is dividing its 12-VLCC programme into two listed companies, keeping four delivered supertankers in a dividend payer and spinning off eight newbuildings.

Heidmar buys Dutch shipmanager Q-Shipping
Nasdaq-listed Heidmar has acquired Dutch shipmanagement and crewing firm Q-Shipping for about $200,000, adding nine ships and offices in the Netherlands and Turkey.

HD Hyundai teams with Schneider Electric on floating data centres
HD Hyundai's shipbuilding arm has signed an MOU with Schneider Electric to jointly develop technology for data centres housed on floating offshore structures.

Dunkirk breaks ground on second container terminal
Dunkirk has begun building a second container terminal, a €303m project centred on a 1,000-metre deepwater quay designed to roughly double the port's box handling capacity.

Eni extends Ventura Offshore semisub off Indonesia
Eni has exercised options to keep Ventura Offshore's semisub SSV Catarina drilling off Indonesia into the fourth quarter, lifting the rig owner's firm backlog by roughly $25m.

Dolphin Drilling wins fresh extension for veteran semisub off India
Dolphin Drilling has secured more time for the Blackford Dolphin on its Oil India campaign, keeping the veteran semisub working off the country's east coast into late August.

US weighs offshore platforms as launch pads for space missions
A US ocean-energy agency is canvassing industry on whether offshore platforms could host space launches and re-entries, potentially giving disused rigs a second life.

Archer secures North Sea plug-and-abandonment role
Archer has landed platform drilling and well services on a UK North Sea decommissioning programme led by Well-Safe Solutions across the Beryl and Forties fields.

Vow’s Scanship firms €6.4m order for sixth cruise newbuild
Vow’s Scanship has firmed a €6.4m order to supply an advanced wastewater treatment system for the sixth cruise ship in a series at a European yard.

Two vessels burn and sink in Marseille’s Vieux-Port
Two boats caught fire and sank in Marseille’s Vieux-Port on Sunday, with 150 marine firefighters mobilised and six people treated for minor burns.

Xiamen ITG Marine orders eco multipurpose ships at Qinshi Jiamei
Xiamen ITG Marine has firmed a 2+2+2 order for 15,200 dwt eco multipurpose vessels at Qinshi Jiamei Shipyard for German owner Von Nordic Marine.

Five killed as fuel barge explodes on the Paraguay River
Five maintenance workers were killed when an empty fuel tanker barge exploded on the Paraguay River near Asuncion, with a degassing operation the suspected trigger.

Cosco and OOCL pull ships from CMA CGM’s India-Europe loop
Cosco and OOCL have withdrawn three boxships from CMA CGM’s Epic India-Europe service, moving to a slot charter as CMA CGM resumes full Suez rotations.

ADNOC centralises LNG trading in Abu Dhabi, targets 47m tpa by 2035
ADNOC is centralising its LNG marketing and trading in Abu Dhabi and targeting 47m tonnes a year of marketable LNG by 2035.

Saab wins SEK 47bn Polish order for three A26 submarines
Saab has signed a roughly SEK 47bn contract to build three A26 submarines for Poland, with weapons and training packages and final deliveries in 2038.

Boskalis christens Windpiper, world’s largest subsea rock installer
Boskalis has christened Windpiper, which it calls the world’s largest subsea rock installation vessel, doubling its rock placement capacity for offshore wind and cable protection work.

Panama returns to Paris MoU White List for world’s biggest registry
Panama, the world’s largest ship registry, has returned to the Paris MoU White List after a multi-year compliance drive, improving its port state control standing.

Ulstein delivers final Windea CSOV for Bernhard Schulte Offshore
Ulstein Verft has delivered Windea Clarke, the fourth CSOV for Bernhard Schulte Offshore, which heads straight into a UK offshore wind charter.

Alternative-fuel ship orders ease to 137 in first half, DNV says
Global alternative-fuel vessel orders slipped to 137 in the first half of 2026, with LNG dominant and LPG/ethane fuelling surging, according to DNV data.

Projectile strike on tanker tests fragile Hormuz recovery
A tanker was hit by a projectile east of the Strait of Hormuz, testing the shipping recovery there as the UK and France prepare a larger naval role off Oman.

Taiwan prosecutors raid Evergreen in insider trading probe
Taiwanese prosecutors have raided Evergreen Marine in an insider trading investigation, summoning nine people; the carrier says the case has no material impact.

Netanyahu and Katz push to scrap ZIM sale to Hapag-Lloyd
Israel’s Netanyahu and Katz have come out against the $4.2bn sale of ZIM to Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI, citing national security concerns over the carrier’s strategic role.

IMO names coordinators for its seven regional offices
The IMO has appointed regional coordinators for its seven presence offices, bringing technical support closer to member states, including small island and least developed nations.

Polaris Autoliners buys two car carriers from MSC’s Global Car Carriers
Polaris Autoliners has bought two 2,000 ceu car carriers from MSC’s Global Car Carriers for about $44m, lifting its controlled fleet to 10 vessels.

Shanghai Minsheng adds second feeder pair at New Dayang
Shanghai Minsheng has declared options for two more 1,100 teu feeder containerships at New Dayang, building a four-ship series with deliveries to 2029.

Hong Kong’s EGPN moves into boxships with feeder order
Hong Kong owner EGPN has ordered two 1,900 teu feeder containerships at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong for 2029 delivery, its first move into container shipping.

Equinor buys out BP to take all of $10bn Bay du Nord
Equinor is buying BP’s stake in the $10bn Bay du Nord project offshore Canada, taking 100% ownership ahead of a final investment decision planned for early 2027.

Equinor awards $612m subsea deals to kick off Norwegian development wave
Equinor has awarded about $612m in subsea contracts for four Norwegian shelf projects, the first of several coordinated development “waves” aimed at cutting cost and time.

Ocean Installer extends Solstad CSV charter to 2028
Ocean Installer has extended its charter of Solstad Maritime’s construction support vessel Normand Vision to end-2028, with options that could run to 2031.

TechnipFMC lands Eni subsea deal off Ivory Coast
TechnipFMC has won an Eni contract for Baleine Phase 3 off the Ivory Coast, supplying flexible flowlines and risers to a new floating production unit.

Wärtsilä to power nine Grimaldi Group ferry newbuilds
Wärtsilä will supply engines, propulsion, scrubbers and hybrid systems for nine ferry newbuildings for Grimaldi Group brands, built at China’s Weihai shipyard.

Kerala reviews MSC's $1.4bn Vizhinjam port stake deal
Kerala has put MSC Group's planned $1.397bn entry into Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL) under scrutiny, saying Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) did not seek state approval before agreeing to sel…

Baltic Dry Index extends losing run to sixth session
The Baltic Exchange's main dry bulk freight index fell for a sixth straight session on Monday, down about 1.4% to 2,490 points, its lowest since 15 April. The capesize index, which typically carries 150,000-tonne cargoe…
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