Vessel Hunter News
Maritime, in motion

Mediterranean container volumes set to keep rising despite Hormuz disruption
Container traffic in the Mediterranean is growing and is forecast to keep rising through 2030, even as Strait of Hormuz volumes collapse and Suez use falls.

BW LPG unit sells 2007-built gas carrier for $64m
A BW LPG subsidiary has agreed to sell the 2007-built gas carrier BW Elm for continued trading, expecting net proceeds of around $64m.

Hormuz tanker transits slump as war insurers advise avoiding the strait
Commercial transits through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped sharply and war risk premiums have risen after renewed attacks on shipping in the waterway.

Turkish groups challenge revised environmental assessment for Aliaga ship recycling
Turkish civil society groups have urged rejection of a revised environmental assessment for the Aliaga ship recycling yards, citing gaps on pollution and worker safety.

bp exits Canada's Bay du Nord project, selling its stake to Equinor
bp has agreed to sell its non-operated interest in the deepwater Bay du Nord project off Newfoundland to operator Equinor as it simplifies its upstream portfolio.

China commissions its largest semi-submersible crane vessel
China has delivered its largest semi-submersible crane vessel by lifting capacity, a heavy-lift unit built to support offshore wind, bridges and deep-sea projects.

Hanwha Systems begins sea trials of 30-tonne AI-powered unmanned warship
Hanwha Systems has launched a 30-tonne unmanned surface vessel and begun sea trials as it pushes into the autonomous naval defence market.

Security in the Strait of Hormuz deteriorates after boxship attack
The security situation in the Strait of Hormuz has worsened after a container vessel was attacked and caught fire over the weekend, prompting a fresh round of strikes across the region.

Ukrainian drone strikes force a halt to shipping on the Sea of Azov
Russia has suspended shipping through the Sea of Azov after a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia-linked vessels over the course of a week.

Petrobras rises up the tanker rankings as Unipec's grip loosens
Brazil's Petrobras has emerged as one of the biggest gainers in the crude tanker market this year, climbing the charterer rankings as Unipec's dominance eased.

China Merchants Energy lines up 10 newbuildings across three segments
China Merchants Energy Shipping has laid out plans for 10 newbuildings across tankers, containerships and dry bulk as it continues a broad fleet renewal.

Thomas Miller shareholders back UK Club and TT Club takeover
UK P&I Club and TT Club have won strong shareholder support for their acquisition of Thomas Miller Holdings, with acceptances now above 89%.

Kongsberg Maritime buys Sweden's Berg Propulsion
Kongsberg Maritime has agreed to acquire Swedish propulsion specialist Berg Propulsion, widening its presence across commercial vessel types and deepening its aftermarket business.

Burns Harbor prepares to bring ocean boxes to Chicago's doorstep
An Indiana port near Chicago is preparing to open the region's first all-water container terminal, offering a Great Lakes route into North America's biggest intermodal market.

Chinese yard unveils radical concept for a floating nuclear port
A Chinese shipbuilder has unveiled a concept for a floating, nuclear-powered logistics hub that would combine a container terminal, power station and green-fuel plant far offshore.

Noble lands $136m drillship contract offshore Brunei
Noble Corporation has won a drillship contract in Brunei worth around $136m, deploying the Noble Viking for a six-well programme from early 2028.

Arabian Drilling restarts three offshore rigs after precautionary halt
Arabian Drilling has been cleared to resume three offshore rigs that were suspended earlier in the year as a precaution against regional tensions.

Norwegian offshore strike costing the industry more than $50m a week
A strike on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is costing the offshore industry more than $50m a week, with drilling suspended across a string of rigs and installations.

South Korea's 390MW Shinan-Wi offshore wind project starts construction
A 390MW offshore wind project in South Korea has entered construction after closing its financing, and will feature the country's first commercial offshore substation.

Swire to close New Zealand's Pacifica service and withdraw last flagged boxship
Swire Shipping will close its Pacifica coastal container service at the end of July, ending operations by the last New Zealand-flagged boxship in the domestic trade.

OneSubsea wins one of the largest umbilical awards for Indonesia's Kutei North Hub
OneSubsea has secured what it describes as one of the largest umbilical contracts ever placed, supplying a steel tube system for a deepwater field development offshore Indonesia.

Pertamina's shipping arm bets on a diversified fleet for global growth
Indonesia's state shipping company Pertamina International Shipping is prioritising a diversified fleet over any single segment as it pushes for a bigger international role.

Singapore holds top spot in shipping centre index for 13th year
Singapore has again been ranked the world's leading maritime centre, extending its run at the top to 13 consecutive years.

Panama arrests 26 Balboa port workers over cocaine trafficking
Panamanian authorities have arrested 26 workers at the port of Balboa, accused of turning Latin America's leading transshipment hub into a cocaine trafficking channel.

Salvors clear almost all cargo from wrecked MSC Baltic III
Work to remove the wrecked containership MSC Baltic III from the Newfoundland coast is nearing a milestone, with almost all cargo now cleared from the ship.

Pakistan starts building its first containership in four decades
Pakistan has resumed large commercial shipbuilding for the first time since the 1980s, assembling a 1,100 TEU containership at its only shipyard.

US Navy eyes South Korean yards for warships and tankers
The US Navy has approached major South Korean shipbuilders about building destroyers and fleet tankers, a step that could reverse a century of domestic-only construction.

APM Terminals begins $570m expansion at Peru's Callao
APM Terminals has started a $570m expansion of Muelle Norte at Callao, raising capacity at Peru's main port gateway.

Lockheed Martin to buy Ultra Maritime for $3.45bn
Lockheed Martin has agreed to buy naval-defence specialist Ultra Maritime for $3.45bn, expanding its anti-submarine portfolio.

UK and Netherlands sign £2.4bn amphibious shipbuilding deal
The UK and the Netherlands have signed a £2.4bn deal to jointly build eight amphibious transport ships, four for each navy.

Med Marine orders a third tug with Steerprop propulsion
Med Marine has placed a repeat order for Steerprop propulsors on the third tug in its Rascal 2100-Z harbour-tug series.

Seattle-Tacoma gateway handled nearly 3m TEU last year
The Seattle-Tacoma gateway handled close to three million TEU last year, supporting more than 265,000 jobs, a new study finds.

Royal IHC delivers all-electric cutter suction dredger for Polish mine
Royal IHC has delivered an all-electric, road-transportable cutter suction dredger for a silica-sands mining operation in Poland.

Chinese carmakers improvise around a car-carrier shortage
Facing a shortage of specialised car carriers, Chinese automakers are shipping vehicles on flat racks, containers and converted cargo ships.

NYK signs digital-transformation pact with Microsoft Japan
NYK has signed a strategic framework deal with Microsoft Japan to accelerate digital transformation across its shipping and logistics business.

Evos and HyFive sign LOI on e-methanol storage in Rotterdam
Evos and HyFive have signed a letter of intent to explore storing and handling e-methanol in the Port of Rotterdam.

Hayfin sells 11-vessel anchor-handler fleet to new owner
Hayfin has agreed to sell an 11-ship anchor-handling fleet, while a separate deal brings its manager into a new joint venture.

Naval Group says Europe is increasingly 'buying European'
Naval Group's chief says European governments are choosing home-grown suppliers more often, lifting the group's regional revenue toward €1bn.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen takes delivery of first Shaper Class car carrier
Wallenius Wilhelmsen has taken delivery of Arctic Tern, the first in its dual-fuel, methanol-ready Shaper Class series.

NAVTOR's e-navigation platform reaches about 18,000 vessels
NAVTOR has grown its e-navigation platform to around 18,000 vessels and is expanding into emissions, digital logbooks and shore links.

Six seafarers abandoned aboard detained ship in Las Palmas
Six seafarers remain stranded on a Turkish-owned vessel detained in Las Palmas, owed around $68,000 in unpaid wages.

Concordia Damen to build two methanol-ready river cruisers for TUI
TUI River Cruise has ordered two methanol-ready river cruise newbuilds from Concordia Damen, due in 2028.

Kamarajar Port becomes India's second deep-draft major port
Kamarajar Port has reached an 18-metre operational draft, letting it take fully laden Capesize bulkers of up to 170,000 DWT.

Drewry container index jumps 9% on transpacific and Asia-Europe gains
Drewry's World Container Index rose 9% to $4,530 per 40ft box as transpacific and Asia-Europe rates jumped on tight capacity.

Foreship unveils energy-efficient ferry concept for Greece
Naval architecture firm Foreship has developed an energy-efficient ferry concept for Greece's domestic market, aimed at operators facing ageing tonnage and rising costs.

MOL's SeaLoading extends Shell Brazil role for offloading vessel
MOL's SeaLoading has secured a longer-term role with Shell Brazil for its SeaLoader 1 cargo transfer vessel, used to offload crude directly from FPSOs.

US tug owners expand fleets as new energy terminals open
US operators are ordering newbuild harbour and escort tugs to serve new LNG export terminals and ultra-large containerships.

Saipem wins around $2bn FPSO contract off Indonesia
Saipem has won an EPCI contract worth around $2bn for an FPSO at Eni's Kutei North Hub development off East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Never miss a move
Maritime, in motion. In your inbox.
The vessel sales, incidents, and market moves worth knowing, sent as they happen.
