Vessel Hunter News
Maritime, in motion
Japanese regional banks merge to create $12.8bn ship finance heavyweight
Two of Japan's most significant regional maritime lenders, Iyogin Holdings and Ehime Bank, have agreed to work toward a merger that would create a combined ship finance book worth $12.8 billion.
Rescuers scour South China Sea after Vietnamese cargo ship sinks
A multinational rescue operation is under way in the South China Sea after the Vietnamese cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18 sank in severe weather, with dozens of crew rescued and a search continuing for the rest.
Ukraine drone strike on Iranian vessel in Caspian Sea links two wars
A Ukrainian long-range drone strike has hit an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, prompting Tehran to warn of retaliation in an incident that draws two separate wars closer together.
River cruise ship strikes lock wall in Vienna, injuring fourteen
A river cruise ship struck a lock wall on the Danube in Vienna at speed, injuring fourteen people and prompting a judicial inquiry into a possible technical defect.
EU moves to approve first Indian ship recycling yards
The European Commission has proposed admitting two Indian ship recycling facilities to its approved list for the first time, after years of exclusion for South Asian yards.
$690m Neu Seeschiffahrt VLOC order at Qingdao yard reported cancelled
A landmark six-ship VLOC contract between Germany's Neu Seeschiffahrt and a Chinese shipyard has reportedly been cancelled, according to industry sources, though public orderbooks still list it as active.
Chinese-built wind turbine installation vessel Fengsheng delivered to Danish owner
A new Chinese-built offshore wind turbine installation vessel has been delivered to a Danish shipping company, capable of handling the next generation of 20 MW-plus turbines.
First phase of Yangtzekanaal widening complete as Rotterdam starts phase two
Rotterdam has completed the first phase of widening its Yangtzekanaal access channel and started construction on a second phase, preparing the waterway for the next generation of container ships.
Chinese shipyards close gap on South Korea in LNG carrier orders
Chinese shipyards have narrowed South Korea's long-standing lead in LNG carrier construction, securing more orders than their Korean rivals so far this year as Korean capacity tightens.
GTT Marine wins fleet-wide digital mandate for PETRONAS LNG carriers
GTT Marine will deploy an integrated vessel performance platform across the PETRONAS-chartered LNG carrier fleet, combining data analytics, voyage optimisation and cargo monitoring in one system.
Global terminal operators post strong 2025 growth as capital spending jumps 23%
The world's largest terminal operators grew faster than the wider port market in 2025 and lifted capital spending by 23%, according to a new industry report.
DOF reshapes offshore fleet with PSV sale, CSV order and Skandi Amazonas write-off
DOF Group is selling four platform supply vessels, ordering two new construction support vessels and collecting a $115 million payout after writing off the grounded Skandi Amazonas.
Russia's container market climbs 7.1% in first half of 2026
Russia's container market grew 7.1% year on year in the first half of 2026, with June volumes reaching their highest monthly level in fifteen years.
Van Oord completes rock installation at Hollandse Kust West VI wind farm
Van Oord has finished rock placement work at the Hollandse Kust West VI offshore wind farm, using rocks of up to 450 kilograms in what it calls the heaviest deployment of its kind.
Tara Polar Station sets off on first long-term Arctic drift
France's Tara Polar Station has begun its first long-term Arctic drift, a multinational scientific mission expected to see the vessel trapped in pack ice for as long as 500 days.
Guyana ferry disaster death toll nears 100 as captain is detained
The death toll from Guyana's worst maritime disaster in decades has climbed toward 100, with the vessel's captain detained and questions mounting over its age and loading.
Yang Ming orders six LNG dual-fuel boxships worth up to $1.2bn
Yang Ming Marine Transport has chosen Hanwha Ocean to build six LNG dual-fuel container ships of around 13,000 TEU each, in a deal worth up to $1.22 billion.
HMM Rotterdam makes maiden call at Felixstowe
The 23,820 TEU HMM Rotterdam has made its first call at the Port of Felixstowe, arriving from Singapore as one of the largest container ships afloat.
Italy and UK seize cocaine hidden in banana shipments within days of each other
European customs agencies made two major cocaine seizures within days of each other after finding narcotics hidden among refrigerated banana shipments from South America.
Oil tops $100 as Red Sea attacks compound Hormuz supply crisis
Crude prices broke back above $100 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers added a second Gulf flashpoint to the already-paralysed Strait of Hormuz, with traders bracing for further escalation.
Chinese VLCCs test Houthi blockade with Bab el-Mandeb transit
Two Chinese-linked VLCCs are transiting the Red Sea's southern gateway just days after Houthi forces declared a blockade against Saudi shipping, with tanker traffic through the strait already thinning sharply.
CMA CGM names LNG-powered sistership as newest Asia-Europe flagship
CMA CGM has named its latest 24,000 TEU LNG-powered containership, the sistership of Notre Dame, ahead of deployment on the group's premier Asia-Europe route.
Fincantieri signs Croatian shipyard deals for corvette bid
Fincantieri has signed cooperation agreements with two Croatian shipyards to strengthen its bid for the country's planned acquisition of two multi-role corvettes.
Vantage Drilling exits Euronext Growth after Eldorado merger
Vantage Drilling has stopped trading on Euronext Growth after completing its business combination with Eldorado Drilling.
World's top 40 ship lenders push portfolios back above $300bn
The world's 40 largest ship-finance banks grew their combined loan books by 6% to over $300bn at the end of 2025.
South Korea sends its icebreaker Araon on an 83-day Arctic mission
South Korea has deployed its only icebreaking research vessel, Araon, on an 83-day Arctic expedition to collect data for safer future navigation.
UK and Netherlands to build eight amphibious ships in £2.4bn programme
The UK and the Netherlands have confirmed a joint £2.4bn programme to build eight amphibious transport ships, four for each navy, using Dutch naval design.
Chemical tanker Stolt Magnesium hit by explosion off Oman
The chemical tanker Stolt Magnesium caught fire after an explosion while sailing in the Arabian Sea off Oman, with all seafarers reported safe.
Boskalis repurposes mining ship into its largest rock-installation vessel
Boskalis has commissioned the Windpiper, described as the largest subsea rock-installation vessel, converted from an unfinished deep-sea mining ship.
Diana extends its tender offer in Genco takeover push
Diana Shipping has extended its tender offer for Genco Shipping & Trading to late July, keeping its takeover push alive after a modest increase in shareholder support.
Greek owner books a $7m profit on ultramax sale to Meghna
Low-profile Greek interests are set to bank nearly $7m in profit from selling a six-year-old ultramax bulker to Bangladesh's Meghna Group.
Five seafarers killed in Black Sea port strike
Five seafarers have been killed and 12 injured after a strike on a merchant ship working cargo at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region, one of the deadliest single strikes on commercial shipping of the war.
TotalEnergies hands Halliburton integrated drilling scope in Suriname
Halliburton has won integrated well construction contracts from TotalEnergies for the GranMorgu deepwater development offshore Suriname.
SLB OneSubsea wins Eni subsea contract offshore Ivory Coast
OneSubsea has won a major engineering and construction contract from Eni for the deepwater Baleine development offshore the Ivory Coast.
DOF adds a four-year backlog with new AHTS award
Norwegian offshore owner DOF has received a letter of award for a four-year anchor-handler contract using the Skandi Hera.
Andriaki breaks its newbuilding silence with an LR1 pair
Greek tanker owner Andriaki Shipping has been linked to two LR1 tanker newbuildings in China, its first such order in roughly a decade.
Kent lands new framework agreements with Saudi Aramco
Energy services group Kent has signed a fresh set of long-term agreements with Aramco, strengthening its position in Saudi Arabia's oil and gas services market.
Brussels prepares full antitrust probe into Saipem-Subsea7 merger
The European Commission is expected to open an in-depth antitrust investigation into the proposed merger of offshore services groups Saipem and Subsea7.
Van Oord and Sumitomo sign HVDC subsea cable deal for Scottish grid
Van Oord and Sumitomo Electric have signed a long-term framework deal to supply and install HVDC subsea cable systems for Scotland's transmission network.
Hapag-Lloyd to raise North Europe-US rates by up to $800 from August
Hapag-Lloyd will raise freight rates on shipments from Northern Europe to the United States by up to $800 per box from August.
Saudi Arabia's Mawani adds a Maersk service to Jeddah Islamic Port
Saudi Arabia's ports authority has added a Maersk service to Jeddah Islamic Port, strengthening the Red Sea hub's connections to the US, Morocco, Oman and India.
Egypt inspects deepwater drillship as it expands Mediterranean gas search
Egypt's petroleum minister has inspected the deepwater drillship Stena IceMax as the country pushes to expand natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean.
Indian Navy plans a near 1 lakh crore indigenous warship programme
The Indian Navy is preparing three major indigenous warship programmes worth close to 1 lakh crore rupees, among its largest investments in naval modernisation.
Philippines confirms deal to acquire five Japanese Abukuma-class escorts
The Philippines has agreed to acquire five soon-to-be-retired Abukuma-class destroyer escorts from Japan, boosting its navy while new warships are built.
Ageing Southeast Asian OSV fleet points to a wave of newbuilding
Southeast Asia's ageing fleet of offshore support vessels, combined with rising demand, points to a tightening market and the likely need for new tonnage.
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.
Never miss a move
Maritime, in motion. In your inbox.
The vessel sales, incidents, and market moves worth knowing, sent as they happen.
How we make the news
Vessel Hunter News is written with AI, working from maritime news reporting and the primary documents behind it, to fixed editorial rules. Every article passes an automated quality check before it is published, and Vessel Hunter is responsible for what it says. How our news is made. We correct what we get wrong. Mail contact@vesselhunter.io and tell us what to look at.