Skip to content

Vessel Hunter News

Maritime, in motion

Aerial view of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal
Port activity

Panama Canal to Cut Daily Transit Slots From September as Rainfall Falls Short

The Panama Canal will reduce daily transit slots from 3 September after below-expected rainfall in its watershed, reorganising bookings into four cargo-type auction groups.

Read story
An anchor-handling tug supply vessel at work
Industry

Eidesvik Offshore Reports Higher Q2 Revenue but Lower Earnings

Eidesvik Offshore posted NOK204.5 million in second-quarter freight revenue, up from NOK198.5 million a year earlier, while EBITDA fell to NOK71.4 million on a tougher comparison.

Read story
Container ships alongside at a terminal
Product

Evergreen to Trial AI-Based Autonomous Navigation on a Container Ship

Evergreen Marine will test an SHI-built autonomous navigation module on one of its container ships, with ClassNK independently verifying any reduction in fuel use and emissions.

Read story
A large container ship under way, seen from the air
Port activity

Bangkok Maersk Makes First Suez Transit With 190,000-Tonne Cargo

Bangkok Maersk crossed the Suez Canal for the first time on 22 August, part of a northern convoy that also carried sister vessel Mathilde Maersk on Maersk's AE7 Asia-Europe service.

Read story
A working support vessel under way at sea
Industry

Equinor Keeps Rescue Vessel Havila Troll on Charter Until November 2027

Equinor Energy has exercised a one-year option on Havila Shipping's rescue and recovery vessel Havila Troll, extending the charter to November 2027.

Read story
An offshore construction vessel lifting a wind turbine component
Industry

SONFOR Takes Majority Control of Lillebaelt Syd and Starts Partner Hunt

Danish utility SONFOR has been cleared to take the majority stake in Lillebaelt Vind after TotalEnergies withdrew, and is now assessing new partners and the project's business case.

Read story
An offshore crane vessel working over the side
Industry

Icebreaker Botnica Fixed for a 45-Day South African Buoy Mooring Job

TS Shipping has chartered the multipurpose icebreaker Botnica to OSC Marine Group for a 45-day single buoy mooring change-out campaign off South Africa from May 2027.

Read story
Aerial view of a tanker under way at sea
Dark fleet

Syria and Myanmar Appear as False Flags on Russia-Linked Tankers

Russia-linked tankers claimed Syrian and Myanmar flags for the first time in the second quarter, as the IMO's list of falsely flagged vessels climbed to 580.

Read story
A laden crude tanker under way in open ocean
Vessel sales

A 23-Year-Old VLCC Changes Hands at $57m as Vintage Tanker Values Surge

The 2003-built, 300,000 dwt VLCC Hellstugutinden has been sold for a reported $57m, an unusual valuation for a tanker entering its twenty-fourth year.

Read story
A container ship under way with a full deck load of boxes
Industry

RCL Returns to Its Feeder Roots With Four 1,900 TEU Ships in Guangzhou

Thailand's Regional Container Lines has ordered four 1,900 teu feeders at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong, using the Guangzhou yard's in-house design with shore power and scrubbers.

Read story
Dry docks at a shipyard in Kobe, Japan
Industry

Japan Convenes Yards, Owners and JERA to Restart LNG Carrier Building

Japan's transport ministry has brought Imabari, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Namura and JERA together to put numbers on order volumes, yard investment and costs for domestic LNG carrier construction.

Read story
Elevated view of a container port in South Korea
Industry

Hanjin's Collapse Returns to Court as Korea Rethinks Rehabilitation Rules

A decade after Hanjin Shipping was declared bankrupt, the Seoul Rehabilitation Court is considering reducing its reliance on the court-appointed examiners whose valuations decide corporate survival.

Read story
The harbour at Manaus on the Amazon river in Brazil
Port activity

Amazon Drought Pushes Manaus Container Surcharges Toward $1,900 a Box

Container lines serving Manaus have published low-water surcharges ranging from $753 per teu to as much as $1,900 per box as the Amazon dry season approaches.

Read story
Container ships in the port of Hamburg
Industry

Klaus-Michael Kuehne, Hapag-Lloyd's Largest Shareholder, Dies at 89

Klaus-Michael Kuehne, honorary chairman of Kuehne+Nagel and holder of 30 percent of Hapag-Lloyd, has died aged 89 at his home in Schindellegi, Switzerland.

Read story
A laden crude tanker under way in open water
Dark fleet

Dutch Council of State Questions Legal Basis for Shadow Fleet Detentions

The Council of State says the international law of the sea gives no direct basis for the Dutch power to detain suspected shadow-fleet tankers at sea and take them into port.

Read story
A laden bulk carrier under way in open water
Incident

Bulker Ocean Winner Sinks in Eight Minutes off India, 22 Crew Missing

The Panama-flagged bulker Ocean Winner took a list and went under in about eight minutes in the Bay of Bengal; two of her 24 crew have been rescued and 22 are still missing.

Read story
A container ship being worked in an automated terminal
Product

PIL Builds a Real-Time Digital Twin of Its Operations With Celonis and WNS

Pacific International Lines is using Celonis to build a live digital twin of its processes, with WNS embedding the capability across a fleet of more than 100 container vessels.

Read story
A large hull under construction in a shipyard dry dock
Industry

Australia Picks Amentum and Laing O'Rourke for the Osborne Submarine Yard

Australian Naval Infrastructure has selected Amentum and Laing O'Rourke to help build the Osborne yard for SSN-AUKUS submarines, alongside a A$12 billion upgrade at Henderson.

Read story
Ship-to-shore cranes over a container terminal quay
Port activity

Algeciras Lines Up EUR 1.4 Billion to Hold Its Position at the Strait

Algeciras has mapped almost EUR 1.4 billion of public and private investment through 2030, aiming for installed container capacity of 7.5m teu by the end of the decade.

Read story
Workers carrying out repairs on a hull in a shipyard
Incident

One Worker Dies in Tanker Fire at Kanasashi Shipyard in Shizuoka

A man in his 40s died and nine were hospitalised after fire broke out inside a 955-tonne tanker at Kanasashi Heavy Industries in Shizuoka, with welding work under investigation.

Read story
An oil and chemical tanker at sea, seen from the air
Sanctions

Washington Readies New Iran Sanctions and Presses China Over Hormuz

Scott Bessent has promised the toughest sanctions in history against Iran and called on China, which took over 80% of Iran's shipped oil in 2025, to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Read story
A laden tanker underway in open water
Sanctions

US Night Convoys Move 10 Million Barrels a Day Through the Strait of Hormuz

US forces are escorting 15 to 20 tankers a night through the Strait of Hormuz on a southern route hugging Oman, moving around 10 million barrels of oil daily.

Read story
A container barge on the Rhine
Industry

CMA CGM Adds Inland Emergency Fee as Low Rhine Levels Cut Barge Capacity

CMA CGM will apply an inland emergency fee on shipments routed through Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam as low water on the Rhine reduces barge capacity and lengthens dwell times.

Read story
A bulk carrier loading alongside, seen from the air
Industry

Baltic Dry Index Snaps Two-Session Slide as Capesize Earnings Climb

The Baltic Exchange's main dry bulk index rose 15 points to 2,791 as capesize gains outweighed a weakening panamax market and softer iron ore futures.

Read story
A production platform standing in the North Sea
Port activity

Pioneering Spirit Lifts North Cormorant Topsides for Dales Voe Demolition

The world's largest lifting vessel is removing the North Cormorant platform for transport to Dales Voe, where demolition of the 42-year-old structure will take 12 to 14 months.

Read story
A gas carrier and a tanker at an industrial terminal
Dark fleet

Russian Frigate Escorts Gazprom LNG Carrier Portovyy Along the Norwegian Coast

The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Kasatonov is escorting the Gazprom LNG carrier Portovyy from the Baltic toward Murmansk, in the latest naval protection of a Russian commercial voyage.

Read story
A ferry crossing through fog, seen from the air
Port activity

US Ferry Grants Award $665 Million Across 23 Projects in 14 States

The Federal Transit Administration has selected 23 ferry projects in 14 states and the US Virgin Islands for $665 million, from new passenger vessels to dock and landing rehabilitation.

Read story
An offshore drilling rig and production platform at sea
Industry

Velesto Second-Quarter Profit Falls to RM531,000 as Rig Rates Slide 16%

Velesto Energy's quarterly net profit collapsed to RM531,000 from RM50.44 million a year earlier as utilisation and day rates fell, though the order book stands at RM1.3 billion.

Read story
Tugs working a large vessel alongside at a berth
Industry

Wilson Sons Names WS Ariel, Third Tug in Its ASD 2312 Series

Wilson Sons has named WS Ariel at Pier Maua in Rio de Janeiro, the third ASD 2312 tug from its Guaruja yard this year, with 73.5 tonnes of bollard pull and a FiFi 1 system.

Read story
A crude oil tanker alongside a storage terminal, seen from the air
Sanctions

Saudi Arabia Was July's Top Buyer of Russian Seaborne Fuel Oil

Saudi Arabia took 1.1 million tonnes of Russian fuel oil and VGO in July, down 18% on June, as summer power demand kept the discounted barrels flowing east.

Read story
An offshore drilling rig against a clear sky
Industry

Petrobras Opens Negotiations on Four Offshore Blocks in Ghana's Keta Basin

Petrobras has submitted an expression of interest for four offshore blocks in Ghana's Keta Basin, part of a plan to make Africa its main exploration region outside Brazil.

Read story
Stacked shipping containers marked with national flags
Product

Maersk Expands Its AI Customs Platform as Tariff Exposure Gets Harder to Price

Maersk has widened Trade & Tariff Studio into a connected customs environment covering HTS classification, landed-cost modelling and audit readiness across a shipper's whole product catalogue.

Read story
A cruise liner passing under a bridge
Industry

Viking Holds $4 Billion in Cash and Sets a Four-Part Test for Acquisitions

Viking closed the second quarter with $4 billion in cash and an undrawn $1 billion revolver, and says any acquisition must beat the returns its own newbuildings generate.

Read story
A gas carrier alongside an industrial terminal, seen from the air
Industry

LNG Bayelsa Becomes a Floating Storage Unit for Gabon's Cap Lopez Project

The former LNG carrier Bayelsa is being converted into a floating storage unit at Drydocks World Dubai, with Lloyd's Register handling class and technical assurance for Gabon's Cap Lopez gas backbone.

Read story
A cargo barge under way on a river towards port
Industry

Dutch-Built 5,400 hp Pushboat Heads for DP World's Parana Iron Ore Run

The DPW Lapacho was launched at Kampen for a Paraguayan trade where a 25-barge tow moves 15,000 tonnes through water with 30 centimetres under the keel.

Read story
A laden container ship under way on an ocean trade route
Industry

India Plans First Northern Sea Route Cargo Voyage to Europe in 2027

India would follow China's first scheduled NSR container service and a South Korean demonstration voyage, adding a third Asian user to the Russian Arctic route.

Read story
Aerial view of a loaded bulk carrier under way at sea
Industry

Bulker Burns VLSFO Co-Processed With Cashew Nutshell Liquid

The 82,144-dwt Scion Mathilda took 34.5 tonnes of co-processed CNSL VLSFO in Singapore and ran Asia to Northern Europe to South America without operational remarks.

Read story
National flags of many countries flying side by side
Dark fleet

Landlocked Kyrgyz Republic Warns IMO That Its Flag Is Being Faked

Bishkek told the IMO it has authorised nobody to register or operate seagoing vessels under its flag, the latest state to find its registry impersonated.

Read story
Aerial view of a busy container terminal with vessels alongside
Industry

Delays and Congestion Now Absorb 5% of Global Container Capacity

Sea-Intelligence puts the absorption rate at 5.0 percent against a 2011-2019 norm of 2.2 percent, with schedule reliability stuck at 60-65 percent.

Read story
Aerial view of a short-sea general cargo vessel underway
Product

Conoship Unveils Fully Electric 89-Metre Short-Sea Cargo Ship Design

The Dutch design house has taken its proven 3,800-dwt coaster platform fully electric rather than building a new hull form around the batteries.

Read story
Aerial view of a small passenger vessel navigating in fog
Incident

Rock Strike Sank New Zealand Tourist Catamaran Carrying 41 People

The 17-metre Black Cat struck Archway Rock off Akaroa with 38 passengers aboard, flooded, and was lost after the crew could not operate the bilge system.

Read story
Aerial view of an oil tanker lying at an industrial anchorage
Sanctions

German Court Leaves Eventin Crude Cargo Sale Blocked as Case Drags

The Hamburg Finance Court has closed the expedited track and will wait for the main ruling, keeping customs barred from confiscating or selling the crude.

Read story
A large ship under construction in a shipyard dry dock
Industry

HD Hyundai in Advanced Talks to Buy a US Shipyard Under MASGA

South Korea's largest shipbuilder has narrowed its search to two or three American yards, with Cerberus Capital Management and the Korea Development Bank lined up behind the deal.

Read story
General cargo ship under way at sea
Incident

Crew of US-Flagged SLNC York Evacuated After Water Ingress

The 9,500 dwt roro SLNC York was in ballast from Honolulu to Japan when it reported an incursion of water, and its 18 crew transferred to the gas carrier Pacific Yantai.

Read story
Vessel under construction at a shipbuilding yard
Industry

Royal IHC Names Erik-Jan Bijvank Chief Executive From October

Royal IHC will change both its chief executive and its chief financial officer within weeks, three years after the Kinderdijk builder restarted under Te Bokkel.

Read story
Large vessel under construction in a covered shipyard dry dock
Industry

Finland Picks Helsinki Shipyard to Build the Icebreaker Aino

Helsinki Shipyard has won the contract for the first of Finland's next-generation icebreakers, a 96-metre vessel able to open a 25-metre channel, with delivery set for September 2029.

Read story
General cargo ship under way on a Dutch inland waterway
Incident

Arklow Falcon Hits Canal Bank After Rudder Failure at Terneuzen

The 90-metre Irish general cargo ship drove its bow into the embankment near Terneuzen after losing rudder control, and was backed off about an hour later with tug assistance.

Read story
Fixed offshore platform at sea under an evening sky
Industry

Heerema Consortium Wins 120,000-Tonne UK North Sea Removal Work

Heerema Marine Contractors and AF Offshore Decom have been awarded three UK North Sea platform removal contracts with a combined weight of more than 120,000 tonnes.

Read story

Never miss a move

Maritime, in motion. In your inbox.

The vessel sales, incidents, and market moves worth knowing, sent as they happen.

We email a confirmation link first, and you can unsubscribe anytime. No spam.