Skip to content

Vessel Hunter News

Maritime, in motion

A large hull under construction in a building dock
Industry

Fincantieri Books Two More Viking Ocean Ships for 2032 Delivery

Fincantieri has converted options into firm contracts for two 54,300 gross ton Viking ocean ships, to be built at Ancona for delivery in 2032.

Read story
Tugs assisting a large passenger ship alongside
Industry

Disney Sets Course for 13 Cruise Ships With a New Meyer Werft Class

Disney Cruise Line will roughly quadruple capacity from its pre-expansion base, with three new Meyer Werft ships, a Japan-based vessel with NYK and a fleet of 13 by late 2030.

Read story
A cruise ship passing under a bridge
Vessel sales

NCLH Moves Five Ships Out as a $20 Billion Orderbook Builds

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is running the industry's only active fleet optimization programme, with five ships leaving between 2026 and 2028 and 16 on order to 2037.

Read story
An offshore construction vessel working in open water
Industry

Chilean Study Confirms Antarctica Subsea Cable Is Technically Feasible

A feasibility study led on behalf of Chile's telecoms regulator has mapped two subsea cable routes to Antarctica, the larger connecting nine landing points across five countries' bases.

Read story
A bulk carrier loading grain alongside a berth
Port activity

Studies Back Year-Round Shipping to Churchill Through Hudson Bay

Three studies have concluded that existing ice-class tonnage can work the Churchill corridor year-round, as grain exports resume through the port after a five-year pause.

Read story
Yard workers on a hull inside a shipbuilding dock
Industry

Labor Shortage Caps Japan's Plan to Double Shipbuilding Capacity by 2035

Japan is putting $6.5 billion behind a plan to double shipbuilding output by 2035, but orders have fallen 15 percent this year because yards cannot staff the work.

Read story
A fishing vessel working far offshore
Incident

Two Diverting Ships Rescue 27 From Burning Tuna Seiner Off Galapagos

All 27 crew of the Ecuadorian tuna seiner Drennec were recovered within 11 hours of the first distress alert, 450 nautical miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands.

Read story
A laden tanker aground on rocks off the Omani coast
Incident

Sanctioned Tanker Caroline Bezengi Still Leaking Oil Off Oman

The beached shadow-fleet tanker is settling deeper in the water off the Hallaniyat Islands, and salvage work cannot begin until the Khareef monsoon eases.

Read story
Container ships loading at a port terminal
Industry

MSC Files New Far East-Africa Rates for September as Demand Firms

MSC has filed new freight-all-kinds rates on Far East-Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean trades for 1-14 September, ranging up to $8,000 per 40-foot container to Somalia.

Read story
An oil tanker at dry dock
Sanctions

Iraq Secures Iranian Approval for Oil Tanker Transit Through Hormuz

Iran has granted permission for Iraqi oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz following repeated requests from Baghdad, though the arrangement remains complicated.

Read story
An oil tanker at dry dock for maintenance
Sanctions

Russian Urals Crude Tops Brent in India for First Time Since May

Russian Urals crude for October delivery to India has been offered at a premium over Dated Brent for the first time since May, as drone attacks constrain loadings from Novorossiysk.

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

Maersk Launches Tangier-Casablanca Rail Link to Ease Port Congestion

Maersk has launched a high-frequency rail service between Tangier and Casablanca aimed at easing congestion at Casablanca, which handled 17 million tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026.

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

Global New Ship Orders Rise 27% Year on Year, Nearing Pre-2008 Peak

Global newbuild orders rose 27% year on year in the twelve months to early August, the fastest growth since the 2008 financial crisis, with the order backlog now at 405.9 million gross tonnes.

Read story
A warship docked at port during sunset
Other

Philippines-Japan Military Logistics Pact Enters Into Force

A defence pact allowing Japan and the Philippines to exchange military supplies and services has come into force, deepening a security partnership shaped by China's regional activity.

Read story
An offshore drilling rig against a clear sky
Industry

SBM Offshore Delivers Trion Turret Buoy From China to Mexico

SBM Offshore has shipped a disconnectable turret mooring buoy and related equipment from China to Altamira, Mexico, for the $10.4bn Trion oil development in the Gulf of Mexico.

Read story
A dredging vessel at work
Industry

Boskalis Calls First Half 'Solid' Despite Geopolitical Drag on New Projects

Boskalis reported first-half revenue of EUR1.90bn, down from an exceptionally strong EUR2.35bn a year earlier, as geopolitical uncertainty dampened client appetite for new projects.

Read story
An oil tanker moored alongside other vessels
Industry

Angolan Crude Oil Exports Set to Fall Sharply in October

Angola plans to load 30 crude oil cargoes in October at 932,000 barrels a day, down from 34 cargoes and 1.04 million bpd pencilled in for September.

Read story
A trailing suction hopper dredger under way
Industry

DEME and Jan De Nul Complete Final Caisson for Princess Elisabeth Energy Island

The TM Edison consortium of DEME and Jan De Nul has installed the last of 23 caissons forming the protective ring of Belgium's Princess Elisabeth energy island.

Read story
An ice-capable ship navigating Arctic waters
Industry

China's Sea Legend Launches Regular Container Service Through the Arctic

Chinese line Sea Legend has launched a regular Arctic container service to Europe after a 2025 trial crossing took 20 days from Ningbo-Zhoushan to Felixstowe.

Read story
A crude oil tanker at a storage terminal, seen from the air
Vessel sales

ADNOC L&S Pays Record $115 Million for 15-Year-Old VLCC

ADNOC L&S has bought the 15-year-old VLCC Olympic Leopard for $115 million and renamed her Al Yahr, a record price as European brokers value similar tankers at up to $100 million.

Read story
An offshore wind farm with turbines at sea
Industry

Norway Grants Ventyr a One-Year Delay on Southern North Sea II Wind Licence

Norway's energy ministry has given Ventyr an extra year to submit its licence application for the Southern North Sea II offshore wind project, pushing the deadline to 15 October 2027.

Read story
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

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.

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.