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Maersk takes delivery of fourth 9,000-TEU methanol-capable containership
Tacoma Maersk is the fourth of six mid-sized 9,000-TEU newbuildings able to burn methanol, and will be deployed between the Middle East, India and the US East Coast.

Thamesborg Completes Northwest Passage a Year After Grounding
Wagenborg's Thamesborg has transited the Northwest Passage without incident a year after grounding on an uncharted shoal in Franklin Strait.

Finnish Appeal Court Revives the Eagle S Cable Damage Case
The Helsinki Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling that Finland lacked jurisdiction over the Eagle S, reopening the prosecution of crew over Baltic cable damage.

Floatel Triumph Lined Up for Brazilian Safety Unit Work in 2027
Floatel International has received a letter of intent for the semi-submersible Floatel Triumph to provide maintenance and safety unit services offshore Brazil from 2027.

TotalEnergies Completes Its Exit from Russia's Arctic LNG 2
TotalEnergies has transferred its 10 percent interest in Arctic LNG 2 to Novatek subsidiary NordLine, retaining a claim to about $1.3 billion in shareholder loans.

Mercuria's Capesize Buying Spree Approaches 1.5 Million DWT
Mercuria's secondhand capesize buying is nearing 1.5m dwt after the purchase of the 180,000 dwt Mount Dampier for around $38 million.

ETUC Joins Hague Appeal Over the Non-Seafarers' Work Clause
The European Trade Union Confederation has been allowed to intervene in an appeal over the ITF clause that keeps crew off cargo lashing work in port.

K Line Orders Three Malaccamax VLCCs at Japan's Nihon Shipyard
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha has returned to the VLCC newbuilding market with three 311,000 dwt malaccamax tankers ordered at Nihon Shipyard for delivery from 2029.

Japan Reviews Shipping Tax Package as an Economic Security Question
Japan's Maritime Bureau will consider four tax measures affecting international shipping as a single package in fiscal 2027 tax reform negotiations.

Seaspan Becomes First Foreign Owner to Pay P&I Calls in Renminbi
Seaspan has become the first overseas shipowner to settle protection and indemnity calls with China P&I Club in renminbi, covering two 14,000 teu newbuildings.

Hafnia Exits Andromeda Joint Venture with $13.3 Million Gain
Hafnia has sold its 50 percent interest in H&A Shipping, the joint venture with Monaco-based Andromeda Shipping, booking a $13.3 million profit.

DNV Says Efficiency, Not Fuel Switching, Carries Shipping to 2050
DNV's annual forecast puts energy efficiency and speed reduction ahead of alternative fuels, projecting a 16 percent emissions cut by 2030 from efficiency alone.

Russian Fishing Vessel Alpha Crux Sinks Alongside in Montevideo
The Russian-flagged fishing vessel Alpha Crux lost stability and sank at its berth in Montevideo; all 41 crew were evacuated without injury.

Wheat Futures Reach Three-Year High as Black Sea Loadings Stall
Chicago wheat futures have risen 18 percent this month as attacks on merchant shipping shut down grain loading on both sides of the Black Sea.

Ultramax Maria Topic Begins Sea Trials with Wingsail and Solar Retrofit
The 60,155-dwt bulker Maria Topic is crossing the Pacific testing a tiltable rigid wingsail and solar panels fitted under the EU-funded WHISPER project.

US Navy Seeks Alternative Ports After Losing Access to Bahrain
With its traditional base in Bahrain no longer available, the US Navy is weighing alternative port call options across the Indian Ocean region.

US Navy Takes Delivery of Its Final Expeditionary Sea Base
The US Navy has taken delivery of USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., the last of the expeditionary sea bases built on a converted Alaska-class tanker hull form.

Fincantieri Floats Out Oceania Sonata, First of a Five-Ship Class
Fincantieri has floated out Oceania Sonata at Marghera, the first of five ships in a new class for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' Oceania brand.

India Maps 100-Ship Fleet Expansion to Cut Its $75 Billion Freight Bill
India is considering adding up to 100 vessels over five years to reduce a dependence on foreign-flag tonnage that costs the country around $75 billion a year in freight.

Spirit of Tasmania IV Reaches Devonport for October Service Entry
Spirit of Tasmania IV has arrived in Devonport for commissioning and crew training, closing out a replacement programme whose terminal alone cost A$495 million.

Russian Flotilla Returns to the Mediterranean Bound for Tartus
A Russian naval group led by the destroyer Admiral Levchenko re-entered the Mediterranean on August 27, weeks after Moscow and Damascus agreed reduced terms at Tartus.

California Sues Interior Over $120M Offshore Wind Lease Buyout
California has sued the Department of the Interior over a $120 million payment made to Golden State Wind in exchange for relinquishing a federal offshore wind lease.

Two Crew Killed in Engine Room Fire on South Korean Product Tanker
Two crewmembers died in an engine room fire aboard a South Korean-flagged product tanker off Incheon; 16 of the 18 on board were rescued.

IMO Says 400 Ships and 6,000 Seafarers Still Cannot Leave the Gulf
The IMO says up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely since the conflict began.

Sweden Charges Pilot and Cargo Ship Master Over Fatal Collision
Swedish prosecutors have charged the master of the cargo ship Misje Verde and the pilot aboard with causing the deaths of two people on a pleasure boat off Tjorn.

MARAD Activates Training Ship Empire State for Federal Service
SUNY Maritime has been told the Maritime Administration will take its training ship Empire State into temporary federal service from around September 1.

Romania Rescues 12 Crew from Cargo Ship Suspected of Being Attacked
Romanian rescue services took 12 seafarers off the 7,298-dwt Progress IV after a fire that the country's president said appeared to have followed an attack.

NextOcean to Fit Motion Prediction Radar to SOV Esvagt Njord
NextOcean has been awarded a contract to install its WavePredictor motion radar aboard the service operation vessel Esvagt Njord, working at the Dudgeon wind farm.

Bulgaria Ratifies Transfer of Seven Belgian and Dutch Minehunters
Bulgaria's parliament has ratified agreements covering the acquisition of seven minehunters from Belgium and the Netherlands for Black Sea mine countermeasures.

MSC Suspends Novorossiysk Bookings After Drone Strike on Boxship
MSC has suspended new bookings to and from Novorossiysk with immediate effect after one of its containerships was struck by a drone leaving the Russian port.

Keyfield Buys Mega Dredger Inai Kenanga at Steep Discount to Valuation
Malaysian offshore vessel owner Keyfield International has entered the dredging market with the $24.7m purchase of the 2016-built mega dredger Inai Kenanga.

Victoria Opens Australia's First Offshore Wind Auction for 2GW
Victoria has launched Australia's first offshore wind auction, seeking an initial 2GW off the Gippsland coast in a request for proposals running to August 2027.

Orsted Shelves 1.4GW Incheon Offshore Wind Project in South Korea
Orsted has suspended its bid for what would have been South Korea's largest offshore wind project, off Incheon, after it failed internal investment criteria.

KNOT Takes 2024-Built Shuttle Tanker From Parent in 113 Million Deal
KNOT Offshore Partners is acquiring the 2024-built shuttle tanker Hedda Knutsen from its sponsor in a $113m deal, taking the fleet to 20 vessels.

SFL Orders Four LNG Dual-Fuel Car Carriers in 363 Million Dollar Deal
SFL is investing $363m in four LNG dual-fuel car carrier newbuildings for 2029 delivery, with two already chartered to a major Asia-based manufacturer.

Container Lines Urged to Catch Dangerous Cargo Risk at Booking Stage
A new report argues container shipping must identify dangerous cargo risks at booking rather than after a box is loaded, as vessel fires hit a ten-year high.

DNV Urges Owners to Build Fleets That Survive the Wrong Fuel Call
DNV's tenth Maritime Forecast to 2050 puts regulatory uncertainty at the centre, urging owners to build strategies that survive radically different outcomes.

IAEA Launches ATLAS Initiative to Bring Nuclear Power Back to Sea
The IAEA has launched ATLAS, a global initiative aimed at creating the regulatory and safety framework needed to bring nuclear power into civilian shipping.

US Southern Command Carries Out 68th Strike on Suspected Drug Vessel
US Southern Command has conducted its 68th airstrike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel, bringing the campaign's estimated toll to 227 deceased suspects.

Tanker Struck by Unknown Projectile Northwest of Musandam Peninsula
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile northwest of the Musandam Peninsula, the latest attack on neutral shipping in the US-defended Hormuz corridor.

Port Houston Impact Study Puts Economic Activity Near One Trillion Dollars
Port Houston's latest economic impact assessment estimates it supports nearly $1 trillion in economic activity, roughly three percent of US gross domestic product.

Canada's West Coast Ports Handle 409 Billion Dollars of Cargo
Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo handled more than 200 million tonnes worth C$409bn in 2025, as Canada works to expand trade beyond the United States.

Scrap Metal Fire on Bulker at Cardiff Renews Cargo Screening Concern
Fire crews fought a smoky scrap metal fire in the hold of a bulker at Cardiff, the latest in a run of similar blazes linked to contaminated cargo.

Ningbo-Zhoushan Overtakes Singapore as Second Busiest Box Port
Ningbo-Zhoushan has edged past Singapore to become the world's second busiest container port, growing at nearly twice the Singaporean rate in the first half.

Task Force Handled 25 Piracy Incidents in Six Months Off Horn of Africa
Combined Task Force 151 intervened in more than two dozen piracy incidents over six months as attacks off the Horn of Africa reached a ten-year high.

Judge Dismisses Most Remaining Dali Economic Damage Claims
A Maryland court has dismissed most remaining economic loss claims over the Dali and the Key Bridge collapse, applying a 1927 Supreme Court precedent.

Washington Moves to Revive Prize Courts for Seized Merchant Vessels
The US administration is moving to revive the prize court, a tribunal for determining the legality of seizing enemy merchant vessels, untested since the Second World War.

Petrobras Amazon Basin Find Opens Brazil's Last Offshore Frontier
Petrobras has logged hydrocarbons in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, opening Brazil's Equatorial Margin frontier while raising questions over spill response in strong currents.
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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.
