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US Attack Submarines Have Spent 41 Ship-Years Idle Waiting for Shipyard Capacity
A watchdog report puts a decade of US attack submarine maintenance delays at 41 ship-years and warns that boats waiting to be decommissioned could cost $3.1bn over the next five years.
Iran Seizes a Sugar-Laden Bulk Carrier Over an Oil and Sludge Discharge in Hormuz
Iranian authorities seized a bulk carrier after images showed oil being discharged into the Strait of Hormuz, adding a pollution case to a strait Tehran already polices for transit fees.
Turkish, Chinese and Vietnamese Yards Deliver a Wave of Tugs Into Latin America
SAAM Towage, Svitzer, Boluda and Wilson Sons have all taken delivery of new harbour and escort tugs for Central and South America and the Caribbean in recent months.
Ten Weeks Left on the China-US Port Fee Truce as the 9 November Deadline Nears
The suspension of US Section 301 port fees and China's matching special port dues expires on 9 November 2026, putting ownership and build country back at the centre of trans-Pacific deployment.
China, Russia and Kazakhstan Weigh an Ob-Irtysh River Route to the Russian Arctic
A revived Ob-Irtysh corridor would let Chinese goods reach Russian Arctic ports at the base of the Yamal Peninsula, but ice, drought and hydropower locks stand between the plan and the cargo.
Second Jan De Nul Dredger Arrives at Anaklia to Take the Port Down to 17.5 Metres
The dredger Al-Idrisi has entered Anaklia Deep Sea Port in Georgia, where two Jan De Nul vessels will now work together to deepen the seabed to 17.5 metres.
Peter Dohle Adds Two More 14,000 teu Ships at Hudong-Zhonghua, Taking the Series to Six
The Hamburg owner has extended its container ship newbuilding programme with two more 14,000 teu vessels at the CSSC yard, bringing its total order there to six ships.
NYK Takes Half of Avenir LNG to Build a Bunkering Venture With Stolt-Nielsen
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha has completed the purchase of a 50% stake in Avenir LNG from Stolt-Nielsen Gas, creating a joint venture around one of the largest LNG bunker vessel fleets.
Hormuz Stalemate Keeps Brent Near $86 With a $100 Risk Case in the Forecasts
The EIA has lifted its third-quarter Brent forecast by $11 to about $85 a barrel, while Rabobank now sees $90 for both the third and fourth quarters of 2026.
Maritime Briefing, 3 September 2026: Hormuz, Strikes, Korean Yards
Two VLCCs struck minutes apart in Hormuz, Rotterdam stopping for eight hours, and Chinese yards taking 57.8% of the world's LNG carrier orders.
GMI Doubles Its Hydrogen Bulker Programme to Four Ships With an Indian Order
Green Maritime Infrastructure has ordered two more compressed-hydrogen bulkers at India's Chowgule Shipyard, joining two larger vessels already under construction in Turkey.
Sweden Signs for Four French-Built Frigates in a Lulea Class Configuration
Sweden has finalised the contract for four frigates based on the French FDI design, in a configuration the country says will triple its current air defence capability.
MARAD Cuts Its Title XI Application Fee by 80% in a First Overhaul Since 1978
The US Maritime Administration has cut the application fee for its federal vessel and shipyard financing programme to $1,000 and replaced the investigation fee with a commitment fee.
Mein Schiff 7 Takes 25 Cubic Metres of Methanol in a Cruise Sector First
TUI Cruises has completed a demonstration methanol bunkering aboard Mein Schiff 7, the first cruise ship built methanol-ready, using fuel from renewable feedstocks delivered by road tanker.
DP World Names Its First Methanol Dual-Fuel Box Ship, the 1,250 teu DP World London
DP World Shipping Solutions has named its first methanol dual-fuel container vessel, a 148-metre 1,250 teu feeder built in China and delivered in April 2026.
MOL Folds Six Ship Managers Into One Singapore Company Running 200-Plus Ships
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has completed the merger of six group ship management companies into MOL Global Ship Management, creating a single organisation overseeing more than 200 vessels.
Tsakos Releases More Than $100m by Selling Two 2006-Built Suezmaxes
Tsakos Energy Navigation is selling another two ageing suezmaxes, releasing more than $100m into cash reserves as younger tonnage arrives from a 26-vessel newbuilding programme.
Tidewater and Helix Close Offshore Deals a Day Apart as Consolidation Runs On
Tidewater completed its $500m purchase of Wilson Sons Ultratug on 31 August, and Helix Energy Solutions merged with Hornbeck Offshore Services and adopted the Hornbeck name from 1 September.
Weather Drove 84.6% of Urgent Maritime Safety Messages Sent During 2025
Inmarsat Maritime has combined three years of GMDSS distress data with an analysis of 106,975 safety broadcasts transmitted in 2025, with storms making up 75% of identified weather hazards.
Four in Five Crew Deaths Are Caused by Illness Rather Than Accidents
An analysis of nearly 3,000 crew claims found 81% of fatalities were illness-related and only 19% resulted from injury, with cardiovascular disease the single largest cause.
EU Recycling Yards Used 5% of Their Capacity While Owners Beached 345 Ships
Research covering 2019 to 2025 finds around 30 EU yards with 1.3m ldt of capacity used just five percent of it, while 66% of EU tonnage was beached in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
China Took 57.8% of Global LNG Carrier Orders in the First Half of 2026
Chinese builders captured 57.8% of the 90 LNG carrier orders placed worldwide in the first half of 2026, widening a gap that stood at 15 ships to 13 in the same period last year.
South Korea's Big Three Yards Are Running Above Their Rated Capacity
HD KSOE, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean all ran at or above their nominal capacity in the first half of 2026, and are investing in docks, cranes and automation rather than new land.
Partial Strikes Begin at HD Hyundai's Ulsan Yard for the Fourth Year Running
Unionised workers at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries began a seven-hour stoppage on 2 September after mediators found the two sides far apart on pay and profit sharing.
Churchill Loads Its First Grain Cargo in Six Years as Arctic Traffic Returns
Canada's only Arctic deep-water port is loading grain again after a six-year gap, following its first critical minerals export in more than two decades.
Rotterdam Ship Handling Stops for Nearly Eight Hours on 4 September
No vessels will be handled at Rotterdam between 11:15 and 19:00 on 4 September, with Amsterdam and Zeeland also affected, ahead of a nationwide rail walkout on 9 September.
Maersk Puts a Single 35-Metre Rotor Sail on an 8,700 teu Container Ship
Maersk is taking wind-assisted propulsion into its container fleet for the first time, with a single 5-metre by 35-metre fixed rotor to be tested on North and South Atlantic routes.
Maersk Cuts Its Fossil Fuel Fee From 1 October and Resets Terminal Charges
Lower reference fuel prices feed into Maersk's fourth-quarter calculation, cutting the Fossil Fuel Fee on major trades from 1 October alongside a wide reset of terminal handling charges.
ZIM Returns to Quarterly Profit With $64m as the First Half Still Shows a Loss
ZIM posted net income of $64m for the second quarter on revenue of $1.78bn, but the carrier still recorded a $22m net loss across the first half as average freight rates fell to $1,455 per teu.
Turkey's Largest Regional Box Operators Suspend All Calls at Russian Ports
Akkon Lines has told customers it is suspending service to every Russian port including St Petersburg, after a drone strike wrote off its 1,096 teu RMS Team at Novorossiysk.
Puntland Disputes Mogadishu's Account of How the Cargo Ship Lutuf Was Freed
The Federal Government of Somalia says Turkish and Somali forces freed the MV Lutuf after a ten-day pursuit, while Puntland's security ministry says no rescue took place and a ransom was paid.
Ten Missing After Turkish Cargo Ship Is Feared Sunk in the Sea of Marmara
The 3,970 dwt Tugberk Imamoglu collided with the chemical tanker Alsu 18 nautical miles south of Silivri and is now believed to have sunk with all ten crew unaccounted for.
Two VLCCs Struck Minutes Apart in Hormuz as Washington Hits Iranian Tankers
The Sinokor-controlled Senegal Prosperity was hit by three projectiles minutes after the Bahri-managed Sidr was attacked, and US forces have begun striking Iranian state tankers in reply.
Maritime Briefing, 2 September 2026: Hormuz, Congestion, Korean Yards
Transits through Hormuz down to five a day, Drewry rejecting the port capacity argument, and two Korean yards bidding for American naval work.
Hanwha Ocean Certifies a Low-Carbon FPSO Design Ahead of the Venus Bid
The yard is competing with SBM Offshore for a $3bn FPSO contract on TotalEnergies' Venus development offshore Namibia, where emissions weigh heavily in the evaluation.
Wagenborg Puts Connectivity and Cybersecurity Onto 160 Ships at Once
The programme covers around 160 owned and managed general cargo vessels, treating onboard IT and security as fleet infrastructure rather than per-ship procurement.
Bremen and Bremerhaven Lift Container Volumes 5.7% as Hamburg Slips
Total seaborne throughput across the two locations rose 5.9% to 34.5m tonnes, with the sharpest relative gain at Bremen's city ports.
Russia Extends Its Diesel and Marine Fuel Export Ban to 30 September
Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have squeezed the domestic fuel market, which is the stated reason for holding the barrels at home.
APM Terminals Breaks Ground on a $550m Terminal at Chattogram
The 30-year concession adds over 800,000 teu of annual capacity from 2030, with Bangladesh retaining ownership of the asset throughout.
HD Hyundai and Hanwha Take Their Shipbuilding Rivalry to US Yards
Hanwha owns Philly Shipyard and has bid up to $1.2bn for Austal's US arm; HD Hyundai has been examining yards in San Diego and along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Search Suspended for Two Crew After French Trawler Sinks in the Channel
A helicopter, a fixed-wing aircraft, four RNLI lifeboats and a large number of civilian vessels searched for two days before the operation was suspended pending further information.
Drewry Puts Worsening Port Congestion Down to Utilisation, Not Capacity
A terminal running at 90% berth utilisation needs about a week to recover from a one-day disruption, against roughly two days at 75%, which is where the queues are coming from.
Two Managers Fined $1.75m Over Concealed Oily Water Discharges
MSC Shipmanagement and Hong Kong Spirit Shipping each pleaded guilty to two counts under US pollution law and were placed on four years of probation.
Icebreaker Nuyina Sent to Empty Macquarie Island Station Over Bird Flu
The Southern Ocean station sits among up to four million seabirds and 100,000 seals, and a strain that killed three-quarters of a season's pups on Heard Island is expected to arrive.
MAIB Traces the Holyhead Berthing Contact That Flooded Stena Estrid
The crew shored the hull below the waterline, pumped out the spaces and transferred ballast to lift the damage clear of the water, allowing all 157 people aboard to disembark normally.
Höegh Autoliners Fits GPS Interference Backup Across Its 38-Ship Fleet
The system provides an independent position when GNSS signals are disrupted, alerts bridge teams to interference and keeps a verified record of the route sailed.
Taylor Maritime Sells Three Handysizes as Its Chief Executive Buys In
Ed Buttery's T3 Holding is on the buyer side for around $32.2m of the deal, which the board and its sponsor judged fair and reasonable to shareholders.
Star Bulk Prepares an Athens Listing Alongside Its Nasdaq Quotation
The dry bulk owner posted a second-quarter net profit of $144.9m, its best quarter since 2022, and counts 138 owned vessels totalling 13.8m dwt.
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