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The civil proceedings at the Braunschweig Regional Court has commended on July 2, in which the plaintiffs claim that a lithium-ion battery in a Porsche Taycan ignited spontaneously and caused the fire The ship's owner, the shipping company, and several marine hull insurance companies are demanding compensation for the damages associated with the fire and the sinking of the ship. The plaintiffs point out, among other things, that the VW subsidiary's vehicle in question was equipped with innovative batteries for which they were unprepared. The damage is said to be in the hundreds of millions of euros, although the exact amount is disputed between the parties. Volkswagen, however, denies that an electric car caused the devastating fire on Feb 16, 2022. According to the court, the defendant VW subsidiaries claim that the fire had a different cause and that the sinking of the ship could have been prevented with prudent action. Conciliation proceedings aimed at reaching an agreement between the parties failed. Therefore, the main oral hearing has now begun before the 12th Civil Division of the Braunschweig Regional Court. The presiding judge stated that the core question is whether a car started the fire or whether cars caught fire due to a fire. Parallel to the proceedings in Braunschweig, there is another civil case before the Stuttgart Regional Court. This case had been suspended while mediation was attempted in Braunschweig. The proceedings in Stuttgart are scheduled to resume with an oral hearing on Oct 20. The ship owners and five marine hull insurers are demanding damages from Porsche before the Stuttgart Regional Court. The claim involves approximately €29.1 million. Another case is also underway in Panama. The proceedings also address who had what knowledge. The issue is whether the shipping company should have taken better safety precautions or whether VW should have better informed the shipping company about potential hazards posed by the vehicles. Apparently, not everything ran smoothly on the ship. The fire extinguishing system, for example, is said to have malfunctioned. From VW's perspective, this could have slowed the fire and steered the ship to a port. Volkswagen's lawyers also question the safety procedures on board the ship. The plaintiffs, however, argue that the installed foam extinguishing system was not designed for fires involving electric car batteries anyway. Witnesses will be heard at a later date; experts will first have their say in the proceedings.

The 'Northland' offloaded approximately 2,220 pounds of cocaine and 3,320 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $20.1 million, Wednesday, at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach on July 2. The seized contraband was the result of four interdictions in the Caribbean Sea by the HMCS 'William Hall' and HNLMS 'Friesland' with embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachments. The following assets and crews were also involved in the interdiction operations: - U.S. Navy ship USS Cole - U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, LEDET 404 - U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific, LEDET 103 - Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Jacksonville - Seventh Coast Guard District staff Report with video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4233629/coast-guard-offloads-more-than-20-million-in-illicit-drugs-interdicted-in-carib/

Global trade enabler DP World has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone today to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Walvis Bay to support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for Southern Africa. Development of the first 50 hectares phase of the zone has the potential to create 3,000 jobs and help attract investment to Namibia of N$ 3.5 billion (approx. US$237 million). Expansion to 1,500 hectares is expected to increase the potential investment to N$25 billion (around US$1.7 billion) with 20,000 job opportunities.

Shikoku Kyuko Ferry, also known as ‘Olive Line’, has announced that it will close the historic Uno-Takamatsu route on 16 December.

On July 2, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a 4,1-m- motor boat sank after getting too close to the 'Nordwind' on the Peenestrom, approximately at buoy PN 43, and sank. The 'Nordwind' was en route from Aalborg to Wolgast, when the charter boat with three men on board passed the starboard side too close and was caught in the bow wave, causing it to capsize and sink. The three occupants were able to swim to the buoy and cling to it. In addition to the water police Wolgast, the Wolgast Fire Department and the DGzRS were also alerted. Before the rescue services arrived, the crew of another pleasure boat that had witnessed the accident, picked up the three men and transported them to Wolgast. There, they were taken to a local hospital for further treatment with suspected hypothermia. The skipper of the motor boat also smelled of alcohol and was drug tested. The corresponding preliminary blood alcohol test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.86 per mille. In this context, a blood sample was ordered. An investigation into endangering rail, shipping, and sea traffic, as well as negligent bodily harm, has been initiated. Further investigations into the matter by the Wolgast Water Police Department were ongoing. The location and salvage of the sunken pleasure craft will be carried out promptly. A search after the accident by the water police and the Wolgast fire department initially yielded no results.

On July 2, 2025, at approximately 7:20 p.m., the 'Rembrandt van Rijn', saling upstream on the Moselle en route from Koblenz to Saarlouis with 110 passengers and 27 crew members on board, passed through the third, landward bridge arch on the left bank of the river Treis-Karden. The available height between the water surface and the bridge arch was insufficient, resulting in an allision. The ship sustained significant damage. Two crew members were injured in the accidentand had to be treated at the Cochem Hospital. n'one of the passengers were injured. The damage to the bridge had yet to be assessed; but the bridge is currently still open to traffic. The river cruise ship suffered considerable damage. Reports with photos and video: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/fahrgastschiff-rammt-bruecke-unfall-in-treis-karden-100.html https://www.wochenspiegellive.de/kreis-cochem-zell/artikel/schiffsunfall-in-treis-karden-passagierschiff-kracht-gegen-bruecke https://56aktuell.de/fahrgastschiff-rammt-bruecke https://web.de/magazine/panorama/videos/verletzte-schiffsunfall-mosel-41142044 https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Nachrichten/0207-Personenschiff-kollidiert-mit-Bruecke-auf-der-Mosel-632748.html

Costa Cruises’ second Chinese market-designed cruise ship, COSTA FIRENZE, was floated out at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. COSTA FIRENZE follows the February delivered COSTA VENEZIA.

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Germany's third-largest defence company and world market leader in conventional submarines, has recorded a pleasing development: by 2023, the company will be investing 250 million Euro in Kiel. Its objective is to develop the shipyard into an international competence centre for conventional submarine construction. Thanks to the currently good development with new orders, around 500 new employees will be hired throughout the company by the end of 2020, the majority of them in Kiel. The company is looking primarily for engineers and skilled workers, particularly in R&D, construction and manufacturing. https://www.thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com/en/press-releases/d/uid-26938af4-8f4e-e141-8c2d-54a1f4623b48.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/TKMS-will-250-Millionen-Euro-in-Kieler-Werft-investieren,thyssenkrupp126.html

On the afternoon of July 2, 2025, the 'Elegant Lady', en route from Traben-Trarbach to Düsseldorf with 126 passengers on board, allided with a gate of the St. Aldegund lock (Cochem-Zell district) on the Moselle when entering the lock basin. The gate was so damaged that lock operations had to be suspended. The river cruise ship was able to reverse under its own power and moored in front of the St. Aldegund lock. Two crew members were injured in the indient, and treated in a hospital in Cochem. Another person required medical treatment due to the high, weather-related temperatures. Experts from the Waterways and Shipping Administration were investigating the extent of the damage to the lower gate at the lock, which remains closed until July 6 at least. An expert has been appointed for July 3 to assess the damage. The investigation into how the accident occurred was ongoing. Report with photos and video: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/fahrgastschiff-rammt-schleusentor-mosel-sankt-aldegund-100.html https://www.wort.lu/luxemburg/mosel-schleuse-unfall-sankt-aldegund-hafen-mertert-luxemburg/75456442.html https://www.rnd.de/panorama/mosel-fahrgastschiff-prallt-gegen-schleusentor-drei-verletzte-D4YGRVNOQZITPCEOPDERCTKO3Y.html https://www.wochenspiegellive.de/kreis-cochem-zell/artikel/weiterer-schiffsunfall-auf-der-mosel-droht-erneut-lange-moselsperrung

Following a brief improvement in weather conditions on July 2, a 16-member salvage team successfully boarded the 'Wan Hai 503'. Their immediate priorities included conducting a thorough search for the missing crew member within accessible areas of the casualty. No signs of the missing person were discovered. The salvage team has activated five pumps onboard, dewatering both the engine room and the affected cargo holds. This has led to a significant reduction in engine room water levels, by approximately 3.5 metres, reducing the vessel's overall draft and providing a safer operational environment. The visible fire onboard has largely been contained, with only light smoke emanating forward of the accommodation block and from cargo hold no. 4. No active flames have been observed in the most recent operations. Continuous hull and hold temperature monitoring was being carried out using thermal imaging to assess structural heat stress and potential flare-ups. Additionally, the application of approximately 9000 litres of Pyrocool firefighting agent has been completed, effectively reducing hotspot temperatures, particularly in cargo hold no. 4, where maximum recorded temperatures have now fallen to 64°C on the port side and 68°C on the starboard side. The 'Offshore Warrior' remained the primary towing platform, maintaining the vessel’s position outside the EEZ. The 'Saroja Blessings', 'Saksham', 'Water Lily', 'SCI Panna', and the recently deployed tug 'Virgo' were engaged in critical support operations including boundary cooling, material transfer, thermal imaging, and personnel rotation. The firefighting team has shifted focus to localised boundary cooling operations using hatch-cover mounted arrangements to target specific heat-affected zones. Approximately 6000 litres of Pyrocool remained in reserve for any escalation, with an additional supply pre-positioned in Singapore for rapid deployment. CO₂ injection into cargo hold no. 5 has been initiated to suppress internal smouldering, with two further CO₂ discharges kept ready if required. In parallel, the salvage team has commenced ventilation of starboard side tunnels to reduce hazardous gas concentrations, allowing safer forward access and potential operations on the bow. Preparations were ongoing to rig a Dyneema towline on the bow as an alternative towing arrangement, providing flexibility should existing tow connections be compromised. Furthermore, replacing the current soft towlines with steel or Dyneema ropes remained a high priority, subject to operational windows and prevailing sea conditions. The 'SCI Panna' continued to provide coastal support within India’s jurisdictional limits. The cargo hold no. 4 continued to have elevated temperatures (approx. 64°C port side, 68°C starboard side) and ongoing smouldering of cargo, including plastic resin containers. Hold no. 5 starboard side showed localized high temperatures but remaineds contained following CO2 release. The engine room remained partially flooded, with water ingress suspected from cargo holds. Pumping efforts were steadily reducing water levels, and full dewatering was prioritised, weather permitting. The missing crew search remained ongoing in accessible areas. High winds and swells were intermittently limiting operations; however, salvage crews have maximized available weather windows for critical tasks. A detailed Port of Refuge proposal was under preparation for submission. Vessel stability assessments, bunker and ballast soundings, and ventilation of enclosed spaces continued in parallel to ensure readiness for further movement. The situation required continued focus on dewatering, fire containment and formalizing safe entry into a Port of Refuge. All government agencies, remained engaged in ensuring environmental protection, safety of life, and mitigation of escalation risks. Report with photo: https://www.worldcargonews.com/shipping-logistics/2025/07/wan-hai-503-fire-smouldering-engine-room-pumping-underway/

Damen Shipyards Group is to build a further four Island Class double-ender ferries for BC Ferries. All four vessels will be built at Damen’s yard in Romania and will enter service in 2022. Damen is already building two Island Class vessels for BC Ferries, both of which have completed sea trials and are due in Victoria, BC in early 2020.

A joint venture featuring CMA CGM and DP World has been granted the contract to expand box facilities at the port of Le Havre in northern France. Générale de Manutention Portuaire (GMP), a joint venture held 50:50 by DP World and Terminal Link, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, will build and operate the 1m teu container terminal for the Port 2000 berths 11 and 12 under a 34-year concession. The new terminal will include a 700 m long quay and 42 ha of land.