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Arrived Liepaja scrapyard 23.04.25

arrived Xin Hui Scrapyard 10.06.25

Washington States Ferries has officially launched its new hybrid-ferry newbuild program at Vigor’s Seattle shipyard. Washington’s legislature authorized a contract extension earlier this year for Vigor to build up to five 144-car Olympic class, hybrid-electric ferries over the coming years for the Washington State Ferries, the largest ferry system in the United States. Vigor has constructed the last twelve ferries in the WSF system and has been actively engaged in the evolution of hybrid-electric solutions, including sending a team to Norway to meet with experts on best practices and available technologies for low carbon ferry systems. Vigor and WSF will again visit Norway as part of a second delegation in September 2019. The Olympic class hull form is one of the most efficient in the fleet with less drag through the water and a small wake for a positive environmental impact. The new hybrid vessels will utilize the existing Olympic class hull form, but will be capable of 100% electric operation on most routes once the infrastructure needed for charging is installed.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian which caused widespread devastation across the Bahamas, Norwegian oil giant Equinor is setting about cleaning up the spills from its South Riding Point oil terminal on Grand Bahama. The South Riding Point oil terminal has sustained damage from the hurricane and oil has been observed on the ground at the terminal site and in neighbouring areas. The size of the spill is not yet clear. Equinor has secured vessels and equipment for oil spill response in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and from various ports across southeast Florida.

Beached at Aliaga 17.06.25 towed by Fram Prince

The investigation into the fire in the 3500 tons of scrap aboard the 'Altay' will continue the next few days, with the ship remaining stationary as of July 1. The fire fighters were looking at it as an accidental cause. The Humberside Fire and Rescue Service was called to Albert Dock in Hull on June 27 at about 10:20 a.m. BST. It took crews until June 28 at 05:00 a.m. BST to put the deep seated fire out. Report with photo: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cargo-ship-fire-in-port-likely-to-be-an-accident/ar-AA1HHITz

The UK government and the Port of Southampton have teamed up to launched the UK’s first Port Economic Partnership (PEP), a way of creating stronger links between ports and government in order to long-term trade and economic growth. For the partnership, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) will work with ABP’s Port of Southampton to focus on leveraging public and private sector investment and ensuring that planning processes are as efficient as possible. The unique partnership was launched this week during an event at London International Shipping Week. The creation of PEPs was outlined back in January as part of the launch of the UK’s ‘Maritime 2050 – Navigating the Future’ strategy, envisioning creating a strong business environment for ports which, in turn, will help trade and benefit the UK economy.

The government of the Panama has officially approved the modification of the Panama Canal tolls structure, following a recommendation from the Panama Canal board of directors and a period of consultation with shipping line clients. The approved modifications include the tolls charged to neopanamax dry bulk vessels carrying iron ore, neopanamax dry bulk vessels transiting in ballast, the vehicle carrier/roro segment, and for the liquid bulk segment (including oil and product tankers, chemical tankers, LPG and LNG vessels).

The 'Caledonian Isles' will not return to service by July 7, the date when the 'Alfred' comes off-service for essential maintenance until July 21. Last week, deployment plans were shared for the whole network based on having thf 'Caledonian Isles' and on the basis of not having her. Now CalMac will be implementing the deployment plan which accounts for not having the vessel in service. This plan covers the two-week period July 7-21, when the 'Alfred' is off service, taking into account the 'Lord of the Isles' being off service for between July 9-11 for cylinder head works on her main engines. These works are essential to reducing the risk of a serious failure in the engines which would take the vessel out of service for much longer than three days and cause further disruption. Potential deployment from July 22 onwards will be shared at a later date and are subject to further developments with the 'Caledonian Isles'.

The sinking of the 'Morning Midas', carrying 3,048 Chinese vehicles, including 750 electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, is costing the industry an estimated $560 million, according to the Anderson Economic Group. This incident, the third major EV-carrying ship loss in three years, highlights growing risks in EV shipping. The 'Morning Midas' was transporting vehicles from Chinese automakers like Chery Automobile Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. Combined with the sinking of the 'Felicity Ace' in 2022 and the fire aboard the 'Fremantle Highway' in 2023, these incidents have racked up an estimated $1.8 billion in losses, highlighting the risks of shipping EVs in closed containers. These figures excluded the additional expenses like environmental cleanup, medical costs, or replacing the ship itself, meaning the true impact could be even higher. For EV manufacturers, these losses strain budgets and disrupt supply chains, potentially delaying deliveries to markets like Mexico, where demand for affordable EVs is growing. Ship crews, often limited in size, lack the specialized training needed to handle EV fires. Most crews receive only basic firefighting training and may not even know where EVs are stored on board. This gap in expertise and resources complicates emergency responses. Better fire monitoring systems and increased spacing between EVs” could help control fires. Spacing EVs farther apart could slow fire spread, though it would reduce the number of vehicles per ship. These changes could raise shipping costs, as fewer vehicles per trip mean higher per-unit expenses. Automakers and shippers must balance efficiency with safety. Enhanced monitoring, better crew training, and revised cargo layouts are regarded as critical steps towards preventing future disasters.

(Sept. 8, 2019) – As Carnival Cruise Line continues to work closely with its partners to deliver relief to the people of Grand Bahama and Abaco islands recovering from Hurricane Dorian, it also plans 41 calls to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays for the remainder of September as those destinations eagerly await cruise guests. Bahamian officials have expressed great appreciation for the support Carnival and its employees and guests have provided but also stressed that the other parts of The Bahamas are open for business and stand ready to welcome guests.

Among a string of new eco-friendly initiatives, the Marseille Fos port authority is to spend €20 million over the next six years to extend shoreside electrical connections for berthed vessels to every ferry, cruiseship and repair quay within the Marseille eastern harbour, the company said in its release. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the shiprepair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment - backed by national and regional government – recognises the need to maintain the port’s value to the economy while improving the city’s waterside air quality.