Steerprop Provides Contra-Rotating Propeller in First Yacht Project
A yacht being built for a private owner will be the first ever vessel to be equipped with Steerprop’s smallest contra-rotating propeller (CRP) azimuth propulsors to date. The order marks Steerprop’s first yacht project.The yacht will be fitted with two 700 kW Steerprop SP 8 CRP propulsors, which deliver outstanding thrust relative to power input. This efficiency enables the installation of smaller…
The Switch Receives Highest Marine Electric Machine Orders to Date in July
The Switch has secured 13 orders for their electric machines (EM) busines since the beginning of June, covering almost 50 oceangoing vessels and 59 permanent magnet (PM) machines. July marked the company’s strongest month to date for marine EM orders.The surge comes as shipowners put greater emphasis on efficiency across the vessel, with optimization extending from ship design to individual equipment and power-system configurations.
Austal USA Starts Construction of USCGC Ingham
Austal USA has started construction on its third U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), the future USCGC Ingham, at the company’s Mobile, Ala. ship manufacturing facility.Ingham is being built under a contract that includes options for up to 11 cutters and has a current potential value of $3.3 billion.The 360-foot OPC will provide the majority of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence…
Singapore and Brazil to Develop Green and Digital Shipping Corridor
Singapore and Brazil have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Singapore-Brazil Green and Digital Shipping Corridor. The MoU was signed by Singapore’s Minister for Transport, Jeffrey Siow, and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca.Brazil has significant renewable energy resources and production capabilities that could support the production of zero- and near-zero greenhouse gas emission marine fuels…
Contecon Manzanillo Ready for Ultra Large Container Ships
Contecon Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (CMSA), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) Mexican unit, has paved the way for the Port of Manzanillo to accommodate ultra large container vessels after receiving the go-ahead to handle ships with drafts of up to 15.5 meters. CMSA is now the only terminal operator at the Port of Manzanillo with this capability and is now able to serve vessels up to 400 meters long…
What El Niño's Return Means for Panama Canal Transits
Just two years after the worst drought in the Panama Canal's history forced ships to wait weeks for passage and triggered multi-million-dollar bidding wars for transit slots, El Niño is again threatening the rainfall that feeds the waterway.With El Niño strengthening and reservoirs shrinking, the industry is bracing for a repeat of the disruption at one of the world's most important waterways — and some ships are already taking long detours via Africa.Earlier in August…
Tanker Hit as Hormuz Sailings Drop
The number of visible commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to five per day over the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday, as companies tread cautiously amid continued attacks on ships.The actual number of ships passing the strait could be higher as some vessels have switched off their automatic identification system to evade attacks.Weekend traffic was limited to small-sized vessels, data from commodities firm Kpler showed.
Great Lakes Ports and Shipyards Formalize Partnership
The American Great Lakes Ports Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards to advance shared priorities in domestic shipbuilding and commerce.The MoU marks the first formal partnership between the U.S. Great Lakes port and shipyard communities. By connecting public port authorities with leading American shipyards, the organizations will work more closely to expand the region’s industrial capacity…
US Claims Strike on Two Iranian Sea Mine Launchers
Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island is being blown to smithereens, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after forces hit two rocket launchers on another island in the first known American strikes on the Islamic republic since late July.Attacking Kharg, which handled 90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, would severely disrupt its energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy."Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!
Death Toll Rises After Ferry Capsizes Off Cyprus
At least eight people died and 18 were missing after a ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off North Cyprus on Sunday, leaving survivors clinging to its overturned hull.The privately owned ferry left the port of Kyrenia at 12:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, authorities said. It was heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in the eastern Mediterranean.Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically…
Ask the Experts: Engage Driveline Experts Early & Often
As anyone who has built a commercial vessel knows that working out the engineering early in the design process provides a better chance to get the vessel that meets the owner’s criteria and expectation. Bob Lennon, Business Development Manager, Regal Rexnord, a 40-year industry veteran, discusses with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast the tangible steps that any vessel owner can take to ensure that the vessels drivetrain is in good order to help ensure a quiet, vibration-free ride.
Iran Condemns New US Sanctions, Mediators Step Up Efforts to Reopen Hormuz
Iran condemned the United States' new economic sanctions on Friday as "state terrorism" and said other countries were legally obliged not to implement them, while the U.S. Treasury Department announced additional targeted Iran-related measures.The Iranian foreign ministry's statement came as mediators stepped up efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which handled 20% of world oil supplies before…
Shipyard in Focus: RMK Marine Builds a New Generation of Ships in Türkiye
Shipbuilding rewards experience, but today's rapidly evolving maritime market increasingly demands something else: a willingness to build ships that have never been built before.For Türkiye's RMK Marine, that combination of experience and experimentation is defining its position in the global shipbuilding market. RMK Marine, as one of Türkiye’s leading shipyards, has the capability to build vessels up to 200 meters in length and 28…
Bencros Marine Fenders Introduces Verified CO2 Savings for Customers
Bencros Marine Fenders, a Slovakia-based manufacturer of rubber fenders for ports, tugs and workboats, announced at the SMM Start-up Night in Hamburg that the CO2 savings embedded in its fenders are now independently verified and can be transferred to its customers as certified emission reductions. The first certificates go live on September 2, 2026 on the registry of carbon standard Proba.Bencros…
Berg Propulsion: How Retrofits Can Contribute to Decarbonization Goals
Rather than pinning its decarbonization hopes on future tonnage, shipping can pursue its goals today by retrofitting available technology to existing, conventionally fueled vessels, explains David Sakandelidze, Business Manager for Energy and Efficiency, Berg Propulsion.The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) target for net-zero emissions from ships by around 2050 is now only 24 years away—less than the average lifetime of a commercial ship.
Op-Ed: Estonia Prepares the Next Phase of Growth for EST Flag
The following article is an op-ed piece from Andrei Barotov and Kristiina Peterson, Chief Specialists of Maritime Competitiveness at the Estonian Transport AdministrationLeveraging its ‘e-Estonia’ digital society initiative, the government of Estonia is preparing to extend the digital reach of EST Flag ship registration services, while also expanding its tonnage eligibility. Andrei Barotov and Kristiina Peterson…
Four Shipowners Order Four VINGA Product Tankers
Four shipowners from Sweden, Norway and Canada have ordered four new VINGA product tankers for delivery in 2028 and 2029, expanding the Furetank-developed vessel series to 26 ships.Two of the vessels will be owned by FureBear, a joint venture between Sweden's Furetank and Canada's Algoma Central Corporation, while Norway's O.H. Meling and Sweden's Älvtank will each take one.The order marks O.H. Meling's first investment in the VINGA series…
Hormuz Crisis Accelerates Gulf Pipeline and Port Expansion
The Iran war's redrawing of the global trade map is forcing Gulf nations to retool their investment play book, ploughing capital into infrastructure, from energy pipelines to ports, to weather the fallout from the conflict.The war has highlighted the Gulf's overreliance on the Strait of Hormuz, previously a chokepoint for 20% of global oil flows but also subject for decades to Iranian threats of disruption.With the strait virtually blocked for much of the past six months…
Iran Outlines Terms for Restoring Hormuz Shipping
Iran is preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after mediators asked Tehran to set them out, said Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, adding that ending the regional war was among them.Rezaei said Iran had agreed with Oman on a shipping corridor through the strait, with parts of the route in Omani waters and parts in Iranian waters. Ships would use a designated central channel if the U.S.
Bollinger taps Steerprop by USCG Iceabreaker Propulsion
Finland's Steerprop won an order to supply complete propulsion packages for four Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) being built for the US Coast Guard by Bollinger Shipyards. Each vessel will be equipped with two Steerprop Contra-Rotating Propellers (CRP) azimuth propulsors and two tunnel thrusters. The vessels will be built to an existing Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design. During the selection process…
