Philippine News

January 5 ------ Egypt is hoping to enhance the navigational safety of the busy Suez Canal after securing a $22 million grant to finance the construction of a dual-fuel diving support vessel (DSV). As more shipping lines make a return to the waterway owing to the gradual return of stability in the Red Sea region, the country said it has secured the grant from the Japanese government for the vessel, which will join the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) fleet. The grant was provided t

January 5 ------ Finland has unleashed a gamut of inspections and is searching for multiple violations aboard the cargo ship Fitburg, which was detained on Wednesday, December 31, over a suspicion of damaging undersea cables. The authorities are saying it is still in the early stages of the investigation, but they have arrested and detained crewmembers and are reporting the vessel’s cargo is suspected of violating European Union sanctions. The Finnish Border Guard quickly id

January 5 ------ While the Port of Galveston made headlines with the opening of its fourth cruise terminal in 2025, next year we’ll celebrate another port milestone – completion of major improvements at the West Port Cargo Complex. Located on Galveston Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest cargo waterways, the port moves more than 3 million tons of general and breakbulk cargos, including roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and giant wind turbine pieces a year. Hundreds of cargo ships call

January 5 ------ An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that a towing vessel operating on the Columbia River in Washington State veered from the channel and hit a U.S. Coast Guard dock after the captain in charge of the vessel fell asleep. They note that the individual, the night before self-medicated with ivermectin, a prescription medication normally used to treat parasitic infections, and was later diagnosed with an acute COVID-19 coronavirus in

January 4 ------ Foreign-flagged tankers continue to call in Venezuela despite a White House "quarantine" order and the new U.S. policy of seizing Venezuela-linked ships, according to TankerTrackers.com. The independent consultancy told Reuters that it was aware of at least two sanctioned vessels that have arrived in Venezuela in recent days. Two more unsanctioned vessels are reportedly en route. Lloyds List has identified these vessels as the Thousand Sunny and the Xing Ye,

January 4 ------ Attracting little publicity, Cyprus, Greece and Israel have deepened their military cooperation, signing a trilateral agreement in Cyprus last week that builds on a multiyear partnership between the three nations. Last week’s agreement, signed at technical level by military staff, covers joint air and naval exercises, training and intelligence cooperation. Greece is expected to take part once again in the Israeli-led naval Exercise Noble Dina in the Mediterra

January 3 ------ Collisions between marine vessels and stationary structures, like offshore oil platforms and depleted wellheads, are becoming increasingly common. These collisions come with a cost — including the financial burden of lost goods and potential loss of life. Ocean engineering researchers at Texas A&M University are developing a smarter system to combat these collisions and their costs. By combining raw radar imaging data with advanced machine learning, researche

January 3 ------ Ukraine’s Black Sea ports are experiencing unrelenting daily attacks by Russian drones and missiles during the current offensive despite the push by the United States and European leaders to complete a peace agreement. Ukraine’s Navy reported the mounting damage to port infrastructure while commercial vessels continue to also be caught in the line of fire. Reports said the drone attacks focused overnight on Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. The two ports emerged wit

January 2 ------ Saudi Arabia, acting in the name of what it calls the “Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen,” launched what it is terming limited airstrikes on the Port of Mukalla in southeastern Yemen on the Gulf of Aden. Saudi officials accused the United Arab Emirates of having sent a large amount of unauthorized military equipment into the port and demanded that the UAE immediately withdraw its unauthorized forces. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have long been at odds, sup

January 2 ------ A Chinese fishing vessel from a notorious illegal-fishing fleet has been hijacked off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, according to maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech. The vessel in question, Liao Dong Yu 578, was reportedly captured at a position just off the coast near Bandarbeyla, Puntland (09 09 N 050 43 E). The hijackers struck in the early afternoon local time on New Years' Day, and are suspected to be planning to hold the crew for ransom, Vangu

January 2 ------ Pacific International Lines (PIL), Singapore’s home-grown shipping line, ushered in the New Year with purpose and compassion as 25 staff members joined more than 130 community volunteers to pack 18 tons of humanitarian relief supplies for conflict-stricken civilians in Gaza. The activity follows PIL’s sponsorship of Singaporean non-profit organization Humanity Matters’ (HM) Gaza Relief Collection on 20 December 2025. The relief packing initiative, titled Coun

January 2 ------ Turkish authorities responded to urgent calls for assistance as two tankers anchored off Istanbul became caught in an unusual situation. Because the ships were close to the shore and strong winds were blowing tugs and shoreside emergency services were dispatched. Two small product tankers were in the anchorage close to Istanbul. According to the reports, the Azerbaijan-flagged Kalbajar was empty and, due to the strong winds, was being dragged toward the Turki

January 1 ------ Marine salvage is arguably the most unique subsector of the maritime industry. It's a sector with a modus operandi that seems to be based on a series of enigmas. First and probably most obvious is that salvors operate in conditions and circumstances that often defy the conventional norms of good marine practices. Second is the fact that the financial structure is different from almost any other. Salvors face an inconsistent revenue stream yet require a steady

January 1 ------ Indian Register of Shipping has reported a strong year across defense, merchant marine, digital innovation and research during 2025, reinforcing its position as a key technical partner for governments, shipowners and shipyards at a time of accelerating change for the maritime sector. In merchant marine, IRS recorded broader engagement in international projects. It completed its first new construction project for Penguin Shipyard in Singapore, delivered its fi

December 31 ------ Egyptian government sources have briefed the UAE’s National newspaper that Egypt is to help develop the ports of Assab in Eritrea and Doraleh in Djibouti, in part to better host the Egyptian naval vessels which already visit these ports, and apparently as part of its long-running campaign to put pressure on Ethiopia. Egypt has for some time being trying to force Ethiopia to negotiate over Nile water flows governed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GER

December 31 ------ This has been a significant year for ClassNK and for Hayato Suga, who stepped up to the role of President & CEO in March. Drawing on 40 years of ClassNK experience, the new CEO suggests shipping needs additional support from classification societies at a time when "boundaries between industries are becoming increasingly blurred due to environmental challenges and digital transformation." "It is our responsibility to work with customers to provide certifica

December 30 ------ As investment needs are anticipated to hover around €1.5 trillion by 2040, the European Commission (EC) has adopted a new list of 235 cross-border energy projects, granting them the status of projects of common interest (PCIs) and projects of mutual interest (PMIs). This step is set to unlock access to the European Union (EU) funding through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and streamline permitting processes, supporting the rapid deployment of critical

December 30 ------ The notable thing was the timing. In back-to-back strikes on Russian air power from 18 to 20 December, the Ukrainian state security agency, the vaunted SBU, launched long-range attack drones at Russian warplanes at Belbek air base in occupied Crimea, 240 km from the front line. Imagery from the nighttime or early morning attacks indicates that the drones hit a Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters. The drone strikes on Russian warplanes w

December 29 ------ A judge in U.S. District Court in Hawaii rejected a lawsuit by the cruise industry and vendors seeking an injunction against extending for the first time Hawaii’s tax on transient visitors to cruise ships. Known as the “Green Fee,” the state in May enacted an increase to the tax and for the first time included cruise ship passengers, saying the state needs more tools to deal with climate change. Hawaii asserts that Act 96 of 2025 establishes the Green Fee,

December 29 ------ Iranian officials announced the seizure of an unidentified tanker, which they claimed was smuggling fuel. They are calling this latest interception a “significant blow” to the ongoing problem of fuel smuggling in the region. The unnamed vessel was reportedly stopped by the Iranian forces in the area of the Strait of Hormuz and Qeshm, an island in the Persian Gulf near the entrance to the strait. The Iranians are claiming that the vessel was transporting the