Philippine News

December 29 ------ On its first voyage following the controversial the death of a passenger two months ago, the expedition cruise ship Coral Adventurer went aground off Papua New Guinea during a Christmas cruise. The operating company has confirmed that the ship ran aground on a reef near Dreghafen Point off the east coast of the island, about 15 nautical miles from Lae. Strong currents were a likely contributing factor, according to Travel and Tour World. The 80 passengers a

December 29 ------ Clippership, a U.S.-headquartered company developing autonomous wind-powered ships, has signed a construction contract for its first 24-meter class zero emission autonomous wind-powered cargo vessel with Dutch shipyard KM Yachtbuilders. The vessel features twin, foldable rigid wings for primary wind propulsion, is designed for open-ocean autonomy, and has a cargo capacity of up to 75 Euro-pallets within its climate-controlled cargo hold. Naval architecture

December 28 ------ The Suez Canal Authority is highlighting what it is calling a “new phase in the return of containerships” as it marked the first transits in two years by ultra-large vessels. Today was a milestone for the Suez Canal as two of CMA’s large vessels passed in the Canal while Maersk’s first ship completed its transit, the first time the majors have sent their large vessels back since the start of the Houthis’ campaign in late 2023. Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairma

December 28 ------ Kuwait and China formalized a new agreement, building on their cooperation and which aims to complete the development of a new port in northern Kuwait. Known as the Mina Mubarak Al-Kabeer port, it is a key part of Kuwait’s Vision 2035 project and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Plans have been discussed for the new port as part of Kuwait’s economic diversification project aimed at moving the country’s economy away from its total dependence on oil. In 2023

December 27 ------ This year has marked a major leap forward in maritime digitalization, driven by rapid advances in AI and a surge in tools supporting compliance and operational efficiency. But the wider shift happening across global industries goes far beyond adopting new software. In accounting, property management, transportation, legal, IT services and wealth management, we are now seeing a new kind of consolidation: AI-native, large-scale service companies. Venture and

December 27 ------ China's government is voicing its opposition to the Trump administration's campaign of tanker seizures off the coast of Venezuela. The U.S. Coast Guard has captured two China-bound tankers full of Venezuelan oil this month, and on Monday, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. government will be keeping both vessels and their cargoes. The first tanker seized, Skipper, was a stateless and sanctioned vessel. It was carrying about 1.85 million barrels of oi

December 26 ------ The International Flag-State Association (IFA), an association of the world’s three largest registries, Liberia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Panama, has been meeting since 2021. IFA is the first alliance of its kind and was designed to allow its members to have a platform to more formally engage with respect to global challenges, stakeholder insight, and the development and implementation of international instruments to enhanc

December 26 ------ ICTSI’s Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) has handled 3 million TEU in 2025—the first time the terminal has reached that level in a single year. The record container was handled on 22 December, when the terminal serviced the container vessel Ever Bliss, operated by Evergreen Marine, carrying cargo for Universal Robina Corp. “Handling 3 million TEU shows how the MICT has kept pace with rising demand through continued operational improvements and

December 26 ------ Venezuela is having difficulty in getting its oil to market due to U.S. tanker seizures in the Caribbean, multiple officials told the New York Times and Reuters. Two laden VLCC tankers have been captured by the U.S. Coast Guard; another has been "pursued" back into the Atlantic without capture; at least several more have turned around mid-voyage, according to TankerTrackers.com; multiple tanker owners have declined signing new charters for future Venezuela

December 26 ------ A major fire broke out at a small ship repair yard in Nizhy Novgorod, a city on the Volga in western Russia. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia reported that a fire damaged a floating crane at the Borskaya Ship Repair Company, a commercial river-sea freighter repair yard. Fuel spilled from the vessel and burned over an area of about 1000 square feet, the agency said. Photos provided by the ministry show firefighters applying foam in quantity to

December 25 ------ Container cargo exporters and importers need to have their heads on a swivel when looking back at what happened in the first six months of 2025 and looking forward to the rest of the year. Uncertainty over cargo volumes in upcoming months is widespread as the issues of trade, tariffs and a return to normalcy in trade lanes like the Red Sea keep industry analysts vigilant. But despite some unpredictability in the future direction of global trade, container p

December 25 ------ Europe’s ambitions to decarbonize the shipping industry face obstacles due to the fragile state of the alternative fuel supply chain, an analysis by the activist NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Though Europe is setting the pace in efforts to cut down on shipping emissions, the review shows that production of green hydrogen and other e-fuels remains significantly low, with the largest e-fuel plant serving the maritime sector only becoming operationa

December 24 ------ The Federal Maritime Commission has completed its first phase of an investigation into possible unfavorable actions by Spain against U.S. shipping and is now seeking further input from the shipping community. It is considering what remedial actions, including fines on Spanish vessels, might be appropriate to retaliate against the policies that it believes hinder U.S. trade. The investigation was launched a year ago into the regulations or practices imposed

December 24 ------ After their life in oceangoing service, shipping containers get repurposed for all sorts of inventive uses - storage sheds, shop spaces, mobile offices, housing, even indoor aquaculture ponds. This month, bystanders in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine spotted a new and even more creative application: two Russian tank crews (and possibly more) have installed cut-up shipping containers atop their vehicles to create improvised anti-drone cages. Ever since dr

December 23 ------ Maersk confirmed that one of its smaller containerships has successfully completed the company’s first transit through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb in two years. The company is calling it a trial, and it comes after the Suez Canal Authority had been strongly lobbying for the return to the route. The Maersk Sebarok (108,215 dwt) completed the transit between December 18 and 19. The vessel, which is owned by Maersk and registered in Singapore, was built

December 23 ------ Building on their previous ties, Norwegian shipowner Ocean Yield and Japan’s shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) have teamed up to split ownership in four liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers that are yet to be constructed. However, available charter options could double the newbuilding fleet to eight LNG vessels. While disclosing its new investment in LNG carriers on long-term charters, Ocean Yield explains that it has agreed to co-inve

December 23 ------ Investigators from the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have begun an investigation into how thousands of bananas ended up on beaches near Southampton, and why shipping was disrupted after 16 reefer boxes went overboard. They are looking into the events that led to the accident, saying initial findings showed the containers were not properly secured. “The investigation will focus on the practice of removing cargo securing arrangements while

December 23 ------ South Africa’s Transnet officially signed the partnership agreement with International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) for the privatization and upgrade at the Durban port. It comes more than two years after the deal was first announced and after courts rejected a challenge from Maersk’s APM Terminals. Durban, which accounts for nearly half of South Africa’s container volume, has been plagued with problems and consistently ranked at the bottom of the le

December 22 ------ Two years after a cargo ship crossing the northern Pacific experienced two cargo hold fires, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report finding that when the vessel encountered heavy weather, improperly secured cargo caused the fires in each hold of the ship. They warn about the unique challenges of handling lithium-ion batteries and the need to properly secure cargo following the manuals and instructions. The fires began on December 25, 2023,

December 22 ------ Proton Ventures, a Dutch player in the clean ammonia arena, has established a new development company with Norway’s independent clean energy company Barents Blue, previously a subsidiary of Horisont Energi, to bring to life a clean ammonia project, said to be Europe’s largest clean ammonia production plant, located in Finnmark, Northern Norway. While Barents Blue holds a 75% interest in Barents Clean Ammonia, Proton Ventures has the remaining 25% of the sha