Philippine News

December 22 ------ The Nordic countries are taking an important step towards decarbonizing maritime transport with the launch of Phase 2 of the “Nordic Roadmap for the introduction of sustainable zero-carbon fuels in shipping: Implementation and realization 2025–2027.” Managed by DNV and supported by partners Everllence, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Icelandic New Energy, Sintef Ocean, and VTT, the program aims to accelerate the transition to emission-free shi

December 22 ------ A California-based startup called Clippership, working with a team of established leaders in the maritime community, reports it has completed designs classed by RINA for its first vessel, a wind-powered cargo ship designed for autonomous operations. The first vessel is seen as a demonstration of the company’s unique concept targeting small shippers. Naval architecture for the new vessel was carried out by Dykstra Naval Architects, renowned for innovative sa

December 21 ------ As the cruise industry embraces LNG, the focus has shifted from proving feasibility to tackling methane slip. New engine technology, independent validation, and how the cruise sector is operating high-profile vessels such as MSC’s World Europa, Princess Cruises’ Princess Sun and Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas are showing how LNG is maturing into a credible, scalable fuel solution for passenger shipping. All of these ships use the latest advanced Wärtsil

December 21 ------ If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island – a narrow, wind-lashed ridge halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica – the first thing you’ll notice is the wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up mossy slopes. Albatrosses circle over vast, treeless uplands. But look more closely and the island is changing. Slopes are becoming boggier. Iconic megaherbs such as Pleurophyllum and Stilbocarpa are retreating. For years, scienti

December 20 ------ In October, California Assembly Bill 14, “Coastal resources: Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program” (AB-14) was signed into law, making California the first state in the country to strengthen a longstanding voluntary effort to reduce air pollution and risks to endangered whale populations off California’s coast by reducing speeds of large ocean-going vessels. Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, linked both to i

December 20 ------ Hong Kong Customs is highlighting its first use of a new ROV for ship inspections and reports that last month it, for the first time, discovered a large stash of cocaine hidden in the sea chest of a containership. Speaking at a press event on December 16, the officials highlighted that the smugglers are using new techniques in an attempt to avoid detection. The unnamed containership, only described as being 333 meters (1,092 feet) in length, was targeted us

December 19 ------ The Port of Los Angeles notes that despite all the uncertainties of 2025 and the rapid changes in trade policies, that it will still have one of its top three years of all time, making it again the only North American port to exceed 10 million TEU in a year. Port executives, however, point to uncertainties and a lack of settled trade policies contributing to a challenging year in 2026 that should see slowed import levels. “Even with all the trade uncertaint

December 19 ------ The entry into force of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) on 26 June 2025 marks a landmark shift in the governance of global ship recycling. It represents the culmination of a long and politically delicate process, one that required not only multilateral coordination but also precise mathematical thresholds. Yet beneath the celebratory messages lies a less visible truth: without Bangladesh

December 19 ------ Connectivity at sea was a luxury just a decade ago, but as cost has dropped and speed has improved, it has become an essential service in many sectors - particularly in the cruise industry. High speed wifi and digitally-enabled shipboard transactions are critical to cruise ship operations and revenue (and passenger satisfaction). A brief outage aboard Carnival Firenze this week suggests that a connectivity issue is enough reason to delay a departure until t

December 19 ------ Spanish bound4blue has completed the installation of what it says is the largest suction sail ever fitted to a general cargo vessel for Dutch shipping company Amasus. Bound4blue and Amasus Shipping completed the installation of a 22-meter eSAIL on the general cargo vessel Fluvius Tavy at Astander Shipyard in Santander, Spain, marking their second such installation. This follows the previous installation on board Amasus’ Eems Traveller, where two 17-metre eS

December 18 ------ In the first half of 2025, the Trump administration made an unprecedented effort to shake loose China's grip on the American import market, employing sky-high tariffs to deter importers from buying Chinese goods. It worked, but not by reducing China's exports overall. Chinese manufacturers are making and shipping more finished goods than ever before - but they're now selling to other countries.    China's trade surplus in goods has broken an annual record:

December 18 ------ The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reports that it has seized another cargo ship that it accuses of having transported grain from Crimea since the beginning of the Russian occupation. Ukraine has in the past seized several ships on similar allegations and, with a court order, seeks to sell the ships, while it has also moved to prosecute the masters of the vessels, resulting in fines for their actions.   The latest seizure took place in recent days in the

December 18 ------ Norway-headquartered Odfjell Group, a player in seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids, has bankrolled and put into operation mode what it describes as the first operational green shipping corridor between Brazil and Europe.   With a fleet comprising approximately 70 ships that trade globally and a tank terminal division encompassing four tank terminals located at select international shipping hubs, Odfjell has lau

December 18 ------ The eighth and final CO2 storage tank has been installed on Carbon Destroyer 1, the first dedicated offshore CO2 carrier built in the EU, set to work on the Greensand project in Denmark.   Once operational next year, the vessel will be prepared for its carbon capture and storage (CCS) duties, working on Project Greensand by transporting captured CO2 from the CO2 terminal in Port Esbjerg, creating a virtual pipeline to the offshore storage site, under the se

December 17 ------ The regional authorities governing the ports along the French Riviera signed the new decree, which makes effective the limitations on the number of cruise passengers at the popular ports, including Nice and Villefranche. It comes after a tumultuous year in which the local authorities attempted to impose their own restrictions on cruise ship calls. While pressing the efforts at the local level, the local government had said it required the action of the regi

December 17 ------ A severe, rapidly-intensifying storm is forcing ships to divert southwards to avoid serious conditions. A massive low of just 938 millibars is churning south of Greenland, bringing winds of up to 80 knots and "phenomenal" seas of up to 54 feet - genuinely difficult weather, even for large merchant ships. AIS data provided by Pole Star Global suggests that almost all transatlantic shipping has diverted well to the south in order to avoid the worst wave heigh

December 17 ------ Venezuela's oil exports are coming under heavy pressure after the U.S. seized the VLCC Skipper off the country's shores last week. The boarding netted 1.85 million barrels of oil and one 20-year-old supertanker for the United States, satisfying a court-ordered arrest warrant and generating millions for the U.S. Treasury, but its more significant impact may be to deter other tanker operators from engaging in Venezuelan trade. According to TankerTrackers.com,

December 17 ------ The ferry Ciudad de Mahon encountered rougher conditions that she was expecting when she left the port of Algeciras and sailed out into the Strait of Gibraltar. Force 7 winds from Storm Emilia was blowing hard, tossing the ro/ro ship about in unexpectedly high waves. Late Saturday night, the vessel made an attempt to depart Algeciras for Ceuta, leaving the dock three hours behind schedule. But she didn't make it far. After heavy pitching and rolling in the

December 16 ------ London-based environmental, energy and engineering consulting company Ricardo is leading a study that investigates the feasibility of a green shipping corridor between Panama and Algeciras, Spain, aiming to decarbonize maritime trade and modernize global connectivity. The study is funded by EU delegations in Panama and Costa Rica and aims to deliver an understanding of the technical, financial and policy conditions required to make the Panama-Algeciras corr

December 16 ------ Iranian officials announced that they have seized yet another vessel they are accusing of smuggling diesel fuel. It is part of an increased effort to break the smuggling rings that Iran reports are working in the region and threatening its economy. Few details were released on the latest seizure, other than that their forces were working under a judicial order. They report that when they inspected the vessel in the Gulf of Oman, it was operating without “va