The Philippines and the United States are planning to stage a naval exercise in the South China Sea next week, drawing strenuous objections from China. While this has happened many times before, this time will be different: part of the maneuvers will take place in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and will challenge China's extralegal maritime claims in the South China Sea.  China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, including large parts of its neighbors' EEZs. The Philippines is at the front lines, and has refused to give up a contested outpost at Second Thom ..read more

  Two of Northern Europe’s leading ports reported first quarter 2024 results citing the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and the impact on European economies. While Rotterdam remains the larger port overall, it reported a slight decline in overall throughput due to persistent economic issues while Antwerp-Bruges both saw an increase in total cargo throughput and critically pulled nearly even with Rotterdam on container volumes. Both ports experienced improvements in their container trade despite the impact of the disruptions in the Red Sea. Rotterdam for example reported a slight increa ..read more

  A defense IT company and one of its former executives have pleaded guilty to charges of bribery in connection with a scheme to get U.S. Navy contracts at a base in San Diego.  Russell Thurston, 51, and his then-employer Cambridge International Systems have admitted to offer things of value to James Soriano, a contracting officer at the Naval Information Warfare Center. Thurston and his subordinates gave Soriano free meals, a ticket to the 2018 MLB All Star Game, and jobs for Soriano's friends and family. One of these new hires did not appear to have job responsibilities, and gave h ..read more

  A German inland shipping company that already has developed expertise in transporting gases that have been liquified under pressure is previewing a new design concept that can transport both cold liquid gasses and gas under pressure. The company reports the technology which is suited both for coastal and inland shipping can play a critical part in developing the supply and disposal infrastructure to achieve sustainability goals. HGK Group (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln) has developed an inland vessel concept that for the first time combines the two critical gas states to transport a range ..read more

  Two of Northern Europe’s leading ports reported first quarter 2024 results citing the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and the impact on European economies. While Rotterdam remains the larger port overall, it reported a slight decline in overall throughput due to persistent economic issues while Antwerp-Bruges both saw an increase in total cargo throughput and critically pulled nearly even with Rotterdam on container volumes. Both ports experienced improvements in their container trade despite the impact of the disruptions in the Red Sea. Rotterdam for example reported a slight increa ..read more

Australia's federal police believe that they have solved the case of the floating cocaine bales that have been floating up on the beaches of Queensland and New South Wales over the last few months.  According to the AFP, the Australian ringleader was a Brisbane resident who set up a cocaine import shipment of 900 kilos. The 36-year-old suspect is accused of running a domestic organized-crime network that handled at least three large-scale smuggling operations, mainly by sea, that brought in (or attempted to) a total of about two tonnes of cocaine. He is suspected to have been involved in ..read more

The designs have been finalized and the shipyard was chosen for an ambitious project to build two of the world’s largest hydrogen-fueled passenger and car ferries. The project has been in development for several years with the designs initially approved in 2022 and now with the shipyard selected, Norway expects the vessels will be delivered in 2026. “There are no other maritime hydrogen projects internationally that come close to the scale and ambitions of this project,” says Marius Hansen Managing Director of Norwegian ferry company Torghatten Nord. He recognizes that extensive time was spent ..read more

Swedish investigators now believe that an engineer working aboard a Stena ropax in Scandinavia likely died of electrocution and not natural causes as was initially assumed at the time of the death. In a newly released report, the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority speculates that the electrical installation work might have been faulty from when the vessel was new but went undiscovered because it did not impact the operation of the systems.  The death occurred aboard the Stena Germanica (51,837 gross tons), a ferry operating between Sweden and Germany and best known as the first comm ..read more

The MSC logistics ship carrying supplies for the White House's planned Gaza aid mission has sustained an engine room fire and returned to the United States, according to the U.S. Navy.  USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo - a ro/ro cargo ship operated by Military Sealift Command - had an engine room fire break out on April 11, the Navy said. No crewmembers were injured in the accident, and the fire was quickly put out with extinguishers. The Bobo turned around and headed for Jacksonville, Florida, loitering off the coast on the 14th-15th and arriving on the 16th. The setback was announced on the 18 ..read more

  Chinese officials and the state-run media continued the strong response denouncing the U.S.’s announcement of a trade investigation into the shipbuilding sector and efforts to triple the tariffs on steel. Chinese media writes the U.S. administration is using an “old playbook of unilateralism and protectionism,” saying it will fail to reshore manufacturing and result in a more expensive supply chain. China’s Commerce Ministry issued a series of statements responding to the U.S. announcements and said regarding the steel tariffs that, “China has urged the U.S. to confront its internal cha ..read more