Tuesday, December 30, 2025
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Charlton with ramp hanging down

Laid Up MSC Cargo Ship Breaks Free During High Winds in Baltimore

Published Dec 29, 2025 8:29 PM by The Maritime Executive

Commercial tugs and the Baltimore Fire Department reported they were responding to a laid-up U.S. cargo ship that broke free from its moorings during high winds in Baltimore on Monday afternoon. The calls for emergency assistance were issued around 3:00 p.m. Baltimore time as the 951-foot (290-meter) RoRo cargo ship Cornelius H. Charlton (ex. USNS Charlton) was ripped free of its moorings in South Baltimore harbor and began drifting. The National Weather Service was warning of gale-force winds that could...

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Firefighters climb atop one of the burning buildings in an attempt to control the blaze (PMFD)

Three-Alarm Fire Damages Working-Waterfront Businesses in Portland, Maine

Published Dec 29, 2025 7:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

dA fire along the waterfront in Portland, Maine last weekend seriously damaged four businesses and multiple boats, causing hardship for more than a dozen lobstermen. At about 1730 hours on Friday, a fire was reported at downtown Portland's Custom House Wharf. Despite a rapid response, the blaze spread to four neighboring business establishments, burning their roofs off and causing extensive damage before the fire was put out at about 1920 hours. A maritime antique store, a nautical-themed bag shop, and...

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containership fire

Video: Indonesian Authorities Battle Stubborn Engine Room Fire

Published Dec 29, 2025 7:29 PM by The Maritime Executive

Fire authorities at the Tanjung Perak port on Surabaya in Indonesia reported they were able to bring a challenging engine room fire under control after about four hours on Monday morning, December 29. No one was injured, but the fire caused panic in the busy seaport after people began seeing heavy smoke coming from the interisland containership. The vessel named Verizon (15,400 dwt) had arrived in the port on Sunday. Around 0500 local time on Monday, observers saw large plumes...

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French warship stopping illegal dhow

French Navy Intercepts $142M of Illicit Drugs During Arabian Sea Patrols

Published Dec 29, 2025 5:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

Two French Navy frigates, operating as part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, one of five Combined Maritime Forces operating in the Middle East region, recently seized illegal narcotics with a combined value of more than $142 million from multiple vessels in the Arabian Sea. It is part of the ongoing mission focused on maritime security in the region for CTF 150, which is currently under the leadership of Saudi Arabia. “Just last month, we saw Pakistan warships PNS...

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MORE STORIES BY CATEGORY

Offshore

A rendering of Empire Wind 1, a planned wind farm currently under a halt work order from the Trump Administration (file image courtesy Equinor)

Could Northeast States Trade Pipeline Access for Offshore Wind Permits?

In mid-December 2025, the Trump Administration halted offshore wind projects from New England to Virginia, placing development on an indefinite pause. Just weeks earlier, I spoke at a conference in New England and had numerous side conversations with officials and stakeholders from across New England and New York about the outlook for maritime and energy policy. The timing was telling. The Northeast is arguably the center of the universe for offshore wind, and the perspectives expressed in those discussions ran...

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Shipbuilding

Russian-built LNG carrier

Russia Delivers First Domestically-Built Arc7 LNG Carrier

Russia’s Sovcomflot and Zvezda shipyard heralded the delivery of its first LNG carrier, the Alexey Kosygin. They are saying it is the first of a new series of domestically-built LNG carriers that will be able to operate year-round on the Northern Sea Route and help to meet the goal of tripling LNG exports. The vessel with a capacity of 172,600 cbm was officially commissioned and handed over to Sovcomflot on December 24. It is years behind schedule due to sanctions...

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Environment

large gas carrier designed for ammonia shipping

JERA Advances Plans to Ship Ammonia Produced in Louisiana to Japan

Japan’s largest power generation and energy company, JERA, is advancing its plans to ship low-carbon ammonia from a production facility in Louisiana to Japan to fuel a power generation plant. The project, working with shipping companies NYK and Mitsui O.S.K., is expected to become the first commercial-scale effort to import ammonia fuel to Japan. The companies announced that they have signed contracts which will lead to the development of very large gas carriers designed specifically for ammonia transport. Mitsui O.S....

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Business

commissioning Japanese submarine

Japan Suspends Kawasaki Heavy Industries for Submarine Engine Data Fraud

The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced a series of steps it is taking after investigations confirmed that Kawasaki Heavy Industries had supplied fraudulent test data on its engines and provided inappropriate gifts to a number of naval personnel over the past 40 years. Kawasaki Heavy Industries had first announced in 2024 that it was investigating after information surfaced showing a long-term pattern of falsifying test data to ensure engines were delivered on time under their contracts. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is...

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