Two Crewmembers Hospitalized from Tanker Fire in the Philippines

PCG Files Criminal Complaint Against Master of Burned-Out Ferry

Published Sep 30, 2026 11:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Philippine Coast Guard has filed its first criminal complaint in connection with the tragic fire aboard the ferry June Aster, which killed at least 77 people and left eight others missing. On September 9, the ferry June Aster left Manila and got under way for the port of Coron, Busuanga Island. At about 1845 hours that night, the Aster caught fire at a position about one nautical mile off the east side of Busuanga. Passengers who escaped reported a...

Go Ahead Given for Canada LNG to Double Capacity

Published Sep 30, 2026 7:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

Canada LNG, the country’s first LNG export operation, reports that, along with its investment partners, the decision has been made to proceed with Phase 2 of the operation. It comes just about 15 months after the project began exports, and according to the group, it builds on Phase 1 with a new project that represents one of the largest private sector investments in Canada. Located in Kitimat, British Columbia, the partners highlight that it is ideally located to serve the...

U.S. Navy Takes First Big Unmanned Step, Buying 30 Production MUSV Hulls

Published Sep 30, 2026 7:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Galliano Marine Services and Saronic have each secured a contract to build 10 small autonomous warships for the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) competition, giving the Navy a pipeline for 30 of the long-awaited vessels - a meaningful mass for operational implementation. The average cost came in at about $40 million per hull. Other competitors - Leidos, PAC MAR, and Sea Machines - received $15 million completion awards for their work and will be listed...

Photos: Resolve Marine Removing Masts off Historic Richard Montgomery Wreck

Published Sep 30, 2026 6:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

Global marine solutions provider Resolve Marine released photos showing the work underway to remove the masts from the historic wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery, a World War II Liberty ship that sank in 1944 in the Thames Estuary while carrying Allied munitions. After six years of planning and annual surveys of the wreck site, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) appointed Resolve Marine in April 2026 to undertake the carefully planned engineering operation. The vessel went down in a...

Shipping

Russia Briefly Detains Cargo Ship Bound for Estonia

A small cargo ship sailing from Sweden to Estonia was briefly detained by the Russian authorities for an inspection late on Wednesday, September 30, into Thursday, October 1. The Estonian Broadcasting Corporation (ERR) reported the situation and received confirmation from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. The Västerbotten (6,800 dwt) has been owned and operated by a German company since 2013, and according to its AIS track, it was sailing from Monsteras, Sweden, bound for Sillamäe, Estonia, when it...

Tugs & Salvage

Salvage divers prepare to start another search at the wreck site (Basarnas)

Indonesian Police Investigate Captain of Lost Ferry Virgo Transport 8

Police in Indonesia are formally investigating the master of the Virgo Transport 8, the ferry that capsized in the Java Sea last month with the loss of dozens of lives. Local police in South Kalimantan initially handled the case, and the captain remains in detention in their care. Responsibility for the criminal investigation has been passed up to the National Police's Water Police Directorate for further work. At this stage, the inquiry is still preliminary - involving interviews and event...

Government

UK Extends Russian Sanctions to Newest ARC7 LNG Tankers

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced a further round of sanctions on Russia, which it said were meant to increase pressure in response to the recent increase in attacks in Ukraine and ahead of the coming winter season. Among the new targets are Russia’s new fleet of ARC7 LNG carriers currently being delivered from the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. In announcing the new sanctions, the Minister for Europe, Lord Wood, noted that Russia increased its aggression against Ukraine in...

Corporate News

Carbon Costs Put Marine Engine Performance Under Scrutiny

[By CM Technologies] With bunker prices having increased by 76% since the US war on Iran, together with an ageing fleet operating longer voyages as ships navigate around conflict zones, shipmanagers and crews need to look more closely at their engines if they want to reduce costs, advises engine monitoring specialist CM Technologies (CMT). CMT believes the combined effect of higher fuel costs, older ships (average age is 13 according to Clarksons data) and machinery and tighter emissions requirements is...

Cruise Ships

ultra-large cruise ship under construction

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

The pace of construction on the next generation of ultra-large cruise ships is gaining momentum. The ships are being floated out of their assembly docks and going on sea trials, while steel cutting and block assembly are already underway for even more of the giants. For years, Royal Caribbean International’s two Oasis-class ships at 225,000 gross tons were the outliers, with none of the large, contemporary segment cruise lines willing to jump the 200,000 gross ton milestone. Imaginative concepts were...

Ports

Inland Barge Grounds Stranding Cargo of Mercedes in Düsseldorf

Low water levels on Germany’s sections of the Rhine have been challenging inland cargo vessels since the height of the summer, but now a vessel loaded with Mercedes Sprinter vans has stranded in Düsseldorf. German authorities are reporting the Rhine is effectively cut in two, reducing the movement of cargo from ports, including Düsseldorf, out to the ocean ports. The Dutch-flagged barge Terra 2 (135 meters – 443 feet in length) had loaded a cargo of 168 Mercedes vans and...

Shipping

Russia Briefly Detains Cargo Ship Bound for Estonia

Tugs & Salvage

Indonesian Police Investigate Captain of Lost Ferry Virgo Transport 8

Government

UK Extends Russian Sanctions to Newest ARC7 LNG Tankers

Corporate News

Carbon Costs Put Marine Engine Performance Under Scrutiny

Cruise Ships

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Ports

Inland Barge Grounds Stranding Cargo of Mercedes in Düsseldorf

Offshore

New Zealand Invests $20 Million in New Offshore Gas Projects

New Zealand has made further progress in restarting domestic gas production with a new round of funding targeting offshore exploration projects. Resources Minister Shane Jones and Associate Finance Minister Chris Bishop this week announced $21 million financing for two offshore gas projects. The financing will be made through the Gas Security Fund (GSF), a $113 million state-owned investment facility to ramp up gas production in New Zealand. One of the projects considered for funding in this round is EnZed Energy’s...

Shipbuilding

Five Issues That Derail Vessel Control System Modernizations

A vessel control system modernization can look straightforward on paper: remove aging components, install new hardware and software, test the system and return the vessel to service. In practice, the most difficult problems are rarely caused by a single PLC, display or sensor. They develop at the interfaces between old and new equipment, between drawings and actual shipboard conditions, and between the organizations responsible for design, installation and commissioning. 1. Starting with incomplete information Many working vessels have been modified...

Environment

Maersk Completes First Ethanol Bunkering in US Testing Bioethanol

Maersk reports it recently completed the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a container vessel in the United States. It was a 100 percent bioethanol blend from U.S. producer Poet as part of an ongoing trial by Maersk of ethanol and alternative fuels. The bunkering took place aboard the Tangier Maersk, a recently delivered mid-size vessel built in China and delivered in February this year. The ship, which is 270 meters (900 feet) in length, has a capacity of 9,000...

Business

Go Ahead Given for Canada LNG to Double Capacity

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Two Crewmembers Hospitalized from Tanker Fire in the Philippines

PCG Files Criminal Complaint Against Master of Burned-Out Ferry

Go Ahead Given for Canada LNG to Double Capacity

U.S. Navy Takes First Big Unmanned Step, Buying 30 Production MUSV Hulls

Photos: Resolve Marine Removing Masts off Historic Richard Montgomery Wreck

Russia Briefly Detains Cargo Ship Bound for Estonia

Indonesian Police Investigate Captain of Lost Ferry Virgo Transport 8

UK Extends Russian Sanctions to Newest ARC7 LNG Tankers

Carbon Costs Put Marine Engine Performance Under Scrutiny

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Inland Barge Grounds Stranding Cargo of Mercedes in Düsseldorf

Global Industry Leaders to Take the Stage at IBIA Annual Convention 2026

Five Issues That Derail Vessel Control System Modernizations

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

Russia Briefly Detains Cargo Ship Bound for Estonia

Indonesian Police Investigate Captain of Lost Ferry Virgo Transport 8

UK Extends Russian Sanctions to Newest ARC7 LNG Tankers

Carbon Costs Put Marine Engine Performance Under Scrutiny

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Inland Barge Grounds Stranding Cargo of Mercedes in Düsseldorf

New Zealand Invests $20 Million in New Offshore Gas Projects

Five Issues That Derail Vessel Control System Modernizations

Maersk Completes First Ethanol Bunkering in US Testing Bioethanol

Go Ahead Given for Canada LNG to Double Capacity

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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