Industry News – Page 2 – Professional Mariner

Prosecutors file charges in Dali casualty

Federal prosecutors brought criminal charges in early May against two companies and an employee connected to the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The 984-foot containership Dali lost power before striking the bridge on March 26, 2024, causing a collapse that killed six construction workers, shut down a major East Coast shipping corridor and caused billions of dollars…

AI watchkeeping systems gain maritime foothold

Artificial intelligence continues to expand across the maritime industry, with operators deploying AI-enabled monitoring systems for navigation, whale-strike avoidance and man-overboard detection. Using combinations of thermal imaging, optical cameras, radar and machine-learning software, a growing number of systems are being designed to identify people and hazards in the water, complementing traditional human watchstanding. BC Ferries is among the latest adopters.…

Master Boat Builders delivers first tug in eight-vessel series

A Gulf Coast shipyard has delivered the first vessel in a new multi-vessel ship-assist series for a maritime leasing company, following industry trends of standardized designs and repeat-build programs. In May, Alabama-based Master Boat Builders delivered Marauder, the first tugboat in an eight-vessel construction program for Maritime Partners. The 88-by-43-by-16-foot Marauder is a Robert Allan Ltd. RApport 2700-MP ship-assist and escort tug.…

All American building research cat for Texas science institute

Universities and marine research institutions continue to modernize aging fleets with faster and more fuel-efficient vessels capable of supporting increasingly specialized offshore science missions. Designed to balance speed, stability and flexibility, a new generation of aluminum catamarans is emerging as a popular platform for research programs operating in coastal and offshore waters. All American Marine is among the builders driving…

In first, Gunderson launches two barges at once

A Pacific Northwest shipyard recently flexed its operational and logistical capabilities with the first simultaneous two-vessel launch in its history, sending two newly constructed barges into the Willamette River in the spring. In April, Gunderson Marine & Iron launched Mt. Rainier and Cordova Provider II from its Portland, Oreg., waterfront facility. Mt. Rainier was designed for refined-products service with Columbia…

Cybersecurity firms combat growing maritime threats

As commercial vessels become increasingly connected through satellite communications, digital navigation systems and real-time shoreside monitoring networks, maritime cybersecurity defenses are struggling to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled threats. In May, maritime cybersecurity company Cydome announced a partnership with Rakuten Maritime that will integrate Cydome’s cybersecurity software into Rakuten’s vessel connectivity platform, allowing ship operators to monitor and protect…

IMO guidelines look to women amid labor shortage

Seeking to frame gender equity as a workforce and operational issue rather than a symbolic initiative, the International Maritime Organization released “Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming in the Maritime Sector” in May. The publication is intended to move the conversation beyond broad diversity goals and toward practical policy changes across the maritime industry. The handbook provides practical guidance for maritime administrations,…

Long Beach joins growing methanol bunkering push

As U.S. ports increasingly compete to build infrastructure supporting alternative marine fuels, one of the nation’s busiest gateways is attempting to jump-start methanol bunkering on the West Coast. In late May, the Port of Long Beach approved a $1 million “Clean Fuel Bunkering Challenge” award for the first oceangoing vessel to complete a commercial-scale methanol bunkering operation at the port,…

Robert Allan designs hybrid escort tug for Harbor Docking & Towing

A Lake Charles, La.-based ship-assist and escort operator has partnered with one of the leading tugboat designers to develop a new hybrid vessel. In February, Canadian firm Robert Allan Ltd. completed a new design of a RApport 2800-H hybrid ship-docking tug for Harbor Docking & Towing (HDT). Construction will be carried out at C&C Marine and Repair’s shipyard in Belle Chasse, La.…

China revisits nuclear propulsion with thorium-powered containership concept

A proposed Chinese containership powered by a thorium-based reactor revisits one of shipping’s oldest ideas — nuclear propulsion — as the industry searches for ways to meet emissions targets. State-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation is working with the China National Nuclear Corporation on early designs for a large container vessel that would rely on a closed-loop reactor system rather than…