Maritime News – Professional Mariner

Shipping industry turns to proactive hull cleaning to boost efficiency

It’s been called a Roomba for ships. The Hullskater is a rectangular robotic device, about 3.3 feet wide and 5.2 feet long and weighing about 450 pounds. Using magnetic wheels, it traverses the hulls of containerships, brushing off microorganisms, algae and other pests that cling to submerged surfaces — a problem known as biofouling. The robot was developed by engineers…

Broad Jones Act waiver tied to Middle East tensions sparks industry concern

In mid-March, the Trump administration issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, temporarily allowing foreign-flagged vessels to transport crude oil, refined products and related bulk cargoes between U.S. ports as part of an effort to ease rising fuel prices after U.S. and Israeli military action targeting Iran. The waiver follows disruptions to global energy markets tied to fighting in…

Wind propulsion moves forward but is still at the mercy of headwinds

The uptake of wind-assisted propulsion systems on commercial vessels mirrors the broader shift toward green propulsion and decarbonization: a steady stream of promising headlines, but deployment that remains a fraction of the global fleet. For nearly a decade, the industry has hovered at a “tipping point” that never quite arrives — momentum building, then stalling, just short of broader adoption.…

Inside Washington’s push to rebuild US shipbuilding

The Trump administration has released a plan to revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry and expand the nation’s fleet of internationally trading commercial vessels, part of a broader effort to rebuild American maritime capacity. The set of priorities, dubbed the Maritime Action Plan (MAP), addresses many of the same concerns as the SHIPS Act introduced in Congress last year, which also…

New York-New Jersey’s last common-use terminal nears sale

One of the country’s busiest container terminals could soon be the subject of a high-profile sale, with major container lines, port operators and the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, potentially vying for the asset. A recent deal with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to extend the terminal’s long-term lease cleared the way for a potential sale.…

Alarm overload undermining safety at sea, report finds

The captain silenced the alarm again, which had sounded three or four times since the ferry departed, less than 15 minutes into an hour-long route. The vessel was nearly brand-new, and the captain explained that some engine-room sensors were still being calibrated. After checking gauges and monitors during the first few alerts, he reflexively — and understandably — silenced subsequent…

Court wins restore wind projects, but market confidence falters

After winning seabed leases and investing billions of dollars, offshore wind developers are now fighting the Trump administration in court to complete U.S. projects already under construction. Even if developers prevail — and thus far they have — some experts and insiders worry that the administration has dealt a fatal blow to offshore wind power. The White House’s hostility to…

East Coast yards paid the price of entry to build CTVs. Then the market thinned

In late 2024, Professional Mariner spoke with two East Coast shipyards that had taken on construction of crew transfer vessels — a vessel type both builders described as deceptively complex — as the U.S. offshore wind industry advanced in fits and starts. For both yards, the decision to build CTVs came with a steep and expensive learning curve, shaped as…

Cal Poly Maritime deal survives Mare Island Dry Docks closure

After the City of Vallejo announced earlier this year that Mare Island Dry Docks would close following the loss of a U.S. Coast Guard contract, an agreement was reached to preserve the facility’s relationship with Cal Poly Maritime Academy. City officials said in January that the former naval shipbuilding and repair facility would shut down and lay off its 80…

Derecktor delivers next-gen offshore crew boat, challenges one-off economics and regulation

Derecktor Shipyards has delivered DC1, a 40-foot high-performance offshore crew vessel built at the company’s New York yard for CREST, a U.S.-based offshore services company. The vessel was designed by Chartwell Marine and is powered by twin Volvo Penta IPS D6-500 systems. The U.S.-built catamaran is intended as a next-generation platform for offshore energy, research and other commercial missions that…