Navy Awards HII $283 Million Contract to Kick Off FF(X) Frigate Construction
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the U.S. Navy’s new FF(X) frigate program will enter pre-construction under a newly awarded $283 million lead yard support contract. Photo courtesy HII/Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Navy Awards HII $283 Million Contract to Kick Off FF(X) Frigate Construction
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 29, 2026
The U.S.
Trump Discusses Sustaining Iran Blockade for Months as Oil Prices Surge
Guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) enforces the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports against M/T Stream after it attempted to sail to an Iranian port, April 26, 2026. Central Command Photo
Trump Discusses Sustaining Iran Blockade for Months as Oil Prices Surge
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 29, 2026
By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON/DUBAI/ISLAMABAD, April 29 (Reuters) – Donald Trump discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long U.S.
FMC Judge Orders OOCL to Pay $45.6 Million in Landmark Bed Bath & Beyond Shipping Case
An OOCL containership at the Port of Long Beach. Photo: Richard H Grant / Shutterstock.com
FMC Judge Orders OOCL to Pay $45.6 Million in Landmark Bed Bath & Beyond Shipping Case
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 29, 2026
Three years after bankrupt retailer Bed Bath & Beyond
accused
Orient Overseas Container Line of auctioning off contracted vessel space to higher-paying cargo during the pandemic supply chain crisis, a Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge has ordered the carrier to pay more than $45.6 million in reparations in a closely watched ruling with potentially broad implications for ocean shipping contracts.
In a 203-page initial decision issued April 24, Chief Administrative Law Judge Erin Wirth found OOCL violated multiple provisions of the Shipping Act, siding with claims brought by the retailer’s bankruptcy estate following Bed Bath & Beyond’s 2023 Chapter 11 filing and liquidation.
The ruling awarded $45.6 million in reparations, well below the $165 million
When GPS Fails: Why Maritime Needs Resilient Navigation
When GPS Fails: Why Maritime Needs Resilient Navigation
in
International Shipping News
30/04/2026
Every day brings new reports of GPS interference affecting shipping, particularly in regions like the Persian Gulf. Less visible are the collisions, groundings, and near misses that follow when positioning becomes unreliable.
For an industry now built around continuous, high-accuracy satellite navigation, these are not isolated incidents. They’re early signals of a much broader vulnerability.
And without navigation and maneuvering solutions that allow safe operations even in the face of interference, maritime is going to see a lot more, and possibly a lot worse.
Chosen and implemented properly, systems to complement and backup GPS will not only make shipping safer, but will enable greater efficiencies and automation moving forward.
Danger at Sea
GPS has made maritime operations of all kinds safer and more efficient.
Firmer Sentiment / Ballasters Dropping below 12m avg: Ballasters Vs Baltic Rates
Firmer Sentiment / Ballasters Dropping below 12m avg: Ballasters Vs Baltic Rates
in
International Shipping News
30/04/2026
A
pril ends with firm sentiment in both Capesize and Panamax segments. On the C3 route, freight levels are supported by ballaster counts trending below the 12-month average. In Panamax, low ballaster availability across the P1/P2/P7 routes signals an undersupplied market, underpinning current rate strength.
The Baltic Dry Index is approaching 2,700 points, with gains recorded across all sub-indices: Capesize leading at +117.4% YoY, followed by Supramax +58.2%, Handysize +41.8%, and Panamax +40.9%.
FREIGHT ATLANTIC
Capesize C3 / Panamax P7 | Firmer
C3 Tubarao–Qingdao / P7 US Gulf–Qingdao grain
Capesize C3 / Panamax P7
C3 | Tubarao to Qingdao | 33.12 $/MT | Day: +0.09 | Week: -0.28 | Year: +13.27
P7 | US Gulf to Qingdao grain | 68.69 $/MT | Day: +0.01 | Week: -0.78 | Year: +22.37
Supramax S4A / Handysize HS4_38 | Firmer
S4A US Gulf trip to Skaw-Passero / HS4_38 US Gu
Daehan Shipbuilding lifts Q1 profit 18.5% as margins stay above 20%
Daehan Shipbuilding lifts Q1 profit 18.5% as margins stay above 20%
in
Shipbuilding News
30/04/2026
Daehan Shipbuilding posted an operating margin of 26.8% in the first quarter this year, maintaining a margin in the 20% range for six consecutive quarters. Sales were similar to a year earlier, but operating profit rose by double digits.
Daehan Shipbuilding said on the 29th that, on a consolidation basis, it logged first-quarter sales of 308.3 billion won and operating profit of 82.6 billion won. Compared with a year earlier, sales rose 0.2% and operating profit increased 18.5%.
The first-quarter operating margin is close to the all-time high of 27.2% recorded in the fourth quarter of last year.
Why EU countries should avoid carbon capture for gas power plants
Why EU countries should avoid carbon capture for gas power plants
in
General Energy News
30/04/2026
Executive Summary
Gas-fired power plays a material role in the EU electricity system, accounting for 13% of net generation in 2025. While EU countries have rapidly built out renewable energy, gas will remain a significant source of the bloc’s power capacity and greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.
Despite this, there are currently few gas‑fired power stations in the EU that officially plan to use or retrofit carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. This reflects the lack of commercial-scale gas CCS plants anywhere in the world as well as the underperformance of CCS projects for other applications in terms of capture rates, cost and delivery timelines.
Most potential European gas CCS projects are in the UK, where CCS subsidy support and accompanying legislation are much further progressed.
Dry Bulk Shipping: Closure of Strait of Hormuz curbs demand growth
Dry Bulk Shipping: Closure of Strait of Hormuz curbs demand growth
in
International Shipping News
30/04/2026
“T
he Iran war and the resulting disruptions to ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have increased uncertainty for both the global economy and the dry bulk market. Around 4% of dry bulk cargoes and tonne mile demand typically sail through the strait and at present, and around 210 ships, equivalent to roughly 1% of the dry bulk fleet, are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.
Given the high uncertainty over when transits may resume, we present two forecast scenarios. The “SoH closed” scenario assumes the strait remains effectively closed indefinitely, while the “SoH open” scenario assumes an imminent reopening.
Korea Launches Shipbuilding-Shipping Alliance
Korea Launches Shipbuilding-Shipping Alliance
in
Shipbuilding News
30/04/2026
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly announced that they co-hosted the inaugural ceremony of the “Shipbuilding-Shipping Mutually Beneficial Development Strategic Council” at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on April 28.
The two associations representing the shipbuilding and shipping industries had agreed at the “Autonomous Navigation Vessel M.AX Alliance Strategic Meeting” last December to establish a mutual cooperation council at the earliest possible time, and this event marks the fulfillment of that commitment.
The event was attended by the ministers of both ministries, along with representatives from Korea Gas Corporation, the Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering Association, the Korea Shipping Association, and the heads of major domestic shipbuilders and shipping companies, drawing some 100 participants in total who reaffirmed their commitment to strength
FUJAIRAH DATA: Oil product stocks fall 6% to fourth straight record low
FUJAIRAH DATA: Oil product stocks fall 6% to fourth straight record low
in
Port News
30/04/2026
Oil product inventories at Fujairah in the UAE fell 6.3% in the week ended April 27 to 6.982 million barrels, hitting a record low for the fourth straight week and extending the drop since the US-Iran war started to 66%, according to Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data published April 29.
As recently as early March, inventories of heavy distillates and light distillates each exceeded 8 million barrels. The total has now dropped eight weeks in a row, according to the data. Fujairah has been attacked at least six times since the war started on Feb.