1. Columbia Group launches innovative mobile and web-based app to help prevent collisions at sea. Columbia Group is confirming its commitment to innovative training with the launch of a mobile and web-based app designed to transform how maritime professionals engage with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea .
The COLREGs Challenge is a cutting-edge educational tool which uses gameplay to turn regulatory learning into an immersive, interactive experience.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/07/31/columbia-group-launches-innovative-mobile-and-web-based-app-to-help-prevent-collisions-at-sea/
2. Shipping industry still at sea as it tries to navigate to net zero. From the outside, it looked like a normal ship, docked in London’s Canary Wharf on a sunny March morning. But the Green Pioneer was showcasing a significant innovation, one that its owners hope will catalyse regulators and port operators to make changes needed to secure a role for the new fuel in the sector’s transition to net zero.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/07/31/shipping-industry-still-at-sea-as-it-tries-to-navigate-to-net-zero/
3. Ukrainian seafarers stranded abroad look forward to ‘game changer’ document scheme. A major breakthrough for Ukraine’s maritime workforce is on its way, as the country prepares to launch a pilot scheme allowing remote processing of Seafarers’ Identity Documents.The move is being hailed as a game changer by Danica Crewing Specialists for thousands of Ukrainian seafarers stranded abroad by war, bureaucracy, and logistical dead ends. A date has yet to be set for the scheme’s introduction, but it’s believed to be in the next few months.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/07/31/ukrainian-seafarers-stranded-abroad-look-forward-to-game-changer-document-scheme/
4. Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks Chinese investor to join Panama Ports deal. A Hong Kong conglomerate that had agreed to sell its two ports at the Panama Canal said Monday it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, a move that could please Beijing but bring more U.S. scrutiny to the geopolitically fraught deal.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/07/31/hong-kongs-ck-hutchison-seeks-chinese-investor-to-join-panama-ports-deal/
5. CMA CGM eyes Hutchison Ports as MSC deal falters. French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM has confirmed it is eyeing the potential acquisition of terminals from CK Hutchison, after exclusive talks between the Hong Kong conglomerate and a consortium led by BlackRock expired over the weekend.
https://splash247.com/cma-cgm-eyes-hutchison-ports-as-msc-deal-falters/
6. US rail giants in $85bn coast-to-coast tie-up. Union Pacific has struck a deal to acquire rival railroad Norfolk Southern in a stock-and-cash transaction valued at $85bn, in a move that would form the first coast-to-coast freight rail network in the US.The combined operator would span more than 50,000 route miles across 43 states and link close to 100 ports, giving it a dominant position in the movement of bulk goods, vehicles, grain, and intermodal cargo.
https://splash247.com/us-rail-giants-in-85bn-coast-to-coast-tie-up/
7. Greta Shipping enters market with three Middle East – India Subcontinent loops. New feeder entrant Greta Shipping is launching three dedicated services connecting the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. The company, a Singapore-registered subsidiary wholly owned by Chinese conglomerate Xiamen C&D, will officially launch its operations in mid-August, according to Alphaliner.
https://splash247.com/greta-shipping-enters-market-with-three-middle-east-india-subcontinent-loops/
8. NSF Plans to Retire Research Icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. The National Science Foundation (NSF) intends to terminate the lease of the research icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer in fiscal year 2026, according to the NSF’s budget request to Congress.The decision comes as part of the agency’s efforts to prioritize support for the three year-round Antarctic stations—McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott South Pole, and Palmer—which the NSF operates on behalf of the U.S. government through the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP).
https://gcaptain.com/nsf-plans-to-retire-research-icebreaker-nathaniel-b-palmer/
9. Tow Pilot’s Overcompensation Leads to $3.28 Million Mississippi River Bridge Strike. An experienced tow pilot’s anticipation of river conditions that never materialized led to a costly accident on the Mississippi River, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released Tuesday.
https://gcaptain.com/tow-pilots-overcompensation-leads-to-3-28-million-mississippi-river-bridge-strike/
10. U.S. Trade Deals Offer Little Relief for Struggling Container Market. Recent trade agreements between the U.S. and key trading partners are failing to revitalize the struggling ocean container shipping market, according to the latest analysis from Xeneta released today.Data from the ocean freight intelligence platform reveals that average spot rates from China to the US West Coast have plummeted 59% since June 1, settling at USD 2,268 per FEU (40ft container). The US East Coast has experienced similar trends, with rates dropping 43% to USD 3,796 per FEU during the same period.
https://gcaptain.com/u-s-trade-deals-offer-little-relief-for-struggling-container-market/