1. Inchcape Shipping Services and Symmetry Group announce strategic partnership in Guyana. Inchcape Shipping Services and Symmetry Group are pleased to announce a strategic joint venture in Guyana, marking a significant milestone in the maritime and logistics sectors. This partnership aligns with Guyana’s Local Content requirements, combining the strengths of both companies to offer an enhanced, integrated suite of services tailored to the needs of the country’s burgeoning oil and gas industry.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/05/12/inchcape-shipping-services-and-symmetry-group-announce-strategic-partnership-in-guyana/
2. Seafarers stranded off Yemen port eye exit after US-Houthi ceasefire deal. Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen’s port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the U.S., maritime and labour union sources said on Thursday.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/05/12/seafarers-stranded-off-yemen-port-eye-exit-after-us-houthi-ceasefire-deal/
3. BIFA realigns its policy and compliance team. In an ongoing reorganisation of its policy and compliance team, the British International Freight Association (BIFA) has promoted Pawel Jarza to policy, compliance and externalaffairs director.
Jarza is well known to many BIFA members as a result of his work in the Customs environment as frontier policy manager, and more recently as policy and compliance adviser, air.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/05/12/bifa-realigns-its-policy-and-compliance-team/
4. Houston Ship Channel Ranked #1 U.S. Waterway. On Tuesday, April 29, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met for its regular monthly meeting. Chairman Ric Campo opened the meeting with an announcement that the Houston Ship Channel is once again ranked the number one waterway in the U.S., according to a recent report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Houston’s port handles approximately 12% of the nation’s total waterborne tonnage.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/05/12/houston-ship-channel-ranked-1-u-s-waterway/
5. Master of Chinese boxship accused of severing Baltic gas pipeline appears in HK court. The master of the Newnew Polar Bear, a Hong Kong-flagged boxship, has been taken into custody in Hong Kong for damaging a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea 19 months ago.
Wan Wenguo, 43, appeared at a court in Hong Kong yesterday to face a charge of criminal damage and two additional charges for breaching local maritime regulations.
https://splash247.com/master-of-chinese-boxship-accused-of-severing-baltic-gas-pipeline-appears-in-hk-court/
6. Empowering Filipino seafarers for a sustainable global maritime future. Filipino seafarers remain an essential pillar of global maritime operations. Representing more than a quarter of the world’s maritime workforce, they are known for their resilience, loyalty, and dedication – contributing quietly but significantly to the world economy. Each year, over 400,000 Filipino seafarers are deployed abroad, generating more than USD 6.7 billion in remittances and reinforcing the Philippines’ position as a leading maritime labour provider.
https://splash247.com/empowering-filipino-seafarers-for-a-sustainable-global-maritime-future/
7. U.S. Navy Must Pay Families Poisoned By Red Hill Fuel Leak. A federal judge in Hawaii ordered the U.S. government on Wednesday to pay about $600,000 to six families impacted by a 2021 Red Hill fuel spill that tainted drinking water at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam near Honolulu after finding that the tainted water was the cause of their health problems.
https://gcaptain.com/u-s-navy-must-pay-families-poisoned-by-red-hill-fuel-leak/
8. The Risk Of India and Pakistan Fighting At Sea. Following the killings of two dozen tourists picnicking in a meadow in the Kashmir region two weeks ago, India and Pakistan are on high military alert and trading accusations and sanctions. The Indians believe the Pakistanis sponsored the killings through longtime support of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. (An offshoot, the Resistance Front, claimed responsibility.)
https://gcaptain.com/the-risk-of-india-and-pakistan-fighting-at-sea/
9. Red Sea ceasefire raises hopes — but shipping risk remains, says Dryad Global.
Dryad Global, the maritime risk and security intelligence provider, is urging the global shipping community to remain cautious despite this week’s announcement of a proposed ceasefire between the United States and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
https://www.shipmanagementinternational.com/news/red-sea-ceasefire-raises-hopes-but-shipping-risk-remains-says-dryad-global
10. Ageing vessels push crew to the limit as Seafarers Happiness Index hits 10-year milestone. The Mission to Seafarers’ latest edition of its quarterly Seafarers Happiness Index has revealed a steadying in seafarer satisfaction, marking a small rise as the survey enters its 10th year.
https://www.shipmanagementinternational.com/news/aging-vessels-push-crew-to-the-limit-as-seafarers-happiness-index-hits-10-year-milestone