1. Tanker owners praise ‘exceptionally brave crew’. The co-owners of a tanker involved in a collision with a cargo ship in the North Sea have released the first picture of some of the crew and praised their “exceptional bravery”.
The Stena Immaculate and cargo ship Solong collided in the North Sea, off East Yorkshire, on 10 March, triggering an explosion and fires, which have been extinguished.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/03/21/tanker-owners-praise-exceptionally-brave-crew/
2. IMO develop global strategy for maritime digitalisation. The International Maritime Organization is taking action to create a comprehensive strategy that harnesses emerging technologies to turbo-charge efficiency, safety and sustainability in the shipping industry.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/03/21/imo-develop-global-strategy-for-maritime-digitalization/
3. Isle of Man Ship Registry IOMSR plays key role in pioneering maritime wind power project. The Isle of Man Ship Registry is playing a key role in the development of a high-tech sail aimed at reducing shipping emissions.
The AirWing was created by engineers in Hull and sea trials are now underway following a development project that began three years ago.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/03/21/isle-of-man-ship-registry-iomsr-plays-key-role-in-pioneering-maritime-wind-power-project/
4. Joint statement of European Shipowners and Sea Europe on European Maritime Industrial Strategy and Sustainable Transport Investment Plan. European Shipowners | ECSA and Sea Europe issue a joint statement calling on the Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan .
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/03/21/joint-statement-of-european-shipowners-and-sea-europe-on-european-maritime-industrial-strategy-and-sustainable-transport-investment-plan/
5. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba delivers a speech at World Ocean Summit & Expo. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, announced that it participated as a Diamond Sponsor in the World Ocean Summit & Expo hosted by Economist Impact which was held in Japan for the first time on March 12-13. MOL Chief Sustainability Officer Tatsuro Watanabe and Environmental & Sustainability Strategy Division General Manager Koichiro Ninomiya, participated in a panel discussion during the event.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2025/03/21/pm-ishiba-speaks-at-world-ocean-summit-expo-mol-participation-raises-groups-profile-on-international-stage/
6. $3.5m: How much this COSCO ship might be charged when calling at a US port. Public comments continue to fly into the US Trade Representative (USTR) ahead of Monday’s hearing into controversial plans to tax Chinese-built tonnage calling at US ports.
In the more than 150 submissions sent in, a considerable number have hit out at the unfair, blanket nature of the penalties for container shipping in particular.
https://splash247.com/3-5m-how-much-this-cosco-ship-might-be-charged-when-calling-at-a-us-port/
7. Hacker group claims to have knocked out comms on 116 Iranian vessels. Lab Dookhtegan, a hacker group, has claimed this week it has disrupted the communication networks of 116 ships belonging to Iran’s top two shipping firms.
“In an unprecedented move, we successfully disrupted the communication network of two Iranian companies that, among various terrorist activities, are responsible for supplying munitions to Houthis,” the group wrote on Telegram.
https://splash247.com/hacker-group-claims-to-have-knocked-out-comms-on-116-iranian-vessels/
8. Investigators warn 68 American bridges are at risk from a Dali-style accident. The one-year anniversary since 2024’s most high-profile ship accident is next week, and the fallout from the Dali containership’s destruction of a bridge in Baltimore continues to permeate throughout the US.
https://splash247.com/investigators-warn-68-american-bridges-are-at-risk-from-a-dali-style-accident/
9. USTR’s Proposed China Port Fees Could Cost Container Shipping Over $100 Billion, Expert Warns. A proposed U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) fee structure targeting Chinese-built ships and operators could cost the container shipping sector alone over $106.9 billion annually and severely disrupt global supply chains, according to maritime expert John McCown.
https://gcaptain.com/ustrs-proposed-china-port-fees-could-cost-container-shipping-over-100-billion-expert-warns/
10. Russia Ships Arctic Oil to Syria for First Time. Two tankers hit by U.S. sanctions are due to offload Russian Arctic Oil in Syria for the first time, days after Moscow made its first known delivery of diesel there in more than a decade, according to LSEG data, a government source and local TV.
https://gcaptain.com/russia-ships-arctic-oil-to-syria-for-first-time/