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Höegh Xiamen car carrier has been declared "a constructive total loss" following a fire that broke out on the vessel in early June in Jacksonville, USA.The Höegh Xiamen car carrier is owned by Ocean Yield and is on a bareboat contract to Höegh Autoliners. The fire broke out on June 4, shortly after the vessel had completed loading operations at Blount Island, Jacksonville, Florida. It was extinguished late on June 12.During the initial response, several firefighters sustained serious injuries.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to register a seventh straight weekly gain on Friday, as demand gained steam across all vessel segments.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, rose 71 points, or 3.9%, to 1,894, climbing to its highest since mid-October 2019 and rising 8.3% for the week.Easing virus-led lockdowns in China have boosted demand for iron-ore, helping the index to gain 73.8% so far this year.The Baltic capesize index gained 176 points, or 4.1%, to 4,440.

Carnival Corp unit Costa Cruises on Friday extended its pause on operations to Aug. 15 and canceled all cruises in Northern Europe for the rest of the 2020 summer season.Genoa-based Costa, which had earlier suspended trips until July 31, also cancelled all future Costa Victoria cruises.“The decision is linked to the uncertainty on the gradual reopening of ports to cruise ships and the restrictions that may still be in place for the movements of people due to the COVID-19 global pandemic,” the company said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is searching for a towboat crewman in the water in the Ohio River near Alton, Ind., Sunday.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report around 12 p.m EST that a deckhand from a towing vessel had gone overboard without a life jacket, somewhere between mile marker 675 and mile marker 700.The male deckhand is described to be in his 50s, about 280 pounds, and 5 feet 10 inches tall.The Coast Guard is coordinating the search with local agency partners, including the Meade County Fire Department and Indiana Department of Conservation.

Classification society ClassNK has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships.The 48 amendments were issued on 3June 30, including the following items:Regarding “Oil-lubricated Propeller Shafts Kind 1”, the notation requirements to affix “1C” to the classification characters of the ships fitted with oil-lubricated propeller shafts (Kind 1C), which have a reputation for being highly reliable by various means not only to prevent corrosion damage to stern tube bearings but also to facilitate general maintenance and management more easily, are stipulated.