BOA GALATEA

Stena Line strengthened its position in the Baltic Sea by acquiring NLC Ferry Ab Oy/Wasaline and taking over operations of the ferry route between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland.“It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we at Stena Line take on the responsibility for Wasaline and the route between two important regions and cities, Umeå and Vaasa,” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.The only existing ferry connection between Umeå and Vaasa is jointly owned by the two cities through the 50/50-owned company Kvarken Link, which in turn owns NLC Ferry which operates under the auxiliary name Wasaline.

We are well into the discussions advising shipbuilders and operators how the U.S. will create a renaissance of the maritime industry. Federal Legislation, Executive Orders, and new foreign partnerships driving the promise of commercial competitiveness with the leading global shipbuilders. Most of the shipbuilding rhetoric indicates the domestic markets will be left to survive on their own. This despite the fact the domestic operators and builders have proven to be the strongest undercurrent to decisions and amendments on the legislation efforts.It is year-end here at Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.

The Philippines and Canada signed a pact on Sunday for their armed forces to train on each other's soil, boosting defense cooperation to tackle common security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.Canada's first such deal in the region, the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) takes to five the number of accords on troops Manila has concluded with allies, in the face of China's increasingly assertive regional stance.The deal broadens the Philippines' network of security ties while complementing a long-standing alliance with its treaty partner, the United States.

A sanctioned liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker made a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer off the coast of Malaysia after picking up a cargo from a Russian export terminal also under Western restrictions, according to two analytics firms.The operation appears to be the first known STS transfer of sanctioned Russian LNG, despite Western efforts to curb Moscow's energy revenues over its war in Ukraine.The LNG tanker Perle, which was sanctioned by the United States in January, had been carrying a cargo from the designated Russian export terminal in Portovaya on the Baltic Sea.

The construction of Captain Arctic, a 69-meter near-zero-emission exploration vessel designed for sustainable cruising in polar waters, has reached a major milestone as its hull was completed by Goltens Dubai, marking the start of final outfitting and integration work.The vessel, owned by French company SELAR and built in collaboration with Chantier Naval de l’Océan Indien (CNOI) and Goltens Dubai, represents a major step in the integration of renewable energy systems into modern expedition ship design.The Captain Arctic combines wind propulsion and solar energy to cut carbon emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional vessels of similar size.