OTTO N. THORLAKSSON

Global insurer Allianz Commercial recently issued its 2025 Safety & Shipping Review, examining maritime risk trends and losses. The report revealed that the shipping industry has made significant improvements when it comes to maritime safety in recent years. During the 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year. This total had halved 10 years ago and is now down to a record low of 27 as of the end of 2024 (from 35 in 2023).Despite the ongoing trend for fewer large losses, challenges remain. Shipowners are trying to operate vessels safely within an ever-changing and dynamic regulatory framework and do the right thing while managing a host of complex issues.

ABB has secured a large order by Seatrium, a global provider of marine engineering solutions based in Singapore, for the supply of electrical equipment and automation solutions on a new generation of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels for operator Petrobras.The two vessels, P-84 and P-85, will be deployed in the Atapu and Sépia fields, approximately 200 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.ABB will design and construct the topside and hullside electrical equipment, electrical substation automation and eHouses for both FPSOs.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been notified by the Indian authorities that 18 crew were safely transferred from lifeboats to an Indian Navy ship, which is en route to New Mangalore Port.Four crew—two from Taiwan, one from Myanmar, and one from Indonesia—remain missing. Search and rescue (SAR) operations are ongoing.Of the 18 rescued crew, five are reported to have sustained injuries. The injured crew are receiving medical treatment onboard the Indian Navy ship en route to port.As at 20:30pm on June 9, 2025 (Singapore Time), a total of 3 vessels have been deployed by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy to support the SAR operations.

A fire onboard the Singapore-registered container ship Wan Hai 503 has erupted earlier on Monday off India’s Kerala coast, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported, injuring several crew members and leaving four unaccounted for as Indian Coast Guard and Navy launch search and rescue operations.The incident occurred on June 9, 2025 at about 12.30 hrs Singapore time, at the vessel managed by Wan Hai Lines (Singapore) Pte Ltd.There were 22 crew members onboard. Eighteen crew members have been accounted for and are in the process of being transferred from lifeboats to a passing vessel.

Australia’s unique enclosed self-discharging transhippers ensure a dust-free supply chain for the Onslow Iron project.Onslow in north Western Australia is a desert. It receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, and for much of the year temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s known for dust storms that can turn the town red.It’s iron ore country, but the lack of a deepwater port meant that the nearby resources were stranded until Mineral Resources (MinRes) came up with a solution – one that also ensures the supply chain is dust-free.