Maritime Vessels Directory

The United States will keep attacking Yemen's Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the U.S. defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signaled it could escalate in response to deadly U.S. strikes the day before.The airstrikes, which the Houthi-run health ministry said killed at least 53 people, are the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One U.S. official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Sunday that his militants would target U.S. ships in the Red Sea as long as the U.S. continues its attacks on Yemen.

China Shipowners' Association Opposes U.S. Port Fees

3 days ago

The China Shipowners' Association opposes a U.S. proposal to slap hefty port entry fees on ocean cargo carriers that own or have ordered vessels from China, saying it violates international rules and U.S. laws, according to a statement seen by Reuters on Thursday.U.S. President Donald Trump's administration aims to partially pay for an American shipbuilding comeback with those fees, according to a draft executive order seen by Reuters.The CSA's members include China's COSCO Shipping, which is expected to be among the hardest hit by the fees proposed by the U.S. trade representative as part of that agency's investigation into China's growing domination of global shipping.

Environmental Disaster Most Likely Avoided After North Sea Ships Collision

3 days ago

Fears of an environmental disaster eased on Wednesday, two days after a container ship ploughed into a stationary U.S. fuel tanker off northeast England, as the vessel's owner said the detained captain was a Russian national.The Portuguese-flagged Solong had crashed with no obvious explanation into the larger Stena Immaculate, a tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military.Huge fires and explosions charred the Solong and left the Immaculate with a gaping hole, but owner Stena Bulk said most of its jet fuel cargo remained intact.Stena Bulk Chief Executive Erik Hanell said only two of 18 fuel tanks had leaked, or about 10% of the cargo.

Video Captures Ship Impact on Stena Immaculate

4 days ago

Newly released video footage captured by advanced AI-powered cameras has provided crucial insights into the collision between the container ship MV Solong and the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate off the port of Grimsby earlier this week.The footage, recorded by Orca AI’s SeaPod lookout unit mounted on the anchored tanker Ionic Aspis, reportedly shows the exact moment of impact. The recordings include two separate videos: one from the system’s day cameras, highlighting the dense fog that likely obstructed the Solong crew’s visibility, and another from thermal cameras, which vividly captures the container ship's approach and the explosion upon impact.

Fire Contained, Most Jet Fuel Intact on Stena Immaculate

4 days ago

The majority of the jet fuel aboard the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate remains secure despite a collision with a container ship off the British coast, the tanker's owner, Stena Bulk, reported on Wednesday. Only two of the vessel’s 18 fuel tanks have leaked.The incident occurred on Monday when the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong struck the Stena Immaculate, which was carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military. British authorities have since arrested the captain of the Solong on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.The fire that had engulfed the Stena Immaculate has now been extinguished, according to Stena Bulk's Chief Executive Erik Hanell.

Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (February 2025)