SAM LAUD

U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb sealed an agreement on Thursday for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire up to 11 icebreaker ships to bolster U.S. national security in the Arctic.Trump and Stubb have established friendly ties since Trump regained power in January, and the two met in March at the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and played a round of golf.The two leaders approved a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation that is intended to lay the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S. Coast Guard and Finnish companies.

Second of Two Large Car Ferries Ordered by Shinnihonkai Ferry and Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency Second ferries in Japan to use a buttock-flow stern hull and ducktail design, providing energy savings of 5%  Delivery scheduled for June 2026, planned to go into service between Otaru and MaizuruMitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, held a christening and launch ceremony on October 9 for the second of two large car ferries ordered by Shinnihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. and Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT).

The Arctic is no longer a remote expanse beyond the edges of global commerce — it is now a contested arena where strategic competition, energy development, and maritime innovation converge. As climate change accelerates sea ice retreat, previously impassable waters are opening to navigation for longer periods each year. This change unlocks shorter trade routes, exposes massive untapped hydrocarbon and minerals reserves, and creates demand for ships able to operate in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.In this evolving environment, icebreakers are more than just engineering feats — they are geopolitical tools.

The U.S. is one week away from imposing port fees on certain vessels with links to China, a move expected to cost the top 10 carriers $3.2 billion next year as President Donald Trump seeks to address China's growing dominance on the high seas."While some observers believe the October 14 deadline may be extended - or even scrapped - as part of broader negotiations, the uncertainty has already unsettled carriers, adding another layer of geopolitical risk to fleet deployment strategies," S&P said in a report this week.Trump's administration said fees imposed on ships built, owned or operated by Chinese entities will help pay to revive U.S. shipbuilding.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Kanadevia Corporation, and Yanmar Power Solutions have achieved a 98% methane slip reduction rate in onboard trials of LNG-fueled vessels, exceeding their initial target of 70%.The trials are part of the Green Innovation Fund Project ‘Development of Next-Generation Vessels’ led by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).The project, which runs from fiscal 2021 through 2026, aims to combine methane oxidation catalysts with engine improvements to reduce methane slip - unburned methane emissions from LNG fuel - by at least 70%.