REM FORTRESS

The Panama Canal Authority could double in coming years the number of containers that move through the commercial waterway that links the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, the canal's chief told a maritime conference.The authority, which has an $8 billion investment plan, is putting in place a water conservation strategy following a severe drought that forced ships between late 2023 and early 2024 to take alternative routes between the United States and Asia.As part of that, it is encouraging shippers to consolidate cargoes so less water is used for vessels to pass, particularly container ships, canal chief Ricaurte Vasquez said at the Houston International Maritime Conference.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with Donald Trump on Thursday and congratulated him on winning the U.S. presidency on the "Make America Great Again" slogan as officials in Seoul worked to prepare for "significant" economic changes.Yoon and Trump held a 12-minute phone call and discussed the close security and economic ties of their two countries across all areas, a senior South Korean official said on Thursday.South Korea's ambassador to the United States also visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida to meet with members of the president-elect's camp, the foreign ministry said.

Hapag-Lloyd has ordered 24 new container ships from two Chinese shipyards with a combined investment volume of about $4 billion, it said on Wednesday.Twelve ships, each with a capacity of 16,800 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), will be built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group, while the other 12, with a capacity of 9,200 TEU each, will come from New Times Shipbuilding Company Ltd.According to Hapag-Lloyd, the ships, which will be delivered between 2027 and 2029, will feature liquefied gas dual-fuel engines, which are very fuel-efficient, and be ammonia-ready.

A Donald Trump presidential election victory [which as of this writing looks most likely] would have huge implications for U.S. trade policy, climate change, the war in Ukraine, electric vehicles, among other areas. While some of his proposals would require congressional approval, here is a summary of the policies he has said he would pursue in his second four-year term in office:MORE TARIFFSTrump has floated the idea of a 10% or more tariff on all goods imported into the U.S., a move he says would eliminate the trade deficit. But critics say it would lead to higher prices for American consumers and global economic instability.

Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group, has secured a ‘substantial’ contract from ScottishPower Renewables for the transport and installation of the inter-array cables of the East Anglia TWO offshore wind project.Seaway7’s scope of work for East Anglia TWO includes the engineering, supply and installation of the 64 inter-array cables.Execution of the scope will be led from Seaway7’s Aberdeen office in the UK, with offshore activities scheduled to commence in 2027.Although the exact value of the contract has not been specified, Subsea7 defines a substantial contract as being between $150 million and $300 million.ScottishPower Renewables $5.