SANCO SEA

Four men, including the chief officer of an international livestock carrier, have been charged over their alleged roles in an organised crime plot to import more than 525kg of cocaine into Australia, after packages of the drug were found floating in the ocean off Western Australia.A Western Australia Joint Organised Crime Taskforce investigation into suspicious activity by an international vessel was already under way when members of the public alerted police on November 6 after finding large packages tied to flotation drums about 30km offshore.Later that day, Western Australia and Federal police officers collected the bundles off the coast of Lancelin, about 125km north of Perth.

Mavrik Marine, Inc. was selected to build high-speed passenger ferries for the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District. Mavrik will construct catamaran passenger ferries as part of the District’s eight vessel Lima Class Ferry Replacement Program to provide transportation services in San Francisco Bay.The 50-m aluminum ferries specifications and systems were developed by Aurora Marine Design in San Diego with structural design from One2Three Naval Architects in Australia. Construction will begin immediately at Mavrik’s facility in La Conner, WA.

Firefighters and federal authorities continued working Saturday to contain a hazardous-materials fire aboard the container ship ONE Henry Hudson after an explosion and onboard fire forced the evacuation of all crew members at the Port of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and port officials. By 6:30pm local time, the fire had been substantially contained.The incident occurred Friday at the Yusen Container Terminal in San Pedro. LAFD said the ship experienced an explosion that disrupted the vessel’s power and crane operations, prompting emergency crews to respond to smoke and flames involving container stacks on the deck.

More than 200 guests attended the official naming ceremony of Stena Line’s newest vessel, Stena Futura, at Belfast Harbour.  The 147-mhybrid freight ferry Stena Futura is the first of two next-generation “NewMax” freight vessels purpose-built for the busy Belfast–Heysham route. The ship is methanol-ready and equipped with hybrid propulsion systems, including battery capability and shore power connectivity. These innovations will help Stena Line achieve its goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030.

Odfjell SE and Japan’s Nissen Kaiun Co., Ltd. have formed a new Bergen-based joint venture, Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS, marking a significant expansion of their long-standing partnership and adding substantial capacity to the global chemical tanker market.The JV will launch with a fleet of 10 stainless-steel chemical tankers, equally contributed by the two companies. Nine of the vessels are already operating under Odfjell Tankers via existing charter agreements, while the tenth is set to join the fleet in early December. The vessels will be fully integrated into Odfjell’s commercial platform and deployed across major deep-sea trade lanes.