LOCH PORTAIN

Taking your children or grandchildren for a ride on the Merry-Go Round may be a pleasant past memory.  With that memory, we are asking to think about your choice of the best horse as you board the platform. A decision resting upon what you want out of the ride. Now consider that selection to the current state of US shipbuilding.Selecting the outside row of “jumpers” provides the greatest thrill as they move the fastest. When the Executive order for Maritime Dominance was issued on April 9, 2025, the U.S. maritime industry was ready to ride for the thrill of it. After all it was issued by the “Lead” horse, the one with historical flair while branded with the most progressive support of U.S.

At the head of the U.S.’ largest ferry system is Steve Nevey, Deputy Secretary, Washington State Ferry (WSF), which is engaged in a historic modernization to a hybrid-electric fleet. Nevey gives a candid look inside problems during the Wenatchee conversion, with insights on the hybrid electric direction and pace for newbuilds at Eastern Shipbuilding.Steve Nevey did not stumble into maritime. He was raised in it, shaped by it, and by most accounts destined for it. Born in the UK, Nevey grew up in a naval household. His father served aboard HMS Invincible, and after visiting the ship as a two-year-old following its return from the Falklands War, ships became his singular obsession.

Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras has signed a $427 million contract through its logistics subsidiary Petrobras Transporte (Transpetro) with the Rio Grande Shipyard for the construction of four medium range tankers as part of a broader program to renew and expand its shipping fleet.The four MR1-class vessels, each with a deadweight tonnage of 40,000 tonnes, will be used to transport crude oil and petroleum products along Brazil's coast, Petrobras said.The order forms part of the Mar Aberto (Open Sea) Program, which aims to expand Transpetro's owned fleet to 42 vessels by 2030 from 26 currently

Australian mining company Fortescue has signed an agreement with Belgian shipping and cleantech group CMB.TECH to charter up to 12 ammonia-capable bulk carriers, stepping up efforts to decarbonize maritime transport and support the development of green ammonia as a marine fuel.Under the agreement, Fortescue will charter 12 Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, each with a carrying capacity of 210,000 deadweight tonnes, from Bocimar, the dry bulk shipping arm of CMB.TECH.Up to three of the vessels will be delivered with dual-fuel ammonia engines and are expected to enter service by the end of 2026

The United States, Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted Coast Guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sent Coast Guard ships earlier in June into the waters off the island's east coast for what it called a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation," angering Taipei.