ANTONIO MEUCCI

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

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and five other HD Hyundai affiliates are embarking on the development of a robot and data-based integrated hull management solution that automates the entire process—from hull diagnosis to cleaning and performance verification—for the first time in the shipbuilding industry.HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and commercialization of the "Total Hull Care Solution" with affiliates HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, HD Hyundai Robotics, HD Hyundai Marine Solution, and Avicus, as well as with KCC, a specialist in marine paints, and TAS Global, a specialist in underwater robots.

ABS, Polaris Shipping, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and autonomous navigation solutions provider AVIKUS have signed a four-party Concept Study Agreement for the implementation of a Conditional Unmanned Bridge.Under the agreement, the parties will jointly develop an autonomous navigation concept enabling unmanned bridge operation during deep-sea voyages, when defined conditions are met, on one of Polaris Shipping's 325K Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs).The concept is not a fully unmanned operation across the entire voyage. Rather, it is a phased autonomous navigation concept under which the bridge is left unmanned only under specific low-risk conditions, such as open-ocean passage.

Webb Institute celebrated the Commencement of its newest class of naval architects and marine engineers, sending another group of exceptional graduates into the maritime and defense industries that depend on them. U.S. Representative Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) delivered the keynote address on the terrace behind Stevenson Taylor Hall and received an Honorary Doctorate from the college.Born and raised in Glen Cove, Rep. Suozzi has deep roots in the community Webb has called home for decades. He began his career in public service as the city's mayor from 1994 to 2001, served as Nassau County Executive from 2002 to 2009, and has represented New York's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S.

American Cruise Lines christened American Maverick in Newport, Rhode Island last week during the ship’s inaugural 9-Day New England Islands cruise, sailing roundtrip from Providence, Rhode Island. The celebration took place on board with guests, crew, community partners, and many employees from the Line’s headquarters in Connecticut. American Maverick is the newest small cruise ship in the country and the latest in the company’s growing fleet of ships exclusively designed for cruising the U.S.A., featuring many amenities surpassing those of the finest riverboats in the world.