Maritime Vessels Directory

Fincantieri and Viking have signed contracts for two new cruise ships, extending a long-running shipbuilding relationship that now encompasses 28 vessels.The ships result from Viking exercising options announced in April 2025 and will be constructed at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in Italy, with both vessels scheduled for delivery in 2032. Fincantieri classified the value of the agreement, which remains subject to financing and other conditions, as “large.”Designed for the small cruise ship segment, each newbuild will measure approximately 54,300 gross tons and accommodate 998 passengers in 499 cabins.

South Korean Container Ship Will Test Arctic Route

23 hours ago

A container ship will depart from South Korea bound for Europe via the Arctic on Saturday, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable, but risking friction with Western allies, as the voyage requires Russian cooperation.If successful, the trip would be South Korea's first such commercial voyage to Europe via the Arctic, placing it with China and Russia among the few countries whose shipping firms have tested or run cargo services along the route.Sailing north from the port of Busan, the PanStar Acro will make stops at Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Poland's Gdansk before returning in a journey expected to take 40 to 45 days

Critical Minerals at Sea: Battery Supply Chains Become an Investment Question

2 days ago

Batteries have become a practical part of maritime decarbonization. They are used on ferries, harbor craft, tugs, offshore support vessels, crew transfer vessels, various types of remotely operated vessels, and hybrid ships to reduce fuel burn, provide spinning reserve, support dynamic positioning, enable peak shaving, and allow zero-emission operation in port. As of mid-2026, 156 different maritime battery systems from 118 manufacturing companies are commercially available. Notably, systems are becoming more energy dense, lighter and more compact, supporting wider maritime adoption – for a 288.

KRATT: A Biomethane-Fueled, Ice-Class Workboat

3 days ago

Estonia has taken delivery of a new 38-meter multipurpose workboat that combines compressed biomethane and battery-electric propulsion with research, buoy-handling, pollution-response and rescue capabilities in a single vessel.Named KRATT, the new vessel was designed and built by Baltic Workboats for the Estonian State Fleet and christened August 12 at Saaremaa, Estonia. The €22 million vessel is scheduled to enter service in Estonian waters this autumn.At the center of the newbuild is an alternative-fuel power plant designed around compressed biomethane (CBM) as its primary fuel, four 350-kW gas generator sets and a 400-kWh battery system.

Shipping Slows Through Strait of Hormuz After Tanker Attacks

3 days ago

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, data showed on Monday, following attacks on tankers, while U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the Middle East conflict stalled.Five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none registered for Sunday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed, versus 31 in the prior weekend.Ships entering the strait on Saturday included an empty very large crude carrier with its Automatic Identification System switched off and an Indian-flagged very large gas carrier that used the Iranian route, Kpler data showed.A small tanker laden with Iranian fuel oil exited, it showed.

Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (August 2026)