BOW ELM

The Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, a day after being hit by an explosive device that injured two seafarers and forced the crew's evacuation, its operator and the EU maritime mission Aspides said.It was unclear if the ship was targeted by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who since 2023 have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, saying their assaults are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza.If confirmed, it would be the first Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1.

TKMS, the defence business that German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp aims to spin off this autumn, plans to raise its profit margin to more than 7% to close a gap with rivals, banking on soaring military demand amid fears of Russian aggression.TKMS, which makes submarines, frigates as well as sensor and mine-hunting technology, has more than tripled its order backlog in five years. It now stands at 18.6 billion euros ($21.8 billion) as governments around the world beef up warship fleets.In the medium term, TKMS plans to raise its operating profit margin to more than 7%, compared with 4.

After developing the technique some five years ago, Aker Arctic has now completed the research required to get its new design methodology for icebreaker hulls accepted into the Finish-Swedish Ice Class Rules. The method has also been adopted to Polar Class rules of several Class Societies (LR, ABS, DNV).Although the research focused on vessels typically sailing the Baltic Sea, Aker Arctic has also used the methodology in many of its recent newbuilding designs including, for example, Canada’s new icebreaker which is currently under construction.

Terminal operators in a major oil port in east China's Shandong province are set to introduce measures to ban shadow fleet vessels and curb visits by other old tankers, according to an official notice seen by Reuters and a tanker tracker.The measures, to take effect from November 1, would ban vessels using fake IMO numbers and ships of 31 years or older, which traders said would target what is known as the shadow fleet that transports oil under Western sanctions.Four terminal operators at Huangdao Port last week issued the notice, seen by Reuters, a month after the United States designated an oil terminal in nearby Dongjiakou port as receiving Iranian oil carried by vessels under sanctions.

The impact of software on the performance of vessels and fleets was described by ABS Chairman and Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki at a launch event in Greece for ABS Wavesight Advantage, a new intelligent platform.“In an industry where every ton and every ton-mile counts, ABS Wavesight Advantage puts the Power of One in your corner. What does that mean in practice? One percent of fuel savings through software-driven performance efficiencies delivers payback five times faster than retrofits. Reducing emissions by just one metric ton of CO₂ equivalent per voyage can save more than €200 in carbon penalties.