CAPE ATLAS

France has selected five ports to receive nearly $300 million (€260 million) in funding under the France 2030 investment program to support infrastructure upgrades for the country's floating offshore wind industry.The projects, located at the ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos, were chosen under a 2024 call for projects aimed at adapting French port infrastructure for the manufacture, assembly and integration of floating offshore wind components.The government said the selected projects are expected to unlock nearly $1.

CHICAGO — July 30, 2026 —  The United States cannot rebuild its maritime strength by focusing solely on its ocean coasts. Instead, the nation's industrial resurgence depends on recognizing the Great Lakes as one of America's five maritime coastlines and leveraging the region's unmatched manufacturing ecosystem, according to U.S. Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel.Speaking at the American Great Lakes Ports Association's annual meeting in Chicago today, Carmel argued that the Great Lakes should be viewed not as a regional transportation network, but as a national strategic asset that is central to rebuilding America's commercial shipbuilding and industrial base.

Northern Lights joint venture has taken delivery of its fourth dedicated liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier, completing the vessel fleet required for the first phase of its carbon capture and storage (CCS) transport and storage operations.The Northern Purpose has arrived in Norway following delivery from Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Company (DSOC), joining sister vessels Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder and Northern Phoenix to provide CO2 transport capacity for customers across Europe.Northern Lights said the vessel fleet forms the core of its transport solution

Saipem and Subsea7 have cleared a key U.S. regulatory hurdle for their planned merger after the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 expired, allowing the transaction to close in the United States once all remaining conditions are met.The companies said all applicable waiting periods under the U.S. antitrust law have expired, while noting that the proposed merger remains subject to certain regulatory approvals outside the United States.The merger was agreed under a binding agreement signed in July 2025, following a memorandum of understanding announced earlier that year.

As lithium-ion batteries continue to make their way into the marine space whether through vessel systems, transported electric vehicles, or everyday devices onboard we are starting to see a different type of fire loss than most of us have traditionally dealt with.These events are not necessarily more frequent, but when they occur, they tend to be severe. In many cases, they result in prolonged fires or even total loss of a vessel or cargo. That aligns with broader industry findings that fires remain one of the costliest drivers of marine insurance losses, particularly when lithium-ion batteries are involved (Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty [AGCS], 2022).