CASPIAN PROTECTOR

TOTE Services, LLC, a U.S. maritime services company specializing in vessel construction management and ship management, signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation - Maritime Administration (MARAD) to serve as vessel construction manager (VCM) for the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel (MRIV) program. The MRIV will support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in advancing national security.  Immediately following this award, TOTE Services also executed a shipyard subcontract with Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) to construct the first MRIV. This ship will be the first in a planned series of vessels for MDA.The MRIV program was announced this summer by U.S.

Anduril Industries plans to invest $3.7 billion in a new Maryland shipyard to manufacture Virginia-class submarine components and other subsea systems, alongside a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $2.9 billion tied to production targets.The Arsenal-2 facility will be built at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, Baltimore County, with permitting and site preparation beginning immediately and initial operations expected in 2030.The combined public and private investment totals $6.6 billion, with Anduril set to build and operate the site. The U.S.

Two people have died and 11 crew members have been rescued after the Royad Mammadov cargo ship sank in the Black Sea, Romanian authorities reported, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the vessel had been struck by Russian drones.The incident occurred on October 5 in Romania's exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe and outside the country's territorial waters, according to Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs.Zelenskyy said the vessel was carrying corn in neutral waters when it was sunk by Russian drones. He added the ship had been chartered from Türkiye and was operated by citizens of Azerbaijan and India.

ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has ordered three 90,000-cubic-meter Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) for a total investment of $324 million.The three newbuilds are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2029, ADNOC L&S said.Upon delivery, the VLGCs will be deployed under seven-year contracts with ADNOC Global Trading.The investment is also valued at $324 million (AED 1.19 billion), according to ADNOC L&S.

Ongoing fleet renewal by niche player Cool Carriers indicates continuing competitiveness at scale of the specialized, pallet-optimized reefership.Not so long ago, it seemed that the unrelenting march of containerization and ever-widening influence of the powerful ocean container line entities would finally usurp the conventional, breakbulk refrigerated cargo vessel. However, Limassol, Cyprus-headquartered Cool Carriers, the largest operator in the sector, displays remarkable resilience through consecutive programs of tonnage development.Hard on the heels of a period of renewal centered on five ships in the 900,000-cu.-ft.