EAGLE SEVILLE

By the time Robbie Roberge spotted the fire consuming his boat's galley last August, he knew he had just minutes to evacuate his beloved Three Girls fishing vessel, named for his daughters.As the flames spread up the boat's walls, he helped his crew into safety suits, deployed a life raft and made a mayday call to alert nearby mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard that he was abandoning ship more than 100 miles offshore.Roberge, a commercial fisherman from South Portland, Maine, learned how to handle such an emergency just three months earlier at a workshop held by Fishing Partnership Support Services, a nonprofit that has trained thousands of East Coast fishermen in safety practices.

International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said one of its vessels left the Italian port of Catania on Sunday, heading for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a separate ship in the Mediterranean.The crew of volunteers, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, set sail on the Madleen, carrying barrels of what the group called "limited amounts, though symbolic" of relief supplies.Another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident.

By May this year, 158 cases of vessel abandonment had been recorded, up from 119 at the same point in 2024.These cases represent more than 1,501 seafarers who have reached out to the ITF for assistance, many of whom were left unpaid, without food, water or access to ports, often for months at a time.“Abandonment is a growing, systemic problem,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. “Behind every number is a human being who has been failed by the industry and the governments responsible for regulating it. The fact that we're on track to break last year’s appalling record is a sign that urgent reform is needed.

Fincantieri and TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, have launched Mein Shiff Flow, a dual-fuel cruise ship newbuild.A sister ship to Mein Schiff Relax, delivered in February 2025, the new unit is scheduled to enter service in mid-2026.With approximately 160,000 gross tons, Mein Schiff Flow is based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri enhancing the modernity and sustainability characteristics that TUI Cruises, a company with one of the most advanced fleets from an ecological point of view.

ASUKA III, said to be the largest Japanese-flagged cruise ship, has completed its first marine LNG bunkering by FueLNG Private at Singapore Cruise Centre.The bunkering milestone also marks Shell LNG's first supply to an LNG-powered cruise ship in the region, according to Singapore Cruise Centre.Asuka III is owned by NYK Cruises, a company of the Japanese shipping group NYK. The 52,200 GT  newbuild is 230 meters long and 29.8 meters wide, with space for 744 passengers.„We look forward to many more such operations to come as the industry transitions towards cleaner fuels.