ELINA B.

Union Vega Offshore has ordered two battery-hybrid platform supply vessels (PSVs) from Fujian Mawei Shipyard, with options for four additional vessels, under a design contract awarded to Breeze Ship Design.The vessels will be based on Breeze Ship Design's next-generation Z 4409 PSV design, with delivery of the first vessel scheduled for 2028.Each vessel will measure 84 meters in length and feature 900 square meters of deck space, battery-hybrid propulsion, a moonpool and accommodation for up to 44 personnel.The design also allows for the future installation of a 50-tonne active heave compensated (AHC) crane, expanding the vessels' potential offshore capabilities.

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) has called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explain its oversight of Jones Act waivers following reports that foreign-flagged vessels transported more than $40 million in petroleum products between U.S. ports without required disclosures.In an October 16 letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Carbajal, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, questioned whether foreign vessel operators benefiting from the waivers are complying with U.S. tax, immigration, labor and maritime regulations.

German defense contractor Rheinmetall and Swiss shipping company MSC have won an auction to acquire Romania's Mangalia shipyard for approximately $155 million (€138 million), with plans to develop the facility for both commercial and military shipbuilding.The acquisition, expected to be completed within a few weeks, will be jointly funded by the two companies, Rheinmetall said.The shipyard, located south of Constanța, will be developed into a dual-use facility serving domestic and international markets, with separate sectors and security zones to accommodate civilian and military shipbuilding activities.

Anglo-Eastern has detailed its role in developing and preparing CMB.TECH's Mineral Europa, the world's first ammonia-powered dry bulk carrier, which recently embarked on its maiden voyage.The 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax, built by CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, features a WinGD dual-fuel ammonia engine and a Sun Rui Ammonia Fuel Supply System. The vessel can operate on ammonia or conventional marine fuel, providing flexibility as ammonia bunkering infrastructure develops.Anglo-Eastern's involvement dates to 2018, when its technical services division began evaluating alternative fuels with CMB.TECH, initially examining hydrogen before progressing to ammonia.

Shippers' appetite for lower-carbon marine fuels weakened this year as the fate of a regulatory emissions framework from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) remained cloudy while some are using carbon credits, industry executives said.IMO member nations are set to meet by early November on the formal adoption of a net-zero framework to guide the industry towards zero carbon emissions by 2050, after last year's vote to delay the move.Demand for marine biofuel, a more readily available alternative fuel on which shippers have focused more, has softened this year at the world's largest bunker hub of Singapore.