Maritime Vessels Directory

ABS, Polaris Shipping, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and autonomous navigation solutions provider AVIKUS have signed a four-party Concept Study Agreement for the implementation of a Conditional Unmanned Bridge.Under the agreement, the parties will jointly develop an autonomous navigation concept enabling unmanned bridge operation during deep-sea voyages, when defined conditions are met, on one of Polaris Shipping's 325K Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs).The concept is not a fully unmanned operation across the entire voyage. Rather, it is a phased autonomous navigation concept under which the bridge is left unmanned only under specific low-risk conditions, such as open-ocean passage.

Video: British Commandos Intercept Russian Tanker

2 days ago

British commandos boarded and intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel on Sunday, leading for the first time an operation to disrupt the oil revenue that helps fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The vessel Smyrtos, sailing under a Cameroonian flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours on Sunday, with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter."This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X.

BRIN Taps Shipbuilder PIRIOU for Research Vessel Pair

4 days ago

The “Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional” (BRIN), Indonesia’s national agency for research and innovation, has commissioned the French shipbuilder PIRIOU to design and build two research vessels:a multimission offshore hydro-oceanographic vessel (ORV – Ocean Going Research Vessel) and a coastal research vessel (CRV – Coastal Research Vessel).The order was signed on June 11, 2026 during a ceremony held in Indonesia, attended by representatives of BRIN, Stéphane BURGAUD, PIRIOU’s Commercial Director, and the project’s institutional partners. Both vessels will be built by PIRIOU VIETNAM, the Group’s industrial subsidiary in Southeast Asia.

IEA Expects Gradual Hormuz Recovery, Oversupplied Market in 2027

11 minutes ago

The world oil market will recover gradually from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz before tipping into a significant surplus in 2027, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report on Wednesday.The U.S. and Iran reached an agreement to end the three-month-old war, which includes Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. lifting its naval blockade, potentially bringing an end to the largest oil supply disruption in history which shut in over 14 million barrels per day of Middle East oil output, according to the IEA.

Iranian Oil Tankers Resume Shipments After US-Iran Deal

21 minutes ago

At least three tankers carrying Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, with a fourth, an empty vessel, heading towards the Gulf of Oman, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed.The shipments indicate a gradual resumption of Iranian oil exports that are expected to add to global supplies although demand from China, its biggest buyer, has been lacklustre due to poor domestic margins.Very Large Crude Carriers Hero II and Diona, carrying 2 million barrels of oil each, have passed through the Gulf of Oman and are heading east, ship-tracking data from Kpler and Vortexa showed.

Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (June 2026)