The luxury expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has arrived at the port of Rotterdam after a hantavirus outbreak onboard left three people dead and triggered an international health response. The vessel carried around 150 passengers and crew members from 23 countries.
Several containers were lost overboard after a collision between container ship MV Spil Ratna and cargo vessel MV Meratus Kolawa on 13 May in Indonesia’s Mahakam River, The Maritime Telegraph reports.
The impact occurred in a narrow section of the river near Samarinda, damaging both vessels and knocking eight containers into the water. The drifting cargo created a navigation hazard on this busy inland shipping route.
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has installed rigid wind sails on an LNG carrier under construction in South Korea, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The vessel will become the world’s first LNG carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger system, a wind-assisted propulsion technology aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
NextShip reports that Ocean Network Express has signed a $1.22 billion deal with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for six LNG dual-fuel container vessels. The move supports ONE’s push toward lower-emission shipping as environmental rules tighten worldwide.
South Korea is stepping up its push into autonomous shipping with a new AI-focused maritime programme designed to collect real data from operating vessels, The Maritime Telegraph reports. Launched on May 7, the project brings together shipbuilders, shipping companies and tech firms under a KRW 35 billion ($25 million) initiative running through 2029.
A cargo vessel bound for Ukraine sank off the Greek island of Andros after running aground on rocks in the early hours of May 6, triggering a major rescue operation and criminal charges against two senior officers, The Maritime Telegraph reports.
The International Maritime Organization has greenlit the largest Emission Control Area (ECA) ever, covering the North-East Atlantic, reports The Maritime Telegraph. For shipping CEOs, the signal is simple: stricter emissions rules are scaling fast across core trade lanes.
India is pushing ahead with a $5.4 billion plan to add 62 vessels to its merchant fleet, sharpening control over shipping as the Strait of Hormuz crisis strains global trade. The Maritime Telegraph reports that the move targets a critical gap: heavy reliance on foreign carriers to move essential cargo.
A new milestone for global auto logistics: a 10,800 CEU car carrier has joined the fleet of HMM, with The Maritime Telegraph reporting the delivery as part of the industry’s rapid scale-up. The vessel was built by Guangzhou Shipyard International and signals a clear move toward bigger, more efficient carriers.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis has stretched into its third month, with about 20,000 seafarers stuck on over 1,600 vessels across the Persian Gulf. The International Maritime Organization says there is still no safe corridor for commercial transit. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez warned the UN that threats such as attacks and possible mines leave crews exposed and routes uncertain.
A routine voyage turned grim when the cruise ship Sapphire Princess recovered five bodies in the western Mediterranean, underscoring the ongoing risks of migrant crossings. The Maritime Telegraph reports the incident occurred mid-journey, far from shore.
Iran’s IRGC has reportedly seized two MSC-linked container ships after armed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, The Maritime Telegraph said. Three vessels were targeted while transiting the strait. The first was fired on near Oman by an IRGC gunboat without prior warning, suffering damage to its bridge but reporting no casualties.
